Chapter 19
MARTY GOT all their things together and took Cameron to Miseno’s for pizza. He was his normal chatty self and didn’t seem to be affected by what had happened at the park. “What are you singing back there?” he asked when he realized what Cameron was doing.
“The bad man is gone, the bad man is gone….” He actually sang it like it was the happiest thing he had ever experienced.
“Yes, he is, and now we’re going to get pizza,” Marty told him.
Instantly the song changed. “We’re gonna get pizza, we’re gonna get pizza…
.” Marty snickered. Okay, so the bad man didn’t rank above pizza.
That was really good to know. Cameron sang to himself until they reached the restaurant.
They went inside and got a table. Cameron seemed happier and more like himself, if that made any sense.
“Is Dexy going to be home after pizza?” Cameron asked, vibrating in his seat.
“I don’t know. Grant and Dexter still have to work.
” He didn’t want to bring up that suspect again.
There was no need to go into all the work Grant was going to do to make sure that the bad man stayed where he belonged.
Cameron didn’t need to know that. Marty did send Grant a text to make sure he was all right and that everything was going okay.
He got a quick response that he was fine, but it contained no real information, which had Marty concerned.
That was kind of dumb, he realized. He had seen Grant a little while ago.
He was fine, if soaked to the skin. But he also had a case that he was working to finish up, which meant that while the suspect was in custody, the evidence gathering would continue.
“What kind of pizza do you want?”
Cameron thought a few moments. “Lots of stuff.” He grinned, and Marty placed the order with their server. Then Cameron settled back in the seat with his puzzling-something-out face. “If you’re going to be my daddy, then what do I call Officer Grant? Is he a daddy too?”
“You can call him what you want to call him,” Marty said. “That sort of thing is all about how you feel about the person. Those kinds of names come from your heart. Do you understand?”
Cameron nodded slowly. “So I call you Daddy because you feel like my dad.” That puzzling face was back.
“For now, you can call him Uncle Grant if you want,” Marty suggested, thinking of some sort of middle ground.
“Okay,” Cameron said, looking around as though that had settled the matter.
And it seemed to until the pizza arrived, and then everything was all about the food.
There were times when Cameron still attacked his food like someone was going to take it away from him, and this was one of them.
“It’s okay. You can have more pizza if you want it.
” Marty was careful not to scold, but Cameron did settle back in his seat, all smiles.
“YOU’RE HERE,” Cameron cried when Grant came inside the house with Dexter. He leapt into Grant’s arms for a hug before leading Dexter to the backyard to play.
“I was really wondering if it was me or the dog that he was so excited about,” Grant said as he followed Marty into the kitchen. “Dang, that smells good.”
“It’s just vegetarian meatloaf, and I hope it isn’t terrible. I haven’t made it before, but I was hungry for it, and it was one that my foster mom used to make for me.” He checked the oven and then easily moved into Grant’s arms for a kiss.
Grant held him, and they stood together quietly. “I was worried about you today. I saw you chasing him and hoped he didn’t have a gun and that you didn’t get hurt. But you’re okay.”
“I am,” Grant whispered. “Our suspect is pretty messed up, though. I suspect he’ll try to go for some sort of insanity plea, but that isn’t going to get him very far. We’ve been able to follow too much of his tracks and the kind of research he did for that to work.”
“Did he admit to anything?”
Grant shook his head. “Not yet. But he doesn’t have to. We caught him with Angus, and that is enough to put him away for a long time.”
Grant pulled back. “But why did he do all of it?”
“His father thinks it’s some sort of need for a perfect family.
One like he saw on television as a kid. We may never really know everything behind his obsession, but he’s been booked, and he’ll go to court in the next few days.
We’re asking that he be denied bail, and it’s likely we’ll get that, given the type of crime committed.
No judge is going to want to put children at risk. ”
“So it’s over?” Marty asked.
“Pretty much, yes. And you helped so damned much.” Grant kissed him hard, backing Marty against the counter. “I hate to think what could have happened if it wasn’t for your insight and research.” He held him tightly.
“Is this some sort of good-bye?” Marty asked.
“God, no. It’s being grateful for the amazing person I have in my life.
You help me see things I might not have otherwise.
And seeing you and Cameron today made me realize just what you mean to me.
I was ready to break off pursuit because I had to know that you two were safe. That was more important than anything.”
“I know. That’s why I went after Cameron.
You had a job to do, and that little boy needed you just as much as Cameron did when he was missing.
We both need you still, but for very different reasons.
We don’t need you to save him anymore, but both of us need you for something more important.
” He swallowed hard, waiting for Grant’s response.
“I know. And I need the two of you too. I need….” He paused, and Marty held his gaze.
“I know it’s hard for us to say. It certainly is for me.
I’ve learned to hold my heart close and to guard it well over the years.
After years in foster care, you don’t think that love can come your way, and when it does, you don’t want to believe it.
” Marty paused and tried to find the words.
“But Cameron was the one who showed me I was being dumb.”
“How so?”
“He called me Daddy for the first time. You heard it,” Marty said, blinking.
“We talked about it, and I told him that using those kind of words was up to him. That it was okay to use whatever he was comfortable with. And today, he called me Daddy.” Grant held him tighter.
“I think he’s going to use Uncle Grant with you.
But I told him that was up to him too. So we’ll see what he decides. ”
“I’m honored, whatever he wants to do.” Grant drew closer.
Marty rested his head against Grant’s chest. “I love you.” Who knew that those words would be so hard to say.
He knew where it came from and why it was hard.
In his world, loving someone often meant that they were going to leave or that you would be yanked away.
So Marty usually kept those sort of things to himself. It was just safer that way.
“I know you do.” Marty pulled back, searching Grant’s gaze.
“You show me how you feel every time I see you. Everyone has a love language, a way that they show someone how they feel. You, sweetheart, are a mother hen… or a father hen, if you like. You take care of people. You did for me, and you opened your heart to Cameron within seconds of finding out he needed you. You’ve taken care of me for weeks now. And I love you for that.”
“If that’s the case, then your love language is serving people to help make their lives better. You have for us. You helped me get Cameron, and you helped get him settled in.”
Grant snickered. “I think that was Dexter. I’m sometimes worried that Cameron is going to supplant me in my dog’s affections.” They peered out the window to where Cameron chased Dexter around the backyard, laughing as Dexter ran and jumped like a big puppy. “They’ve been good for each other.”
“So have we,” Marty said softly.
“I like to think we have,” Grant whispered, and Marty reveled in just being held. It was something that he hadn’t gotten a lot of once his parents were gone. “So what do we do now?”
“Hell if I know,” Marty said. “This is totally uncharted territory for me. I’ve dreamed of having a family of my own, and I always vowed that I would make sure they were cared for and that they knew they were loved.
Especially Cameron. He deserves to know that he’ll be loved and cared for no matter what happens. ”
“Not just Cameron,” Grant said softly. “I think you need the exact same thing. I’m not going anywhere.
So you can stop worrying about stuff like that too.
I don’t give up easily, and I stand by the people I care for.
You and I are not going to agree on everything, but just because we disagree isn’t going to get me to turn my back on you. ”
“I know. But for a while it seemed that way.”
“Yeah, well, you can stop worrying. And Cameron can stop watching for the bad man all the time.”
“He really is in jail?”
“Yes, and the case we have against him is huge. I found all the materials he used to make his masks and prostheses. They were in the kitchen. I also found the bed where Cameron was held, along with the others. It’s all there, and once we can tie the kids to that room, it will be an open and shut case. ”
“And Cameron isn’t going to get drawn into this?”
“I hope not. We’re putting together the case with enough evidence that none of the boys will need to even see him again. So all of you can go on with your lives and really start to heal.” They looked out the back window to where Camerson played, and Marty closed his eyes.
“Thank god.”
“Hey. It will be okay. I don’t know how they’ll try him, but I do know that we have enough evidence to put him away for a long time. Even his father is going to be compelled to testify, or else he’ll be charged as an accomplice. So this is truly over, and we need to figure out a way to celebrate.”
“What sort of thing do you have in mind?” Marty asked.
“Well, I figured that once Cameron is asleep, you and I could have a very private, very sexy celebration of our own, just the two of us.”
Marty groaned, the room growing warmer by the second. “I really like that idea.”
“So do I.”
“But shouldn’t there be something for Cameron too?” he asked.
Grant squeezed him a little tighter, his strong hands sliding down Marty’s back to take hold of his butt. “I have something pretty special in mind for Cameron. Something he is going to love.”
“You do, huh? Should I be afraid? You know by this Christmas he is going to be asking for a puppy of his own.” He had already heard rumblings a few times that Dexter might need a friend.
“That’s fine. When the time comes, we’ll take Dexter with us so whatever dog we get will already meet with his approval. But I was thinking of something else.”
Marty groaned. “If you’re talking about getting him more Legos… I don’t think I can handle that. The floors and carpet are already Lego-bombed enough.”
“Actually, I was thinking that maybe we could build him a playroom in the basement. Close off a room at the bottom of the stairs, and that way he could have all his toys down there. Just think about no more Lego bombs on the floor.”
“I could go for that,” Marty said as Cameron’s gleeful sounds drifted to his ears. “Let’s go out and join him. I think I could use a little laughter right about now.”
Grant nodded and stepped back before taking his hand. Then they went out in the backyard. “Daddy, Uncle Grant, come play with me.” Cameron rushed over and got right between them. Marty took one hand, and Grant the other. “I wanna fly.”
Marty looked at Grant, and they began to run before lifting Cameron as high as they could.
He swung between them, laughing and as happy as Marty had ever seen him.
Then they put him down, and Cameron ran off with Dexter behind him to climb up to the slide.
Marty shifted closer to Grant, who slipped an arm around his waist. “I think I always wanted a family too,” Grant said softly before they each turned to the other…
and it seemed they both had been gifted exactly what they always wanted.