Page 17 of A Tall Order (Shade Grown Coffee Boys #1)

After pancakes and a few more cuddles, we head to my house with two bags of Austin's things. One has clothes, adult and Little, and the other has toys. I have more than enough supplies at the house if he feels like regressing to his typical mindset or younger. I can tell the holiday season is weighing on him, but he's happy and we're both riding the cloud of a beautiful morning.

Sunday is cold, but not enough to deter us from getting dressed and heading to the festival around eleven. It's beautiful, with fall foliage colors everywhere. There are vendor booths lining the parking lot-turned-festival and the two surrounding streets. They are selling things from paintings to items for the different holidays coming up. One vendor even has custom knitted or crocheted items— I'm honestly not sure the difference between the two— and I can tell Austin wants to ask for a couple of the little figures. I sneak a twenty dollar bill to the vendor when Austin goes to the next one and get a pale pink Rabbit and a black and white penguin. They fit easily in my coat pocket so I don't worry about him seeing them.

We walk hand-in-hand to all the vendors before grabbing lunch from a food truck and finding a place to sit. The wind is starting to pick up a bit and I can see Austin's nose and cheeks getting red. He denies that he's too cold and wants to stay a bit longer. We stand with the crowd when the music starts. It's some garage band of a rag-tag group of guys. I am pleasantly surprised when they start playing and singing. They're good. Austin starts out pressed next to me to share the warmth, but after a few songs he's standing about a foot away and is dancing along with the crowd. He knows a lot of the songs that are played whereas I don't, but I enjoy watching him have fun.

I love Austin Westcott.

When I first met him, when Paul introduced us, he was my best friend's Little. Austin was barely legal drinking age at twenty-two when I met him. I was always just the friend and never knew a lot about his personal life. He dived right into the kink world, and being Little with no hesitation. Paul would talk to me about things, scenes they started out with. It was never any intimate details. Just cute stories or swapping advice and ideas of things to do.

Seeing Austin at Paul's funeral, sitting behind the family, nearly broke me. Paul was head over heels for him, despite their age differences. I think that was a problem for both of their families. Paul said his family would make jabs about how young his boyfriend was while Austin's parents didn't seem too happy to see them together. They'd been engaged for only a couple of months when he passed away and Austin lost everything he'd grown to love for the past half decade. He lost his first love, the place he lived, his Daddy .

I hung around for a while, wanting to help him but not knowing how. I didn't know where the line was of giving him space and wanting to step in and help with anything and everything. It was hard to watch him grieve, to pull away from the playgroups he was part of, to bury that part of who he is.

"Daddy?" Austin's voice pulls me out of my swirling thoughts and I look down at him. He's smiling and loops his arm through mine. His coat is unzipped and the blue sweater he's wearing underneath brings out the color in his eyes. His hair is somewhat styled in a floppy curls type of way.

"Yes, Aussie?" We start walking through the crowd. It isn't packed here, most have gone back to browsing the different activities the festival has to offer as the songs continue on. No one is paying attention to us.

"Thank you." He wraps his arms around me as we continue walking. We're heading in the general direction of where I parked. It's about a two block walk, with the street closures and all. I wrap my arm around his shoulders and kiss the top of his head. "For everything. For being you, taking care of me. Letting me have fun again."

"Of course," I say around the lump in my throat. After this morning, with the picture frame, we both must be going down memory lane.

"Can we go home now?" I can see in his eyes that he's getting tired so I agree. It's only three in the afternoon. He'll probably go for a nap and we'll have dinner and go from there. The idea of him calling my house home warms me inside. He brought it up once before, our living arrangements. I wouldn't mind sharing my home with him.

I wait until we're back in the car, warming up via heat vents, to show him what I bought. His eyes go comically wide and he leans over the console to give me a kiss. "Thank you so much. They're so cute and tiny!"

He hugs them to his chest and admires them the whole thirty minutes back to my house. Once we're inside, Austin can't hide the yawns anymore. His Little side always comes out when he gets sleepy and I end up all but carrying him inside.

"Do you want to change clothes or just strip down?" I ask as we head up the stairs. He turns into the playroom without a word and moves to lay on the bed. I take that as a sign he wants to be changed. "Any particular outfit you want?"

"Blue," Austin says simply. I smile and open the closet. It's only his clothes hanging up. I don't share clothes between the boys I'm with. He has a solid six outfits with blue as the main color. His giggle is music to my ears and I give him a funny look. He holds up his new toy, the pink Rabbit. It's no bigger than his hand from wrist to fingertip. "Rabbits?"

I look over the options again. Blue and rabbits. He doesn't have anything that matches that, but he does have one with a penguin on the front of the shirt. It isn't blue, white instead, but I hold it up and he smiles and nods. I grab the matching pants to go with it and get to work grabbing everything. While my back is turned, he's stripped out of his clothes for me. It makes me laugh, which in turn has him letting out the sweetest, sleepiest, sounding giggle in all the world.

"Lift your butt," I direct as I slide the diaper under him. He does as asked, lowering his hips once it's situated. I take a wipe and give him a quick clean before securing the tabs and helping him into the clothes. He looks so incredibly cute in the outfit. "Okay, baby. I think it's time for a nap. Lets get you all tucked in and I'll be back in a little bit. "

"Can you read me a story?" Austin asks as I tuck the blanket around his body. The bed in the playroom is no more than a twin. He's laying on his side with his knees tucked up and looks up at me. I can see he's about five minutes from conking out so I grab the first book I find and settle down next to him. I get four pages into it before looking over at Austin. His eyes are closed, features smooth. He has the rabbit tucked between his arm and chest, the ears brushing against his chin. And his thumb is in his mouth again.

I brush the hair from his face and kiss his forehead. We'll have to talk about it and soon. I don't want him hiding any part of him. I don't want to push him either and make him feel like that's what I want from him. I'm happy with whatever he feels comfortable with.

I decide to let him sleep for two hours max. We had a late night last night and then he woke up early this morning. I'm sure he'll have no problem going back to sleep for bedtime. I go downstairs and check my phone. Garrett isn't able to make it on Tuesday for Littles themed night at the club, but he is coming to the campground. He isn't in a relationship, that I know of, but he said he's bringing his dog, Riley, with him.

My phone has a text on it when I pick it up. It's my sister.

Wendy

Does Austin have any allergies? Mom wants to know, she's planning the meal.

Remington

No. But can we make sure to get the plates with the sections? He's not a fan of his food touching. I can bring his own if needed.

I read back over the text, wondering if that is too much to ask or too much information. My nephew is particular about his food too, but he's more of the picky eater, not the food touching thing. I'm about to message her again to tell her never mind but she sends one through first.

Wendy

You got it. He'll get along great with Terry. I'm excited to see him again.

I love my family and I can't wait for Austin to meet them. My mom is going to dote over him. She's in her seventies and spirited. When my dad passed away we were worried about her, but she came back to herself and started planning family dinners and insisting on hosting parties. She still lives in our childhood home. It's large for one person, but then again, she's rarely ever alone. My sister, Wendy, lives two streets away from her and the kids visit often. I try to get over there at least once a week, or at least call her every few days. The rest of the family is spread around the city and surrounding areas.

The next task at hand is preparing dinner. I've enjoyed having someone to make food for again. I don't mind cooking. I'm definitely more into baking desserts, but the act of making something that someone else is going to enjoy is what I love about it. I browse the cabinets and freezer to see what we have. As much as I love cooking, I don't have much in the house since I've spent half the week at Austin's place. I'll have to go shopping tomorrow if we're going to be here all week .

"Looks like chicken nuggets and mac and cheese it is tonight," I mumble to myself. The food won't take but ten minutes so I go back upstairs and head to the bedroom. I can't help but peek a look into the playroom. Austin is curled up even further on the bed, still fast asleep. He's so fucking perfect and beautiful, my heart swells at the thought of a life with him. I didn't think a true relationship was in the cards for me again, but I can't imagine ever willingly leaving Austin. Not unless he asked, even then I'd probably fight it and ask why. I don't want to dwell on thoughts like that so I leave the door cracked open and head to the bedroom.

I tidy up a little bit, straighten the blankets, and put the rest of his adult clothes in the drawer I've cleared for him and the section of my closet for his work shirts so they aren't wrinkled. I double check the lube and condoms in the table on my side of the bed. I could probably grab another box of condoms tomorrow.

"Remi?" I hear Austin's voice calling from the playroom and I close the drawer and head to the hallway.

"I'm coming, baby." When I open the door, he's still laying down, but his eyes are open. It's only been an hour at most he was asleep. I sit on the edge of the bed and run my fingers through his hair. "What's up, Aussie?"

He moves so his head is in my lap and his arms wrap around my waist. His eyes flick up at me and I smile wider. He's been through so much in his life, but in moments like these he looks so innocent. "I missed you. I wake up and just wanted to give you a hug."

I look at the watch on my wrist. It's close enough to five o'clock. "Do you want to sleep a little more or come downstairs and help me make dinner? "

"What's for dinner?" He closes one eye, like my answer depends if he's going to go back to sleep or not. I smile and let out a short chuckle.

"Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets tonight," I say. "Daddy needs to go to the store and get some food tomorrow. Tonight we'll have a yummy, easy dinner."

"Chicken nuggets?" Aussie sits up and smiles. I note the imprint on his cheek from the Rabbit. "I want nuggets."

"Well then, let's get you downstairs and we'll put them in the oven."

I help him to his feet and then trail after him, watching the way his body waddles just slightly while wearing the diaper. He's barefoot and I quickly reach into one of the drawers in the playroom for a spare pair of socks before following him downstairs. "Baby, put these on your feet so they don't get cold, okay? Then you can join me in the kitchen."

"Okay," he says easily and I kiss him before I walk off. Less than a minute later, he's in the kitchen beside me, helping line the nuggets in perfect rows on the pan. He's careful to put it in the oven. I give him a kiss on his nose, making his whole face wrinkle up with happiness. I help him hop up on the counter beside me while I make the mac and cheese. He pours the noodles in once the water is boiling and between taking turns stirring it so nothing sticks, I kiss him. With him sitting on the counter, he's slightly taller than me and the change in angle is nice. His hands go to the back of my head and hold me close.

I could stay in this moment for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.

"This is awesome!" Austin says by my side. He isn't wrong.

Dreamland has been transformed into an oasis of all things Little. There are streamers of red and green, twinkle lights and colored lights hung on the walls. There's a Christmas tree and a Menorah alike to celebrate the different holidays. One side of the room has been replaced by at least four tables filled with food, drinks, and dessert. I'm honestly impressed.

"It is awesome," I agree. "Come on, let's get you changed first, okay?"

We walk into the empty changing room and I lock the door behind us. Austin walks directly to the changing table and waits for me to rummage through our bag. I brought my own clothes to change into, something more comfortable than the jeans I wore since the weather finally broke and we got some snow flurries earlier today. I strip out of my clothes quickly first, letting Austin stand there and watch. His eyes move continuously over my body but it doesn't make me self conscious. I'm not the most built or have a six-pack anymore but Austin has made it abundantly clear that he loves me, physically and emotionally.

"Austin?" He looks up into my eyes as I pull on my gray sweatpants. They're loose but my cock is starting to react under my Boy's gaze. I ignore it, adjusting myself in my boxers. He's only working a half day tomorrow and then we're both off for a long weekend. I can wait.

"Yes Daddy?" His voice is sing-song and it's so fucking cute. I can't get enough of him when he's like this. I can't get enough of him in general, but especially when he's in a good mood like this. I was worried about him over the weekend, focusing on every detail of his, looking for signs that he wasn't telling me something. I chalked it up to just work stress and made sure that I had fresh cookies for him when I picked him up on Monday.

"Can you go over the rules again with me for tonight?"

I'm aware that ninety-nine percent of Austin's time has been spent in the comfort of one of our homes. He's only been to the club once before and hasn't been around any other Littles between. While I don't care about his language when we're at home, a lot of Mommies and Daddies don't like their Littles to use bad words. I went over this with him on the way over, but I want to make sure he remembers.

"One, no bad words. Those are only for when we're at home." My dick swells a little more at his use of the word 'home' so casually. I know it's too soon to ask him to move in, but damn if I want to. He steps closer to me and holds up his fingers. "Two, I have to be nice to others and if someone is being mean, I tell my Daddy. Three, come to you if I need to go to the bathroom or if I use my diaper."

"You're such a good boy," I say and pull him in for a sweltering kiss. Our tongues brush against each other's and I tilt his chin up slightly to deepen the kiss for only a moment. "I love you, Aussie."

"I love you, too, Daddy." He steps back and puts his hands on the hem of his shirt. His eyes dart to the door. "Can I go play now?"

I grab his stuff and we get him changed into his holiday clothes quickly. He's wearing a pair of sweats as well, but his are a faded green color. The shirt is a matching green and has a koala bear wearing a Santa hat. I found it on a site while thinking of present ideas for him and decided that he had to have it tonight after he said he wanted to come. I'm glad it came in the mail on time. I put my own shirt on, a plain black one, and gather our things up to put in one of the lockers.

"Go play and have fun. I'll be over with Rachel, okay?" Aussie nods and gives me a quick kiss before heading off to join in one of the activities. I watch him, making sure he's okay with being around this many people, but he slips right in at the block building station. I keep my eye on him once I'm settled at the couches with the others.

"Long time no see," Garrett says with a smile. "Your Boy seems to be a lot more settled since last time you came."

"He is," I say with a soft smile, looking at Aussie playing once more. I turn back to Garrett. "Who are you with tonight? You changed your mind last minute to show your ugly mug."

He's a couple years younger than me, just turned thirty-six in August, but he's been a Daddy since his college days. He owns his own business and is richer than he lets on. His house is twice the size of mine and he has the most spoiled pittie pup ever. He's about ten years from retiring and passing the business down to someone else. I'm far from that, unfortunately, but we bonded over the pains of growing and owning a business as well as our mutual kinks we enjoy. I haven't seen him with the same Boy often and I don't know if he really wants to settle down or not.

"I'm unattached tonight," Garrett says. "Someone dragged me out here."

"Hi, that's me. I'm someone." Rachel waves her hand like we can't see or hear her. I glance back to look at Austin before returning to the conversation. He's still at the building blocks and he's working with two others to build what I'm thinking is supposed to be a castle. I can't wait for him to get the castle playhouse I bought him, along with the dragon I promised too. Am I spoiling him? Yes. Do I care? Not in the slightest. "It's selfish, really. I needed someone to help us get the room ready and he happened to mention he was suddenly free tonight."

"That's her way of saying she roped me into it unknowingly."

We all laugh at that, including Rachel, because we've all been roped into something or another for the club. She isn't one of the owners but she works as the event organizer for kink nights. She is a Mommy herself and her and her boyfriend are here often, especially on nights like these. She's thirty-eight and he— if I'm remembering correctly— is only a few months younger than her. Unlike Austin's smaller frame, Rachel's Boy is slim but muscular. He's about two inches taller than Rachel too. The few times I've met him, he was polite.

"Are you going to be able to take off this weekend, still?" I ask Rachel.

"Yeah, we'll be there. We'll have to come back early Sunday morning, though. Luke has to work the Sunday night shift, unfortunately."

We continue to talk about what we want to do over the weekend at the campground. It's going to be cold, but the owner has promised that the cabins have heating and there are plenty of places indoor to hang out during the day. I'll have to be in work mode Friday evening and most of Saturday to go over the land and numbers with the owner. It's a big client if we can make a deal and it would be amazing for the business.

I see Garrett's eyes dart behind me a few times before I'm curious enough to look. I think maybe he's just watching the others in the room, but then I spot a guy, standing by the door. He looks rail thin, even in the baggy clothes he's wearing. His eyes are scanning the room and there's no one around him. He looks… lost. "Do you know him?" I ask, turning back to Garrett.

"No, but he's been standing there for a couple minutes. He didn't come in with anyone and I've never seen him before. Rachel?"

"Not familiar to me," she says. Her voice is soft and she looks almost worried for him. "Maybe he just stepped into the wrong room?"

"I'm going to go talk to him." Garrett stands up and I reach out for his hand.

"Let me know if you need anything," I say. If the kid is regressing and meant to be here, Garrett might need help navigating that.

"I'm no stranger to Middles and Littles," Garrett says. It isn't defensive or condescending. He's just stating a fact. "I'll be okay for one conversation. He just looks…"

"Sad." Rachel finishes the sentence and thought in my own head.

Luke comes up then and Rachel walks off to take him to the bathroom. There are toilets in the changing rooms, but with how crowded the room is, chances of one being free is slim. There are more bathrooms down the hall from this room and I watch them walk out into the hallway. Garrett is standing about two feet from the younger man but they're facing each other, talking. That has to be a good sign. Maybe his friend will get lucky tonight.

"Daddy!" Aussie's voice travels to my ears just before he barrels into me and wraps his arms around my neck. "Look at what I drawed. "

My Boy pulls back and hands me a piece of paper. It's a colorful hand turkey. His hand takes up most of the paper and he's colored it in with all his favorite colors: blue, green, orange, pink, and the glittery silver. There are stickers and smaller drawings all around the rest of the paper. He points to every single one. "We supposed to draw everything that we're thankful for. That's Koka and you and your house and the candle is our date nights and chicken nuggets, and ice cream."

"This is amazing, baby. Can I keep this?" I look up at him and I know my eyes are shining with unshed tears.

"Yes, Daddy. That's for you because I love you and I love everything we do together."