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“I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses...the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life...to lie in your arms as I take my last breath.”
- Again the Magic, Lisa Kleypas
Champagne bubbles burst in Buck’s veins as Eddie takes his hand and quietly leads him through the kitchen and out the sliding door to the back deck. Eddie pulls the door closed behind them, the sounds of the party immediately muffled. Outside, in the crisp night air, Buck feels himself relax for the first time in hours.
It’s been a chaotic day, but the best kind of chaos. Many hands coming together to help decorate, prepare the food, set up games for the kids — as well as discreetly squirrelling away additional decorations and a themed cake that has nothing to do with New Year’s Eve. Buck loves it, loves hosting a big party for his family in their new house, but he also feels like he hasn’t had a chance to talk to his boyfriend all day.
Fiancé in — he subtly checks his watch — less than an hour. Probably. Hopefully.
Eddie turns to face him, a massive smile on his face that makes Buck panic that the jig is already up. But then he says, “Sorry. I just wanted to steal a moment alone with you.”
Buck is helpless to do anything but pull Eddie into a kiss. He keeps it closed-mouth and chaste — he’s saving his best for later, after all — but Eddie still looks a little moon-eyed when Buck pulls back.
“Hi,” Buck says.
“Hi,” Eddie breathes, and then kisses him again.
Buck’s resolve immediately goes out the window as Eddie sweeps his tongue across the seam of his lips. Instinct has him opening up, letting Eddie take his fill, his arms sneaking around Eddie’s back to palm his ass. Good thing he took the ring box out of his front pocket earlier and hid it behind one of the photos on the mantle in preparation for when they all gather around the television to watch the ball drop.
Eddie hums into the kiss. One of his hands slides up Buck’s front, wrapping around his tie and yanking him closer. Buck gets lost in it, his nerves about the impending proposal temporarily forgotten. Nothing matters other than Eddie’s lips on his, the solid bulk of him pressed all along Buck’s front, keeping him warm despite the chilly December air.
“I’m going to say ‘yes,’” Eddie murmurs against his mouth.
Buck freezes. “W-what?”
Eddie just smiles sweetly, then lifts Buck’s left hand to his mouth and kisses his ring finger. “If there was a question you were going to ask tonight. Just — you don’t need to worry. About what my answer is going to be.”
For a split second, Buck’s annoyed that Eddie figured him out. But then Eddie’s words catch up to him, and a massive grin splits his face. He tries to rein his excitement in, though; Maddie will kill him if, after all the time he spent planning this night down to the second, he goes off-script now and pops the question early.
Eddie’s going to say yes. They’re going to get married.
Choking back tears, Buck points a stern finger at him. “You still need to act surprised. Maddie, Chim and Hen are all in charge of spreading out and taking pictures so we have all the angles covered.”
Eddie kisses the tip of his finger. “Whatever you want, baby.”