“I think I should talk to my uncle first, don’t you? I don’t want it to seem like I’m going behind his back and stealing the business from him. For all I know he might not be interested in selling it.” I thought he might be ready to retire based on how much he’d been gone and how much he’d handed over to me, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be totally hands-off. Besides, if I couldn’t offer him enough to make it worth his while, he wouldn’t be able to let go, no matter what he wanted to do. “I’m still not sure if this is what I even want, but that would be the next step. Right?”
“Yes. I think you’re right. On paper it looks like a solid company, though, and you have a healthy savings account. You say the word, and I’ll get a valuation done. Then we could see if it would work for both you and your uncle. Plus, we need to consider how your changes might help improve your income after the sale.You don’t want to go broke trying to do something that won’t work.”
“Here’s a list of some of things I want to do, but it doesn’t include finding a new place to work out of.” I pulled up the information and showed him what I had in mind.
“Wow, Gilly. These are good changes. My team will be able to estimate a new profit margin based on these.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” I finished my lunch and wiped my hands off, feeling relieved and less anxious than I had in the past few days.
“Gilly? Would you like to play with the frisbees or bubbles?”
“Yay!” I threw a hand in the air and screamed, “Bubbles!”
Daddy chuckled and rubbed my head. “Okay, then, I’ll go get them.” He packed up our lunch and headed to his truck, returning with his super wand. He made tons of bubbles for me to chase. I was just like Ellie. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles…
No more thinking about the future. No more thinking about my uncle’s company. Only fun, fun, fun the rest of the day.
18
NATE
I did good by my boy, giving him the advice he needed to figure out next steps, although he still had a tough decision ahead of him, not to mention a heavy conversation with his uncle. Then I wore him out chasing bubbles around the park. That boy skipped and jumped and ran in circles until he made me dizzy. Afterward, I followed him to his place to get an overnight bag. His roommate, Bobby, or rather Rob, was there with Preston.
“Nate.” Preston shook my hand. “How’ve you been? It’s been a minute.”
“It has. Things are going great.” We chatted a bit about the next Lactin Brotherhood meeting and if he’d be there, while Gilly and Rob whispered to each other.
After a small giggling fit, I followed Gilly into his room. It was about as bare as a room could be, and I would never have guessed he was a Little from the looks of it. Everything was neat and tidy, but there wasn’t anything on the walls. No knick-knacks on the dresser, no stuffies on the bed. “Gilly? Where’s all your stuff?”
Gilly looked around, confused. Then his eyes went wide. “Oh yeah. Hiding. Not that I’ve been here much lately.”
“I hate that you feel you have to do that when you know you don’t have to.” I thumbed over my shoulder toward the door. “They’re not going to judge you, especially Rob, and so what if they do? If that happens, you come live with me.” I’d told him before he shouldn’t have to hide who he was and what he loved. “My door is always open to you.”
“Really? Live with you? Really?” His slack mouth joined his wide eyes. That surprised him? Damn, guess I failed my boy by hiding my own feelings.
“Of course. I want you to be with me all the time. I’m falling for you hard, baby boy.” I thought for sure he could see that, but the fact that he hadn’t was a failure on my part. I wasn’t sure now how he felt.
“I, uh…maybe I’m falling too, but isn’t it too soon? I was scared it was too soon.”
Since he was concerned that we were moving too fast, did that mean he felt the same way too? In my insistence in not pushing too hard, perhaps I hadn’t been clear about how much I wanted him in my life, which might have made him look at the examples set by others for his answers. “Maybe for some, but that’s between us and no one else. If we don’t think it is, then it’s not. All that matters is what the two of us think and feel. I’m not going to push you, though. If you’re not ready, that’s okay, but know that I’m ready whenever you are.”
Gilly didn’t seem to know what to say or do. He sucked that lip in between his teeth and fidgeted, shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other. He was thinking things throughand growing as a person, and I loved that but also wanted to make it easier on him.
“How about this?” I glanced around his room again. “Take all the things you want to have at my place with us now, then you don’t have to pack a bag every time you come over. We can think about themoving intogetherpart later. One step at a time, okay?”
He sat on the bed and stared at the half-empty space. “I do have a lease here.”
“Understood, and I’m proud of you for considering that. We can still take some of your things to have at Daddy’s house when you’re there.” I wanted to pack it all and shuffle him right back to my house, but he needed to work through this on his own.
He leaned into his closet and dug out an Ellie stuffie, his binky, and a baby bottle from a cardboard box, stuffing them in his bag. “Is that alright?”
“Of course. How about clothes too?”
“Right. Have to have clothes.” He pulled out about half of his work and play clothes, along with a pair of sweats and lounge pants. Then he added a pair of work boots and the Keds I had bought him.
“That’s perfect. We’ll get you set up at my place, and you’ll be more comfortable having some of your own stuff there, especially since you have your own playroom now. Come on.” I took the bag and his hand, leading him out to the living room where Rob and Preston waited. “Would you guys like to come over to my place for dinner? We’re happy to have you.”
“How about a rain check on that?” Preston winked. I was actually happy about that because I wanted time alone to spoilmy boy, though I also wanted Gilly to have friends and know they were welcome over anytime. I made a mental note to be sure we got dinner with them sometime soon and to call Preston tomorrow to schedule it.
