Chapter 3
Paxton
I could have been blown over by a small gust of wind when I saw that Grizzly emailed me back. The message was very brief, basically telling me he wanted to do a video call to discuss my future and goals. It was what I expected, but also very unexpected.
I wanted to scream from the rooftops that I was getting a chance to talk to my favorite agent, to talk to the man I had been more than a little obsessed with for a long time. Instead, I politely responded with my availability over the next week and then went about my day.
I had practice, which went as usual. The guys were all pissy because Coach Conway kept highlighting how good I was compared to them. I told the man more than once that it wouldn’t boost team morale to do so, but what did I know? I was just some college kid.
Not like I hadn't spent my entire life working towards professional baseball or seeing how others reacted when things changed. No, he was older and wiser and that meant he knew best. So I let it go.
Once we wrapped up practice and I showered and changed, I headed towards home. Going out was too exhausting and the idea of calling anyone up was pointless. I wouldn't be good company, not with the nerves settling over me at the possibility of meeting Grizzly.
Also, practice was just fucking hard. Mentally, I wasn't there. I had checked out. I needed to get my head on right before tomorrow or else I would be dealing with mental and physical strain.
On my apartment door, there was a paper note. I rolled my eyes and took it down as I unlocked the door. Flipping it open, I saw that it wasnt just a note, but an invitation. There was a birthday party happening for one of the princesses and Doyle had decided I needed to come.
The only major problem I saw was that the party was tonight. As in an hour from now, since I'd gotten home so late.
I grumbled for a moment and then accepted my fate. If I didn't show up, he would just call my phone endlessly until I answered. Then there would be a guilt trip and a whole lot of mess.
Why go through that when I could simply change clothes, go to the party, and probably have a good time?
I enjoyed hanging out with the Princess Pack, even though I wasn’t a Little myself. No, I was very much a Daddy in all aspects of my life. Control was needed, and I liked being able to guide someone through their day. I wanted to be there to support them with whatever they wanted to do.
Having the princesses around was like having my own little family.
Little being the operative word. Their Daddies always took care of them, making sure they ate and slept and were punished appropriately.
So I just got to be the fun uncle of sorts.
I could walk up to anyone at any point of play and join in.
They welcomed me and cared about me. It was a blessing, one I didn't take lightly, which was why I was definitely going to the party.
I didn't have a gift, but considering the note said no gifts necessary, I shook off the doubt I had about coming empty-handed. With a fresh pair of jeans, a baggy sweatshirt—since it was still fairly cool in spring—and a baseball cap, I took off for Princess Aster's house.
The drive wasn't long, given that he lived in the city in one of the old abandoned warehouses. His husband Charlie, who was also his Daddy, had remodeled it into this amazing home boutique combo. Right next to it, they had a whole building dedicated to basically a Little land playhouse.
Honestly, they were couple goals.
Once I parked my car and knocked on the door, I understood the night would not be anything like I was used to. First of all, it was Fisher who opened the door. He had on a party hat in the shape of a seahorse. When he saw me, his eyes went wide, and he bounced on his toes.
"Paxi, you're here!" he said, reaching out to drag me inside.
I chuckled at his exuberance, allowing him to pull me. Normally he wouldn't be able to, given Fisher was a tiny little thing.
"I like your hat, Fish."
He blushed, nodding. "Yeah, me too. I bet there's one for you somewhere, but I don't know." He looked around the room like he could see it just sitting out in the open.
No. Princess Aster had it. It was tucked away somewhere safe. He didn’t like losing anything princess-related, and considering he was hosting the party, it fit.
I also looked around, noting the streamers and balloons everywhere, the massive cake in the kitchen, and the entire crew roaming around.
There were the Princesses and their Daddies, of course, but I could also spot Patrick, Miguel, and Matteo along with their group.
I even caught sight of Ronan, one of the NightShade security guys I'd been introduced to once. He was intense, to say the least.
Before we could figure out where the hat was or do anything else, Princess Aster popped up out of nowhere.
"Geez," I said, clutching a hand to my chest dramatically.
He didn't really startle me, but Princess Aster loved the flair.
I would give him a performance anytime I wanted to keep him smiling.
That was my curse as a Daddy. I never wanted to punish my Little.
My hot temper when it came to my career was nowhere to be found with my partner.
I wanted to dote on them, to spoil them to the ends of the earth and back.
"I'm so glad you made it, Paxi," Princess Aster said, drawing me from my own thoughts. "Doyle said he left a note, but you could never be sure with him. He gets distracted so easily."
"That he does," I said, opening my arms for the hug I knew Princess Aster wanted.
Fisher jumped in as well, and I was quickly enveloped in a group hug that just felt wonderful.
These guys were family, and it was going to be hard to leave them.
But I knew in my heart that this was the right choice for me, that Grizzly was going to take my career to where I wanted it to be.
When we pulled apart, Princess Aster grabbed my hand. "We're going to get you a hat, and then I'll explain the party rules."
Fisher skipped away, likely because he already knew the rundown, and since Princess Aster had mentioned the hat, his job was done.
I allowed myself to be tugged through the massive crowd.
While there was plenty of space for everyone to sit and relax, the Littles didn't seem to want to be still.
They were bouncing around from person to person and conversation to conversation, giggling and expressing themselves as usual.
When we finally made it to the kitchen where the giant cake looked even more impressive in person, I spotted the only hat that could possibly be mine.
It had a catcher's mitt, baseball, and baseball bat balanced precariously on top of each other.
It looked to be the tallest hat in the place, and when I put it on my head, it definitely increased my already above average height.
Princess Aster clapped his hands. "It's perfect. I'm so glad I went with this design. Now we can spot you easily. No hiding."
I shrugged, because he was right. I did tend to hide at times because it was more fun to sit and watch everyone's interactions than to be in the thick of things. I'd learned more about myself and my desires as a Daddy hanging out with them, mostly by observing.
"What were these rules you mentioned?" I asked him after he'd had the appropriate amount of time to adjust my hat how he wanted. I was thankful the neck strap allowed it to sit on top of my baseball cap. I would feel a bit naked without it.
"Well, the rules are simple," Princess Aster started. "Since you didn’t bring a gift—which was intentional, hopefully Doyle told you that—the gift the birthday boy requested was that everyone bring a piece of gossip with them."
I took his words in for a moment, trying to make sure I understood exactly what he'd said. "You're telling me that this is a birthday party and the birthday boy asked for gossip. And that was it?"
"Yep," he said, popping the P dramatically.
"And whose birthday is it? Doyle wasn't very clear on that. Neither was the invitation."
Princess Aster grabbed my shoulder and turned me towards the crowd. "I'm sure you can tell now."
One glance around the space and it was crystal clear. Ean was wearing a fabulous dress and had a crown atop his head. I should have realized when Princess Aster wasn't wearing his normal tiara that I could easily spot who was in charge today by the headwear.
"I would think Ean wouldn't want to hear about gossip, given his former career."
My words were honest, though not fully accurate.
Ean still did work in the entertainment industry.
He just didn't let it control his life like he had for so long.
It helped that his husband Rhett was extremely protective and supportive.
There really wasn't a reason for Ean to work at all, with all of the time they spent between the ranch and the tattoo shop.
Really, it was none of my business. I was, however, curious about the gossip part.
Princess Aster raised his hands in the "I don't know" gesture.
"I asked him what he wanted and he said gossip.
Personally, I think he got so used to hearing it in Hollywood that it's a default for him.
But I also know that he wants to make sure no one worries about what to get him.
You know how people can be. They're intimidated at the thought of buying him something. "
I gave him a slow nod of understanding. "True. There are definitely some difficult decisions when shopping for all of you, between your Daddy spoiling you and the fact that a few of you have more money than God. It's mind-boggling, for lack of a better word."
Princess Aster clasped his hands together in front of him and swayed side to side. "It's honestly the best. I can't complain. And at the end of the day, if gossip is what he wants, I have it in buckets."
I smiled down at him. "I'm sure you do, considering you're the hub of all the information here."
"You're darn right I am."
It was then that Charlie walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around his husband and kissing his neck. The way Princess Aster closed his eyes was jealousy-inducing. I wanted a love like that. I wanted a partner who I could care for, like all of these men cared for their boys and Littles.
Even those who didn't participate in the lifestyle in the Daddy sense were affectionate with one another. Everyone here understood what it was like to be a bit different, and they embraced it. I was thankful for them.
What I wasn't thankful for was my lack of gossip. I didn't really know anything other than my own drama, and really that was old news. If Doyle had seen the video, I had no doubt the others had as well.
I was contemplating what I would use for my turn when another person popped up. This time it was Donovan.
"Hey, Uncle Paxi, it's good to see you." His voice came out soft. I wanted to bundle him up and tell him how precious he was. It would probably be overstepping, considering his Daddy, Grant, was a few feet away, his eyes on his boy rather than the person he was speaking with.
"Good to see you too, Donnie," I said, my smile genuine as I patted his shoulder.
After that it was like the floodgates were open.
More people approached, greeting me and telling me how they were.
Princess Aster and Charlie went around to check on everyone like the amazing hosts they were.
By the time it came around to what would have been the present portion of the night, I decided on giving them really old gossip—something I hadn't shared with anyone other than my pops.
Every person's news was jaw-dropping. People would gasp or stomp their feet excitedly. Some got up and paced around in disbelief at what they heard. It wasn't anything malicious, just surprise after surprise of unheard tales. I was thoroughly entertained by it all.
And when it came to my turn, I shared the main reason I left my agent and how I had a crush on the agent I was meeting with tomorrow. I had replied with my chosen date before coming over, which meant I was now just waiting to see what would happen.
No one gave a raucous expression at my words. Instead, I got a bunch of wide, curious eyes and knowing nods from the Daddies. Of course, that was quickly followed by wanting to know his name, along with details about his looks.
"What if you meet him and you both like fall in love with each other and then he helps you become super famous and then you get to live happily ever after?" That came from Princess Gracie. He was adorable in his little tutu next to his caregiver Shiloh.
I smiled over at him. "That would be the dream. We'll see how it goes. I imagine I’ll have to keep you all up to date."
"Of course you will," Ean demanded. "This is not necessarily the kind of gossip I was thinking you would bring tonight, but it’s now a constant source of news. You’ll have to tell us how it goes from the meeting tomorrow all the way up until you get there."
"Until I get there? Isn't that quite bold of you?"
There were scoffs all around. Xander, Neil's Daddy, shook his head. "I work with college kids, and I've seen how dedicated they can be to something, even the athletes. And let me tell you, you're a shoo-in to go pro, kid, and Grizzly is a fool to not take this ride with you."
His comment was followed by Ean saying, "Yeah, exactly what he said. There's no chance you don't get to live out your dreams. The whole falling in love part would be great too, especially if he's queer."
"He is," I said definitively. I had more than done my research on him. While he didn’t date often, he had been seen out on a rare occasion several years back—really more like a decade.
Our age gap meant he had more of a history than I did.
Besides, I was too busy with baseball to be out there like the other guys were.
I knew my future, and I knew what it would take to get there.
I could fuck around later.
The rest of the night was mostly everyone eating cake and sharing old stories of how they met. I knew they were trying to encourage me about meeting up with Grizzly. It was as if every new tale was a manifestation that I'd get my own happily ever after with my dream man.
Time would only tell, but I had a good vibe about it all. Call it being hopeful, but I was a man of action. If there was even a chance that Grizzly would look my way and let me be his Daddy, I was going to grab it with both hands and hold on.