Page 17 of Just A Little Magic

Owen begrudgingly followed me to the bathroom, where I’d already deposited the lid and basket. I took the kitten to show him where everything was. He immediately started patrolling the parameters. When I set down the small plate of fish, he attacked it like he hadn’t eaten in a week. Which, unfortunately, might have been true. Owen stood back and watched him with a pleased look as the kitten devoured his dinner.

“Have you thought of a name yet?”

“Nuh-uh, Da.”

Owen’s lips curved in a fond smile.

“Well, you’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.” I reached out and grasped his hand. “Let’s get some lunch for us, okay? Come keep me company in the kitchen while I heat up the soup.”

Owen nodded but couldn’t help himself from giving one last longing look at his new baby.

“He needs a quiet moment to himself. It’s been a big day for him.”

Owen finally allowed me to draw him away, and I shut the door behind us.

In the small kitchenette, I directed Owen to sit at the table while I heated our lunch. I’d found some crayons and a simple coloring book during my earlier exploration of the cupboards. I handed both to him. When he struggled to make his fingers work to open the cardboard flap, I took it from his hands and opened it myself.

“Tank you, Da,” Owen said with a sugar-sweet smile.

“You’re welcome, baby,” I answered.

My heart soared to have Owen call me Daddy—well, Da. When he said it in that sweet tone, it just melted my heart.

Owen wasn’t great at staying in the lines, which made mewonder if that was a small part of his reluctance to play with others. Littles at the club seemed competitive over producing the prettiest pictures, and maybe his out-of-the-lines scribbles bothered him?

The soup heated quickly, so it only took a few minutes to prepare. Owen put his coloring book and crayons aside when I brought the bowls to the table. On my second trip, I grabbed some bottles of sparkling water.

“I haven’t had this brand before. I hope it tastes okay. If it does, and you want more, there’s plenty left,” I told him. Owen didn’t answer, only nodded.

Owen struggled with the bowl of soup, leaving a mess on the table.

“Here, baby, let me help you.”

I reached over and took the spoon out of his hand. Owen relinquished it immediately and dropped his hands into his lap.

“I think it’s just too much for you today. Let’s get you fed, and then we can lie down for a nap. I’m worn out.”

I raised the spoonful of soup and Owen obediently opened his mouth and allowed me to feed him lunch. Satisfaction settled deep in my chest as I repeated the movement over and over.

This was the only thing I’d ever wanted. He was the only one I’d ever want. I’d loved Owen for years. He was the most important person in my life, and I’d desired him for a while. But this? Now that he’d allowed me to see this hidden part of him, there was no going back.

I craved Owen. I wanted him. I needed him.

He’d already ruined me for other men, and now this? I was completely done for. The only thing left for me to do was figure out how to keep him.

CHAPTER SIX

OWEN

My first thought when I woke up from my nap was it had been the best sleep I’d had in years. Second, the hand resting on my waist was created to be there. And, third, I’d well and truly messed up the charmed life I’d led. I’d managed to keep myself under wraps for so many years, and a freaking bear was the reason I’d come undone.

When I started exploring what being a little meant to me, I had the brilliant idea of exploring at a club. There might be a Daddy who could help me sink into that magical place. Uh, yeah, that ended up being a hard no. On my one and only trip to play at a kink club in college, I’d been mocked because I couldn’t get any words out, and I’d never felt more useless.

Figuring out I was a little was stressful, but Daddies laughing at me over it was beyond anything I’d ever felt. It was abject humiliation. I waslittlelittle, like bottles and trouble speaking little, and apparently, that was much less appealing. On top of that, I wasn’t particularly submissive outside of scenes. So yeah, little time for me was a solitary experience, no matter how much I wished for a Daddy.

If I maintained some adult awareness when I was little, it would be manageable. Unfortunately for me, being around other littles triggered me into regressing, and then being so little in public felt unsafe without a caretaker. But I wasn’t willing to experience the humiliation of being laughed at by a Daddy again, so I wouldn’t let anyone be my caretaker.

The helplessness and vulnerability meant I couldn’t bring myself to play with others, even when I knew they were friends like Jakob and Rory or even Barrett. I knew deep down it didn’t make sense, but I could never bring myself to move past it.

---