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That got a quick smile flashing at me around his binkie but it faded quickly when he yawned again. “Alright, lie down on the bed for me.”
Grabbing a diaper, I kept a hand on him as we went over to the bed because with each yawn he looked like he was getting slightly more unsteady. The fact that he didn’t even blink when I brought the diaper with us said how tired he was.
“Good boy.” He managed to stay upright as I stripped off his pants and briefs, but he looked grateful as he got to stretch out on the bed. “You ate your sandwich and you were so helpful.”
Quickly getting the diaper on my exhausted boy, I loved the way his sleepy eyes perked up for just a second at the praise.
“You made a wonderful picture.” That got another smile from him as I started sliding on his matching shorts, and he even made a happy sound around the binkie. When he was dressed, I kissed his cheek. “We’ll make sure you get to work on it more later if you want to.”
That had him poking my chest as he sat up, his brows pulling together.
Taking it to mean he was questioning what I would be doing, I kissed his forehead. “I have work I can do too, or I could find something to watch or read. Promise. I just like being here with you even if you’re working or napping or just being cute.”
The working part was definitely something we’d both have to get used to if our relationship continued. Most of the time, Camden seemed to think that he had to entertain me if I came over, but while that was sweet, his job wasn’t a nine-to-five kind of career.
Camden was too tired to argue and seemed to just nod because it was the easiest thing to do, but I knew we’d come back to this point once he could worry more effectively. “Alright, Pooh and cuddling.”
Grabbing his bottle while my cutie perked up enough to go over and dig the book out of his shelf, I went back to the brightly made bed and sat down at the head, putting a pillow in my lap. “You found it.”
He managed another slightly more excited nod as he climbed into bed and curled up against my chest, but it seemed to use up the last of his energy. Fading fast, he rested his head on the pillow and leaned against my chest. The soft sigh that escaped as he closed his eyes made me smile.
“There we go. This is much better.” Trading the binkie for the bottle, I got comfortable and started reading to my exhausted boy.
I knew he wouldn’t last long, minutes at best, but while he snuggled against me and sucked softly, I let the rest of the world fade away. It’d come back eventually, but for the moment, the soft sounds of his trust in me and his sweet cuddling were all that mattered.
The first time his phone started vibrating with an incoming call, I ignored it. The second time, not five minutes later, I actually thought about going to the kitchen and seeing who was calling. The third time I said fuck it and got up off the couch where I’d been doing some research on an up-and-coming artist that wasn’t Camden.
“Well, he said I could handle his family.” So that was what I was going to do…starting with answering his phone since they couldn’t take a hint. “Yep. It’s time to handle his family.”
When they called for the fourth time before I’d found his phone, that was when my patience left the building. It was possible that I needed a nap too based on how cranky the phone was making me, but I didn’t care at the moment.
Swiping my finger across the screen when I saw his mother’s name, I picked up the phone. “Hello?”
I deliberately hadn’t said my name to throw her off, so I wasn’t surprised when there was silence followed by hushed whispers. I just waited patiently while the phone changed hands and Camden’s stepfather came on the line. “Gray?”
Duh.
But I was too old and too mature for that response, so I aimed for dry and bored instead. “Of course.”
Yep, not being helpful at all, but they’d deserved it by hanging Camden out to dry.
“We were looking to talk to Camden.” Sanderson clearly hadn’t been expecting anyone but Camden to answer the phone because he sounded confused. “Um, is he there?”
Where else would he be?
“He’s busy at the moment. What can I do for you?” If they were expecting me to volunteer information, they were crazy.
There was another long pause with hushed whispers, so I kept myself busy by trying to figure out what I could make for dinner with the random assortment of groceries in Camden’s kitchen.
