Chapter Ten
“How does that feel, cutie?” Teagan asked.
She was smiling down at Dylan as he lay atop the changing table.
“Really good,” he admitted.
Really good might have been a bit of an understatement. Having the big, thick diaper on felt beyond good. It was pure bliss. Heavenly, even.
The aroma of baby powder still wafted under his nose as he sat up.
“I need to run to the daycare to meet with some of the other Mommies,” Teagan said to his shock. “So I need to get you dressed.”
“You’ve already talked to other Mommies?” he said, wondering how she could have an appointment. They’d just arrived in town, yet she seemed right at home here. More at home than he did. And he was the Little!
“Yeah. I told you I planned this trip. I’ve been communicating with some folks here for a while. I knew we were going to come. I just didn’t know when.”
Teagan continues to surprise me, he thought, hopping off the changing table so she could finish dressing him.
“Look. I even got you a new shirt,” she said. She smiled as she held up the garment.
It was light blue with the words MOMMY’S PRINCE printed in blocky, white letters across the chest.
“There’s another surprise, too. Well, there are actually lots of surprises. But there’s another one you’ll see in just a second. But one at a time. Let’s get you dressed,” she said.
Dylan’s apprehension continued to cede. Little Space was taking its hold.
And he was surrendering control.
***
The next surprise was an adult-sized stroller.
It was waiting for them in the garage. Teagan strapped Dylan in, opened the door, then wheeled her Little out, using a remote to click the door closed behind them.
The late fall air was brisk but not unpleasant as they wound through the neighborhood and toward the front of town where some of the businesses were located. Dylan felt embarrassed as they passed a group of three women casually walking and chatting on the sidewalk. It faded, though, when he realized they were clearly Littles, too. They waved at him. He waved back.
Just an ordinary day in Mountainville.
Dylan’s eyes grew wide as they skirted a park. He couldn’t make out all it had in great detail, but he saw enough to realize the playground was huge. Even from that distance, the sound of Littles’ laughter reached his ears, and he was surprised at how much he wanted to play with them. He’d been worried it would be tough to let go on that level. And perhaps it would be when the moment finally came. For now, though, he really wanted to join them. It sounded as if they were having a blast.
They arrived at the daycare and Teagan hit a mounted button that opened the doors, allowing her to wheel the large stroller inside.
A matronly looking woman—close to fifty—with long, dark blond hair and kind, wise blueish-gray eyes came around from the check-in counter, wearing a huge, genuine smile.
“He’s a doll! He’s an absolute doll and I have to hug him!” she said, reaching out her hands.
Dylan giggled. He had no clue who this woman was, but her Mommy energy was so strong that there wasn’t any way he could feel uneasy in her presence.
“You’re in for a treat,” Teagan said. “Little Dylan gives good hugs.”
She unfastened him from the stroller, helped him out, and then watched as he bashfully waddled toward the awaiting woman.
He giggled as she wrapped him in a tight embrace.
Teagan sighed wistfully.
This is what her husband needed. This whole experience exactly.
Once the hug had ended, the matronly woman said, “Well, if you’re Little Dylan than your Mommy must be Teagan.”
The women shook hands.
“I’m Candace. It’s so good to finally meet you in person.” She looked at Dylan. “You can call me Auntie Candace if you’d like. Most of the Littles around this place do.”
He smiled and bobbed his head.
Candace turned her focus back on Teagan. “Aubrey, the other Mommy who runs the daycare with me, will be here shortly. Nancy is coming, just as soon as her store closes for the day. Have you met her yet?”
Teagan shook her head.
“She’s as sweet as she can be. You’ll love her. And she has lots of insight.”
Dylan’s mind raced. Lots of insight into what? What was this strange meeting of the Mommies about?
I guess I’ll find out soon, he thought.
But that turned out not to be the case. Candace said, “Honey, do you want to go play with the other Littles? There’s a group of them inside.” She jerked her head toward the doorway cut into the wall behind the check-in desk.
Dylan looked nervously at his Mommy—or his wife, the lines becoming increasingly blurred in Mountainville—and she gave him an encouraging nod.
He gulped. It was decision time. He’d been regressing, sure. He’d ridden a stroller here, after all. But did he have what it took to play with other Littles? He’d often dreamed of it. It sounded like a ton of fun in theory. But could he actually do it?
He steeled himself and gave a slow, unsure nod.
“You’re going to have such a good time,” Candace said, gripping his hand. “You just follow me, Mr. Cute Cutie.”
Dylan waved at Teagan and then allowed Auntie Candace to pull him deeper into Little Space.
***
Inside the main room, Dylan found a spacious area with high ceilings affording the play structures plenty of leeway.
And they needed it. Those things were huge, particularly for an indoor playground.
There was even a swing set and huge teeter-totters.
In one corner was a TV playing colorful cartoons. A couple of Littles were sitting on soft mats, watching and laughing at the silly antics of Tom and Jerry.
There were other Littles playing on the climbing structure, and for a moment, Dylan wasn’t sure which group he wanted to join. Simply watching TV might be an easier transition into this public display of…well, Littleness.
Or he could just swing by himself.
But he didn’t come all this way to watch TV or close himself off to others. He was in Mountainville. Why not get the full experience? He’d be back patrolling the streets soon enough. Then, danger might literally be just around the corner or in the next traffic stop. Right now, he was safe. He could let go. He could have fun.
“Auntie,” he said, surprised by the term he’d used and how Little his voice sounded. “Who are they?”
“Ah. That’s Little Katie and Stella. I’ll introduce you,” Candace said.
They walked closer and Auntie called up to the top of the play structure. “Girls, I want you to meet Little Dylan. He just arrived in town today.”
“Hi, Dylan!” one of them said. She was a beautiful, curvy woman in her thirties. She waved before hopping onto a pole and sliding down to the ground. Her pink baby doll dress flew up as she hurried toward him, revealing the pink, ruffled diaper cover that stretched taut over her bulky nappy.
“My name is Katie,” she said. “Good to meet ya.”
The other woman slid down, too. She was taller and athletically built, with olive colored skin and black hair that fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were dark, and Dylan would guess she had a fair amount of Italian heritage not too far back in her lineage.
“And I’m Stella,” she said. “Welcome to Mountainville.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I haven’t seen much of this place, but it already seems like the coolest town in the world.”
“It is!” the other Littles said in unison.
Candace chuckled. “I need to get to your Mommy, honey. I’ll leave you all to it. Have fun but no mischief.” She winked before leaving.
“Stryker told us he met you today,” Katie said.
“He did?” Dylan said.
“Yeah. He thought maybe you’d be good for our team.”
“What team?”
“Come on,” Stella said. “We’ll explain it on the tower.”
“Race you to the top!” Katie said.
Dylan found himself laughing as he hurried after the women, scrambling up a faux rock wall to a platform where he then took a ladder that led to the highest level of the play fortress. The women took alternate routes, but they all managed to make it up there about the same time.
“It’s a tie,” Katie said. “I’ll beat someone one of these days.”
They sat down, forming a loose triangle.
“Where are you from?” Katie asked.
“Plano. How about you?”
“Texas, too,” Katie said. “Southern half, though.”
“I’m not a Texan by birth,” Stella said. “I come from up north. But I’m here now. Thank God.”
They all laughed.
“What do you do in Plano?” Katie said.
“I’m a cop,” he said, not elaborating beyond that. He held his breath. He almost hated telling people his profession. He never knew how people would respond. They might go overboard on the praise, or they might automatically think he was an arrogant jerk. Either reaction made him uncomfortable.
But to his relief, Katie and Stella both just smiled.
“That’s cool,” Katie said.
He couldn’t hide the surprise on his face. “Y’all won’t hold it against me? Sometimes people shut down. Or they won’t be their true selves around me, like I’m just waiting to bust them for something.” He snorted and shrugged. “I don’t even have jurisdiction in Mountainville. And work is the last thing I want to…sorry. I’m rambling.”
“You can ramble away if it helps,” Katie said.
“And we won’t judge you. You probably met Dax on the way in, right?” Stella said.
“Yeah,” Dylan confirmed. “He seems cool.”
Stella’s eyes lit up as her lips tugged upward. “He’s my Daddy.”
“Ah. So you get it,” he said.
She nodded. “Married to a cop. Granted, being a cop in Mountainville is probably a bit different than being one in the Metroplex.”
They all laughed again.
“Slightly,” Dylan said. “But the same in a lot of ways, probably.”
“My Daddy is a first responder, too,” Katie said. “He’s the fire marshal.”
“That’s a dangerous job!” Dylan said.
“It can be,” Katie said.
“So what were y’all saying about me being on your team?” Dylan asked. He realized he was changing the subject, but as he talked about being an officer, his mind drifted back to the inquiry. He sure didn’t want that to ruin his vacation. It was best to switch topics of conversation, he decided.
“Get this!” Katie said. “On Thanksgiving, after the community dinner, we’re going to have a football game. The Mountainville Classic. It’s the first year we’ve ever done it.”
“And it’s not just any football game,” Stella said. “This thing is played on an inflatable field. The end zones are ball pits. You have to bounce around and dive into them to score.”
“An inflatable field?” Dylan said.
“Yeah. Obviously it’s not as big as a regular football field,” Stella said. “But it’s pretty big. It’s something Stryker and the guys came up with.”
Dylan laughed as he pictured it. After a moment, he said, “This sounds really fun. Are y’all shy a player?”
“Yep. It’s seven on seven,” Katie said. “And we only have six. You want to be on our team?”
Dylan’s mind drifted back to when he played in high school and college. He wasn’t at a huge school. Division II. But he’d had fun and still missed it sometimes. That was a long time ago, though, back before the military. And well over a decade since he’d played his last game. This version would be different, so who cared if he was rusty.
“I’m in!” he said. “That is, if you’re sure you have a spot for me.”
“Of course we do! Welcome to the team!” Katie said.
“Hey, we should go find the others and tell them the good news,” Stella said.
“Yeah!” Katie said. “Come on!”
The Littles scrambled down from the tower and walked into the daycare’s lobby. The women weren’t in there, but it only took a second to realize they were all in the office that was off to the side.
Dylan walked in. “Hey, we’re going to—uh, what are you doing?”
He couldn’t see what was going on exactly, because Auntie Candace and another woman’s backs were to him, blocking his head-on view of Teagan. But there was some sort of device on the nearby desk they were messing with.
What on earth was it?
It looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place it.
“It’s none of little boys’ business what Mommies do,” Teagan said. “What’s up?”
He thought of pressing it, but as seriously as Teagan was taking this Mommy stuff, she might bust his bottom right here in front of everyone.
She’d spanked him before, but it was always playfully. Would she do it now that they were in Mountainville? As in, spanking him for real ?
He decided now was not the time to find out.
“We are going to find some other Littles,” he explained. “I’m joining their football team.”
“That sounds fun, sweetie. I’m so glad. Just be careful and I’ll see you back at the house when you’re done playing with your friends.” Teagan blew him a kiss and waved as he smiled back, waved, and left with Katie and Stella.
He was ready for some more fun.
He was also ready to find out just what Mommy was up to.