Page 12

Garrett asks me if I want to stay at his house again Monday night. As much as I want to, I realized that if I stay at his house and he drives me to work, I wouldn't get to see my brother and sisters at the bus stop. It took me until almost ten that morning to realize why I felt off. I thought it might have been because I spent so much time in Little headspace over the weekend that coming back to work and my real life was a shock. That is certainly part of it, but not seeing my siblings— reassuring myself that they are okay— has me on edge.

It doesn't stop me from texting Garrett almost nonstop and even talking to him on the phone until I fall asleep. My phone might not be the prettiest, but I'm glad I have unlimited texts and minutes because falling asleep to the sound of Daddy talking is the best. He sends me a text when all of the packages arrive on Wednesday and asks me if I want to come over and help unpack. He's turning the guest room I've been sleeping in into a playroom.

For me.

I smile at the text as I send him a confirmation that I'd love to come over tonight. We're in a lull at work and I took the chance to take my break. It's already after noon and I'm hungry. I ordered a sandwich, which Tyler is making me fresh. Perks of the job and all.

"Who are you texting?" Austin asks, sidling up next to me. I don't bother hiding my phone. He's the last person I'd have to hide anything from. Austin's blue eyes are light and happy. I know he's dealing with stuff behind the scenes being the manager, but he has a great way of hiding it. Or, as I'm starting to understand, he has a Daddy that helps him regulate the stress of everyday life.

"Gare," I say with a new smile. "He's picking me up after work. All the things he bought this weekend have come in so we're going to go through it tonight."

"Oh!" Austin definitely lights up at that. He collects himself and lowers his voice. There isn't but one customer in here right now and the new girl is helping him several feet away. "Did you get the castle?"

I laugh at his obvious excitement. "We didn't," I say. "I went a bit… softer. We got small things to start with."

"Oh, any stuffies?"

"A turtle," I say. It's medium size and I can see myself doubling the shell portion as a pillow. "And I think there was a lion as well. I can't remember if he got that one."

"I'll need pictures," Austin says under his breath. He nods at the customer as they walk by. Tyler hands me a wrapped sandwich over the glass divider.

"No one likes secrets," Tyler says jokingly. I roll my eyes, but smile. Tyler is quiet, but he's good with the one liners. He's funny and more than once he's cracked a joke that took me by surprise and I got some looks from customers around us.

"Once you're part of the cool club, we'll let you in on them." I leave him with that, my tone evident that I'm joking. Austin follows me out to the tables and sits with me. The last time we were in this situation, I was adamant that age regression wasn't for me. A week later and… Well, we're here.

"So, things are going good?" Austin asks. I nod in response, not sure what else to say. I don't want to share about what we've done. How, for the second time, I cuddled up with Garrett after our shower and sucked down a bottle of milk before falling asleep. I want to talk about it, to get perspective, but I like what Garrett and I are forming, what we already have. It's a blend of experience with him being a Daddy but also the excitement of knowing that I'm his first Little, that he's experiencing some of these things for the first time with me.

"Things are going really well," I finally say. I unwrap my sandwich, but don't take a bite. It's one of the turkey and Swiss croissants we sell during breakfast. "I'm excited to see the new things tonight. I didn't think this would be for me, but honestly, the way I feel with Garrett… I'm not going to get sentimental or mushy, but it's amazing."

"Happy to hear it," Austin says. "If you're comfortable with it, we're having a get together of sorts not this weekend, but next if you'd like to join. No pressure. We'll most likely be getting in some time together and Daddy is cooking on the grill."

I smile at the casual way he refers to Remington as Daddy. I know that calling Garrett Daddy comes naturally to me now. I still have him in my phone as Garrett, solely because I know it drives him bonkers. His words, not mine. He has me as Honey.

"I'll think about it," I say. "I'm still trying to get used to the whole dynamic and just being in a relationship."

"I'm happy for you," Austin says with a soft smile. "Seriously. Garrett is amazing and Riley is the cutest."

"He really is," I say with a wide smile. I love Riley so much. "His tail is a weapon though."

"Very true." Austin and I share a laugh. I lean back in my seat, comfortable with this whole interaction. It's nice to get along with your boss, but Austin is one of the nicest guys I've met. Having something so big in common with him, too, doesn't hurt. "I'll let you eat. When you get back, we'll have to try and finish up that list. We're going to be having a meeting with the owner next week."

"Sounds good," I say. I've met the owner twice since I started working here. Once for my first day and the second was just a random day when he came in with some other rich business owners. Serving them made me grateful that Remington, Austin's Daddy and the owner of his own property management business, and now Garrett aren't like that. The type that has to impress with everything or you're kicked out of the cool kid club.

I take my time to eat, still having twenty minutes for this one sandwich. I check my phone once more, but Garrett hasn't replied yet. I try not to take it personally, but I'm getting attached way too fast. A part of my brain knows it, but I can't help it. It's so much easier than I thought to let go of my problems. At least for a stretch of time. I'm still hesitant to share everything with Garrett. I can handle my own finances. Being the owner of his own accounting firm, I feel like Garrett would laugh at me if he saw the situation I was in. I don't overdraw my account, but there have been times where I've had less than a dollar for several days.

By the time work is finished and I'm clocking out, Garrett is already around back waiting for me. I wave to him when he flashes his headlights before getting out of the truck and greeting me with a kiss. "Hey, baby. How was work?"

"Meh." I shrug, not giving any further explanation. He reaches around me and squeezes my ass, pulling me closer to his body.

"What is my rule, Orion?"

"No bad words?" I'm playing him. I can't help it. The second I see him, work and the rest of the world doesn't exist. It's just us, having fun, pushing each other, exploring boundaries, playful and real ones.

"And?"

I tap a finger to my chin like I'm thinking hard. When I was painting on Sunday, I sunk well into my Little headspace and didn't have a lot of words to say. Daddy made me talk, to ask for what I wanted. He made a very important rule that I have to follow or we stop doing anything. If I'm going to go nonverbal, I have to tell him. Either with my words or by signing it. The sign for 'no' is pressing your index and middle finger to your thumb. Then I hold my index finger to my lips.

I give him the sign and smile into the kiss he gives me. "My day was good," I say when he pulls back. He walks around and opens the door for me. "Thank you, Daddy." I say into his ear while he's making sure I'm buckled in.

"You're welcome, baby." Another kiss before he pulls away and moves around to get back behind the wheel.

He tells me about his day on the way to his house. It's already past six and I'm hungry. I brought a snack from work, but it wasn't much and the one sandwich I had earlier has run its course through my stomach. I follow Daddy into the house through the inside door of the garage. Riley greets us and I immediately move to the sliding glass door to let him out in the backyard. The sun is set already, but there are a few remaining rays.

"You should string some of those yellow glow lights up," I say when Garrett comes up behind me. He wraps his arms around my body and holds me close. I let my head fall back onto his shoulder and close my eyes. It's cold out, but not unbearably for the few minutes we'll be out here.

"I thought about it," Garrett says. "I also thought about putting a swing set back here, maybe a sandbox or something. What do you think?"

What do I think? The fact that he is already thinking long term sends a ping of happiness through my mind. He sees us together through the remainder of the winter months and beyond. I turn in his arms and wrap mine around his neck.

"I think that sounds amazing," I say. "Although, sand tends to get a bit messy. I remember the one time I went to the beach. I'm pretty sure sand found places in my body I didn't even know existed."

Daddy laughs at my joke and I smile. He leans forward and kisses me, our heads tilting naturally to deepen the kiss. I'm lost in the way that Garrett takes control, swiping his tongue against mine and moving his hands up to cup my jaw with one and tug lightly on my hair with the other. He swallows the moan that rises from my throat.

Riley headbutts my leg, breaking the moment between us. We both look down at the pup. He's panting, tail going in a windmill fashion instead of the normal side-to-side motion. It's a trait of his I find adorable, even if getting whacked with said tail kind of hurts. He barks once, letting us know he's feeling left out.

"I think that's our cue," Daddy says, looking from his dog to me. "How about we get something to eat and we can go look through the stuff that came in?"

"Yes, please." I follow the two of them inside. I feed Riley while Garrett grabs some stuff to make sandwiches. I was prepared for a couple slices of deli meat and bread, but he pulls out all the toppings and loads the sandwiches with meat. By the time he's done, the sandwich is at least an inch and a half thick between the slices of bread and he puts some chopped veggies on the side of the plate for me.

"Do you want a sippy or regular cup?" Daddy asks just as I crunch down on a carrot stick.

"Umm." The noise is not in hesitation. I feel like I have finally gotten past that with Garrett. At least here, in the privacy and safety of his home. It's indecisive because I don't know what I want. I'm about to say 'whatever' when he makes the decision for me.

"We're going sippy," he says. I recognize the cup as one that he bought. Did he unpack it earlier just for me? That thought makes me smile.

We eat dinner together at the island. The sandwich is delicious and Daddy ends up wiping a smudge of mayonnaise off the corner of my mouth with his thumb. He pops it into his mouth and gives me a wink that makes my whole body flush. He's so effortlessly hot it isn't fair. I don't know what he sees in me.

My plate is empty in less than ten minutes, while Daddy takes his time to eat. I sit politely, listening to him talk about nothing in particular between bites. He's talking about his work and plans he has for the playroom. I'm growing more impatient by the second, but I don't tell Daddy that. It isn't until he finishes the last bite of his sandwich and wipes his mouth that I realize he was going slow on purpose. When he pulls the napkin from his lips, he's smirking.

"You were a good boy, waiting patiently for me to finish." He praises me and I can't help the way the words wash over me and sink into every fiber of my being. I sit up straighter and smile. I like when Daddy calls me a good boy, with that deep voice and the way his lips form the words so effortlessly. He's smiling back at me and I think he's going to go in for a kiss, but he just reaches for my empty plate and stands up. "Let's go see all the goodies we have, shall we?"

He drops the plates into the sink and holds his hand out for me. I lace our fingers together and I'm nearly bouncing on my toes as we walk upstairs. I stay by his side, though, not wanting to get in trouble for running or anything. When he opens the door to the guest room, I'm expecting boxes sitting on the bed or scattered around the room. Instead, I'm greeted with an empty room. There are still boxes stacked around the space, but the bed is gone and so is the dresser. The TV is still mounted on the wall, though.

I turn to Garrett and stare at him. I've only been gone two days. When did he have time to move all of this out? And where did he put it?

"I can practically see the steam coming out of your ears with how hard you're thinking, baby. I had some movers come in and take everything down. I gave the bed frame to my sister for her kid. The mattress I kept in the other bedroom because I figured we would put a bed or something in here for you too. I'm thinking of something like bunk beds. Maybe you could have a sleepover with Austin or someone? Not now, of course, but later on."

I can feel the tears stinging my eyes moments before the waterworks start. I bury my face in Daddy's chest and cry, clinging to his shirt. I feel his arms wrapping around me and holding me tight. His breath is warm against my ear and I barely catch the whispered words.

"It's okay, honey. Let it out." I don't know why I'm crying now. It isn't like I didn't know this was all for me, but the way that Garrett is spoiling me with things I could only wish for growing up, is overwhelming in all the best ways. I've never been the one that someone chose to buy something for, or the one whose feelings were put first. This is all a lot and I don't know how to feel about it. Grateful, of course, but I can't form the right words and my body isn't cooperating with my brain to stop crying.

It takes several minutes for me to calm down enough. When I do finally open my eyes, I realize that Garrett is sitting down and I'm cradled in his lap. He's rocking me gently, holding my head against his shoulder. I tilt my head back and look up at him through watery eyes. He brings his thumb up to my face and swipes at the remaining tears in my eyes and cheeks.

"Do you feel better?" he asks quietly. I nod.

"Thank you," I say. My voice is shaking slightly and I take a deep breath to calm myself further. "This is all just… A lot. I've never had my own stuff before, never had sleepovers with friends or… Or someone that cared enough to think of me like that."

"Honey." Daddy wraps his strong arms around me once more, shifting us so I'm facing him, sitting in his lap. I wrap my own legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. He continues to sway us side-to-side. I know we probably look ridiculous; a man with arms larger than I can wrap both hands around holding a full grown man that's crying. I don't care, though. This is where I feel safest, in Daddy's arms. "You're always going to come first for me. No matter what."

I want to cry again, to stay like this, in this moment, and forget about the rest of the world. But I also want to unpack everything and put the room, my room, together. I lift my head and meet Daddy's eyes. He's smiling and brushes his hand down the side of my face. I initiate the kiss this time, keeping it soft and sweet. It's just a press of our lips, but it's everything to me. I don't know how to describe this feeling in my body, the way that everything feels like it's falling into place whenever I'm with Garrett. I don't know if I would call it the 'L' word, but I don't know that I can dismiss that word entirely.

"Are you up for unpacking?" Daddy asks after a moment of silence between us. I nod and give him what I hope is a true smile. My eyes are still burning a little and I can feel my cheeks drying from the last of the tears now. "I got you a few extra surprises too, so you'll have to find them."

I don't want to cry again, so instead I turn my focus to the first box. I simply turn myself around in Daddy's lap, giggling when I hear him curse under his breath. I'm still wearing my work pants, which now that I'm aware of that fact, I want to get out of them. I forget about the obvious bulge in his own shorts he's wearing and squirm, itching to strip out of my clothes.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Daddy's voice is strained. I do finally scoot off his lap and turn around to face him, kneeling on my knees.

"I wanna change," I state matter-of-factly. "Pants are yucky."

Daddy's face breaks into a smile. "Well, we should probably find the box with all your new clothes then. Daddy can dress you."