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Buck and Eddie have been going back to the same animal shelter they got Goldie from for months, trying to find the perfect dog for Chris, but none of them were a match, until today, one week before Christopher’s birthday on Sunday, September 6th.
Buck had spotted the dog first, reading the sign on the gate: I am an Anatolian Shepherd. I am 2.5 feet tall and 145 pounds. My name is Torben. I am 4 years old, and I am a retired service dog. I love cuddles, kids, and my stuffed blue duck named Daffy!
Buck smiles as he reads the sign, looking back at Torben, noticing his very fluffy tan fur, dark colored ears, and dark snout.
“Hi, buddy, aren’t you beautiful,” Buck gushes, petting Torben's fur, making Torben wag his tail in delight, enjoying the attention.
“You're such a good boy,” Buck continues to gush as he scratches Torben's head, as Torben licks Buck's other hand happily. “Eddie! Baby, come here!”
Eddie was talking with the two kind ladies who helped them with Goldie, the two of them looking up at him like he’s their first breath of air in a long time, especially Emily, when Buck called him over.
Eddie walks over, noticing the dog Buck is petting, and leans down, reading Torben’s information before smiling and turning to Buck happily. “He’s perfect, mi amor.”
Buck then walks over to Savanah, wanting to learn more about Torben's backstory.
“Oh, Torben has such a sad story for such a kind dog. He is a surrender. His previous owner’s daughter brought him in after the owner killed himself. He was a veteran who lost his leg, and his wife and daughter bought Torbie to cheer him up and help him with daily life, but once his wife died, I guess it was too much for him and the daughter. Well, she just started college and couldn’t afford to take care of him,” Savanah says, leaning to Torben, petting him softly, a huge grin on her face, softly.
“But he is the bestest boy, and he's a great cuddler. Emily and I can attest to that; we both have ADHD and get overwhelmed easily, and Torbie helps. I think he would be perfect for your son, Chris, right?”
Buck smiles at the mention of his son. “Yes, I'm surprised you remembered that.”
Savanah blushes. “Oh, I’d never forget you...Uh, I mean, you guys are a favorite couple, right, Emily?” Savanah asks as she nervously clears her throat, hoping Buck didn’t notice her slip-up.
He didn’t at first because he was too focused on Eddie and Torben before turning to Emily.
Emily blushes, still staring at Eddie’s ass as he is bending down to pet Torben. “What? Oh, right, we’d never forget, you guys.”
Buck just chuckles. Yeah, he’s been where Emily is at practically every day, and he knows that Savanah was flirting with him; he knows that she’s just having fun, and Buck knows that she’d never actually try anything.
“So…So, uh, are you both interested in adopting Torben?” Emily asks, no longer focused on Eddie’s ass, and meets Buck’s eyes with a wide smile.
“Oh, definitely,” Buck replies, grinning, looking back at Eddie, who’s walking over with a smile. “What do you think, Eds?”
Eddie takes Buck’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers, meeting Buck’s eyes before looking over at the two young women. “We are very interested.”
Savanah claps her hands excitedly. “Awesome, I’ll go get paperwork ready.”
After Savanah leaves towards the back office, Eddie asks Emily, “I wanted to ask about who he worked with when he was a service dog other than the vet.”
Emily beams. “He’s worked with many people. But the people he bonded with the most were kids. He worked with some autistic and disabled kids before he was adopted by the veteran,” she tells them, making sure to keep the man’s name private.
“Oh, he’s so perfect,” Buck says with the biggest smile, Eddie getting lost in how bright it is for a moment. “He’s going to fit right in with our family.”
Savanah returns a few moments later, Buck and Eddie signing all of the papers, setting up an appointment for five days from now, the Friday before Chris’s birthday on Sunday, then once the paperwork is sorted, they pet Torben, giving him some love before they have to leave to pick up Theo from preschool.
They still cannot believe that Theo is in preschool now.
So now all Buck and Eddie have to do for the next five days is prep for Torben to come into his new home and keep him a secret from their sons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days before Christopher's birthday, Buck drops him off at the Wilsons’ house for a two-day sleepover with Denny, so he and Eddie can get the house ready for Torben and set up Chris’s birthday party.
They’re making it video game-themed, unlike their joint birthday party in June…it was cowboys and dinosaurs…don’t ask. Theo wanted their party to have dinosaurs while the couple wanted cowboys, but they couldn’t say no to Theo’s puppy dog eyes—more so Eddie couldn’t say no—so they made it cowboy dinosaur-themed.
Theo insists on helping Eddie decorate the house while Buck makes a game controller-shaped cake for Chris.
Buck was quite proud of how it turned out. He hopes that Chris likes it.
When the time comes for their appointment to pick up Torben, they drop Theo off at Maddie’s, with Goldie the only one at home.
Buck and Eddie wanted to make sure that it was a calm and neutral environment where their dogs would meet for the first time, so they could get used to each other before Theo and Christopher came home.
Torben was very excited to see them. Once Buck and Eddie arrived at Paws and Claws Animal Shelter, Savanah and Emily greeted them with warm smiles. Torben ran to greet them when Emily opened his kennel, going straight for Buck, tackling him, then once he was done with Buck, he smothered Eddie with kisses—meaning licks all over his face.
“He’s been waiting for you guys,” Savanah tells them with a grin, bringing over a dark green leash and collar for Torben, which is very different from the lavender colored collar and leash they have for Goldie.
“And we’ve been waiting for you,” Eddie tells Torben, scratching behind his ears, hitting just the right spot. “You ready to be in your new home, Big Ben?” Eddie asks, giving Torben his own nickname.
Buck and Emily load all of the things that they bought for Torben while Eddie puts the collar around his neck and clips the leash to it, walking with Savanah outside to the truck.
“Thank you both for everything,” Buck tells them appreciatively while Eddie helps Torben get settled into the rear seats.
“Of course!” Emily says enthusiastically, grinning. “Happy to help and give that sweet boy a good and loving home.”
“We are just happy that it's you guys taking him home, not some asshole who doesn’t really care about dogs. Sadly, I've seen that too many times, but so thank you, and feel free to send us pictures. We will miss our cuddle buddy, but I'm glad he got a good home now.”
Eddie then walks over, closing the rear passenger door, kissing Torben’s head before doing so, taking Buck’s hand into his, smiling at the two women.
“Thanks again.” Then he looks up at his fiancé. “Ready?”
Buck grins at Eddie. “Absolutely. Let's bring our new family member home.”
Goldie is immediately intimidated by Torben when Buck and Eddie bring him home, letting him wander around the place, and he finds Goldie in the backyard.
Goldie is seven months old now, still as lively and adorable as ever. She used to have very bad separation anxiety from Theo, but she’s gotten better as she’s gotten older.
Buck and Eddie could see that she was a little scared by his height and large size—he’s nearly double her size.
Eddie then walks over to her, petting her head. “It’s okay, Golden Girl. He’s a friend. I promise.”
While Eddie calmed Goldie, Buck kept Torben distracted with Daffy, scratching his furry head. “She’s just a little scared, Benny Boy, she’s going to love you, I promise,” Buck told the dog.
Torben then walks in a wide circle around her to show her that he is not a threat and means no harm. Then he does a play bow, lowering his front elbows to the ground, keeping his rear up, showing her that he wants to play and not fight.
It takes her a few seconds, then her tail wags, and she also does a play bow, barking a happy, excited bark, showing that she’s very happy and excited to have a new friend.
Buck and Eddie smile at each other when they start playing; then they get a ball and throw it back and forth between the dogs, the two already bonding, becoming big brother and little sister.
It’s so sweet.
Then two hours later, Maddie drops Theo off, the boy having no idea that there’s a new dog in their house until he steps inside and Goldie sprints to greet him because that’s her boy, Torben following right behind her.
“New puppy?!?!?” Theo exclaimed, Torben lying on the ground in front of Theo so he didn’t appear too intimidating to the small boy.
“This is Torben; he’s a surprise for Christopher,” Eddie explained, kneeling on the ground next to Theo
“Hi, Tobey!!” Theo said adorably, holding his hand in front of Toby’s snout. The dog. instantly licked his little hand, making Theo giggle. Then Goldie licks Theo’s cheek, making him laugh loudly. “Goldfish!”
“Want to come outside and play with them?” Buck asks, petting Theo’s curls.
“Yeah! Let’s go play, Tobey and Goldfish!”
The dogs chase after him, barking cheerfully, their tails wagging excitedly.
Torben is the perfect newest addition to their little family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today is September 6th, Chris's 16th birthday. Eddie still couldn’t believe his baby was sixteen
Buck also couldn’t believe that the once adorable 7-year-old he saved many years ago was now a moody teenager; where had the time gone?
Buck was putting the final touches on the decorations as Bobby and Athena set up the rest of the party while Eddie was playing with dogs and Theo.
Bobby is helping Buck get all of the food set on the table, and Athena is setting up the rest of the decorations and making sure the gift table is set for everyone to place their presents for the teenager.
Buck can feel his hands start to sweat, getting nervous, hoping Chris likes everything, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.
Bobby notices immediately. “You good, kid?”
Buck nods, licking his dry lips, avoiding eye contact for a few moments before meeting Bobby’s eyes. “Y-Yeah, just a little nervous, you know? He’s growing up on us, and he might not like these kinds of things anymore, find it childish, and not really enjoy it.”
Bobby places a hand on Buck’s shoulder. “You know damn well that kid is always going to love the things you both do for him. Sure, some teenagers don’t want to spend the afternoon with their parents, little brother, and family smothering him, but Chris isn’t like some teenagers.”
Buck smiles. “Yeah. Thanks, Pops.”
“That boy loves you so much, baby,” Athena cuts in, walking over to them with a comforting, motherly smile on her face. “He’s going to love that you guys went all out for him. Sixteen is a big milestone, and Chris can’t celebrate it like most sixteen-year-olds.”
Meaning Chris cannot drive. Yes, some people with cerebral palsy can drive, but not all of them can; Chris is one of those who cannot.
Buck nods, smiling at her appreciatively.
“I mean, you both got him a damn dog,” Athena says with a laugh, making Buck chuckle and blush slightly.
“Thanks, Mama.”
“Anytime.”
Then the three of them get back to work because Chris should be here within fifteen to twenty minutes.
Meanwhile outside…
Eddie watched as Goldie pounced on Torben as Theo clapped, happily running after them in glee, making Torben stop so Theo wouldn’t get hurt
Eddie couldn’t help but smile, watching Torben be gentle with Theo.
“Yep, he’s getting a big treat tonight. He's perfect.”
Theo then starts getting a little tired; Eddie can see it, and Torben can too, because he leads Theo back to Eddie, where he has a juice box for him.
Eddie then hands Theo his drink once he’s seated at the patio table Eddie is sitting at. “Tired, huh?”
Theo nods, and he’s chugging the drink, Torben sitting at Theo’s feet, watching him, Goldie walking inside through the doggy door to hydrate too.
Eddie smiles, reaching over to pet Theo’s messy curls. “Now you have to promise not to tell Chris about Tobey until we surprise him later, okay, monito?” (Little monkey)
Theo nods. “Okay, Papa Dee! I promise.”
Eddie grins wider, leaning over to press a kiss to Theo’s hair. “Thanks, buddy. Are you ready to play some more?”
“Yeah!” Theo cheers, handing Eddie his empty juice box as he hops down from the chair, Torben watching him carefully, walking with him into the backyard, Goldie joining them moments later with a happy bark, chasing after her boy and big brother.
Eddie can’t help himself and takes a few pictures and videos, checking the time to see when Chris will be here…which is very soon.
He’ll have to make sure to lock Torben in his and Buck’s bedroom before Chris gets here, but for now, he watches as his son and dogs run around the yard, having the time of their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Buck gets a text from Karen that they’re just down the street, he runs outside to tell his fiancé to put Torben in their room while he grabs the gift box with items in it for the big surprise.
Eddie hates how scared Torben gets when Eddie is about to lock him in his and Buck’s bedroom.
“It’s just for a little bit, Big Ben, I promise,” Eddie tells him, petting his head. “You have to be hidden away to be a surprise.”
Torben whines.
“I know, buddy, I’m sorry.”
Then Eddie closes the door, walking away quickly.
Everyone yells " Happy Birthday " at Chris when he walks into the house, the teenager rolling his eyes and smiling, letting his dads and Theo hug him before everyone else does, the rest of the family finally arriving a little bit later.
Then once everyone is there, it’s time for the big surprise.
Everyone stands around the living room, Buck helping Chris get settled on the couch, Theo sitting next to him with a big smile, Goldie lying on the couch, her head in her boy’s lap, tail wagging happily.
Chris is confused as to what is happening, his eyes going wide when he sees Eddie carry over a big box with a big red bow on top.
“I thought presents were after cake?” The teen asks when Eddie sets the box on the coffee table.
“Usually they are, but this couldn’t wait,” Buck explains.
“Because it’s a very special present, Kiss,” Theo adds, making Buck and Eddie laugh as Chris just raises his brow, confused as to what his parents could have gotten him that couldn’t wait until later.
Then Chris pulls the lid off the box, spotting a stuffed dog, pulling it out, confused.
“There's more, Kiss!!!” Theo shouts excitedly, pointing to the box, Goldie getting excited.
Chris nods, pulling out a leash that’s clearly meant to go around his torso and a service dog vest, looking up at Buck and Eddie. “What? I don’t understand?”
And that’s when Eddie sneakily slips down the hall to his and Buck’s bedroom, smiling as he opens the door, Torben walking right over to him.
“Go on, buddy,” Eddie says, pointing towards the living room where everyone is.
Torben then runs towards the new smells and sounds of people talking.
His tail happily wagging, he takes in all the new people before locking his eyes on Christopher, whose mouth had dropped in shock at the sight of him, looking at his dad's wide-eyed, Eddie now standing back at Buck’s side. “You guys got me a dog?!”
Buck and Eddie nod and smile. “Sure did, mijo.”
“He’s actually a retired service dog, so he’ll be very good for you.”
Chris grins, looking down at Torben, who paused to let Jee and Kevin-Daniel pet him, eyes locked on Chris.
Theo then claps his hands, grinning adorably. “Now we both have dogs, Kiss!”
Chris looks over at his little brother and smiles. “We sure do.” Then he looks back over at his dads. “What’s his name?”
“Torben.” Buck and Eddie say simultaneously, Tobey looking over at them when he hears his name, wagging his tail again.
Chris scrunches his nose up at the name. “I’ve never heard of a dog named that before.”
“I call him Tobey!” Theo exclaims, throwing his arms up adorably.
“His old owner named him; he was German,” Buck explains.
“It means bear or Thor's bear. I had to look it up, but it's very fitting; he's very cuddly,” Eddie says with a grin, watching as Torben walks over to Chris and Theo, his tail wagging faster, looking like he’s smiling up at Chris.
“So cuddly,” Theo shouts, hugging Tobey. Goldie whines at Theo, making the 5-year-old go back to petting her, as Torben nudges closer to Chris as if asking to be pet.
Chris smiles, reaching down to pet Torben’s head. “I’m going to call you Ben.”
Tobey barks happily, his tail wagging like crazy, Chris holding his other hand in front of Tobey’s face, immediately licking it, making Chris laugh.
Chimney stares at Buck and Eddie. “You got another dog? Are you guys crazy?”
Buck and Eddie turn around simultaneously, making the exact same facial expression, simply replying, in the same tone, “Yes.”
Then everyone hears Theo giggling as Goldie licks his face, Tobey lying on the couch now, his head in Chris’s lap.
Buck and Eddie tear up as their hands find each other, watching the newest addition to their family bonds with his person.
A little while later, everyone sits at the tables in the backyard that they pushed together so everyone had a seat, Goldie running around the yard chasing butterflies, making Theo laugh; meanwhile, Torben was lying at Chris’s feet, Chris occasionally passing him down a bite of steak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once the food has been eaten, everyone heads inside, and then it’s time for presents.
Maddie and Chimney get Chris two new games for his Switch and the new Marvel game Wolverine for his PlayStation 5.
Pepa gifted him a Nintendo Switch game and a few DC comics and Marvel comics to add to his collection.
Abuela gave him a Polaroid camera with some film; Chris immediately took a picture of Tobey, who’s sitting by his feet, just watching him.
Then Bobby and Athena hand the teenager his gift, which is four passes to Disney World and Universal Studios.
Chris gasps, smiling up at them.
“What is it, Kiss?” Theo asks, standing up on the couch, leaning on it as he looks over Chris’s shoulder, Tobey on immediate alert, watching Theo intensely, Goldie watching her boy with soft eyes.
“They got the four of us passes to Disney and Universal!”
“Disneyyyyyyy!!!” Theo cheers loudly with a wide smile.
Buck and Eddie’s eyes go wide, both of them turning to look at Bobby and Athena, who are grinning at Chris and Theo’s reactions.
“It’s for your fall break, Chris. For the whole two weeks,” Bobby tells Chris.
“No way! Thanks!!!” Chris exclaims, holding his arms up for them to hug him, Bobby and Athena immediately taking him up on that offer, Torben stepping out of the way so they can hug him, Theo now running over to Buck and Eddie with a big, happy smile.
“We get to go to Disney!” He cheers.
Buck and Eddie laugh, Eddie leaning down to lift Theo into his arms, turning to Buck.
“Our first ever family vacation,” Buck says with a teary smile, Eddie’s eyes meeting his and it’s not only their first ever big vacation as a family, but Theo’s first ever vacation.
“Va-vacation!” Theo exclaims, beaming.
Then Hen and Karen hand Chris their gift to him after Bobby and Athena step back, the teen not wanting to be hugged for too long.
Chris lets out a really loud gasp when he sees what Hen and Karen got for him.
“KENNEDY SPACE CENTER PASSES?!?”
That immediately catches Buck’s attention, and he looks over at Chris. “No way!”
Chris holds up the passes. “Look, Buck!!”
Buck runs over there to have a look for himself, Eddie walking with Theo over to their boys to take a peek for themselves.
“Looks like our fall break is going to be fun,” Eddie says with a grin, kissing Theo’s forehead.
Theo claps his hands, grinning. “Family trip!”
“That’s right, monito.”
“Thanks, Aunties!!!” Chris says, beaming at the two women, who quickly rush over to hug him.
“Best birthday ever!” Chris says after all the presents are open. Tobey’s head is now resting in his lap, lying on the couch.
Buck and Eddie smile at each other, then at their teenager, looking outside where Theo, Goldie, Mara, and Jee are running around, giggling and having a good time, Denny sitting on the couch next to Chris, looking at the new games he got, petting Tobey, who’s resting at their feet.
Buck and Eddie then talk to Hen, Karen, Bobby, and Athena, thanking them for their gifts.
Now they have to get some plane tickets, hotel reservations, and figure out who will watch Goldie for the two weeks that they’re gone.
Nearly everyone is in the backyard now, getting ready for cake, but Chris is still inside with Tobey, Abuela sitting on the couch next to him, looking at all of the neat features of his new camera, Denny looking at it with him, equally as fascinated by it.
Chris turns to Abuela. “Now I can take pictures on the trip. This is so cool!”
Isabel smiles, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “You’re welcome, bisnieto.” (Great-grandson)
“Yeah, Grandma Diaz, this is so cool!” Denny says with a big grin.
Abuela chuckles, now getting up to join everyone outside, Chris, too, and Denny.
Denny walks out with Abuela, talking about the new camera; Chris now stands up from the couch, and Torben stands on alert, watching him carefully.
Then, as Chris is walking outside, one of the last few to wander out there, he stumbles slightly, missing a step; Torben immediately jumps into action, using his body to keep Chris from falling.
Chris smiles down at the dog after gaining his footing. “Thanks, Ben.”
Tobey’s tail wags, happy with his job well done, as Chris leaves a hand gripped tight in Tobey’s fur as they step out into the backyard, joining everyone at the table.
Once Chris is seated, with Eddie’s help, Torben watches intensely. Buck then walks out with the cake, setting it in front of Chris on the table.
“Now, I know that it’s not perfect, but—”
“I love it, Dad,” Chris says, cutting Buck off from what was definitely going to be a rant.
Buck freezes, staring at the teen with wide eyes. He had never called Buck “Dad” before; he was always “His Buck.”
“I love you so much, kid,” Buck says, tearing up, pulling Chris into a tight embrace, making the teen roll his eyes but hug him back anyway. “I love you too, Dad "
“Hugs !!!” Theo shouts, hugging Chris leg
Chris laughs, petting Theo’s hair.
Then Buck lifts Theo and places him into Chris’s lap, Torben resting at Chris’s feet.
Then Eddie runs over, throwing his arms around Chris and Theo. “Don’t forget about me!”
Then Buck throws his arms around his three boys, holding them tight, never wanting to let them go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Torben:
(Eddie took this one when Tobey was running around the backyard, holding up Daffy in his hands.)
Goldie:
(She refused to look at the camera because Theo just got home from school, despite how hard Buck tried to get her to look at him for just a few seconds, all she wanted to look at was her boy.)
