Chapter 10
Duval
“Edward?” I ask the second the line connects.
“Duval? Hey! What’s up?”
“I’m hoping you can help me out,” I admit. “My boy is a bit new to the full-time lifestyle. I’d love the chance to give him a full day of immersion like we had at the party yesterday, but I’m not sure where to get all the things I need to make it happen.”
He hums over the line, like he’s thinking it through. I really hope he has ideas for me since he helped setup the first fun day. If nothing else, he can lead me to a supply store nearby.
“I have an idea, though you might think it’s too much. Do you want this to be a solo thing, or would your boy like company?”
“He’d be fine with a small group, I think. The large crowd wore him out before.”
“That makes sense,” he agrees. “It’s easy for me to do it because I’m an extrovert. My bestie isn’t, which is why you didn’t see much of him at the party.”
I don’t say anything to that. I had wondered why I didn’t see him around much, but figured it wasn’t for me to worry about. That and I was thankful to have even been invited.
“Anyways… if your boy is ok with me and my friend involved, then I can guarantee all the toys and Little stuff you’ll need tomorrow.
All you have to do is show up at the address I give you with a bag packed for a swim day.
Maybe bring extra clothes too, though I’ll have stuff as well.
I don’t know really. Just pack something. ”
Laughing at his eager words, I accept his invite. “We’d like that. Today we’ll stick to doing some tourist stuff and maybe go back to the place where we met.”
“Ah, yes. That’s always a good location to decompress. Will you send me Foster’s sizes as well? It’ll help me get what I need in place.”
“Sure thing. Thanks for helping me with this. Please let me know how much I owe you too. I don’t mind the expense.”
He scoffs. “You’re kidding, right? My bestie is a bajillionaire. He lives to take care of people like us. You know—Littles and all. Keep your money. Use it to spoil Foster in other ways.”
“Um, thanks, I guess. You’ll send me the info, then?”
“As soon as we hang up. I promise,” he pledges as if this were an oath on the witness stand.
“Thanks again. I’ll be in touch.”
Arms wrap around my waist from behind as soon as the call ends. My smile widens knowing exactly who it is. I cover his hands with mine, then turn to see my boy all dressed in comfy clothes.
“Hey, little one. How did you sleep?”
It’s still fairly early. I didn’t want to wake him, which is why I brought my phone out into the main area to call in my favor. That and I was hoping to get some breakfast ordered before he woke up.
“I is hungry, Daddy. Panwakkes,” Foster says as he points to his belly.
There’s no way I can deny him anything. “We can do that, little one. I’ll call down to have them sent up this morning. Do you want some sausage or bacon too? Maybe some potatoes?”
He frowns. “Cawbs? Big belly?”
“Oh, no. Didn’t you hear? Carbs are necessary for sweet boys. It’s what makes them have super fuel. Daddy says you have to have them or else we can’t do anything fun today.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah, little one. Fun stuff. We can either stay in for a relaxing day where we could watch movies together, or we can go back to the cafe where we met our new friend. If you don’t like those options, we can also wander around a bit.”
Foster bites his lip as his gaze moves down to my chest. His fingers twine together as if he’s restless.
I realize then he’s unsure of the answer to give me. Maybe having him make decisions in his Little state isn’t ideal. He needs me to make the choice for him instead.
Knowing that tomorrow will likely be a full day out and about, I make the executive decision to have a cozy, comfy day in the hotel room. We can do all kinds of things here too that will make this vacation one worth remembering.
“Change of plans,” I say, interrupting his worrying. “Daddy is going to decide.”
He lets out a loud breath, then shoves his thumb between his lips.
“We’re going to have a lazy day here. I want you to get your blankie off the bed and bring it here. I’ll order your pancakes while you’re gone.”
With a quick turn, he takes off for the bedroom.
I make a call downstairs to request another full spread of breakfast items, with extra pancakes.
I know my boy says that’s all he wants; however, I hope to convince him to eat at least a little protein and some fruit.
Some balance in nutrition is necessary, even for Littles.
“Back, Daddy,” he shouts, dragging the blanket behind him.
The large comforter is soft and puffy, which makes it perfect for what I have planned. “Follow me.”
I lead him to the living room, then position him in front of the couch. Stealing the blanket from him, I place it over his head. The two pieces come together under his chin, cloaking him completely in the fluffy fabric.
“Now sit here, little one. Daddy is going to get the movie set up and wait for breakfast.”
He smiles as he drops onto the couch. There’s an audible hiss of the fabric, which brings out a giggle from my boy. It’s so fucking adorable I have to pause a minute just to watch him in awe.
I never imagined I could have a life like this. It’s wonderful to know he’s trusting me to take care of him. That he’s allowing me to take control, to plan our day out when he’s too overwhelmed to do so.
Leaving him to it, I gather the remote and scroll through our options. Thankfully, there are still some cartoon channels accessible here despite it being an adult only facility. Part of me wonders if they have a lot of Littles come through or if it’s just happenstance.
I might take the time to ask Edward. With the party being yearly, there has to be some type of coordinated effort to bring people together.
Could this same thing be recreated in other places?
We don’t have to go to the beach every time, but we could have a Little adventure anywhere so long as we’re all together.
There’s something novel about the idea. It stays with me as I select a cartoon from my childhood. I don’t know if Foster is familiar with it because he was older when it came out. Either way, I think it’s silly enough to hold his attention.
As he watches, I get the coffee table cleared for our breakfast and check to see if Edward’s texted me back.
I see the message waiting, though I don’t open it.
My phone is on silent, so I don’t check in on work stuff while I’m here.
For some reason, I can ignore it if I’m the one looking at my notifications, however, if it pops up, I’m going to stop everything to answer.
It’s something about reactive versus proactive actions.
My brother told me a baseball metaphor to try to get me to remember. No such luck.
If only he’d made it a Daddy/little reference. Maybe then I’d know.
Laughing at my own joke, I’m about to settle down when there’s a knock at the door. The young woman rolls the tray in, a big smile on her face when she spots Foster on the couch.
“You must take him to Pequena Cena, a restaurant close by. My abuela would love to meet him.”
My jaw drops as I recognize the name. “We went yesterday. She was wonderful. How amazing is it that you’re the one to bring this to us?”
“It must be fate,” she says with a smile before waving goodbye. I try to tip her, but she refuses. “Keep it. If you went to see my abuela, then you are a friend. I cannot accept.”
With that note of kindness, she leaves us be. I uncover the food, then go about cutting everything up. I arrange it all onto one plate to make it easy to carry. My bowl of shrimp and grits, a surprising menu option, is in one hand, while Foster’s food is in the other.
This time when I drop beside him, he turns his head to look at me. I imagine the scent of his food is hard to miss.
“Num nums,” he says softly. He smacks his lips a few times for good measure, too, as he makes eye contact.
“Such a demanding Little, aren’t you?” I tease. He shakes his head, then looks from the food to me again.
Knowing what he wants, I pick up the plate and gather a few bites. Just like before, he eats them from the fork with ease. Our routine is coming together so easily. It’s not a chore to feed him, nor does he seem bothered at my desire to control this aspect of our relationship.
It’s almost like everything I’ve wanted to have as a Daddy is something he’s also craved. Maybe it is the universe’s doing.
That reminds me—I didn’t get the young girl’s name. We’ll definitely have to go back to the cafe to speak to her abuela. She must know she’s got a wonderful granddaughter.
As I feed him, Foster sinks deeper into the movie. It reaches a point where he opens his mouth without even looking my way because he’s too engrossed in everything on the screen.
It doesn’t bother me one bit. I’m happy he’s relaxed and enjoying himself.
Once he’s had enough to eat, including some fruit and protein like I’d hoped, I dig into my breakfast. It’s cooled some, so I knock the cold off with our microwave. When I sit back down to eat, Foster gives me a frown.
“What’s wrong, little one?” I ask after swallowing my first bite.
“Daddy food cold. Me selfish?”
I sit down the bowl. “Oh no. You’re not selfish, Foster. Daddy wanted to feed you first. It’s important that I take care of you before taking care of myself. I won’t neglect my own needs indefinitely. It’s merely a delay, ok?”
He nods softly, then eyes my shoulder. “Lay?”
Grabbing up my bowl again, I shift until my back is against the couch beside him. Then I shimmy my shoulders to let him know he’s welcome to use me as a pillow.
We watch the rest of the movie in that position, his head on my shoulder as I eat my food. With the next movie, I manage to ease him up enough to put my bowl on the table. I don’t dare tell him we can’t keep cuddling. Not when I enjoy it as much as he does.
As the day continues, we shift positions a few times, along with taking a few bathroom breaks. I’m reminded again how diapers would come in handy in situations like this. I manage to check Edward’s text, confirming we have the day together tomorrow.
When I pull up the address, I see it’s a local marina. I shrug, thinking maybe we’ll wind up going on a short boat ride or something. It sounds like a good time.
Eventually, it becomes obvious we need to wind down for bed. Our meetup time for the next day is really freaking early. I don’t want my boy too tired to do anything.
After an easy meal of tacos— who’s surprised? Not me —I convince him to take a quick shower with me before tucking him into the bed. I clean up the living room, making sure the cart of room service food gets left outside in the hall again.
Closing the suite door, I smile as I let excitement consume me. Tomorrow feels like a new beginning somehow. I only hope it brings loads of good things.