Chapter Sixteen
Running in the diaper wasn’t ideal, but Dylan didn’t really want to go back to the house to change.
So, he zipped through town, keeping to the sidewalks and moving at a brisk clip.
There was just so much rushing through his mind. He couldn’t quiet his thoughts. Nor his doubts.
What if Captain King found out he’d visited Mountainville? He’d have to bench Dylan even longer. Right? They had morality clauses in their employment contracts. Would his actions now be considered breaking that?
It’s not like Mountainville was crazy, though. Everyone was a consenting adult. Besides, it was probably the most chill, moral community he’d ever visited. So they were Age Players? They weren’t hurting anyone. Quite the opposite, in fact. Everyone seemed to look out for each other. It wasn’t perfect. No town was. Anytime humans congregated together, you’d have some problems. But it wasn’t some sinful den of iniquity, either.
People still wouldn’t understand. Mountainville was different. And many people fear what’s different.
People might even fear him —fear Dylan—if they knew his secret.
He tried to clear his mind by focusing on his breathing. He passed the store and made a mental note to visit it later. He’d heard Eli talk about it and it sounded as if they had everything a Little could ever want. But then he instantly felt guilty. Shouldn’t he be trying to shake his Little nature?
How could he do that in Mountainville? It was a Little’s paradise!
He went by one of the town’s restaurants and then an ice cream shop. Two Littles were coming out, joyfully attacking their cold treats despite the chilly temperatures outside. They seemed so happy. Everyone in Mountainville did.
Again, he knew they had their problems. Everyone did. Life wasn’t perfect anywhere. That’s what made it…well, life.
But maybe the people of Mountainville were happy because they were living their lives the way they wanted to, being their authentic selves. They were brave enough to admit who they were and what they wanted. And bold enough to make it happen.
Was Dylan?
He’d always thought of himself as brave. Back in his football days, there were times he wanted to quit. Practices were grueling. The time and effort could feel overwhelming. But he’d stuck it out.
Then the military had challenged him far more than any sport could.
Boot camp. Deployments. Combat. It hadn’t been a cake walk.
Neither was the police force. It wasn’t that Plano was a particularly dangerous city. But every cop, no matter where they were, put their life on the line by just pinning on the badge.
Sure, he was brave, he decided as he followed the sidewalk left and jogged into the town’s main park. Right now, though, he needed to summon a different kind of courage.
Could he? Was he brave enough to let go of his self-doubt? Was he brave enough to let go of others’ expectations of him?
Was he brave enough to live the kind of life he wanted and be his authentic self?
He skirted the playground and kept going. He jogged out of the park, crossed the street, and wound around the road. He’d worked up a good sweat now. The exertion felt good. His lungs were working nice and smoothly and his heartrate was elevated. He stopped, though, upon coming to the firehouse.
A pickup was parked in front of it. A man and a woman were standing in the long driveway, talking to another guy who was clearly a firefighter, based upon his black pants and blue, short-sleeved button-down shirt. A patch on his chest contained the town’s emblem. He was muscular, with dark blond hair and a silvering beard.
The sunlight gleamed off the thin, rectangular brass nameplate pinned above the patch, but Dylan was too far away to read it.
“We’re so glad to have you,” the firefighter said.
The man and the woman smiled. The guy said, “So glad to be here. Our nursery is great, but Mountainville? This is a dream come true.”
The firefighter looked past them to see Dylan. He waved him up.
“Hey, man. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me?” Dylan said, confused.
He stepped closer.
“Yeah,” the firefighter said. “You must be Dylan. Katie’s told me all about you. I’m her Daddy, Bradley.”
“Oh, hey,” Dylan said.
“And I’d like you to meet Heather and Bryan. They’re in town for the holiday.”
The couple smiled and nodded.
“The three of us are kindred spirits,” Bradley said, indicating him, Bryan, and Dylan. “We’re all first responders. Bryan here is a paramedic. And from what I hear, the best ambulance driver around.”
Bryna chuckled. “I don’t know about the best.”
“That’s awesome,” Dylan said. “Good to meet you.”
“We have to stick together,” Bradley said.
Dylan laughed. “Y’all would let a cop hang around?”
Bradley and Bryan both chuckled now.
“I guess,” Bradley said playfully.
“Well, it’s nice to be included,” Dylan said. “But you two are Daddies. I’m not sure how well I’d fit in.”
“Whoa. I’m not a Daddy,” Bryan said. “No way.”
“You’re not?”
His wife was the one laughing now. “Trust me. My baby boy is a Little through and through.” She swatted his bottom.
“Mommy!” Bryan said.
“Heather is one of the proprietors of the Maple Nursery. They’re a destination for Littles, too,” Bradley explained.
“Yeah, but we’re nothing like Mountainville,” she said.
“You’re too modest. Littles love going to your place. I’ve heard some of them talking about it around town,” Bradley said.
Dylan couldn’t contain his smile. This encounter had been just what he needed.
He said, “I’m going to get out of your hair and continue my run. It’s nice meeting you. Bryan, I hope we can play.”
“I’d love that!” Bryan said.
Dylan waved at them one last time and then took off once again. There was so much on his mind, but he was starting to see things a little clearer.
That is, until a blast of paint shot him square in the face.
The Black Bears had found him.