Reading Time: 110 Minutes

Title: The Wishful Heart
Author: Keira Marcos
Fandom: 9-1-1
Relationship: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Genre: Romance, First Time, Inexplicable Babies, Alternate Universe, Friends to Lovers
Warnings: Explicit sex, Discussion-Domestic Violence, Discussion-Murder, Canon Character Death, Canon-Level Violence, Canon-Level Angst, Stalking, Serial Bomber, Discussion-Combat, Discussion-Combat Injury, Discussion-Domestic Violence, Fictional Court Proceedings, Character Bashing, Grammarly Beta
Word Count: 52,540
Summary: In the days following the bank robbery and Bobby’s suspension from duty, Buck makes a wish that changes his life and his priorities.

* * * *

Chapter 1

Buck let his head fall back on the seat, and he took a deep breath. He was pretty convinced that one more shift with acting Captain Han was going to be the death of him. Bobby getting suspended for lying about his past had shaken the 118 up and turned Chimney into a complete tyrant. He pulled out his keys and left the Jeep with a frustrated sigh. There was nothing to be done about it. He hoped that Bobby would come back to work sooner rather than later. The number of complaints had to be piling up in HR regarding Chimney’s micromanagement which skewed toward doing things his way rather than the proper way.

Buck hadn’t lodged any complaints himself, but he had provided a list of rule violations to several other people who needed legitimate issues to complain about. Chimney needed a wake-up call, but it wasn’t going to come from Buck. Their interactions were already fraught enough because of the blow-up with Maddie. His sister had done a real number on his work relationships, but there wasn’t much he could do about it after the fact. He couldn’t even complain to Maddie because she’d hightailed it out of town shortly after Doug Kendall’s justified homicide.

Maddie ran. It’s what she did. Buck hadn’t been surprised, but Chimney had gotten twisted up over it since she hadn’t even waited until he was out of the hospital. Which meant that Buck’s sister was the second woman to leave him in the midst of a life-threatening injury. The truth was that Maddie had been horrified by how easily her abusive husband had befriended Chimney Han, and it had made her wonder exactly how much the two men had in common. In the end, it hadn’t mattered, to Maddie, that Doug had tried to kill Chimney.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, so Buck pulled it out as he headed into the house. He was glad, more than ever, that he’d chosen to buy a house over the loft that Ali had wanted. The privacy was great. She’d bailed on the relationship shortly after he’d gotten the keys, so he’d had to furnish and decorate all by himself. Eddie and Christopher had helped a little bit, but the two of them were going through it due to the divorce and Shannon’s abrupt departure from California.

It was clear, more than ever, that she’d run from parenthood the first time around, and with her mother deceased, there was nothing keeping her in LA as far as she was concerned. It had broken Christopher’s heart, and Buck had worked hard to keep his own fury to himself. Neither Diaz needed it on top of all of their own pain and grief.

He checked his texts.

Eddie: Hey Chris left me a note. He wants his Buck to pick him up from school. I’m super offended.

Buck laughed and responded with a smilie face and thumbs-up emojis. He got an eggplant in return which was par for Eddie’s course.

Eddie: Carla’s offended too

Buck: Let’s pick him up together and get something fun for dinner

Eddie: I have a date

Buck huffed and rolled his eyes. Eddie had celebrated his divorce by dating some random asshole he’d met at the gym. Buck knew that wasn’t particularly fair, but he just didn’t like Tyler Corbet. Though, in all honestly, he’d never met a personal trainer that he did like. He took his own level of fitness very seriously and wasn’t interested in being gym fit. His goal was always to be what the job needed and had no sort of vanity attached to it.

Buck: Pack Chris an overnight bag. I’ll take him to Dave & Buster’s then he can spend the night if that’s okay.

He watched the little bubble indicating an incoming response for several long moments before putting his phone down so he could open his work bag and drop everything into the washing machine. Nearly five minutes passed before his phone dinged. Buck returned to the kitchen and picked up his phone.

Eddie: Yeah okay.

Buck frowned at the response as he noted it had taken Eddie nearly five minutes to write it. With a huff, he called.

“Hey,” Eddie said.

“What’s up with you?” Buck questioned curiously.

“Nothing. I’m checking through Chris’ clean clothes. I sent Carla a text to tell her you’ll have him tonight.”

Buck leaned on the counter. “You seem stressed.”

“Well, acting Captain Han made work twice as stressful as it should’ve been,” Eddie said roughly. “I don’t know how you kept your cool. Cosmo said he was going to file a complaint on your behalf since you refused to.”

“Well, considering my sister’s husband nearly murdered Chimney Han….” He trailed off with a huff. “I just don’t think I need to make those kinds of moves. It’ll probably look like I’m holding a grudge since Chimney befriended Doug. He’s already accused me of resenting him for not stopping Maddie’s kidnapping.”

“You don’t, though.”

“No, I don’t,” Buck said. “Doug was manipulative, cruel, and abusive. The whole situation was his fault, and Chimney was just one more victim. He’s lucky to have survived it since we know at least one person didn’t. There’s no telling how many people got in Doug’s way and how he responded as he headed for California. Hell, he beat one of Maddie’s former co-workers half to death when he was searching for her.” He took a deep breath. “Where are you and Tyler going?”

“He wants to cook for me.”

Buck rolled his eyes. He was really glad to be in his own space so he could act as immaturely as he’d like. “Sounds interesting.” And awful because Eddie was really picky about food, and he didn’t know who to blame for that. “You told him that you don’t like fish, right?”

“Yeah, he acted like it was a cardinal sin.”

Buck laughed.

“Shut up. Also, the last time he was here—he opened up the snack cabinet and made a few comments about my cookie stash. I told him that I work my ass off, so if I want a freaking Oreo after a twenty-four shift, then I was gonna have one.”

“Personal trainers are awful to date,” Buck said in amusement. “Tell him to leave the job at the door. Otherwise, he’ll start micromanaging your every bite.” He walked into the living room and slouched down on the couch, then toed off his shoes. “You’re very fit, so he’s only going to have little issues to nitpick, and he will if you allow it. It’s more habit than anything else.”

“Right. I don’t know why I thought I was ready to start dating.”

“You’ve essentially been single for nearly four years, Eddie. Dating is certainly an acceptable activity, no matter how new your divorce is.”

“I wasn’t exactly celibate during the separation,” Eddie said roughly. “The marriage was over me the day she left, and I filed separation paperwork. I just didn’t advertise it. My mom is furious about it, you know.”

“The divorce or dating a dude?”

“Oh, she practically celebrated the divorce, but she hates Tyler. Pop does, too. It’s not about the dude part because he isn’t the first man I’ve dated. I had a boyfriend in high school. Anyways, they just hate him specifically, and they’ve only interacted with him once on FaceTime.”

“Was he rude or something?”

“He was very polite,” Eddie said huffily. “I don’t get it. He has a job, likes kids, and has no overtly terrible habits.”

He was also boring as fuck, Buck thought but didn’t say.

“Abuela doesn’t like him either. She talked about you repeatedly during dinner when I took him to her house.”

Buck laughed.

“It’s not funny, Buck. Anyways, I have a date, and I was going to take Chris along, so we only had plans for dinner. I doubt I’ll spend the night—he’s due at work at 5am on Saturday. If you’re going to take my kid to do something fun on Saturday, I expect to be invited.”

“Oh, well, Isabel asked me to help her replant her herb garden on Saturday. She ordered some wood, so we’re going to build some raised garden beds for the projects. It’ll be easier on her back and hip. She’d priced some already, but I told her we could build them cheaper. The cedar we ordered was delivered yesterday afternoon.”

Eddie hummed under his breath. “She didn’t mention that she wanted to do that, and I talked to her last night.”

Buck had no answer for that. But he did know that Isabel Diaz worried about Eddie’s workload and taking time away from Christopher. “I volunteered to build the boxes after we discussed replanting.”

“Chris is mad at me,” Eddie blurted out and took a deep breath. “I can’t figure out what I’ve done, and he refuses to talk about it. I’d hoped to work on it this afternoon after school, but he clearly doesn’t want to even see me right now.”

“That’s kind of weird,” Buck admitted. “That kid thinks you hung the moon and stars, you know.”

Eddie was silent.

“Eds?”

“I really don’t know what I’ve done. I asked if he was upset about Tyler, and he just rolled his eyes at me and told me he didn’t care if I dated a gym bunny.”

Buck snorted.

“Buck!”

“I swear to God I have not called Tyler a gym bunny.” He filled a flask with water and laughed a little.

“I know you didn’t,” Eddie muttered. “Because Abuela confessed to it! Tia Pepa called Tyler a himbo, and I had to lecture my own fifty-year-old tia about slut shaming.”

Having been called a himbo once or twice in his life, Buck had always found the word more amusing than insulting. He really didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought of his sex life. He loved to fuck and wasn’t going to wait around for some epic love to come along and save him from a savage jerk-off schedule.

“Did you want me to ask Chris why he’s upset with you?”

“I don’t want to leverage your friendship with him,” Eddie said. “Or make you play the heavy in…this thing we do where you co-parent my kid, but we don’t talk about it.”

Buck took a deep breath because he had worked really hard to keep himself in check when it came to Christopher. He didn’t want to make Eddie’s life harder or interfere with the man’s parenting. Buck knew it was hard and even harder with Shannon’s abandonment.

“I don’t know what to say,” Buck admitted. “I’ve really tried not to step on your toes, ya know?”

“I do know,” Eddie said. “But you can’t do a damn thing about the way Chris sees you. He loves you and trusts you. It makes it easier to accept…your authority and even the guidance you offer naturally. You’ll be a great dad, Buck. I hope you know that.”

Buck huffed a little and took a deep breath. “Ali didn’t agree with that.”

“What?”

“We had a scare,” Buck said. “She ended up being only a week late, and I wasn’t all that upset about the prospect, but she was. She said the scare made her realize that our relationship wouldn’t work. She said my job was too dangerous, and I wasn’t the kind of man she wanted to make a family with.”

“Wow, I can’t stand her anymore,” Eddie said. “You’re a great person, Buck. Honest, strong, and hardworking—exactly the kind of person that can be trusted with the making of a family.”

“Thanks,” Buck murmured. “I saw her last week—at the beach. It was a relief to see that she wasn’t pregnant because part of me worried that she’d lied about getting her period and bailed because she didn’t want to…share a kid with me.”

“You have terrible taste,” Eddie said. “I can’t judge, honestly, because I have wretched taste as well. I’d skip dinner, but then I’d just be stuck at home while you and Chris go to Dave & Buster’s.”

“You could come with us,” Buck said because he wasn’t above cock blocking the gym bunny. It wasn’t jealousy because that was toxic, and he strived to never wallow in such feelings. Buck wanted Eddie to be happy no matter the choices he made in the end.

“No, Chris clearly wants to spend time with just you. His note was pointed.”

Buck winced. “I’ll sort him out. It could be some leftover stuff from the divorce.”

“God, I hope not. He’s so pissed at Shannon that he told her he wasn’t interested in being her FaceTime kid. Then….” Eddie cleared his throat. “Suggested she try to have another kid—a perfect one that wouldn’t be a burden.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

He checked his watch. “I should get some sleep, so I’ll be rested enough to deal with the crowd and Christopher’s attitude at the same time.”

“I need to get some sleep as well. Call me if something comes up or if you need anything.”

“Sure,” Buck agreed. “Sleep well.”

He tucked his phone away when Eddie ended the call. He stopped by the fridge and stared at the picture of Eddie and Christopher. He’d stuck it there at Christopher’s insistence. He stared for a moment, heart aching. Buck had been very careful when it came to Christopher and the whole pseudo-parent issue because the three of them had fallen into a beautiful sort of space full of trust and easy affection.

Buck wanted a family on a profound level, and he hadn’t accounted for that in his day-to-day interactions with Eddie and Christopher. He’d never been so reckless with his love in his life, and now he was paying for it—in the shape of an asshole who was probably already shopping at an overpriced hipster market, preparing for a meal that Eddie would hate.

* * * *

Buck checked Christopher’s harness and settled the kid’s backpack on the seat beside the duffel he’d picked up from Eddie’s house. Curiously, Eddie hadn’t been at home, but the bag had been sitting on the sofa. Buck hadn’t known whether to be relieved or not by Eddie’s absence.

“Have a good day, Superman?”

“Yes,” Christopher said easily. “We should text Daddy.”

“We’ll do it when we get to the food truck park,” Buck said with a laugh, and Christopher grinned.

He settled in the driver’s seat. Buck waited until they were out of the school parking lot and stuck in traffic to broach the big subject. Hopefully, getting it out of the way would help the kid relax, as it was clear that Christopher was upset and tense.

“Your dad says you’re upset with him.”

Christopher huffed, and Buck glanced over his shoulder. He always put Christopher in the backseat behind the passenger seat so it would be easier to get to him from the front seat if needed.

“He lied to me,” Christopher blurted out and crossed his arms. “And he didn’t have to do that. I thought he was better than her. Mom lied to me, Buck. She said she wouldn’t go away again then she was just gone as soon as the divorce was final. I overheard Abuelita say she followed some man to Colorado. Now Daddy’s lying to me, too. What if he goes away like she did?”

Buck exited the highway and was relieved by the ease of it. “Give me a second here, buddy.”

He had so much regret for starting the conversation on the road, but he hadn’t thought it was going to be a really big deal. Little kids got mad easily, and he hadn’t really thought it was a serious issue. He turned into the parking lot of a beach and noted a couple of food trucks. Not their normal spot, but it would do since one of them was advertising shrimp tacos which was Chris’ favorite.

Buck turned off the Jeep and took a deep breath as he turned in the seat. “First, your dad is never going away like your mother did. He is the most loyal person I’ve ever met in my life, Christopher, and he loves you.”

Christopher pressed his lips together, shoulders tense. “He lied to me.”

“Okay, let’s get some food, and we’ll talk about that because sometimes parents have to make choices and decisions that are best for their kids that it can look weird or dishonest from the outside.”

“Right.” Christopher made a face at him but nodded.

He got Chris settled at a picnic table, bought their food, and waded into the problem with a little huff. Buck had been tempted to text Eddie and ask what the hell he could’ve possibly lied about that would get Christopher so bent out of shape. Once settled at the table, he noted that the boy had crossed his arms in a posture that spoke of more hurt than anger.

“Now, talk to me.”

Christopher frowned as he focused on his food and dipped his tortilla chip into the little cup of salsa. “I don’t like Tyler.”

Buck nodded. “I heard.”

“He’s in my business,” Chris exclaimed hotly. “And he’s not qualified to have an opinion about my physical therapy, but he tried to tell Carla that we weren’t doing my exercises right.” He huffed. “Like I haven’t been doing them for years. Anyways, I don’t like him, and I asked Daddy why he was dating Tyler when it would be so much better if he dated you.”

Buck’s mouth dropped open. “Chris, your dad and I are…just best friends.”

Christopher rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine, but why did he lie to me then?”

“What lie did he tell you?” Buck asked in confusion.

“He said that you and he weren’t ever going to date because you’re straight.” Christopher waved both hands in fury and flung salsa across the distressed wood surface of the picnic table.

Buck exhaled slowly as he used a napkin to dab up the salsa then put it with the rest of their trash to take away after they were finished eating. “I….” He shook his head and took a bite of his taco as he considered the whole of the situation.

“Well?” Chris demanded.

“Give me a sec,” Buck said after chewing. He took a big drink of water and exhaled slowly. “I don’t think he lied.”

“What? You said you were bisexual. You showed me pictures of your ex-boyfriend when we were looking at pictures from Pride Day on your Insta.” Christopher shoved half a taco in his mouth.

Buck laughed. “Look, your dad wouldn’t lie about something like that, so I think he believes it. I don’t think, and this is weird, that he knows that I’m bi. I’ve only dated women since I met him, and I didn’t even know he largely preferred men until he started dating Tyler. We’ve just never discussed it. And he’s probably not browsed through my whole Instagram account. He only ever goes on it to get pictures of you and me when we’re doing stuff without him.”

Chris chewed and squinted at him. He pursed his lips. “That’s crazy…you guys don’t talk?”

“Not about that kind of thing,” Buck admitted. “I never wanted to ask him about his romantic relationships because it’s clear he finds it a difficult topic. I try, as a rule, not to poke my friends on hurtful issues when I’m socializing with them. Does that make sense?”

“You don’t like to hurt people, I get it,” Chris said. “Buck. We need to talk about Daddy.” He spread his hands out in the air. “It might be uncomfortable, but it needs to be done.”

Buck grinned. “Okay.” He paused and pointed a finger at him. “I’m not going to break him and Tyler up.”

Christopher huffed.

“I mean it. It would be a really awful thing to do—friends don’t do that to each other. I told your dad that I’d have his back, and interfering in a personal relationship that he’s enjoying would be a real douche move on my part.”

“Tyler is a tool,” Christopher said. “There’s no way Daddy is enjoying anything to do with him. He’s just bored and maybe vulnerable because of the divorce.”

Buck laughed. “I can practically hear your abuelita saying that.”

“Abuelita is very smart,” Christopher said. “You’re gonna tell him you’re not straight, right? He can’t go around telling that lie again.”

Buck pulled his phone out. “I’ll do it right now, okay? But seriously, Chris, your dad wouldn’t have lied to you about something like that.”

“What would he lie about?” Christopher asked, gaze narrowing.

“Same things parents always lie about—the vegetable content of any particular meal, how much money they have to avoid buying you something ridiculous….” He trailed off when Christopher laughed.

“Can we go swimming since we’re here?”

“We don’t have suits,” Buck pointed out but then looked around. “Maybe that shop can sell us some—we’ll try. I don’t feel like battling traffic to go home and get ours.”

Chris nodded.

Buck focused on his phone.

Buck: Chris thought you lied to him, and it upset him because Shannon lied to him about not leaving after the divorce but then did it anyways.

Eddie: What did he think I lied about?

Buck: I’m bisexual. Chris has seen pictures of the boyfriend I had when I first came to LA, so he was kind of furious with you for using my so-called straightness as an excuse not to date me

His phone started ringing immediately. Buck sent Christopher a look, and the boy just shrugged and focused on his tacos.

“Hey.”

Eddie huffed loudly in his ear. “You were dating some woman named Samantha when you left Peru and came to LA.”

“I was dating some dude named Samuel,” Buck corrected with a laugh. “Where are you?”

“Sitting in the parking lot of Tyler’s condo complex,” Eddie muttered. “I can’t believe you guys went to the food truck park without me. That’s almost worse than Dave & Buster’s.”

“We ended up at a food truck at the beach,” Buck said. “He wants to go swimming, so we’re going to hit a surf shop shortly and see if we can buy swimsuits and towels. Are you going to be late for your date?”

“I’m twenty minutes early.” Eddie breathed heavily in his ear for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me you were bi?”

“Honestly, I’ve never made a secret of it. I’m surprised you didn’t hear at the station. Chimney’s never been shy about discussing my sex life.” He cleared his throat. “So, come to find out, Christopher has your temper. Just a simmering little pot on the stove that can turn into a hot mess with a moment’s notice. We’re having shrimp tacos.”

Eddie groaned. “This is awful. I told Tyler that I liked shellfish but not actual fish—he said that I should expand my horizons and suggested sea bass. But if neither you nor Bobby could make me like sea bass, I can’t see how he’s going to accomplish it.”

“I can’t say what I want to say because Christopher is staring at me. But please know I think the cost-benefit analysis for this relationship isn’t in your favor.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Eddie muttered. “Anyways, if you guys are going swimming, then definitely pick me up for Dave & Buster’s tomorrow.”

“Sure, for dinner? It shouldn’t take me long to make the garden boxes for Isabel.”

“Yeah, send me some pics of the beach.”

“Have fun with Gym Bunny,” Buck said and hung up before Eddie could respond. Across from him, Christopher giggled.

* * * *

A couple of hours in the ocean had worn Christopher out, so he was asleep by the time he pulled into the driveway and into the garage. Eddie’s truck was parked on the street but was empty. Since he had keys to Buck’s house, he figured he’d find his friend inside. That didn’t bode well for the date situation. By the time he’d parked and taken Chris out of the harness, the door leading into the house was opened, and Eddie was leaning on the frame.

“Hey,” Buck said as he passed Eddie Chris’ bags, crutches, and the tote he’d bought at the surf shop with all of their new stuff. “He basically passed out.”

Eddie nodded and pulled the door shut behind them. He followed Buck through the house and into the guest room that had been designed and furnished specifically for Christopher. Buck hadn’t pretended otherwise, so he’d let Chris pick the paint and the furniture. Together, they changed his clothes and tucked him in. Chris slept through the whole thing.

Buck put his glasses on the nightstand as Eddie tucked his crutches into a little hook he’d installed to keep them in place. Eddie walked away in silence as he pulled the door shut.

“What’s up with you?”

Eddie huffed and walked into the kitchen. “Tyler was pissy because Christopher wasn’t with me.”

“Weird,” Buck said. “I mean…having a kid in tow kind of takes sex off the table in those circumstances.”

“He said that he couldn’t see how the three of us were going to make a family if I was basically going to share custody of my kid with you. Then there was an argument about you, specifically, where he admitted that he found my friendship and work situation with you to be too much. He said one would have to give if he and I were going to be serious.”

Buck made a face. “Insecure much?”

“Right?” Eddie shook his head. “It also implies a distinct lack of trust on his part. I told him he didn’t get to make decisions for my kid, and he asked me if you were allowed to make decisions for Christopher. Well, I couldn’t really lie about it. So, I said yes, that you made decisions for Chris, could pick him up from school, and that you’re even listed as a second point of contact with his doctors.”

“I can imagine how that went over.”

“He said it was unhealthy and weird that I allowed you to intrude on my family, but that came after I told him I couldn’t meet with him on Saturday since I wanted to go to Abuela’s with you and that you were going to build some garden beds for her. He was really unimpressed with the fact that you actually have relationships with members of my family outside of me and said that my actual ex-wife was bad enough. Then made a few snide comments about my bisexuality and asked me how long I was going to fuck around with men before I married some woman to give my son a mother.”

“I really hope you told him to fuck off,” Buck muttered.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Eddie said. “I didn’t even stay for dinner. I picked up a sandwich and went to have a conversation with Bobby about the situation at the station. He said that he’s had his interview, and the union rep told him that he’d probably be suspended for another week, but since he hadn’t lied about his qualifications or his actual work product, they don’t have grounds to outright fire him without causing a big scandal. The LAFD apparently goes out of its way to avoid getting sued most of the time, especially when it comes to people of Bobby’s rank.”

Buck nodded. “What did he say about Chimney?”

“He’s really irritated, and I suspect Chim’s going to get cursed out. Also, Athena was stressed out because a judge’s house got bombed. She knew the judge.”

“I heard about it on the news on my way home this morning,” Buck said. “They were light on the details, which is understandable. Did you want to spend the night? I finally got the other guest bedroom set up.”

“Yeah, I noticed. I put my bag in there,” Eddie admitted with a laugh. “I just didn’t want to spend the night in my empty house.” He dropped down on the sofa and frowned at the dark screen of the TV, so Buck joined him. “I thought we were tight.”

“We are,” Buck said. “I’ve never had a better friend.” He paused. “But also, I’ve never had a friend so deeply uninterested in Instagram.”

“What?” Eddie questioned.

Buck laughed and pulled out his phone. He browsed quickly through his profile and found the pictures he only shared with people he followed, which were precious few. He found a selfie he’d taken with Sam in a nightclub and passed it to him. “That’s Sam. I have a whole bunch of pictures of him actually during that time period.”

“He’s….exceptionally attractive,” Eddie muttered and passed the phone back to him. “Where is he now?”

“Probably back in Peru. His job here was temporary, and he always planned to go back because he’s close to his parents,” Buck explained. “It was a good time, but not serious for either of us. He was the one to encourage me to go to the academy. He said that I was clearly interested in serving the public but that I probably wouldn’t find law enforcement fulfilling.”

“Well, I agree with that part,” Eddie said roughly. “I don’t make a habit of scrolling through your Insta, obviously. I don’t do that with anyone. I guess I should. Is Chris still mad at me?”

“No, he’s decided that you’re oblivious and you need an intervention,” Buck said and laughed when Eddie made a face at him. “But he was mad and hurt because he thought you’d lied to him. I realize that his therapist is focusing on Shannon’s abandonment, but he might also work on the betrayal aspect because that appears to be resonating for Chris in ways he probably can’t even figure out how to speak to.”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m kind of at a loss as to how to navigate all of that, if I’m honest. My parents are so damn happy about the divorce that they don’t want to hear a single thing about the consequences. My mother was actually baffled that Christopher was hurt about the divorce and even more upset about his mother’s second abandonment. She said he should be used to Shannon disappointing him. I told her to never say that shit again and that she couldn’t discuss Shannon with Christopher at all, ever. I’m going to have to supervise contact with my parents going forward, and that’s frustrating. I wish I could trust them to be decent about that situation.”

“Well, your mom is really invested in her own opinion,” Buck said. “And believes she’s always right.” He shrugged. “It’s easy to say that you should just ignore her, but I’m not the one she’s aggravating the fuck out of.”

Eddie slouched back on the couch and took a deep breath. “Did Ali have a problem with our friendship?”

“She was out of town so much that she was relieved that I filled up my spare time with you and Chris,” Buck said. “I imagine if she was at home a lot, then she might have eventually had a problem with it because I’ve canceled more than one date recently because Chris wanted to do something.”

“You don’t have to cater to him that way, Buck,” Eddie said roughly.

“I like sex,” Buck said. “And most of my dates are really just opportunities to get laid. Sex is easy to come by, but Chris is getting older by the damn day, and there’s going to come a point when he’s not going to be remotely interested in going to the zoo with me.”

“Don’t even say that,” Eddie muttered. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m taking him to see the penguins until he’s forty.”

Buck laughed. “When he’s forty, he’d be taking you to see the penguins.”

“Asshole.”

 

 

 

Chapter 2

He really didn’t want to answer the phone but figured that getting the post-fuck off call out of the way was only to the good. Eddie meandered out onto the back porch and stared at his grass. He needed to cut it but had no desire to do so. He’d mentally planned to cut it over the weekend but had instead spent his whole Saturday with Buck and Christopher. He didn’t regret it.

“Hello.”

“Eddie, hey.”

“I thought we’d already said everything we had to say, Tyler,” Eddie said and frowned as he pushed against a loose piece of the railing around the small porch. He made a mental note to fix that or maybe complain to his landlord about it. Normally, if he complained, the landlord would offer him a rent discount if he would fix it himself.

“I said some things I regret. Emotions were pretty high, so I thought we could have lunch today and talk about things? So, we can figure out how to go forward.”

“You said some things you’ve been thinking for a while but regret admitting to,” Eddie corrected. “Look, the bald truth is that I can’t have anyone in my life romantically who has a problem with my best friend. Buck has my back on and off the job. That kind of loyalty and friendship is really damned rare. He’s just a very good man, and I don’t know why you have such a problem with him.”

Tyler huffed. “Yeah, why would anyone have a problem with their boyfriend having a gorgeous and sweet best friend he’s clearly attracted to.”

“Buck’s not sweet,” Eddie scoffed. “And I don’t appreciate the implications of that. I’ve never cheated or lied to a partner, ever. I filed a legal separation from my wife when she abandoned me in the middle of the night before I considered going out with anyone. But none of that matters because even if I was willing to pander to that kind of insecurity in a partner, I certainly wouldn’t do anything to hurt my son, and Christopher loves Buck. He thinks the sun rises and sets on him, and I’m not sure if Buck could do anything to change that.” He nudged the railing again with his toes and frowned at it.

“I’m not insecure.”

“Yeah, okay.” Eddie cleared his throat. “You lost your temper with me last night, and I’m not willing to have any sort of relationship with someone who resorts to violence in an argument. I certainly wouldn’t want my son to think, for a moment, that intimate partner violence is okay.”

“I didn’t hit you.”

“Because I didn’t let you,” Eddie said shortly. “We both know you would have if I hadn’t made it clear that I’d kick your ass if you did. We’re just not going to work, Tyler. I’d suggest you move on, but you need to work on your temper before you try to date anyone seriously again. You spend a lot of time on your body but very little time on anything else, so get a therapist.”

“You don’t want to try to work this out? We have a lot of good going on, Eddie. If I have to tolerate your work husband, then I will.”

“I already told you that your temper is a deal breaker. I won’t have that kind of bullshit around my kid. I don’t want to hear from you again.” He hung up before Tyler could respond. His phone started ringing again immediately, so he declined the call, blocked Tyler, and sent Buck a text.

Eddie: Tyler called me

Buck: Jealousy gets ugly you know

Eddie: I do know. I won’t go back to that kind of situation. Besides he almost got violent with me.

His phone started ringing. Eddie huffed and answered it.

“What the fuck do you mean he almost got violent with you?” Buck demanded.

“He was yelling and waving his hands around, then he balled up his fist and took a step toward me. I put my hand on his chest and pushed him back. Then I reminded him that I’m trained for combat, and he’d be a moron to take a swing at me. He backed off.” Eddie took a deep breath. “I told him when he called that I couldn’t have anyone in my life that considers violence a solution to personal conflict. Chris deserves better from me. I’d never have anyone like that around him anyways, and I told Tyler not to call again.”

Buck exhaled loudly in his ear.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Buck muttered. “A guy that size could do a lot of damage. He has to be bench pressing upwards of 300 pounds.”

“He said 250 when he was bragging about himself the day we met,” Eddie said in amusement. “He could probably do more if he didn’t want to make it look easy. I’ve never seen him try all that hard when we were working out together.” He paused when Buck huffed at him. “Funnily enough, he made that same exact noise when I told him you were my workout partner at work.”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Eddie, but you have felony-level terrible taste. And I’m saying this as a man who once banged Taylor Kelly in a bar restroom.”

Eddie grimaced because he sort of hated Taylor Kelly a lot and thought she was heartless. Maybe she had to be to do the work she did, but he didn’t have to like it and really didn’t think Buck should have a thing to do with her. He had no room to judge, apparently, so he just stared at the loose part of the railing.

“Yeah.”

“Did you need me to come over?”

Eddie took a deep breath. “I’m okay.”

“Liar,” Buck said in amusement. “Did you talk to Chris about your assumptions and his lack of communication?”

“Yes, we talked after dinner though I could tell he’s still kind of put out with me. He was relieved when I told him that I wouldn’t see Tyler again. I guess I’m worried that he isn’t going to like anyone that I date.” He paused. “Tyler called you my work husband.”

Buck laughed. “That’s probably pretty accurate. We could poll the shift if you want.” He cleared his throat. “Maybe he’s right about the other thing.”

“What other thing?” Eddie questioned.

“Maybe you do spend too much time with me outside of work,” Buck said quietly. “I’m a needy bastard, I guess. I wasn’t in a good place after Maddie left. I understand she went through a lot, but it seems like she stopped making room in her life for me when she left home, and it’s hard to see her as family now as a result. This latest thing hasn’t helped. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not begrudging her whatever she’s feeling because the whole thing was awful. But she left, and I guess she doesn’t want my help. I’ve accepted that.”

Eddie went to the bench on the porch and sat. “You have a right to your feelings about how Maddie treated you, Buck. She went through something terrible, and I wouldn’t discount the trauma surrounding an abusive marriage and her own kidnapping and attempted murder. But…going through a lot doesn’t give you permission to treat everyone around you like shit. I’m not saying Maddie did that, but she clearly didn’t think about you or the mess she was leaving behind when she bailed on the life she built here.”

“Chimney clearly blames me for her running off,” Buck said. “But, hell, Eddie. I warned them both.”

“What do you mean?” Eddie questioned.

“I told him that Maddie was in a bad place and had come out of a terrible marriage. I didn’t know all the details, but it was pretty damn clear she wasn’t in the best place mentally when she got here. I told her that Chimney is a womanizer and lies to women like he breathes. They both ignored me, made a mess, nearly got killed, and now she’s fucked off to parts unknown, and I’ve got a co-worker pretending to be my boss who resents the fuck out of me for it.”

“I talked to Bobby about that last part on Friday,” Eddie said roughly. “I also told him that a bunch of complaints are going to hit HR about Chim’s behavior. Cosmo is furious because he got micromanaged so much that he didn’t complete his maintenance tasks on his shift. He ended up working ten hours with B shift just to catch up, Buck. Captain Montgomery on B reported that bullshit to the chief’s office.”

“Wow,” Buck muttered. “I was so mad about what he was saying and doing to me that I didn’t even notice. What did Bobby say?”

“He’s pissed, but he can’t do jack shit because of the suspension, and the bombing is stressing Athena out.”

“There was another one,” Buck said quietly. “I don’t know what to think about all of that. I talked to Isabel about packages and stuff. Told her not to pick anything up if she’s unsure of it. She said she wouldn’t order anything to be delivered to the house for the time being. I don’t think she’s at risk, but it pays to be careful.”

“Yeah, I sent her and Pepa both texts about it,” Eddie admitted and took a deep breath. “Serial bombers are a different breed, ya know. That kind of crazy knows no boundaries. I’ve considered keeping Christopher at home, but he enjoys school so much, and so far, only private homes have been targeted.”

“I get it. Well, we can work it out if you want Chris at home. We could take turns working if Carla can’t stay with him. I can help with her pay, too.” Buck cleared his throat. “I don’t like working without you, but the situation is nerve-wracking.”

Eddie had never really anyone so generous as Evan Buckley. It was kind of weird since he’d met the man’s sister, and it didn’t seem to be the norm for their family. In fact, Buck had never mentioned his parents, not even in passing. It’s not that Maddie Kendall was selfish, but she was certainly more self-involved than Buck had ever appeared to be. Maybe that was a function of her trauma, and he couldn’t discount that at all. He knew how much damage violence could do emotionally and mentally to a person.

“Will you tell me about your parents?”

“They’re…absent,” Buck said roughly. “I grew up in a home where I was treated like an unwelcome guest. The day after I graduated high school, my father asked me when I was going to find a place to live because he wanted to turn my room into a home office. My mother said I had money from my uncle’s estate and didn’t need them anymore, so I should just go. I went.”

“And your sister?”

“Maddie says they’re bad parents but good people, and the only time we’ve ever argued over it is when I told her that good people wouldn’t have kicked their seventeen-year-old son out of the house a week after he graduated high school. I turned eighteen in July of that year. Maddie had given me her old Jeep, which was for the best since I couldn’t rent a car and was worried about buying a used car from someone. I basically lived in that Jeep as I traveled since a lot of hotels wouldn’t rent to me because of my age, and I didn’t want to stay in the ones that didn’t check ID. I crossed over the border and into Mexico a week after I turned eighteen. Eventually, I ended up in Peru.”

“And you didn’t hear from Maddie until she showed up in your ex-girlfriend’s shower?”

“Right,” Buck said. “Anyways, I probably won’t see her again for another decade. She was really put off by Chimney’s fast friendship with Doug. And also, it was kind of weird that he never mentioned this new guy he was hanging out with. He rarely ever keeps his mouth shut about his personal life.”

“True,” Eddie said. “Well, he paid the price for that friendship. I was surprised that he requalified. He came back a lot quicker than I would’ve expected at his age.” He paused. “It makes me wonder, actually, about what kind of pull he has in the department. Does he have a closet full of someone else’s skeletons or something?”

“I heard that he has the grounds to sue the shit out of the department for a situation that was happening at the 118 before Bobby took over A shift. I don’t know much about that and never asked.” Buck paused. “Why did you ask about my parents?”

“I just wondered how you got to be who you are,” Eddie murmured. “Because you’re nothing like your sister.”

“I know my parents aren’t normal,” Buck said easily. “They’re so invested in their image that they actually appear very awkward and bizarre. It’s like they walk around with this thin veneer of good, but it’s transparent.”

“My parents only pretend to be reasonable in public,” Eddie said and grinned when Buck laughed. “And even then, it depends on the audience because sometimes my mother actually enjoys throwing a fit. She’s in her element amongst her own kind—I mean her sisters. She has a lot of support from her sisters and my cousins on that side. It’s one reason why I’d never move back to El Paso. She uses money to buy their approval and affection, really. They don’t dare disagree with her because the presents and various other luxuries will stop. Even my sisters fall prey to it on occasion. Adriana more than Sophia, but they’re both driving new cars that my parents bought.”

“What are your plans for the day?”

“I have to wash clothes and prep for the week—maybe I’ll cut the grass. You?”

“I cut the grass already this morning, and I’m about to wash the Jeep. Mowing the grass is one part of home ownership that makes me regret my life choices. I’m considering trading the Jeep in. It reminds me of Maddie, and recently that’s become stressful rather than sort of bittersweet,” Buck admitted. “I’m gonna run. I want to get the Jeep washed and dried before dinner.”

“Yeah.” Eddie took a deep breath. “See you in the morning.”

He tucked his phone away and headed into the house to find the laptop so he could send his landlord an email about a new back porch. Maybe he could get the man to agree to pay for a ramp installation.

* * * *

Buck walked through his empty house, checked all the locks as he strived to make a new habit, and set the security. He packed his work bag, put it on the bench by the front door then took his tablet to the living room so he could browse sites for furniture. He had another bedroom and an office to furnish. He’d bought the house on the cheap for the area because it needed work. So, he’d spent the first three months tearing up carpet, refinishing floors, and repairing walls since the previous owner had allowed his spoiled-rotten sons to trash the house.

Since Chris had mentioned that he might like a desk in the room he’d claimed for himself, he picked out a few and bookmarked them. He’d have to take some measurements before he actually made a purchase. He accidentally hit a picture in a suggested section of the website he was on and got a face full of baby furniture. With a huff, he backed out of it and considered clearing his browser cache to avoid an influx of baby-related ads on every single social media platform he visited.

He plugged the tablet into charge and walked away from it, more irritated than anything else. By the time he was sprawled on his bed, trying to go to sleep, he was leaning more toward hurt than irritation. Buck knew he was nowhere near the potential for a kid. There was no woman lingering in the background of his life where that kind of relationship potential existed. Adoption would take years, and it was a hard road for a single parent to take.

“I really want a baby,” he whispered and relaxed as if just speaking the words to the universe had relieved some of the pressure. Buck rubbed against his heart with a shudder and closed his eyes, then drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

Buck woke before his alarm went off, and that wasn’t his norm when he was not in the station house. The bed shifted, and he stilled. He took in a low, shallow breath as he realized he wasn’t alone in his bed, and that was alarming as fuck. The mattress shifted, and he opened his eyes. If things were about to get horrible, he was going to meet it head-on.

He stared, completely unprepared for what he was seeing. A tiny fey creature was sitting on the end of his bed, delicate blue wings flicking gently in the air behind them. Buck sat up carefully and pulled his feet up, so he didn’t touch her by accident.

She cleared her throat, and a tiny scroll appeared in her hand, which she unrolled. “Per order of Queen Eithne IV, High Ruler of the Fey Court, Evander Adiel Buckley’s heart wish is to be granted on this day, March 18, 2019.” A leather envelope with a shining gold clasp appeared between them. “As parenthood is the ultimate responsibility, the Fey Court has given you this privilege and duty only after careful consideration. Your pure heart and genuine love for the children already in your life mark you special and worthy.” She looked over the scroll at him and quirked an eyebrow. “For a human.”

Buck pressed a hand against his chest and took a deep breath as his gaze dropped to the envelope. “What do I do? I’ve never really…I didn’t think single parents could even get a wish baby, so I don’t know the process.”

“Less than one percent of wish baby deliveries involve a single parent,” the fey acknowledged, then returned her attention to the scroll. “Do you, Evander Adiel Buckley, accept the responsibility of parenthood and swear to provide the best possible care for your child?”

Buck wet his lips. “Yes, I do.”

She closed the scroll and stared at him. “Congratulations, it’s a boy.” She clapped her hands, and a basket appeared between them. “The envelope contains all the legal paperwork you’ll need to file a birth certificate. As you are a single parent, currently, the birth certificate has only one parent listed. If you marry, you can edit the birth record to include your spouse should you wish to. This is your decision and cannot be interfered with by any legal process. Once a second parent is chosen, that decision is final.” She frowned at him. “Choose carefully, Evander.”

The blanket moved, and Buck reached out hesitantly to touch the baby. He pulled the blanket covering the basket and took a deep breath as he stared at the baby. It was well known that wish babies were exactly ninety days old at the time of delivery, so the baby’s size and alertness weren’t a surprise. Blue eyes, like his own, blinked sleepily, and the boy yawned as he stretched his little body.

Buck took a deep breath, and tears welled in his eyes as he picked his son up.

“Are you all right?” the fey demanded. “They didn’t tell me you’d cry!”

Buck let his son rest on his chest and took a deep breath against soft blond curls. “You’ve never had anyone cry before?”

She stared at him. “This is my first delivery.” She crossed her arms. “There’s a survey in the packet. I hope you give me five stars despite your unexpected emotional instability.”

He laughed. “What’s your name?”

She scrunched up her adorable little nose. “I’m Ursa Nightriver of the Clan Leiron. I’ll be your case worker and contact within the Fey Court. Should you have a need for me, just say my name. Good luck, Evander.”

She popped away before he could suggest that she call him Buck. He took a deep breath as he was at a loss for what to do. He reached out for his phone but then hesitated. Eddie would be getting Christopher ready for school, and they had a good routine for that. Moreover, things had been stressful with father and son because of the assumed lie and the existence of Tyler. He didn’t want to pile things on Eddie as a result.

Buck focused on his son and found the baby staring at him intently. “Hello, I’m your papa. This is the weirdest day of my whole life.” The baby laughed. “How about I call you Wyatt?” The baby touched his face with one small hand, then smiled.

Buck just stared as he came to the realization that his life, as he knew it, would never be the same.

* * * *

His first call was to the human resources department with the LAFD to request emergency paternity leave. That process had gone pretty smoothly. Buck had sent them a copy of the birth certificate and the announcement he’d found in the packet via text. Since he didn’t want Eddie to hear that he was on paternity leave from anyone else, he called him after finishing with HR.

“Hey, where are you? Did you break down?”

“I’m at home,” Buck said. “Where are you?”

“In the parking lot, you’ve only ten minutes to get here, Buck, which isn’t great. Chimney is going to be a complete asshole about you being that late.”

“I’m not coming in at all. Look, can we FaceTime? I need to show you something.”

“Sure.”

Buck hummed a little when the call ended, and FaceTime went off. He stared at Eddie’s face. “What’s up with you?”

“If I’d known you were going to stay home, I’d have brought Chris to you,” Eddie said roughly and frowned. “What’s up? Are you sick?”

“I got a very big, life-changing surprise,” Buck admitted. “In the form of a wish baby, and I’ve been going a little crazy. Sorry, I should’ve called sooner.”

Eddie’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

Buck laughed. “Yeah, hold on a sec.” He shifted around on the bed and turned the phone, so Eddie could see into the basket. “He was awake when he first arrived but went to sleep when I was on the phone with HR arranging leave.” He laid down on the bed and turned the phone, so he could see his friend’s face. Eddie looked suspiciously bright-eyed. “Are you gonna cry? ‘Cause I already got judged hard by my case worker from the Fey Court for crying.”

Eddie laughed and rubbed his eyes a little, then cleared his throat. “Dios, Buck, this is amazing. Have you named him?”

“Wyatt.”

“I love it,” Eddie murmured and smiled. “Take a bunch of pictures and send them immediately. I can’t wait to see him tomorrow morning. Did you need me to do some shopping for you?”

“I need a car seat,” Buck said. “I can order groceries, and that’s next on my list. But I’m at a loss on the car seat front and wouldn’t want a stranger just picking one out for me.”

“I’ll research in my downtime and bring one with me,” Eddie said and checked his watch. “I gotta run. But I’m serious about pictures. Christopher is going to be over the moon.”

“Yeah?” Buck questioned. “He’s used to being the center of my attention, so I guess I’m worried about it.”

“He’s going to try to move into your house,” Eddie assured. “When he thought me and Shannon were going to get back together, he asked for a baby brother.”

“Stay safe,” Buck said with a grin. “And try to keep an eye on Chimney if you have a difficult scene. He’s a borderline glory hog and will push you guys on the regulations front if he thinks it will be newsworthy.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Eddie muttered. “Don’t pick up any weird packages or whatever, and verify your deliveries before you open the door.”

Buck started to respond, but the FaceTime call ended. He turned to his son, who was awake again and staring at him. “Eddie doesn’t know how to properly end a call. I figure the only reason he doesn’t get cursed out for it is because he’s good-looking.” He put aside his phone and used his fingers to brush curls back from the baby’s forehead. “I don’t know if I should call my sister. Maybe she’d want to come back to see you, or she’d see this situation as a project to avoid her own issues. Either way, she’d probably stress me out.”

Wyatt kicked his feet and waved a hand, so Buck gave the baby his fingers and took a deep breath. He’d never felt so much peace and contentment in his life as Wyatt wrapped his hand around his index finger.

 

 

Chapter 3

After he’d gotten as settled as he could, he’d called Bobby.

Thirty minutes later, Bobby and Athena showed up on his front porch. He motioned them inside. “I ordered groceries.” He bounced the baby gently as they stared, and Bobby made a face at him.

Buck laughed and offered him Wyatt.

Bobby took a deep breath as he took the baby. “Wow, Buck.”

“Wyatt Nathaniel Buckley,” Buck said and rubbed his head with one hand. “I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“We figured,” Athena said wryly. “Where is your information packet?”

“On the kitchen table. I filled out the name on the birth certificate, and this gold seal appeared on it. I called HR and requested emergency paternity leave and explained I had a wish baby delivery. They said I’d get ten weeks of leave.”

Bobby nodded as they moved to the open-concept kitchen. “They give you an extra two weeks with a wish baby because often it’s a complete surprise, and there’s been no preparation at all.”

“Harry arrived the day Michael and I were getting ready to take May to New York for a school trip,” Athena said. “Okay, you’ll want to file the birth certificate with the state and send a copy to LAFD’s HR department for record keeping. He’ll need to be added to your insurance. Fortunately, a new child is always a qualifying event no matter how it happens.”

“I didn’t know Harry is a wish baby,” Buck said, even as he focused on Wyatt, who was smiling brightly at Bobby. “I texted a picture of the birth certificate to HR for the time being. She said I can bring in an official copy when I can safely travel with him.”

“Well, at the time, that was pretty much the only way I was getting another baby.” Athena frowned a little as she continued to organize the paperwork. “Was your delivery smooth? My fey caseworker was ancient, jaded, and hilarious. You have a survey to fill out.”

“I was her first delivery,” Buck said. “She judged me really hard for crying, but I’m gonna give her five stars anyway.”

“Did you want us to go get you a car seat?” Bobby questioned.

“Eddie already claimed that duty,” Buck said, and the older man nodded. “Groceries will be here soon, and I’ve got a shopping cart going on Amazon.”

“Did you want a baby shower?” Athena questioned.

Buck shook his head. “Not exactly. I mean….” He frowned and sat down at the table with her. “Things haven’t been great with the team since Maddie left. Chimney is pretty invested in his circumstances and has bitched about her a lot at the station. It’s gotten hard to be around a lot of them, including Hen, because they don’t push back on his bullshit.

“I get that his injuries were significant, but it wasn’t Maddie’s fault. He’s pretty invested in blaming her at this point. She was really put off by his friendship with Doug, so even if she hadn’t left…I can’t see how she’d have remained friends with Chimney, much less allowed for anything else. It seems like he thinks that my sister owes him a relationship because of Doug’s behavior.”

“Yeah,” Athena said, even as Bobby frowned at them both. “It’s exactly what it seems like. I told Hen that she needs to stop enabling his ridiculous behavior and that Maddie Kendall doesn’t owe anyone a fucking thing because of her husband’s awful behavior.” She cleared her throat as she stacked the paperwork together. “I think leaving the way she did was badly done, but trauma makes us do things that we come to regret. She clearly never learned proper coping skills.”

“No, our parents much prefer to sweep everything bad under the rug and pretend it never, ever happened,” Buck murmured.

“Have you contacted them?” Bobby questioned.

Buck shook his head. “No, I haven’t spoken to my parents directly in ten years, and there’s nothing going on in my life that they deserve to be a part of. We had a text exchange a few months back, but I’ve blocked them both due to their behavior. Maybe they’d be decent grandparents, but they were awful parents, and I’m not going to give them the opportunity to be terrible…my son deserves better.” He cleared his throat. “So, I guess you guys get to be his grandparents unless you’re deeply opposed.”

Athena huffed, stood, and confiscated Wyatt from Bobby. “Try to keep me away.” She focused on the baby. “He’s beautiful, Buck.”

“That’s pretty much true for all wish babies, right?” Buck questioned.

“Well.” Athena shrugged. “Wish babies look like their parents, and sometimes that’s unfortunate.”

Buck laughed even as the doorbell rang. He picked up his phone and checked the camera. “My grocery delivery is here.”

Athena handed him the baby. “Let me get that.”

Buck stayed where he was as Bobby followed Athena out of the kitchen area. He didn’t figure he was any sort of target for the serial bomber, but arguing with Athena Grant was pretty much always a nonstarter. They returned shortly with the case of formula he’d ordered for Wyatt and the food he’d picked out for himself as well. He didn’t figure he’d get anywhere near a store for a few days.

“How about I make breakfast?” Bobby questioned. “Have you eaten?”

“I’d love breakfast,” Buck admitted. “I haven’t done a damn thing but stare at him since he arrived and shop for essentials.” He pressed a kiss to Wyatt’s forehead. “I can’t…believe I’m here in this moment.”

“Hey.” Bobby put a hand on his shoulder. “What’s going on, kid?”

“I….” Buck took a deep breath and blurted out, “Eddie’s divorce ruined my life.”

Athena laughed.

“It’s not funny, Athena,” Buck said hotly. “He’s running around dating assholes and calling me his co-parent! So, I was sitting here in my big, stupid, empty house last night, and I said I wanted a baby. I didn’t think it would actually be considered a wish. I mean, I’m stupidly happy about it.” He bounced Wyatt gently, and the baby cuddled against him. “But also, I’m freaked out, and I don’t even have a change of clothes or diapers for him. The grocery store I had a delivery from didn’t have an eco-friendly option, and I felt weird about buying regular disposables. There were two cloth diapers in his basket, so there’s that.”

“Well, I’ll go to the store while Bobby makes breakfast, then I have to go on duty,” Athena said. “We’ll get a few things for now, and you can make a big list for a real shopping trip, okay?” She patted his arm when he nodded. “And we’ll talk more about a baby shower. You’ll get asked a lot, so having a plan for it will just be less stressful. Wish babies bring out the best in people, honestly. They’re just lovely to be around, and people will want to help you. You’ve been honored by the Fey Court, Buck, as a single parent, and that is no small thing at all.”

Buck nodded. “Can you get a biodegradable diaper? I haven’t had time to research it, and I’m unsure if I have the time for cloth diapers plus, there will be childcare to consider. I’m not sure a daycare would be on board with cloth diapers. Maybe I need a nanny. I’m not sure which is the best choice financially. I’ll have to make a choice pretty quickly, though.” He exhaled slowly. “I’ve got some money that I inherited that’s in a trust. I was going to invest what was left after I bought this house into my retirement. I guess I need to make a different decision.”

Athena stared at him for a moment, then turned to Bobby. “Well, you get him figured out, and I’ll do a quick run to Target for the essentials. If you get anything else delivered, be very careful about picking anything up off the porch.”

“I’ll get him settled,” Bobby said. “Though I’m not sure what I can do about Eddie Diaz and his divorce.”

Buck blushed as they both laughed at him.

* * * *

“We’re short today and have been taken off the heavy rescue rotation,” Chimney said sourly as he stared at the tablet in his head. “We should have a replacement for Buck for the next shift. He’ll be gone for eight weeks on paternity leave.”

“Ten weeks,” Eddie interjected. “He had a wish baby delivery, Chim.”

Chimney rolled his eyes. “No way did Buck, of all people, get a wish baby, Eddie. Some one-night stand showed up at his house and dumped a baby on him. It probably isn’t even his, but he’s so needy that he won’t verify paternity.”

Eddie stared for a moment in shock and noticed that more than one person nodded their agreement. “So, you’re saying that Buck is defrauding the department?”

“What?” Chimney questioned.

“He reported a wish baby to HR, Chimney. He’ll have to prove it to get all the benefits he needs which includes ten weeks of paternity leave.” He waved his phone. “Bobby and Athena have both been to his house this morning. Bobby is still there helping Buck get supplies and stuff. So are you telling me that Buck has lied to HR, Bobby, and Athena about a wish baby delivery to avoid…what exactly? Accidental pregnancies happen, and they’re nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Well, it’s kind of irresponsible,” Chad Rogers muttered.

“No birth control is perfect,” Hen interjected. “And Eddie’s right—no way would Buck risk his job to get two extra weeks of paternity leave. Plus, he has no shame in his game, so he wouldn’t be at all embarrassed about an accidental pregnancy. He’d just step up and be the best possible dad. Buck’s great with kids, and he’s going to be an amazing dad.”

“Single parent wish babies are practically a myth,” Chimney protested. “What could Buck have going on that could possibly equal that sort of response from the Fey Court? Seriously? I don’t buy it for a minute.”

Eddie focused on his phone to avoid responding.

“No response to that, Eddie?” Chimney asked snidely.

“Buck is one of the most thoughtful, honest, and giving people I’ve ever met in my life,” Eddie said flatly. “He’s generous, sincere, and genuinely goddamned heroic. Of course, the Fey Court granted his wish despite the fact that he’s single. I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of their attention and magic.” He stood and tucked his phone into his pocket. “If we can’t do heavy rescue today, Cosmo, did you want to take the ladder truck offline and change the oil?”

“Probably a good idea,” Cosmo agreed and stood. “Did you get pictures?”

“I’ve got pictures,” Eddie assured. “He’s beautiful and practically glowing right now due to the residual magic of the delivery.”

“You can’t just take the ladder off duty without my permission,” Chimney interjected.

“I can take the whole house offline if necessary,” Cosmo retorted. “That’s the privilege of my actual rank, acting Captain Han.” He waved a hand. “And the only reason you’re even that is because I was on vacation when Bobby was suspended. I should call the chief’s office and complain. As the only damn engineer on the shift, I should be captain right now. Diaz, Carter, Rogers with me.”

Eddie followed. He noted that Carter and Rogers both scrambled up and trotted toward the stairs without even looking at Chimney. The older man was glaring at him, but he wasn’t intimidated. He was still a probationary firefighter, and Chimney had actually violated six regulations regarding his training and duties since he’d become captain. He had to think the man had actually forgotten that Eddie was still in his probationary year. Which meant Eddie had a lot of power over their situation, and it didn’t matter that Chimney failed to understand that.

Ten minutes later, Eddie slid under the ladder on a floor creeper and activated the light on his shoulder so he could see what he was doing. Draining the oil on an engine the size of the ladder was a long job, so getting that started as soon as possible was only to the good. He stared for a moment, a strange and familiar fear settling in his bones as he recognized what was clearly a bomb.

“Hey, Cos.” He looked down as Cosmo Fuentes squatted at his feet. “Pull me out, nice and slow.”

“Eddie?”

“Just do it,” Eddie said urgently and put both of his hands flat on his chest to avoid touching anything.

The moment he was free of the truck, he scrambled off the creeper. “We need to get everyone out as quietly as possible.”

“What?”

“There’s a fucking bomb on the truck. It might not be the only one, and it might have a remote detonator. If we call attention to our situation….” Eddie looked around. “He could be watching from anywhere on the street.”

Cosmo pulled Eddie away and motioned for Rogers and Carter to come down off the truck. “Come on. Eddie, grab everyone you can and go out the back. I’ll go talk to Chimney.”

Shortly, they were in the back parking lot, and Chimney was on the phone with the chief while Cosmo was working with dispatch. Since they weren’t sure if the bomber could be listening to the radio, Cosmo had called in as well.

“No, sir, I’m not sure. I didn’t see it,” Chimney said. “Firefighter Diaz found the supposed device under the ladder truck.”

Eddie exchanged a look with Hen because she looked appalled and insulted on his behalf. He’d wondered where her tolerance for Chimney would end, and he’d apparently pushed her right over the limit sometime after their shift started. It might have been the baby thing.

Eddie’s phone went off, so he answered it when Chimney waved at him impatiently. “Firefighter Diaz.”

“Chief of the LAFD says you’re an Army vet. You’re the one that handled the grenade last year, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“This is Stan Hobbs with the LAPD Bomb Squad. Tell me what you saw.”

“IED, less than an ounce of explosive based on the size of the metal container being used. The explosive could be anything, but homemade C4 is pretty easy to accomplish. Due to the structure of the vehicle and the amount of explosive—it doesn’t seem designed to blow it up entirely. It’s not even on the gas tank as I would’ve expected it to be. Driver side axle, near the wheel. If it goes off while the ladder is in motion, it’s probably going to roll it right over. In that circumstance, it is likely that anyone in the vehicle could get trapped in it. That’s a fish-in-a-barrel scenario, sir.”

“Agreed. The Army trained you for identifying and disabling IEDs, correct?”

“Yes, sir, that’s a part of basic training these days, but it’s been over a decade since I did that. It has a cheap cellphone attached to it. It may or may not have a trigger to prevent disarmament on the scene. If the bomber wanted the truck to travel, it probably doesn’t have any sort of instability trigger like the packages clearly did. I didn’t see a timer, but that doesn’t mean much. It looked…very much like devices I regularly saw in Afghanistan as examples that we should look out for in the field. I can’t say what that means for the identity of your bomber, though. Those things are easy to build.”

“Agreed. We’re five minutes out. We already have a squad car in front of the station to prevent anyone from entering. Don’t let anyone on your end come back into the building. You’ll be evac’d shortly.”

“Yes, sir.” Eddie tucked his phone away when the call ended. “Bomb squad wants us to stay here and wait for them to evac us. No one is allowed to go back inside until then.” He glanced around. “Rogers, don’t lean on the building.”

Chad made a face but moved away from the building. “Why?”

“If this asshole got one device into the building, there is no telling how many he planted,” Eddie said flatly.

“Do you have experience with IEDs?” Cosmo asked.

“Outside of training?” Eddie questioned, and Cosmo nodded. “Yeah, most of it was dealing with the aftermath. The first time I had to amputate a limb in the field was because of an IED. The soldier had too much debris on his leg, which was crushed, and we had a choice between leaving him and leaving just his leg. We left the leg.” Eddie paused due to the looks he got. “I wasn’t able to sedate him until we were in a vehicle leaving the scene.”

“You amputated a man’s leg without….” Chimney trailed off. “What the fuck?”

“In combat, pain is life,” Eddie said. “I didn’t have room to care if my patients were in agony. Getting them out alive was all that mattered. There were also times when we couldn’t afford to medicate or sedate someone who was injured. We might’ve needed them. If you can still hold and fire a gun, then you’d probably be required to do it no matter how much pain you were in.”

“That’s some cold shit,” Chimney muttered.

“Well, war doesn’t make room for compassion.” He cleared his throat as several squad cars pulled into the back parking lot. “Or mercy. I killed several insurgents after I was shot the first time. In fact, I didn’t go down until the third bullet.” He took a deep breath as Athena Grant left her SUV and came to them. “Athena, hey.”

Athena Grant glanced him over and sent a text. “Bobby and Buck are in the midst of a mutual conniption.”

“How’d they hear about it?” Eddie asked in confusion.

“I was doing a supply delivery when my radio went off,” she said sourly. “I barely got out of the house without Bobby. As it stands, we’re going to move you to the side parking lot. Personal vehicles are being inspected, and a team from the bomb squad is in the station looking at the device. Let’s go.”

Eddie pulled out his phone and sent Buck a quick text confirming he was okay. Buck sent him a series of exclamation points in response. No one had keys to their vehicles, so they ended up sequestered in a coffee shop down the street from the station during the search and bomb removal. He wasn’t all that surprised when Bobby pulled up and trotted into the café.

“Everyone okay?”

“Fine, sir,” Cosmo said. “We don’t know anything about the whole bomb situation, though. The LAPD closed this place down, so we can’t even order coffee. The staff is in the back.” He pursed his lips. “We’re currently contemplating putting Rogers to work since he used to work for Starbucks. What sort of charges would we face for that kind of coffee theft?”

Bobby laughed. “Let me ask Athena about retrieving your personal gear.” He focused on Chimney. “Walk with me, Chim.”

Chimney nodded and stood.

Eddie watched them leave and wondered how that was going to go.

“He’s in so much trouble,” Cosmo muttered.

“Why?” Chad Rogers questioned.

“He didn’t back Eddie’s assessment up with the chief,” Cosmo said. “It demonstrated a lack of trust on his part, and considering Eddie’s experience in the Army, he was the only one of us who could’ve made an accurate report on the matter. I’d have definitely noticed the foreign object attached to the truck, but I can’t say I would’ve recognized it was a bomb at first glance. He was barely under that truck fifteen seconds before I pulled him out.”

“Chimney doesn’t like to talk about my service at all,” Eddie said roughly and focused his gaze on the street. “He only ever asked once—and it was a pretty sarcastic question about whether or not I’d killed in combat. I told him that, of course, I had.” He took a deep breath. “They don’t give out Silver Stars for getting shot.”

“No, you got a Purple Heart for that, right?” Hen said, and Eddie nodded. “Three bullets?”

“Three bullets, partial shoulder dislocation, and three broken ribs,” Eddie said and cleared his throat at the noises several people made. “I was unfortunately still conscious when I got hauled to my feet, thrown over a shoulder, and carried to a helicopter. I passed out in the bird—the best passing out experience I’ve ever had. Ten out of ten would recommend.”

Cosmo laughed a little. “Jesus, Eddie.”

Eddie shrugged. “It’s all kind of blurred together, you know. I can’t say if that’s good or bad. I still see a therapist once a month. I had a flashback the first month I was home and scared the hell out of my kid. It was, honestly, more agonizing than getting shot to realize my four-year-old was afraid of me. It took months for him to stop watching me like I was going to explode.”

“He doesn’t seem to hold it against you now,” Hen said. “Clearly, he thinks the world of you.”

“He likes Buck more,” Eddie muttered, and Hen laughed. “I told Buck that Christopher will be thrilled about Wyatt, and I hope my kid doesn’t make a liar out of me.”

“Wyatt?” Cosmo questioned.

“That’s the name Buck chose,” Eddie said. “He had to fill out the birth certificate that came with the delivery packet. There’s quite a bit of paperwork involved in getting a kid, no matter how they come to be delivered.”

“Why was Chimney so convinced that Buck lied about getting a wish baby?” Cosmo questioned.

“He automatically thinks the worse of Buck in every single situation,” Eddie said shortly and raised an eyebrow when Hen made a sound of protest. “He blames Buck for practically everything wrong in his life, Hen, and you know it. It’s not Buck’s fault Maddie Kendall left LA. I can’t even blame her for that part. I’m not sure I’d want to stay here either.”

“I’d never stay in a city where someone tried to murder me,” Chad Rogers muttered. “I’d be living in Florida right now in her place.”

Eddie considered that. “I don’t mean to be rude, Rogers, but I don’t think you and Florida are a good idea. You’re a Florida Man incident waiting to happen.” He grinned when Rogers huffed, then sent him a pouty look. “We’d probably get interviewed during the investigation phase as former co-workers despite the distance. It would be awful and a waste of my time.”

He pulled out his phone and went back to the article he’d been reading about car seats.

“Eddie.”

He looked up and found Hen staring at him. “Yeah?”

“If you don’t show me a picture of that baby, I’m going to ruin your whole life,” Hen threatened.

Eddie grinned. “Sorry, I forgot.” He browsed the album he’d already created and handed her the phone.

“That is one pretty baby,” Hen said. “He could be a model.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said. “It’s kind of ridiculous.”

She flicked through several pictures with a small smile on her face. “He does have the magical glow. When does that fade?”

“My sister, Sophia, is a wish baby. I’m the youngest, so I wouldn’t remember, but my parents said she glowed for a little over a week. Part of it is protective magic, designed to keep the baby safe until he can be vaccinated. Do you think we’ll go back on shift?”

Hen shook her head. “We’re probably offline for this whole shift and half of the next, at least. They’re going to check over every vehicle multiple times, and they have to figure out which one of us was the target. It doesn’t really make sense. I can’t see what any of us have in common with a judge and an attorney.”

“And an insurance adjuster, apparently,” Cosmo said and waved his phone.

“And me,” Athena said, and they all turned to look at her. “Michael found a bomb on my front porch a half hour ago. The Bomb Squad got to it. The bomb on the ladder was for Bobby. We guess the bomber had no idea that Bobby wasn’t on duty, so he isn’t watching the station. He probably planned to lure you all out or set the bomb off during a call.” She motioned to them. “The station is cleared for the moment, but your shift is over. They’re going to keep it offline until they can go through every single inch of it. Captain Hobbs wants everyone but Eddie to leave.”

Eddie frowned.

“He won’t keep you long,” Athena assured. “He wants you to look at the bomb—since you said it was familiar to you. It’s been deactivated, and the explosive, which turned out to be C4, has already been removed. They assure me that you’ll be perfectly safe.”

“Okay.”

Shortly, he found himself back in the station, looking at the component parts of the bomb. They had a tablet as well that contained a dozen images of the bomb both on and off the truck.

“Where have you seen it before?” Captain Hobbs questioned.

“A training exercise—it’s very similar in design to IEDs we regularly found and destroyed in Afghanistan. I didn’t do much of that since I ended up training as a medic. I normally dealt with the aftermath. But we were all taught to recognize and respond to these kinds of devices. Considering the nature of the targets…well, it’s probably not terrorism, but you should bring in ATF if you don’t get a lead on your guy soon. He’s certainly downloaded some sort of terrorist handbook from the Internet. The method and materials he used to make the knock-off C4 will make finding the specific manual fairly easy. It might give you some insight into his mindset and figure out what’s next with him.”

Hobbs grunted his agreement. “Got a couple of major crimes detectives doing their thing on that point, and they agree—about the terrorism handbook. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“My experience is limited to a combat situation,” Eddie said.

“I like to get perspectives from experienced people,” Hobbs said. “It broadens my point of view.”

Eddie nodded. “I think you can expect a suicide bomber at some point. If he’s alone—it’ll be him. If he’s part of a group, then it will be the one that looks the most innocent and non-threatening. Women and children were favored for that duty by the Taliban.”

“Jesus Christ,” one of the men behind them muttered.

“Sorry,” Eddie said and glanced his way. “Here’s hoping we have a maladjusted white boy with delusions of persecution.”

Hobbs laughed a little. “Thanks for taking a look. Sergeant Grant told me we can’t keep you.”

“I’d like to go pick my kid,” Eddie admitted. “It’s been an awful day, and we didn’t do a damn thing to do with our job.”

Hobbs gripped his shoulder suddenly. “You saved some lives today, Firefighter Diaz. I’ll make sure your chief knows that. There’s no telling what would’ve happened with this bomb if you hadn’t seen it.”

“I lost a game of rock, paper, scissors,” Eddie said.

“What?” Hobbs questioned.

“That’s how I ended up under the truck,” Eddie said and grinned when several people around them laughed. “Cosmo is all about delegating that particular duty. But I’m glad it was me—one of the others might have touched it without realizing what it was.”

* * * *

Christopher was quiet as they left the school, which was disconcerting, so Eddie let it ride until they were at the truck, and he was buckling the kid in.

“Daddy, did Buck get hurt at work?”

“No, Mijo,” Eddie said. “Buck actually wasn’t at work today. We had something happen that took the whole station off-line, and I wanted to see you. Also, Buck has a surprise for you.”

“Yeah?” Christopher questioned. “What’s the big box in the back of the truck?”

“Something I picked up for Buck,” Eddie said. “You’ll see it soon enough.”

“Is it part of my surprise?”

“No, not exactly. I mean, it’s not a gift or anything.”

“Well, my birthday already passed, so I didn’t think I was getting another present so soon,” Christopher said reasonably. “Not that I would be upset to get another present. I like presents.”

Eddie laughed. “I like presents, too.”

“Are we going to see my Buck now?” Christopher questioned. “Can we get lunch, or is he cooking?”

“I’m picking up lunch,” Eddie said. “Did you eat your snack already?”

“Yeah, but not lunch. Can we get pizza?”

“Buck asked for Indian. Is that okay?”

“That’s good, too. Can I have chicken curry and samosas?”

“Already ordered,” Eddie said. “It should be ready for pick up when we get there. You have three worksheets to do for the classes you’re missing, plus you have a couple homework things. Nothing much.”

“I’ll have plenty of time,” Christopher said. “It’s a good surprise, right?”

“I think it’s an amazing surprise,” Eddie admitted. “And Buck is really, really happy about it, so we hope you are, too.’

“Well, if you’re both happy, then I’m happy,” Christopher declared, and Eddie grinned.

“Yeah?”

“Of course,” Christopher said like it was obvious. “What happened at work? Was it about the guy with the bombs? People were talking about the bomber at school. Stacie’s mom is a police officer, and she said that her mom was worried about going to work.”

Eddie grimaced because he really wished other parents were better about monitoring themselves and what they said in front of their children. He didn’t want to coddle his son, but sometimes Christopher heard shit at school that no kid needed to know about.

“There was a…device at the station, but it didn’t go off, and no one was hurt,” Eddie admitted and glanced in the rearview mirror to gauge his son’s reaction. He didn’t think he could afford to outright lie about the situation because it would certainly make the news, and things felt fragile with Christopher. “The LAPD is handling it and searching the whole place, so we’ll be safe.”

Christopher met his gaze in the mirror with a frown. “You guys need security cameras. We have cameras in the school, ya know. They watch us all the time. Stacie says it’s like being in prison. She calls the classrooms cells.”

Eddie laughed before he could help himself. He wondered if he could get Christopher transferred out of Stacie’s class because she was a deep well of information that he didn’t think his son needed.

“Plus, we get moved around the place in groups by teachers like prisoners. And we have an exercise period like prisoners. And eat in groups in the cafeteria like prisoners.”

Eddie found he couldn’t argue with any of that. Also, he figured that Stacie Whitcomb was the most jaded eight-year-old alive.

“Stacie says that our food is probably better, but I’m not so sure,” his son continued. “Anyways, school is just like a prison.”

“More like a work camp,” Eddie said and laughed when Christopher huffed.

“I like school. Not sure I’d like a prison. But I’m a good person, so I’m safe from prison.” He paused. “Right?”

“Right,” Eddie said and pushed any thoughts to the contrary aside.

One day, sooner than he’d like, his son would figure out just how unfair the world was. That was disheartening thought, and he wasn’t ready to start down that road.

* * * *

Buck opened the door before Christopher even made it up the short ramp they’d installed on the side of his front porch. “Hey, Superman.”

“Buck!” Christopher smiled. “Daddy is getting the food. Plus, he got you a big box. I don’t know what’s in it. He says you have a happy surprise for me!”

Buck took a deep breath and nodded. “Yep.”

“Great,” Chris said and stopped to shrug off his backpack at the door. “Daddy says there was a bomb at work. I think he’s a nervous wreck, but he’s pretending he’s fine. Should we let him pretend?”

Buck considered that. “For now, but I’ll corner him later and make him have an adult conversation about it. Okay?”

“Okay,” Christopher agreed. “I’m ready for my surprise.”

Buck nodded and led Christopher into the living room where he’d set up the Pack ‘n Play that Athena had brought to him. He’d asked for the receipt, and she’d told him to fuck off. So, there was that. They both stopped by the multi-use cot that Buck was still figuring out, and Christopher stared in shock.

“Oh my gosh, Buck. Where did you get a baby? Where’s the mommy?”

“He’s a wish baby,” Buck explained. “So, he doesn’t have a mommy. Just me for the moment.”

Christopher leaned in and stared. “What’s his name?”

“Wyatt.”

“Wyatt,” Christopher said with a smile. “Wow, that’s so great. The only wish baby I’ve ever met is Tia Sophia.”

“Well, you probably go to school with some,” Buck explained. “And Harry Grant is a wish baby.”

“Really?” Christopher questioned, wide-eyed. “He’s never said. But I guess I wouldn’t talk about it much. People can get weird sometimes if you’re different from them.” He focused on Wyatt. “This is so awesome, Buck. When will he wake up?”

“Probably in an hour. He just had a bottle, but he doesn’t seem to stay down long,” Buck said and looked up as Eddie entered the living room. Bobby had assured him that Eddie was fine several times, but seeing him allowed the last of his anxiety over the near-bombing of the station to recede. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Eddie murmured and set the box down. He had a white bag of take-out looped on his wrist. “I picked him up before lunch, so we should get some food into him before he turns into a monster.”

Christopher laughed.

* * * *

Eddie took a deep breath as he picked Wyatt up for the first time. The baby had started crying near the end of lunch, and he was finished, so he got up and trotted off to retrieve the newest person in their life before Buck could.

“Hey, kiddo,” Eddie murmured against soft blond curls. “I had a terrible morning, so I’m really glad to meet you.”

“You okay?” Buck questioned as he appeared at his side.

Eddie exhaled slowly as a hand settled on the small of his back. “It was…I found it.”

“What?”

“Cosmo and I were being contrary to fuck with Chimney, so we decided to do the oil change on the ladder two weeks early, and I lost rock, paper, scissors. So, I ended up under the truck on a creeper. I turned on my light and got a face full of a bomb.” Eddie closed his eyes briefly as the baby curled against his chest and fisted a little hand in his shirt. “I’m grateful we found it and, honestly, if it was going to be anyone under that truck—it was best if it were me. One of the others might have touched it or reacted badly.”

“Come back into the kitchen,” Buck urged. “Christopher thinks you’re going to freak out.”

Eddie huffed a little. “I’m not in that place, promise.”

Buck nodded, and Eddie hoped that equaled belief. He went back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Buck went back to his food, and Christopher stared for a moment before returning to eating.

“I’m okay, Mijo.”

Christopher chewed slowly as he nodded. “I guess…I’m worried that you’re going to have bad feelings about the time you were in the Army.”

Wyatt fidgeted a little, so Eddie turned the baby so he could see the other people in the room, and the boy relaxed utterly in his hold. Buck huffed a little.

“What?”

“He was doing that weird stiff, jerky thing when I was holding him earlier. I didn’t realize he just wanted to see Athena and Bobby, who were talking with me as Bobby put together the bassinet thing.”

“At this age, his perspective is pretty narrow,” Eddie said. “What he sees exists, so hearing people talk around him but not seeing them would probably be uncomfortable even if he doesn’t recognize it. My mom always said that Sophia was very aware of her surroundings and curious about the people around her. Maybe it’s about the magic that creates wish babies. There’s a reason they come to you already ninety days old, though I don’t think the court has ever really explained it fully.”

Buck nodded.

“It’s okay to make mistakes,” Christopher said. “He won’t remember. I don’t remember any of Daddy’s mistakes.”

Eddie grinned. “Maybe I was perfect.”

“Well, how’d you get like this, then?” Christopher asked, and Buck laughed. “Is it Grandma’s fault?”

“Absolutely,” Eddie said and laughed when his son giggled. “The privilege of adulthood is blaming your parents for your ongoing mental health issues.”

Christopher nodded slowly. “Something else to look forward to. Buck already told me I’d have to start taking you guys to the zoo when I’m forty.”

Buck shrugged when Eddie sent him a look. “Just trying to get on his schedule as quickly as possible, Eds.”

 

 

Chapter 4

“How are you doing?” Eddie asked.

Buck tucked the bottles he’d unpacked into the top rack of the dishwasher as he considered that question. “A little overwhelmed but fine. You’re the one that broke up with a boyfriend and got a bomb in his face in the same week. How are you?”

“Surprisingly okay, and the relationship with Tyler wasn’t going to last—Abuela couldn’t stand him, and I didn’t like him enough to even invest in figuring out why.” Eddie closed the lid on the basket that held the nipples and passed it his way. “Top rack for these, too.”

Buck tucked the basket into the rack, which left him no room, so he filled the bottom with their dishes from dinner, then started the machine. “I guess I’m confused by that. You’ve been seeing him for a while.”

“I tried to take it seriously,” Eddie said. “But he was overtly put off by you from the start, and it quickly turned into jealousy. It wasn’t something I was going to be able to deal with long-term, and I should’ve stopped seeing him as soon as it became clear. That kind of insecurity can get weird and dangerous.”

Buck nodded. “He has no reason to be jealous of me.”

Eddie made a face like he didn’t agree, which gave Buck pause. He raised an eyebrow, and Eddie shrugged.

“He really couldn’t compete with you on any level, Buck. I don’t see a situation where I would’ve ever chosen him over you, no matter the circumstances. Which certainly means I shouldn’t have been dating him. Tyler didn’t even get my full attention when I was fucking him.”

Buck huffed. “Eddie, you’re a real asshole.”

Eddie laughed. “I mean, that’s rude, but the sex was just okay, and several times my mind wandered a bit. He didn’t notice, and I never use anyone’s name in bed, so it isn’t like I made that sort of mistake. It’s just on any given day, I’d rather be with you than him.”

That sounded like some kind of confession, and Buck wasn’t sure they were in the right place to have an actual conversation about their relationship and where it could possibly go in the future. Eddie must have realized it, too, because the man cleared his throat and went to the fridge. Buck said nothing as he pulled out a couple of beers and opened them. Buck accepted one of the bottles.

“Well, I prefer you over other adults in my life, too.” Buck took a sip of the beer and leaned on the counter. “I’ve never had a better friend, and maybe that’s a function of our partnership on the job. It’s hard to build that kind of trust outside of life and death situations.” Eddie nodded. “Also, we should figure out how your observation skills as so bad. Your sort-of boyfriend clearly knew I was bi, and he met me once.”

Eddie frowned. “He never mentioned your sexuality.”

“And yet he was jealous of me,” Buck said wryly. “If he thought I were straight, he’d have never been concerned about our friendship, Eddie. You were giving him a great deal of time outside of work. Maybe less than he wanted, but he really didn’t account for Christopher, and any noise he made about getting to know him was just an act.”

“Chris set some serious boundaries with him,” Eddie admitted. “And it put Tyler off when I backed him up, and that was reason enough to stop dating him right there. I just let it ride.”

“Or you let him ride your dick,” Buck muttered.

“Well.” Eddie shrugged. “Not exactly like that. I’ve never let a male partner on top of me, and even women were rare on that front.” He wet his lips. “I normally like as much control as possible in bed.”

Since that was an immense turn-on, Buck huffed a little and walked out of the kitchen. Eddie followed. He walked into the only bedroom left to be decorated in the house. There was a half bed in it and a dresser he’d had in storage. It was across the hall from his own bedroom, so it was easily the best choice for a nursery. The only issue he had was the pair of French doors that led out into the backyard.

“I might need to rearrange my whole house,” Buck muttered as he stared at the doors. “I realize that no matter how I look at it—these things are a security risk. But it seems crazy to put him in here.”

“Well, you can keep him in your own bedroom for the time being,” Eddie said. “We can replace the glass in the doors with a shatter-resistant option. But honestly, doors like these aren’t designed to be a deterrent when it comes to a home invasion or break-in.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he considered it. “A new security system is probably in order—with monitoring for glass breaking and unauthorized entry. Motion sensors outside. Is that in your budget?”

“I can take it out of the trust,” Buck said. “I haven’t touched much of that money since I moved it into a living trust. My parents were real jackholes about the second inheritance, and my father ordered me to cut him a check for the full amount as I shouldn’t have received any money from his mother’s estate since I hadn’t seen her since I was seventeen. I honestly never expected to see a penny because she didn’t appear to like me at all. As it turns out, she hated everyone, and she hated me the least, so I got everything.” He shrugged. “And her will was practically a tactical nuke. I even got her life insurance. She also mentioned that she understood exactly why my maternal uncle gave his money to me as I was the only decent human being in the whole damn family.”

Eddie snorted. “I’m surprised they didn’t sue you.”

“Oh, that would be a scandal, and my parents couldn’t ever allow that,” Buck said. “They’re very invested in their own image. When my father realized that I wasn’t going to give him the money or share it with Maddie—he disowned me. Both of my parents blocked me on social media about six months ago. Not that it matters because I wasn’t following them and ignored them as much as possible.”

Eddie huffed a little. “And I thought my parents were a nightmare.”

“Your parents are a nightmare,” Buck said. “Toxic is toxic, in the end.”

“You could have the doors replaced with a window which wouldn’t be much different as far as security risks are concerned,” Eddie said. “Without major structural changes, the security system is the best option. Did Maddie complain about the will?”

“No, the estate was settled just two weeks after she was kidnapped by Doug, and she was way too busy dealing with that and didn’t have room for anything else. Everything was finalized after she left, and she hasn’t responded to a text in weeks. I haven’t told her about Wyatt. I don’t think I will.”

“Wow.”

“Is that terrible?”

“It’s terrible that she’s so traumatized that she can’t see what she’s losing,’ Eddie said. “I hope she gets therapy, Buck. She’s giving up a lot of good to avoid dealing with the bad. Maybe that’s how your family works, but it’s not healthy, and I learned that the hard way.”

“You mean Shannon?”

“Yeah, I handled all of that terribly from the very start, but I was basically indoctrinated to believe that life is meant to be endured and that being personally miserable is perfectly okay as long as my mother is happy. My father invests a lot of personal resources into enabling the hell out of her, and the rest of us followed suit. I let it destroy my marriage, and Shannon will probably never forgive me. Up until very recently, my mother was determined to get custody of Christopher.”

“What changed?”

Eddie winced and took a sip of beer. “Chris had a bit of a meltdown at her in the middle of dinner at my abuela’s house and told her exactly what he thought of her behavior and ableism. He told her she was being hateful and needed therapy. She responded by giving him the silent treatment like she used to do me, but he honestly didn’t give a single fuck. When she did it to me, as a child, I’d beg for her attention and forgiveness. Most of the time, I hadn’t actually done anything wrong.”

“Chris doesn’t beg for anyone’s attention,” Buck said.

“Yeah, my father tried to tell him he should apologize, and Chris told him that he wasn’t going to be his grandmother’s emotional support animal. My mother started crying, and Chris just shook his head and asked to go home.”

Buck snorted. “Eddie.”

“He was just done,” Eddie said. “And I shouldn’t have let it go on as long as it did. I was just…floored by his behavior. On the way home, he said that he needed to set really firm boundaries with his grandmother because she wasn’t healthy to be around. So, I’ve signed us both up for more therapy, and I’ve asked about some sessions with us both because I want to make sure he’s comfortable telling me anything.”

“Good,” Buck said. “So, your mom isn’t harping about taking custody now?”

“No, I think she’s waiting for him to apologize. It’s not going to work out like she wants in that regard, either. I told her I wouldn’t allow her to emotionally blackmail my son.” Eddie grimaced and looked out the doors. “We should get some thick curtains to cover these as well. That way, no one can peek over the privacy fence and see into this room. What are you thinking on the childcare front?”

“I’m going to hire a nanny,” Buck admitted. “I figured I’d ask Carla for a recommendation. And probably supplement with a daycare center; there are several that are open twenty-four hours for shift work. I’ll have to research and figure out which one has the best reputation and ratings.”

A soft cry caught his attention, so he left the empty room in favor of his own bedroom, where they’d tucked the Pack ‘n Play. He picked Wyatt up, and his son slouched against his chest with a little huff.

“I’ll get him a bottle,” Eddie offered from the doorway.

“Thanks—he needs a change, and we can meet in the living room.”

One horrific diaper experience later, Buck settled on the couch with Eddie and accepted the bottle. Wyatt sprawled across his lap and arm as soon as he was offered a bottle.

“Are all babies this easy?

“No,” Eddie said with a laugh. “Wish babies are special in that regard, but mom said Sophia was a real nightmare as a toddler. Wyatt came to you stress-free, already content, and feeling safe. He imprinted on you magically the moment you touched him, so…you’re the most comfort he can get at this age. He’ll bask in it.” He shifted around on the couch to watch them. “I browsed your whole damn private Insta while I was sitting in that coffee shop waiting for the Bomb Squad to release us.”

Buck grinned. “See anything you want an explanation for?”

Eddie shrugged, which confused Buck. “It’s just…I feel weirdly off-stride about this whole thing. I thought I had you figured out and that we were good.”

“What’s the name of the person I dated before Ali?” Buck questioned.

“There’s a huge gap in your Insta between Abby and Ali,” Eddie said. “But I assume you had hookups in that time period that wouldn’t make the cut for Insta.” Buck nodded. “The gap lines up with you meeting Christopher and me. I don’t know what to make of that.”

“There isn’t much to make of it,” Buck assured. “Abby ghosted me from Europe, and it hurt a lot to have my trust abused that way. I thought we’d at least remain friends, but she just blew me off entirely. That was hard to take. You and Chris filled up a space that had been empty for me for a very long time—since I gave up trying to be a family with my parents and sister. Sex is easy to come by, Eddie.”

Eddie nodded. “Especially when you look like you.”

Buck flushed. “Or you.” Eddie shrugged, so he focused on Wyatt, who was staring intently at him. “Now there’s this sweet brand new life in my hands, and I’m not sure what to do.”

“You do what you always do—the best you can,” Eddie said easily. “And frankly, in your case, that’s always enough. If you post about him on your private Insta, your sister will see it.”

Buck shook his head. “I unfollowed her yesterday afternoon. My parents were never on the list, and that won’t ever change. If they find out, they find out, but I won’t allow those two assholes to be in my son’s life. They rarely bothered to pretend to like me as a kid. I wouldn’t subject my child to that.”

“And Maddie?”

“She’s my sister, and I love her, but I’m not going to let her trample all over my son’s heart,” Buck said roughly. “She needs to learn how to deal with her issues instead of running away from them, and I don’t have the emotional resources to figure that out for her. I also unfollowed Chimney. I’m fed up with his bullshit, and if something doesn’t change, then I’m going to have to consider a transfer.”

Eddie took a deep breath. “Can you wait on me? I’m almost through my probationary period. When I first joined the LAFD, I figured I’d start working on additional certs after the first year and gradually work my way toward SAR. You’re already in the reserves for them, and that’s appealing to me as well.”

“You’d come with me?” Buck questioned.

“I don’t like working without you,” Eddie said roughly. “I trust most of the team, but I know you’ll do everything you can to help me come home to my son, and I depend on that trust every single time we roll out.”

Buck understood that better than he ever had before. “I get it, and yeah, we can try to transfer together. We have a good reputation with other houses as a team, and that will play in captains willing to take us both. We should talk to Bobby, I guess.”

“He’s not been around for the worst of it,” Eddie said. “And I want to think he’ll have your back, Buck. He clearly cares a great deal about you. One of the first things I heard when I started with the 118 was that you were the captain’s favorite.”

Buck grimaced and focused on his son. “Well, that started because he unfired me.”

“Unfired you,” Eddie repeated in amusement. “You mean that thing about taking the fire engine in maintenance for a sex tour?” Buck blushed. “Most everyone finds that story funny as hell, you know. Also, the only person I’ve ever heard complain about it was Chimney. Even Bobby laughed the last time it came up. Then he said something cryptic about you finally getting to use your axe.”

Buck huffed. “The woman had a giant ass snake wrapped around her, and it was going to kill her before we could sedate it. So, I cut its head off. Totally gross and awful, actually. It was just doing what nature demanded of it, and keeping a snake of that size required more care than she was capable of giving. She confessed to me that she couldn’t even lift that snake and depended on it doing what she said.” He sent Eddie a look when the man laughed. “Seriously. Great sex, though.”

Eddie laughed.

“And Chimney’s bitter about that because he gave her his number so she could call him if she had any concerns.” Buck rolled his eyes. “Despite her dumb ass behavior regarding exotic pets—she had a finely honed bullshit detector and wouldn’t give a dude like Chim the time of day. Some people just dig honesty and sex. It’s something I figured out early that I could provide in spades, and it made life much easier.”

Eddie nodded.

“Was it the only reason?” Buck questioned and was relieved when Eddie didn’t look like he was going to deflect or pretend to not understand the question.

“I don’t pursue people I believe to be unavailable,” Eddie said. “And I didn’t want to risk our friendship by pushing it when I really did believe you were straight. I didn’t think you’d get weird or homophobic about it. It’s just…you’re important to me, and it would break Chris’ heart if I did something to fuck up with you and….” Eddie huffed. “You get it, right?”

“Yeah, of course, and if you fucked up so badly, I didn’t want to see you—Carla would arrange visitation for us,” Buck said and grinned when Eddie laughed. “Chris really wouldn’t accept us not working our whatever issue we might have, you know. His therapist has ruined him.”

“Or something,” Eddie muttered and focused on the baby. “I should call mom and ask her if Sophia was always this chill.”

Buck looked down and found Wyatt just staring at him intently. He pulled the empty bottle away. “Sorry, buddy, I hope you didn’t get a lot of air. My shirt will pay the price.”

Eddie plucked a hand towel from the stack Buck had put on the coffee table. “Let me?”

“Yeah, of course,” Buck said and handed Wyatt off for burping with some relief. He wasn’t great at it and was certainly going to work on it, but there was no need for his kid to suffer through his terrible technique at bedtime.

Eddie relaxed back against the couch and let Wyatt rest on his towel-covered shoulder. “If it matters, I think you should tell Maddie before it crosses Chimney’s mind to text her and tattle. I don’t know how much communication they have, but he’ll certainly meddle in your business if given an opportunity. There’s no telling what narrative he’ll give. He tried to convince the whole damn shift that you really hadn’t had a wish baby delivery and were lying about it.”

Buck huffed. “You know most people change for the better after a life or death situation—he’s had two and came out a bigger asshole each fucking time. Fortunately, one of the first things she did when she bailed was change her phone number. Only a few people have it.”

He left the sofa and took the bottle into the kitchen to rinse. He’d already learned a lesson about leaving even a small bit of formula in a bottle. It was awful. When Buck returned to the living room, Eddie and Wyatt looked precariously close to falling asleep together. It was a sweet image, and it made him think about what kind of future he could have with Eddie. He didn’t know what the man would allow and how invested Eddie was in their friendship remaining exactly as it was.

He slid onto the sofa, and Eddie turned his head to stare at him. Buck could say with some certainty that his best friend had never looked at him like that—the intensity was exciting. He wet his lips, and Eddie exhaled slowly. Wyatt shifted on Eddie’s chest and curled against him with a little huffy sound.

“My heart rate increased,” Eddie said and shifted the baby around. “You should look up skin to skin. He’s not too old to get some benefit out of it, and he’s clearly attuned to that sort of thing since he noticed a change with me, and I’ve barely held him.”

“I’ll research it,” Buck murmured and took his son when Eddie offered him. Wyatt tucked his face against Buck’s neck and curled a hand into his T-shirt. “Tell me about the bomb.”

Eddie grimaced and glanced toward the pair of empty beer bottles that were on the coffee table. He cleared his throat. “It was horrifying. I felt rattled and out of place, right down to the fucking bone. Those things were an everyday threat when I served in the Army. I treated more injuries related to them than I’d ever want to speak to. An IED can destroy lives on many different levels, and sometimes outright death is the least of it. The destruction is stomach-churning on a physical level. I saw men and women blown into different pieces in theater, Buck, because of a device just like the one on the ladder truck.”

“Do you think you’re going to have nightmares?” Buck questioned.

“Maybe, I don’t know. I wasn’t…I didn’t want to be alone tonight with Chris. I scared him once when he was younger, and it was more agonizing than getting shot.” He cleared his throat. “So, I guess we are here for the buffer, and I wanted to meet your son. I’m so happy for you, Buck. Seriously.”

Buck smiled. “It’s crazy and doesn’t feel real at all.”

“Well, any sort of delivery does that,” Eddie admitted. “When Christopher was born, I walked around in a haze for days. It wasn’t great, considering my mother’s bullshit. I let Shannon down a lot as a husband. I worry about it.”

“Your mother messing with me?”

“Letting you down,” Eddie said frankly. “I’m a great friend, Buck, but I’m a terrible romantic partner. You could do so much better than me, and I know it. Moreover, I don’t know what you want, and I feel weird and stuck in my feelings over here.”

Buck made a face at him. “You’ve been ruining my life since I set eyes on you.”

Eddie laughed, clearly startled.

“Seriously. You just sort of invaded with your stupid face and amazing kid. Honestly, I’m normally put off by guys with your looks because…most of the time, they’re dicks.”

“You’re being so mean right now,” Eddie muttered.

Buck shrugged and took a deep breath. “But you aren’t a dick, and that was annoying. Honestly, you could get so much ass on the job, and you rarely bother to take numbers to throw away later. It was startling at first then we found out you were married and figured that was it. Except, your marriage was basically over, and you still didn’t seem to give anyone the time of day. Taking you to a bar was eye-opening, to say the least. Hen wanted to sit you down and quiz you because she was half-convinced that you were ace. She was worried that we were making you uncomfortable just being ourselves.”

“Shannon’s only the second woman I’ve ever slept with,” Eddie admitted. “I mean—I was attracted to her, and I loved her. So, I wasn’t forcing myself to be something I’m not. It’s just my bisexuality leans more toward men, and I’ve never had a man offer his number on the job. I might have taken it depending on the circumstances and the person.” He cleared his throat. “And yours leans toward women, so that’s a concern.”

“Well, that’s not actually accurate,” Buck admitted. “I don’t have a lean at all, and I’ve started to wonder if I’m more pansexual than anything else. I don’t worry about gender much at all when it comes down to it. I just like to get off in a consensual and safe manner with another person.” He stood. “Let’s put him down, and if you’re going to have a nightmare, you should stay in my room with me. I can help contain you before Christopher hears it that way.”

Eddie nodded, clearly weary. “Yeah, okay.”

By the time Buck had Wyatt tucked into the Pack ‘n Play, Eddie had come into his bedroom with a duffel. He’d changed for bed already, so Buck grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and went into the bathroom to handle changing and brushing his teeth.

In the bedroom, Eddie had settled on the right side of the bed, leaving Buck with the side closest to the baby. He appreciated that since he knew Eddie actually preferred to sleep on the left. Buck turned off the light, sat down on the bed, and plugged in his phone to charge.

“Eds.”

Eddie exhaled slowly. “Yeah.”

“Come here,” Buck murmured and tugged his friend close as they slid under the covers. “It’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know how to get where I want,” Eddie muttered against his shoulder. “Also, if you’d gone to work today—we’d have never taken that fucking ladder offline and found the bomb. I can’t imagine where we’d be right now. If we’d be here at all.”

Buck pulled him closer and inhaled against his hair. “Sounds like a nightmare in the making for everyone involved.”

“Even Rogers was kind of freaked out. Chimney acted like I didn’t know what I was talking about with the chief,” Eddie admitted. “It was infuriating. I’m just grateful the man running the LAPD’s bomb squad took me seriously despite Chim’s lack of confidence.” He threw an arm over Buck’s chest and settled against him completely. “I want you. I figure everyone has known it for a while except for you. I don’t want to lose your friendship, so if you tell me it’s a bad idea—I’ll deal with it.”

Buck had rarely ever had such a frank confession thrown at him. He didn’t know what to do with it because there had been so many changes in his life in just the space of a single day, and now Eddie was offering him something he’d wanted for ages.

“I’m not saying no,” Buck said. “But…we need to take it slow and have some really serious conversations about what it would mean to have that kind of relationship. The kids need stability, right? We can’t give that to them if we’re making a giant mess of things.”

“Yeah,” Eddie murmured. “Okay.”

“And I…I’ve pretty much always wanted you. Since the day we fucking met, so that’s not the issue at all.”

“You were such a jackass that whole damn day,” Eddie said in amusement. “Hen told me that you were an angel normally and that I shouldn’t take it personally, but it was hard when you were looking at me like I’d ruined your life by existing.”

“I was all up in my head about Abby, then Bobby introduced you, and I didn’t even know he was in a hiring phase. I hadn’t been paying attention, really, since Jones had been gone for a couple of weeks. We would’ve lost auxiliary SAR status without another heavy rescue asset, so of course, Bobby was going to hire someone. Then I was just pissy because you were borderline perfect, and that’s just disgusting, Eddie.”

Eddie laughed softly. “Shut up.”

Buck ran a hand down Eddie’s back and exhaled slowly. “In all honesty, Eddie, I’m in love with you. I have been for a while. It was awful when you started dating Tyler because I was waiting for you to settle down after the divorce, then I was going to ask if there was some potential for you.”

“God, I’m sorry,” Eddie said roughly and tried to sit up.

Buck kept him in place. “It’s fine.”

“It can’t be fine,” Eddie muttered against Buck’s chest. “Tyler thinks your gorgeous and sweet, by the way.”

Buck laughed. “Clearly, he didn’t spend enough time with me.”

“Well, Hen really did say you were an angel,” Eddie said wryly. “She’d probably still say it if pressed.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve never let myself think about my feelings for you because I assumed you were straight. I trust you with everything, Buck. My heart wouldn’t be an exception. I just didn’t know I could have you, and I’ve been trying to keep myself in check for ages. I asked Shannon for a divorce because I realized I was…always more interested in being with you than her. I knew my marriage was completely over, and there was no reviving it. She was furious with me. We’d slept together a few times at that point, and she asked me if I was using her for sex.”

“Were you?”

“Hell, probably,” Eddie admitted. “It was familiar and comforting. I didn’t tell her that, of course. I’m not that kind of an asshole. Regardless, I told her that we couldn’t save our marriage because I couldn’t forgive her for leaving Christopher the way she did. She broke his heart and hasn’t really made any effort to make it up to him.

“Shannon thinks motherhood should equal automatic forgiveness, and when it was clear she was going to have to work for it—she bailed. That’s the real reason she went to Colorado. I mean, she’s enamored with that doctor she met at work, but it was more about running away again. Apparently, he wanted to start a private practice in Denver and hired her to run his office.”

“Sounds like a recipe for disaster,” Buck admitted. “But that’s her business. Does she have any visitation?”

“She offered to surrender all of her rights in exchange for not paying child support,” Eddie said. “I agreed. Chris knows. I didn’t intend for him to find out, but he overheard me arguing with my parents over it. They were very happy that Shannon didn’t have any rights regarding custody or visitation. But they were furious when I told them she wasn’t going to pay child support. It only got worse when my father asked me about my will due to my dangerous job.”

“I don’t have a will,” Buck said.

“I didn’t either until recently. My divorce lawyer suggested it since Shannon’s parental rights were terminated by the judge in the proceeding.” He paused. “So…now’s probably a good time to tell you that I made you my executor and gave you custody of my kid, too.”

Buck huffed. “You asshole, Eddie. You should’ve told me that months ago. I don’t have any sort of legal stuff set up to protect him or whatever. Plus, we probably need to get some life insurance policies, so the survivor has the funds needed to take care of whatever needs to be taken care of.”

“I trust you with him,” Eddie said quietly. “I need to know that he’s safe, Buck. My parents would destroy his dreams, and by the time he got free of them…I can’t imagine what sort of mental shape he’d be in. They’re just not good parents, and all three of their children are fucked up as adults. My sister, Sophia, has been in therapy for years. The thing is that after Adriana, my mother never intended on getting pregnant again. She hated the whole thing. The only reason she got pregnant with me was because when they were gifted by the Fey Court, they got another daughter.”

“The fey who delivered Wyatt made it seem like the selection process is pretty hard to get through,” Buck said. “How’d they make they cut?”

“They never physically mistreated us, had the resources to raise a child, and they do love us. They were both eager for children, so maybe that had play as well. I think most people assume that the parents of wish babies are great at the whole parenthood thing, but I don’t think it works that way. I’ve always wondered why the Fey bothers with us at all, and I have to think they get something out of it.”

“I agree,” Buck admitted. “There has to be some kind of payoff or reward for them, but I’m so happy to have him that I can’t make myself care.”

“No, I mean, he’s great,” Eddie said. “And worth whatever price the Fey is exacting. They’ve been doing it since the dawn of time, so…if it were some wretched thing, we’d certainly know, right?”

“Right,” Buck agreed, but he wasn’t entirely sure. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He already loved his son beyond any sort of reason. “Go to sleep.”

“Don’t boss me around,” Eddie muttered.

“Anyone who plasters themselves to my side then clings like an octopus in bed is gonna get bossed around,” Buck said in return, and Eddie laughed. “It’s a rule.”

“It’s not a bad rule,” Eddie conceded.

 

 

Chapter 5

Eddie felt tender and raw as he eased out of Buck’s bed. He could smell food cooking, so breakfast was clearly underway. The Pack ‘n Play had been moved, so he went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once dressed, he meandered slowly into the kitchen. Buck had Wyatt in a sling across his chest, and Christopher was at the table confronting a stack of pancakes.

“Daddy, Buck made chicken sausage which is great, but we’re having pancakes. You need to do something about him,” Chris declared, even as he stabbed a piece of sausage on his plate.

Eddie laughed. “Remember when we talked about bacon being a treat?”

Christopher made a face at him but ate a piece of sausage. Eddie knew it was good because Buck made his own. He and Bobby had been exploring the whole thing lately and came up with a great recipe. His son was just of the opinion that bacon and pancakes were bros, and any other option was to be protested on principle.

“Make sure your worksheets are in your folder before you pack your backpack,” Eddie said as he sat down. “Are you sure you want to go to school?”

“Yes,” Christopher said. “There’s security and stuff. I’ll be fine, Daddy.”

Eddie nodded, then checked out of habit to make sure Christopher had put on matching socks as he wasn’t prone to and had to be policed on the issue. Eddie didn’t want to get rude comments from other parents about it again. The school pick-up line was only slightly better than PTA meetings when it came to being judged. Though things had gotten better on that front after he took Buck to a meeting, and he wasn’t above using his best friend as a meat shield against overwrought helicopter parents.

“I’m all set, Daddy,” Christopher assured. “Wyatt had a terrible diaper situation. Buck says that’s normal, but I don’t know how.”

“You had some terrible diaper situations, too,” Eddie said wryly, and Christopher huffed dramatically at him. “Seriously, you tried to ruin my life.”

His son shook his head at him. “Don’t tell me lies, Daddy. I’m not gonna fall for that kind of nonsense.”

Buck laughed.

* * * *

“You look like you didn’t sleep at all,” Buck said. “But I know you slept through the night—you even slept through me feeding Wyatt twice.” He sat down on the couch beside Eddie. “I was reading online that he would feed every four or five hours for the first month, then transition into a more standard feeding schedule.”

Eddie nodded. “Makes sense if he were fed magic the first three months. I mean, that’s a lot of nutrients that he’s used to getting. My abuela says that wish babies don’t exist physically until shortly before they’re delivered—that they’re just magic and soul energy before that. Physical manifestation happens when a parent is chosen.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Buck said and watched his son lounging in Eddie’s lap. He’d taken Christopher to school, and Eddie had stayed at his house with the baby. “Chris is pleased with him.”

“Yeah? I wasn’t super worried, but sometimes he can surprise me. Tyler sent me ten DMs through Instagram.” Eddie frowned and shifted the baby around, then offered him to Buck. “I’m not sure what to do with that situation. I blocked him on my phone, but he’s left a ton of messages on Facebook that I haven’t read.”

Buck took his son and let the baby rest on his chest. Wyatt tucked his face against the side of his neck. “Do you think he’s going to be a problem? Obsessive or whatever?”

“I don’t know,” Eddie said. “He’s goal-oriented and has issues with jealousy. Plus, he lost his temper with me. Interpersonal violence is a deal breaker, which I’ve already made clear to him. The whole thing was going nowhere fast, and I only slept with him twice. This is what I get for dating someone out of boredom.” He paused. “And disappointed assumption.”

“Disappointed Assumption sounds like an emo band,” Buck muttered, and Eddie laughed. “Sorry, I feel like I’ve misled you, and that wasn’t my intention.”

“I’m the one that wasn’t paying attention. I texted Hen and asked her if she knew you were bisexual, and she called me a dumbass.” Eddie flushed when Buck laughed. “Then she said I was terminally unaware and gave me a list of the whole shift listing marital status, number of kids, and sexuality. Did you know that Rogers is pansexual?”

“Yeah, because he’s been trying to sit on my lap since he was hired,” Buck said, and Eddie huffed. “Not that I’d let him because he’s indiscreet as hell, and I don’t need that kind of talk at work. I’ve just got to the point where people stop bringing up that whole catfishing thing.”

“Chimney was awful about that shit,” Eddie said. “A few months ago, I asked him why he thought it was funny that you were physically assaulted by strangers. He had no answer and told me I was a grumpy bastard.”

“At least you aren’t a pathological liar,” Buck muttered. “He’s a lot and only getting worse. I feel like Bobby will rein him in, but I just wonder if it will be enough to make working with him possible going forward.”

“He’s alienated the whole damn shift,” Eddie said. “And I include Hen at this point. She was really put off by how he reacted to your whole wish-baby delivery. He said you had a one-night stand with some woman, and she dumped a baby on you that probably wasn’t yours, and you’re so needy you won’t even check paternity.”

“Wow,” Buck muttered. “I honestly can’t even get mad at that because it’s so pathetic.” His phone started ringing, so he picked it up and sighed. “It’s Maddie. Here take him.”

Eddie took Wyatt and stood. “We’ll just go elsewhere. In case you get pissed at her.”

Buck nodded. “Hello.”

“You have a baby now and didn’t tell me?”

Buck blinked at the clear hostility in his sister’s voice. “You left town without a single word to me. I didn’t find out for three days, and only then because you called to leave me a voice mail while I was at work demanding I check on the movers you hired to clean out your apartment. Why should I include you in any announcements I have, Maddie?”

“I need to heal, and I can’t do it in LA. That doesn’t mean you can kick me out of your life.”

“Well, I can kick anyone out of my life, but that’s how you deal with shit, not me,” Buck said and slouched back on the couch. “Who told you?”

“Chimney said some woman foisted a baby off on you, and you aren’t going to check paternity, but you’re pretending he’s a wish baby. You realize you can’t lie to HR about that, right? You’ll get fired.”

“First, I actually had a wish baby delivery, and I don’t care if Chimney believes me. Second, I thought you weren’t going to give him your number.”

“I judged him pretty harshly on the Doug issue, and my therapist thought I should reach out to have a conversation with him about everything that happened. You don’t have to lie to me about the baby, Buck.”

“Why would you assume that I’m the one lying here?” Buck questioned. “When you know, for a fact, that Howard Han is a pathological liar.” She huffed in his ear. “But don’t worry about it, Maddie. You aren’t going to have anything to do with my son right now, regardless of his origin.”

“I’ve already asked my therapist to refer me to one in LA so I can come back. You’re going to need help.”

“I don’t need anything from you,” Buck said. “And I’m not going to allow you to have a part in my son’s life right now. You aren’t in a good place emotionally, and you don’t know how to cope. My son deserves to have good, stable influences in his life that he can depend on to not disappear into the unknown without warning. I’m not discounting your trauma on any topic, but I don’t trust you, Maddie.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you can’t possibly know how to take care of a baby. This whole situation is ridiculous.”

“I know the Fey Court honored me with my heart’s wish, and I’m not sharing him with you or anyone else I can’t trust,” Buck said evenly. “Chimney only told you about my son to lure you back to LA. He seems to think you owe him a relationship because Doug tried to murder him. I hope you have enough self-preservation not to fall into whatever emotional manipulation that dude is hitting you with.”

“You’re being cruel right now, which isn’t good for my recovery.”

“I’m being honest, and I’m not going to walk on eggshells around anyone, much less a person who spent the better part of a decade ignoring my existence. I really don’t have anything left to give you at this point. Which probably is cruel, but I need to concentrate on my son because he needs me. Good luck with your recovery, but I can’t be a part of that process in any single way. If you’d stayed and asked for my help, things would be different. But clearly, you’re not…healthy enough mentally to make good decisions, and I can’t allow you to be around my son as a result. Please keep going to therapy.”

He hung up the phone before she could say anything else and silenced her number. Buck couldn’t cut her off completely, but he wasn’t going to allow her to harass him with repeated phone calls. If she escalated, he’d have to consider his options.

“You okay?”

Buck looked up and found Eddie in the doorway, holding Wyatt easily against his chest. He shook his head. “No. She’s been in contact with Chimney despite what she said she was going to do. She claimed her therapist suggested it, but I don’t know if I buy it. It’s like she can’t exist unless she has some man in her life to fix. Her high school boyfriend was just as bad as Chimney. I don’t think he hit her, but he cheated a lot and acted like she was a problem for getting upset about it. My parents had to retrieve her from a motel on prom night because he abandoned her there to go party with his friends.”

“That’s awful and ballsy. My Pop would’ve blown his top if one of my sisters had been treated like that and hunted that guy down like a criminal,” Eddie said as he joined him on the couch. “Are you going to regret being so abrupt with her?”

“Maybe,” Buck admitted. “But I have to protect my baby, Eddie.” He reached out and stroked a trembling finger down Wyatt’s plump cheek. “How can I be a good parent if I allow people I can’t depend on in his personal circle? Kids love her—he would too, and she’d break his heart.”

“Like she did yours.”

“Well, I was an adult when she did it.”

“Hell, Buck, eighteen is barely an adult, and I didn’t realize that myself until I was in a war zone,” Eddie said. “And you’re right—kids get attached, and they get hurt easily. I don’t think Christopher will ever get over his mother leaving him. It isn’t the same, of course, as with your sister. But the emotional damage of being discarded by someone you love is really awful, and you know that.”

“Yeah, I do,” Buck agreed and sighed. “I wish she would get the help she really needs. She claims to be in therapy, but I’m not sure I believe her. How likely is it that her therapist suggested she reach out to Chimney at this point, considering his behavior and history?”

“If she’s been honest about that history? Not at all,” Eddie said. “My therapist actively encourages me to remove toxic people from my life on the regular—especially the ones I’m related to. I mean, maybe if she was married to him, but they hadn’t even really dated yet, right?”

“As far as I know,” Buck said. “I think that night was going to be the first real date for them. Chimney probably told Doug that, and it set him off when he’d been just content to stalk her and probably plan her murder. I’m not upset he’s dead, but I’m sorry that Maddie had to do it. She loved him once. Maybe she hates him more than she ever loved him, but it can’t be easy to process everything that happened.”

“She clearly isn’t processing anything since she ran from the only real support she had. You told me that she was avoiding your parents.”

“She said she couldn’t talk to them about Doug because she doesn’t want to admit that Mom was right about him,” Buck said and shook his head. “I spent a lot of years thinking they had a good relationship. Now I realize that our parents just suck across the board, and neither one of us was the golden child.”

“I was.”

“What?”

“I was the golden child—the only son and the baby of the family,” Eddie said. “Male children are highly prized in Latino families, and my father was so proud to introduce his son to anyone who would stand still for it. After I got Shannon pregnant, there was a shift in the whole family dynamic. My mother was furious. She had ideas about what kind of woman I would settle down with, and Shannon didn’t come close.”

“I won’t make the cut either.”

“Not because of you,” Eddie said. “Honestly, I think they’re never going to approve of any partner I have unless they pick her out specifically. They aren’t overtly homophobic, but they certainly have ideas about how families are made and who should be nurturing a child. My mom assumes that I’m a terrible parent based solely on my gender and I should’ve turned Christopher over to her the day he was born. She was even more insistent after Shannon left.”

“I don’t want either one of them in my son’s life on a regular basis without some significant change on their parts,” Buck said. “I hope you can live with that.”

“I don’t want them in my life as they currently are,” Eddie retorted, and Buck laughed. “And, of course, I can live with it. They stress Chris out, and mitigating that is often a full-time job. I wouldn’t want them to be involved with Wyatt at all, and no matter the state of my relationship with you—they’d have no rights to fight for in court when it comes to him.”

“Well.” Buck took a deep breath. “I do have an empty spot on his birth certificate, Eddie.” He watched his friend’s eyes go wide. “So, I’m in the market for a co-parent. That being said, I still wouldn’t put them in a position to get any sort of legal rights to Wyatt. It’s going to be hard trusting anyone with his care.”

Eddie adjusted the baby and cleared his throat. “Don’t take this the wrong way because you’ve always been gorgeous, but you’ve never ever been more attractive than you are right now in this very fucking moment. And it’s honestly annoying.”

Buck grinned. “Shut up.”

“Seriously, you’re working this whole dad thing like a boss, and it’s been fucking with me for a while. Now it’s worse, and I didn’t think that was possible.” Eddie huffed when Buck just slouched on the sofa with him and pressed against his shoulder.

“You’re one to talk—practically the whole damn station voted you the DILF of the year a week after you were hired.”

“Dios mío,” Eddie muttered under his breath.

“Even Hen appeared to be willing to make an exception.”

“I take it back,” Eddie said. “You’re so hideous I can barely stand to look at you.”

Buck just laughed.

“We should ask Carla for a recommendation about childcare sooner rather than later,” Eddie suggested, and Buck nodded. “She’ll know exactly how to handle it.”

“She often does,” Buck agreed. “Let’s call her.”

* * * *

“I can keep him and Christopher together when you’re on shift, and a supplemental nanny would probably be good,” Carla said as she bounced Wyatt gently in her arms. “Someone who can do really active things with them both, and I’m not getting any younger. I’m certainly never going to go surfing.” She shot Buck a look when he laughed. “I work with a young woman at another job on occasion, and her nanny contract with the family is ending because they’re moving. She can do four hours a day in the afternoon or evenings to make room for her college classes. She can also spend the night on weekends as needed if she accepts the job.”

“And you trust her?” Buck questioned. “I’d pay you extra for the baby, of course.”

Carla nodded. “Yes, I trust her. Moreover, I think she’d get along well with Christopher, and that’s the real issue. Wyatt’s not old enough to have genuine personality conflicts with someone.”

“I could teach you to surf.”

“You want to get grounded, young man?” Carla asked, and Buck grinned at her. She huffed. “Like you weren’t pretty enough running around the place. Now you got a wish baby as a single parent. The universe just declared you prime marriage material, Buckaroo.”

Eddie huffed a little under his breath and went to get himself some more coffee. “Tell us about the nanny you work with.”

“Everstar Bartlett, twenty-one, and working on master’s in international studies at UCLA. She’s fluent in four languages and recently started learning German. Sweet girl, great communication skills, athletic, and keen for adventure,” Carla said as she took the bottle Buck had prepared. “She has a good social life and is currently dating a young woman who is pre-med. No drinking at all, as she’s all about clean living and eating well. I’ve been teaching her to cook.”

“Can you bring her around for a conversation?” Buck questioned.

“Of course,” Carla said and focused on the baby, who was ardently sucking on his bottle. “You’re a pretty little thing.” Wyatt put a hand on her arm and kicked his feet.

Buck’s phone vibrated on the counter, and he picked it up with a sigh. He wanted to be surprised to see that it was Chimney calling, but he wasn’t. He figured Maddie would whine to him sooner rather than later. He shared a look with Eddie before leaving the kitchen.

“Hey.”

“You’re ignoring your own fucking sister?”

“How is that any of your business?” Buck asked curiously. “Also, I really don’t appreciate your lies, Howard. I realize that personal fraud is second nature to you, but lying about the conception of my child is disgusting and unbelievable. What’s wrong with you? Why are you like this?”

“I don’t believe you had a wish baby. No one is going to believe it, and you’re an idiot for even trying to make shit like that up.”

“Bobby and Athena saw all the paperwork,” Buck said. “And I’ve submitted it to HR as well. So, everyone is actually going to believe it because it’s true. As for my sister, I’ve already told her what I need from her.”

“What you need?” Chimney demanded. “Are you fucking serious? She was kidnapped and nearly murdered by her abusive ex-husband. Her needs come first!”

“I would’ve done everything possible to help her if she hadn’t disappeared. I know you think that I was aware that she was leaving, but I didn’t even know she was gone until she called me and demanded I supervise the moving company she hired.” Buck waved a hand in frustration despite the fact that the other man wasn’t even in front of him. “Maddie runs. It’s what she does, and I’m not going to chase her. I’m also not going to let her use my son as a distraction from her own issues or as some sort of emotional support. She needs psychological help, and I’ve made that clear to her. So she needs to focus on herself—not me, my kid, or your ridiculous expectations.” He cleared his throat. “And no, I won’t be putting my sister’s needs above my baby’s. She’s an educated adult, and he’s three months old.”

“I don’t appreciate the attitude, Buck. So, watch your mouth.”

“What exactly do you plan to do about me protesting your interference in my personal life?” Buck asked curiously. “You realize that even if we were on the job right this minute that you wouldn’t have the right to punish me for telling you to mind your own business about my sister and kid, right?”

“Keep thinking that,” Chim said grimly. “Your paternity leave won’t last forever, and I can make you pay for single disrespectful word that has come out of your mouth since this call began one way or another.”

“Oh, in that case, you can go fuck yourself,” Buck said and hung up, then went to his laptop.

“Did you just tell Chimney to go fuck himself?” Eddie asked in amusement.

“Yep,” Buck said and snagged the laptop from the coffee table and took it back into the kitchen where Carla was now holding his sleeping baby. “Want me to put him in his bed?”

“Nope,” she said sternly. “You leave us be.”

Buck grinned at her and browsed to Gmail, then started a new email.

“What are you doing?” Eddie questioned.

“I’m about to send HR an email about Chimney Han threatening me off-duty because I told him to mind his own business,” Buck said. “Then I’m going to make it clear that I never want to work with him ever again and that I would consider such a circumstance a hostile workplace situation.” He focused on Carla. “Is that the right way to word it?”

“It’ll do,” Carla said. “I’ve got a nephew who’s an employment lawyer. Want me to call him?”

“Might have to at some point,” Buck admitted. “But we’ll start with an email.”

“CC the union on that email,” Eddie said as he put a bottle of water down near Buck. “And drink that. You know you get a headache when you’re mad.”

Because Buck was feeling contrary as fuck, he CC’d Bobby, too.

“This will probably get me transferred out of the 118,” Buck said as he started to write the email.

“With the number of problems and complaints piling up, you won’t be the one worried about working somewhere new,” Eddie said. “Personally, I think he was allowed to come back to the job too soon after nearly being murdered, and he’s suffering from some form of PTSD. He’s not mentally healthy enough to work in a high-stress environment. I’ve seen how that can play out in the Army, and it’s never pretty.

“I have to wonder how often he’s reminded of the attack and his own rescue whenever we’re on a scene,” Eddie said, and Buck grimaced. “It’s something to consider. Because there was a while there than any kind of sharp noise made my scars hurt—the closer it came to sounding like a gun, the worse it was.”

“Neither of us is in a position to speculate about whatever mental condition he’s in,” Buck muttered. “And frankly, I’m beyond caring what kind of help he needs. I thought he changed, you know, but it’s clear he was just less of an asshole to me because he wanted to bang my sister.”

“Gross,” Carla muttered.

* * * *

Since Chris fully expected to stay at Buck’s house throughout his paternity leave as much as possible. Eddie had gone back to his own house to pack his son a bag for an extended stay. He had a hard time telling either of them no, and his son was utterly enamored with the baby. Not that he blamed Christopher, wish babies were enthralling in normal circumstances, and Wyatt was Buck’s, so it added a whole different layer on top of it.

He was back on shift in just twelve hours, so he’d prepped his work bag and an overnight bag for Buck’s since he’d go to work from his house. Eddie had loaded the truck and was going through the house checking things over when his doorbell rang. It was rare that he got uninvited visitors, so he was already irritated before he got to the door.

His ex, Tyler, was lingering on the front porch when he opened the door. Eddie frowned at him, and Tyler flushed with what looked like irritation.

“You didn’t come home after your shift yesterday.”

“Are you stalking me?” Eddie questioned in exasperation. “Because I’m not going to tolerate that shit for a second.”

“I came by so we could talk—since you blocked me on your phone like a teenager.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow at him and stared.

“Seriously! We should be having an adult conversation about our relationship instead of playing this dumb, immature game, Eddie.”

“I’m not playing a game with you,” Eddie said evenly. “I explained explicitly that I’m not going to see you anymore. There is no conversation left to be had, and I’m not going to allow you to bait or manipulate me into anything. I grew up with a mother who could teach Ph.D. level courses on how to be an entitled narcissist, so you don’t have the ability to bring me to heel.”

“I’m not trying to control you. I just think you’re giving up a good thing because of misunderstanding.” He stepped forward and reached out for him.

Eddie held out a hand to stop him and shook his head. “Don’t touch me. Leave my property, and if you show up again, I’m going to look into a restraining order.”

Tyler flushed. “You can’t do that, Eddie. If it got around, it could impact my business. I’ve worked hard to build up a client list and….” He took a deep breath as engine noise caught their attention.

Buck parked in the driveway and got out with a frown. Eddie watched him remove the baby from the backseat and shoulder a bag.

“When did he get a kid?” Tyler asked in confusion.

“Wish baby delivery,” Eddie said shortly, and his ex huffed in surprise. “What?”

“Christ, who the fuck can compete with that kind of shit?” Tyler glared briefly at Buck as he came up on the porch. “Hi, Buck.”

“Hey.” Buck grimaced and focused on Eddie. “I’ve got an unexpected appointment, Carla is across town, and Bobby is going to be in the meeting I’m heading to.”

Eddie checked his watch as he accepted Wyatt and the bag. “I’m picking up Chris in four hours, then we’ll head to your house.”

“I’m not trying to get in your business, Eddie. But I don’t want this potentially violent asshole around my kid,” Buck said bluntly and stared at Tyler. “He can’t be trusted.”

“He’s not coming into the house,” Eddie said. “And wasn’t invited, Buck.”

“Athena is a few blocks over at a traffic accident,” Buck said. “She could come over here and give him a warning for trespassing.”

Tyler frowned at him. “I’m not violent, Buck. You need to stay out of our relationship, and if I can’t be around your kid, then you need to think hard about what kind of relationship you’re going to have with Eddie. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

“We don’t have a relationship, and you are leaving immediately Tyler,” Eddie said firmly. “And I’ll do a hell of a lot more than get you cited for trespassing if you come near us again.”

Tyler glared at him. “You’re making a big mistake, Eddie. I could make your life a lot easier, you know. I make twice as much money as you do.”

Eddie stared for a moment, then sighed. “Fuck off, Tyler. Good luck at your meeting, Buck.” He rolled his eyes at the laugh that earned him from his best friend and shut the door on both of them, then flicked the bolt into place. “Your papa is very lucky that he comes with a beautiful baby these days, Wyatt.”

The baby clapped his hands and wiggled excitedly in the car seat when his name was spoken.

* * * *

Buck leaned on his Jeep and browsed his phone while Tyler Corbet lingered for a few moments in confusion on the porch. The dude clearly didn’t understand or accept the utter rejection he was facing. Since he was more concerned than Eddie was, he texted Athena.

Buck: Eddie’s ex-boyfriend is stalking him. He’s currently at the house staring at the front door like some rejected asshole from an 80s movie.

Athena: On my way

Buck grinned because he had at least an hour before he was due in his meeting and had actually come over early to hang out with Eddie for a few moments. Since Tyler had ruined that for him, the jerk might as well get a face full of Athena Grant for his trouble. The little pop of a siren had Tyler jumping a little and turning to stare at him in horror.

Buck shrugged and tucked his phone away as Athena’s SUV whipped into the driveway, and she came out of it like she was on a mission. She crooked her finger at Tyler as she pulled off her glasses, and he left the porch sullenly. Buck didn’t even know adults could still do that. He doubted he could drag his feet like that without tripping over nothing and maiming himself for life.

“Tyler Corbet, this is Sergeant Athena Grant, LAPD,” Buck said cheerfully, and Athena sent him a look. “Athena, this is Eddie’s creepy, stalker ex-boyfriend who almost hit him the other night and doesn’t know how break-ups work.”

Athena glared at Tyler, and the dude actually flinched. “Mr. Corbet, you are trespassing on private property. If you do not leave immediately, there will be legal consequences, and a restraining order will be put into place. Stalking, in the state of California, can be prosecuted as a felony, and you could face up to five years in prison. As Mr. Diaz is an employee of the LAFD and a decorated veteran of the United States Army, a complaint from him regarding your inappropriate behavior would get a lot of attention. If convicted of such a crime, your victim could also pursue and receive a civil judgment against you.”

She held out a hand when he started to speak.

“I’m informing you of the potential consequences of your inappropriate behavior, Mr. Corbet. It would be in your best interest to leave immediately and never return. Do not call Mr. Diaz, do not attempt to speak to Mr. Diaz if you see him in public, and remove him from all of your social media to avoid any temptation on your part. A felony conviction could ruin the life you’ve built for yourself.” Her gaze flicked to the Lexus SUV Corbet was driving. “I will document this incident, and a report will be filed indicating that you’ve received a warning. If this accelerates, then the consequences will be yours to bear. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Sergeant Grant, I understand perfectly,” Tyler said and glared at Buck.

Athena cleared her throat. “If you want my undivided attention, Mr. Corbet, keep thinking about having a go at Buck.”

“It’s fine, Athena,” Buck said in amusement. “He’s not going to pick a fight with someone bigger than him. He’s a coward.”

Tyler flushed and got his car without a word, then left.

Buck shook his head and shrugged when Athena turned toward him. “Eddie broke up with him because they argued, and Tyler came precariously close to hitting him. He’s been blocked and stuff, but the dude apparently thought an in-person visit would be a better option?”

“That’s straight-up white man privilege at work,” Athena muttered, and Buck didn’t disagree, so he nodded. “Aren’t you due in HR soon?”

“I got about forty minutes,” Buck agreed. “I’d planned to stick around and flirt with Eddie for a few minutes after foisting my kid off on him, but Tyler ruined it for me.”

“That rat bastard,” Athena muttered, and Buck laughed. “Go to your meeting. I’m going to go in and talk to Eddie.”

“And cuddle my baby.”

She sent him a superior look. “I don’t cuddle on duty.”

“Sure, sure,” Buck said with a laugh and got in his Jeep.

He wasn’t looking forward to the meeting at all and hoped that the email he’d sent off while irritated didn’t come back to bite him in the ass. Fortunately, he had some proof of Chimney’s inappropriate behavior, as the asshole had left him a voicemail full of bullshit and thinly veiled threats because Maddie had stopped taking his calls. He figured it was a direct result of him texting her a picture of Wyatt and the wish-baby announcement from the Fey Court.

Buck couldn’t even say why he’d done it, except it had been galling that his own sister had thought he was lying about something so amazing and important. Maybe it was leftover rejection from his parents—because even his own sister seemed to doubt his worthiness as a person and a father.

In the parking garage, he quickly found a spot and headed for the office he’d been asked to report to. The hallway was empty, so he didn’t run into anyone that would ask questions, which was a relief. He felt weird about the whole thing already and wondered if he’d made the right choice. He also wondered what the others had reported or said about Chimney because Eddie had said there were multiple reports in progress.

Bobby was seated in a small waiting area when he entered, so Buck took a deep breath and went to the desk to let the assistant manning the area know he’d arrived. Shortly, he sat down beside Bobby.

“Is it okay if we sit together?”

“Yeah, kid,” Bobby said. “It’s fine. I’m officially back on duty as of this morning.”

“Congrats?” Buck raised an eyebrow when Bobby laughed. “I mean, you don’t sound thrilled.”

“I didn’t expect to come back to this kind of a mess,” Bobby said quietly. “I don’t understand how Chimney got here.”

“Eddie thinks Chimney has PTSD,” Buck said, and Bobby focused on him. “And he’s not handling the high-pressure job as a result. I wonder how many times he’s been reminded of his own injuries on the job since he came back?”

Bobby took a deep breath. “Right.”

“I mean, it’s worse than the car accident because Doug tried to murder him. I think he blames me for all of it. He’s always blaming me for things that have nothing to do with me. I can’t tolerate it, Bobby.”

“As it stands, Buck, there are multiple complaints about his behavior, and you’re not the first firefighter I’ve sat right here with today. Just be honest, like you always are, and everything will be fine.” Bobby took a deep breath. “And nothing that happens to Howard Han after this point is your fault or your problem. You aren’t even going to be the biggest issue he faces.”

“Am I allowed to know?” Buck asked curiously.

“You’ll find out in the meeting,” Bobby said. “They don’t want me to prep you in advance for the question.”

“Okay.” Buck cupped the knee of his right leg to keep it still since he tended to bounce it a little when he was nervous. “Eddie’s ex-boyfriend showed up at the house, so I texted Athena.”

Bobby laughed. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, Wyatt is there. I didn’t want that jerk-off lingering on the front porch doing whatever he was doing while my baby was in that house. Eddie was irritated and clearly unimpressed with the whole thing. Plus, he tried to hit Eddie the night they broke up, and that’s a real problem.” Buck huffed. “Anyways, she went in to talk to Eddie as I was leaving, and Tyler took off after she explained how she could ruin his life with felony convictions.”

“Sounds about right,” Bobby said.

“Should I be in uniform?” Buck questioned. “Because it didn’t even cross my mind.”

“You’re off duty, so no.” Bobby brushed the knee of his dress uniform pants. “And I’m sort of on the carpet.”

“For Chimney’s attitude problem?”

“Well, it’s not a new thing,” Bobby said. “I’ve had several conversations with him since I started at the 118, and not all of them were unofficial. I’m not in any sort of trouble because I’ve been doing what the union and HR required of me, but this is as official as it gets outside of a hearing with the chief.” He paused. “Which is probably going to happen if Chimney doesn’t go along with whatever plan they create to manage his problem.”

Part 2