Page 38 of Lost Little Boy
I turned to see Richard Jenkins carrying a metal baseball bat as he swayed down the aisle toward where Perry and Iwere shopping. I glanced around for anything that I could use to protect Perry, but everything was cloth, and none of it would provide us with protection in a fight—as it seemed we were about to have.
“Jenkins, get the hell away from us. I’ll call the fucking cops and file a restraining order against you right now.”
He laughed and hiccupped, probably drunk. “F-Fuck you, bitch. You cost me my job, Grassley. My wife l-left me and took our sons. I got nothing to lose.” He bumped into a corner display, knocking off a bunch of plastic rain ponchos.
Jenkins pulled the bat back over his shoulder just as my little spitfire pushed over a huge rack of coats that took the idiot to the floor. Two security guards rushed over to see what the hell was going on, and I tugged Perry into my arms, nuzzling his neck. “Look at you… saving my life again.”
Perry wrapped himself around me like a koala. “I love you, Daddy. I couldn’t let anyone hurt you.”
I carried him away from the area while the security officers restrained Richard Jenkins on the floor. Of course, the police had been called, and we had to give statements, just like we’d had to do with the ongoing investigation into my mugging. I was fucking sick of it.
I called Grassley’s legal department while we waited, leaving instructions for someone to file a temporary restraining order against Richard Jenkins on Monday. I started to say file them on behalf of Perry and myself, but then I thought of my sister and the kids, so I said to file on behalf of the employees at Grassley Industries. I didn’t know if that was possible, but I’d find out on Tuesday when we returned to work.
The police cuffed him and took him away, just as the store was closing. I laughed as Perry and I carried out our bags to go home to pack. “Jenkins is going to hate himself when he sobers up.” We both laughed at that comment.
I was excited for the next day when we could get on the road to Luray and away from the madness. We had a Pride Camp to get to.
We pulled into the parking lot of the Brookville Valley Campground. The place was full of rainbows—balloons, signs, and banners covered in rainbows. It was like a fucking unicorn puked or shit all overthe place.
My sweet boy was clapping as I drove into a spot and shifted the truck into Park. “This is… Well, it’s something.”
Perry turned to me. “Don’t be a hater. Now, let’s go check in. I have an orientation session to attend after lunch, and so do you.”
I went to the back of the truck and grabbed way too much shit that I was sure we wouldn’t need, but Perry packed for us the previous night, and I was at his mercy. I loved the guy. I would do anything he asked, and currently, he was asking me to get my ass in gear and pack mule that shit to check in.
Of course, my sweet boy held all the power in our relationship, so I did as he asked, following him up the path from the parking lot to the office. Perry walked to the desk and smiled at the lady behind it. “I’m Perry Castle and my Daddy is Wexler Grassley the third. We have a reservation for a cabin.”
The lady at the desk typed into her computer and the printer started spewing papers. The woman gathered them and put them into a folder. “These are your bracelets, and there are passes to activities. If you have any questions, our phone number is in the packet.”
Perry took the folder and walked back to me. “You ready, Daddy?”
I kissed his forehead beneath the widow’s peak and followed him down a path to a small cedar cabin with a rainbow carving hanging over the door. When Perry opened the door, he stopped immediately. “What the heck?”
When I dragged all our things into the cabin, I was happy to see the Hot Wheels track I’d requested, which circled the front room, was put together and ready to use, along with a display of new cars next to the starting line. A basket of coloring books and crayons was on the coffee table, and there were small bags of clay on a rubber mat on top of the dining table.
“You, my love, are a boy at heart. You never had the chance to have toys to play with when you were younger, but you’re my little boy now, and I will give you everything you want, just to see that beautiful smile of yours every day. If toys are what make you happy, then get ready for a huge playroom when we find the home I hope we’ll share some day.”
Perry’s huge brown eyes stared at me. “You… Are you… I’m sorry. What are you saying?”
It was now or never. “I, too, broke my own rule. I made some decisions without talking to you, and I’m sorry. If you want to punish me, I’ll take whatever you want to dish out.”
Perry crossed his arms over his chest. “What did you decide before I level a punishment?”
I smirked because it was exactly what I expected him to say. “I’m staying in Virginia. My father wants to retire, and my sister doesn’t want to run the company, so I’ll take over the presidency of Grassley Industries. Nance will continue to run the export side, and Peter Kato will be the new director over the import side. I won’t be traveling as much for business, but I plan for us to travel when you have time between classes. Will you stick with me as I figure out my new role at Grassley and more importantly, my new role as your Daddy?”
Perry stepped closer and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, trailing kisses over my collarbone before he pulled back. “You didn’t punish me for not talking to you about moving Aaron in, so I won’t punish you for deciding to stay in Virginia and make me the happiest boy in the world. You and me, Daddy. We’ll have a wonderful future ahead of us, I just know it.”
I agreed. We had a big, bright future ahead of us, and I couldn’t wait for it to begin. Perry Castle had been a lost little boy, but I’d found him—or rather, he’d found me. Neither of us would be lost any longer.
Epilogue
Perry
Five years later…
“Sweet boy! Can you come in here?”
I was in the kitchen cleaning up the breakfast dishes before I locked myself in the office to study for finals. I was going to be graduating in a few weeks, and Daddy was taking me to Pride Camp again to celebrate mygraduation.
