Page 37 of Stars Like Confetti

"And that's the only thing stopping me. I can't have anything take me away from him—never again."

My eyes didn't leave the sight of Shea kicking his feet in the water. He and Tyler had sat at the water's edge, talking and splashing handfuls of it at each other.

"I've never seen him smile like that. Outside of when he talked about you."

"I'm glad he has you, Sophie," I said, and I meant it. Shea talked about her like she hung the moon, but jealousy wasn't my thing. I knew my Shea, and I trusted him when he said that Sophie was his best friend.

Sophie reached back into the bag, sifting through the snacks to find what she wanted. "There's always been something missing."

Silently, I turned to raise a brow at her. She fumbled through the snack selection, finally landing on a packet of mini cookies. Instinct made me open them for her and hand it back—she didn't even bat an eye.

"Thanks." Sophie popped one of the cookies into her mouth and stared into the distance at her friend. "In spite of everything, Shea always has a smile on his face. He's always cheerful, always helpful, but that smile never quite reached his eyes. Now it does, and it all makes sense."

I didn't get a chance to reply before a blur of blond hair launched itself into my arms, drenching me with lake water. "Ah!" I yelped, cold droplets slung onto my face and bare stomach. But Shea giggled, and I couldn't find it in myself to be mad at him for it. He straddled my lap, water seeping from his trunks and into my denim shorts. Then he wiggled, letting me feel the swollen diaper beneath. With sparkling eyes and a cheeky grin, settled in his place—then shoved his hand into Sophie's snack.

"Hey!" I scolded, snatching his hand away. "Is that how you're supposed to ask someone to share?"

Shea's smirk faded. "Sorry."

"I'm not the one who needs to hear that, am I?"

Bashful, he turned to his best friend and repeated the apology, then asked nicely for some of her cookies.

"You'll have to teach me how to do that," Sophie said, handing the bag over. Tyler plopped himself down between her legs, leaning back and making her squeal with his wet curls against her stomach.

I didn't scold that one. Not my Little, not my business.

"So," Sophie began. Shea rested on my chest, and I resisted the urge to recoil from the freezing cold droplets falling off his hair. "When do we move?"

"'We?'" Shea echoed.

"Yeah. Do you really think I'm going to let you do this on your own?"

I wrapped my arm around my boy, nuzzling into his damp hair and inhaling the intoxicating scent of sunscreen off him. "You're not alone anymore, little one. Ever." Shea peered up at me, color tinting his cheeks that perfectly complimented the blush from the sun kissing his face.

Yeah, summer looked good on him.

I turned to Sophie. "You can stay with us until you get settled."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I've got an in-law suite that definitely won't have any in-laws staying in it anytime soon."

Tyler spoke up. "Oh, you're lucky. Theo’s place is amazing. It's going to be so much fun to have another Little so close by."

I felt Shea sag with relief in my arms. I knew that as much as we both wanted this move to happen, it had to be scary for him. He'd already been uprooted twice, and he'd finally found his home with Sophie and the organization they both worked for.

But I'd go to the ends of the earth to make him happy. Even if that meant me uprooting my entire life and moving to Tennessee. He'd be worth it.

Chapter Nineteen

Shea

"Woah…"

Theo snickered behind me, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "Come on, sweetheart. I know you need a change."

Warmth flooded to my cheeks. Lately, I'd been choosing to stay diapered more often, and with Theo's constant reassurance that Sophie didn't have to know if I didn't want her to, I decided to pad up for the final road trip from the outskirts of Nashville to Atlanta, where Theo lived. I didn't want a single thing keeping me from my happy ending any longer—even my stupid bladder. To their credit, Theo must have had a lot of practice with Littles because Sophie didn't suspect a thing.