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The first thing Tommy was aware of that morning was a small figure crawling into bed beside him, closely followed by a prod on the nose by a pointy finger.
“Uncle Tommy, time to get up!” A tiny voice giggled in his ear, and he let out a groan in reply.
“Five more minutes.” He moaned. Apparently, that was not the answer the princess wanted, and she pulled the comforter off him. Opening one eye, Tommy looked up to see what could only be described as a “Buckley pout” above him.
“Uncle Buck said so.” Jee-Yun said solemnly, her arms folded as she stared down at him.
“Sorry baby, I’ve gotta leave for the airport in ten. I tried to let you sleep in as long as I could, but you really have to get up now.” Buck’s voice rang from the doorway. “Jee, why don’t you go and watch cartoons, I’ll make sure he gets up, OK?” Jee-Yun eyed her uncle suspiciously for a moment and then nodded before clambering off the bed and toddling through in search of the remote. “She’s had breakfast, I’ve made you toast, your tea is in that cup that keeps it hot for hours, her car seat is in your car, and I’ll meet you at the hospital. Maddie's room is…”
“304, I know.” Tommy finished, gingerly pulling himself upright, then jumping out of bed and running to the bathroom. Throwing himself on the floor, he leaned over the toilet, and felt a strong hand rub circles on his back.
“Sorry, Evan, I…” Tommy started, then stopped as his fiancé pulled him in close, letting him rest his head on his strong chest.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m here for it all, good and bad. Cravings, swollen ankles, growing pains, whatever you need.” Tommy groaned, because he hadn’t really thought about those things. If he was honest, he was just trying to get through this part. “It’ll be worth it once we have a beautiful baby in our arms.” Buck smiled. And he was right, it would be worth it. He hadn’t really thought of himself as a parent before, more the fun uncle that could wind them up and then send them back home. But now all he could think about was holding his own little baby in his arms, dressing them in cute outfits, pushing a stroller down the street…
“Yeah, it will.” He replied quietly, not hearing the footsteps approaching them until a small voice called out.
“I can’t find Bluey!” Jee-Yun announced from the doorway, and of course it was that moment that Tommy felt the bile rising in his throat again, and he dived forward. “Is Uncle Tommy sick?” He heard her ask, and he felt his fiancé stand up behind him, then a pat on the shoulder.
“Hey, hey, he’s OK.” Buck tried to reassure her, but from the look on her face, she wasn’t convinced, and she crept over and sat beside him, resting her head on his side as he sat back.
“I can make you better.” She announced solemnly.
“I’m OK, Jee. I just have a baby in my tummy that’s making me sick.” He tried to explain.
“Like mommy?”
“Yeah, like mommy.”
“That’s good.” She replied. She was too young to know the ins and outs of male pregnancy, and Tommy was glad she didn’t ask, but instead, she leaned down as far as she could until her nose was almost touching his belly button. “Stop making uncle Tommy sick, baby.” She ordered, reminding Buck so much of her mother, and he stifled a laugh.
“I really have to go, babe. You good here?” Buck asked, and Tommy nodded.
“We’re fine, I’ll try and have breakfast, then we’ll go and see mommy, right?” Jee-Yun seemed to like that idea, because she jumped to her feet and grabbed Tommy’s hand, as if she could pull him up on her own, and slowly he climbed to his feet and let her lead him to the kitchen, where she pointed at the breakfast laid out for him before going back through to the living room, where Buck had managed to find Bluey for her on the TV.
“OK, I’m going now, love you.” Buck called from the hallway, already halfway out the door.
“Love you too, now go, don’t keep your parents waiting, we do need to be at least nice to them.” He was definitely not looking forward to it, not after last time. But he knew he had to get through it, for Evan and Maddie’s sakes at least. But at least they lived on the other side of the country. If it all went wrong, they could make excuses to barely see them for however long they were staying, they just had to get through that day. Only a few hours. It’d be fine.
---
Buck an opened the door to Maddie’s hospital room slowly and stepped inside, closely followed by his parents. Bounding over to his big sister, he pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring his mother's warning to “be gentle”, as if he had the power to send her straight back into labor with the power of his arms.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” He asked softly, pressing his hand to her bump, Maddie rolling her eyes at her mother’s disapproving looks.
“I’m OK.” She sighed. “Not relishing being stuck in bed for six weeks, especially not with…” she trailed off, and he nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. Six weeks with their parents second-guessing everything, probably making sure she only left the bedroom to go to the bathroom (and even then, he wouldn’t be surprised if they left a commode beside the bed), and criticizing her every thought, word and move. “Hey, congratulations, by the way, Tommy told me. Well, Jee spilled. I’m so happy for you!” She whispered.
“Thanks. We-“ He didn’t get to finish that thought, because Jee-Yun’s piercing wails started to reverberate through the room.
“Nonononono!” She screamed, and turning around, Buck could see why. His father was trying to take her from Tommy’s lap, where she had been pretty comfortable looking at her current favorite book with him, and she was clinging onto Tommy for dear life, her small arms wrapped around his neck, Tommy trying to soothe that it was OK, and to go to grandpa.
“I don’t want grandpa!” She yelled. “Want to stay with you!” Tommy looked at the Buckley siblings helplessly, and Maddie glanced from her father to Tommy and back again.
“Dad, leave her, she’s happy with Tommy.” She commanded, and reluctantly Philip let her go and she settled back into Tommy’s lap.
“You’d let a complete stranger take her over her own grandparents?” Margaret sounded pissed, but Maddie let out a sigh as she stared her down.
“Tommy is not a complete stranger, he’s going to be family in a few months, and you’ll have enough time with her until the baby is born. Let her read her book with him.” Margaret looked from her daughter to Tommy in disgust.
“What do you mean?” She asked, Tommy trying his hardest to ignore her, instead concentrating on the four-year-old who was pointing out small details of pictures in her book.
“Tommy is my fiancé, mom, we’re getting married in three months.” Buck tried to remind her gently, as if she were senile. Maybe she was, she was old enough. Margaret's eyes flicked at her son, and she gave a weary sigh.
“Oh, Evan, I thought you’d grown out of all this ‘pretending to be gay for attention’ nonsense.” Everyone in the room (except Jee-Yun, who was still trying to find “naughty raccoons” in her book) stared at her. Maddie let out a gasp, and Tommy reached back with his free hand to grasp Buck’s in reassurance that he was there for him.
“One, I’m bisexual, not gay, and two, I’m not doing it for attention. God. I love Tommy, we’re planning on getting married in the fall.” He replied, his jaw set, and Tommy squeezed his hand gently. The door opened, and Chimney stepped in, a coffee in his hand, looking at his brother-in-law, confusion plastered over his face.
“Wait, what happened to the Christmas wedding?” He asked. Because he’d heard enough about Buck’s grand plans for a Christmas Eve wedding over the past few weeks. The plan, as he’d announced the other morning at breakfast, was to get married Christmas Eve and spend a week in the mountains for their honeymoon. He’d even showed them all the photos of the log cabin he’d planned to book.
“Uh, yeah, plans have changed, Chim.” Tommy piped up. “It’s going to be in the next three months, four at a push.”
“Wh-why? How are we meant to plan a wedding in three months?” And to be honest, Tommy didn’t know either, but he knew that they’d be able to find a venue, Bobby had agreed to officiate, and if all else failed, they could have it at home. The garden was big enough.
“We’ll manage, Chim, I just don’t want to be waddling down the aisle.” He said meaningfully, and Chimney’s eyes widened in realization. “You were right, by the way, the ginger cookies helped.”
“Oh my god! Congratulations, you guys!” He grinned, pulling his brother-in-law into a hug before looking down at Tommy. “I had no idea you were a carrier.”
Margaret honestly looked like her head was about to explode.
“You-you…you’re one of those ?” She exclaimed, staring down at her apparently soon-to-be son-in-law. Tommy could sense his fiancé tense up at her words, and wordlessly, he looked over at Chimney, who scooped up his daughter in his arms and took her outside, promising to take her to the cafeteria for a cookie. Standing up, Tommy wrapped his arm around Buck’s back and pulled him in close. A united front against this, well, bitch, who apparently thought that he was the lowest person on the planet. A damn serial killer would probably have gotten a better reception from her.
“Mrs. Buckley, with all due respect, I love your son, we’re getting married, and we’re expecting your grandchild, with or without your approval.” He announced. “Now, I don’t think any tension is good for Maddie, or her baby, so I suggest you either calm down or leave.”
He probably shouldn’t have said that, he thought, but he knew Buck wouldn’t have. He’d confessed after Maddie and Chimney’s wedding that their relationship was complicated , and since then he’d found out a lot, including the fact that Buck was always willing to give them another chance, however horribly they treated him. But they were all out of last chances now. They could either accept their relationship, their family, or they could go.
Margaret looked over at her husband, who had remained silent through the whole exchange, but he barely glanced in her direction, instead taking a step towards his son and Tommy.
“You’re happy.” He stated, placing his hand on Buck’s shoulder. “I could tell the moment you picked us up from the airport. You’re lighter, settled. And if this man is the one who’s made you feel this way, I’ll be honored to have him as a son-in-law.” He smiled, reaching out for Tommy’s hand and shaking it firmly. “Welcome to the family, son, I hope my son is treating you well.”
“He always does.” Tommy replied, feeling his own lips twitch into a smile. “He’s going to be a great father.”
“And so are you, I can tell. Our granddaughter seems to have taken to you well.”
“That’s an understatement.” Tommy heard Buck mutter under his breath, and he let out a slight chuckle. It wasn’t his fault that he was the “best uncle in the world” these days, Buck was just jealous that his crown had been stolen. Jee-Yun just seemed to gravitate to him these days. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to have been bestowed the honor, but he certainly wasn’t complaining about it.
“But…but…” Margaret spluttered, “Maddie, you can’t be happy about this?” She turned to her daughter, seemingly looking for someone to take her side, but Maddie looked over at Buck and Tommy, giving them a reassuring smile.
“Mom, Evan is happy, he’s finally found someone who loves him, who he’s having a child with, something he’s always wanted, I don’t understand why you would be so against this.”
“It’s fine, Maddie, we need to go anyway, our appointment is downstairs in ten minutes.” Buck announced. “And then we’re going to see Tommy’s mom.” Stepping towards the bed, he leaned down and kissed his sister on the top of the head, and she linked her pinkie with his. Solidarity.
“Let me know what happens downstairs.” Maddie whispered to him, and he nodded before grabbing Tommy’s hand, walking straight past his mother, stopping only to nod at his father as he patted him on the shoulder and wished them good luck. As soon as they got outside the room, they noticed Chimney heading towards them, Jee-Yun around ten paces behind as she slowly nibbled on her cookie.
“Is it safe to go in yet?” He half-joked.
“Yeah, she likes you.” Tommy replied deadpan, and he tried to smile as his friend patted him on the arm in sympathy.
“She’ll come round.” Chimney tried to reassure him, but Tommy wasn’t so sure. He knew the stigma around being a pregnant man, and he knew some people would be against it, he just wished it wasn’t someone who was so important to Buck.
---
The clinic waiting room was packed as soon as they got there, and Tommy took a second to glance around at the assorted faces, all apparently waiting for Dr. Johnson. Women, and a couple of men, in various stages of pregnancy, all looking completely fed-up, as if they’d been waiting for a while. The room was plastered with posters and fliers, promoting breastfeeding, the importance of the flu shot, and, he noticed, a couple aimed at pregnant men.
“Everyone, I’m sorry, but Dr. Johnson will be a little while longer. If any of you need to reschedule, please let me know.” The harassed-looking receptionist announced to the waiting room, and a few couples stood up, almost in sync, and marched towards her. Tommy didn’t envy her one bit.
It was almost a half hour later before the doctor ran through the doors, profusely apologizing for being caught up in delivery, and Tommy just gave her a reassuring smile as echoes of “it’s fine” and “these things happen” came from the remaining patients.
Ten minutes later, and the nerves started to sink in, and Buck placed his hand on Tommy’s knee to stop it from shaking so hard. “Relax, baby, everything’s going to be fine.” He whispered, his free hand drawing small circles on Tommy’s neck.
“What if I’m wrong? I was reading that a positive pregnancy test in males can be a sign of prostate cancer. Or what if the tests were wrong?”
“All five of them?” Buck asked incredulously. OK, so there were the two he’d taken when his fiancé had been at work, and then another three that were thrust at him last night after they’d finished dinner, since Buck had insisted on running down to the 24-hour pharmacy. And all five had the same result. “You have morning sickness, sore nipples, you can’t even be in the same room as a mug of coffee...” Buck listed. And he was right, but it still didn’t stop the anxiety, nor the Googling his symptoms until Buck grabbed his phone from him and slid it into his jacket pocket.
“Thomas Kinard?” His name was finally called around twenty minutes later, and he stood up and followed the doctor down the corridor, Buck following closely behind. Sitting in the chair opposite her desk, he waited nervously for her to sit down, and tried to return her warm smile.
“So, Thomas, do you mind if I call you Thomas?” She asked.
“Uh, it’s Tommy. And this is Evan, my fiancé.” He replied.
“Well, gentlemen, it’s great to meet you.” She said, reaching over to shake their hands. “First pregnancy?”
“Yeah, I, uh, only found out a few years ago I was a carrier. I’ve been on birth control ever since, but forgot that antibiotics cancel them out and, well, here we are.” What was that word vomit coming out of his mouth? He was usually so calm, a man of few words, but today it felt like he just couldn’t stop himself. The doctor nodded, then started to go through what would happen. A blood test, a quick scan to determine how far along they were, and a plan for a c-section, which Tommy quickly started to protest about. Because he, a helicopter pilot who flew into a hurricane, was scared of surgery, and would rather give birth naturally, but Dr. Johnson reassured him that it was standard for males, something about being easier, fewer complications.
“And I’ll be right there with you.” Buck added. Tommy wanted to bite back that whether he was there or not, it wouldn’t stop anything bad happening, but he didn’t, instead just staying silent and nodding.
Once everything was done, and they’d seen the fuzzy blob on the ultrasound that Tommy couldn’t quite make out, but Buck had oohed and awwed at, excitedly proclaiming that was their baby, and wasn’t it so beautiful?, they were ushered back to their seats.
“So, you’re around eight weeks, which makes your due date...the 20 th of January. We take four weeks away from that for a scheduled section, which would make it...the 23 rd of December. I have a slot on that day, if you’d like it. All things going well, it’d mean you’d be home as a family for Christmas.” Buck grinned and squeezed Tommy’s knee, and Tommy could tell what he was thinking. What they both were thinking. Christmas morning, their first as a married couple, just the three of them, sounded perfect, and he found himself nodding.
“That would be...great, yeah.” He tried his hardest to sound convincing, but the words “all things going well” echoed in his head, the small voice in the back catastrophizing, whispering all the things that could go wrong.
“Tommy, I can see you’re nervous, and I recommend counselling to all my first time parents, maybe that’s something you’d benefit from.” She offered, handing him a pile of pamphlets, a business card sat right at the top. “I’ve filled out this form in case you need it for work, and my number is at the top if they need to know anything else.” Tommy didn’t hear a word after that, he was just glad that Buck was paying attention, because he was lost in his own thoughts. Feeling Buck tug his hand and lead him out the door, he followed him to his car.
“Babe, it’s going to be fine.” Buck tried to reassure him, and Tommy nodded, biting back an argument. Because he didn’t know it was going to be fine. He didn’t know everything would go smoothly. “Come on, lunch, and then off to see your parents.” Tommy let out a sigh. He’d rather go back home and sleep, he’d had enough for one day. But he had promised, so he had to go. This was not going to be a fun round two.
---
The front door to his parents’ house was faded. That was the first thing he noticed when Buck’s car pulled up in the driveway, his own being left at the hospital for the time being. The rest of the exterior of the house seemed a little more run-down than he remembered, too. The grass desperately needed cut. The flowerbeds were overgrown with weeds, and part of the fence looked like it needed to be replaced very soon, because a small gust of wind could probably blow it over with ease. It suddenly occurred to him that he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been there. Whenever he saw his mom, it had been at his place, or out for coffee, anywhere to avoid his so-called father.
He must have been shaking a little, because Buck placed his hand on his knee and told him to relax. But he couldn’t help it. Even being here again made him feel like the little kid that wasn’t good enough at anything, that stayed quiet in fear of being beaten up for making too much noise. The kid that hid all of his interests except sports and cars, because watching musicals with his sister, or painting, or writing, was considered “gay” in his father’s eyes. Even when he'd come out, he’d done it over the phone, simply because he didn’t want to see his father’s face when he said it.
Staring at the front door, he watched as it opened and then let out a breath when he saw his mother walk down the driveway, a wide smile on her face.
“Tommy, Evan!” She called, and Buck climbed out the car first, heading towards her. She pulled him into a tight hug, then pulled back, taking him all in. “Oh my god, look at you! Is it just me, or have you got even more handsome since your engagement party?” She exclaimed, and Tommy felt himself smile as Buck’s cheeks turned red and he bowed his head in embarrassment. “And these arms have definitely gotten bigger!” Her hands landed on his bicep, and Tommy climbed out of his seat, since the dizziness he’d felt from just turning had disappeared.
“Mom, put him down, I saw him first.” He called. She waved her hand dismissively but took a step to the side and walked over to greet him.
“And you’re a lucky man.” She stage-whispered, loud enough for Buck to hear. “Come in, coffee's brewing, and I actually made a cake.”
Great, coffee, the one thing he couldn’t face these days. And as for the cake, well, if it was edible, it’d be a miracle. Memories of store-bought cupcakes for the school bake sales still haunted him. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she let out a tinkling laugh. “Well, your nonna helped by breathing down my neck and yelling at every step. She’s inside, by the way. As soon as I mentioned you were both coming, she insisted on being here.” Tommy groaned internally. His mom he could tell about the baby, but he wasn’t sure how his grandmother would react. And OK, she’d been totally fine about him being gay, and she absolutely adored Buck, but this might be too much for her. “Thomas, don’t make that face, she wants to help with the wedding.” She scolded, “We don’t have much time!” He resisted saying that they had even less time now and let his mom lead him into the house.
His grandmother, who was probably now pushing 90, practically jumped out of her armchair and dived towards him when she saw him, pulling him down and showering him with kisses, firing words rapidly in Italian at him.
“Mom, let him breathe!” His mom eventually called out amusedly, and his grandmother waved her off, but let him go, only to give Buck the same treatment, making Tommy chuckle slightly. It was only a year ago that he’d been nervous about introducing him to his, frankly, insane family, but, as Buck always did, he made almost all of them fall in love with him within the hour, his happy, “golden retriever” personality (as Hen called it), winning them over. Eventually, she stepped back and sat back down on her chair, as if nothing had happened, and Buck sat on the couch, motioning for Tommy to sit beside him.
“So, boys, we need to do some serious wedding planning today!” His mom exclaimed. “We need to book suit fittings, figure out the flower arrangements, thank God you have a cousin who’s a florist now, and we need to think about catering, wine, the best men…are you thinking about having a flower girl?”
She was in full planning mode now, and Tommy was an inch away from suggesting that they just run off to Vegas instead. He should have known she was going to be a total nightmare.
“Yeah, uh, I wanted to ask my sister if my niece could be the flower girl.” Buck replied, pulling out his phone. Any excuse to show off his niece. At least they wouldn’t be short of photos of their little one, he guessed, because he knew there would be a million of them on both their phones.
“She is so adorable!” His mom exclaimed, passing the phone to his grandmother, who gasped and cooed over the picture. “Oh, the coffee. Let’s get that before we start figuring stuff out!” His mom exclaimed, jumping up and darting to the kitchen, and Buck squeezed his knee.
“I’m good.” Tommy whispered. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, his nausea hadn’t been as bad in the afternoon, he could handle it.
Or so he thought. But as soon as the mug was set on the table in front of him, he felt it rising up again, and heard himself making an excuse to go to the car for his phone (which was in his pocket, but no one needed to know that), and ran out of the front door. Leaning over the grass, just in case, he breathed heavily until he felt a hand rubbing circles on his back, and he turned around to see his mom scrutinizing his face.
“I thought you didn’t look too great, are you OK?” She asked, and Tommy nodded.
“I’m fine mom, just needed a minute.”
Motioning to the bench at the front of the house, Tommy obediently sat down on it. “Are you sure you’re OK?” She pressed the back of her hand to his head. “No fever.”
“No, there won’t be.” He sighed, “It’s…I just found out a couple of days ago, and it’s all happened so fast, and I’m only really trying to get my head around everything…” He started, smiling slightly when his mom placed her small hand over his. “I’m not sick. I found out a couple of years ago that I was a carrier, and I’ve been taking birth control since then, but…”
“You’re giving me a grandchild?” She asked, her voice rising in surprise, and Tommy could only nod. “When?”
“C-section is booked for December 23 rd , so we should be home in time for Christmas. Which means that the wedding is in less than four months.” He could tell she was fighting between looking deliriously happy and stressed, but apparently the happy part won, and she threw her arms around him.
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful! I thought it’d never happen, God knows your sister wouldn’t give me any. Child-free by choice indeed. Her dogs are adorable, but they aren’t kids.” She rambled before looking up at him. “But you’re happy, right?”
“Happy but terrified.” Tommy admitted quietly. “And I hate being sick all the time.”
“If it helps, when I had you two it didn’t last any longer than the first trimester.” She tried to reassure him. “At least you got one good thing from your asshole of a father. Not that he got tested, of course, but I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d slept with another man. I swear he’d screw anything that walked.” She let out a long, weary sigh, then shrugged. “Not that it’s my problem anymore. Finally threw him out. He can go and shack up with his secretary if he wants. He was on his last chance, and I catch him with that slut? Well, she can have him. She’s your age, Tommy!” She ranted, and it was then he noticed the absence of her wedding ring on her left hand.
“Just like that, huh?”
“Just like that. Hawked my ring and booked myself on a two-week vacation to Greece. I’m 63 now, I’m gonna enjoy the rest of my life.” She looked lighter, younger. Like a weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders. “And when I get back, we’ll focus on the wedding and then this little one. God, how are we planning this in four months? Seven was bad enough, but four?” She sighed, and Tommy knew she was mentally running through a checklist in her head.
“It’ll be fine, mom. We spoke over lunch, and we can do it at home. The garden is big enough for everyone. I mean, we’re not talking about hundreds of people here, just friends and some family.” He tried to reassure her. “Bobby, Evan's captain is licensed to perform the ceremony, and I’m sure everyone will help out in some way. Evan made a group chat for the two firehouses, and people have already started to sign up for jobs. I’ll add you and you can do whatever you want.” He suggested gently, knowing that she would absolutely run herself ragged trying to do everything on her own. She really was a great mom, and looking back, he could see that she’d truly done her best for him and his sister over the years, despite their father being absent for a chunk of it, either working, drinking, or, apparently, having affairs.
“You know your Nonna wants to make your cake, though, right?”
“I know. And she can do that. But it gives you more time to crochet a throw for the baby, or whatever you old people do.” He teased.
“Thomas Kinard, I am not that old!” She gasped, whacking him on the arm, to which Tommy exaggerated how much it had hurt, holding it and exclaiming “ow! Child abuse!”
“You guys OK out here?” Buck’s voice came from above them, and Tommy looked up and met his eyes then nodded.
“Yeah, great baby, just talking about stuff.” Tommy replied meaningfully. “About how this rascal doesn’t want to give me a break today.” He let out a huff of laughter, and Buck placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Oh, just wait until they’re born.” His mom laughed before pulling herself to her feet. “I’ll go clean up, get rid of the coffee.” She announced.
“It’s done, Mrs. Kinard. Well, except for Nonna’s, who said something about not caring if her grandson was knocked up, I’d be prying hers from her cold, dead hands.”
“Elena, Evan, how many times?” She sighed, knowing deep down that her future son-in-law would probably never call her by her first name. The boy was polite, and she’d once assumed it was to do with his upbringing, well, until Tommy had told her what he knew about his partner’s so-called parents.
“Sorry, Elena. And yeah, she yelled at me for not keeping it in my pants, then hugged me and said we’d have beautiful children. It was all very…weird.” He finished, and Tommy placed his own hand over Buck’s.
“Yeah, that sounds like her. My husband got the same treatment when I told her I was pregnant with Tommy.” Elena was able to laugh at the memory now, of being 22 and newly married, watching her new husband being yelled at by her mother. “Just means you’re part of the family now. Have fun with that.” She said as she walked back into the house, possibly to tell her own mom to stop terrorizing the poor boy. The fact that Buck was in his thirties, a firefighter and six foot two of pure muscle was apparently irrelevant.
Sliding himself into the seat that Elena had vacated, Buck rested his head on Tommy’s arm and wrapped his left arm around Tommy’s back.
“They’re excited.”
“Yeah, you did tell her we were only having one, right? I’m too old to go through this more than once.” Tommy murmured into Buck’s curls.
“Come on, Maddie’s older than you!” Buck exclaimed, glancing up at Tommy, and seeing the look on his face, he nodded. “Yeah, OK, I promise I won’t knock you up again after this one.”
“And I can’t knock you up, so it’s fine. Wait, you’re not a carrier, right?” Buck shrugged slightly and looked down at his lap. “Evan…”
“I mean, probably not?” He offered, a slight hesitance in his voice. “I mean, I haven’t been tested, but if I was, it’d have happened by now, right? I mean, we’ve had a lot of sex, and I’m younger than you, so I’d be more fertile…yeah, I should really get that checked…” he trailed off. And Tommy nodded, knowing that logically, he was probably right, but really, they should find out for sure.
“Come on you three, cake is ready and the coffee smell is gone!” Elena called from the doorway, and Buck stood up, then offered a hand to his fiancé, grinning as he pulled him up.
The three of them. His own little family. And really, he didn’t care if that was all it would ever be.
“Come on, dad, you heard, cake is ready. And I heard that it’s delicious.”