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“Are you sure this is what you want?” Buck asked even as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Eddie took his hand, squeezing tightly. He was so thankful that Buck was here.
“Of course,” he said with a smile that was far too bright to be real.
“‘Cause we can bail,” Buck said. “I’m serious, Eds. We can leave right now.”
Eddie hesitated for a moment. “They’re Chris’s grandparents. He wants to see them.”
Buck pulled a face. “They’re also your parents and you don’t want to see them.”
Eddie shook his head. “Look, I appreciate you looking out for me but I’m a grown man. I’ll be fine.”
Buck looked like he still wasn’t sure so Eddie put down his bags for a second to take both of Buck’s hands in his. He leaned in, resting their foreheads together.
“Baby,” he said, “I’m okay. Plus, I want you to meet Sophia and Adrianna.”
Buck lit up a little at that. “I can’t wait to hear all the embarrassing stories.”
“That’s the spirit! Now go wake Chris up. It’s time to face the music.”
“You’d know all about that Mr. Ballroom Dancer,” Buck teased. Eddie groaned.
“I regret telling you about that!”
Buck woke Christopher up, gently shaking his shoulders and talking to him in a low voice. Eddie watched with all the love in the world trying to burst its way free from his chest. He couldn’t believe he got to have this. Buck was such a good dad.
“Are we there?” Chris mumbled, half-asleep.
“Yeah, buddy,” Buck said. “We’re here.”
Eddie looked upon his childhood home and something deep inside his gut twisted and writhed. He felt vaguely sick. Maybe if he threw up, he could get out of this. No, he was supposed to be the strong one. Buck was worried enough about meeting Eddie’s parents.
Buck was the one to knock on the door. Eddie had been standing there staring at it for a while when Buck stepped in. He knocked the first part of La Cucaracha, which was so undeniably Buck that Eddie wanted to dip him into the most romantic kiss of his life right there and then.
The door opened, creaking like one straight out of a horror film.
“Abuela!” Chris shouted, bundling into Eddie’s mom’s arms. Helena beamed and hugged him tightly. For all the difficulties Eddie had with his parents, he knew that they loved Chris an astronomical amount. He would always be grateful for that.
Ramon stood behind her, one hand on Helena’s shoulder. Neither of the adults had so much as glanced at Buck and Eddie.
“Christopher! You’re getting so tall,” Ramon said, bringing Chris in for a hug.
“Hi, Mom,” Eddie said when it became clear that Helena wasn’t going to greet him first.
“Oh, Eddie,” Helena said, hugging him. Eddie would never get used to being so much taller than her. It felt like he was engulfing her in his arms.
Ramon pulled him in for a hug next, clapping him on the back. Eddie stepped back after a couple of seconds.
“Chris, you want to introduce someone?” he asked, knowing that first and foremost Buck was Christopher’s best friend.
“This is my best friend, Buck!” Chris said. “Oh, and he’s Dad’s boyfriend too, I guess.”
“You don’t sound very excited about that,” Helena said, diving in with the speed of a vulture.
“He’s plenty happy about it,” Eddie reassured her.
“Hi,” Buck said awkwardly. Eddie rejoined their hands, tangling their fingers together.
“Hello,” Ramon said, his eyes darting down to their hands then back to their faces and then to their hands again.
“Shall we go inside?” Helena suggested and they were all whisked into the house.
Adriana and Sophia were already in the living room, sitting side by side on the couch and whispering about something. They were always close, more like twins than sisters. Sophia’s husband wasn’t going to be here this time. Work was apparently driving him up the wall and so he was out for this dinner. Lucky bastard, Eddie thought.
Sophia and her husband had three kids – Lucia, Diego and Camila, eleven, thirteen and sixteen respectively – all of whom were running around and all of whom skidded to a halt when they saw Chris, waving and inviting him to jump around with them in the garden.
Chris looked to Eddie to check it was okay and Eddie nodded. As disappointed as he was that they wouldn’t have Christopher as a buffer, he couldn’t deprive his son of time with his cousins.
“Hey, I’m Buck,” Buck said, suddenly sounding a lot less awkward and stepping forward, dropping Eddie’s hand and extending his. He’d switched into Effortlessly Charming Buck or Buck 1.5, as Buck liked to call it. It was somewhere between a self described fuckboy and an upstanding member of society.
“We know,” Adriana said, looking like she was stifling a laugh as she shook Buck’s hand. “We’ve seen photos.”
“Lots of photos,” Sophia hastened to add. “You’re quite the looker.”
Eddie looked to the ceiling as if God might swoop down and save him.
“Well, you ladies aren’t too bad yourselves,” Buck said, smiling in a way that half made Eddie want to make out with him in front of his family.
“He’s a charmer, Edmundo,” Adriana said in Spanish, glancing at him like she was saying something scandalous.
“He knows he is,” Eddie replied back in English.
“What? What did she say?” Buck asked.
“Don’t worry about it,” Eddie said, shaking his head. “Mom, why doesn’t Buck help you in the kitchen? He’s great at cooking.”
“No, Eddie, don’t be ridiculous,” Helena said. “My cooking is just fine on its own. I don’t need help.”
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Eddie said.
Helena just raised her eyebrows. “You boys sit down. Relax. I’ve got this.”
She bustled her way back to the kitchen and Ramon followed her. Buck and Eddie sat down with Buck perched precariously on the end of the sofa and Eddie in his dad’s armchair that was far too big for him but somehow managed to make his smaller dad look imposing.
“So, Buck,” Sophia said, “tell us everything.”
“What do you want to know?” Buck asked.
“What’s Eddie like in L.A?” Adriana asked. “What’s he like as a partner? We used to gossip with Shannon all the time. We’ve missed this.”
“Eddie’s amazing,” Buck said, shooting Eddie a sincere look. “He’s the best guy and the best dad and my best friend, apart from Chris.”
“Aw,” Adriana said. “It’s nice that you get on with Chris.”
“He’s the best,” Buck said, eager to talk about Chris as he always was. Eddie let their voices fade into the background and he got up to go see his parents. He had a feeling Buck was just going to be gushing about Christopher for the foreseeable future anyway.
Eddie came through to the kitchen where his parents were talking lowly.
“Everything okay in here?” Eddie asked. Helena jumped, looking a bit guilty.
“Yes, everything’s fine,” she said. “Go hang out or whatever it is the kids say these days.”
“Are you sure?” Eddie asked. “I could help with the food. Buck’s been teaching me.”
“Well why doesn’t he cook it then?” Helena snapped. She seemed as stunned at her own outburst as Eddie was and quickly recovered herself. “Go play with Christopher. He needs his dad.”
Eddie wanted to press but figured he’d get nowhere so he headed out for the backyard.
By the time dinner was ready, things were a little tense. Buck and his sisters were getting on like a house on fire but there was something off with his parents. Eddie should know. He was used to them hiding things from him.
“So, Buck, you’re a firefighter like Eddie?” Ramon said.
Buck nodded. “Yes, sir. I was with the 118 before Eddie joined.”
“Only for a year,” Eddie said, nudging Buck’s side.
“A year’s worth more of experience,” Buck joked.
“Oh, I really don’t think that matters,” Helena said, either not getting that Buck was teasing or deliberately ignoring the fact. It was hard to tell.
“Isn’t that hard for Chris?” Ramon asked. “Having two important figures in his life working such a dangerous job?”
Eddie hated it when they talked about Chris like he wasn’t there. Chris seemed to hate it too because he spoke up, “Actually, it’s worse when they’re not working the job. They get all tense and stressed.”
Eddie smiled. His son was always coming to his defense, sometimes unconsciously and, in some instances, with great thought.
“So do you have any family?” Helena asked.
“I have a sister and a brother,” Buck said. “Daniel’s dead but Maddie’s doing well. She just had a baby.”
“How wonderful,” Helena said. “Babies are so precious.”
“Buck’s great with Jee-Yun,” Eddie was quick to say, always happy to big Buck up. “He’s a natural born uncle.”
Buck flushed. “Thanks but I think most of that credit should go to you.”
“Of course Eddie’s not actually an uncle to Jee-Yun,” Ramon said, huffing a laugh.
Eddie tensed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, honey,” Helena jumped in, “your father just meant that you’re not married.”
Ramon nodded.
“They’re basically married,” Chris said, once again saving the day. “They kiss and go grocery shopping and play Mario Kart. Buck’s almost as good as me.”
“I think you mean you’re almost as good as me,” Buck said and Christopher grinned.
“You wish.”
“Aren’t you all a little old for Mario Kart?” Ramon said.
“Dad, Chris is twelve,” Eddie said. Far be it from him to call his son a little kid but Chris certainly wasn’t going to university any time soon.
“Of course,” Helena said. “We only want what’s best for him.”
“We all do, Mom,” Adriana said quietly.
After dinner, Helena started gathering up the dishes and Buck did too.
“You don’t need to,” Helena started but Buck held up a hand.
“I insist,” he said. “Dinner was great, Mrs. Diaz.”
“Thank you,” Helena said. “Adriana, Sophia, why don’t you and the kids go play? Your father and I would like to speak to Eddie.”
“And you, Buck,” Ramon said.
Eddie squeezed Chris’s shoulder and motioned for him to follow his tias. Once the dishes were put away, they all sat back down at the dining room table. Buck’s leg was nervously bouncing so Eddie laid a hand on it, rubbing his thumb against it soothingly.
“What’s this about?” Eddie asked.
“Your father and I,” Helena began, “we’re… well, we’re worried about you. You and Buck.”
“Eddie and I or our relationship?” Buck asked.
Helena looked at a loss for words. She gestured at her husband.
“This all seems a bit fast,” Ramon said. “I mean, you’ve moved in already.”
“What about Christopher?” Helena said. “That’s all we’re asking. Is it really best for him to have a stranger in the house so soon?”
Eddie felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to prick up. “Buck’s not a stranger. He’s been in Chris’s life for five years.”
“And that’s the other thing,” Helena said. “It’s been years, Eddie, and you’re just now realising you’re gay?”
“Eddie’s not gay,” Buck stepped in. “He doesn’t use labels.”
“Fine, whatever you want to call it,” Helena said.
“It’s not whatever,” Buck said firmly.
Eddie shook his head. “So, you’ve called us in here to what? Tell us to break up?”
“No!” Helena said. “I just want you to think this through. You’re not always good at that, Eddie. What with Shannon and the army…”
“Hey, Shannon was pregnant,” Eddie said, “and I didn’t have another choice.”
“There’s always another choice,” Ramon said. “You just make bad ones.”
Eddie opened his mouth to argue but Buck had already stood up.
“You have no right,” he snapped. “You have no right to speak to him like that. He makes every choice with Christopher in mind and he does his best. Insult me all you want but don’t come for Eddie or Chris.”
“We’re not insulting anyone,” Helena said.
“You were,” Eddie said, standing up. “Mom, I love you but you’ve got to let me make my own decisions. I’m an adult now, okay?”
Helena and Ramon both stood.
“I know that but–” Helena cut herself off, closing her eyes. “I know.”
“Good,” Eddie said. “Thank you for dinner. We’re going to go now.”
He called Chris and, with a final kiss to his mother’s forehead, they left.
When they were sitting in the car, Buck thunked his head against the steering wheel.
“I just totally messed that up, didn’t I?” he said.
“What? Carino, no,” Eddie promised. “You stood up for me and for Chris. Thank you.”
“Even though your parents hate me now?”
“Even if they wanted to kick you to the moon.”
Buck grinned. “Good, ‘cause I think they do.”
Eddie leaned over and kissed his boyfriend, cupping his face ever so gently.
“Ew!” Chris exclaimed from the back seat but he didn’t really mean it. Eddie could tell.
He was sure of it.