Hello,
Third one-shot out of four from the anniversary work from my facebook page. Of course the characters don't belong to me, and I hope you'll enjoy this little Buddie story !
Los Angeles !
Christopher was going back to summer camp. Neither Buck nor Eddie were scared. It went well the first time, there was no reason why it shouldn't be the case this time again. Especially since the father family had made an important decision. He was going to take advantage of his son's absence to confess to his best friend that he had very strong feelings for him. Love feelings.
If you ask him, Eddie Diaz would tell you he's not gay. He wasn't generally attracted to men, but the presence of Evan Buckley in his life had shattered everything. He didn't care that, in the eyes of some people, two men should not be together. Eddie was never against homosexuality, despite the education he had received. His love, which was far from brotherly, for Buck was pure and sincere. So of course, he had tried to forget them by going out with Ana, but he was veiling his face. He wasn't attracted to her, and whenever they were together, he thought of his partner. His best friend. The one for him his heart was actually beating. He could never get very far with Ana.
He hadn't said anything before because Buck was in a relationship with this reporter, Taylor Kelly. But today they had broken up. She had asked him to choose between her and them, reproaching him for putting her in the background. The choice had been quickly made, and Buck had chosen the two Diaz. If Ana had asked him to choose between Buck and her, he wouldn't have hesitated for a second to choose the young man.
Why being stubborn ? Eddie would never love anyone but Buck. Yes he had loved Shannon, and he probably would love her until his death, and that, his friend understood. How many times had he heard him talking with Christopher about the young woman ? He never sought to erase Shannon's shadow from Christopher's heart, or Eddie's, and for that the young father would always be grateful.
"Do you promise to wait until I come back ?"
Smiling at his son, Eddie went to sit on the coffee table.
"Yes, I promise to wait until you come back from summer camp to celebrate my birthday. Anyway, I'll be back from a 24-hour shift, so I'm mostly going to sleep."
"OK !"
"Are you ready to go ?"
"Yes ! Where is Buck ? He promised to come."
Before Eddie could answer, the front door opened.
"I'm here, Diaz boys !"
"Buck !" cried Christopher happily.
"Ready for two weeks of adventures, Superman ?"
"Yes !" Christopher hopped on the couch. "And I made Dad promise to wait for me to come back, for his birthday."
"Does that mean I'm not allowed to take him out to dinner, just him and me ?" Buck asked.
"Nope !"
"Too bad, we'll just eat pizza and do grown-up stuff, and we'll save all the vegetables for your return." Buck joked.
Christopher's no protest sounded and made both men laugh.
"We better go if you don't want to miss the bus leaving." Eddie said.
…
No tears were shed, at least not before the bus left. The two men hugged Christopher, who was now eleven, for a long time, then watched him board the bus.
"I promised myself not to cry." Buck said, quietly wiping the corners of his eyes.
"You have to know how to cut the cord, Buckley." Eddie teased.
"Oh shut up !"
"Are you coming with me ?" Eddie asked. "I don't want to be home alone for two weeks."
"Do you want me to crash at your house while your son is away ?" Buck wondered.
"Yeah, don't be surprised. We just have to split the time between your house and mine. What do you think about it ?"
"Yeah, okay."
The advantage was that there were clothes from everyone in the other.
"Great ! Let's go ? I'm going to kick your ass at video games."
Buck rolled his eyes but followed him anyway.
Six days later !
Station 118 !
They liked their jobs, but not 24-hour guards like this.
"I'm sure someone said the Q-word." muttered Buck, who was changing in the locker room.
"I promise that I had nothing to do with it." defended Ravi, the new recruit of their team.
"It was no worse than the last time." said Chimney.
One of the interventions had been a fire in a building, during which the blast of an explosion had thrown Buck violently against a wall. Fortunately for him, he hadn't had any serious injury. He was going to drag himself a few bruises for a few days, but nothing serious. Just before leaving, bag in hand, Eddie was stopped by Bobby, who came to meet him.
"Since we have our day off tomorrow, Athena would like us to organize a dinner party for your birthday."
"You will thank her, but I promised my son to wait until he came home to celebrate."
"So when Christopher comes back ?" asked the Captain.
"Uh, I'll think about it."
"If you don't want to, that's okay. We'll understand."
"I know, but I'll let you know."
Everyone went their separate ways, and once in his car, he read the message from his aunt who had just arrived.
"Damn it !"
"A problem " Buck asked, sitting in the passenger seat.
"My parents arrived unexpectedly. I don't really want to see them after the shift we just had."
"We just have to go to my loft." Eddie turned his head to him. "We're going groceries and we're not leaving my loft until tomorrow."
"You know that I love you ?"
Buck laughed, but his heart skipped a beat. There was a bewildering warmth and sincerity in Eddie's voice. This troubled him the whole time, while they were shopping until they arrived at the apartment.
"Are you OK ? You've been weird since we left the station."
"Hmm ?" Buck shook his head and came to his senses. "Yes, yes i'm fine. Uh, I'm going to take a shower. You can go there later."
He ran up the stairs to the mezzanine and locked himself in the bathroom. He loved Eddie for a while, and that was the main reason he broke up with Taylor. Dating her was a bad idea. His feelings for Eddie were far too strong for him to feel anything for another person on a sentimental level. But his best friend didn't feel the same way. Or did he ? Eddie seemed different lately. Actually, it started right after Christopher left. The two men never left each other. On the first night, when it was time to go to bed, Buck was about to make his bed on the sofa, but Eddie took him by the hand and took him to his room to sleep with him. And so it was every time they slept at one or the other. It had even happened once or twice that they found themselves tangled with each other.
Getting that out of his head, Buck turned off the water and dried himself off. A towel wrapped around his waist, he went to his bedroom and almost slipped when he saw Eddie sitting on the bed… in his underwear.
"Um, the bathroom is…um…" Buck cleared his throat, unable to say a word without sputtering. "The bathroom is free."
"You're acting weird." said the young man, getting up. "I intend to find out why."
Once alone, Buck put on a pair of sweatpants and lay on his side with his back to the rest of the loft. Seeing Eddie half-naked always had the same effect on him and gave him a monumental erection. So sleeping in the same bed with him, next to him... Buck let out a groan of frustration.
"Okay, are you going to tell me what's going on ?"
Shit, he hadn't felt the mattress sag. But he did not turn to his friend. How could he with the bulge in his pants ?
"Buck !"
"I'm sleeping." he lied.
"Evan, turn around !"
Hearing his name from Eddie's mouth was even more exciting. Stubborn, he remained as he was, until the other lost his patience and turned him by force.
"Hey !" Buck protested.
Eddie straddled him to keep him from moving. In doing so, his pelvis touched Buck's. The young man raised his eyebrows.
"Is that why you're sulking ?"
"It's not funny."
"I know." Eddie lay on his side, pulling Buck so they were facing each other. "I was hoping that this week spent H24 together would get the message across to you."
"What are you talking about ?"
Yes Buck had understood the message that Eddie wanted to convey through the past week together, but he did like he didn't understand anything so as not to get the wrong ideas.
"I think you know." Eddie moved closer and put his hand on his cheek, bringing his face closer. "I'm going to kiss you now. Are you going to push me away ?"
"No !" Buck breathed.
The first kiss was simple and sweet. Just one kiss is enough to electrify them. When Buck opened his lips, Eddie deepened the kiss. There was no tongue. For the moment. Why rush everything ?
"Eddie, um…" Buck took it upon himself to pull back just enough to look him in the eye. "You… you are not gay."
"No, but I fell in love with you." he said. "It's like that cariño, and it's true that it's scary at first, because I didn't want to ruin our friendship, and I constantly had the voice of my parents in my head."
"That's why you dated Ana." Buck understood.
"Yes, and I regret it every day."
"What made you change your mind ? Why now ?"
"Because you're not with Taylor anymore, thank God I won't be seeing that bitch again." Buck chuckled. "And because I am tired of living according to what my parents expect of me. Whatever I do will never be right for them, so I give up, and I follow my heart." He kissed him, half lying on top of his friend. No, his companion now. "And its pointing me straight to you, if you want me."
"Yes, yes I want it more than anything." Buck agreed. "Don't forget that's why I broke up with Taylor. She asked me to choose and I chose you. You and Christopher are my family."
"I love you, Evan Buckley, and for the first time in my life I know it can work. We are already a family, all you have to do is move in."
"Oh dear, we haven't even had a date yet." laughed Buck.
"We have our whole lives for this, and a whole week before Chris returns to plan for this." Eddie smiled. "I love you !"
"I love you too, but I'm exhausted, can we sleep now ?"
Eddie burst out laughing, but he was cut off by his phone. Leaving the comfort of Buck's body, he picked up his phone from the nightstand and grimaced. He didn't answer.
"Who is it ?"
"My mother !" Eddie waited for the call to stop to put his phone on silent, and set a wake-up call for in six hours. "I asked Pepa to keep them at distance, I'll manage them tomorrow."
Putting the device down, he got up from the bed to get one of his t-shirts from Buck's drawers. Even Christopher had a drawer of his own. Returning to the bed, where Buck had slipped under the sheets to be more comfortable to sleep in, Eddie kept smiling.
"Why are you smiling ?" Buck asked.
"Why wouldn't I smile ?"
He turned his back on him, and grabbed him as best he could to pull him against him.
"I love when you take me in your arms."
"Hmm, Eddie Diaz is a softie, who would have thought." Buck teased, pressing his body to his.
"Don't tell anyone, or you'll never have sex with me."
He felt her smile against his skin.
"Eddie ?"
"Hmm ?"
"Happy birthday !"
Six hours later !
They hadn't slept for more than four hours before they were woken up by their stomachs. Buck had made sandwiches that they ate while watching TV. They relaxed to digest in front of a movie, but neither really followed. Buck lay down, using Eddie's legs as a pillow. The handsome Mexican ran his fingers through Buck's slightly curly hair.
"Have you ever been with a guy ?" Eddie asked.
"Out of curiosity during my travels." replied the other. "But that hasn't happened to me since I moved to Los Angeles."
"Didn't you find the right person ?"
"I wasn't looking. I was addicted to sex, it's true, but my infatuation with guys passed when I arrived here. And then I met you. I didn't show anything but I seriously fantasized about you. You and your eight-packs."
"We were two idiots, weren't we ? I shouldn't have waited so long."
"You were hurting because of Shannon."
"Yeah, but when I took Bobby's advice, I thought of you and my desire to be with you, but with that came the voice of my parents. I ran into Ana again that day and was blinded by their constant contempt for me."
"You don't deserve that." Buck took his hand that was stroking his hair and brought it to his lips. "Your parents don't have to dictate your life. If you don't get along with them, and if nothing you do satisfies them, then just stop trying. You live for yourself, not for them."
"I understand it now. I'll talk to them tomorrow, and if they don't accept my feelings for you, then I'll be done with them."
"Would you cut them out of your life ?"
"Without hesitation." Eddie leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. "It's time for me to live my life the way I want to, and it starts today."
Buck leaned over to kiss him properly.
"Why put a label on what we are ?" he said, his arms wrapped around the other man's neck.
"We do not care." Eddie nodded. "I love my best friend, and I want to spend my life with him. We already live like a couple, except we didn't kiss until today."
"And I help you with Christopher."
"Yeah !" Eddie kissed him. "You are his father as much as me, and I hope that one day we will be able to formalize."
"Take it easy Diaz, don't rush anything." Buck said, not without a smirk.
But he wasn't against the idea, and Eddie could tell by the look in his eyes.
"Shall we go back to bed ?"
The gleam in his eyes was very significant. He didn't feel like sleeping at all.
"We just got together, handsome." Buck told him."And I have nothing to properly take care of you."
"We can still have fun."
"Oh, you want to have fun."
"Yeah, and we've wasted enough time. I want to get closer to you."
The kiss he gave him deepened and heightened their desire for each other. Buck soon found himself straddling Eddie.
"I'm not sure I want to move." Buck said.
"Neither do I !" Eddie tucked his hands behind his back and stroked him up and down. "You still haven't answered my question."
"Which one ?" Buck asked, his face buried in his neck, licking his skin.
"To move in permanently."
Damn, Eddie was rock hard. It only happened with Buck. Every time he saw him, thought of him, he instantly hardened.
"You didn't really ask me." Buck pulled his face out of hiding to catch his eyes. "Ask me the question, and we will see what I answer."
"Evan Buckley, come live with me, and our son."
"It's not really a… um…"
"Answer !" Eddie pressed him against his mouth biting his lip. "Or I'll bite you."
"Hmm, maybe I'll take that option." He chuckled when Eddie pinched his ribs. "Yes, of course I'll move in. My home…" he said, cupping his face. "…is where you are. You and Christopher."
"I love you !"
"I love you !"
The next day !
"Hey, I have an idea !" Eddie said, once he got out of the car. "How about we turn around and go back to your house ?"
"It won't make your parents leave, and you know it."
Eddie leaned back against the passenger door of Buck's jeep. After a long and languorous awakening, during which they had abandoned themselves to a sensual but controlled embrace, without going through with it, the two men had returned to Eddie's house before taking Buck's car, which had taken them to Abuela's house. They were going to have lunch together; Buck and him, his grandmother, his aunt, and his parents. He could see it from here, and none of his parents' words would be a surprise.
"I already know what they are going to tell me, and they will once again try to convince me to leave Christopher to them. We're going to argue and…"
"Hey…" Buck walked around the jeep and hugged him reassuringly. "Everything will be alright. Let them try to want to take Chris. Or to speak ill of the way you raise him. They will have to go over my body. And I'm not the only one." He waited for Eddie to pull his face away to continue. "Pepa and Abuela will be there too. You are a very good father, Eddie, and you deserve to live your life as you want, and to be happy."
"Never leave me."
"You'll have to kill me before that happens." Buck promised. "Come on, let's go. I'm hungry, and you know how much I love your grandma's cooking."
Everyone loved his Abuela's cooking. Come on, cheer up Eddie !
With Buck by his side, he entered his grandmother's house without bothering to knock. He found his parents on the terrace.
"Eddie, finally you're here !"
His mother came to hug him.
"Hello, Mom !"
"Happy birthday, even if it was yesterday."
"You could still have welcomed us." his father calmly lectured him.
But the tone was there.
"You could have given notice of your arrival." Eddie replied, in the same tone.
"Boys !" Abuela interjected, holding a plate of empanadas in her hands.
"Oh, let me help you." said Buck, going to take the dish from her. "It smells divine. Abuela, marry me !"
Pepa snickered, and Eddie rolled his eyes.
"Flatter !" Isabel chuckled, her cheeks flushed. "Come on, sit down !"
"Where's Christopher ?" Helena asked, her gaze searching for the little boy.
"He's in summer camp, he won't be back until next week." said Eddie, once seated to Buck's left.
Abuela and Pepa each took a side of the table. Ramon and Helena opposite the young couple, whose relationship was still kept secret.
"Summer camp ?" repeated Helena, outraged. "Eddie, how could you let him go like this ? It's not good for him, he could hurt himself."
"And yet he is very well, and he came back in one piece the first time he went." He huffed. "I don't have to justify my way of raising him, especially not with you."
"No !" Abuela interjected, as Helena was about to speak again. "First we have lunch, and please, I don't want any argument."
She knew it was impossible, but respite during the meal would be appreciated.
It only took five minutes before it was stronger than her, and Helena Diaz opened her mouth again and brought up someone her son hadn't heard from since their breakup.
"It is a pity that you left this young woman. Ana. She was perfect for you, and you ruined everything. As usual."
Here we go again ! Pepa and Isabel rolled their eyes, without hiding their displeasure. Hostilities between the Diaz parents and their only son were open.
"I wasn't in love with her." Eddie replied.
"You could have given her a chance, and tried harder." Helena hammered. "She was perfect for you, and Christopher would have had a mother."
"He already has a mother, and I advise you not to bring up Shannon in front of me." he warned her.
"Speak in another tone to your mother !" snapped Ramon.
"You really can't help yourself and tell me how I should live my life."
Eddie put down his cutlery and leaned back against the chair. His parents will definitely never change. "We haven't even been seated for ten minutes and you are already talking about Ana."
"She was perfect, and you screwed it up." Helena persisted.
"I was not in love with her." repeated Eddie. "I wasn't going to stay in a relationship just to please you for once in my life. I've decided that it was over for me to live according to your desires."
"What does it mean ?" Ramon asked.
"That I don't care what you think of me, or what you think of how I raise Christopher. I lead my life as I see fit, and with whoever I want. And if you don't like it, then we have nothing more to say to each other."
"Would you cut us out of your life ? What about Christopher's ?" choked out Helena.
"Without hesitation !" Eddie said. "Look me in the eye, and assure me that you didn't come to Los Angeles to convince me to come back to El Paso. It would allow you to get your hands on Christopher."
His parents said nothing at first.
"All we want is to help you." said Helena.
"No, you want Christopher." He tried to keep calm, and Buck's hand on his thigh helped him tremendously. "All my life you tried to mold me into the perfect son but I disappointed you, and from the moment Chris came into the world. Me gone, you took the opportunity to suffocate him and prevent him from flourishing."
"If we hadn't been there to help Shannon…"
"What did I tell you ?" Eddie cut her off. "Don't talk about Shannon. You have done nothing more than impose yourselves. Yes I was not there, and I would be sorry all my life but I am a very good father for Christopher. I do what it takes for him."
"Because taking him away from us was what he needed ?" Helena burst out.
Her husband tried to temper her but in vain.
"But you are not his mother, mom. I had no reason to go and leave him to you." He put his hand over Buck's to calm himself down. "Look, Christopher is thriving here, and so am I. And it's time to tell you, dating Ana was a huge mistake, and living my life according to your expectations was even worse, and it made me miserable. But that's over, I'm taking my life in hand with the person I really love."
When he saw the interest of his parents, he knew that they would quickly fall back. He knew their aversion to same-sex relationships, but he wouldn't allow himself to be belittled or insulted. Gone were the days of him crashing in front of his parents.
"Why didn't you tell us about her ?" Ramon asked. "Did you introduce her to Christopher ?"
"Chris knows this person very well." Eddie said. "And it's not a woman."
He intertwined his fingers with Buck, whose unwavering presence next to him was a real boost. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Abuela smiling at him, swearing he even saw a proud nod.
"What do you mean, it's not a woman ?" said Helena. "Edmundo Diaz, don't tell me that…"
"I'm with Buck." he said raising their joined hands. "I know you don't approve, but as I just told you, I don't care about your opinion anymore. I'm telling you this so you know I have someone in my life, and it's very serious."
"Eddie, that's not how we raised you." said Ramon, controlling his anger.
"Oh please, you were never home, always working." Eddie replied. "Everything you taught me only served to shut me down and swallow my emotions. Be a man, Eddie. Keeping everything to myself would have ended up eating me if I hadn't finally decided to free myself from your web. Leaving El Paso was the first step, but it took me a while to figure out what I really wanted after Shannon died. Today, I know what I want, and that's to be with Buck."
"No !" Helena snapped. "It's out of the question, do you hear me ? You are not one of those homosexuals !"
"One of our best friends is a lesbian." Buck interjects.
"Stay out of this conversation !" spat Helena. "You have perverted my boy."
"Oh, you talk to him differently."
Eddie was more than fed up.
"Helena, you will not insult Evan in my house !" Isabel said, in a firm and unequivocal tone.
"Eddie…" Ramon said.
"You are doing this to provoke us, as usual." said Helena. "But this time you went too far. We'll wait until Christopher gets home from that stupid summer camp, and we'll bring him back with us."
"Do you really think you're going to win that one, Mom ?" Much to his parents surprise, Eddie sneered. "You don't understand ? You will never have Christopher. Even if I were to die tomorrow, you'll never get him, because if anything should happen to me, Buck will be there for our son. I've made him his legal guardian in case anything should happen to me, but he's already taking better care of him than you ever have. »
Lunch was over. Eddie wasn't really hungry anymore, and there was no way he was going to stay a second longer with his parents. He stood up and looked at them without batting an eyelid.
"I'm not gay, but I love a man. My best friend who has always been there for me since we met, and I fell madly in love with him, and for the first time in my life I think of myself. Not to you two, but to me."
"And Christopher ?" Helena rose from her chair. "You're setting a bad example for him with that kind of behavior."
"Because two people who love each other is setting a bad example ?" Eddie taunted.
"He will be much better with us." she snapped.
"Helena, calm down please !" said Ramon, rising in turn to hold her by the shoulders.
"No, I'm not calming down !" Helena stormed. "I'm going to seek custody of Christopher."
"And what's your argument going to be ?" Eddie asked. "Your son lives in sin with a man and you don't want your grandson to live in this environment ? You're in Los Angeles here, mom, not Texas. And no judge is gonna take custody of Christopher from me for that. If you go after me for custody of my son because of my life choices, you're going to alienate Adriana and Sophia, and you're going to run into the most badass cop you've ever met."
He was obviously talking about Athena Grant-Nash !
"Dad, I know you don't approve either, and you don't show it, but I know you think like mom."
"Son, we only want your good !" said Ramon.
"So leave me alone and let me live my life as I want. I chose to be with Buck and follow my feelings. I think we're done here !"
He apologized to his aunt and his grandmother, before taking Buck by the hand and leaving the house.
"Are we going back home ?" Buck asked, once behind the wheel of the jeep.
"Can we go to the beach ?" Eddie asked.
Santa Monica Beach !
They had been sitting on the sand for five minutes without exchanging a single word. Buck broke the silence.
"Are you okay ?"
"Yeah !" Eddie stared wide, arms resting on his bent knees. "I knew it would end like this. They never listened to me, and I knew they would not accept my decision to make my life with a man, but wanting to take my son from me is something that I will never forgive my mother. My father didn't say anything, but he thinks like her. They were never very tolerant. Actually, I must be bi or maybe I am gay, but seeing their shitty way of raising me, I suppressed it all deep inside."
"We don't care about labels." Buck said, taking his hand, which drew Eddie's gaze from the ocean to him. "I am not gay either, and yet I have had affairs with men."
"Yes, but out of curiosity."
"Maybe, but I liked it. Basically, I tell myself that the gender of the person does not matter to me, and that it is only what he or she has in the heart that interests me." Buck said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore since you are everything to me. No one can ever tear me away from you or Christopher. Not even if Scarlett Johansson came knocking on my door."
"You are my whole life, Evan. I only regret having wasted all this time."
"We found each other in the end, that's all that matters." Buck leaned over and kissed him. "But, to make sure everything is okay, you should call your lawyer."
"Oh don't worry about that, I'm ten steps ahead of my parents since I changed my will." Eddie reassured him. "They can try whatever they want, my lawyer will tear them apart."
"I love seeing you like this." Buck said, cradling his face in his hands. "More free, and confident."
"It's thanks to you !"
Eddie shifted and tucked himself between Buck's legs, wedging his back against his chest. They stayed on the beach for a whole hour without talking, enjoying the new peace and tranquility that the ocean spray gave them.
…
One week later !
They had taken advantage of two days off in a row to move Buck's belongings from the loft to Eddie's. They had mainly planned to look for a bigger house for their future, but everything in its time. Buck had only taken the things he cared most about and sold the rest. His bed and couch had replaced Eddie's. The money raised from the things sold had been placed in a joint savings account that they would each fill every month, and which would allow them to build their life together. Buck took the opportunity to tell Eddie about the savings account he had opened for Christopher, which earned him a fiery kiss from the other man. The night had been memorable too, after their very first date.
"DAD !"
Snapping out of his delicious thoughts, Eddie looked up at his son, who had just gotten off the bus.
"Christopher !" He hugged his son, absorbing the fullness of finding him after two long weeks. "I missed you, mijo !"
"I missed you too, dad !" said Christopher. "Where is Bucky ?"
Eddie pulled away to look at him.
"He had to go and replace another firefighter who was sick, but his shift is almost over." he said to him. "A lot of things happened while you were gone, and I'm going to tell you everything over an ice cream, okay ?"
Christopher nodded briskly, an excited smile crossing his face. Of course, he never refused a good ice cream.
Twenty minutes later, father and son were seated at a terrace table at an ice cream parlour, each with a cup in front of them
"Dad ?"
"Yes son ?"
"Happy birthday ! I couldn't tell you before."
"Thank you, son !" smiled Eddie. "And I promise you I didn't party. With Buck we had just worked twenty-four hours in a row, we mostly slept and, lots of other things."
"Like what ?"
Eddie said nothing at first, eating a scoop of pistachio ice cream while he thought about the best way to turn things around.
"Like, spending time together just him and me, and telling him how I feel about him."
"He's your best friend." said Christopher..
Smiling, Eddie wiped the traces of chocolate from his son's mouth with a napkin.
"Yes, but not only. I, uh, I'm in love with him."
"Like with mom ?"
"Yes, like with mom." Eddie nodded. "We are together, with Buck, and he has moved in, which means he will be with us every day. Morning, noon and evening."
"But what if one day you broke up ?"
"That's never going to happen !"
Eddie obviously knew he was coming, but Christopher didn't since it was a surprise. The boy's face lit up so much that he could recharge a power plant on his own.
"You're okay, Superman ?"
"Yes !" Chris hopped in his chair.
"Hi you !" he whispered to Eddie, before kissing him.
Which made Christopher chuckle.
"Do you want an ice cream ?" Eddie asked.
"No thanks." Buck said. "I'm going to poke in yours."
"Here !"
Eddie pushed the cup towards him, and gave him his spoon.
"Buck ?"
"Yeah, buddy ?" he said looking at Christopher.
"Are you going to stay with us forever ?"
"I would never leave." Buck said, seriously.
Seven years later !
Buck had kept his promise. He had never left. He and Eddie had married a year after getting together. The ceremony had remained sober and intimate, and had taken place in Bobby and Athena's garden. Eddie's sisters had made the trip, but not their parents.
Eddie cut off all contact with them permanently after they tried to get custody of Christopher. With no success, as Eddie's lawyer had not bent and pulled out the claws for her client. The case had not gone to trial, and during the preliminary hearing, the lawyer had managed in a single argument to ensure that Ramon and Helena Diaz had no chance of getting what they wanted. With written testimony from Christopher's doctors, his nurse and the entire family of 118, plus that of a certified police sergeant, plus members of Eddie's family, the Judge had quashed the parents's Diaz request and left Eddie as Christopher's only parent. From that day on, the young man no longer spoke to them. They had tried – unsuccessfully – to appeal. It had only alienated their two daughters.
Adriana and Sophia had left El Paso for California, and today the siblings were reunited in Los Angeles. Sophia had even given the newlyweds a huge gift. Nine months of her life. After a few weeks of medical appointments, and the Buckley-Diaz family moving to a bigger house, the IVF process had begun, and Sophia had become pregnant. It had been agreed that Buck would be the biological father, and nine months later, Carina and Cassandra were born in very good health, one month prematurely.
Eddie was watching them right now, as they sat with their father and older brother, staring at the meerkat enclosure. The twins were five years old that very day, and the whole little family was celebrating it at the zoo. Eddie couldn't be happier. He had married his best friend, the love of his life, and today they had three wonderful children. Buck had adopted Christopher after the wedding, and Eddie had done the same with the twins when they were born, just after Sophia gave up her parental rights. Which didn't bother her in the least. Yes, these two little girls were genetically those of Sophia, but she did not hesitate for a single second to confine herself to be their auntie. Which delighted her. Eddie couldn't thank his little sister enough for this priceless gift.
"Dad !"
Dressed in purple, from the cap to the shoes, Cassandra ran to Eddie, who bent down to receive her in his arms.
"Sweetheart, are you having fun ?"
"Yeesssssssssssssss !" she cried, raising her small arms, which she then wrapped around his neck.
"Well…" Buck arrived with Carina in his arms, and Christopher on his heels. "Where are we going now ?"
Christopher was eighteen, and almost as tall as Buck.
"I'm hungry !" the second girl whined, dressed in pink.
"Me too !" said Christopher.
"Hungry, Cassie ?" Eddie asked his daughter in his arms.
She nodded.
"Let's go eat !" he said.
The two men put the twins down on the ground, who immediately took each other by the hand and walked in front of their dads, followed by their big brother. Eddie slipped his hand into Buck's, which he lifted to his lips.
He felt so free !
THE END !