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Eddie honestly can’t believe he lied so easily to a priest. Well, yes, he can, because he’s been lying to himself since he was eight. Lying so much that he’s repressed a huge part of himself.
“No offense, I’m straight,” he mumbles to himself in the mirror. “And the sky is pink.”
He shaves his mustache and decides to do something crazy. He has the house to himself, and he’s always wanted to see what it feels like to dance in his underwear, so that’s what he does. He finds a dancing playlist on his Spotify and just clicks play.
At first, it feels a little ridiculous—dancing to Usher alone in his socks and a button-down shirt—but as soon as he realizes that no one is there to judge him, he starts to let loose.
Eventually, the “Risky Business” song comes on, and who is he to deny recreating the whole dance, starting with sliding in on his socks? He only wishes he had a camera to record himself, because he’s pretty sure he nailed it.
Then again, he’s glad there isn’t a camera, because then someone—namely Buck or Chimney—could use it for blackmail against him.
Out of breath, Eddie collapses on the couch at the end of the song, lying down and breathing hard with a smile on his face.
The doorbell rings, and he gets up, not bothering to put on pants but fixing his collar and hair. He doesn’t know why he’s opening the door pantless, but there’s really only one person who’d show up this late, and he doesn’t care if Buck sees him without pants on.
Maybe it’ll encourage him to break up with his awful boyfriend, Eddie thinks, but then shakes the thought right out of his head.
He opens the door, and Buck walks in with a six-pack, handing Eddie a beer without saying anything. Eddie looks between the beer and Buck and shrugs, climbing over the back of the couch to sit beside him.
Eddie can tell something is wrong by the way Buck is chugging down his beer, but he knows Buck. And he knows that the best thing is to not talk until Buck starts the conversation, so he sits back and leisurely sips his beer while Buck reaches for a second.
“Tommy broke up with me,” Buck says before grabbing a third. “I had this weird conversation with Josh after I found out Tommy used to be engaged to Abby. I told Tommy about Abby, asked him to move in with me, and then he said he knew our relationship was never going to last and broke up with me.”
And Eddie, well, what is he supposed to say to that?
“I lied to a priest and told him I was straight,” Eddie blurts out. That’s definitely not what he was supposed to say.
Buck turns to look at Eddie with wide eyes. “You’re?”
“Gay? Oh yeah, big time.”
Buck reaches up and feels Eddie’s forehead, then his own, looking even more confused.
“Is this, uh, a new revelation? Or have you always known?”
“I think I’ve known since I was eight, but with my family, I wasn’t allowed to be gay, so I shoved it in a box. I’ve recently decided to open the box back up.” Eddie shrugs and takes another sip of his beer. “Back to Tommy, what do you mean he was engaged to Abby?”
So Buck goes into more detail, recounting their anniversary dinner and how it all came to light.
“So he told you it was okay to look? Even though you were literally on your anniversary dinner?”
“That was weird, right?” Buck asks, sitting back and looking at Eddie. “But not as weird as you look right now. Where are your pants?”
“Oh, I was dancing,” Eddie says, looking down at his bare lap. “Probably should’ve put pants on before I opened the door.”
“Yeah,” Buck says, taking another long swig of his beer.
And then they don’t say anything for a while. Eventually, they turn on a movie, and Buck falls asleep on the couch, his head against Eddie’s shoulder. But that’s the last they have of the conversation.
Two Weeks Later
“Uh, Buck, want to tell us why Tommy texted all of us today?” Hen asks, locking her phone and laying it face down on the table.
“I finally blocked him. No more bubbling for me.” Buck shrugs, sitting yet another baked pasta dish down in front of them. “Did he—did he say what he wanted?”
“He just asked us to tell you to call him. Something about Lakers tickets.” Chimney shrugs, grabbing a serving spoon to dish pasta onto his plate.
Eddie sighs and pulls his phone out. His message was a lot different than the one Hen and Chim got. “Hey Eddie! How’s it going, man? We haven’t talked in a while. Listen, can you ask Buck to call me so I can get my Lakers tickets back? And, hey, if you’re free, we should go together. Maybe grab some dinner. Let me know! Winky face emoji.”
“Did Tommy just ask you out on a date he’d originally planned for Buck?” Hen asks, stopping halfway to her mouth with her fork. “That’s messed up.”
“You think he was asking me on a date?” Eddie asks, looking at the message again. “Oh shit, he was, wasn’t he?”
“You could go, you know, if you wanted to.” Buck shrugs, though he looks like a kicked puppy.
“Or we could go. They were given to you as a gift. Breakup or not, you don’t ask for a gift back.” Eddie would rather walk on fire barefoot than go on a date with Tommy Kinard.
Hen and Chim exchange a look, and Chim chuckles. “Eddie, did you just ask Buck on a date?”
Eddie feels his cheeks heat up and avoids eye contact with anyone. “Just two dude bros going to a basketball game together.”
“Dude bros? Sure.” Hen hums and gives Chim another look and a nod.
“So, I shouldn’t give them back?” Buck asks, finally sitting down and fixing his own plate.
“No!” choruses everyone at the table.
Which is how, Friday night, Eddie finds himself on a not-date with his best friend, who he’s almost convinced he’s in love with.
“Okay, that’s what I’m talking about, let’s go!” Eddie cheers and turns to look at Buck, who’s reading some article on his phone. “Dude, are you even watching the game?”
“Yeah,” Buck pauses. “Woohoo, go team!”
Eddie rolls his eyes and sits back down, his left arm going behind Buck’s seat.
“Oh,” Buck says, locking his phone. “That’s new.”
“Huh?”
“You know, when I said ‘two dude bros hanging out,’ it was in reference to my first date with a guy, and you caught us.”
Eddie turns to look towards the game again. “Uh-huh.”
“You refused to let me pay for dinner.”
“You got the tickets.”
“Tickets were free, Eddie,” Buck smirks, at least, Eddie assumes he does from his tone of voice. “Is this a date?”
Eddie turns to look at Buck and blinks.
“I,” Eddie takes a deep breath. “Yeah, if you want it to be.”
Buck smiles and leans against Eddie’s shoulder. “Yeah, Eds. Just two dude bros on a date.”
Buck chuckles and opens his phone back up, going back to reading what he was before.
Eddie hums and moves his arm from the back of the seat to around Buck’s shoulders, his hand resting on Buck’s bicep.
“Did you know that there’s a father and son duo on the team? The first in the entire NBA.” Buck says during a timeout, turning his head to look up at Eddie.
“Are you reading basketball facts?” Eddie smiles down at Buck. “That’s adorable.”
“I’m trying to like things you like, even if that means basketball.”
Eddie chuckles and turns to look back at the court.
“Dribbling wasn’t allowed when basketball was first invented. The first team to dribble in a game was Yale in 1897.”
“No dribbling? How’d they get the ball down the court?” Eddie shakes his head and takes a sip of his beer as the crowd starts cheering.
He glances at the Jumbotron just in time to see the kiss cam starting.
“Look,” he says to Buck, pointing towards the screen.
“The kiss cam tradition actually started here in California in the early ‘80s. It was a way to fill gaps between plays, like timeouts and TV breaks,” Buck explains. “They don’t really know for sure, but they say it was the Dodgers who first used it.”
An older couple appears on the screen, and the older gentleman kisses his wife, Eddie assumes, on the forehead while waving at the screen.
“What are the odds we end up on there?” Buck jokes. Only ten seconds later, Eddie sees their faces on the screen. “I jinxed that, huh?”
“Jinxes aren’t real,” Eddie chuckles before reaching for Buck’s face and pulling him up to him. “This okay?”
Buck nods once before Eddie closes the gap, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. Like everything in the world is right when he’s kissing Evan Buckley. He pulls away at the sounds of cheers and rests his forehead against Buck’s.
“We definitely need to do that more,” he sighs, and Buck agrees.
“Yeah. Just two dude bros making out at a basketball game.”
It takes all of five minutes for their phones to start blowing up. Apparently, a few of their friends had been watching the game at home and had snapped a picture of them on TV.
Fire Fam
Hen:
Just two dude bros, huh?
Chimney:
I knew it!
Cap owes me 20 bucks!
Karen:
What is going on?
Maddie:
🔗: 1 image
Karen:
OMG! OMG!
Buck! Eddie!
What?
Is this real?
Hen:
It’s real!
I told you it would happen
No one believed me!
Chimney:
I believed you!
Athena:
We have talked about betting
Anyway
Hen, you owe me $40
Bobby:
Athena, really?
You got Hen too?
Maddie:
But real talk
We are so happy for you guys
And if you want to tell us,
you can tell us on your own time!
Ignore us, enjoy your date 🤭🤭
“That didn’t take long,” Eddie laughs, locking his phone and putting it back in his pocket.
“Well, you did kiss me on national TV.” Buck shrugs, reaching over to grab Eddie’s left hand, linking their fingers together.
“Yeah, and I’d do it again.” Eddie says, turning his head and kissing Buck once, twice, and a third time.
Later, when dropping Buck off at his loft, Eddie kisses him one more time for good measure and then drives home, feeling lighter than he has in a long time.
***
Buck wakes up to his phone vibrating on his nightstand. He knows he put it on Do Not Disturb before he went to sleep, and only a handful of people could bypass that. He quickly reaches for it and answers.
“Hello?”
Sniffles.
“Hello?”
More sniffles. Buck pulls the phone away from his face and sees Christopher’s contact photo, so he shoots straight up in the bed.
“Chris, hey. Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Buck?”
“Yeah, hey, Chris. Calm down, what’s going on?”
“Are you, are you and my dad dating?”
Buck’s stomach drops.
“Uh—”
“Because I was watching Lakers highlights and saw you two on the kiss cam. So is it true?”
“Chris—”
“You can’t date my dad.” Buck is sick to his stomach.
“Christoph—”
“Because if you date my dad, you’ll leave. And you can’t leave me, Buck, you can’t!”
“Hey, Christopher, I’m not going anywhere.” Buck is on the verge of panicking himself.
“You say that now, but what happens if you two break up? You’ll leave us just like everyone else has!”
“Buddy, even if your dad and I break up, which I’m not planning on ever happening, you’re stuck with me. You’re my number one Diaz, okay? I’ll still come around, I’ll still help you with your homework and eventually your college essays. Even if it’s the worst breakup in the history of breakups, I would never forget about you, Christopher. I know, I mean, I’m not technically your dad, but sometimes it feels like it, you know?”
“Mhmm.” Chris hums on the phone.
“And one thing about me, I’ll never turn my back on family, and that’s what we are, right?”
“I guess so.”
“But, Christopher, your dad is it for me. I can’t see myself with anyone else, ever, okay? So, please take a few breaths for me.”
Buck can hear Christopher taking a deep breath, but he doesn’t seem to be calming down.
“Chris, can you tell me five things you can see?”
“The bird outside my window, my desk, the green blanket, my shoes sticking out of the closet, and my half-filled suitcase.”
“Good. Four things you can touch.”
“My pillow, my stuffed penguin, my phone, and my glasses.”
Buck can hear Chris’ breathing evening out and smiles.
“Three things you can hear?”
“Grandma cooking breakfast, that stupid bird, and you.”
“Two things you can smell.”
“The laundry detergent on my hoodie and bacon.”
“And one thing you can taste.”
“Toothpaste.”
“Good, you feeling better?”
“Yeah. Thank you, Buck. But please, promise me you won’t leave. Ever?”
And suddenly, Christopher is that seven-year-old kid he met all those years ago—the kid he would do, and has done, anything for.
“Of course, I promise, Chris.”
“Okay, I’ll—I’ll see you soon.”
Christopher hangs up the phone, and Buck sits there, wiping his own dried tears before getting his day started.
The only thing he can think of is Christopher saying he’d see him soon. What did that mean?
***
The teasing started all of thirty seconds after Buck and Eddie both made it to work the next day. Eddie, still giddy from finally kissing Buck, was taking it in stride.
But he couldn’t help but notice that Buck was a little out of it, zoning out more often than usual.
“Hey,” he nudged Buck’s knee on the way back from a call. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Just peachy.” Buck smiled, a fake one if Eddie had ever seen one, and then turned to look out the window again.
“So,” Chimney started, “what are your intentions with my little brother?”
Eddie looked at him, furrowing his eyebrows. “Uh, I haven’t talked to Albert since he moved.”
“No, not Albert. Buck. What are your intentions with Buck?” Chimney crossed his arms, and Eddie laughed at his attempt to be intimidating.
“Chim,” Bobby said from the front, “I told you already to lay off.”
“Oh, come on, Cap. They’ve put us through this ‘will they/won’t they’ for seven years now! We’ve earned the right to tease a little bit.”
“He’s got a point,” Hen said from the front seat.
Eddie tuned the conversation out at this point, too occupied with trying to figure out what was going on with Buck.
They got back to the station, and Eddie hung back, waiting for Buck to get out of the truck. He grabbed Buck by the arm and dragged him to the supply closet, locking it behind them.
“Kinky,” Buck joked, even though it didn’t have any force behind it.
“Talk. What is going on with you? I mean, do you… do you regret last night?”
“What?” Buck looked at Eddie with wide eyes. “Regret last night? Eddie? No, of course not!”
“Then what is wrong with you?”
“Christopher called me this morning.” Buck sighed, and Eddie stumbled backward. “He was panicking because he saw the picture of us on the Jumbotron. He was terrified that dating you would mean I’d eventually leave and forget about him.”
Eddie slumped against the only wall without a shelf. “Really? He said that? God, like I haven’t traumatized that kid enough.”
“No, Eddie, hey,” Buck grabbed Eddie by the shoulders and hugged him tightly. “This isn’t your fault.”
“It isn’t?”
“Well, not completely.” Eddie nodded against Buck’s shoulder. “But I told him I wouldn’t leave, even if things don’t work out between us. But, god Eddie, I hope they do. I don’t—I can’t see myself without you anymore.”
“I can’t see myself without you either.” Eddie took a deep breath and looked up, kissing Buck lightly on the lips.
“Hey, Buck, Eddie, you guys have a visitor. Make sure you fix your uniforms before you come out,” Chimney joked from the other side of the door.
Buck rolled his eyes and opened the door. “We were just talking.”
“Oh, sure,” Chim chuckled and walked away.
“We have a visitor?” Buck asked, looking toward Eddie, confused.
Eddie shrugged and followed Buck out of the supply closet.
Eddie stopped short—or, well, Buck stopped short, and Eddie ran right into him. “Uh, ow.” Eddie rubbed his forehead and then turned his gaze toward where Buck was staring.
“Christopher?”
“Hi, Dad. Buck.” Chris smiled and waved timidly from his spot beside his grandma.
Eddie wasn’t sure who moved first, but both he and Buck had Christopher pulled into a tight hug, at least one of them sniffling—who knows.
Eddie looked up and over to his mom, giving her a weak smile. She looked indifferent, almost as if she didn’t want to. She probably didn’t.
“Thank you.”
“Well, he wanted to come home. I couldn’t do much to stop him.” She sounded bored, and well, that was all Eddie needed to know about that.
“Uh, I have dinner almost ready. Will you be joining us, Mrs. Diaz?” Bobby asked, stepping in.
“No, Ramon had made reservations for tonight before our flight to Texas ships back out.” She said it very pointedly.
“Dad is here?” Eddie asked, looking around, trying to find his father.
“He’s waiting with the Uber. We put Christopher’s things in the locker room. It was good to see you, Edmundo.” His mom patted his arm and started to walk away.
“Wait, that’s it?” Eddie unwound his arms from Christopher and turned to look at his mom.
“What do you want me to say, Eddie? You think I want to leave my grandson here, especially after that stunt you pulled last night?”
“Stunt?” Eddie could feel his blood boiling.
“Look, I didn’t come here for an argument. Christopher asked last week to come home and to keep it a surprise, so that’s what I did. But as for your choices, I don’t have anything nice to say about that, so I’m not saying anything at all.”
And his mom walked out, leaving him feeling a storm of emotions in his gut. Eddie felt a hand on his shoulder, and he reached back to squeeze it, not needing to look to know that it was Buck.
“Hey, you okay?”
Eddie nodded and softly smiled. “Yeah, I think I will be.”
One Month Later
One month. One month with the love of his life, and Buck couldn’t be happier. Now, if only he could figure out what to get Eddie for Christmas.
“You know, I think Dad really wants a new gaming system. Preferably this one,” Christopher slid one of those gift books from Target over and showed Buck a picture of a PS5 circled in bright red.
“Oh, I’m sure that’s exactly what your dad wants.” Buck chuckled. “Nice try, kid.”
“What about a book of experiences?” Chris said, working away at his math homework.
“Like dates?”
“Yeah, like things you’d like to do, things you know he’d like to do, and then whenever you get a chance for a date night, you pick something out of the book. I saw it on TikTok.”
Buck shrugged. “That’s a good idea.”
That, combined with the new watch, a few new shirts and pairs of pants, and the gift certificate for truck detailing, Buck thought he might have Eddie all shopped for.
Buck continued cooking dinner while Chris worked on his homework, both of them waiting for Eddie to get home from his extra shift.
“Why is Dad taking so many extra shifts?” Chris asked when they sat down in the living room to eat and watch a movie. What Eddie didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
“I’m assuming because you have very expensive tastes,” Buck joked, nudging Chris in the shoulder.
They watched The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 2 before Eddie finally made it home.
“How was work?” Buck greeted him at the door, wrapping Eddie in a tight hug. Buck didn’t think he’d ever been this clingy in a relationship before, but it felt like he’d explode if he couldn’t touch Eddie every chance he got.
“It was fine. Jenkins doesn’t know what he’s doing half the time. I swear, I don’t know how he hasn’t been fired yet.” Eddie kicked off his shoes at the door. “Something smells good. Did you cook?”
Eddie leaned in to kiss Buck quickly before walking toward the kitchen. “Yeah, just a quick crockpot chicken recipe I saw on TikTok. No big deal.”
“To you. To me, this is a very big deal. You worked a 24-hour shift yesterday, came home, cleaned the entire house, made sure my kid got home from school safely. I assume he has his homework done?”
Buck nodded, and Eddie smiled, taking both of his hands. “I know you’re just doing all of this because you want to, not because you have to, but it means the world to me that you’re here. You’re doing things for me, for Chris. I just want you to know that I appreciate it.”
“Oh yeah?” Buck said, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s waist. “How much?”
“I’ll show you how much, just as soon as we have an empty house.” Eddie smirked and kissed Buck again quickly before pulling away to make a plate.
“Pretty sure Chris has a sleepover Friday,” Buck said after clearing his throat.
Friday Rolls Around and it’s like everything falls apart.
Buck had just gotten home from a run when his phone rang. The number for Chris’s school popped up.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is Principal Johnson. Can I speak with Mr. Evan Buckley?”
“This is he.”
“Hi, Mr. Buckley, sorry to bother you, but we weren’t able to get in touch with Mr. Diaz, and you are listed as Christopher’s second contact.”
“Yeah, Eddie was picking up a shift today. What’s going on?”
“We need you to come and pick up Christopher. He is being suspended for the rest of the day and two days next week.”
Buck dropped his keys on the floor. “Christopher Diaz?”
“Yes, Mr. Buckley.”
“I think you’ve made a mistake. Christopher has never misbehaved in school.”
“And we did take that into account when we were discussing his punishment. However, he did hit another student with his crutch, so he has to face some kind of consequence.”
Buck’s blood boiled as he grabbed his keys and ran back out to his car.
“Well, what did the other student do? Chris wouldn’t do something like this unless provoked.”
“Chris claims that the other student said some very offensive things to him.”
“What kind of things?”
“Homophobic and racist remarks towards his dad and his partner, according to the teacher’s referral.”
“Is the other student getting reprimanded as well?”
The silence on the other end of the line was all the answer he needed. “No, of course not. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Buck hung up the phone, fists clenched in fury. He debated calling Eddie but decided to wait and talk to him in person once his shift ended in a few hours.
Christopher was silent as he climbed into the backseat of Buck’s Jeep.
“You’re mad.”
“I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.”
“That’s worse.”
“What were you thinking, kid?” Buck backed out of his parking spot and started the drive toward Eddie’s house.
“I wasn’t,” Chris sighed. “Julian just made me so mad. I reacted before I could think about it.”
“There were so many ways you could’ve handled this, Chris. If he was saying these things to you, why didn’t you tell your teacher?”
“I did tell him! He said he would handle it, and then Julian kept saying things!”
“What exactly did he say, Christopher?”
Christopher was silent again.
“Chris?”
“He said he wouldn’t be surprised if I turned out a f-word like my dads.”
Buck was lucky he was at a stoplight, or he might’ve slammed on the brakes. “And the school did nothing?”
“Julian got a silent lunch and after-school detention, but that’s it.”
Buck understood the school’s decision, but he still wished more had been done.
“But I hit him, so I got sent home and suspended. Just for sticking up for myself.” Chris sighed and slumped against his seat.
“Because violence is never the answer, Chris. I get that what he said upset you, and I’ve been there before—acting before I think. But you can’t just go around hitting people with your crutches.”
“I know.” Buck could feel the weight of his dejection in the backseat. He didn’t want to add to it, but he had to do something.
“So, no sleepover tonight. And no phone for a week.”
“But—”
“We can make it two?” Buck raised an eyebrow and turned around to look at Chris, having just parked the Jeep in Eddie’s driveway.
“No, that’s fair, I guess.” Chris unbuckled and climbed out of the Jeep.
“Go to your room and start your homework. I’ll tell your dad what happened.”
“Okay,” Chris huffed.
***
“Why didn’t you call me?”
Chris heard his dad ask, his voice tight with frustration. Buck must have told him about what had happened this afternoon.
“The school called me because they couldn’t get in touch with you.”
“You still should’ve called me.” Chris could picture his dad crossing his arms over his chest, the way he always did when he was upset.
“I’m telling you about it now. I handled it.”
“You handled it?” Eddie’s voice was sharp, disbelieving.
“Yeah. No sleepover tonight, no phone for a week. I figured that was okay.”
“But you can’t just make these decisions without consulting me first, Buck!”
Christopher’s stomach dropped. The weight of what was happening—what he had caused—settled in.
“I just thought—”
“You’re not his dad! I am, and I need to be included in things like this!” Eddie’s voice cracked, full of frustration and something darker.
“I was just trying to help.” Buck’s voice sounded so small, so sad, and Christopher felt light-headed. His chest tightened as the argument between Buck and his dad spiraled. They were fighting because of him. If Buck left, it would be his fault.
“You should’ve called me as soon as you picked him up. Let me handle it.”
It was silent for a moment, and then Buck’s voice broke through, raw and quiet. “Right, well, I guess you can handle it from here. I think I’m just going to go home. You’re right, I’m not his dad. I should’ve called you first.”
“Buck, wait—”
Christopher’s skin felt hot, his heart racing. Buck was leaving.
“I’ll be back in the morning to stay with him while you take another extra shift, unless that’s overstepping.”
“Buck—”
“Not now, Eddie.” Buck sniffled, and Chris could feel the pressure in his chest, his throat closing up. “You know, if you don’t think I’m capable of handling this with Chris when you’re not around, maybe you should rethink your will. ’There’s no one in the world I trust more with my son’, except when it comes to disciplining him. I thought we were supposed to be a team, but I get the message loud and clear, Eddie. I’m not his dad, I’m just Dad’s boyfriend.”
“Evan, come on.” Eddie’s voice wavered, but Chris couldn’t focus on anything except the pit in his stomach.
Christopher felt like he might suffocate. His dad and Buck were fighting over him, and he didn’t know how to fix it.
“Tell Chris I said goodnight, and I’ll be back in the morning.”
5 things he can see: His homework, the light in the bathroom, his unmade bed, the pile of laundry, his shoes at the end of the bed.
4 things he can touch:His pencil, the cushion on his chair, the rug under his feet, the hair on the back of his neck.
3 things he can hear:His dad pacing back and forth, the wind against his window, the humming of his air purifier.
2 things he can smell:His socks that definitely have seen better days, and whatever Buck was cooking before he left.
1 thing he can taste:Salt.
Chris ended up going to bed without talking to his dad. He didn’t come out for dinner, didn’t speak to him when Eddie came to say goodnight. He just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in his chest.
He prayed that Buck wouldn’t leave them for good.
Chris woke up the next morning to whispered voices.
“He hasn’t come out of his room since I got home. I think he may have heard us arguing.” His dad’s voice was tight, worried. Chris rolled his eyes. You think?
“I’ll try talking to him when he wakes up.” Buck’s voice was softer now, but still hesitant. “I mean, if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course it’s okay with me! Jesus, Buck. There’s a reason you’re in the will and a reason you’re his and mine emergency contact. I trust you so much!”
“Just not enough to give Chris any type of discipline?” Buck’s voice was tinged with hurt, and it made Chris’ stomach twist.
His dad sighed, and Chris could hear them shuffling, probably sitting down on the couch. They really needed a bigger house, especially if one of his Christmas wishes came true—a puppy or a sibling.
“I’m sorry I freaked out on you yesterday.” His dad’s voice softened, and Chris felt a pang of hope. “I’ve been doing this on my own for so long, I guess I didn’t know how to react to having something taken off my plate.”
“Eddie.”
“I don’t want you to be Chris’s dad’s boyfriend, Buck. I want you to be my partner. And with that comes giving you more responsibility with Chris. I know that. But I don’t know if I’m ready to accept help yet. I don’t think I know how.”
And that made sense, Chris thought. His dad had been doing it all alone for so long. He was afraid to let go.
“And you won’t know how until you start accepting help, even if it feels wrong at first. If you want me to be seen as a partner, as a co-parent, you have to let me make some decisions too.”
“I know.” Eddie sighed. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean for this to escalate like it did last night.”
“Hey, we just had our first argument as a couple, and we came out stronger for it.” Buck’s voice was warmer now. There was definitely a kiss after that, and Chris wished he wasn’t eavesdropping. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Buck. So much.”
“And hey, studies show that couples who fight more about little things stay together longer.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know about that one. I didn’t sleep at all last night knowing that you were upset.” Buck laughed softly, and Chris lay back, staring at the ceiling.
Buck didn’t leave. They’d argued, a pretty significant argument, and Buck had stayed.
And that, in the end, was all Chris needed to know.
***
Buck had been acting strange all week. Eddie thought they’d moved past the argument they’d had about Chris, but something was still off.
Eddie couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but he could feel it. The slight distance in Buck’s smiles, the way he seemed distracted, even the way he’d been nervously baking an unreasonable amount of Christmas cookies for their gathering. The cookies were a dead giveaway—Buck always baked when he was trying to avoid something, and right now, he was trying to avoid something.
Now, as Buck carried three large tubs of cookies into Maddie’s house for their Christmas Eve party, Eddie’s curiosity peaked.
The party was lively, as always. The 118 family had a way of making everything feel warm and festive. Music played in the background, drinks were being passed around, and people were laughing and mingling. Chris was sitting on the floor, laughing with Jee, Denny, and Mara over a silly Christmas game they’d picked up at Walmart for $10. The scene was cozy, chaotic in the best way possible.
“Okay, we’d like to have everyone’s attention,” Maddie called out, pausing the music and stepping up to stand beside Chimney, her voice warm and excited.
Beside him, Eddie noticed Buck couldn’t stop smiling. But there was something forced about it, like he was trying too hard.
“Thank you all for coming,” Chim said, and they exchanged a quick, conspiratorial glance.
Eddie wasn’t sure, but something about the way they looked at each other seemed… deliberate.
“We just wanted to let you all know that this time next year, there will be an extra pair of feet crawling around!” Maddie finished, her eyes shining with excitement.
The room erupted in cheers. There were a few gasps, followed by applause, everyone in the room eager to congratulate them. Eddie looked around, smiling as he clapped, and watched as people rushed forward to congratulate Maddie and Chim. The news was joyful—Maddie was pregnant, and the family was expanding.
As the cheers quieted, Eddie turned to Buck, who had been oddly quiet throughout the announcement. His partner was still wearing that same smile, but Eddie could tell the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Eddie grabs but by the hand and pulls them out to the back patio, for a little quiet and privacy.
Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Is this what you’ve been stress-baking about?”
Buck blinked, clearly pulled out of his thoughts. He ran a hand through his hair, his smile faltering just for a second before he pulled something out of his pocket. A small red envelope.
“Uh, no,” Buck muttered, voice soft as he handed it over to Eddie.
Eddie took the envelope, tearing open the seal with slow, deliberate care. He unfolded the paper inside, and his breath caught when he saw what it was. It was a listing for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house, close to the station and Chris’ school. The house was already retrofitted with all the upgrades Chris might need—wider doorways, grab bars, and other accessibility features.
“My lease is up in February,” Buck said quietly, his voice suddenly unsure. Eddie felt his heart beat a little faster as he looked up at Buck, who was watching him with a mix of hope and vulnerability.
“I’ve been nervous, you know? Because the last two times I asked someone to move in with me, it didn’t work out. And—” Buck’s words faltered, and Eddie could see how much this was weighing on him.
Eddie set the paper aside for a moment, his hands gently cupping Buck’s face, his thumb brushing against the stubble on Buck’s jaw. The touch was grounding, reassuring.
“But you want to buy a house together?” Eddie asked, his voice soft but full of warmth, a smile curling on his lips.
Buck nodded, a hesitant, yet hopeful smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“I’ve been going over the numbers, and we’d actually pay less for the mortgage than we do for rent right now,” Buck said, looking up at Eddie, his eyes searching his face for any sign of hesitation. “I thought this could be a good thing for us… for all of us.”
Eddie felt his chest tighten with a mix of emotions—joy, surprise, and a touch of fear. It was such a big step. A house, a future, a life with Buck and Chris. But in that moment, he realized how much he wanted it, too. How much he wanted them.
Eddie raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on his lips. “Oh yeah? And what are the extra two bedrooms for?”
Buck blushed, his face turning a deeper shade of pink, and Eddie’s smirk widened.
“You know, I love Christopher, and I’ll always treat him like my son,” Buck said, his voice steady, though there was an underlying vulnerability. “That’s how I see him. And maybe not right away, but down the line… maybe we can give him a sibling or two?”
Eddie’s breath caught. His heart skipped a beat, then another, as a soft warmth spread across his chest. He looked at Buck, at the man who had been through so much, yet was here, asking to build a life with him. And Chris. Their son.
“Yes,” Eddie said, his voice barely a whisper at first, overwhelmed with emotion.
Buck’s eyes lit up, the relief and joy in them so pure it nearly knocked the breath out of Eddie. “Yes?”
Eddie laughed softly, his heart soaring. “Yes. I’ll buy a house and have a bunch of babies with you, Buck.”
He leaned in, cupping Buck’s face in his hands and pressing a gentle, tender kiss to his lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”
As their lips lingered, Eddie pulled back just enough to look at Buck, his eyes filled with love and certainty. “I want this. I want us. More than anything.”
Buck smiled, a full, radiant smile that made Eddie’s heart feel like it was exploding. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of both of you, always.”
Eddie’s chest tightened, overwhelmed by the depth of Buck’s words, and the promise in his eyes. They were building something so beautiful, so real. And Eddie was finally ready to admit that, for the first time in a long time, he was exactly where he was meant to be.