Page 94 of Just A Little Magic

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

OWEN

My nerves were shot by the time we pulled into the parking lot at Wilde Dandies. I’d given the banquet staff instructions to the nth degree, but this was the first time I’d completely delegated setup to the staff. Our banquet manager, Saul, assured me he was experienced enough to handle putting everything in place, but his promises hadn’t shaken the worry. If something went wrong, it would be my fault for not being present like I was paid to be.

“Babe, when Saul blows you away with his efficiency, does that mean you’ll let him do his job?” Bear said it with a smug chuckle as if I didn’t already allow Saul total freedom to do his job.

“I don’t stop him from doing it now.”

“You double-check everything he does. You never let him do the set up by himself. You only let him this time because I forced the issue. He said you tried to disassemble the risers yourself.”

I thought that traitor Saul was on my side.

“I like to be hands-on, and that’s not a crime.” Bear’s raised eyebrow mocked me. “I trust Saul.” And his snort was rude. “But he’s young and inexperienced. I’m only helping.” I muttered the last part under my breath. “Some people like help.”

“And some people come to us from a large, busy hotel where they worked for seven years after college to do the job they are currently doing now and are perfectly capable of following detailed diagrams because they aren’t that young or inexperienced.” Bear squeezed my hand, which made me feel slightly better, and added, “I’m just selfish.”

I waited until he came around to help me out of the car to ask my next obvious question. “How are you selfish?”

“Because I want us both to free up some time. I want to keep traveling with you. I want to spend evenings at home with you, reading stories in your nursery. I want to go to dinner with friends at places that aren’t Quill. I want to be a family with you.”

“Oh. That’s a lot of time together.”

“If you stayed permanently, it would be easier on both of us.”

Well, hell. I should have known this was coming, but I knew me, and I knew who I was.

“Bear, I love you, but I’m not giving up my house yet. Even if I spend every night in your bed, I need to know there’s an escape hatch. My mom didn’t protect herself. When my dad left, she was screwed because she put every scrap of herself into him. I’m not saying never or even not soon. I’m saying I need to give myself some time to breathe.”

“Are we working toward a yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Good enough for me.”

Since we were participating in the festivities tonight, we checked in at the front desk to hand over our cell phones and receive our wristbands. While we both had teddy bears, Barrett’s color indicated his position as a Daddy and my color told others I was a boy. We both added the red band to signal we weren’t open to finding new romance.

There was nothing wrong with sharing, but I was a selfish boy, and I’d waited so long for Bear that I’d be damned if I shared him now. And I didn’t know who I was arguing with in my head because I was fairly certain—read: completely convinced—that Barrett wasn’t interested in opening our relationship either.

I slid my hand into Barrett’s larger one and kept myself close. The Halloween party had brought out all the crowds, and I wanted to stay as close as possible to Bear. This was the first time I’d attempted to be around littles in public as a guest, and I wasn’t entirely sure how it would go.

After our good time in the nursery, we’d popped into the shower and ended up back in the nursery. This time, Bear sat in the rocking chair, and I curled up on his lap. He’d hidden a dorm refrigerator in the closet, so it was easy enough for him to keep bottles with cold water up there for me.

One of the things we discussed was how I thought tonight would go with all the other littles around. He promised me he wouldn’t leave my side one single time, and if it was necessary, he’d run interference with any staffing issues. Saul was on duty, too, so assuming nothing blew up, I was off the clock and could sink into my little headspace.

“Hold on, Bear. I need to fix your costume. You don’t wantto go in there messed up and someone thinks you’re not a properly put-together forest ranger.”

Bear looked deliciously hot in his park ranger outfit. His pants fit like a snug glove, and the button-down shirt did all the right things to show off his broad chest. But the leather boots and brimmed hat made all the difference. He looked yummy.

I’d made myself a fawn outfit out of a long-sleeve shirt and pants in the same shade of light brown. I’d attached a pelt of white fur to my chest and poufy white tail, and on my back, I’d attached a few white spots. Bear had helped me apply some white dots to my face and use an eyebrow pencil to give me a brown nose with a line that trailed down to my lips. I decided we were objectively cute.

When we arrived, the Rumpus Room was already packed. The Cuddle Crew had once again worked to ensure every little would enjoy the evening, with or without a Daddy.

The coloring station had spooky page options. The always popular cookie-decorating stations were stocked with every appropriately themed sprinkle imaginable, and the Cuddle Crew had insisted edible glitter would be needed to make the pumpkin cookies pop.

Their Daddies had tried to veto, but they’d gone to Saul, and he’d included it in the food and beverage call sheets. I signed the invoice before anyone could interfere because glitterwasalways the right choice.

The Jack-o-Lantern station had mini pumpkins that could be drawn on or decorated. The story-time corner was presided over by a trio of drag queen witches who would be doing Drag Queen Bingo later for the whole group. There were also sensory bins filled with spiders and slime, which I would be skipping. Thank you very much.

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