Page 31 of A Little Bit Naughty

“I was like, ‘oh, I think I’m gay,’ and that was the end of it.”

“Your family sounds amazing.”

“They are. And they’d absolutely love you. My sister Marcy is an occupational therapist, which I know isn’t quite the same, but you guys could talk shop. The rest of them would just like you.” Remi only realized after he’d said it that, once again, he’d moved into this territory where he was talking to Isaac like they had some sort of future together. Like he wouldn’t be flying three thousand miles away in a few short days.

“That’s really cool. I love my family, but my sister and I moved out the second we could. I mean, I call my parents every few weeks and go back for holidays and things, but we’re not close. I kind of wish I had a family like that.”

Well, since he’d already said it… “They’d adopt you instantly. Come on over any time.”

Isaac looked wistful. “I’m guessing you never considered living anywhere else.”

Was Isaac thinking the same thing he was? They’d already agreed that their fling could only last through the weekend because of the distance, but was Isaac having second thoughts, too? Remi wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to leave his family, at least not permanently, but he stuck to the question Isaac asked. “Nope. I never really did. Two of my siblings, Craig and Dani, went away to college but they ended up moving right back. Marcy and I never even left.”

“Hey!” Isaac whispered with a quiet intensity, looking somewhere over Remi’s shoulder. “I see something.” A dozen or so black birds flew down to the water and landed with hardly a splash. Isaac turned the canoe so they could both see and drifted a little closer.

“Those are cormorants,” Remi whispered back. “We found them!”

“They’re kind of like a cross between a duck and a buzzard. Or a duck that got dipped in oil and came out annoyed.”

Remi muffled his laughter, but his eyes danced. “Yeah, I can see that. They eat fresh fish, though. I don’t know what else.”

The guide took over then, telling the group in a quiet voice that the birds lived in colonies, could dive up to forty-five feet below the surface to fish—though the river was only fifteen feet deep around here—and that they hacked up pellets of bones like owls.

Eventually, when the cormorants weren’t doing anything much, the group continued on. It was peaceful and calm, with Isaac starting to do more watching and quiet paddling than zipping around everywhere. He looked like he might be getting a little tired. He’d woken up quite early.

Remi pulled out a juice box and two granola bars from the diaper bag. He’d save the animal crackers for little time, but his boy still needed to eat. “Ready for a snack, baby?”

Isaac looked at him gratefully. “Thank you, Daddy. I didn’t even realize I was hungry.”

“You’re very welcome. Are you OK with me doing things like this even outside a scene?”

Isaac plunged the straw into his juice box with a sparkle in his eye. “I’ll take all the Daddying I can get. I clearly don’t do well on separating it all out, either. I mean, my ideal Daddy would be someone who would look after me at least a little bit all of the time. It would just be more focused when we played.”

Remi sighed, already thinking about how the end of the weekend would come far, far too soon. “That’s what I’m looking for, too.”

They both sat quietly with that thought while Isaac smoothly steered them toward the shore.

“Drink from your water bottle, too,” Remi finally prompted him, while he opened the other granola bar for himself.

Isaac munched happily while he paddled. They were almost back to the dock now.

“Hey Daddy…” Isaac looked at him slyly. “Have you ever seen The Little Mermaid?”

“I have,” Remi agreed, wondering where this was going. He was starting to recognize Isaac’s naughty look.

“Ariel and Eric have a boat just like this one.”

“They do. And the little crab sings to them before the sea witch interrupts.”

“Yeah. The little mermaid never gets her kiss.” Isaac paused dramatically. “But I could have a kiss. You know, since we’re in a boat.”

Remi’s heart was beating about a million times a minute. “That sounds like a very good reason, baby boy. Since you’re in a boat, you should definitely get a kiss.”

Isaac leaned forward, looking dreamy and adorable. He’d joked about it, but this was something special. Remi hadn’t even expected to kiss him, and he wouldn’t let this be anything less than amazing.

Remi ran a hand down Isaac’s jaw to cup his chin. He pressed their lips gently together. Isaac’s mouth was just as soft as he imagined. He lingered there, just breathing against him and savoring the moment.

Then, when Isaac didn’t pull away, he flicked out his tongue. Isaac’s lips parted instantly, letting him in. He tasted like granola bars, grape juice, and everything Remi wanted. When their tongues tangled together, Isaac let out a whimper. Remi could have kissed him forever.