Page 23 of Lance & Clayton

Minutes later, I finally stopped before a mansion much bigger than John's.

Clayton gaped wide-eyed and looked at me. "Whoa! Whose house is it? Is this where the queen lives? I think I saw it on TV once."

"No, silly." I tapped his nose before getting out and walking over to the other side of the car. "The queen lives in London. This is where we'll be living from now on. Our home is done renovating so we can live here now. Do you like it?"

"Like it?" He said as he turned into a small ball of energy, bouncing in his seat. "I love it! It's big enough for a hundred boys."

I laughed, turning around and offering him my back. "Do you want to ride Daddy's back?"

He was too in awe to respond, so instead, he just climbed onto my back and held onto me tight as we piggybacked to the porch. I opened the door and I could hear him gasp.

"I didn't know you were rich, Daddy." He maneuvered his body until suddenly he was in my arms instead, his legs now wrapped around my waist.

"I plan on starting new businesses because I want to spoil my boy." I carried him to the couch and placed him on my lap. "Having a boy of my own only makes me want to be more successful. Do you know why, sweetheart?"

He looked away and thought for a while before looking up at me and shaking his head.

"Because I want to give you everything I know you deserve, bright eyes. Everything from all the toys you want to hundreds of stuffies if that's what makes you happy."

"But, Daddy…" he began, his big eyes twinkling up at me as he blinked slowly. "I only want you. All the toys in the world mean nothing to me if I don't have you by my side. I'm lost without you."

I smiled ear to ear. "Isn't that what every Daddy wishes to hear? I'm lost without you too, sweetheart."

My gaze shifted between his lips and his eyes. Leaning in, I planted my lips onto his to kiss him softly. "Now, I have a couple of surprises planned for you. Are you ready?"

"More surprises?" He wiggled in my lap. "I thought this was the surprise."

He clung onto me again as I carried him in my arms downstairs to the basement, through the wine cellar and the game room as he stared at everything wide-eyed. When we reached the cinema room, I stood there and let him take it all in. I had asked my personal secretary to arrange for some snacks and drinks in the room, which were at our respective seats.

"Look, Daddy!" He pointed at the screen on the other end of the room. "The screen is so big."

"Yes." I carried him to the comfortable red conjoined seats and put him onto my lap. "I know how much you love films, so I wanted the biggest screen for my boy. I've turned this room into a home theater so we can watch films whenever we want. Boy, you've got a lot of catching up to do."

His smile quickly faded and his vision blurred as tears began to form in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I feel so silly. It's just that I love films so much, but I was never allowed to watch them. This is the best surprise ever, and you truly are the best Daddy in the whole world. I just don't know what I did to deserve to have you in my life. I'm so lucky."

"Hush now, my sweet boy." Stroking his hair, I gave him a tight hug. "I'm the lucky one. I've been a jerk to people my entire life, but you came into my life and showed me there's goodness in me, that I too can care for someone without being a selfish prick. You've changed my life just as much as I've changed yours, sweetheart."

When he calmed down and smiled, I was relieved. As a Daddy, it was the worst thing to watch, tears in your boy's innocent eyes.

"Now, I know you love dinosaurs just as much as films, so I decided to combine the two." I switched the projector on and his face lit up. "It'sLand before time! There's like a dozen of them, and we can watch them all one by one.”

He turned Dino to face the screen and pointed at the screen. "Look, Dino! It's your brothers and sisters!"

As he leaned back against my chest, I pressed a binky against his lips, which he began sucking vigorously. The movie only lasted an hour, and by the time it ended he had a big smile on his face.

“All’s well that ends well.” I kissed his head when he turned to me. “Do you want to watch a grownup movie now? I know romantic films are your favorite, so I bought some of the best ones to show you.”

When he nodded, I put on an Australian film about two college men who fall in love. I didn’t know if it was too much for a boy because by the time the credits rolled there were tears in his eyes.

He popped his binky and looked up at me as his eyes turned red and a tear ran down his cheek. “But one of them died at the end. It’s so sad the other has to live on without him for the rest of his life. It’s not fair!”

I pulled him in closer and wiped his tears. “Aw, it’s alright. It’s just a movie. It’s all pretend, sweetheart.”

“But...but it feels so real, Daddy!” he said, another tear running down his cheek. “I don’t want to lose you, and I don’t want you to lose me.”

“Hush now, my silly boy.” I put a hand on his back and rubbed it. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. And I’m definitely not letting you go anywhere, bright eyes. I’ll spend my life protecting and taking care of you. So no more tears, otherwise you’re gonna make Daddy sad. Do you want your Daddy to be sad?”

I meant what I said. I’d been spending all of my free time with my boy, and the more time we spent together, the surer I was that this was going to last forever.

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