Chapter 6
Chapter Six
“I’m so excited for the petting zoo,” Devon said the second the boys spotted me when the elevator doors opened. “There’s your Daddy, Sage!” Even without the words, their excitement was written all over their cute faces.
I had a couple of fun things planned for the boys in honor of Devon’s last day here.
Making it special for them both was important and I really hoped Devon held true to his word and kept in contact with Sage.
I held out my hands, and they wove their fingers through mine, merrily chatting away about all the animals they’d see as we walked toward Reese’s.
“Look, there it is!” Sage squealed. “See it, Devon?”
“I do. It’s so much bigger than my friend Tommy’s Daddy had for his birthday party. Look at the goats’ cute outfits. Do we get to play with them, Daddy Warner?”
“You do, Devon. There are bunnies and chickens, and a crazy bird named Bossy P who talks.”
“I’m the boss!” the bird in question loudly squawked as we walked up. “Who goes there?”
“Ha-ha, he’s a pirate today, Daddy!”
Sage’s excited squeal warmed my heart. It’d been a couple of days since his anxiety attack, and I had yet to find the right moment to mention the possibility of him meeting with one of the Ranch therapists.
It was my job as his Daddy to ensure his well-being, but with as new as our relationship was, the delivery was key.
If it wasn’t, Sage may take it wrong and think I was pushing him away.
Through it all, I kept reminding myself that I didn’t have bail money if his parents ever showed their faces around here. This amazing, innocent boy who’d found his way into my heart deserved better and I was just the man to show him how wonderful his life could and would be.
The boys literally stopped at every cage and pen.
Bunnies were coddled and carried like babies while goats were giggled at and chased.
The boys emulated how they perceived each animal’s movements to be.
Way off, but they were having fun and that’s all that mattered to me, plus they were entertaining as hell to watch.
“I see your boy made a new friend,” Arlo said as he leaned against the fence beside me.
“He has, but that friend heads home tomorrow.”
Arlo squeezed my shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll weather the storm with you by his side and he’s always welcome to hang out here.”
“Thanks, Arlo, I’m sure he will.” For never having pets of his own, my boy was drawn to them. Even the horses befriended him. He chatted away as he cleared their stalls much the same as he did with Arlo’s menagerie.
I stood back and watched as Arlo gave the boys a few strawberries to feed to the resident tortoise, Michelangelo.
My shy boy waited for Devon to go first then jumped when the tortoise opened his mouth and he dropped the strawberry.
Arlo showed him again how to hold it by the top with his fingers, well out of reach of those unforgiving jaws.
“Daddy, did you see that? I fed Mikey.” And he’d nicknamed the tortoise. Yup, he was in heaven.
“I did, sweetheart. He’s a big one. You should see if Master Arlo has a saddle so you could ride him.”
“Don’t go giving these two any ideas, Warner.” Even Arlo couldn’t keep a straight face, likely imagining the possibility.
“You boys ready to head to the stables?”
“Yay! You get to see where me and Daddy work, Devon.”
I hadn’t thought Sage would be that excited. Guess this Daddy underestimated his boy. Bad Daddy.
They skipped ahead of me, swinging their entwined hands between them as they sang a silly, unfamiliar song. Probably making it up as they went.
“Daddy, can we feed them apples or carrots?”
“You may, but not too many. One each, understood?”
“Yes, Daddy,” the duo readily agreed.
They grabbed a mix of treats. As they stopped at each stall, Sage proudly displayed his knowledge of the horse inside it, starting with their names.
“Watch out for that one, he nips.” I had to laugh, recalling the first time Snickers accidentally nipped Sage’s work glove.
No blood nor injury of any sort, but it had definitely left a lasting impression on him.
He still gave the sweet lady a carrot and rubbed between her ears before moving on to the next equine, but he made sure his gloves were tucked away first.
“This is so cool, you guys get to play with the horses every day.” Devon really overlooked the shoveling of poop aspect of the job.
“As far as jobs go, I’ve got no complaints. You boys ready for lunch?”
“Yes!” they cheered. Telling them to wash their hands now would be a waste. They’d likely pick up every twig and leaf they come across during the short walk to the cafeteria. We’d just have to make a pit stop at the restroom inside first.
I swear, I’d never been more entertained than I was today. These two Littles were filled with boundless energy that would give the Energizer Bunny a run for its money. This right here, having a boy of my own was what my life had been missing.
Barely an entrée or side dish was missed between the two of them.
They’d pretty much taken one of everything with the promise to share.
Nibbling, chatting, even excitedly wiggling in their seats they somehow managed to consume everything on their plates—plus dessert.
I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or scared of what might hit them later. Upset tummies were no fun.
Sage’s happiness was my own and witnessing this was a true testament to how far he’d come.
This coming Monday would be the first afternoon he’d spend in the nursery, and I knew he was a bit stressed about it.
Having spent this time with Devon, taking his mind off that was perfect.
Even if none of the rooms were a fit for him, I hoped he would make a few new friends in the process.
“One more stop, boys.” Their eyes widened and they giggled. “Follow me.” Today was the day for silly made up songs as they sung another, marching along behind me like toy soldiers.
“Afternoon, Warner and Sage. What brings you by?” Becky asked the moment we stepped inside the store.
“I thought I’d bring these two by to pick out a new toy.” The boys squealed. “And earplugs for me.”
“Silly Daddy.” Sage rolled his eyes.
He’d really come into his own since the first time he called me Daddy.
“Go on, you two, pick what you want.” They ran toward the toy section.
I had a few things of my own to buy while they were busy.
It was time this Daddy had special stuff at his place for his boy.
As I grabbed the items off my list, Becky was kind enough to keep it all behind the counter for me until we were ready to check out.
“Look, Daddy, I got a turtle like Mikey.”
I didn’t have the heart to point out that the real Mikey was a tortoise, he was far too excited with his new stuffy.
“You did. Is that what you picked for today?”
“Yup.”
“What did you decide on, Devon?” He had a stuffie in each hand, going back and forth between the polar bear and the shark.
“Mmm, I live too close to the beach so the shark might give me nightmares. I’m going with Slushie.”
“Slushie?”
“Yup, Slushie the polar bear.”
Adorkable. That was the new word for these boys.
“Alright, let’s go pay, then we need to drop off Daddy’s stuff at his place.
Do you guys want to watch a movie and play with your new stuffies?
” Their heads bobbed up and down. Becky finished ringing us up and handed them back their stuffies and me the other bags, then we trekked across the lot to the apartment building.
“Rawhide Ranch is ginormous,” Devon said as we stepped inside. “There are so many buildings here. I mean, I knew there was a lot to it before I booked the trip, but wowza.”
“I hear ya. I started out as an attendee and fell in love with the place. Went home, got my affairs in order, sold everything and here I am.” Never regretted a single moment of my decision.
Though when my boy just sighed, I kinda regretted this conversation.
“You okay, Sage?” Devon asked him.
“I dunno.” He shrugged. “My parents dropped me off without so much as a goodbye. I knew nothing about this place outside of that I had a job waiting for me. I just don’t understand why they had me if they didn’t want kids in the first place.”
“Sweetheart.” I sat on the couch and tugged him onto my lap. “If they didn’t, then we’d never have met, and I’d miss out on finding the perfect boy for me.”
“You have the bestest Daddy, Sage.” Devon sat beside us and wrapped an arm around him. “You’re lucky.” Sage’s head bobbed against my chest. It was time for this Daddy to turn this day back around.
“What movie do you boys want to watch?”
“Devon, you pick.”
Sweet Sage, ever the pleaser.
“Um”—Devon wiggled and made goofy sounds that had Sage giggling—“how about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The first one.”
“Good choice.” A movie I enjoyed. “Then Sage can see Mikey in action.”
They curled up together on the couch, stuffies included, while I put the movie on, then unpacked the bags while they were entertained.
Sage was an absolute delight to be around and beyond easy to please.
The simplest of things delighted him from feeding the animals at the petting zoo to pointing out butterflies and bumble bees along our walks.
I was his first thought to share those moments with and felt the same way when it came to him.
That’s all he’d ever wanted, someone to love him and be a part of what made him happy.
To be loved.
I fumbled the box of dino nuggets when the realization hit me.
I was falling in love with Sage.
Whoa.
Thankfully, a barstool was nearby to catch me. I didn’t do relationships, let alone love, yet I dove right into one with Sage. I’d come to the Ranch to find myself, to enjoy life and just live in the moment.
Then I found Sage.
Well, then Master Derek found Sage for me.
Was Sage my forever? Is he what I was meant to find here? What my soul had been searching for all this time?
At times such as this one it’s hard not to believe in fate because there’s no way it didn’t have a hand in this. Well, fate and Master Derek.
Wow, talk about an epiphany.
“Daddy”—Sage tugged on my shirt—“are you okay?”
As soon as I saw those big blue eyes, it all came full circle. Before I could stop myself, I kissed him. “Yes, sweetheart, I am.” Now wasn’t the time to tell him how I felt, as much as I wanted to. That was a private moment between the two of us. “Do you want a juice box?”
That rosy blush and smile of his was a true gift, just as Sage was. “Yes, please.” He ran back over to the couch, whispering to Devon. Devon’s eyes met mine, his grin wide as he whispered something back.
Lord, this was like playing telephone in grade school. Next the notes with boxes to check about who you had a crush on would be passed around.
“What do you boys want for dinner?”
“Chef Connor’s famous mac ’n’ cheese!” they hollered.
I shook my head. “Why did I even ask. Pick another movie and Daddy will call the order in.”
“I’m good with anything so get whatever. After I get settled back in at home, you guys should plan a trip out to Cali for a visit.”
“Daddy! That would be so awesome. Can we? Wait, how do we get there? Where would we stay?”
“Deep breath, Sage. We’d love that, Devon, and we’d fly out there.”
“I’ve never flown before. Is it scary?”
“Not at all,” Devon said. “I love flying. It’s my quiet time when I get to read or watch movies.”
“Daddy, you’ll be with me the whole time, right?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, sweet boy.”
Future crisis averted though I was sure tomorrow would be a sad day for my dear boy. But, just like all the hurdles I knew life had in store for us, we’d weather it together.