Page 45 of Stars Like Confetti

I blinked away the lust clouding my vision, following where he pointed at the sky. A cluster of shooting stars passed by, streaks of silver across a blanket of navy. A smile tugged at my lips. Shea gasped, utterly astonished. "What are you going to wish for?" he asked.

He was joking, right? I’d spent every day of the last ten years, countless nights hoping, wishing, and praying that I could have this exact scenario--him. It didn't matter to me what his name was, what his pronouns were or what fucking body parts laid under his clothes. Those, though perfect, were material things compared to the joy he brought to my heart by his mere existence.

"Daddy? What's wrong?"

My heart leapt. “Da,” “Daddy,” “Theo…” I didn’t care what the hell he wanted to call me. He was here, and he was looking up at me with shining blue eyes that gazed at me like I held the answers to the universe.

"I don't need to wish for anything," I finally murmured, too afraid to speak too loudly and ruin the deep intimacy of the moment. "I've got everything I could ever want."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Shea

Theo really undersold the club and for that matter, so did Tyler.

The place wasn't open yet, but Theo had some office work to do and invited me along to get a glimpse of their baby before it was packed with bodies and the music too loud to hear yourself think. Sophie tagged along, since we'd just helped her move into her new place—a quaint little studio downtown and just a half an hour away from our house. She’d already planted the seeds to establish a Georgia branch of the shelter that saved me.

"You two help yourselves," Theo said, unlocking a door that led behind the bar. They reached into their pocket, withdrawing a keycard and handing it to me. "I'll have to get one of these made for you, but take mine for now. Have a look around. I'll come find you when I'm finished."

Before I could ask Theo how things like the soda gun and the key card worked, Sophie had already poured us two sprites—and even garnished them with cherries and grenadine.

"How in the hell did you learn to do that?" I asked, accepting my drink from her.

"I'll never spill my secrets."

The soda guns looked like foreign contraptions to me. I couldn't even imagine trying to mix even the simplest of cocktails.

"This place is amazing," she gasped.

Even in broad daylight, with all the lights turned on, the energy of the place seemed to seep right through the floors. A stage spanned the far wall of the club, dark except for the shadows cast by the overhead lights. The paneled floor in the middle was so clean it shone and squeaked under our shoes. Tables decorated the rest of the space, dotting the way to the sleek black bars on either side of the room. Bottles lined shelves, and plastic cups stacked high on either side. Four doors along the free wall marked gender-neutral bathrooms, the rest of the space taken up by photos and signed records. The spotlights, though off, reflected green, red, and blue.

I could only imagine what it looked like at night.

The keycard weighed heavy in my hand, but I couldn’t see anything that required a keycard access—most of the stock room doors only had traditional locks, just like Theo’s office. "What do you think this goes to?" I asked Sophie.

"Let's find out."

Sophie snatched the key from me and started back toward Theo’s office. As we passed it, I heard soft murmuring coming from behind the closed door.

"Don't even think about it, Moreland."

My cheeks heated, and I snapped my attention to my best friend… who'd found a hidden path leading away from Theo's office. Well, maybe not so hidden but I was too busy being turned on by hearing Theo's "business" voice. It was vastly different from their Da voice, yet still sexy as fuck. I wanted to see them at work, sitting behind that desk like they owned the place.

And that thought only reminded me that they did, and arousal warmed me all over again so fiercely that I shivered.

I wrenched myself away from Theo's door and trailed after Sophie, who'd paused at an elevator at the end of the hallway. The doors sat next to a set of stairs that led up to another floor… that I hadn't noticed from the outside. From the sidewalk, it was an ordinary nightclub—basic brick exterior and a blinking neon sign that sat dim in the light of midday.

Sophie crooked a brow at me. I nodded, and she pressed the button to call the elevator. Once inside, we figured out exactly where the keycard went: into a slot marked for the second floor.

The moment we emerged onto the landing, my breathing slowed, and my brain began to shut down. I'd known that Theo owned a kink club, but what I didn't know was the extent to which they prepared for an age play space. I suppose I should have suspected with how well thought out the camp was, but this was another level.

Everything was softer up here. Instead of linoleum, plush white carpet lined the floors, prompting me to kneel and remove my shoes so I could feel it beneath my feet. Sophie did the same.

Instead of neon and flashing lights, the walls were painted a soothing pastel blue, with soft white lights installed in the ceiling. God, there were even hand-sponged clouds on the walls.

Sophie and I padded down the hall, poking our heads into the first room—a video game room, complete with multiple TVs, gaming systems and littered with chairs and bean bags. "Unreal," she murmured.

I continued on my own, passing some more bathrooms—complete with changing tables based on a quick glance inside. A door sitting ajar caught my attention—the sign said "Cuddle Corner."