His Love

Chapter One

Axel

“Is it here now?” Emily, my friend’s Little one, asked as she stood pressed against the screen door. Her squished face made the cutest picture.

“No, baby,” I answered patiently. She’d asked six times in the last half hour. I wasn’t upset with her, though. She was very excited for the bounce house her Daddy, Onyx, had gone to pick up.

“It’s taking a really long time,” another Little, Paisley, whispered. Paisley was new to the friend group and extremely shy. Most of her words were whispered or passed through one of the other Littles. She was having a playdate with Emily today and I’d been assigned Uncle duty.

Their observations weren’t wrong; it was taking a really long time, but that was because Onyx had to drive to the next town to pick the pink monstrosity up.

“I know, Little ones. Would you two like to play a game to help the time pass?” I wasn’t a very patient person unless it came to these Babies, so I could easily relate to their frustration.

They spun around with hopeful smiles on their faces. “Will you play Hungry, Hungry Unicorns with us?” Emily asked. I earned it with my good girl stickers.”

“I will, but you have to promise not to cry when I kick your butts. Littles or not, I’m going to annihilate you both at this game.”

Giggled filled the room as they took off toward Emily’s nursery.

***

The roar of Onyx’s V8 engine filled the playroom from outside the open window. Emily shot up from the floor and pulled Paisley to her feet. Paisley stumbled and I reached out to catch her, holding her hips until she was able to right herself.

“It’s here!” Emily shouted as she jumped up and down.

“It’s here,” Paisley agreed in a much softer tone. The corners of my mouth curled upward at her whispered excitement. It was not hard to be fond of her. She was petite, maybe five-two, with the prettiest green eyes and pale skin. Her face was often done up in some fashion of dramatic and colorful makeup, I think to draw attention from the large birthmark that covered most of her face. Her hair was dyed a soft shade of pink and her overall aesthetic screamed “sunshine and rainbows”.

I was glad Onyx was here. The little shits had beaten me at the game four times in a row. I was starting to think they had cheated somehow.

I let Emily drag me through the house as she and Paisley scrambled to the door. Emily wouldn’t open it until she was granted permission; that was one of many rules her overprotective Daddy Dom had in place for her.

Onyx opened the door and laughed when Emily threw herself at him.

“Fank you, Dada! Fank you!”

He lifted her into his arms and set her on his hip. “You’re so welcome, princess. It’s inflating now. Does anyone need a diaper change or to go potty before we go bounce?”

“No, Dada.”

Onyx looked at Paisley, who quickly buried her face in her hands. “I’m fine,” she whispered.

He chuckled gently and pulled one of her soft pink curls. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Paisley. My Daddy tendencies just stay on high alert because of my own Little girl.”

I found Paisley”s reaction endearing. My fondness for her was surprising since I was usually a grumpy son of a bitch. Old, tired, and stuck in my ways pretty much described everything about me, but the Littles held a special place in my heart. Their joy was contagious and their innocence was refreshing.

“Is okay,” Paisley answered as she rubbed her sock-covered toe across the hardwood floor in the kitchen. With her hands clasped in front of her and her gaze downcast, it was easy to imagine how she’d look after a punishment. I imagine she’d present the perfect picture of a contrite Little one.

My dick hardened at the thought. Shaking my head to clear it of the image, I took one of Paisley’s hands and pulled it away from her face. “Come on, darlin’. Nothing to be embarrassed about, Little one. Let’s get you two jumping beans outside, yeah?”

She nodded and allowed me to lead her out of the house and into the spacious backyard.

“Oh, it’s so beautiful,” she whispered in awe. I struggled to see the beauty. It was a fourteen-foot-tall, hot-pink, castle-shaped bounce house. It was huge, and loud, and…. “Holy fuck, are those bubbles?” I questioned.

But the question was rhetorical. Sure enough, fucking bubbles were pouring out of the back of the castle.

“Bubbles!” Emily squealed as she wiggled out of Onyx’s arms. She grabbed Paisley and dragged her into the castle.

“They should be busy for a few hours. You want a beer?” Onyx asked me as he watched the over-excited Littles hop around like they had ants in their pants.

“Are you sure this thing is safe?” The damn thing wobbled every time they jumped.

“Yes, I checked all the features. Weight limits, safety guidelines, and called the company that gave it the gold seal of safety. It’s good.”

I nodded my head in approval. My Little wouldn’t be allowed to have one of those death traps, but I was glad he had checked it out so thoroughly. I scoffed at the thought. My Little. Yeah, right. I was too damn old and crotchety to have a Little again. I had already lived my best life with my late wife, Junie. That was in the past, though. Nothing would ever bring those good times back, and I couldn’t see myself having them with anyone else. But I wasn’t bitter about it—I enjoyed watching my friends find their Little ones now. It seemed almost all of them were matched up. It was good seeing them so happy.

Giggles poured out of the bounce house and I found myself smiling. Even the grumpiest of bastards couldn’t help but enjoy the sounds of a Little’s laughter in the air.

“You know, you almost look like you had a good time playing Uncle Axel today,” Onyx commented as he handed me a beer.

“Oh, fuck you,” I grumbled as I took a sip of the cool liquid. He knew I was kidding, though. I loved being Uncle Axel. Since I never planned to have a Little of my own again, it was the next best thing.

***

Paisley

When Emily asked me to come over for a playdate, I’d been so excited. She left out the part about Axel being there, though, and I was pretty sure she’d done it on purpose. Emily thought her calling was to be a matchmaker, but I think she got it wrong because she was more of a trouble maker.

Axel was intimidating; that was the only reason I had been nervous. He was always growly and frowning. Surprise must have shown on my face when Emily told me he was watching us while her Daddy went to pick up her bounce house because she quickly explained the other Daddies were busy with work stuff. We’d had a good day, though. He’d even played Hungry Hungry Hippos with us. Board games probably weren’t his hobby, though, because he lost… a lot.

“How about you sit down and I’ll see how high I can bounce you?” Emily suggested as she stopped to catch her breath. Pink cheeks and flyaway hair made her look younger than she was. I liked seeing her like this. She’d been through a lot and she deserved to be carefree.

I plopped down onto my butt on the cold plastic and she started bouncing around me. The air from all the bouncing made her dress fly up and I caught a glimpse of her pink diaper every time she hopped. I wondered how I would feel about being diapered. My Little age was probably about three. Not the youngest in the friend group, but close.

“I’m gonna see how high I can bounce you by hopping on just one foot,” Emily giggled as she tried to balance.“You’re going to fall,” I warned with a laugh.

“No, I’m the bestest one-foot hopper that ever hopped,” she argued. Her tongue stuck out in concentration. She was not the bestest one-foot hopper that ever hopped.

“Emily, I really think…” I tried, but it was too late. She was already falling forward and onto me. I couldn’t catch her in time and her knee landed on my ankle. I cried out in pain and fell flat on my back. The crunching sound came before the second wave of pain registered. Oh my gosh. It hurt so bad. I wiggled around on the plastic floor, trying to catch my breath. Pain was all that registered.

Emily tried to touch my foot and I screamed. It hurt to even touch. Tears ran down my face and onto the pink plastic material.

I tried to sit up, but couldn’t.

“Hey, let me see, Little one,” Onyx said. His voice was low and calm like he was trying to sooth a scared child. I wasn’t even sure when he’d gotten there. I hadn’t noticed him until I heard him right beside me.

“I-It hurts really bad,” I whimpered.

“Yeah?” he said, reaching for my foot.“No! Don’t touch it!” I cried in panic. The pain was too much.

He jerked his hands back and held them up in a pacifying manner. “Okay, Paisley. I won’t touch it. Can you move it?”

“Yes.” Maybe. Probably not. I wasn’t telling him that, though.

“I’m so sorry, Paisley. I fell on you and hurt you!” Emily cried.

Duh. I was there. I knew what happened. I bit my tongue and didn’t say that. I kept it an inside thought. Apparently pain made me snarky.

The bounce house wiggled again and I cried out as the movements jarred me. “Is she okay?” Axel asked, poking his head through the opening.

Had my brain not been screaming due to all the neurons firing off in agony, I would have found the sight of grumpy Axel in the bounce house funny. His black band tee, ripped jeans, shit-kicker boots, and facial piercings made him look like a Skater Boy Prince Charming. He definitely didn’t belong in our princess castle.

“No, I think it’s sprained pretty badly at the least. We need to take her to the hospital,” Onyx answered.

“No,” I whispered. “I’m fine.”

“Little one, you can’t even stand for me to touch it. I don’t think you’re fine.”

“No, thank you,” I tried again.

“I love the manners, but not enough to let you go around with a possibly broken foot,” Onyx answered.

“No,” I said,more firmly this time. A look of disbelief passed over Onyx’s face as he blinked a few times. Shock registered in my brain. I actually said no. I never said that word. I’d tried all my life to be an obedient girl, one who never let anyone down. Even now as an adult, I still struggled with being a people pleaser.

“Paisley, your answer isn’t acceptable. I know you’re probably hurting and nervous about going to the emergency room, but we are going. You’re hurt. It’s non- negotiable. Now, would you like to get out on your own, or do I need to carry you out?” I thought it would be Onyx speaking but it was Axel.

“I’m scared,” I admitted in a moment of weakness. I instantly regretted it because I didn’t want him to think I was looking for sympathy.

His face softened and he stroked my foot gently. “I know, darlin’. Hospitals scare me too, but how about we make a deal? I’ll hold your hand so super tight and you can hold my hand so super tight and we can keep each other from being scared.”

I nodded. Axel made me feel like maybe I could be brave and also, I didn’t want to cost him any more of his time.

“Yeah, you’ll hold my hand and I’ll hold yours?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“We can both be brave together.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Onyx, call Elliot and see if he’s working,” Axel commanded, before turning back to me.

“You’re such a good girl,” he praised. His words made my tummy flip in the most delicious way.

“I’m going to stabilize your foot and then I’m going to get you out of this plastic death trap.”

“Is a magical castle,” Emily mumbled from behind him.

“I don’t want to hear a word from you, Miss ‘I-Fell-on-my-Friend’.”

If I hadn’t been hurting so badly, I would have giggled at Emily’s face when she processed Axel’s words. She almost looked offended.

Axel winked at me before using a folded magazine to wrap around my ankle and belt to hold it in place. His large hands working on my injury should have made me nervous, but they didn’t. Seeing his scarred hands taking their time to gently support my ankle made me feel like I actually mattered, for the first time in a long time.