“Oh my God, you heard?” I say, my voice half-laugh, half-whine. “I’m so embarrassed!”
Billie giggles, tossing a plush unicorn at me.
“Don’t be! It’s a safehouse, not a soundproof house,” Billie laughs. “Besides, you and Travis? Totally cute. We’re just jealous.”
“Speak for yourself,” Richie teases, nudging Billie. “But seriously, Miles, you’re glowing. Must’ve been good.”
I cover my face with Bean, laughing despite myself.
“Okay, okay, enough!” I protest. “It was… amazing, alright? But can we move on?”
Their teasing’s light, all in good humor, and I’m grateful they don’t push harder. It’s easy with them, like they get me—my Little side, my need for this playful escape after the weight of Knox, the cartel, the flash drive still tucked away waiting to be decoded.
Richie claps his hands, breaking the moment. “Fine, no more sexy talk. Let’s play!” He pulls over a wooden crate filled with building blocks and carved wooden horses, their painted details chipped but charming. “Castle time. We’re building a kingdom, and these horses are our knights.”
I grin, my shyness melting as I dive into the game.
We stack blocks into wobbly towers, giggling as they topple, and arrange the horses in a pretend parade, naming them silly things like “Sir Gallops-a-Lot” and “Prince Hoofington.”
Billie insists on making a moat with a blue blanket, and I add a royal stable with extra blocks, Bean perched as the king.
The game’s chaotic, full of laughter and exaggerated horse noises, and it’s pure joy, the kind of carefree fun I haven’t felt in forever.
The safehouse, with its rugged charm and hidden strength, feels like a cocoon, shielding us from the world outside.
As we’re debating whether Sir Gallops-a-Lot should storm the castle or negotiate peace, Cole strides over, his lean frame relaxed but his eyes sharp, carrying three sippy cups filled with orange juice.
“Hydration break, boys,” Cole says, his voice firm but warm, a Daddy tone that makes Richie beam. He hands me a cup, the bright plastic cool in my hands, and I take a sip, the sweet tang waking up my senses.
“Thanks, Cole,” I say, smiling up at him.
Richie and Billie echo me, their cups raised in a mock toast, and we all giggle, juice dribbling down Billie’s chin. Cole shakes his head, amused, and heads back to the couch, where Max’s now flipping through a tactical manual, their low voices resuming. Travis has joined them now too and the three of them look like the most perfect triumvirate of Daddies you could ever imagine in your wildest dreams.
I lean back against a pillow, sipping my juice,
Bean in my lap, and watch Richie and Billie bicker playfully over whose horse is faster. The cabin’s warmth, the boys’ laughter, the safety of this moment—it’s perfect, maybe the most perfect day I’ve ever had as a Little.
Travis’s watching me, probably still catching his breath, and I can feel him, his presence anchoring me even from over on the couch.
Calling him Daddy, knowing he’s mine, makes my heart sing, and the thought of Richie and Billie, my new Little friends, sharing this space with me feels like a gift.
The flash drive, the mission, the danger—it’s all still there, but right now, with my sippy cup and wooden horses, I’m just Miles, safe and happy, living in a moment that feels like it could last forever.
And with the promise of a barbeque for dinner, I know this perfect day is far from over just yet…
Chapter 20
Travis
The office room in the safehouse is a study in contrasts, a blend of old-world grit and cutting-edge tech.
I kinda like it.
The walls are dark cedar, lined with bookshelves stuffed with dusty tomes on military history and survival tactics, and a massive stone fireplace dominates one end, its hearth cold but blackened from years of use.
A heavy oak desk sits in the center, scarred from decades of planning, and a bearskin rug stretches across the floor, giving the place the feel of an old-fashioned lodge.
But Cole’s setup steals the show: a sleek, top-end laptop hums on the desk, its screen glowing with lines of code, and beside it, a decoding rig whirs softly, working on the flash drive Miles swiped from Kyle Knox’s office.
