Page 13 of Daddy's Little Camping Trip
That was the worst part of the day—having to say goodbye before I was ready. Even if I was going to be seeing him again in an hour.
I was falling head over heels for this guy. And fast.
Chapter Ten
Gilbraith
My expectations for camping were blown out of the water by the events of the trip so far.
At first, I’d just hoped to have a reasonably comfortable place to sleep and some time to get to know Quill, the charming little I’d met at Chained. But from the moment I arrived, I’d been caught up in the pleasures of the whole experience.
Kayaking with Quill had been my favorite part so far, especially since he’d been brave and asked me to go with him. Trying not to step over a line early on while getting to know someone could be tricky. The special dinner tonight would be held in the main lodge, and Sandy had been kind enough to offer me their private quarters in the rear to change into my clothes for the evening. The guest room had an attached shower, also at my disposal, and after a day of sun and lake water and the rest of the great outdoors, I needed it.
Unlike the dome, the accommodations in the lodge were clean but ordinary. No steam shower or buttons to make the walls clear or opaque. But I could see that the couple who lived here had made it a very loved home. The living room and kitchen were furnished comfortably, and the guest room held a queen-sized bed with a nice comforter and pillows as well as an old, worn recliner by the window—which did offer an even better view of the lake than my dome’s.
The daddy/little dinner was not going to be a formal occasion, as nothing here was geared toward such things, but I had brought nice slacks, a button-down shirt to wear open at the collar, and loafers. Daddy casual-ish. Combing my hair in front of the bathroom mirror, I reflected on the fact I should have applied sunscreen to my own skin as often as I had to Quill’s.I’d used it once, while watching him frolic in the lake before our kayaking, but apparently it had washed away and I had failed to use it again.
How long since I’d had a sunburn?
Last summer in the Bahamas, I’d spent a lot of time in the sun, and the same thing had happened on the first day. Sunburn. Not very daddy-like to be so careless. But I could say in all certainty that I had never let a little get so much as a rosy cheek or a pink nose on my watch.
I heard a door close from the front of the unit, probably the owners heading to the dinner. They had a solid staff led by a trained chef working in the kitchen for this meal and breakfasts, so they were able to relax and enjoy it themselves. They might be our hosts, but I had been around them long enough now to know they were at least allies if not actually a daddy/little pair.
The dining room, which had been quite ordinary and rustic this morning, had been transformed into a charming dining/playroom with a train set circling the room and a huge rug imprinted with highways and byways on the floor, ready for road races. Cloths printed with baby woodland animals covered each table, and the place settings matched. Was this the wizardry of Ms. Lily, or did the campground have more weekends like this one for which they were stocked up?
I could probably find out, if I were to ask someone, but I kind of liked not knowing the specifics. Magic happened, and that was enough.
Littles and daddies were coming in and finding seats at the tables, most of the daddies dressed in a similar fashion to me, but the littles? They wore a plethora of colorful outfits, onesies and tight tees, short shorts, sneakers that lit up or beeped or were printed with cartoon characters. Some of those shorts had the obvious bulges of diapers, others might be wearing training pants, thick cotton underwear. Pacis, stuffies, beloved blankets…
And the staff didn’t bat an eye, simply went about their duties, filling water glasses, placing baskets of warm rolls on the tables as well as small bowls of Goldfish crackers and other little-friendly snacks. Rocky and Sandy oversaw everything as did Ms. Lily, and before long, there was a sippy cup of milk or juice in front of each seated little and wine or iced tea in goblets for the daddies.
I remained on my feet, watching the door for Quill. As another sunset colored the sky across the lake and the flow of people entering became a trickle, a tall broad-shouldered daddy stepped to the side and there he was. Quill, wearing a onesie with a picture of a teddy bear climbing a rainbow topped with rainbow-hued short shorts. His knee socks and sneakers were a gleaming white and when he saw me, he smiled.
I melted.
Then pulled it together and held t a hand out to the cutest little in the room.
A printed menu lay at each place, listing “big” and “little” meal choices, and whoever had made the selections knew their business. Quill chose squirrel-shaped chikkie nuggies and macaroni and cheese, adding some broccoli trees when I urged him to pick a veggie. The server assured him it would come with his choice of dipping sauce. He went with ranch.
I had steak and shrimp, and it was perfectly prepared, but it wouldn’t have mattered so much if it had not been. My real pleasure lay in watching the squirrel nuggies dive into the ranch dressing before losing their heads to a giggling Quill. We joined in a discussion of the events of the day, winning hearts with our reenactment of the “kayak disaster of the year,” which had happened while we were still figuring out our moves.
Dessert was the same for everyone, a choice of apple pie with ice cream or ice cream with chocolate sauce, and once that was cleared away, it was playtime.
Or, as it was called in the list of activities, game night.
Littles came in a variety of ages, from babies who would be cuddled or maybe play with blocks to toddlers and so on, meaning a variety of games would be appropriate, and Quill chose a board game played with picture cards where you moved around, collecting cupcakes on your way to the finish line. There were so many games to choose from, and I followed Quill from one to the next, either participating or watching, depending on the activity.
I was about halfway through boosting Quill into a ball pit that had been wheeled in when I recognized that I was having a much better time than I would have in the Bahamas or anywhere else on Earth. Maybe next year, I wouldn’t be traveling alone.
Way too early to even consider anything like that.
“Daddy G, can I have another cookie?” Quill paused, reaching for one on a tray nearby.
“Just one more.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized what he’d said. He’d come close before, but this time, he’d called me daddy. Of course, it wasn’t off even if it was just a playdate, but something about his tone told me it meant more than that. “You don’t want a tummy ache.”
“No, I don’t.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’s not very fun to grow up.”
“You are so adorable.” I tweaked his nose, loving how it made him giggle. “What game do you want to play now?”
