At Marty’s, he let himself in and lay down on the sofa. The house was quiet, but so familiar. The warm scent of whatever Marty had cooked last just hung in the air, and the cushions smelled a little like him. Grant kicked off his shoes and rested his head on one of the sofa pillows. Then he closed his eyes.
The next thing he knew, Marty was gently kissing him awake. When he opened his eyes, Cameron stood next to Marty. “Is he sleeping?”
Grant sat up and grabbed Cameron, tickling him to peals of giggles. “Yes, I was sleeping,” he fake-growled and tickled him again. “Did you have fun at the park?” He set Cameron down.
“April and I played with all the other kids. It was fun, and the bad man wasn’t there at all.” He ran to the bag of Legos andwhoosh, they tumbled all over the floor. Cameron sat down and began building while Grant got up and followed Marty into the kitchen to help him put things from the picnic away.
“It was a lot of fun. It would have been more if you hadn’t had to go.” Marty kept his back to him as he put the dishes in the sink.
“It’s my job and its important,” Grant said.
“I know. And so does Cameron.” He returned to the picnic basket and threw away the bits of trash before setting it aside. “It just would have been more fun with you. But what you’re doing is helping everyone. I miss you sometimes when you’re working, though.” He leaned with his back to the counter. “It would be nice if you had a normal job like most people, but then we never would have met.”
“I suppose.”
“Who would have thought that the scene of a kidnapping would be our meet-cute. Or that a second one would result ina family.” Marty sighed. “Don’t mind me. I think I’ve had too much to drink, and it always makes me maudlin.”
“But I don’t want you to be unhappy.”
Marty grinned. “I’m not, and you aren’t. Everything is just fine. You have to do your job, and I’m proud of what you’re doing. I do wish that you could have stayed. But I get it, I really do.” Just then Marty’s phone chimed with a message. “Sorry, but it’s my turn to get called away. I shouldn’t be too long.” Marty kissed him and hurried to his office as he made a phone call. Grant returned to the living room and sat down, watching Cameron as he played.
“You make something,” Cameron told him, so Grant joined Cameron on the floor.
“What do you want me to make?” he asked.
“A rocket,” Cameron told him.
Grant chuckled and did his best to build one, but his rocket looked more like a really tall, skinny house. Still, Cameron seemed pleased enough with it.
“Where’s…?” Cameron stopped and looked at the closed office door. He bit his lower lip and then went back to playing. “You’re a policeman, so you always tell the truth.”
“I try.”
Cameron looked so serious. “Do you think my real mommy and daddy would be mad with me if I called Mr. Marty Daddy? Because that’s what I want, and maybe if he’s Daddy, then he’ll keep me and not send me back to the home.”
Grant tugged Cameron onto his lap. “First thing, Marty is not going to send you back. He loves you and wants you to stay here forever, for always. I know that because he told me. And your real mommy and daddy loved you too, and they want you to be happy. I like to think of them as being with the angels, and they’re watching over you. So if you want to call Marty Daddy, then that’s okay.” Grant paused and looked into Cameron’s bigblue eyes. “But you don’t have to do that until you’re ready. It isn’t going to make a difference to how Marty or I feel about you. Okay?” The fact that a six-year-old was thinking that far ahead was both inspiring and indicative of how smart Cameron was, and frightening, because no child should have to worry about things like that.
“Really?” Cameron asked. He always seemed to need that kind of reassurance when something good was going to happen, like he wouldn’t let himself believe it.
“Yes. Really. So you can just be you. Your mommy and daddy are watching you from heaven, and they are happy.”
“How do you know?” he asked. “Can you see them?”
“No. I can’t see them, but I know they are. They see you here with Marty and with me and they hear you laughing, and that makes them happy.”
Cameron’s expression clouded. “What about the bad man? Does he know what Mommy and Daddy want too?”
There were times when this kid put things together in a way that blew his mind.
“No. He doesn’t because he’s bad. Your mommy and daddy only let good people in, because they want you to be happy.” He tickled Cameron again and got him to giggle like crazy. Hopefully he could forget about the bad man for a while.
“What are you talking about with all the giggles?” Marty asked as he joined them.
“My angel mommy and daddy,” Cameron said and giggled a little more. “I’m hungry.”
“But you just had cake and ice cream and cookies and lots of other stuff. Aren’t you full up to here?” He put his hand by Cameron’s nose.
“Nope. I’m only full to here,” he countered and pushed Marty’s hand lower.
