Page 37 of Soothing Little Sylmen

My aunt made a sound that was something like a chirp. She was still apprehensive. With time she would see how much Daddy meant to me. I knew it. We just had to get past this first part where everyone questioned him.

Then Robin’s voice came over the phone. “I’m Robin, Blaze’s partner. Am I to understand that you are Sylmen’s Caregiver while he’s at the Ranch?”

I froze. His words were so abrupt that I didn’t know if I could even breathe. Robin hadn’t been at the ranch long, but he was always kind to me. I had spent some time with him just hanging out and playing our farming game together. But I had forgotten how clinical he could be.

Daddy smiled over at me. I hadn’t even realized I had turned to face him, watching instead of playing with my toys. Daddy tapped the bed where he was sitting and motioned for me to come over. I crawled up off the floor, making my way over on wobbly arms and legs until I was on the bed beside him, my head landing on his thigh. His fingers moved through my hair, soothing me, and I sucked on my pacifier harder.

“I am exactly that,” Daddy said. “I appreciate your candidness. Part of me was worried that our relationship wouldn’t be accepted, especially considering the reason for my call.”

“What is the reason for your call?” Blaze asked, his voice still holding a questioning tone. He would be the hardest one to convince.

“My intention is to come to your ranch to be with my boy. We’ve discovered that we like to have a dynamic that is 24/7. And while he can be Big at times, I know he’ll need me there more often than a long-distance relationship would allow.”

Aunt Connie spoke next. “You want to come live here? If you don’t mind me asking, what is it you do, son? Is your job even going to let that happen? Or are you a ranch worker too? We could always use more hands.”

Daddy laughed softly as I wiggled. “No, ma’am. I’m not really a ranch hand, though I am pretty good with animals. I’m a music producer, which means I can work from anywhere. I’ve already spoken to the artist I work with most and he agreed that I could work remotely, so long as I didn’t mind a couple of sessions here and there where I flew to him. Once you trust that I have no ill intention with my boy, I figured we could also discuss him coming with me during some of those trips, so he wouldn’t feel abandoned.”

The line was quiet. I worried that the three of them were discussing things on mute so we couldn’t hear. That maybe they were arguing or getting ready to cut everything short. But that didn’t happen.

When Blaze spoke up again, it was with a cheerful tone. “It sounds like you are a good fit for Sylmen. We don’t mind you coming to stay on the ranch. Sylmen stays in the main house with us, but there are other spaces available. As far as him traveling with you, yes, we would like to observe the two of you together first to be sure he’s in good hands. But we’re all in agreement this feels right.”

Daddy stopped stroking my hair for a moment. When I looked up at him, his eyes were closed and he had a soft smile on his face.

“Thank you for trusting me. I only want what’s best for him. As for the space issue, I would love to talk with you more at some point about possibly sectioning off some land to build a home for the two of us. It’s not an immediate need or anything, but I have been saving for a home for a long time, and I feel like this is where I’m meant to be.”

Blaze chuckled. “Then by all means, don’t let me stop you. We can talk about it more when you get here. I’ll let you go now though.” He addressed me directly. “Be good for your Daddy, Sylmen.”

“Yeah, don’t be a brat,” Robin added.

Aunt Connie giggled. I just knew she had a big smile on her face. “You be whoever you want to be, boy. And know that when you get home, I’m going to stuff you full of food. I’ve been missing you around here. Auntie Connie loves you.”

I wiggled happily, glad to know that the conversation had gone well.

Daddy spoke up. “He is very happy right now. He’s doing a little dance, which tells me he agrees with all of you and can’t wait to see you too. This is my number if you need anything. My goal is to come home with Sylmen, get a feel for the place, and then coordinate getting my things moved once I know what needs to come and what doesn’t.”

“Sounds like a plan. See y’all soon,” Blaze said before the line disconnected.

Daddy hung up the phone and tossed it to the side. Then he scooped me up and put me in his lap. He peppered kisses all over my face and tickled my sides. My pacifier fell out of my mouth as I began to silently laugh and tried to free myself from his hold. I got my hand free and did the sign for Daddy over and over again. He stopped. Then he put his hands on my cheeks and kissed my forehead hard, one last time.

“I am so happy, sweet boy. That was the best-case scenario. I cannot wait for us to start our life together.”

I nodded, understanding every word and agreeing with him. Things wouldn’t end here at Rawhide Ranch. This was just our beginning. And I was so, so happy.

Chapter Eighteen

Gael

My sweet boy blossomed after my talk with Blaze about me coming to the ranch. It was as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He could finally be free in a completely different way than before.

The next few days were blissful. I doted on him relentlessly, happy to hold him close, carry him around, and baby him in every way he needed. There was no worrying about being Big or taking on responsibilities. My boy didn’t have to think about any of that. I handled it all.

And when the time came for him to go to the Caterpillar Room, I took charge, letting him know he couldn’t skip out any longer. He needed to go, so he didn’t miss out on anything. At first he’d been visibly nervous. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t like the idea of other people taking care of him the way I did, or if he was simply afraid of how people would react.

Other than Zack and Blake, there weren’t many Littles that were boys at all, a fact I had noticed and mentioned to Amelia when she asked me how it was all going. My hope was that by talking about it, there would be a chance for them to invite people who might not have felt welcome before. That maybe there would be more diversity the next time me and my boy came through, because I had no doubt that we would be back. The Ranch was a part of us. The memories alone were going to make me want to return. How could I not appreciate the place where I fell in love with him? Besides, Amelia had made it clear that I couldn’t be a stranger now that we had connected.

On the final day of our stay—since it just so happened that we were perfectly matched on our arrival and leaving dates—I asked Amelia if we could coordinate a small party. Nothing big that would take a lot of time to plan, just maybe a few of the Littles in the library celebrating my boy. She had agreed easily, because Sylmen, my sweet boy, had befriended pretty much everyone he’d come in contact with. There were no strangers when he was in Little-space.

While yes, he could be shy, he was also loving and helpful and ready to step in when someone needed to be cheered up. People didn’t ignore that. They didn’t take it for granted here at the Ranch.