Reading Time: 148 Minutes
Title: That’ll Be the Day
Series: Over the Mountain Across the Sea
Series Order: 2
Author: Keira Marcos
Fandom: 9-1-1
Genre: Romance, Kid!fic, Slash
Relationship(s): Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Discussion-Sexual Assault, Discussion-Violence, Discussion-Combat Injuries, Toxic Family Dynamics, Character Bashing, Explicit Sex, Attempted Murder, OC Character Death, Ableism
Author Note: The discussion of sexual assault is not explicit but the event happened between a fifteen-year-old and an adult old enough to be their parent. Please note that the warnings encompass the entire series and I’ve them made the same on each part just to make sure. Take care with yourself.
Word Count: 36,326
Summary: With the divorce final, Eddie, Christopher, and Buck move to California. They’re still finding their way and each other as Buck starts the fire academy.
Artist: Tintalle
Part 1
Time was a tricky thing, Eddie thought as he was prodded into the judge’s chambers. The sixty-day waiting period had been full of decisions regarding the house in El Paso and the one in California. His mother had continued to be a real issue regarding the move, and Eddie had been stressed as fuck over her behavior. She’d spent forty-five days in rehab, and all it had seemed to do was make her vicious. It was uncharitable, but it had occurred to him that he might like her more when she wasn’t sober.
They’d had a bit of a dust-up when he’d asked his father about the AV equipment he’d been keeping in their attic. His mother had tried to keep it and, when that hadn’t worked, had given it all to a friend of the family. His father had retrieved all of it and replaced a video camera she’d broken with a brand new, start-of-the-art model that Eddie had tried to refuse.
He knew his father was operating out of a place of immense guilt. Plus, Eddie wasn’t sure he needed a digital video camera that cost over 5,000 dollars. Still, he’d given in and taken it because he didn’t want to hurt his father with repeated refusals. He was also going to figure out how to nip it all in the bud, eventually.
“His Honor, Harrington C. King.”
Eddie wondered how much effort it took the man not to wear a cowboy hat in the courtroom. He barely refrained from asking how many horses he had at home as he got seated where his lawyer, Ignacio Young, directed. He rubbed his thigh as the judge shifted the papers around in front of them. He wasn’t upset by the summons since the sixty-day waiting period had only expired a few days before, and he’d been considering whether or not they should wait for the move.
They’d expected he would have to return to Texas for a hearing or whatever. He didn’t want to push Evan’s training at the fire academy forward as the man was already studying materials he’d gotten sent from various resources. Plus, he’d picked up some SAR certifications at a local training center—one for structural collapse and another for confined space rescue, which Eddie thought was a stretch for Buck at his size, but he’d excelled.
A quick glance around the room revealed several framed pictures, including one of the judge in uniform as a young man. Eddie didn’t like leveraging his service for special treatment, but he did wonder if his case was getting moved along more quickly because of his lawyer’s connections and the judge’s history.
“I served during Desert Storm,” Judge King said as he continued to organize the paperwork in front of him. “Came home to a family I barely recognized. It took me years to get back into the rhythm they’d created for themselves.” He lifted his head and focused on Eddie. “But my wife was and remains one of the strongest women I’ve ever known. Never let me get away with a thing, put me in therapy when I didn’t want it, and I credit her with my every single success.” He paused. “Well, her and my mother-in-law, for vastly different reasons. That old battle-axe never thought I’d amount to much at all.”
Eddie had never met Shannon’s mother—the woman hadn’t even shown up for the birth of her only grandchild. It was telling, in retrospect.
“Shannon was unprepared for motherhood and even less prepared to deal with a husband serving active duty overseas.” Eddie shifted in his seat and wished it felt more natural to defend the woman he’d married and had a child with.
The older man grimaced. “You’re a far more generous man than I’ve ever pretended to be, Mr. Diaz. I’ve reviewed the filing, the supplemental materials, and the correspondence from your wife that your attorney submitted. I don’t necessarily agree with the lack of child support, but I understand why you’ve taken that step. Will it hurt you financially?”
“Things might get tight,” Eddie admitted. “I’ve got a long road on the physical and mental recovery front due to combat injuries. I took two .50 caliber rounds, and the caliber of the third is unknown since it went straight through. I only recently stopped using a cane to walk. I’ll have to have another surgery on my shoulder as it’s not healing as well as it should. But I have support, and my son’s emotional welfare is more important than forcing my ex-wife to pay child support. I worry that forcing that on her will make her inclined toward demanding visitation, and considering her behavior since leaving in the middle of the night…. I don’t trust her with my son’s heart. She’s clearly having some issues, and he doesn’t be near the fallout.”
The judge nodded. “The VA treating you right?”
“It’s been decent. There are a few snags, but there always are,” Eddie said. “I’m moving to LA to be closer to my paternal grandmother—she’s getting on in years, and I don’t want my son to miss out on knowing her. I have a good support system there, and one of my sisters will be following me in a few months.”
“Good.” He signed several sheets of paper one after another. “The court will notify Ms. Whitt that the divorce is final. She will also be notified that her parental rights have been terminated. This action is taking place outside of your divorce filing, and if she files an appeal, it will have no bearing on the finality of your divorce.”
Eddie stared for a moment and swallowed hard. “We only agreed that I would have physical custody and no established visitation, Your Honor.”
Judge King nodded. “You’re a young man, Mr. Diaz, and you’ve got the right to remarry. There’s no need to complicate matters in the future when it comes to such things as partner adoption and estate planning. Ms. Whitt has made it clear to this court that she doesn’t wish to be a mother, and her adamant refusal regarding child support only drives that point home. There’s no need to pretend otherwise, and you shouldn’t have to take a knee for your ex-wife in the future in regard to any matter, least of all your son’s personal and emotional security. I adopted all three of my wife’s children when I married her because her first husband was a deadbeat, but it took us a year to get him to agree to it despite the fact that he hadn’t seen any of them in over five years.”
“I understand,” Eddie said and took a deep breath. “I’m trying really hard to be fair to her, sir.”
“It’s a pity she’s not trying to do the same for you, young man,” the judge said. “In the initial filing, you explained that she’d abandoned you in the middle of the night while you were in the first stages of recovery with your disabled child in the house.”
Eddie nodded.
“You owe your ex-wife no considerations going forward,” Judge King said gravely. “She certainly did not consider the welfare of you or your child as she left. Maybe one day she will come to regret her callous actions, but that should be no concern of yours, son. Mr. Young will file a termination suit as soon as possible, and I will rule on it as soon as it’s legally possible. The evidence of your ex-wife’s abandonment is clear, as is her desire to never be a parent. She can come back to Texas and pay to protest it if she wishes, but she’ll end up in front of me for any appeal.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * * *
Eddie settled into the passenger seat and took a deep breath as Buck started the truck. “He terminated her parental rights.”
“What?”
“He said it was so I could remarry and allow for partner adoption—without having to get her approval,” Eddie explained. “He was seriously kind of furious with her, and I can’t say it would’ve been different if she’d actually attended the meeting.”
“That’s…good,” Buck said.
“Is it?” Eddie questioned. “I feel like she’s been here this whole time taking care of him, and now I just let a judge throw her out of his life completely.”
“She did that herself,” Buck muttered. “So, it’s final?”
“Yeah, consider me officially divorced,” Eddie said and pulled his seatbelt on. “I feel weird and tired.”
“It’s okay to be upset, Eds,” Buck said. “You tried to make a family with Shannon, and she bailed without warning. She’s also refused to have a genuine discussion with you about any of it, and that level of immaturity is not only hard to process, but it makes closure difficult.”
“Maybe there were warning signs, and I missed them. I can’t say I was ecstatic about the state of our marriage, but I guess I thought I had time to fix things. I didn’t marry her assuming that one day we’d end up having this day,” Eddie said quietly. “It felt like a sacrifice at the time, yes, but I accepted it. I was prepared to live with it.” He rubbed his thigh with a frown. “Maybe she wasn’t. I just wish she’d been straightforward about it. She deserved better on the husband front than a man who wasn’t in love with her. I acknowledge that, but I tried.”
“Sometimes it’s really hard to say the things that matter the most,” Buck said and checked his watch. “We have another hour left before we can pick up Christopher from preschool. I’d say we could pick him up early, but this is his last day.”
Eddie nodded. “Yeah, we’ll let him finish. He’s going to miss the friends he made there. We can finish loading the pod and call for a pick-up. It feels weird that this part is over.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s go over to my Pop’s garage and check in with him. Adriana told me he’s been sleeping in his office.”
“I hate to be awful about this, but if anyone should be sleeping on an old couch, it’s your mother. The man paid for everything in that house she’s not letting him stay in.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Eddie said wryly, and Buck huffed a little. “At the end of the day, my father is old school. He considers it his duty to shelter, protect, and honor his wife.” He sighed. “And she certainly expects it.”
Buck nodded and focused on driving. He’d only been in El Paso for a few months, but the man had quickly gotten the lay of the land and easily navigated to all the places that they needed. Eddie found Buck’s competence on practically any task he undertook very appealing and always had. In just a few minutes, they pulled into the first garage his father had opened. He had several branches around El Paso but always worked out of the main one himself.
Ramon Diaz was in the parking lot, and Buck found that relieving. He didn’t like being in the garage itself, one of the mechanics kept hitting on him, and he was tired of being polite about it. Since he didn’t want to cause issues for Eddie’s father, he’d just been avoiding the place as much as possible.
“Hey, Mijo, problem with the truck?” Ramon questioned as they left the vehicle.
He walked their way, demonstrating an easy grace that Buck saw in Eddie. It was weird to see it, and he wondered if he had anything physically in common with his own father. He resembled his mother in appearance and didn’t really remember spending all that much time with the man who’d fathered him.
“No, I just came from a meeting with the judge,” Eddie said and leaned against the truck.
Ramon exhaled noisily. “How’d that go?”
Eddie shoved his hands into his pockets. “The divorce is final. But he…terminated Shannon’s parental rights. I didn’t argue against it, and I feel like a complete bastard for that. She’s been here the whole time, doing the work, and it’s clear she’s had some kind of mental…episode. I’m not saying she went off the deep end here, but everything she’s done is out of character. It’s like she had some kind of nervous breakdown or something.”
“We both know mental instability does not make for a good parent,” Ramon said and leaned on the truck beside Eddie. “How are you, Buck?”
“Tired, Eddie’s a lot of work.”
Ramon grinned. “Yeah, he always has been.” He nodded. “You did your best with Shannon, Edmundo. It wasn’t enough for her, but that’s not on you.”
“Isn’t it?” Eddie questioned.
“You were in the Army when you offered to marry her. She knew what she was getting into. You were in and out of the country twice between fathering Christopher and marrying Shannon,” Ramon said. “You need to stop taking on all the blame when there is plenty to go around. Did the judge question you about the affair accusation?”
“No, Buck provided travel documentation during discovery to prove we hadn’t been in the same location in five years until recently. He was in Peru when I was on leave last in the States,” Eddie said roughly. “All of that was handed over during the filing process. I guess I’m grateful she walked away so easily because she could’ve made a big mess despite the prenup.”
“I’ve got something to show you,” Ramon said and inclined his head toward the opposite side of the parking lot. “Bought it yesterday.”
Eddie made a face at the seemingly brand-new black Ford F-150. “Pop.”
“Ah, hear me out,” Ramon said with an easy smile. “I got a good deal on it since the dealer drove it for a bit—it’s only got a little over 5,000 miles on it. Yours is already eight years old and hitting close to 90,000. It’s got all the bells and whistles, including cameras on the back, Bluetooth, and GPS. I put on a tow package this morning.” He quirked an eyebrow. “It’s a V-8 and has 4-wheel drive.”
“Well, you’re speaking my language,” Eddie said wryly. “But my truck is fine.”
“It has all-weather tires,” Ramon continued, and Eddie laughed.
“Pop, you don’t need to buy me a car to make up for…anything. You know that, right? I don’t resent you.”
“I’ve never had to buy your affection,” Ramon said easily. “Adriana—she’s as mercenary as your mother. Sophia only takes gifts on an as-needed conditional basis. A newer vehicle will keep Christopher safer, and that’s important to me.” He curled a hand around the top of the bed of the truck. “Its payload is just 1910 pounds, but it can tow a little over 9,000 pounds. It’s going to get better gas mileage as well—based on age and the whole flex fuel system Ford is working with these days. We’ll just do a straight trade, and I’ll sell yours or keep it for a company vehicle.”
“What’s mom going to say about this?”
“Your mother knows nothing about the business or how I operate,” Ramon said. “If she finds out you have a new truck—she’ll probably lecture you for frivolous spending. You can tell her that I bought it. I don’t care because I make the money around here, and she spends it like water. Moreover, she pointed out that I put both of your sisters through college and didn’t come close to doing the same for you. This is the least of what I can do to make things a little easier for you in LA.”
Eddie nodded and ran his hand along the shiny black paint, then focused on Buck. “What do you think?”
“I was going to suggest we replace the truck inside the next year,” Buck admitted. “After 100,000 miles, vehicles can cost a lot to maintain. The engine for the series does well up into the 300s, but reliability is very important to me. We won’t have your dad around to maintain an older vehicle, and with me working twenty-four shifts at a time, I wouldn’t be available to help if you broke down on the side of the road. Which, again, wouldn’t be an issue if it was just you.” He cleared his throat. “Thousands of people die of heat exposure across the US every year. Christopher would be more vulnerable than most to that kind of thing. So, teaching him good hydration habits will be an ongoing project. Your truck’s air conditioner is a little iffy, and it takes a while to cool.”
“Yeah, okay,” Eddie said. “What about the SUV you inherited from your uncle.”
Buck rolled his eyes. “It’s a Cadillac Escalade, Eddie. I’m kind of embarrassed to drive it. He bought it last year, and it has less than a thousand miles on it since he got sick and stopped using a driver.”
“He had to be driven?” Ramon questioned.
“Yeah, my uncle couldn’t drive due to psychological trauma. He was wheelchair-bound but could’ve used an accessibility package in the vehicle to drive if he’d wanted. He didn’t want that at all. Near the end of his life, he hadn’t left his home in six months. He spent just a week in hospice.” Buck rubbed the back of his neck. “So, I have that SUV sitting in the garage in California, and I’m probably going to get carjacked the first time I drive it.”
“You’re a big guy,” Ramon said. “I doubt a carjacking is in your future, Buck. It’s a good, solid vehicle, so keep it. Eddie said you have a Jeep as well.”
“Yeah, it’s in Colorado. My sister drove it in high school and gave it to me when I basically ran away from home after I graduated,” Buck said. “It’s a 1995 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I don’t have the title, which is a problem for another day. My uncle’s house has a three-car garage.
“We aren’t necessarily vehicle poor, but the tow package on this is very attractive. I was going to suggest a bed cover for the other truck for the move, but this already has one. Plus, that Blu-ray player in the back is a great bonus. Because a road trip is definitely the time to relax the rules on screen time.”
Eddie sighed. “Sure, Pop, I’ll take the fancy new truck.”
“You can tell your mom I gave it to you,” Buck said with a shrug. “She already thinks I’m your sugar daddy, right?”
Eddie huffed. “Evan Buckley.”
“Well, it’s better than that whole week she thought I was a gold digger,” Buck retorted. “Did you find out which one of your sisters told her I’m a trust fund baby?”
“Adriana,” Eddie said with a frown. “Because she got tired of the gold digger ranting. It’s not even accurate.”
“Well, I have a living trust. I was talking to Sophia about it because she was concerned about her assets and marriage. I told her that a living family trust comes with protections and stuff. I actually inherited everything from my uncle through the living trust, so it helped me avoid a lot of issues with the estate. I kept it as is and moved my savings since the lawyer I dealt with was really firm about how all that should be done. She thinks I’m young and gullible.”
“There goes my plan to marry you and take half your stuff,” Eddie said sadly, and Ramon laughed.
* * * *
Christopher had taken the new truck in stride, more curious than excited, which amused Eddie. His son was pretty pleased with the move and the end of the preschool year. He was super focused on going to LA and finding his favorite beach to visit. They were saving the whole Disneyland reveal for when they actually got settled in the house and had a free weekend to explore the park.
Grilled cheese and sausage links, much to their shame, had become Christopher’s go-to meal when no decision was made for him. Buck was contrite and amused by it, though they’d agreed it should most definitely be a family secret. Eddie figured the interest would fade as his son’s palate matured and they learned to cook more variety. But they’d had grilled cheese and sausage for dinner, and Eddie was regretting it personally.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Eddie said as he adjusted his son’s blankets.
“About Grandma?” Christopher questioned. “I haven’t seen her in forever.”
Eddie took a deep breath because he hadn’t expected that. “Your grandmother is going through a difficult situation and needs time to adjust her expectations.”
“What’s that?” Christopher asked with a frown as he passed Eddie his glasses.
“It’s…when you want something and believe you have the right to get it,” Eddie said quietly. “She wanted us to stay in El Paso and for you to live with her. I told her it was never going to happen, and it made her very angry.”
“She’s mad a lot. She used to scream at Mommy.” Christopher frowned. “Is that why Mommy ran away?”
“Your mom has some issues of her own that she has to deal with. Her leaving isn’t anyone’s fault, okay?”
“Not even mine?” Christopher asked. “Are you sure?”
“Never yours,” Eddie said firmly. “Your mom loves you very much, but she can’t be here right now.”
“Will she ever come back?”
“I don’t…think so, and I know that hurts, baby. I’m going to do the very best I can to help you get through this.” Eddie took a deep breath as tears welled and fell down his son’s face. “I would do anything to make things right for your mom so that she could be with you.”
“You won’t leave me, right?”
“Never,” Eddie said firmly. “But I did want to talk about your mom. Do you know what a divorce is?”
“It’s when mommies and daddies don’t live together,” Christopher said and shrugged. “Are you and Mommy divorced?”
“Yeah, the judge agreed we were divorced today,” Eddie said, and his son nodded. “It was important that I do this so I can move on with my life the best I can.”
“That’s good, Daddy,” Christopher said. “You have to protect your heart.” He reached out and put his hand on Eddie’s chest. “Will Bucky leave?”
“Buck is very loyal,” Eddie said. “And he doesn’t know how to quit. The day we met, he saved my life.”
“How?” Christopher asked wide-eyed as Eddie urged him back down into the covers.
“I was climbing with some friends. And one really didn’t know what he was doing, and I didn’t know that,” Eddie admitted. “It taught me a very valuable lesson about asking the right questions when it comes to the abilities of others when I’m putting my life in their hands. Regardless, I was climbing with some friends, and so was Buck. We were on the cliff face but not on the same section. My partner failed to secure the rope I was on after he moved to a different rope system our friends above us had placed.
“I fell, and my weight jerked loose a different securing point. My friends were working hard to get to me because I couldn’t get purchase anywhere. Then, out of nowhere, Buck was there. He put a rope from his own rig onto mine just before the rest of my rope gave way. He helped me get upright and climbed the rest of the cliff with me.”
Christopher nodded and smiled then. “That means he saved me, too, right? I wouldn’t be here if you’d died.”
Eddie cleared his throat. “Yeah, I guess that’s…exactly right.” He brushed his fingers through Christopher’s curls. “And I’d change nothing that brought me to you.”
“Even though Mommy broke your feelings?”
“Even though,” Eddie said. “Sometimes love hurts, Mijo, but it’s worth it. But about Buck—he’s loyal, strong, and steadfast.”
“What does steadfast mean?”
“It means…that he’s determined and very devoted to the tasks he sets for himself. And honestly, Mijo, there is very little more precious in this world that a devoted friend. It’s something we should all hope to be for others.”
“I like Bucky a lot,” Christopher said. “Even when he burns lunch.”
Eddie laughed. “Yeah, me too.”
“We’ll be okay, Daddy.”
Eddie nodded. “You think so?”
“We just gotta take care of each other and Bucky,” Christopher said and yawned. “We’re a good family.” He tapped his forehead. “Kisses!”
Eddie laughed and pressed a kiss to his son’s forehead. “Sleep well. You’re definitely not getting grilled cheese for breakfast.”
Christopher just grinned as Eddie stood.
He walked down the hall to his own bedroom and dropped down on the bed with a groan as he rubbed his shoulder. His motion was still limited and wouldn’t get better without surgery.
“Want some ice?”
Eddie looked up and found Buck lingering in the doorway. He shook his head. “It’s fine—just annoying, really. My ortho from the VA already made a referral for LA. I don’t know what the best timing will be for the surgery. At least it’s not my dominant hand.”
“The pod gets picked up in two days, so I made hotel reservations,” Buck explained. “One room with two queen-sized beds. It’s got a pool, so that might serve to distract Christopher from the stress of moving. We need to start breaking down his room. That could be…upsetting for him.”
His son was certainly a creature of habit, so Eddie nodded. “I can deal with all of that while you take him to the hotel.”
Buck made a face. “That’s not a good idea, Eds. Your shoulder can’t handle that kind of physical stress, and there’s no need to cause yourself more damage.”
Eddie huffed a little and pulled off his socks. “You’ve done most of the packing for the pod, Buck.”
“Yeah, because I’m not the one recovering from three bullet wounds.”
“It’s been nearly four months.”
“And it can take up to a year to heal from a single bullet wound,” Buck pointed out reasonably. “And that’s without the bone and muscle damage you suffered due to the caliber. I get your frustration, but let’s not push it into a different headspace.”
“Like what?” Eddie demanded roughly.
“Punishment?” Buck questioned and shrugged when Eddie glared at him. “Are you spoiling for a fight here? Because I’m not the one to give you that.”
Eddie felt his face heat, and he averted his gaze. “Sorry.”
“I get that you’re frustrated and that her abandonment is kind of like an open wound that keeps getting poked,” Buck said quietly. “But I’m not going to allow you to vent your temper on me.”
“I wouldn’t want to,” Eddie protested.
“I know,” Buck said. “But it’s clearly the road you were on, and as coping mechanisms go, it’s a shitty one. Did you get the referral for a therapist as well?”
“Yeah.” Eddie crossed his arms and took a deep breath. “I’m in a weird place, and if I was confident of my ability to handle myself in a bar—I’d probably be angling to fuck a stranger right about now.”
“I see that, too,” Buck said. “If that’s what you want….”
Eddie shook his head. “It’s just another ugly and unfortunate coping mechanism. I’m in a terrible place, and I certainly wouldn’t use you the way I’d use a stranger. That’s got to be a problem.”
“Well, it’s a problem plenty of adults have,” Buck said and sat down on the bed beside him. “I’m not trying to manage your emotions for you.”
“I know.” Eddie rubbed his face with one hand and cleared his throat. “I don’t know how Shannon is going to respond to her parental rights being completely terminated. That wasn’t our agreement, and she’ll assume I did an end-round on her with the judge. Maybe I should’ve protested it, but I don’t think it would do me any good because he was clearly taking my circumstances kind of personally. He even spoke about how difficult it was to adopt his wife’s children because their father was a deadbeat.”
“Honestly, Eds, she’s getting what she deserves on this front. She’s told you repeatedly not to contact her, and that means she’s cutting him off, too, since there’s no way for him to contact her without you.” He sighed. “I guess I could reach out to her and try to arrange something, but I don’t want to. And she’d probably tell me to fuck off, too. I don’t have an ounce of respect for her anymore if I’m honest, and I don’t trust her to be a decent person to him right now. I also agree she’s probably had some sort of mental episode, but we can’t manage that for her.”
“I get it,” Eddie said. “I understand her resentment of me, but I’ll never understand how she clearly resents him, too. Maybe I’m reading into that, but I don’t think so. Even her first letter was about dealing with him and his medical conditions, plus a side of fury in my direction. She says she loves him but….” He shook his head. “She’s selfish, like my own mother, and that’s an awful realization to have. It makes you stand out like a star in my life.”
Buck huffed a little.
“Because you’re the least selfish person that I know,” Eddie continued. “Let’s play the hotel thing by ear; he might prefer to stay here during packing and oversee it.”
“That could increase his comfort with his things being packed away,” Buck said and nodded, then stood. “Get some sleep. Your dad will be coming over here tomorrow, and that means your mother will try to worm her way into the whole thing as well. Stressful phone calls from Shannon might be the least of it.”
“I’m considering changing my phone number before we even get to LA.”
“We can call in and do that—I need to change to an LA area code as well.” He rubbed his neck as he left the bedroom. “Take a shower and jerk off, Eds. You’ll feel better.”
Eddie made a face because his friend wasn’t wrong, and that was super irritating.
* * * *
“Can we speak?”
Buck used the old hand towel he’d taken from the rag pile to wipe his neck. It’d been a surprise when Ramon Diaz had returned to the house nearly an hour after he’d settled Eddie and Christopher into the hotel. They’d done most of the packing earlier in the day, then shortly after lunch, Christopher had sort of melted down about his toys being put in boxes, so they’d decided to remove him from the situation and let him have a bit of a reset.
“Of course,” Buck said as he opened up a bottle of water and drank half of it. “I can’t believe you live here of your own free will.”
Ramon laughed. “Well, not as such. Helena didn’t want to make our family far from her sisters. I can’t say I regret it—I’ve made a good life here.” He opened his own bottle of water. “I live with other regrets, however.”
“I’m sure. It can’t help that you have a wife more interested in enabling your issues than helping you manage them,” Buck said and winced. “Sorry, I’ve been working on having a filter. I’ve spent the last few years working with a bunch of old mountain men. They say whatever they want and don’t care how you feel about it.”
“It’s fine, and you’re not wrong. I think LA will be good for Edmundo,” Ramon said. “My mother favors him, but not to a detrimental degree. He’s her only grandson, and that has some importance in Mexican families. I have a favor to ask of you, Buck.”
“Okay,” Buck said and leaned on the pod.
“I realize that my son is an adult and can handle his own business. He certainly proved that while he served in the Army. I was so grateful that he survived and came home to us.” Ramon took a deep breath. “It’s just that he seems so vulnerable right now, and I don’t know how to help him. He’s always been standoffish regarding his relationships, so I don’t know how things really went between the two of you in Colorado, and I’m not asking for an explanation. I just want your word that you’ll take care with my son.”
Buck blinked in surprise. He really didn’t know what to say because he didn’t need to be asked such a thing. The truth of his circumstances seemed to be the best choice he could make. “Eddie is the love of my life.”
Ramon’s mouth dropped open.
“And since the start, I’ve done everything I possibly could to support him.” He cleared his throat. “Even when he called me in the middle of the night and told me he’d gotten his ex-girlfriend from high school pregnant. A lot of people restrict and attempt to control their love—like that’s the only way they can keep it. They hold on too tight, make demands, and eventually destroy the very thing they were trying to keep safe.”
Buck looked out over the lawn he’d mowed just the day before. He’d done it so they could put the lawn mower in the pod. “Some people think love is hard—they treat it that way as well. Like it’s a burden instead of a gift.”
He focused on Ramon Diaz and found the older man looking weirdly pensive. “Love has always felt like a responsibility to me.”
“I suppose it can be, but even that doesn’t make it a burden,” Buck said. “Not to me, anyway. And, yeah, I’ll take great care with them both. I’m stupidly invested.” He waved a hand. “And I know you’re probably worried about Shannon since we’ll be closer to her, but she’s not going to…let’s just say that I’m more than willing to do a lot to make sure she doesn’t get a chance to change her mind about the marriage. Eddie deserved better than what she’s done, and honestly, I think she does as well.
“I don’t know where her head is or how she got where she is, but it’s deeply unfortunate,” Buck said. “She was clearly a good mother.”
“Are you sure about that?” Ramon questioned.
“Yeah, of course,” Buck said. “Christopher is engaging, thoughtful, and sweet. He’s a little moody lately, but that’s age appropriate and reasonable considering the circumstances based on what we’ve read. His doctor agrees. He misses her, doesn’t appear to have any sort of fear of her, and there are no overt problematic behaviors. He enjoys attention, and at first, I thought it might be a problem, but it’s not due to neglect. In fact, I’d say it’s probably a by-product of the fact that she gave him every single moment of time she had, and he expects that kind of attention from others. Which could lead to problems later on. We’re going to work to mitigate it.
“The only real source of anxiety he had before his mother left was rooted in the actions and words of his grandmother.” Buck paused. “And you. The whole thing with the gait trainer was such a problem that Eddie asked me not to pull it out of the attic and pack it in the pod until after they were gone. It seems like Christopher saw your stance on it as a direct threat to his independence.”
“It seemed like she was rushing him,” Ramon said roughly.
“I think she actually slowed him down a lot,” Buck admitted. “He’s very determined and can get stubborn when he makes a plan that gets thwarted. Shannon managed his expectations very well, as far as we can tell. She refocused him when necessary and invested herself in providing him with as much stimulation as he desired based on stories he’s told us about his time with her. Christopher is already reading, Ramon.” The older man blinked in surprise. “He can recognize over a thousand words based on the casual testing we’ve done with a little game on his iPad. He’s also doing basic addition and subtraction. His grasp of phonetics is very good as well. I got him to sound out words correctly completely foreign to him both in Spanish and English yesterday.”
“I let Helena shape my opinions about Shannon,” Ramon admitted. “And she loathes that young woman.”
“People with control issues don’t like anyone they can’t exert an immense amount of control over,” Buck said. “I grew up with a mother like that—obsessive-compulsive, demanding, manipulative, and controlling to the nth degree. I think my mother hates me.”
“And your father?”
“He doesn’t know enough about me to love or hate me,” Buck said. “I don’t remember him ever looking me in the eye, and I haven’t seen him since I was seventeen.”
“I don’t understand such a thing,” Ramon said roughly. “Will Eddie give Shannon another chance to be a mother to Christopher?”
“I doubt it, and it has nothing to do with her past care of his son.” Buck shrugged. “He can’t trust her now due to how she left and the outright cruel behavior regarding communication. Moreover, she’d have a hard fight here in Texas to get that ruling overturned. The judge was hardcore. I read the final documentation before we stored all of that stuff in a fire safe for travel. He declared her an emotional and psychological danger to her own child, and I think that would be hard to come back from, considering the documentation they have.
“Her correspondence to the court was twice as bad as what she sent to Eddie because she was adamant about not paying child support. She disparaged Eddie’s service in the military and practically declared him an unfit human being for serving in a war zone instead of being at home with her. Unfortunately, for her, the judge is a veteran himself.”
“I don’t feel sorry for her,” Ramon admitted. “She betrayed my son and grandson. But I wish I’d been kinder to her when it would’ve mattered. It’s certainly selfish because I’m the one that feels bad about it, and she probably doesn’t care at this point.” He focused on the house. “Anything else?”
“Nah, the pod is done, and all that is left will go in the truck when we leave,” Buck said. “The house is almost ready for staging at this point. The real estate agent is going to bring in some décor pieces and the like. I stopped listening once she told us what needed to stay and what should go. We turn the keys over tomorrow, and we’ll leave as planned on Friday.”
“Then you start the academy in just over a week,” Ramon said.
“Nine days,” Buck said. “I’ve read all the materials I got in advance, and I’ve already submitted proof of certifications that I already have. I’m leaning toward picking up some coursework from FEMA on the side as well. It feels like a good fit for what I already have and the area. Between the wildfires and earthquakes, I think it would make me very attractive as an employee.”
“Continuing education should be attractive to any employer,” Ramon said. “Don’t let it be dismissed during the interview process. I know your heart is set on the LAFD, but there’s LA County and Santa Monica to consider. If you excel at the academy, there will be a lot of interest in keeping you local. So do your best to graduate at the very top.”
Buck nodded. “More water?”
“Nah, I’m for home if you’re done.”
“I think so,” Buck said. “I know this isn’t what you want for Eddie—the move to LA.”
“Ah, well,” Ramon began with a frown, then sighed. “He needs space from his mother, and I understand. She’s done a great deal of damage in her relationships with all of our children over how she handled that Margery situation.” He paused. “I called that woman’s husband and spoke at length about the fact that she tried to seduce my fifteen-year-old son. The man wasn’t surprised at all and said he hadn’t allowed either of his sons to live in their house with their stepmother after puberty.”
“Jesus Christ,” Buck muttered. “I hope he’s been a little more proactive than that.”
“One would hope, but I didn’t pry. I just made it clear she was never welcome near me or my home again. And that I wouldn’t hesitate to tell others with young sons about her if I heard she was allowed around minors. I don’t know what kind of predator she is…but she’s certainly one.”
Buck nodded. “I’ve always been big for my age. I was almost six foot at sixteen, so I was hit on a lot as a teenager. But I never had an adult not back off completely once they knew how old I really was.” He paused. “Last year, the father of a high school friend was in Aspen for a vacation. I can’t say I was shocked when he hit on me since he’d always given me a vibe. But he had kept his hands to himself when I was younger.”
Ramon frowned. “At least you were an adult at the time.”
“I told him off,” Buck said. “Because he was still married, and I think he was surprised. But my dad is an unrepentant cheater, and I’ve seen firsthand what that does to a family.”
“Your father is a weak fool for more than one reason,” Ramon said. “I sent Eddie a text asking if we can meet for lunch tomorrow before you leave.”
“Sounds good,” Buck said. “We’ll have to keep Christopher’s emotional landscape in mind. I guess I didn’t expect the whole meltdown over his room being packed up.”
“Ah, well, little kids can get furious over the smallest things,” Ramon said. “And Christopher is deeply comforted by routine. He gets that from his father. I’ve always believed that was why Edmundo thrived in the Army. He found the structure and discipline a great comfort.”
Buck nodded. “He’s worried about existing outside of that structure. But I’m worried he’ll get wrapped up in the idea of a job and end up messing himself up either mentally or physically.”
“I told him to let me know if you two need money,” Ramon said. “He won’t.”
Buck made a face.
“And you clearly won’t either,” Ramon said dryly.
“I wouldn’t ask for myself, but neither of us would let Christopher suffer for a moment if we could prevent it,” Buck assured, and Ramon nodded.
Part 2
He’d picked up food before returning to the hotel, so he let himself into the room with a bag full of takeout in hand. Eddie was sprawled on the bed, and Christopher was on the end with his iPad. Both father and son looked epically bored.
“You two cool?”
“We went to the pool, but some lady asked Daddy for his phone number,” Christopher reported, and Eddie groaned. “Then we came back up here so he could pout about it.”
“I’m not pouting,” Eddie protested. “It was weird, and I don’t know why I didn’t lie and say I was married. But she asked, and I said divorced before I could even help myself. It was like I got cornered by a wild animal. All I wanted to do was sit by the kiddie pool and play on my phone. It wasn’t too much to ask.”
“I had to save him,” Christopher said and looked up from his iPad. “So, I should get a treat after dinner for rescuing him from a barracuda.”
“How do you even know about barracudas?” Eddie asked, exasperated.
“We saw them at the zoo,” Christopher said and focused on Buck. “Daddy said you’d bring dinner.”
“I brought tacos and cinnamon tortilla chips—so treat already purchased.”
“Awesome.”
They took a towel from the bathroom to use as a picnic surface and settled on the bed to eat. Eddie retrieved some water from the mini-fridge, and Buck focused on Chris, who was shoving a chicken taco into his mouth.
“You cool, Superman?”
Christopher’s cheeks pinkened, and he shrugged. “I’m okay. Sorry.”
“It’s fine to get upset, remember?” Eddie said, and Christopher nodded. “But communication is important. We thought you understood that everything we were packing today was being sent to California.”
“Oh, that was the problem?” Buck questioned.
“The other stuff we packed got donated or thrown away,” Eddie pointed out.
“Did we throw away anything you wanted to keep, Superman?” Buck questioned, and the boy shook his head. “Your mom didn’t leave anything personal behind if you were concerned.”
“She mailed packages before she left,” Christopher said. “We went to the UPS store together.”
Eddie exhaled slowly. “Before I came home?”
“After you were hurt,” Christopher said and reached out for another taco. “Is there another beef one?”
“Here,” Eddie said and picked out one with a red label. “Red for steak, green for chicken.” He focused on Buck. “How’d things go with my Pop?”
“He was helpful,” Buck said easily. “Didn’t get nosy or try to change any of the decisions we’d already made.” Eddie raised an eyebrow. “And he didn’t even give me a shovel talk.”
Eddie huffed and laughed a little at the same time. “He gave me one.”
“Seriously?”
His friend shrugged. “He thinks a lot of you—it’s got my sisters kind of weirded out because Pop has never been able to stand a single man they’ve brought around for an introduction.”
“Abuelo says Tía Sophia has the worst taste in men,” Christopher said and grinned when Eddie laughed. “The last guy she dated didn’t even buy her dinner.”
“Wow, kiddo, the judgment just got real,” Buck said with a laugh. “Maybe your tía wanted to pay for dinner. She seems the modern sort.”
“Sure, but he never paid for dinner. Abuelo says some ladies like to take turns or split the check. But that I should try to pay as often as possible to be a gentleman. I asked him how to be a gentleman if I dated a boy, and he told me to be thoughtful, honest, and to pick up the check as often as I can.”
Eddie laughed.
“What?” Buck questioned.
“It’s just he told me the same thing,” Eddie admitted.
“If men get thoughtful and honest, what are women getting besides an argument over the check?” Buck asked with a grin.
“You honestly don’t want to know,” Eddie said wryly. “The man’s really old school.”
“You have to be strong and not be selfish,” Christopher said earnestly. “I told him I’m never selfish and always share my toys. I don’t think he meant it like that, though.”
“He totally didn’t,” Eddie confirmed. “And you’re not old enough to know what he really meant.”
Bucked opened up the cinnamon chips as a distraction because he really didn’t want the kid asking any questions about not being selfish with women.
“Abuelo says sometimes ladies pretend to like the things you do even if they don’t.”
“Oh my god,” Buck muttered. “Please eat another taco.”
Christopher laughed.
* * * *
Eddie hadn’t expected to get out of El Paso without seeing his mother, but he’d made the decision to have a private meeting at his parents’ house with just his mother and father. Buck and Christopher were at the house doing a final check on everything and handing over the keys to the realtor.
“You’re moving better,” Helena said stiffly.
She looked small, sitting in the kitchen with a large cup of coffee in hand. Eddie couldn’t find it in himself to buy the image she was projecting. He’d spent too many years exposed to her special brand of manipulation.
“I’ll need at least two more surgeries for a full recovery,” Eddie said. “The motion in my shoulder is limited—due to muscle damage I caused correcting the dislocation in the field.”
“I guess you regret being so rash.”
“Well, I’d be dead if I hadn’t done it,” Eddie said evenly. “So having another surgery to correct an issue is nothing compared.”
She grimaced. “Why didn’t you bring Christopher?”
“Because I can’t trust you to behave like a decent human being,” Eddie said, and she frowned.
“I’m better—I haven’t had a drink in weeks.”
“Being sober is the least of the changes you need to make in order to have any sort of access to my child going forward,” Eddie said, and her breath hitched. “You’ve been awful, Mom, and your need to control everything around you is toxic. I can’t allow you to attempt to parent Christopher. I can’t allow you to smother him with your demands and expectations like you did to me.
“I haven’t trusted you since I was fifteen. I can’t say if that will ever change, and that’s on you. When I look at my son…it’s galling how little effort you put into protecting us as children. You’ve always been more invested in your image than anything else. And it’s really hard to look at you sometimes as a result.”
“You’re being extremely unfair,” Helena said flatly. “You’ve barely been in his life—how many days have you actually been in the same house with him since he was born?”
“I’m not going to allow you to shame me for serving my country,” Eddie said flatly, and she glared at him. “And it doesn’t matter how often I was home when it comes to my rights as a parent. Even if Pop was willing to fund your campaign of terror against my family, you wouldn’t successfully remove my child from my care. You already know that. Your selfish desire to take my son doesn’t equal a right for you to do so.”
“You should stay here where your family is.”
“I have plenty of family in LA,” Eddie said. “Family who won’t be invested in destroying my son’s independence and stealing him from me.”
“You’re not a good father, Eddie. You’re just going to drag him down and ruin his life like you’ve ruined yours. You can’t even keep a wife.”
“In all honesty, Mom, I never wanted a wife to begin with,” Eddie said, and her mouth dropped open. “I did what I thought was right, but it was clearly a mistake. I’m relieved by the divorce. I’m relieved to have a safe, good place to land in LA with someone I can trust with everything.”
“That boy is going to bail on you at the first sign of hardship,” Helena muttered.
“Evan Buckley saved my life the day I met him,” Eddie said. “And he has been the best friend I’ve ever known in my life. I trust him without reserve. He is a very good man, and it would be my great honor if my son grew up to be just like him. He’s not going to bail because failure isn’t even in his wheelhouse. Buck doesn’t know how to give up, Mom.”
“You trust him? You can’t even trust your mother.”
“My mother let one of her friends attempt to sexually assault me when I was fifteen with no repercussions,” Eddie said evenly. “I know you still think I invited her into my room, and that’s honestly gross. I’ve never ever found that woman remotely attractive. She’s always looked twenty years older than she actually is because she smokes a pack a day and drinks like a fish. She’s disgusting and fifty percent silicone.” His father snorted. “I mean it.”
“Oh, I know, and I agree,” Ramon said dryly. “She’s clearly had a lot of work done, and there’s nothing wrong with that part. She can spend her money any way she’d like. But she’s a pervert and a sexual predator. If the statute of limitations hadn’t expired, I’d be filing attempted statutory rape charges against her.” He put his hands out and made a frustrated sound. “Because I did call my lawyer and ask.”
Eddie watched the color drain from his mother’s face. “You know, the worse part is that she’s appalled by that for all the wrong reasons.” He stood and rubbed his shoulder. The drive over hadn’t been a serious problem, but he was glad that Buck was intent on doing all the driving to California. “I’m going to go. I don’t want Christopher to wait long after the real estate agent comes.”
“You shouldn’t sell your house. You’ll need it when you come back,” Helena interjected.
“Mom, I’m never coming back to El Paso,” Eddie said. “Not even to visit. I’d prefer to never step foot in this state again if I’m honest. Anyone who wants to see me can come to LA, and you aren’t welcome at all until you can figure out how to put someone else’s well-being above your own.”
“Christopher is going to be miserable without me!” Helena shouted. “He’s probably asked about me repeatedly, and you’ve been denying him the right to see me!”
Eddie winced and shared a glance with his father. “No, he hasn’t, Mom. Christopher’s not specifically bothered to discuss you, but he certainly hasn’t asked to see you. He really hasn’t wanted to visit anyone since Shannon left. My son is hurt, and I know you think that’s ridiculous because you hate Shannon, but he loves his mother. He feels betrayed by her, and you frustrate the hell out of him with your ableism. Christopher doesn’t feel safe with you as a result, and that’s your fault.
“He’s excited about the move to California and is already making a list of places he wants to visit. He’s also made a wish list for what he wants in a new school. You’re not a factor in any of that.”
“I don’t believe you. I’m the only mother he has now.”
Eddie groaned. “That’s the problem, right there. You’re not his mother. You never will be. He doesn’t need you.” He cleared his throat. “He’s very young.”
“What’s that mean?” Helena questioned.
“I don’t remember much from the age of four,” Eddie explained. “It’s hit and miss, really. Maybe he’ll remember more or maybe less due to the emotional trauma of his mother’s abandonment. In a few years, if you don’t correct your behavior, he won’t even know who you are. Because I certainly won’t be inclined toward reminding him that you exist.”
“Ramon, if you don’t pay for a lawyer to sue for custody—I’m going to divorce you and take half of everything,” Helena said. “Then I can sue for custody with my own money!”
Eddie watched his father stare at his mother for several long moments, then clear his throat.
“Helena, we both signed a prenup. Your parents were convinced I was a gold digger, and they didn’t want their precious little girl getting taken advantage of by a Mexican they weren’t even convinced was a citizen of this country. Per that agreement, you aren’t entitled to a single cent of my money or my assets—which includes this house, my business, and the car you drive. You spent your parents’ money years ago, so you have nothing left. But, if you did, I couldn’t have any of it. Out of charity, I’d be willing to give you a living allowance, but if you want to sue my son for custody of his own child—you’re going to have to get a job.
“You probably signed that agreement under the impression that you would always have more money than me. Your parents certainly thought that. A few years before your father died, he told me he regretted that prenuptial agreement because it was going to leave you penniless if I ever left you since he knew you couldn’t curtail your spending. He suggested we make a new, fairer document.” He paused. “I told him to go fuck himself.”
Eddie winced.
“Now, if you want a divorce—you just let me know. I’ll pay for the whole thing and arrange for you to have an apartment during the process. It’ll give you time to get yourself together and find a job. I’ll be coming home this evening to sleep in my house. You can move into the guest room while you decide how much our marriage means to you.”
Eddie had never wanted to run away more in his whole life. California didn’t seem far enough, either.
“What are you thinking, Mijo?” Ramon asked curiously.
“It’s really crazy that Mom was more tolerable as a drunk,” Eddie blurted out. “I don’t get it. I’m going to go because I feel like shit for thinking that, and none of this should be my problem.” He focused on his mother. “Remember what I said about ruining your life if you sue me, Mom, because I meant it. Nothing will ever be the same between us, and I won’t ever forgive you for whatever lies you tell yourself and the court to justify your selfish and disgusting actions.”
“I’m not the selfish one! You’re depriving your son of a mother!”
“I wish someone had done the same for me,” Eddie retorted and sort of regretted it when his mother started to cry. He was starting to feel like a bully, and that wasn’t fair since he wasn’t in the wrong. His mother was selfish and unreasonable. “And for the final time, you’re not his mother. Christ, get some fucking therapy.”
Realizing that his mother was just pushing a button she’d installed herself, he pulled out his keys and walked out of the kitchen. He was all the way out to the truck before he got a text from his father confirming that he’d meet them for lunch at a steak house not far from the interstate. He sent his agreement and started toward his old house for the final time. It didn’t feel weird at all.
* * * *
Because Eddie had healed so well, they managed to split the trip to Los Angeles across two days of travel. Christopher had handled six hours at a time in the truck okay physically but had quickly become bored with the Blu-ray player and his iPad. Eddie wasn’t entirely sure he could’ve entertained the kid on his own, but Buck had easily handled question after question. Even when he hadn’t had an answer.
As a result, they now had a whole list of things to research. Eddie pitied whatever librarian they ended up in front of because one of the first things Buck had suggested was that they scope out the nearest library and get memberships. He suspected it was going to become a thing as Christopher apparently hadn’t known that libraries existed, and the explanation of what one was had blown his little mind.
One of the best decisions they’d made before traveling was asking his abuela if the lawyer could deliver the keys to the house to her. It had resulted in her offering to get some basic groceries and be at the house when they arrived. Before he even got out of the car, the front door was open, and his Tía Pepa appeared.
“Who’s that?” Christopher asked as Eddie helped him down from the truck.
“That’s my Tía Pepa; she’s your abuelo’s sister and your tía abuela. You can call her Tía Pepa,” Eddie said. “I used to come here during the summer and spend weeks at her house.”
“To avoid grandma?” Christopher questioned, and Buck laughed.
“Well, both of my parents at the time,” Eddie admitted.
He didn’t know how to explain to his son that Ramon Diaz had been a raging alcoholic when Eddie was a kid. His pop had worked hard to correct himself, and he didn’t want Christopher to worry about that.
“Eddie,” Pepa said warmly as she left the porch. “I’ve missed you.” She brought him in close for a hug as soon as she could, then patted his cheek. “Look at this beard. You’ve never looked more like your abuelo than you do right now.”
“Should I shave?” Eddie asked in concern with a glance into the house. “I wouldn’t want to upset her.”
“No,” Pepa shook her head. “She’ll always grieve his loss, but it’s not painful anymore.”
“Grief doesn’t hurt?” Christopher questioned.
Pepa smiled down at him. “Hello, Christopher.”
“Hi,” Christopher said and leaned on Eddie’s leg. “Is this Bucky’s house or your house?”
“It’s our new house, Superman,” Buck said easily. “Pepa and Isabel just helped open it for us so it wouldn’t be a dusty mess with no food. And sometimes grief becomes bittersweet—a reminder of what we lost and can’t replace.”
Christopher nodded. “Okay. Like Mommy?”
Pepa’s eyes widened slightly.
Eddie cleared his throat. “Yeah, Mijo, like your mom.” He cupped his son’s shoulder. “Do you need help with the ramp?”
“Nah, it’s like the one at pre-school,” Christopher said and prodded the concrete ramp with a crutch. “Is this for me, Bucky?”
“My Uncle Dixon used a wheelchair, Superman,” Buck said as he hitched a backpack over his shoulder. “So, there are ramps on the front and back of the house were made for him, and you can use every single one.”
“There’s also one leading down into the sunken living room,” Pepa reported as she stood back and opened the door. “I think it might have been called a conversation pit when this house was first built.”
“Yeah,” Buck said with a laugh. “I think so, too. It’s not steep, right?”
“It seems to be perfectly constructed,” Pepa said as she watched Christopher navigate the ramp. “Not as steep as this one, but the sunken part is just about six inches down. It would’ve been a single step before wheelchair access was installed.”
Eddie stepped into the house after his son, and Buck followed.
“Oh my God, whatever that smell is—I want to marry it,” Buck said.
“Chicken enchiladas,” Isabel Diaz said cheerfully from the doorway in the back of the large living room. “I supposed you’d be hungry after your drive today.” She tossed a hand towel over her should and smiled at them. “Welcome to California.”
“Hi! I’m Christopher. I’m starving. Daddy and Buck haven’t fed me in hours.”
Eddie huffed. “It’s been three hours since lunch, Christopher.”
“Hours and hours,” Christopher repeated, and Isabel laughed as he approached her.
She braced one hand on the doorframe and, before Eddie could protest, knelt on one knee. “Come here then, mi cielito, give your abuelita a hug.”
Christopher abandoned his crutches and glomped onto her with a laugh.
“Oh, good Lord,” Pepa muttered and rushed forward to make sure her mother didn’t tip over.
Eddie followed.
“Look at you two,” Isabel said with a laugh as she hugged Christopher tightly. “I’m old, not infirm.”
“Well, you don’t look a day over forty,” Buck said and offered her his hand as Eddie picked up Christopher’s crutches.
“Well, aren’t you a charming boy,” Isabel said as she took his hand and let him help her from the floor. “Where do you come from? Surely not Texas.”
“Hershey, Pennsylvania, ma’am.”
“Like the candy?” Isabel questioned and patted his arm.
Eddie laughed when Buck blushed bright red.
* * * *
“There’s a pool.”
“It’s a rich man’s house in LA,” Buck said by way of explanation.
“There’s also a pool house.”
He looked up from the manual he was reading. “Yeah, my uncle used it as an office. I told you there was an office space. He was a screenwriter. I donated all of his awards to a museum in Hollywood.”
“A screenwriter? Would I know any of his movies?”
“I would assume so since he won Oscars and shit,” Buck said and set the manual aside. “He mostly did science fiction and even worked with all the big directors but never directed himself. His most lauded work was definitely Paragon Earth and the sequel Lunar Zenith.”
Eddie barely kept his mouth closed. “Are you serious? Wow. I loved Paragon. I saw it ten times in the theater when it first came out. He did those time-travel moves, too, right? 2247 and 1971. Pop is a huge fan. I didn’t know that he’d passed.”
“He didn’t a big deal made out of it,” Buck said. “So, his death was announced months after it happened in a small statement asking for privacy and all of that rot. My mother wasn’t happy as she wanted to make a big deal out of being related to someone famous.”
“I can’t believe I’m just now finding this out,” Eddie said. “And I really didn’t connect your Uncle Dixon with Dixon Mallory. I should’ve considered it due to the house and the location.”
“Well, you haven’t asked much about him,” Buck pointed out. “And I only knew him mostly through phone calls and emails. I met him twice my whole life, in person. But he reached out to me when I posted on Instagram about wanting to climb K2. He offered to sponsor the trip, and I honestly wanted to do it so badly that I didn’t say no. Plus, it was hard to ignore the yearning he had for adventure. His lawyer told me that I was the only member of his family that called or wrote to him regularly ever and that my own mother hadn’t called her brother in a decade before his death.”
“Another reason why your parents didn’t protest the will,” Eddie said. “They couldn’t have had any ground to stand on as they had no relationship with the man. I’m glad he had you, at least.”
Buck nodded. “I was thinking about the pool house, though. I figured it could be your space—for your AV stuff, and we could probably make a dark room in it, too.”
“Buck, I don’t….” Eddie took a deep breath. “I’m not sure what I want to do with all of that if anything. I need to get a real job.”
“Well, first, that’s not true. Second, it’s perfectly okay to pursue something that will make you really happy. What would you say is the most important part of being behind a camera?”
“I….” Eddie frowned and slouched on the sofa beside his best friend.
He was full from dinner, and Christopher had worn him out when it had come time for a bath. The kid had practically swam in the large tub they’d found in the en suite of the room they’d given him. He’d gotten the room because the bathroom attached also had a walk-in shower. He’d taken the guest room next to Christopher’s and insisted on installing Buck in the main bedroom despite Buck claiming he really didn’t need that much space.
“If you’d asked me in high school, I would’ve talked to you for hours about finding my narrative and defining my human experience through the capture of imagery and ideas,” Eddie murmured. “I was invested in telling stories and revealing the deeper truth of living. Now, I don’t know.”
“You certainly have stories to tell,” Buck said. “And a perspective to offer the world. So, take my uncle’s office and figure out what works for you and what you want to do with it. You’re at least eight months from any sort of full-time job since we have your surgery, then Christopher’s. I certainly wouldn’t want to put him in any sort of daycare situation during recovery.”
“No, agreed,” Eddie said. “I don’t want to take advantage of you, Buck.”
“You aren’t and never could. Also, you currently have more money in the bank than I do since a lot of mine is tied up in investments, and your severance came through. We should ask the firm I used to set you up as well. We have a good financial cushion, and I expect to be on the job within four months. Money isn’t going to be a real issue for us anytime soon, and your father basically took a knee to convince me to take money from him if Christopher needed it,” Buck said, and Eddie groaned. “I didn’t want to tell him our financial picture because it felt private, but his offer was sincere. We could sell this house and get something cheaper if it came down to it. Let’s not make money an issue between us, okay? That kind of prideful behavior is toxic and not something I’d want to model with Christopher. We’re already going to have to deprogram him a little on that front as is due to your father’s old-world views on dating and the like.”
“Christopher is in love with this house,” Eddie admitted. “And I think my abuela wants to move into a guest room.”
“Well, she totally could,” Buck said with a laugh. “Her food is amazing. We could turn that fussy den into another bedroom.”
“I believe it’s actually a salon.”
“It’s gonna be an entertainment room unless your abuela moves in. I can’t believe my uncle didn’t have one, considering his career. He has a huge movie collection, so there is that. Plus, he has that ridiculous TV in the living room.”
“He might have just been more comfortable in that room,” Eddie said. “But, yeah, we can move the big one and put the TV from the pod in the living room. It’s not that much smaller and would fit the space better. It’d be nice to tuck the game systems and stuff out of the way of guests, at any rate.” He cleared his throat. “And I’ll think about what you said. I’ve never really considered making a career with what I was told could only be a hobby. My mom was adamant and disdainful of the whole thing. Despite the fact that my grandfather did it successfully. Media has changed quite a bit since his day, though.”
“Yeah, there’s just more ways to share, though—Instagram, YouTube, et cetera. Photojournalism isn’t dying in the digital age, as far as I can tell. There’s videography as well.”
“I’d need a degree to get a job in the field,” Eddie said.
“Well, there are no shortages of places to get a degree in this area. But freelance work and a YouTube channel only require what you want it to require. People would either buy your work or not.” Buck turned to face him. “Have you considered exploring your experience in the Army?”
“I….” Eddie exhaled slowly. “That would be a lot. It would be a heavy topic.”
“Certainly, but it would also be a way of giving back to other veterans—sharing your experiences with combat and injury,” Buck said. “As much as you can share, at any rate, and it’s something you could do with Christopher. Helping him find his own narrative would be great for his development.”
* * * *
Eddie shifted his weight on his leg and clenched his jaw as a cramp crawled down the front of his thigh. Physical therapy had done wonders, but he’d taxed the limit on standing with a trip to the grocery store. Every day was an improvement, but the bullet was still in his leg, and he was beginning to think they were going to have to remove it to ensure that the muscle healed properly.
“Are you okay, Daddy?”
“I’m fine, Mijo,” Eddie said and shifted around the cart to start putting the groceries on the belt.
“Isn’t he a little old to be sitting in the cart? You young people just can’t help but encourage your children to be lazy. It’s such a shame.”
Christopher huffed just as Eddie turned to look at an older white woman looking at him like he was the scum of the earth. He hated that look on anyone’s face, but she kind of reminded him of one of his mother’s sisters, and that was super irritating. He hadn’t spoken to his Aunt Marnie since shortly after Christopher was born, so being reminded of her was also awful.
“I got tired from using my crutches,” Christopher said hotly. “And Daddy can’t carry me a long time because he got hurt in the Army.” The tone was just short of mind your own damn business, and Eddie blamed his abuela for that. She’d been an influence since his son had set eyes on her.
The woman blanched and backed out of line, then hurried away. Eddie exhaled slowly and glanced toward the cashier, who was frowning after the woman.
“It’s fine.”
“It really isn’t,” she said. “Some people don’t know how to mind their own business. I cart my five-year-old around in that seat all the time just so I can keep track of her.” She started scanning products. “Do you have reusable bags?”
“I don’t….” Eddie admitted. “We just moved house from Texas.”
“If you want—you can buy about four to cover this load,” she said and motioned toward a display tucked next to check out. “They’re just a dollar a piece. We have to charge you ten cents per bag if we have to use those little plastic ones, which is a waste of money that will just add up over time.”
Eddie nodded. “It makes sense.” He grabbed ten because he figured Buck would be on board with it, and four wouldn’t do bigger shopping trips.
“Might pick up an insulated tote for the cold stuff. We don’t have any in stock, but you can find them pretty cheaply at Target,” she said. She scanned each bag and pulled off the tags as she went, then tucked the extras into one before starting to pack as she scanned. “Did you need help getting these out to the car?”
“No, we’ll be fine,” Eddie said and poked his son gently when the boy made a huffy sound. “I got this one to keep me in line.”
Christopher eyed the candy area. “Buck should have a treat, Daddy.”
“Is that so?”
“He loves the peanut butter cups,” he said and pointed toward them. “It’s his first day of school.”
“I see your game, Mijo.”
“Learning to be a firefighter is hard work, Daddy. I’m just trying to make him happy. He deserves a reward.”
The clerk laughed under her breath as Eddie sighed and grabbed a large Reese’s cup since he knew Buck preferred that over the thin ones that were more chocolate than peanut butter. He snagged a Snickers for himself and the plain M&Ms for Christopher, who grinned broadly at the choice. “You have to clean your plate and eat all of your vegetables tonight.”
“Sure, Daddy.”
That earned them another laugh from the woman checking them out, and Eddie sighed as he put the candy on the belt beside all the healthier food choices he’d agonized over choosing. He’d gotten some steaks and charcoal for the grill because he figured Buck would appreciate something hearty and he could handle the grill.
“You’re a pushover,” the clerk said with a laugh, and Eddie grinned.
* * * *
Buck rubbed the back of his neck as he slid out of the truck. They’d decided that they’d transport Christopher in the SUV as much as possible since it was more comfortable for him to get in and out of. It was also easier on Eddie, but Buck hadn’t pointed that out. He let himself into the house and flicked the locks back into place.
The house was cool but also quiet. The SUV had been in the garage, so he knew that Eddie was at home. He walked through the kitchen and paused at the French doors that led out to the patio. There was an outdoor dining area under a pergola that Buck pretended didn’t exist for the first week. Eddie and Christopher were in the outdoor kitchen area, and they had the grill fired up.
Buck grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went to join them. Eddie looked up as he opened the doors and waved with a pair of tongs.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Buck said and sat down on a bench next to Christopher, who had a coloring book spread out in front of him.
“How’d things go?”
“They accepted my EMT certification, which I assumed they would since I’m registered nationally.” Buck took a sip of water. “They also accepted the SARTECH I and II certs. I’ve got urban rescue for the SARTECH III, surf rescue, then flood and swift water rescue on the deck. I’ll have to do an overnight trip for the swift water since the only training option in the next year is in San Diego. There is an emergency management certification on offer which dovetails with my desire to explore certification through FEMA at some point. I’ve got eighteen weeks to get through the regular coursework and meet those certifications. There were four captains at the academy today, and I met two.”
“Did either interest you?” Eddie questioned.
Buck made a face. “Not really. There was a third there that I wanted to meet, but he had to leave before I could get around to that side of the room. The fourth was specifically there to meet a paramedic from San Diego who is getting grandfathered into the LAFD structure as a firefighter paramedic if she does well. Normally you have to be on the job for two years with the LAFD to qualify for paramedic training. So, he was in and out very quickly.”
“How many jobs are going to be available at the end of this training session?”
“Ten for the LAFD, and it’s a class of forty-six this time around,” Buck said. “They also train for other areas around LA. I’m on the lookout for Santa Monica and LA County as well. We’re getting a visit from the California Smoke Jumpers next week. If anyone is interested in that, then there is additional training.”
“I don’t mean to be bossy, but you are not jumping out of a plane and into fire,” Eddie said huffily, and Buck laughed. “I mean it.”
“It wouldn’t be my first choice, but a job is a job,” Buck said. “And it’s important that I get one.” He stretched. “What’s for dinner?”
“Steak, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes,” Eddie said. “All things I can stick on this grill with an astounding amount of success.”
Buck grinned. “Sounds good.” He folded his arms on the table and laid down his head, then focused on Christopher. “How was your day, Superman?”
“Daddy and me went to the store—there was a mean lady. I like the SUV. It smells fancy.”
“That’s the leather seats. Which was a crazy choice for California, but no one looks an inherited Cadillac Escalade in the mouth,” Buck said. “What mean lady?”
“Just a woman thinking I was letting him be lazy by riding in the cart,” Eddie said roughly. “His crutches were right there in the back of the damn thing. She was just being a….” He frowned and opened the grill. “You know what.”
“Is a you know what like You Know Who?” Christopher asked curiously.
Buck burst out laughing, and Eddie frowned in clear confusion. “Sure, Superman, she was totally like Voldemort.”
“What?” Eddie questioned.
“Daddy’s never seen the Harry Potter movies,” Christopher said. “Isn’t that weird?”
“It’s pretty weird,” Buck agreed, and Eddie rolled his eyes. “But the books are better than the movies. We should start reading them together.”
“Cool,” Christopher said. “I want to read the Wimpy Kid books, too.”
Buck nodded, but Eddie made a face.
“Not what you think,” Buck said, and Eddie nodded. “Have you heard of Percy Jackson? I have those on eBook on my iPad, so we could read those together if you want.”
Christopher shook his head. “What’s it about?”
“It’s about a boy who finds out he’s a demigod and the son of the Greek god Poseidon, who ruled over the sea. His mother is human.”
“Sounds cool,” the boy said and smiled even as Eddie made a face that looked like disagreement.
“Still can’t hang with fantasy, huh?” Buck questioned with a laugh.
“I prefer suspense and science fiction,” Eddie admitted. “I read The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke last year and liked it a lot.”
“Nothing like impending doom to entertain the masses,” Buck said dryly, and Eddie laughed.
* * * *
“Shannon unloaded on me in a series of DMs through Insta,” Eddie said quietly as he sat down next to Buck on the couch. “She apparently just opened the papers the court sent her.”
“It’s been nearly two weeks,” Buck said in confusion. “They had to have sent her a notification regarding the hearing for the termination suit.”
“Yeah, my lawyer made sure of it,” Eddie said. “Regardless, she’s furious about her parental rights being terminated. She said I didn’t have any right to ask for such a thing since I’d barely taken care of our child at all, and she was entitled to a break. Then there was a rambling essay about caregiver burden and her stolen youth.”
“Jesus Christ,” Buck muttered and took a long draw from his water bottle. “Did you respond?”
“No, I saved it all and blocked her,” Eddie said and shrugged. “I have nothing to say to her, and she’s told me explicitly not to contact her. I’m not going to give her any ammunition that could be used against me in court, Buck. She’s angry right now, so I can see her filing for a restraining order, or some shit out of spite. I don’t know what she plans to do on the legal front, but we can’t live our lives around her and her needs. It’s not fair to any of us.” He cleared his throat. “She also said she was surprised that I didn’t even try to fight for our marriage.”
“She didn’t give you a chance.”
“Even if she had, I wouldn’t have fought to keep her. I certainly wouldn’t have begged her like she clearly thought I should. Shannon expected me to feel guilty about serving in the military. I regret the time I lost with my son, but I don’t…regret anything else. I intended to make a career out of the Army and was already looking at more training opportunities. I was hoping to transition into a job here in the States so I could bring them to my next base posting. Now I realize she’d have never agreed to that.”
“I’m sorry your career was taken from you,” Buck said, and Eddie took a deep breath. “What?”
“You’re just the first person to say that. Everyone else has acted like I should be grateful to have survived to be discharged,” Eddie said. “And I don’t know how to tell them that getting discharged against my will was just as fucking traumatic as getting shot.”
Buck hummed under his breath. “Then that’s your story, right? That’s the narrative you need to bring to life—the injuries, the recovery, and the loss that no one can make up for. Maybe along the way, you’ll figure out how to want a new path going forward.”
“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “That’s my story. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you in my life, Evan. It’s like you’ve been saving my life every single moment since we met.”
“Some scientists think all time is happening at once,” Buck said quietly, and Eddie turned his head to look at him. “Which means, if that were to be true, that since the very moment I hooked my rope into your harness and pulled you off that cliff face, we’ve been connected. And that connection sort of transcends our physical existence. It’s been there always—before we were born and after we die. Since the universe began.”
Eddie swallowed hard. “I don’t even know what to do with that.”
Buck grinned then. “It gets weird if you get too deep into it—like the knowledge that our first kiss is, in some cosmic way, still happening.”
Eddie huffed, turned, and crawled right into his friend’s lap, then pressed their mouths together. Buck’s hands clenched on his hips and pulled him in close with eager hands. He shifted a little as his thigh protested against the position, and Buck stilled under him, hands drifting up to his sides gently. The touch was delicate and tentative. It sort of pissed him off, and that reaction was so off-putting he pulled his mouth free. Eddie let his forehead rest against Buck’s.
“You okay?” Buck questioned.
“You know I’m not,” Eddie said roughly. “I feel broken inside and out. I can’t even seek out the things I want without suffering for it.” He shifted again and slid off Buck’s lap to rub his leg. “I think I need a second opinion about the bullet in my thigh.”
“The VA already made a decision on that, right?” Buck said.
“Yeah, and they’re pretty firm on it,” Eddie admitted. “Which means I’d have to wait until the private insurance kicks in. The VA isn’t going to pay for what they consider to be an elective procedure. I wonder how many other vets go through shit like this.”
“Probably too many,” Buck said quietly as he stood. He offered Eddie his hand. “Come on.”
“What?” Eddie asked in confusion.
“Come to bed with me.”
Eddie’s gut clenched in anticipation. “My leg isn’t going to….”
“Relax, Eds, there’s nothing we can’t figure out when we’re together.”
Eddie took the hand as he stood and let Buck lead him through the house. “My mother would be fucking green with envy over this house, you know. It’s the kind of thing she’s always wanted. She made Pop buy her one of stupid McMansions about five years ago, but it doesn’t come close to this.”
“We should take a bunch of pictures and put them on your Insta,” Buck said with a laugh. “So, your mom will know I’m keeping you in the style she wishes she had.”
“Rude, but also funny as hell,” Eddie said as they entered Buck’s bedroom. He pulled the door shut behind them and locked it. “Christopher sort of walked in on Shannon and me when he was three. We don’t even know how he got out of his bed and got the gait trainer he was using at the time. I can’t believe he’ll be five soon.”
“Feels weird,” Buck admitted and released his hand. He hooked his fingers into the front of Eddie’s lounge pants and pulled him close. “We should get married before I graduate from the academy, so our marriage isn’t super new when I sign up for benefits. I don’t know if it will matter or anything. But there’s no need to make it look super weird.”
Eddie nodded, his breath hitching slightly as Buck pressed a soft kiss to his jaw. “You’re bigger than you were the last time we got close like this.”
“Is that a problem?” Buck questioned.
“No, of course not,” Eddie said. “You know you look great, and you need the strength for the job.” He snagged the hem of Buck’s T-shirt and pulled it over his head. “And yeah, we can get married whenever you want. I don’t think I’m going to tell my parents at all. Is that okay?”
“Your mom will probably lose her shit over it no matter when she finds out. But your dad might be hurt,” Buck murmured.
“He can’t keep anything from my mother,” Eddie said. “Maybe we could invite him here and surprise him with the ceremony, so he doesn’t get pressured into bringing her with him. Is there anyone that you’d want to invite?”
“Evan Wayne’s going to bring my Jeep next month,” Buck said. “We could do it then, and he could attend. He’d like that.”
Eddie grabbed his T-shirt to take it off and hesitated. He hadn’t let Evan see the scars—the last time they’d been together, he’d been perfect, and now he never would be again. The thought was weird even as it tumbled around in his mind. Buck’s hand closed around his trembling fingers.
“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s ridiculous,” Buck murmured as he took over the operation and gently pulled the shirt over Eddie’s head. He tossed it aside. “You don’t have to hide anything from me, Eddie.”
“You’ve been letting me do it for months,” Eddie said. “Right?”
“It was clear you didn’t want me to see the wounds,” Buck said. “At first, I thought it was about Christopher, but you never took your shirt off in front of me, even when he wasn’t around.”
“I don’t know why this one is so much worse to me than the thigh,” Eddie admitted and touched the long-healed entry wound on his left side. “The exit wound on my shoulder is worse, yet this is the one that has me all fucked up.”
“Well, it’s the one that nearly killed you, and it made serving impossible,” Buck said. “It changed your life against your will.”
“I’ve lost some muscle weight. I feel weird and thin,” Eddie admitted and flushed when Buck shook his head. “I really have lost about fifteen pounds.”
“You’re in recovery from a major injury and can’t do half the workout you’d normally be doing and honestly shouldn’t even try,” Buck pointed out reasonably. “Absolutely nothing about your body is a turnoff. The scars are reminders of your survival, so focus on that and don’t worry about anything else. I know it’s hard to have your body image altered against your will at the hands of another. Finding yourself in the mirror isn’t going to be easy some days, but you’ll get there.”
“Have you been reading a book on trauma recovery when I’m not looking?” Eddie asked, and Buck blushed brightly.
He was so damned charmed in that moment that he couldn’t do anything but wrap a hand around the back of Evan’s neck and pull him in for a kiss. Eddie shuddered as Buck’s hands settled on his hips. It had been so long since anyone had touched him in an intimate fashion. Buck pressed his thumb against the jut of Eddie’s hip, and Eddie groaned into his mouth.
“It’s been a while,” Eddie admitted hoarsely against Buck’s cheek as the kiss ended.
“Yeah,” Buck murmured. “We should probably get your wrist evaluated for carpel tunnel.”
“You asshole,” Eddie said huffily, and his friend laughed. “But, also, probably because Jesus.”
“Let’s get you off,” Buck murmured and unbuttoned his own jeans.
Eddie wet his lips and watched Buck shed the rest of his clothes in the dimly lit room. There was a single lamp lit on the dresser, but it seemed like enough light and not enough all at once. He wanted to see everything, but he wasn’t ready to be seen in such a way himself. He just pushed off his lounge pants and boxers, then followed Buck onto the bed.
He found himself gently prodded onto his back, and Buck leveraged above him. Eddie spread his legs and curled one hand around Buck’s bicep. The muscles flexed under his fingers, and he found a strange comfort in the effortless strength. The position wasn’t usual for him, even with a man, but he relaxed under Buck and shuddered as his friend’s cock was pressed against his own.
“I’m clean,” Buck said. “I got tested when we were in El Paso.”
“It’s….” Eddie huffed a little and laughed. “I haven’t bought condoms in years, so that’s good information to have. I’ve never had a problem show up in fitness reviews, and I had one when I was being discharged.”
Buck slid down then, and Eddie threw a hand over his head to grab the headboard. He spread his legs more and shivered as Buck took his cock into his mouth. The spread of soft lips around his dick and the quick dart of Buck’s tongue was so familiar and sweet that his vision blurred. He groaned harshly.
“Fuck.”
It crossed his mind then that he hadn’t had a blow job since he’d been with Evan in Colorado. Startled, he closed his eyes and pulled his injured leg up to keep from tensing it up and hurting himself. It worked well enough, so he cupped the back of Buck’s head and accepted the sweet pleasure.
“I’m not going to last,” Eddie admitted, face heating with embarrassment, but Buck just hummed under his breath and kept working Eddie’s cock in and out of his mouth. He gave in and came because he had a good refractory period, and it was clear that Buck wanted him to.
Buck swallowed around the head of Eddie’s cock as he came, then slowly pulled off. His eyes were dark as he moved upward and pressed his still-hard cock against the crease of Eddie’s thigh. Eddie pulled him close and sought a kiss.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Buck whispered; it felt like a confession and a complaint all at once.
“I’m sorry,” Eddie murmured and stroked his fingers down the side of Buck’s face. “I’ve missed you, too.”
Buck laughed a little. “Remember that first night? When you crawled into my tent, and I tried to send you back to your own because I thought you were just grateful that I saved you.”
“I was stupidly grateful not to be dead,” Eddie said in amusement. “Lucky for me, my savior came in the form of the hottest person I’d ever met in my life.” He spread his legs a little and urged Buck to move. “Come on me—you love to do that.”
“I do love to do that,” Buck admitted with flushed cheeks. “This isn’t going to be too much pressure on your thigh?”
“Maybe,” Eddie admitted. “But I want to watch you come anyway.”
Buck hummed under his breath. “I’ve got an idea.” He reached out and opened the drawer of the bedside table.
Eddie took a deep breath as Buck shifted and slid astride him. “Oh.” He let his hands fall on Buck’s thickly muscled thighs and wet his lips. “You must do squats for hours at a time to maintain this kind of muscle.”
He hadn’t gone to the gym with Buck when they’d been in Texas, and the man had only been doing basic workouts and jogging since the move. He hoped to get back into that and hoped his body would eventually allow it.
Buck laughed. “You’re so transparent, Eds.” He flicked the lube open and slicked up two fingers. “Fortunately for you, that’s exactly what I have in mind.”
Eddie couldn’t help but flex his hips as he watched Buck prep his own asshole with practiced ease. He clenched his hands on Buck’s thighs and took a deep breath. “You do that a lot?”
“I have a dildo,” Buck said with a grin. “Used it this morning, as a matter of a fact, so it’s not going to take much to get ready. I was stressed out, and coming calms me down.”
“I remember,” Eddie murmured, relieved that he was already hard again.
“I have condoms,” Buck murmured as he pulled his fingers free.
“Just us?” Eddie questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Just us,” Buck agreed.
“Then only if you want one,” Eddie said and took a deep breath when Buck poured some lube into his hand and slid it down the length of his cock.
“I’ve never gone raw with anyone,” Buck confessed as he tossed the lube aside. “I should make you wait until you put a ring on it.”
Eddie laughed but then shuddered as Buck shifted forward and slid right down onto his cock. “God, Evan.” He ran a hand down Buck’s chest with a pleased groan. “You’re perfect.” He snagged the lube from the bed and slicked up his hand. He wrapped it around the thick length of Buck’s cock. “Come on, love. Get yours.”
Buck threw one hand out and grabbed the headboard. Buck liked a hard, fierce ride, so Eddie was surprised by the slow, intense grind. But it was perfect, and Eddie relaxed on the mattress with a pleased groan. Despite having already come once, he was quickly on edge again, and in response, he tightened his grip on Buck’s cock as he stroked it. He used his free hand to brace his lover’s shoulder, and Buck leaned into the touch with a shiver.
Buck’s come spilled over his fingers and across his stomach, and the man groaned loudly, then bit down on his bottom lip. “Fuck, sorry.”
“He’s not going to hear us,” Eddie assured and sucked in a deep breath as Buck started to move again. His own orgasm was close, so he gave in and came because he knew Buck’s prostate could get very sensitive after coming. “Come here.” He sat up and wrapped an arm around Buck’s back. “Kiss me.”
The kiss was little more than a soft brushing of lips and the sharing of warm air, but Eddie trembled.
“You okay?” Buck questioned as he shifted his weight. “This is too much for your leg.”
“It’s fine,” Eddie said, and it was, at least for the moment. “Everything is perfect.”
Part 3
Eddie took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to his mother drone on and on about her therapy while she inserted thinly veiled complaints about his father’s refusal to give her a break. He couldn’t even say when he’d agreed to the FaceTime call as he hadn’t willing even spoken to his mother on the phone in the three weeks since they’d moved to California.
“When are you going to stop living off that boy and get a job?”
Eddie focused on the phone with a frown. “I’m not living off Buck, Mom. I have plenty of my own money, and the house in El Paso just sold. Moreover, I’m currently on disability and preparing for an operation.”
She rolled her eyes. “Keep milking it, and that boy will dump you on the street. He’s not going to let you live in that ridiculous house for free forever.”
Eddie started to respond, but the phone was pulled from his hand as Buck joined him on the couch.
“Hi, Mrs. Diaz,” Buck said cheerfully. “I didn’t realize you were going to use this call to emotionally and verbally abuse your son. If I’d suspected that you were going to misuse one of your few precious chances to reconcile with your youngest child, I wouldn’t have encouraged him to agree to it.”
“Put my son back on the phone right now!”
Buck just stared at the phone. “I’m not going anywhere, you know.”
“What?”
“I’m not going anywhere, and you aren’t going convince Eddie to move back to El Paso out of fear that I will. I’m here, and I’m staying—there’s nothing you can do or say that will change that.”
“You’ll bail as soon as someone better comes along—someone with no baggage and no children to hold you down.”
Buck laughed a little and handed the phone back to Eddie. “It’s been thirty-three minutes, by the way. And you only promised your dad that you’d speak to her for a half-hour. Christopher and I are going swimming.”
“You’d better not take my baby into the ocean!”
“This ridiculous house has a pool,” Eddie retorted and ended the call because he was really fucking tired of his mother calling Christopher her baby. It had always grated on Shannon’s nerves, and they’d told her repeatedly not to do it, but his mother didn’t care what anyone else in the world wanted.
“She’s a real hellbeast,” Buck said wryly. “Maybe your dad could request an exorcism.”
Eddie huffed, then laughed. “The priest would probably freak out and call in the Vatican. There’d be documentaries and a Netflix series.”
Buck hummed under his breath. “I’m not going anywhere, you know.”
“I know,” Eddie said, and he did. “I still got my end of the rope, and I’m not letting go.”
Buck smiled then, soft-eyed and sweet. Eddie couldn’t help but lean over and press his mouth against his lover’s. They were, despite the sex and the upcoming marriage ceremony, taking things slow and easy on the relationship front. But he figured kissing on the couch wasn’t out of line.
“Daddy.”
Eddie shared a wide-eyed look with Buck as they parted, and he settled back on the couch. “Hey, Mijo. Ready for the pool?”
Christopher eyed them. “I need my swimsuit. Are you supposed to be kissing Buck?”
“He said it was okay,” Eddie said with a grin, and Buck laughed a little.
Christopher nodded slowly. “That’s the important part.”
Eddie eased off the couch. “Let’s get you changed.”
“I think I want the Iron Man one,” Christopher declared and started walking toward his own bedroom.
Eddie got up to follow since he figured his son might have more to say, and Christopher was super careful with Buck’s feelings. Far more careful, Eddie acknowledged, than he was with anyone else. Christopher was rummaging through the bottom drawer of his dresser, where his play clothes and swimsuits were stored when he entered the bedroom.
Eddie eased down on a knee and took a deep breath. “Mijo.”
Christopher made a face at him and held up a green pair of swim trunks. “The Green Lantern movie was lame.”
Eddie grinned. “You’ve never seen that movie—you just think it’s lame because Buck thinks so and refuses to watch it. And those are Incredible Hulk, not Green Lantern.”
“Oh.” The boy turned them around to see the Hulk’s face and huffed. “I’m okay with the Incredible Hulk on my butt.” He held them out to Eddie and shoved the drawer shut. “Is Buck going to be my second daddy?”
“Well, we’re going to do some stuff to help our family.”
“How?” Christopher questioned. “Can I help?”
Eddie didn’t want his son to worry about money or anything related to his medical care, so they’d been careful how they framed situations and conversations around him. He remembered feeling guilty for getting sick as a kid because his mother would complain about the waste of money. Now he knew she just didn’t like to spend money on anyone but herself.
Christopher braced himself against the dresser and wiggled right out of his shorts and boxers, then threw a foot out in Eddie’s direction. Eddie laughed and helped him put on the trunks. His son shrugged out of the T-shirt and tossed it aside, too. “I need sunblock. Are you going to marry Buck, so he’ll be our family?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. What do you think?”
“I like him,” Christopher said. “He’s never mean to either of us.” He paused. “Mom was mean to you sometimes.”
“Your mom was frustrated with my job,” Eddie said and used the dresser to leverage himself off the floor. It rocked under his hand, and that was startling.
They hadn’t kid-proofed the house. Christopher wasn’t prone to climbing, but he could, and the thought of a dresser or shelf falling onto him was horrifying.
“You okay, Daddy?”
“I’m fine,” Eddie assured. “Let’s get you some sunblock so you can go swimming with Buck.”
“You aren’t swimming?” Buck questioned from the hallway.
“I need to go to the hardware store,” Eddie said and carefully rocked the dresser against the wall to prove his point. Buck’s eyes widened.
“I’m sorry. It didn’t even cross my mind.”
“Not your fault,” Eddie assured. “I’m going to go through the house and make a list of things that need to be secured to the wall. I’m surprised it hasn’t already been done, considering the area.”
“I don’t climb on stuff. I’m smart,” Christopher said testily.
“Yeah, well, California has earthquakes,” Buck said dryly. “And we clearly need to make a plan for when that happens. Plus, a fire evacuation plan. And we need to make sure he knows how to use the emergency mode on our phones, Eds.” He paused. “And maybe we need a third line just for the house—one that he can use if he’s with a babysitter.”
Eddie frowned at him. “We’re not getting a four-year-old a cell.”
“Not him, specifically, but the house,” Buck said. “We could keep it in the kitchen and put specific numbers in it for emergencies. And we’re not going to be using a sitter for a while, but we need to consider that in the future.”
“Yeah, okay,” Eddie said and looked at his son. “But it won’t be your phone.”
Christopher shrugged. “I can FaceTime on my iPad if I need help, too. But I don’t think I can FaceTime the police.”
“No, certainly not,” Buck said in amusement.
* * * *
The climbing wall at the academy was focused more on team-building skills than anything else. He hadn’t used one for a long time as he didn’t really dig indoor climbing facilities as a form of entertainment. He’d done the exercise on the wall easily and gotten a nod from the instructor. The guy beside him was coiling the rope he’d been given using his forearm—over his palm and around his elbow. It wasn’t a standard practice, or at least he’d never been taught to do it that way.
They hadn’t been instructed on how to store the rope, but he couldn’t see doing it that way. Buck grabbed the end of his own rope and started to stack it, checking for flaws and snares as he let it fall into a loose pile on the floor in front of him. Once that was done, he grabbed both ends, looped the rope over his shoulders and coiled the whole length in the butterfly method, then removed it from his shoulders and tied it off.
Buck grabbed a bottle of water after putting his rope on the bench and sat down.
“That’s how it looked when we got them,” the man sitting next to him said.
“It’s a butterfly coil,” Buck said. “Makes it neat for storage or to carry on a climb. I learned it from the SAR crew I volunteered with in Colorado. I was kind of messy with my ropes before that, which isn’t a great practice when it’s the only thing between you and a terminal fall.”
“Show me?”
“Sure,” Buck said. “Evan Buckley, by the way. My friends call me Buck.”
“It’s great to meet you, Buck. Thomas Marshall,” the man held out a hand. “I just left the Marine Corps—figured the fire department would give me some direction.”
Buck shook his hand then quickly walked him through the rope inspection and why he always did it. Then they coiled the rope. By the time they were done and seated, the rest of their class was finished with the wall.
“Buckley, Marshall—good practice regarding rope storage. Everyone take note and read up on the procedure in the equipment manual—that we’ll be issuing you this afternoon.” The instructor, Marcus Wallace, smirked a little at the groans that earned him. “You’d all be getting pats on the head if you’d paid attention to Buckley like Cadet Marshall did. And you’d have known to pay attention to him if you were up on the news regarding professional mountain climbers. Buckley successfully climbed K2 and, most recently, Kilimanjaro. Since only 378 people have ever completed the K2 climb, that’s a real damned impressive accomplishment.”
Buck flushed. “It was a team effort, sir.”
“I’m sure,” Wallace said. “You live and die with your team on a climb like that. When I saw your name on the roster, I looked it up because it rang a bell. Imagine my surprise.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Only those two mountains were listed in your bio. Any others?”
“Pike’s Peak—a few dozen times since I worked in Colorado and acted as a guide for tourists. Most of that mountain is a marathon-level hike, so I wouldn’t count it on a serious list. I did Denali and K2 when I was nineteen and took myself up Devils Thumb as a birthday present ten months after K2. My last big climb before Kilimanjaro was Capitol Peak in Colorado.”
“The Devils Thumb is entirely in alpine conditions. It’s also one of the most dangerous climbs in North America,” Wallace said. “Why?”
Buck shrugged. “Why does anyone climb a mountain for recreation? It was there. My only truly personally motivated climb was Kilimanjaro—I did it to spread my uncle’s ashes at his request.”
“What’s next on your list?” Wallace asked.
“Ah, well, if you’d asked even six months ago, I’d have said Everest, but I’ve got a family to support now. So, I don’t have the room to take dumb risks for the mere benefit of challenging myself.” He leaned back on his hands, and the instructor nodded.
“Just so, Cadet Buckley. Just so.”
He felt like he’d passed some kind of test, but he didn’t know what it was exactly. Maybe some of the instructors were worried that he was a glory hog or an adrenaline junkie. Buck wasn’t either and never had been. He just enjoyed a physical challenge and pushing his body to the limit.
“Take a break—you’re due in your next class in forty-five minutes,” Wallace shouted as he left the large gym. “But coil your ropes properly before you leave!”
Buck made a face at Thomas because he realized what that meant as the rest of their class turned to look at them.
Thomas crossed his arms. “Y’all get your own study buddy. He’s mine.”
Buck laughed.
It took about ten minutes to get everyone through the process, and they stored the ropes in a trunk near the climbing wall. Buck grabbed another water after that was done and shouldered his backpack.
“You seriously just climbed K2 because it was there?”
Buck glanced to his left and found the one guy in his class he was entirely sure was an adrenaline junkie. “What other reason would there be? There’s nothing up there to do. I mean, the view was great, but the top of a mountain is actually kind of boring once you get there. Then you have that crushing moment of what the fuck when you realize you gotta go back down the thing. Unless you’re super rich and have a helicopter ride down.”
Thomas laughed.
“I’m Michael Donaldson, Jr. My friends and family call me Sonny.” The guy offered his hand. “You prefer Buck, right?”
“Right,” Buck said and took the hand hesitantly. The dude was putting off a vibe that he knew well enough, and it wasn’t something he could encourage. He’d been actively avoiding socializing with the other cadets for nearly two weeks. Now the instructor had ruined that for him. “You going for heavy rescue?”
“I want to, but I’m worried I don’t have the stamina for it. Maybe we could work out together. What gym are you using?”
Buck shared a look with Marshall, who smirked at him. The man was clearly very good friend material. “I’m working out at home, currently. I have a Bowflex and a Pilates table—they came with the house I inherited from my uncle. It’s more than enough for maintenance until I have access to a gym in whatever station I end up in. If I enter a bulking phase, I’ll probably buy a weight bench.”
“Your girlfriend doesn’t pitch a fit about that much equipment in your house?” Donaldson asked.
“It’s in the garage, and my fiancé doesn’t care,” Buck said and opened the door to the classroom. “What are you bench pressing?”
“220,” Donaldson said in what was clearly a boastful tone.
“275,” Thomas said, and Buck nodded. “I’d like to push up to 300 before I get on the job. What about you?”
“310,” Buck said. “Which was for the heaviest of the men on my team in Colorado—his weight, his gear, plus fifty pounds. He was 6’4 and weighed 210 pounds. He did the same for me—my top weight was 185. I lost a little bit when I was in Texas, but I’d still be a big haul for a teammate since the minimum weight lift for a firefighter is only 200 pounds. So, when I settle into a firehouse, I’ll figure out who’ll be the biggest carry on my team and ensure I’m at least forty pounds over that on a deadlift.”
“Why forty?” Donaldson asked in confusion.
“Because turnouts weigh that much, and you might not have time to get a teammate out of all of their gear,” Marshall said with a nod. “Smart.” He slid into the seat next to Buck before Donaldson could, and several of the others, who’d followed along behind them, laughed a little. “So, getting married soon?”
“We’re two weeks out,” Buck said. “We moved here to LA because of a house I inherited, and I’d been told this was the best academy in the region for training. I’d like to join the LAFD, but there apparently aren’t many positions available. I’m watching for positions with the county and Santa Monica as well. If it comes down to it, we can sell the house and leave the state. I’d probably do well in Seattle with my SAR experience.”
Thomas nodded. “Just you and your lady?”
Buck considered how to answer that because he wasn’t ashamed of his bisexuality or his relationship with Eddie. But homophobia could come out of nowhere, and there was no accounting for it. “My fiancé is a man.” He cleared his throat and shifted a little when a guy in front of them turned to look at him with a frown. “Plus, I’m getting his awesome kid in the bargain.”
Thomas nodded and glared at their classmate until he turned around. “Cool. Picture?”
“Oh, yeah, of course. I can’t keep my phone out of that kid’s face,” Buck confessed, and several people in the room laughed. “He’s the most adorable four-year-old alive.” He pulled out this phone and found a selfie he’d taken with Eddie and Christopher the day before.
Thomas took the phone and whistled. “For the record, this man’s dude is better looking than he is.”
“Bullshit,” a woman said with a laugh. “Seriously?”
“Straight out of a goddamned Hollywood movie,” Thomas said wryly. “What does he do? Model?”
“No, but I’m going to tell him you asked the first chance I get,” Buck said with a laugh and took his phone.
“Beautiful kid, too,” Thomas said with a smile.
“Thanks.” He tucked his phone away before anyone else could ask. “And Eddie’s former Army. He just came back from Afghanistan and was discharged due to injury.”
Thomas grimaced. “Bad?”
“Bad enough that he was discharged halfway through his third tour,” Buck murmured, and Thomas frowned.
“Aren’t you a little young to be marrying someone with a kid?” Sonny questioned. “You can’t be much older than me.”
“I’ll be twenty-five in a few months,” Buck said. “And you really need to learn to keep some thoughts to yourself.”
“Yeah,” his table partner said with a huff. Sae Bu poked him, which made Donaldson laugh. “Here’s hoping you don’t ask inappropriate questions on the job. And you’re barely old enough to be here, kid.”
“I’m nineteen,” Donaldson protested.
“Good Lord,” Thomas muttered under his breath, and Buck laughed.
* * * *
He didn’t make it all the way to the truck without Donaldson catching up with him. His persistence would’ve been amusing if Buck hadn’t made it clear he was unavailable. Buck tossed his duffel in the backseat and turned to face the kid, who had called out his name from across the damn parking lot.
“Hey.”
Donaldson smiled warmly and took a deep breath. “Thanks for waiting. I was hoping maybe we could get some coffee or something.”
Buck leaned on the truck and tried not to frown. “So, listen, you’re really young, so you have no idea how insulting it is for you to assume that I would cheat on the man I’m about to marry.” Donaldson flushed. “I don’t play games like that, and I’d cut off my own arm before I’d betray a partner.”
“That honestly doesn’t make you less attractive,” Donaldson admitted. “My last boyfriend cheated like hell. I’d just really like to get to know you.”
“You’d like to get in my pants,” Buck corrected.
“Well, yeah, that too. You’re hot as hell, and you gotta know it.” He took a deep breath. “And sure, you’re older than me, but not old enough that being tied down to a guy with a kid is really what you want.”
“It is exactly what I want,” Buck said. “Don’t try to put your own motivations on other people. It’s gross and deeply immature. I’m going to give you a pass on this because you are young, but not everyone will. Pursuing people who are in relationships is the kind of thing that can ruin lives, maybe even your own.”
“It’s just….” Donaldson sighed. “Will you take my number? You’re gonna realize what you’re doing with this guy isn’t what you want eventually, and I’d like to hear from you at that point.”
Buck laughed. “No, I won’t, and fuck off.”
“Right.” Donaldson huffed a little and walked off with a frustrated wave in Buck’s direction.
“I’m a witness for that if shit gets weird.”
Buck turned and found Marcus Wallace standing on the other side of the truck. “Hmmm, thanks? I mean, he’s on the stupid side of young, so….”
“His father is with the LAFD—captain at the 96 and inline to be next battalion chief for his bureau,” Wallace said roughly. “How about I move you into the afternoon section starting tomorrow? You won’t have any more classes with that little jerk.”
Buck grimaced. “I appreciate the thought, but I need my afternoons for PT. My partner has physical therapy on Mondays and Wednesdays, and our kid has three appointments a week right now due to cerebral palsy—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.” He leaned on the truck and huffed a little. “I don’t have the time to put up with some little asshole who can’t take no for an answer, sir.”
“It got back to me that your partner was in the Army.”
“Yeah, he was shot in the line of duty—three times and discharged due to the loss of a kidney. He’ll need another surgery on his shoulder—a mixture of dislocation and muscle damage from a bullet. And there’s a bullet in his thigh that is a concern as well. Things aren’t great if I’m honest.”
Marcus sucked air through his teeth.
“I have to get on the job before his Army benefits run out, or we’re going to be dependent on the VA for his healthcare, and they already want to leave the bullet in his thigh indefinitely despite the fact that it still hurts months after the fact and is causing immense muscle cramps.”
“Sons of bitches,” Marcus muttered. “Tell you what, son, show up an hour early tomorrow. I’m going to introduce you to someone. He’s coming to meet Thomas Marshall, but….”
“I wouldn’t want to interfere in an opportunity for him. He’s a great guy,” Buck said.
“You won’t,” Marcus assured. “The thing is that there is a firehouse in the LAFD going through some serious upheaval, and they recently got a new captain. He’s gone through his shift like a hurricane because the captain he’s replaced was a bigoted piece of shit. As a result, most of the shift has been split up, put in sensitivity classes, and torn new ones by HR. He’s going to need two heavy rescue assets fairly soon.
“Nash will be one of several captains pressured to take Donaldson, if he doesn’t make his own hiring decisions very soon. His old man has made no bones about the fact he expects his son to get a job with the LAFD, and he’ll throw his weight around. But no one’s going to argue with Nash choosing you and Thomas Marshall—you’re both in line for first in your class already based on physical readiness and the testing that’s been done. He’s going to lose out to you on the certification front, but only barely. Bobby Nash can hire you both during training—saving himself some work and avoiding a fellow captain’s son.”
“There aren’t many openings in the LAFD.”
“Ten of your fellow cadets were hired before they even started training, Buckley,” Marcus said. “Nash was here the day your session started to hire a firefighter paramedic transferring from San Diego. He asked me to keep a look out for what he needed on the heavy rescue front, and you’re the golden ticket due to the fact you’ll leave here with all three SAR certs. You’re going to get a job offer within the LAFD—maybe more than one but getting you settled now will be better for the others. It’ll clear up any confusion about your placement, and the other captains that are looking will make their choices faster. It’s a win-win.”
“But you think Bobby Nash is the best choice for me?”
“I do, yeah,” Marcus said. “He’s a good man, works his ass off, and he understands what it means to have a family to support. He’s a widower with two kids himself. He’s not going to be stupid with your life or make assumptions based on your history or age, then get you killed on the job.”
“But it won’t interfere with Thomas’ opportunity?”
“No, not at all, and you’re a better man than most for even being concerned.” Marcus nodded. “Will coming out here an hour early put things in a bind at home?”
“Well, it means the kid is definitely going to get a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast,” Buck said wryly, and Marcus laughed.
* * * *
“Well, let me ask my boy about it,” Evan Wayne suggested. “I know the captain that Nash replaced was a real piece of shit, so I’d hope the department would’ve been careful about picking the replacement. Henry keeps his ear to the ground, so he’s going to know all there is know about the situation.”
Buck nodded. “How are things going?”
“Kid, we had this asshole try to fucking fly in a wingsuit off the fucking mountain,” Wayne said dryly, and Buck laughed. “So, this dumb bastard gets caught in a tree, which was the best-case scenario, and he’s lucky to be alive. Of course, he had one of those stupid cameras on because he was streaming his assholery on some website. And half of his damn audience called 9-1-1. Except, they called 9-1-1 in their own damn areas, and none of them knew where he was.
“Eventually, we got the call, not because of his over-eager audience but because some kids on the kiddie slope saw him and called it in. Speaking of, two of those little kids stayed on the scene and were super disappointed that you didn’t show up to save the dumb ass from the tree. Were you teaching them stuff besides skiing? Because one was hollering up at him to drink his water and stay hydrated.”
Buck laughed. “Hydration is important, and a lot of people overlook it when they’re cold, even if they’re sweating in those stupid, designer ski suits. I’m glad they paid attention.”
“Yeah, well, they were also lecturing him about doing a dangerous activity without a buddy and told him he’d probably get a big fine for jumping off the mountain in a wingsuit and wasting resources and people’s time. All of it got streamed to the Internet.”
“That’s funny as hell.”
“For us, not him. This grown-ass man got lectured about his stupid behavior by a couple of eight-year-olds in front of a live audience,” Wayne said dryly. “At any rate, I’m to tell you that Sawyer and Eli Westonhouse say hello and that you need to post on Instagram, so they know you’re okay and not stuck on some mountain somewhere. And if you are stuck on the side of a mountain, then I’m to go get you immediately.”
Buck laughed and slouched back on the couch. “Their mother is the third wife of some rich guy who finally found a woman to give him some sons. I don’t think they like either of their parents, but they’re twins, so they have each other. They assured me it was more than enough. Anyways, that guy deserved whatever they said to him. I’ll have to look it up to watch later. How’s the Jeep?”
“The mechanic said it’ll make the trip fine, and it’s a great condition for the age,” Wayne said. “I’ll take my time—I’ve planned for a few weeks off. So, expect me in about ten days or so. If that works.”
“It does,” Buck assured. “And thanks.”
“Let me get off here and call my boy. He’ll call you and tell you what he thinks you need to know about the 118 and Captain Nash.”
Buck barely got to say goodbye before Wayne ended the FaceTime call. He dropped his phone on the couch and accepted the beer that was dangled in front of him.
“Bath time accomplished?”
“Yeah, he passed out before I even got his covers settled,” Eddie said with a yawn. “What’s going on with you?”
Buck huffed. “I….”
“You can tell me anything, you know.”
“I do know,” Buck said. “The son of a popular and influential captain with the LAFD is in my section at the fire academy, and he…asked me out despite knowing that I’m not single. It was gross, and I told him about himself before I knew who he was. Frankly, I’d have still lectured him if I had known, but the instructor handling the SAR-III cert witnessed it and offered to move me to a different section, but it would be in the afternoons.”
“I can handle the PT by myself,” Eddie said quietly.
“Yeah, of course, but why should you?” Buck questioned with a frown and took a sip of beer. “We have a good routine right now, and I can handle a nineteen-year-old with no damn sense.”
“And a lot of entitlement,” Eddie said. “That can get ugly if he isn’t used to being told no. Or if he thinks his old man will get him what he wants.”
“I’m just a challenge.”
“You’re attractive, competent, and exciting,” Eddie corrected. “I know exactly where that guy is on that front, and you’re hard to ignore. Granted, I’d have never made a move if I’d thought you were seeing someone. That part makes him a douche.”
“I made a friend, I think,” Buck said. “We might end up at the 118 together—he’s good on the ropes, learning quickly, and a former Marine. I showed him a picture of you and Christopher. He asked me if you were a model and told the rest of the class that I was engaged to a guy who looks like a movie star.”
Eddie laughed. “Well, I like him already.” He shifted closer and pressed his shoulder against Buck’s. “Nineteen, huh?”
“Yeah, and frankly, I wouldn’t have hit that when I was nineteen,” Buck admitted. “He’s prime bro material, and I can’t stand guys like him, as you already know.”
“God, remember that jerk-off from Florida who tried to invite himself on our private climb?” Eddie questioned. “What was his name?”
“I don’t remember—his friend called him Gator, though.” Buck frowned. “Gator was stoned when they showed up for that first climb, the one where we met. The ranger we checked in with threatened to have them arrested if they didn’t leave. He was furious that they thought it was okay to do shit like that. His friend was a bro, too. A redneck bro, which should be illegal.”
“It’s certainly a crime against nature,” Eddie said.
Buck laughed and stretched his legs. “Regardless, I can handle a teenager with more testosterone than sense.”
“Hard day?”
“Climbing wall,” Buck said and yawned. “But easy stuff, honestly, but it’s just the start because they have several towers on the property that are clearly meant to mimic urban rescue conditions. The on-site wall is no sort of challenge since it’s more about establishing good rope practices. I’m glad I’ve already done my close quarter cert. They were impressed with it.” He flushed. “My instructor recognized my name and looked me up. He told my whole section that I climbed K2.”
“He’s going to leverage your experience as a professional climber,” Eddie said. “It’s a good tactic—the others will pay attention to you and push themselves to meet the standard you set. I’d have done no different. Anyone that completed K2 can certainly handle the pressure.”
Buck huffed. “Yeah, I get it. I guess a head’s up wouldn’t have been appropriate. Anyways, I feel weird about the background wrangling, but not enough to say no to it. Apparently, ten of the twenty-four people in my section already have jobs lined up. If the other captains are smart, they’ll hire their asses off, so there are no positions left when that little asshole bothers to start looking for a job.”
“It’ll get around,” Eddie assured. “He made a douche move in front of someone who has the influence to make things very difficult for him. I seriously doubt his father can make the LAFD hire him even if he influenced his placement in the academy.”
Buck huffed. “He probably did, and the acceptance rate is pretty low, so that’s annoying. The LAFD’s academy and the organization itself are considered the best in the country by a lot of people. I don’t think I’d have gotten in without reference and my work in Aspen.”
His phone rang, so he picked it up. The number was unknown, but he figured it was Henry Wayne.
“Hello.”
“Buck? This is Henry Wayne.”
“Yeah, thanks for calling,” Buck said and shifted a little as Eddie settled fully against him with his own phone. “Your dad said you’d be in a good position to give me advice.”
Henry laughed. “Better than the old man even suspected. I transferred into the 118 two weeks ago at Captain Nash’s invitation. I’m the ladder engineer for his shift.”
Buck relaxed at that because if Henry was anything like his father, he didn’t tolerate bullshit and wouldn’t have transferred into the command of a man who was a problem. “Marcus Wallace told me that Bobby Nash is a good captain.”
“Good captain and a better man,” Henry assured. “He started out in Minnesota years ago and moved to San Diego to be close to family when his wife was killed in a car accident shortly after his daughter’s birth. The LAFD had to outright seduce the man to get him to move to LA. The 118 certainly needed a strong hand. A shift was the worst, but frankly, B and C are no picnic either. I imagine both of those captains are on their way out as soon as Nash gets A completely in hand. We have six people left from the original shift—three paramedics, one near-retirement firefighter, the engineer operator, and the two heavy rescue assets. He wants three of them out within the next four months.”
“That’s a lot of turnover.”
“It was a complete shit show being run by a homophobic racist who hated everyone, but white men yet claimed to be straight.”
Buck laughed. “Wow.”
“Right? Anyways, we’re getting a new paramedic out of the current class, and if Marcus recommends you—then you’re going to get a job offer from Nash. A recommendation from my old man will get you far—there are captains on the job right now that would make room for you no matter their current roster.”
“He took good care of me when I was in Colorado,” Buck said. “I was sort of floundering a bit.”
“We all flounder at your age,” Henry said wryly. “And my old man loves a project. Not that I’m saying you were a project. He doesn’t normally let those live in his house.”
“I paid rent,” Buck blurted out.
Henry laughed. “Relax, Buck. I know my old man doesn’t get taken advantage of. He told me you fixed his roof on his porch over the summer.”
“If by fixed, you mean replaced—sure,” Buck said huffily. “It was going to fall on his head, and he’d just sit out there with his beer and fuss because he wasn’t allowed to smoke any more.”
“Sounds about right,” Henry said. “I’ll come out to the academy with Bobby in the morning. I want to meet the new paramedic anyways.”
“Sae Bu? She’s personable and taking the classes very seriously,” Buck said. “Managed the wall on her first try and admitted she’d never done any climbing at all. We could probably get her certified for rope rescue despite her slim build and certainly close-quarter work. She mentioned being a surfer, so she’s probably good in the water. I’m taking a swift water cert in a few weeks in San Diego—she might already have that one and surf rescue if she’s the proactive sort.”
“Captain Nash chose her because she’s worked as a paramedic for a private company for nearly six years. But he would be thrilled if she had more to bring to the table, so I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow. He was excited to see her in the potentials because it’s rare to get a paramedic going through the academy, and firefighters with the LAFD normally have to be on the job for two years to qualify for that training.”
“Yeah, I read that in the manual,” Buck said. “Can I ask why the paramedic is being replaced at this point? It seems like that would’ve been an easier fill with a transfer early on.”
“He doesn’t respect the chain of command and seems to think since he’s senior in the house, he should outrank me,” Henry said. “He’s older than me as well and thinks that matters on the job. It’s just old-school entitlement, really, and he’s just slightly less toxic than his previous captain.”
“I know the rank structure is pretty flat in the LAFD, but that’s weird since you’re an engineer, which is just below captain.” Buck frowned. “He’ll be gone before I get there, right?”
“Yeah, he’d be gone tomorrow if Captain Nash had his way. He doesn’t tolerate that kind of ego on the job. At any rate, I’ll see you in the morning. Be prepared to talk about your career plans, future education choices, and all that rot. He likes his people motivated and is big on continuing education.”
Buck cleared his throat. “Listen, there’s another cadet who Marcus Wallace is going to recommend. He was the first choice the man made, so I’d like to make sure that Captain Nash meets him first. I don’t mind a leg up, Henry, but not at the expense of another.”
“I get ya,” Henry said easily. “Thomas Marshall, right? Bobby’s already got an eye on him and spoke with him on the first day. It’s getting around that Mick Donaldson’s son is a bit of a problem, and that was before he overtly made a play for a married man in front of an admin at the academy. Dad said that Captain Wallace offered to move you to a different section because of that kid’s behavior. Marcus is old school and considers a man’s family relationships sacred. Sonny Donaldson shot himself in the foot with that disrespectful shit.”
Buck started to correct Henry, but he knew the man was aware that their marriage ceremony was pending Evan Wayne’s arrival. They’d invited Ramon, Sophia, and Adriana to come from Texas, which had made Helena lose it as she was told explicitly that she wasn’t welcome to come to LA to visit them. Only Evan Wayne knew that a wedding was on the agenda for the visit currently.
“Yeah, it doesn’t say much about his judgment or ethics,” Buck admitted. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sure thing.”
Buck ended the call and set the phone aside.
“I got something today,” Eddie murmured and shifted around to face him. He had a jewelry box in hand.
Buck blew out a breath because rings hadn’t even crossed his mind. He didn’t make a habit of wearing jewelry due to the work he’d been doing for years. He just nodded, and Eddie smiled.
“So, you can’t wear a traditional ring at work, but I wanted you to have one. I had our rings designed to match, then I had another made in silicone, which is safe for you to wear to work.” He flicked open the box to reveal the rings. “I chose titanium for the metal.”
Buck carefully pulled a ring from the box and took a deep breath as he studied the thick band with two entwined ropes in a channel down the center of the ring. The date they met was engraved on an inside edge.
“They’re great—exactly what I would’ve picked if it had crossed my mind.” He tucked the ring back into the box and pulled the silicone version out. It was flexible and solid black. “Thanks for thinking of a work-safe version.” He put it back in the box and focused on Eddie’s face. “You didn’t wear a wedding band with Shannon.”
Eddie closed the box and set it on the coffee table. “She didn’t want rings. At the time, I was relieved because I didn’t really have the money to buy a fat diamond like I assumed she’d want. Now, I think the idea of wearing my ring was kind of appalling to her.” He huffed. “I’m putting words in her mouth, but that’s how it feels now.”
Any hesitation he had about wearing a ring sort of floated away. His only real concern had been work, and Eddie had already provided a viable solution.
“I know the whole marriage thing is a financial solution,” Buck started, and Eddie focused on him. “But I mean it, and I’m not going to bail on you if things get hard.” He paused. “When things get hard…because life isn’t easy, but you’re what I want. And if things weren’t dicey on the healthcare front, I’d have taken my time with all of this, but we’d still have gotten here if I had my way.”
“I told Christopher that we were going to get married soon,” Eddie said. “Before we went to pick up the rings because I figured he’d catch on, and I didn’t want to lie to him. Anyway, after I picked up the rings, he looked at me for a long moment, sighed loudly, and told me he was really disappointed in the fact that I hadn’t bought you dinner or flowers yet. Apparently, I have piss poor courtship skills, in his opinion.”
Buck laughed. “We need to replant the flower beds out front. You can pick some up for that.” He caught Eddie’s hand in his own. “I like snapdragons.”
“I remembered. I bought enough for both garden beds out front,” Eddie said. “They’re on the back patio. I figured we could do that together on Saturday.”
“Great,” Buck said and leaned in to press a kiss against Eddie’s mouth.
Eddie cupped his head and pulled him in. The kisses were soft and sweet, which seemed to be Eddie’s preference and had first startled Buck because when they’d been younger—they’d gone hard at each other every chance they got. Their time together in the past had, in retrospect, been riding on the edge of desperate. Both had known there was a deadline on what they could have that neither of them could change because of Eddie’s pending transfer.
Since kissing was the absolute limit on physical activity outside of the bedroom, Buck pulled his mouth free and offered Eddie his hand as he left the couch. Eddie had gradually moved into the main bedroom without much discussion on either of their parts, which had been a relief to Buck. They had a lot of deep conversations, and he hadn’t wanted to add one about how lonely his stupid bed was without Eddie in it.
“You know what I remember most about our first time?” Eddie questioned as he tugged Buck closer by the front of his pajama pants.
“What?”
“You were so warm, and I’d honestly felt a little cold and disconnected from myself for ages, probably since high school when I realized that Gabriel was never going to come out of the closet. I felt used and misused by him despite the fact that I understood his fear. Even now, he’s petrified of living his own truth because he thinks his whole family would turn on him. Maybe they would. I lost cousins on both sides of the family, and all of my maternal aunts think I’m the devil. One even blamed Christopher’s cerebral palsy on the fact that I was bisexual. She said God was punishing me.”
“I hope you told that bitch to kiss your ass,” Buck muttered.
“I kicked her out of my house and told her to never come near me or my kid again as long as she lives. I was furious, and I scared the fuck out of her. Sophia figured it was because I was in uniform. Anyways, none of her kids speak to me now because I freaked their mother out and refused to apologize. My paternal great-uncle also took the time to tell me I was going to hell, and he was ashamed to know I was named after his brother. My abuela cursed him out for a half hour and banned him from her house indefinitely.”
“I only ever really came out to my sister, and she just reminded me to use condoms,” Buck said, and Eddie laughed. “She was in nursing school at the time.” He pulled at the strings of Eddie’s sweatpants. “Let’s take all of this off and focus on us. Want me to turn off the light?”
“No.”
Eddie pulled his T-shirt off and dropped it on the floor as Buck took a step back and started to shed his own clothes. He followed Buck onto the bed with a sigh of relief. It had been a long day, and just getting close to his lover would be enough. Fortunately, Buck was clearly in the mood for more.
“You okay?” Buck murmured as he cupped Eddie’s hip to pull him closer.
“Yeah.”
Buck hummed under his breath and nuzzled Eddie’s jaw.
“Should I shave?”
“Nah, I love the beard—you look great with it,” Buck said. “But if it’s bothering you, then sure.”
“Regs wouldn’t let me have one,” Eddie said. “I kind of hate shaving lately.” He ran his fingers through Buck’s hair. “Buck, are you sure?”
“Am I sure about what?” Buck questioned in confusion.
“You’re giving up a lot to be here with me,” Eddie said. “You were talking about climbing Everest next year. We can try to make that happen for you. I couldn’t go with you, even if my surgeries go super well, but if you want….”
Buck kissed him. “Shhh.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I,” Buck said. “I’m not giving up a fucking thing, okay? That’s not how I see it, and I never will see it that way. Sure, I wanted to climb Everest. I’ve wanted to do a lot of things, but I never needed any of it. I need you, Eddie. I’ve already lost you once, and it was hard. I felt so selfish for much I resented Shannon for giving you a home and a family.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not because I’m not really unhappy that she left, and that’s awful because she hurt you and Christopher.”
“Well, her hurting us isn’t your fault,” Eddie said and brushed their mouths together in a soft kiss. “Let me.”
Buck trembled as Eddie pushed him gently onto his back. “Your leg.”
“Let me worry about all of that,” Eddie said as he slipped on top of him.
Buck gave in because his partner was certainly allowed to determine what his body could and couldn’t do. He spread his legs, and Eddie groaned as he settled between them. Eddie rocked against him, cocks pressed together, and Buck arched against the heat of his lover’s body. He loved it—the feel of another’s skin against his own and the weight of another man pressing him down on the mattress.
“I’m plugged,” Buck confessed, and Eddie groaned against this cheek. “You can pull it out and slide right into me.”
“Fuck,” Eddie muttered and shifted so he could get a hand between them. “Why did you….”
“I was just in the mood to be full after my shower,” Buck said in amusement. “And now you get the benefit—I’m all slick and open. You like that.”
“I love that,” Eddie admitted roughly and pulled the plug out. He dropped it on the bed, having already gotten a lecture about throwing Buck’s toys on the floor.
He reached out and rummaged through the bedside table for the lube and a cock ring. Buck shivered a little at the metal device as it was the most restrictive one that they had, and he knew Eddie didn’t intend on wearing it himself. Beyond excited, he spread his legs wide and wrapped his hands around the bars of the headboard. He’d gotten the bed specifically so he’d have purchase for moments just like the one he was about to have.
Buck groaned softly as Eddie used just enough lube to make it easy to get the ring around his cock and balls. It was a snug, but not painful fit. Buck enjoyed giving up control in bed, but he didn’t like pain. Eddie seemed to always know where the line needed to be drawn and had known from the very start.
“You’re beautiful,” Eddie murmured and used the lube he had on his hand to stroke his own cock. He bit down on his bottom lip as he ran his free hand down the length of Buck’s thigh. “I’ve never known what you see in me.”
Buck took a deep breath, tightened his fists around the bars, and exhaled slowly. “You’re my safe place. I trust you with everything.”
Eddie’s eyes darkened as he pushed slowly into Buck’s body. Despite being plugged most of the evening, there was enough of a stretch that Buck couldn’t help but groan harshly. He rocked into the penetration, pleased with the burn and fullness.
“Perfect,” Eddie said as he braced himself on Buck’s chest. “This good?”
“Yeah, amazing,” Buck said.
Eddie set a slow, relentless pace. The pleasure was so intense, and Buck just took it, relaxing on the bed and trembling with emotion. It was so hard to do anything but stare at his lover. His dick was achingly hard, leaking pre-cum despite the cock ring. Buck loved the way it made him feel like everything he had to give was under Eddie’s control.
He lost track of time, sweat gathering on their skin as they ground their bodies together. Eddie came with a soft gasping groan, hands clenching on Buck’s chest.
“Fuck.”
Eddie ran his hands down Buck’s chest, cupped his hips, and carefully pulled free. He picked up the anal plug and slid it back into Buck’s still clenching ass.
“Easy,” Eddie murmured. “I’m going to take off the ring—try not to come yet. I want to suck you off.”
Buck groaned and nodded but couldn’t help a full-body shudder as his balls slipped out of the ring. Eddie slid down and sucked the head of his lover’s cock into his mouth, and that was all that it took. Buck arched up off the bed and came with a startled, strangled groan. Eddie swallowed quickly, taking in every bit of cum, much to Buck’s shock.
He relaxed on the bed as Eddie released him and sprawled on the bed beside him.
“Okay?” Eddie questioned.
“Christ, yes,” Buck muttered, and he huffed a little when Eddie laughed. “You didn’t use to swallow.”
“I always wanted to,” Eddie confessed. “I just felt ashamed of it, too. I like to pretend I had no problems coming to terms with my sexuality, but I had stumbling blocks along the way. I love to give blow jobs, but I also felt like it was…degrading.” He huffed. “Make sense?”
“Yeah, of course, it does,” Buck said roughly. “I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard someone called a cock sucker as an insult.” He turned his head to stare at him. “Let’s ice your leg.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’ll be better if you ice,” Buck said quietly. “And you know it.”
“Yeah, okay,” Eddie said.
“I know you want to be done with this—healed and ready to go. But that’s not how it’s going to work, and mitigating your pain must be our go-to every single day. Modeling this behavior is good because Christopher is going to be in surgical recovery sometime in the next year, and we don’t need to give him any examples to use against us to avoid PT, exercise, or something so simple as icing a muscle.”
“Getting a lecture after making someone come their brains out is such a turnoff,” Eddie muttered, and Buck laughed.
Part 4
Buck liked Henry Wayne a lot, but he suspected he would because his father was very important to him. The man had seemed to like him back, which was a relief because he’d have hated it if Evan Wayne’s only son hated him. He’d chatted with Henry while Thomas Marshall had met with Bobby Nash and came out of the room with a job. Buck could tell the man was relieved and just smiled when he got a little nod from his fellow cadet as they passed each other.
Marcus Wallace’s office had been chosen for the meeting since it was in a separate building on the campus from the main training center. Apparently, Captain Nash wasn’t interested in meeting anyone else from the class after him; Buck didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. He was beginning to worry that Nash had been pressured into meeting him.
Captain Nash motioned him to sit at the table across from him as Wallace left them. “You’re making waves here—just two weeks in.”
Buck didn’t know how to respond to that.
Nash closed the folder in front of him and sat back in his chair. “I got a phone call last night from Captain Colton Lucas in Aspen, Colorado.”
Buck exhaled slowly. “Should I apologize?”
Nash laughed and shook his head. “He tells me you’re a good man—dependable, strong, and hardworking. You’ve already proven yourself to be exactly that per your instructors here. I’ve never met Evan Wayne, but I’ve heard enough to know that he’d have never offered you a reference if you were anything less than a rockstar. He made his own son work his ass off for two years before he’d approve of him even applying to the academy when he was working as a captain himself with the LAFD.”
“He loves to tell that story,” Buck said. “I’ve never met anyone who enjoyed their own stubbornness more. I learned a lot from him—on and off the job. I was kind of wandering around like an idiot before I met him in Colorado.”
“Well, you’re just twenty-four,” Nash said. “You’re allowed to wander around like an idiot for a bit. Your current list of certifications is outstanding, and I’m told you’re willing to explore several more.”
“Yes, sir, whatever I need on the job, and I’m considering a degree in emergency management. At the very least, I want to do the FEMA coursework, which Wayne had suggested last year after we worked an avalanche. He said I had a knack for emergency management, and I shouldn’t ignore it. I’m looking to make a career, sir, so sitting idle is not a goal—not physically or mentally.”
“Henry tells me that you’re getting married in a couple of weeks,” Nash said. “Complete with the gift of a stepson.”
“Christopher. He’s almost five.” Buck pulled out his phone to find a picture before he could help himself. “We’re looking at schools since he’ll be ready for kindergarten in August. It’s not going to be easy, but getting the right environment is very important due to his disability.”
“Disability?” Nash questioned as he took the phone when offered.
“He has cerebral palsy. Public schools are required to provide accommodations, but preschool already proved that isn’t ideal. He’s smart, easily bored, and requires a lot of stimulation. I think the wrong school could make him hate the whole thing. We’re looking at programs and grants to help—it’s a lot.”
“He’s adorable,” Nash said. “I have two myself—Robbie and Brook. They’re eleven and nine.” He handed the phone back and pulled out his own. “I read through your resume, so thanks for sending that and the letters of recommendation. I’m prepared to offer you a job right now, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that you’d get a lot of choices thrown at you if other captains knew for certain you intend to stay in LA. Quite a few people assume you’re here to train, then go back to Colorado.” He offered Buck the phone. “Not many mountains to climb around here.”
“Parenthood is enough of a challenge for anyone,” Buck said wryly and focused on the pictures on Captain Nash’s phone. “Wow, your wife must be gorgeous because these are some beautiful kids.” He flushed. “I mean, I’m sure they have some of your features….” He grinned when Nash just laughed and took the phone back.
“My wife was a stunning and amazing woman,” Nash said. “I miss her a lot. Being a single parent is no picnic, Mr. Buckley, and having someone in your life willing to take your kids as their own is like winning the lottery. Your future husband is a very lucky man.”
Buck took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for your loss. Captain Wallace did tell me you were widowed…I sometimes blurt out the most inappropriate things. Fortunately, my partner finds it more endearing than anything else. I just hope I don’t end up infecting our son with it.”
Bobby Nash laughed. “Did he get grilled cheese for breakfast?”
Buck huffed and sighed, but he wasn’t all that surprised that Marcus Wallace had shared that with Bobby Nash. “Man.” He shrugged a little and put away his phone. “His dad and I are still trying to figure out that whole cooking thing. Neither of us ever really bothered with anything beyond a grill. He’s home from serving overseas and living on MREs for six years. We’re short on domestic skills, but we’re learning.” He paused. “And sort of—we ended up having cheese toast, chicken sausage, and eggs. I recently accomplished totally edible scrambled eggs.”
Nash grinned at him. “I can teach you to cook.”
“Hell, I’m hired then,” Buck said and laughed when Nash did. “I mean it. Our kid is going to rebel if I serve him plain steamed broccoli from the freezer section one more time. I don’t know how much damage a four-year-old can do in a riot by himself, but I’d rather not risk it.”
Bobby Nash pushed the folder in front of him across the table. “This is yours then. You can hit HR after training today and fill out the book of paperwork they have for you.” He cleared his throat. “Did you want to talk about Sonny Donaldson?”
“I don’t know if he’s a problem for me,” Buck admitted. “He’s hardly the first douchebag to hit on me—of any gender. Some people see unavailability as a challenge, as disgusting as that is. Captain Wallace seems to think he’s a big mess waiting to happen.”
“Well, he’s not here because his application stood out,” Nash said evenly, and Buck winced. “And you can imagine the resentment that has caused. He’s taken the place of someone who genuinely deserves to be here because he’s got some absurd fantasy about what it means to be a firefighter. It’s like he learned nothing in observing his father work as a firefighter for nearly three decades.”
Buck nodded. “If he gets on the job—the first body will cure him of his assholery, or he’ll quit.”
“Tell me about yours,” Bobby Nash instructed.
Buck cleared his throat. “I had to carry a friend down K2. We found out later he’d lied about his medical assessment. We’d already hit the summit and were on our way back down. We set up camp, bunked down for the night, and that’s the last time I saw him alive. He died in his tent—a stroke in his sleep. We couldn’t leave him behind. He was twenty-two and had a diagnosed heart defect he was hiding.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. That’s a hard one.”
Buck nodded. “As to rescue, during the only avalanche I worked in Aspen—we pulled out bodies for several days—twenty in total. The youngest was five. Not going to lie; I cried like a baby. Putting that little girl in a body bag was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my damned life. I know it’s possible in the future, and I accept that necessity. The world isn’t a kind place. I’m not unprepared for the job—physically or emotionally, Captain Nash. And the training isn’t going to be a problem.”
* * * *
“Heard you got a job offer.”
Buck shrugged out of the turnout coat he’d worn most of the morning during a live fire exercise and shared a look with Thomas. Sonny Donaldson had managed to get right next to them in the locker rooms.
“He’s first in the class and has a ton of experience—of course, he got an offer,” Thomas said. “He’ll probably get several.”
Buck took off the turnout pants, hung them with the coat, and considered how he was going to shower with Sonny Donaldson lingering as close as possible. There were stalls, of course, and he had no body shame to speak of, but he really didn’t want to strip down bareassed in front of the dumbass who wasn’t even pretending not to ogle him.
“I took the job,” Buck said shortly. “I have a family to take care of and wasn’t going to leave that shit up to chance after graduation.”
“Family. Right,” Donaldson muttered. “Like that’s going to last.”
Buck was exhausted, stressed out, and really uncomfortable. “Get the fuck out of my face, Donaldson.” He turned and glared at the younger man and found him staring at his mouth hanging ajar. “Immediately.”
The younger man flushed and huffed. “You don’t gotta be rude.”
“You don’t gotta be an idiot, and yet here you stand—being really fucking stupid,” Buck said evenly and picked up his bag.
He picked out the stall on the end, locked the door, and was relieved when Thomas tucked into the one directly next to it. Buck shed his clothes, hands shaking with fury. He’d rarely been so angry in his life, and maybe it wasn’t about Donaldson at all but about Helena Diaz and her assumption that he was going to use and discard her son.
“You okay?”
“No,” Buck said roughly. “I know I shouldn’t give a shit what he says.”
“No one likes having their integrity questioned,” Thomas said reasonably. “And he’s apparently making a hobby of it.”
“My future mother-in-law doesn’t think I’m capable of commitment either,” Buck said and huffed a little as he poured some soap into his washcloth. “I don’t need some asshole who can’t even order a drink in a bar questioning my relationship in public like it’s some fucking joke. I don’t know what I did to deserve that.”
“Nothing. He’s just really bad at rejection,” Thomas said. “Some guys are—no matter the sexual orientation. I honestly think men are the outright worst at being told no. I’ve never had a woman get bent out of shape like that with me. The last dude I told no—tried to punch me.”
“That’s like picking a fight with a mountain,” Buck said wryly, and Thomas laughed. “It’s not often I’m around anyone that makes me feel petite. You’re what—6’5?” The other man nodded. “But you’re right. Donaldson is the type to threaten to kill someone for breaking up with him. I’ve known guys like that, and it never goes well for them. He’ll end up with a criminal record if he’s not careful. I guess it will depend on what kind of pull his father has with the LAPD.”
“Probably not much beyond some on-the-job personal connections,” Thomas said. “Surely not enough to keep him out of jail if he does some felony-level bullshit.”
* * * *
He’d sent Eddie a text after classes letting him know he was going to HR with the LAFD to start the paperwork. There would be some more after they married, so he’d done the parts he could do and had been told to wait on the benefits section to avoid having to do it twice. The salary offer had been the biggest surprise because he hadn’t expected much more above average. Since they didn’t have a mortgage or any car payments currently, they were pretty much set on the money he’d make with no overtime at all.
It was PT day for Eddie, but fortunately, his appointment was late in the afternoon. Buck hesitated as he started to turn into his own driveway as there was a car in the driveway that wasn’t familiar at all. His phone vibrated in his pocket, so he pulled in and activated the garage door. A cursory glance at the car had him spotting a sticker indicating a rental. That wasn’t much of a comfort at all.
In the garage, he pulled out his phone and turned off the engine.
Eddie: It’s your sister. She expects to stay here.
Buck blinked in surprise as he stared at the text and wondered why Eddie hadn’t texted the moment Maddie had arrived. The woman hadn’t responded to a single note, text, or phone call in nearly seven years, so he was a little flummoxed by the idea that she thought she could just show up and live in his house.
He grabbed his bag as he left the truck. The new job buzz was totally ruined. Buck entered the house and found Eddie sitting at the kitchen table with their building mountain of paperwork.
“Hey.”
Eddie exhaled slowly. “She’s in the den and appeared surprised by the fact that I didn’t offer her the guest room.” He paused. “And honestly, kind of pissed, I think. She asked me what I was doing living in this house and when I was leaving.”
Buck put his bag down on the bench next to the door and dropped his keys into the bowl they kept on the narrow table they’d tucked next to the bench. Then he sat down to remove his shoes.
“She wasn’t listed in the will at all, so she has no claim on this house or anything else I inherited from Uncle Dixon. Hell, she’d never even met the man. I don’t even know how she knew the address.”
“Mom gave it to me.”
Buck looked up and found his sister standing in the doorway of the kitchen, arms crossed over her chest. She looked defensive, irritated, and something else that he couldn’t readily identify.
“Our parents are furious that you got everything in Uncle Dixon’s will,” she said.
“Maybe if they wanted to benefit from his death, they could’ve at least given the man a call once a year,” Buck said evenly, and her mouth dropped open. “Why are you here, Maddie?”
“We need to talk privately.”
“Anything you need to say, you can say in front of Eddie,” Buck said and stood. He tucked his boots into the storage area of the bench. “But it’s going to have to wait because we have physical therapy to get to.” He looked toward Eddie. “Where’s Christopher?”
“I asked Pepa to take him for the afternoon,” Eddie said tersely. “He overheard your sister demanding to know when I’d be leaving and got really upset. And I canceled the PT appointment. I frankly don’t have the….” He spread his hands out. “I don’t have the resources for it. I appreciate you wanting to include me in the awful conversation you’re about to have, Buck, but I don’t think I have the patience to sit here another minute. I’m going to go visit my abuela. She promised me cookies.” He paused. “Snickerdoodles.”
Buck nodded. “Yeah, okay. Bring back cookies.”
“I might,” Eddie said and stood.
Buck said nothing as Eddie gathered his keys from the bowl and left the kitchen without a word to Maddie. It was telling since the man was normally very polite. Buck picked up his bag and went into the laundry room with it. His sister followed.
“Who is that guy?” Maddie demanded. “You’re just letting some man and his kid live here? I asked him what he did for work, and he said he wasn’t working. Are you serious?”
“He’s not working, Maddie, because he was shot three times in the line of duty in Afghanistan and is on temporary disability,” Buck snapped, and his sister’s breath caught. “He lost a kidney and has at least two more damned surgeries ahead of him. Not that it matters because who lives in my house is my business. As to who he is—he’s my fiancé. We’re getting married in two weeks.”
Maddie huffed. “You’re too young to get married, and I need my half of Uncle Dixon’s estate, so you’re going to have to sell this house.”
“You don’t have a half of anything,” Buck said and frowned. “Are you serious? Uncle Dixon told me he sent you several messages after you turned eighteen, and you never responded to a single one! How can you possibly think he left you anything? Besides, if you’d been named in the will—you’d have been notified a year ago when he died.” He unzipped his bag. “Why do you need money? Did the Kendell well run dry?”
Her breath hitched. “I just need it, and I deserve half of the estate—we were his only relatives. I can’t believe I wasn’t included in the will. What about his own sister? Mom has been upset for months but told me you don’t even answer her phone calls.”
“The sister that disowned him for being gay?” Buck questioned and glanced her way. “The sister that drove drunk at the age of seventeen and caused the accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down? Seriously? And I don’t ignore her calls because she can’t call me. I changed my phone number years ago and didn’t give it to her.”
“Mom never mentioned being drunk,” Maddie protested. “And he was driving!”
“He was fifteen at the time of the accident and incidentally never learned to drive,” Buck retorted. “You can look that up if you don’t believe me. Their parents bought her out of trouble. Regardless, the estate settled ten months ago, and you could try to sue me, I suppose, for the assets of a man you never met, but I can’t imagine that’d go well in court for you.” He finished emptying his bag into the washer and turned to stare at her. “What’s going on? Where’s Doug?”
Maddie frowned. “I left him.”
“Then sue him for divorce and take half of his shit,” Buck retorted.
“It’s not that easy, and I don’t have the time for it, at any rate. I need the money to leave. I’m…I’ve got an opportunity to work abroad. Doctors without Borders accepted me as a volunteer, and I need a financial cushion in case things get difficult over there.”
“You don’t want to travel with cash,” Buck said. “The best and easiest option would be to get a credit card to use in emergencies. I’d certainly help you if things got difficult, but I’m not going to cut you a check for half of anything, Maddie. I won’t be selling this house. It’s the home I’m making with my family, and none of your concern.”
“You can’t get married. You’re practically a baby, as is.”
“I’m four years older than you were when you married Doug Kendall,” Buck snapped, and she took a step back from him, which gave him pause. “Why did you leave him?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Is he going to show up here looking for you?” Buck questioned.
“I doubt he knows where you are, Evan,” Maddie said and exhaled slowly. “I don’t approve of this relationship you’re having, and you’re too young to get married. I’m going to call Mom and Dad so they can come here and talk some sense into you.”
“If you bring those assholes to my house, I’ll call the cops,” Buck said evenly. “Your parents need to stay in Pennsylvania, and I don’t care if you approve of my engagement. I’m getting married in two weeks—end of discussion. And honestly, Maddie, I’m furious that you came here and upset my kid with your entitlement. This is his home.”
“I didn’t mean to upset the kid,” Maddie protested. “I was just surprised! This relationship is coming out of nowhere.”
“Nowhere?” Buck questioned. “How would you even know that? We haven’t spoken in nearly seven years. You’ve ignored every single attempt at communication I made since I left. Christ, you didn’t even respond when I told you I needed the title for the Jeep last year.”
“Where is it?” Maddie questioned. “In the garage? I can use it while I’m in town instead of a rental.”
“It’s in Colorado,” Buck said. “I have a friend driving it to me when he has time, and you aren’t staying in this house, by the way.”
“Of course, I am,” Maddie said and rolled her eyes.
“No, you aren’t,” Buck returned. “You aren’t invited, and Christopher deserves to feel safe in his own home. Moreover, we have a full schedule and don’t have time to entertain you. I’m going to ask you—one more time—why did you leave Doug?”
“Things have gotten…rough,” Maddie said. “Violent.”
“He hit you?”
“A few times,” Maddie said and averted her gaze, which told him she was at the least minimizing the issue. “His father used to keep him in check, but Harlan Kendall died last month, and now there’s no one around to make Doug pay for his temper if things get out of hand.”
“Just a few times?” Buck pressed. “You don’t have to lie to protect him.”
“Things were rough when we first got married, and his father found out—he threatened to cut him out of the will and…he broke Doug’s jaw for it.” She exhaled slowly. “After that, Doug kept his hands to himself, but he’s slapped me three times since his father died, and I can see…it escalating. He was always controlling and resorted to mental abuse since he couldn’t risk his father’s temper. I should’ve left years ago while Harlan was alive to keep his son in line.”
“Where is your posting, and when does it start?” Buck questioned.
“I’m going to Peru to start, and I’m due there in a week,” Maddie said and bit down on her bottom lip. “I ran from Doug with nothing but a bag full of clothes.”
“You’ve got at least 15,000 dollars in diamonds on that engagement ring alone,” Buck said, and she looked down at her hand, clearly startled. “We’ll find a broker for the jewelry and sell it. I can give you another 8,000 in exchange for the title to the Jeep. But that’s the most I can spare since I just got a job today. How are you going to handle the divorce?”
“He’ll be served with papers, but he’ll refuse to sign,” Maddie said and chewed her bottom lip. “I wrote the lawyer a check from Doug’s account a week ago. As soon as it cleared, I left. She said she’d push it through, and I’d handle my end remotely due to my volunteer work, which was her idea.”
“Did you list domestic battery as the cause for the divorce?”
“No, she said it would make him more likely to fight the process if I accused him of a crime,” Maddie said. “You really aren’t going to let me stay here?”
“I’m sorry for the situation that you’re in, Maddie, but no, you can’t stay in my family’s home. Mom won’t give you any money, but Dad probably will since you’re his favorite.”
Her mouth twisted briefly, and she averted her gaze. “That’s not really true, you know? I’m sorry that I upset the kid. I wouldn’t have done that on purpose. I was just surprised by everything. I do read the postcards you send me. You never mentioned anything about a relationship or whatever. How long have you even known this guy?”
“A bit over five years now, which is twice as long as you knew Doug before marrying him. Stop judging me,” Buck said. “And I never said anything important in those postcards. I just considered them proof of life.” He cleared his throat. “You could do the same from where ever you end up.” He pulled out his phone. “We can probably find you an Airbnb to stay in for a few days until your flight to Peru.”
“Seriously?” Maddie questioned. “I’ll apologize to your boyfriend.”
“Do you think your comfort is more important than a four-year-old boy’s, who fled his own home because an adult made assumptions that hurt and scared him?” Buck asked evenly, and she averted her gaze. “I’m sorry you’ve had a rough time with Doug, but my kid comes first.”
“He’s not yours, Evan!” Maddie exclaimed hotly.
“You receiving my help and my money is dependent on you respecting my life choices and relationships,” Buck said. “I don’t have to give you a dime for that Jeep, Maddie, much less twice what it’s probably worth. I have proof you gave it to me.”
“I know,” she blinked back tears. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m….”
“Well, you always act out when you’re disappointed and don’t get your way,” Buck said. “You get it from Mom. Remember how she used to pitch a fit, threaten to kill herself then storm out of the house? She’d disappear for hours, everyone would freak out, then she’d swan in and act confused by how upset we were like she hadn’t done it all on purpose.”
Maddie’s cheeks flushed. “Yeah, that’s…wow.” She leaned on the dryer. “You’ve changed. I don’t remember you being so blunt before.” She took a deep breath. “And kind of cruel, actually.”
“Honest,” Buck corrected. “And I’m not using it like a weapon either, so calling me cruel is way out of line. I’m just being brutally honest with you, Maddie. If you can’t handle that, then you need to figure out why you prefer to be lied to and coddled. That’s probably our parent’s fault, too. I’m really fucking sorry for what Doug’s done and what he could do given a chance. Please believe that. But I just came from a long ass morning to find my kid having basically run away from his own home and my partner so furious that he could barely speak.”
“He was mad?” Maddie questioned.
“I’ve never seen him that angry in my life,” Buck admitted. “Eddie is easygoing, but…you hurt his son, and that’s a deal breaker for him. You’ve got a lot of making up to do before you’re welcome in this house after today.”
Her mouth dropped open. “But….”
“I’m a parent,” Buck said in exasperation. “And my son’s comfort in his own damn home is my priority, Maddie. Don’t you get it? Don’t you remember what it was like when that asshole Brad Foley would come over to the house and stare at your tits despite the fact that you were fifteen and Dad never said a word about it because he needed Foley’s money. He always put his clients first, every single time, no matter how disgusting or awful they were.”
“I didn’t realize you noticed that,” Maddie admitted and crossed her arms.
“It was pretty hard not to, and I was just a kid, so you can’t think that either of our parents failed to notice that fucking pervert actively lusting after their young teenage daughter,” Buck muttered.
“I get it. I’m sorry. I’m a mess and not handling any of this well. I didn’t expect you to have…changed, and that’s crazy. You turned into a grown man when I wasn’t looking, and that’s hard to acknowledge. It makes me feel like shit. Doug was so controlling, and it was easier to give in to his demands which meant cutting off everyone just to get peace and quiet.”
“You know emotional and psychological abuse is just as damaging as physical, right?” Buck asked quietly, and his sister looked at him with wide, shocked eyes. “Right.” He took a deep breath. “If the parental units taught me anything, it’s that.”
He turned his attention to the washer and added detergent, then started the machine. “Let’s find you someplace to stay. We’ll put it on my card, so Doug won’t see the charges. Do you have your own bank account?”
“I opened it last week,” Maddie said. “My salary went into Doug’s savings account that I’ve never had access to. I have one check coming, so I should get that one, but it’s just a month of work.”
“I hope you asked for that money in the divorce, at least,” Buck said.
“I did, but I don’t expect to get anything from Doug. He’s going to be furious about me using his money to pay for the divorce and lawyer, but I don’t care about that part. I can’t trust him, and no matter how much he apologizes, I know he’ll hit me again, and next time, it’ll be worse. I should’ve left him a long time ago.”
* * * *
Buck: She’s gone. I’m sorry. Will you come home?
Eddie frowned at his phone and shifted on the couch. He blamed himself for the situation more than anything else. When Maddie Kendall had shown up on the front porch, he’d invited her into the house because he thought it was an opportunity for Buck to get some part of his family back. He hadn’t expected the attitude or entitlement. Christopher pressed closer in his sleep, and Eddie ran his fingers through his son’s curls.
“You shouldn’t punish him for his sister’s behavior, nieto,” Isabel said gently.
“I’m not,” Eddie protested. “I feel like an asshole for leaving him to deal with her and for letting her in the house, to begin with. I guess I expected her to be like him, and I shouldn’t have, considering she’s ignored her brother for years, and I know Buck wouldn’t do the same.”
He focused on his phone.
Eddie: Yeah we’re at Abuela’s. She’s sending me home with leftovers.
Christopher slept through the transfer into the SUV and the softly spoken lecture he’d gotten from his abuela about communication. Eddie really didn’t think he deserved it for bailing on watching Buck and his sister fight, but maybe he did. Shannon had always said he was the worst possible partner, and his habit of avoiding personal conflict was certainly part of that problem.
Buck opened the door leading into the kitchen from the garage before Eddie even got Christopher out of the car seat. He wasn’t all that surprised when his son slept through the transfer into the house. They put him to bed in shorts and the T-shirt he’d worn all day. Eddie figured there were worse parenting choices, including the fact that he hadn’t woken the kid up to brush his teeth.
Buck lingered for a few moments at the doorway of Christopher’s room, then walked away, clearly upset and worn, which only increased Eddie’s guilt. He found his lover sitting on their bed, so he joined them there.
“Where is she?”
“An Airbnb about ten minutes from here,” Buck said. “She won’t be back to the house. I…I never expected her to just show up and act like she was entitled to anything, Eddie. Hell, she’s lucky I still own this house because it would’ve already gone on the market if we weren’t living in it. I can’t imagine it would have gone unsold for long. It’s in a great spot, not far from the beach, and….” He trailed off. “She’s left her husband because he hit her. She said he just slapped her a few times, but she was afraid it was going to escalate now that her father-in-law had passed, and she’s probably right about that. I think it was worse than she let on, but I let her lie to me. I wouldn’t want to add to her stress or trauma.”
“It explains her reaction to me,” Eddie muttered.
“What do you mean?”
“After Christopher overheard her telling me that I should pack my shit and get out of her family’s house and that she wasn’t going to let me take advantage of her baby brother, he started to cry and was inconsolable. In her defense, I hadn’t told her that he was even in the house because he was down for a nap before lunch.
“She was sorry to have upset him and tried to talk to him, and I snapped at her—told her to get the hell away from my kid.” Eddie cleared his throat. “And she flinched like I’d raised my hand against her. I told her she could wait in the den for you, so she hid from me until you got home.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Buck said wearily. “She was completely out of line, coming into our home and making demands. She tried to tell me that she deserved half of my uncle’s estate. Mostly I think she’s desperate to escape and saw me as an easy path to money. She’s volunteered for Doctors without Borders.” He paused. “I’m going to give her 8,000 dollars, which is hell and gone more than it’s worth. She’s going to sign over the title.”
Eddie nodded. “Do you have that much outside of the living trust?”
“In savings, yeah, and I got the position at the 118. If necessary, I can cash out one of my CDs. Not a preference, but it’ll be fine.”
“I can cover whatever you can’t,” Eddie said. “You know I’ve got a lot in the bank because of the house.”
“We might need that later on—so let’s not hit it unless we don’t have a choice. Plus, property taxes aren’t going to be a picnic around here.” He waved a hand around. “I expect that to run around 5,000 dollars based on my uncle’s records from previous tax years.”
“We can swing it,” Eddie said. “I think it’s best if Christopher doesn’t see her again.” He took a deep breath. “At least not right now. He was too upset to be reasonable and was still crying when Pepa brought him to my abuela’s house. He cried himself to sleep thinking that your sister hates him and wants him to be homeless.”
“Jesus Christ,” Buck said and rubbed at his eyes.
“I can’t handle any more tears,” Eddie said sternly, and Buck laughed a little.
“It’s just really fucking upsetting. We’d just gotten him to a point where he was settled, and he hadn’t asked about his mom in a while. I know he’s still thinking about her, but he was adjusting. Right?”
“Yeah, I agree that he was adjusting,” Eddie eased onto the bed. “I thought letting her in was the right thing to do.”
“Well, she thought she could come in and just take over my whole damn life,” Buck muttered. “She thinks I’m still a child, basically, and her assumption that I would just roll over and give her half of Uncle Dixon’s estate was especially galling when she ignored the man existed. I’d have this house torn down before I’d sell it and give any of them a penny from the sale. I know that’s petty, but we were all the family he had, and my mom played gatekeeper all of our lives—iced out her own brother because she’s a miserable fucking asshole.”
Eddie winced as Buck left the bed, tears welling in his eyes. “Tell me how to help.”
“I don’t fucking know,” Buck said hoarsely. “I’m torn between wanting to protect Maddie from her bastard soon-to-be ex-husband and ignoring her until she leaves. I feel responsible for her, in a way, and I don’t know why I tolerated her silence all these years. I don’t know why I kept reaching out to her. I don’t know why I care when she hasn’t put in the effort in years, then just shows up here trying to blow up my fucking life like none of it matters because she needs help, and apparently, nothing else should be more important to me. I feel selfish because, Christ, she’s running from an abusive husband. But it’s clear I’m actually living in this house, and she just expected me to sell it and give her half the proceeds. How the hell is that even a thing?”
Eddie stared for a moment, then held out a hand. He was grateful that Buck took it immediately and let himself be pulled back onto the bed. “Abuela sent you a dozen cookies that you don’t have to share.”
Buck huffed a little. “Okay.”
Eddie pulled him close and relaxed against the headboard when Buck just curled around him. “It’s normal that you want to help her but also resent her behavior. She showed up here without warning and made some seriously selfish demands. Sure, they’re rooted in desperation, but that doesn’t mean she gets a pass on it. You’re going to help her, and it’s certainly not what she demanded, but she had no right to even ask such a thing of you, much less expect it.”
“Yeah.”
“If your uncle would’ve wanted her or anyone else to have anything—his will would’ve reflected it.”
“I should’ve visited more. He didn’t even tell me he was sick until he was being moved into hospice,” Buck murmured. “He was funny and entertaining. He also pretended that he didn’t care that he never had a family of his own, but I know it hurt him. It made me realize that I didn’t want to live my life like that—alone with no kids.”
“It seemed like he was living a full life before he got sick,” Eddie said.
“A successful one, at least,” Buck muttered. “But what did it really mean in the end? He said not to bother with a funeral because only people who knew of him would attend. And he was right because his agent put together a memorial service despite his wishes, and it was just full of people he’d worked with over the years who’d never socialized with him personally. The only thing they all agreed on was that he was brilliant, and a talented voice had been taken from them too soon.”
“I liked his vision and the scope of his work,” Eddie admitted. “Storytellers are rare in Hollywood these days, and that’s what he did—he told the world stories. It’s a very good legacy. Perhaps it wasn’t the one he wanted in his heart, but it’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of, either.”
“Yeah.”
“Tell me about your interview. You were so excited before.”
“Thomas was offered a position as well and accepted. We sort of raided HR together, and the only thing I have pending is benefits. I was told it wouldn’t be a problem to wait until after we’re married to finish that whole thing, especially since I can’t start work until after I’m out of the academy. The premiums were much more reasonable than I expected for a family plan—health, vision, and dental. Plus, the pension plan seems good, and there is an option for an additional savings plan that I want to discuss with a financial planner first.
“I feel good about my choice of captains as well. He didn’t ask any stupid questions about my climbs.”
“Like what?”
“Eh, one of the instructors in the first week—teaches driving for the CDL. But I already have a class A commercial driver’s license, though I’ll have to take a written test when I get my California license. Anyways, I was introduced to him, and he reviewed my paperwork and asked me how many followers I had on Instagram because he recognized me.” Buck grimaced. “It was gross. I told him I had no idea. I don’t have anything personal on it. I used to, but I had to take all of that down because people got nosy and weird. A climbing company offered to sponsor my memorial climb for my uncle.” Buck took a deep breath. “And the rep was kind of confused when I declined. Like, seriously?”
“Some people are built and motivated entirely by greed,” Eddie murmured. “Do you think you’ll like working for Captain Nash?”
“Yeah, he even promised to teach me to cook.”
“Ha, sold. Ask the man if you can come to his house for lessons.”
Buck laughed. “Yeah, pretty much. Regardless, he was nice but professional. He asked good questions and didn’t make it weird. He’s got a lot on his plate with the reorganization of an entire shift due to racism and all the other kinds of bigotry possible. Sae Bu, that paramedic from San Diego I was telling you about, was also hired for Nash’s shift.”
“Today was a real fire exercise. How’d that go?”
“I was worried that I’d have a stumbling block with it—but it was fine,” Buck murmured. “No better or worse than working in subzero temperatures. It’s all extreme and hard in one way or another, ya know?”
“Yeah,” Eddie said.
The baby monitor they kept on the dresser put off a sound—a small thump, then another. “Daddy!”
Eddie slipped away from Buck. “The boss is calling.”
“Can I come to?”
“Why would you question that?” Eddie asked, a little shocked as he snagged Buck’s hand and pulled him from the bedroom.
“I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t want to see me right now. My sister hurt his feelings.”
“He certainly doesn’t want to see her,” Eddie admitted.
“I don’t want to see her right now either, if I’m honest,” Buck said roughly.
Christopher was halfway to the en suite bathroom when they came into the room. He huffed a little. “I’m not in my pajamas.”
“You were asleep when we got home,” Eddie said with a laugh, and his son frowned at him before going into the bathroom. “Which ones do you want?”
“The green ones.”
Buck busied himself with straightening up the bed and bit down on his lip when Christopher called out for him. He walked into the bathroom and found the boy nudging the step that was in place with his crutch so he could reach the sink.
“Hey, Superman.”
“Your sister is mean, Bucky,” Christopher said and slouched a little as he stared at the step.
“Want help?”
“Yeah,” the boy said tiredly. “I need to brush my teeth.”
Buck lifted him onto the step and waited until he was braced on the sink before letting go. “I’m sorry about Maddie. She won’t be back for a very long time.” He put toothpaste on the brush.
“Why doesn’t she want us to live here?”
“She thought part of it should be hers, but now she knows better. This is our ridiculous house, and no one gets to say anything different, okay?”
Christopher took the brush, frowned but then nodded. “Okay.”
Buck shared a glance with Eddie, who was leaning on the doorway leading into the bathroom.
“I’m sorry she upset you.”
The boy squinted at him as he brushed his teeth in a haphazard manner that made Buck want to take over. He was doing better than he had in the past, but it was certainly a work in progress. Once it was mostly accomplished, he helped Christopher off the step and hovered while he walked back to bed. Eddie changed his clothes and got him back under the covers.
“It’s okay, Bucky,” Chris said.
“It’s never okay when someone misbehaves and hurts other people because they’re selfish,” Buck said and made a face when Christopher laughed. “Seriously. I don’t want you to ever think you have to give someone a pass because they’re an adult or just forgive someone because you think you should. The ability to forgive is a very good trait to have, but it shouldn’t be something you give to others easily.”
Christopher nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
Part 5
“How about I drive you to the academy?” Eddie questioned as he watched Buck fill a flask with water from the fridge. He raised an eyebrow when Buck sent him a look. “I need the truck for stuff.”
Buck grinned at him. “I could take the SUV.”
“You want to drive the Escalade to the academy?” Eddie questioned, and Buck huffed. Christopher laughed from the table. “What happened to sacrificing your uncle’s ode to capitalism to be Christopher’s permanent chariot?”
“He won’t be in the truck dropping me off?” Buck questioned in amusement.
“I can ride in the truck on special occasions,” Christopher said. “I want to see the fire place.”
“It’s just a bunch of boring buildings, Superman,” Buck said as he put the lid on his flask. “But, sure Edmundo, you can drive me to class in an overt territorial display. I should finish by two today, but I can probably get a ride from Thomas if you get caught up.”
“I do have to pick up the lumber we ordered for the flower beds,” Eddie pointed out but grinned when Buck just shook his head. “And I’ll be there on time to pick you up.”
“At the zoo, the silverback gorilla hollers and beats his chest to defend his territory,” Christopher said.
Eddie sprayed orange juice all of himself and what was left of his toast.
“You are my favorite human being, Christopher,” Buck said fondly and pushed over the basket of napkins in the center of the table Eddie’s way as he walked by.
Buck found the ride over to the academy less stressful than doing the driving. LA traffic was horrible, and Christopher spent the whole ride talking about alpha males in the animal kingdom. The whole lecture about how lazy male lions were was hysterical, and Eddie just kept sending him wide-eyed looks that didn’t help at all.
Eddie pulled into the front of the main building, and Buck checked his watch. They were just a bit early. He turned to Christopher in the backseat.
“Keep an eye on your dad, and don’t let him build the new flower beds without me.”
Christopher laughed.
“I can handle building some frames, Buck,” Eddie said. “I worked construction as a summer job in high school.”
“It’ll be awkward to move them around by yourself,” Buck pointed out in what he hoped was a reasonable tone. “And that could be difficult for your shoulder.”
Eddie made a face but nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Buck leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Eddie’s mouth. “Just be careful because more damage could equal a very complicated surgery.”
There was a knock on the passenger door window, and Buck turned to find Thomas standing outside the truck with a grin. He rolled down the window.
“Hey.”
“You brought the model to work,” Thomas said in amusement, and Buck huffed even as Eddie laughed. He stuck his whole arm into the truck. “Thomas Marshall. I keep your boy out of trouble here.”
“Eddie Diaz,” Eddie responded and took the hand he was offered. “And he needs supervision nearly all the time. If you turn your back, he’ll be halfway up the nearest mountain.”
“Well, the only mountain left in this part of the world I’d even be tempted by is Mount McKinley, and it’s too far away for me to get near it before I got caught,” Buck said cheerfully.
“That’s in Alaska,” Christopher chimed in from the back seat.
“Ha, you guys were hiding the most important person in the backseat,” Thomas said. “Hey, kid.”
“Christopher, this is Thomas. He’s going to be working with me at the fire station.”
“Are all firefighters big?” Christopher asked.
“Nope,” a female voice said, and Thomas was nudged away from the window. Sae Bu climbed up on the sidebar of the truck with a cheerful grin. “There’s me.”
Buck stared at her, and she quirked an eyebrow even as she stuck her arm into the truck in a direct imitation of Thomas.
“Hi, Supermodel. I’m Sae Bu.”
Eddie shook her hand with a glance toward Buck. “Eddie Diaz.”
“Do you keep Buck out of trouble, too?” Christopher asked.
“Sae, this is Christopher,” Buck said and motioned them away so he could open the door.
Sae climbed right into the truck as soon as he was out and leaned on the seat to stare at Christopher. “Does your Buck get in trouble?” He nodded. “I’ll have to keep an eye on him and Thomas then.”
Buck pulled his bag from the back, and Christopher leaned forward, then tapped his forehead so he laughed and kissed the spot that had been chosen. “You guys have a good day. Sae get out of the truck—we’ll be late.”
She huffed but left the truck and shut the door. “You’re so stingy, Buck.”
Buck focused on Eddie. “I’ll text with an estimate on finishing this afternoon.”
“Be careful—some people will expect you to carry the load on the climbing front.” His gaze flicked to one of the towers used for urban SAR training. “And not have your back out of ignorance.”
“I got this,” Buck assured and tapped the truck before guiding his two future teammates away. “Don’t be offended—he’s speaking from experience.”
“What do you mean?” Sae questioned. “And I’m not offended—I don’t know enough about climbing to have your back, and I know it.”
“The day we met, his climbing partner didn’t tell his team that he was a novice—he almost got Eddie killed as a result. I barely reached him in time to get him on the rope I was using,” Buck said as they entered the classroom.
“So Eddie climbs, too?”
“Very well,” Buck said. “But he prefers bouldering. We climbed the Capitol together in Colorado.” He settled into a table, and Thomas joined him. Sae leaned on the end after putting her bag in a chair in front of them.
“Capitol Peak is a class four, right?” Sae questioned. “I’ve been reading up on it and read an article about your team on K2.”
“Yeah, Capitol is a 14er and certainly one the most challenging of mountains in Colorado,” Buck said. “We walked the Knife Edge to reach the summit—the best climb of my life, but it had more to do with the company than anything else. Sometimes taking the wrong person on a trip like that can make the experience miserable. There were some difficult personalities on the K2 trip, plus we had to bring a body down.”
“Yeah, I read about that,” Sae said and frowned. “I know those trips are dangerous, but I was surprised that the person actually lied about their level of fitness. He had to think it might kill him.”
“He thought he was invincible,” Buck said. “And that taught me to pay attention to the personalities of the people I traveled and climbed with. There’s nothing worse than a glory hog or adrenaline junkie. They’re reckless with themselves and others.”
Sonny Donaldson came into the classroom at that point, and the rest of the cadets followed. Sae sat down and pulled out her manual. The asshole tucked in right beside her, and Buck shared a frown with Thomas. He really hoped that Bobby Nash didn’t get pressured into making room for Sonny. The idea was kind of appalling.
Harold Remy, the instructor for the SARTECH III course, cleared his throat. “Marshall, Buckley, Bu—your new captain has asked that we put the three of you together as often as possible going forward for training and to focus on your teamwork. He doesn’t often take on two probies at once, much less three. We’ll be reviewing your qualifications, your potential for more, and the needs of the team you’ll be joining as we have time. The 118 is a light brigade and gets a lot of SAR work as a result. Bu, you have experience with surf rescue and open-water diving, correct?”
“Yes, sir, I have the certs for deep water, advanced open water, and search and recovery. I also have a deep diver certification,” Bu leaned forward. “I’ve already signed up for the swift water cert being offered in San Diego in a few weeks.”
“Buckley, you’ve signed up for that as well?”
“Yes, sir,” Buck said. “And I’m willing to take on the certs for open water, rescue diver if it serves. I can handle myself in the water easily enough already and don’t have a problem picking up what works best for me regionally.”
“Marshall?”
“I have swift water and deep diver certs,” Thomas said. “Did them last quarter while I was waiting for my academy slot. I couldn’t get into a SARTECH II before the academy, but I am slotted for a course in the fall.”
“You’ll get your level three before you graduate, so it’ll help ease the load on the SARTECH II front,” Remy said. “Today, we are focusing on land navigation—with and without equipment. Some of you children will be surprised to learn that we used to use maps printed on paper.”
* * * *
“Can I speak with Christopher?”
Eddie glanced toward his phone, which he’d propped up on the counter. “No, he’s in his room building a high rise out of little wood blocks.”
Helena huffed and frowned at him from the little screen. He regretted agreeing to the FaceTime call. “I want you to change your mind and invite me to California with your father.”
“No.” Eddie frowned at the recipe he had called up on the iPad. “Why is sugar a wet ingredient?”
“Because it dissolves in heat,” his mother said, and Eddie glanced toward his phone. He hadn’t really expected an answer. “What are you making?”
“Banana bread—we have got a bunch from the farmers market and overestimated how much we could eat. Christopher hates them. But Buck likes banana bread, and it’ll keep in the fridge, so I thought I’d try it.”
“You can freeze some for smoothies,” she suggested, and Eddie considered that then nodded. “You can do it with most berries and pineapple as well. They’ll do fine in freezer bags unless you leave them for months.” She sighed. “Will you look at me?”
He frowned at his phone. “You’re the one that called without warning, Mom. I want to finish this and get it out of the oven as soon as possible—so I can run an errand before Buck finishes with his classes today.”
“How are his classes going?”
“He’s testing and scoring very well—in the top one percent,” Eddie said. “But he’s done a lot of this work for years, and he studied every day when we were in Texas waiting on the divorce to be finalized. Yesterday, he met with a captain and accepted a job with the LAFD. There will be a trip to San Diego for a certification he needs in swift water rescue.”
“Are you going with him?”
“We’re still discussing it—it could be boring for Christopher, and we’re looking at a few activity groups in the area. He turns five a few weeks before school starts, so he’ll be able to go to kindergarten, which is good.”
“He can’t be ready for that,” Helena said. “You should put him in preschool for another year.”
Eddie made a face. “Mom, Christopher is more than ready for kindergarten. We did an assessment, and he surpassed all of the milestones required for kindergarten. He’s already learned his new address, and he’s memorized both of our phone numbers. It took me a damn week to memorize my new number.” He huffed a little and waved a hand. “He honestly could be ready for the first grade, but I don’t want to put any pressure on him.”
“He’s too small, Eddie. He’s not ready for a full day of school. Preschool is the best choice.”
“I’m not going to stifle and hold my son back because you have a skewed sense of reality,” Eddie said. “He’s ready, and it’s our decision, not yours.”
She was frowning when he looked at the phone. “You’re letting that boy make decisions for Christopher?”
“That grown man is helping me provide for Christopher,” Eddie said evenly. “He’s my partner, Mom.”
“Don’t you think you should spend some time alone—coming to terms with your failure as a husband before you get yourself involved in another doomed relationship?”
Eddie raised an eyebrow at her. “How’s couple’s therapy going? Still sleeping in the guest room?”
“My marriage is none of your business, Edmundo.”
“And my romantic relationships are none of your business,” Eddie said with a shrug. “I’m an adult, Mom, and I don’t require your oversight on any single subject.”
“Your mistakes come back to haunt the whole family,” Helena said hotly. “Look at all the trouble you caused between me and your father because of Margery’s slip-up!”
Eddie reached over and ended the call without another word. He wasn’t going to accept any sort of responsibility for the hot mess that was his parents’ marriage. His phone went off, and he dismissed the FaceTime call, and after a few seconds, he just blocked his mom. Then sent his father a text telling him that he’d blocked his mother and she’d stay blocked for a month. He got a thumb’s up in response.
* * * *
“I didn’t see your truck in the parking lot,” Sonny said as he sat down beside Buck on the bench.
“It’s my fiancé’s truck, and he needed it for errands today,” Buck said.
“I can drive you home.”
Buck laughed. “He’ll pick me up.” He leaned on his hands and watched Thomas on the simulated cliff rescue. He made a few mental notes regarding the man’s foot placement and weight balance and took a long sip of water.
“You could give me a chance, you know.”
Buck grimaced. “It’s never going to happen. Frankly, even if I was single, I wouldn’t give you any of my time. You aren’t my type.”
“I’m everyone’s type,” Sonny responded.
“No, you’re not,” Sae said and sat down between them, using her body to scoot Sonny out of her way. “You’re a boundary-avoidant jerk, and that’s gross.”
“Yeah,” Buck said in agreement. “He’s that guy that will ask you to dance and curse you out if you tell him no.”
“Nice guy to jerk face in ten seconds,” Sae said with a nod as Sonny huffed, then turned to Buck. “So, about your supermodel husband-to-be…what’s he do for work?”
Buck cleared his throat. “He’s former Army and in recovery from injury in a warzone. It’ll be another six months or so before he can think about full-time work.”
Sae nodded. “My dad was in Iraq—came home with two bullet wounds and less his right leg.” She cleared her throat. “It was a lot, and his physical recovery paled in comparison to his emotional journey. There’s an element of betrayal, right? When another human being tries to kill you. It’s like some covenant is broken.”
Buck nodded. “He’s doing great, though—it’s only been a little over five months.”
“Yeah, he looked like he was doing well,” Sae said. “My Dad couldn’t….do anything for months after he was discharged. It was a battle to get him into PT. Is that a struggle?”
“Nah, Eddie likes to lead by example on the physical therapy front since our kid currently has it three times a week since we’re doing an assessment with his new doctor.”
“Oh, why?” Sae questioned. “If you don’t mind me asking. He’s so small.”
“Christopher has cerebral palsy,” Buck said. “It impacts his motor function. We’re heading toward another surgery for him as well, so that’s stressful. I hate the idea of him being in pain.”
“Wait,” Donaldson interjected. “You’re marrying a guy who can’t work with a disabled kid? You’re really invested in ruining your own damn life, Buck.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Donaldson?” Sae exploded, and everyone around stilled. “If you can’t have a conversation like an adult, then don’t speak, you judgmental, selfish, disrespectful asshole!”
Buck cleared his throat and stood as Captain Remy came trotting across the large room. Before he could even speak, Remy raised a hand.
“Cadet Bu, is there a problem I need to be aware of?”
She scoffed and glared at Donaldson. “We’re all aware of the problem, sir.”
Remy’s gaze narrowed, and he exhaled slowly. “Buckley with me.”
Buck grabbed his water and followed the captain even as Sae mouthed an apology. She waved both hands and glared at Donaldson before walking away. He ended up in a cramped office with a desk so messy it actually hurt his feelings to look at. It made him grateful for how neat and orderly Eddie was. He eased down into an old chair that looked iffy on holding his weight. Remy leaned on the desk.
“Do you want to file a complaint about Donaldson?”
“He’s not…done anything reportable, sir,” Buck said and shook his head. “The fixation is weird and probably rooted in some other issue we aren’t aware of. He doesn’t interest me at all if you’re thinking that might be adding to the problem at a later date. He’s a loser and isn’t someone I’d even be friends with. He’s just young, and I know you probably think the same about me, but Sonny Donaldson doesn’t have the experience or the scope to understand the choices I’m making. He doesn’t know me—I’m just a name and a body. The lack of respect is galling, but that’s not actionable either.”
“Personally, I think he sees you as a ticket to a successful career in the LAFD. He’s on thin ice with his family, as it turns out, because he failed out of college and blew through his college fund when his parents weren’t looking. All of that is rumor, of course, but I’ve heard it from multiple sources. He moved in on you shortly after you naturally partnered up with Thomas Marshall, and it got him noticed in class. He recognized you had skills and knowledge he could use. Then you and Marshall were hired as a team for the 118, and it’s gotten around. In his mind, he thinks if he’d played his cards right, that could’ve been him with you, and he’s desperate to please his father.”
“That’s not fair to Thomas since he was already on Captain Nash’s radar to be hired.” Buck grimaced. “Also, he doesn’t have enough cards to play, Captain.” Remy laughed. “I’m serious. I don’t think he has the right mindset for the job he’s angling to get. Physically, he’s in decent shape and could certainly learn the skills needed. But he’s self-absorbed and doesn’t seem the sort to go out of his way to help others.” He stretched his legs out in front of him. “One of the first things I learned when I started working SAR is that a lot of people are going to meet me on the worst day of their lives. It can be as heartbreaking as it is rewarding.”
Remy nodded. “I pulled a ten-year-old out of a storm drain on my final day on the job. I didn’t know it was going to be my final day working as an active-duty firefighter, but holding that boy while my partner pulled me out of the drain tore me open. I was just done. I tried to retire, but the department suggested I come over here and become a trainer. I don’t regret it, even on days like this.”
* * * *
Sometime during his conversation with Remy, the entire class had apparently decided to create a buffer between him and Sonny. Buck appreciated it, but he was also kind of embarrassed by the overt behavior of everyone involved. He wanted to stay with Thomas and Sae at the academy because he agreed that learning to be a team during training would be good for all three of them, but Sonny could become a problem.
He left the main building and headed for the parking lot. As his luck would have it, Captain Wallace was standing beside the truck, having a conversation with Eddie, who was out and leaning on the vehicle with an easy smile in place. It looked like a pleasant conversation, so there was that.
“That’s him?”
Buck groaned and glanced to his left to find Sonny standing near a blue F-350. He’d never met a single person driving an F-350 who actually needed that much vehicle. Douche-Bro status confirmed, Buck thought and barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Yeah, that’s my fiancé.”
Sonny laughed. “Is he using you for citizenship, too? And you think I’m young and stupid.”
Buck exhaled slowly and walked away. Because he wasn’t going to justify the assumptions of a fucking racist. It was infuriating and the last straw on the matter of Sonny Donaldson. Eddie raised an eyebrow as he approached.
“You okay?”
“That asshole just asked me if you were marrying me for citizenship,” Buck said roughly as he opened the back door. “Where’s Christopher?”
“He talked Abuela into a pit barbeque since he’s never been to one. My cousin, Luis, has been manning the pit since eleven this morning. She’s invited about twenty people so far. There isn’t going to be enough beer for this, Buck.” He paused. “Also, you’re totally the person I’d marry for a green card if I hadn’t been born in the armpit of Texas.”
Wallace laughed briefly, and Buck huffed a little.
Buck frowned and focused on Captain Wallace, who was rubbing the center of his forehead with two fingers. “Are you okay, sir?”
“Nope,” Wallace said roughly. “I’m going to have to move that little bastard to another section, and I’ll probably get a call from his father demanding an explanation. I don’t look forward to telling him that his son is an asshole who doesn’t understand the word no and is a racist to boot.”
“Eh,” Eddie said and pushed the door shut when Buck turned to frown at him. “He’s certainly an asshole and isn’t used to being told no, which isn’t uncommon among white men in his age group who look halfway decent. He’s just looking for any excuse or reason to devalue our relationship because he wants in Evan’s pants. Maybe he was trying to push a button to get a rise out of him, or maybe he’s a racist. It’s a mixed bag.”
“Don’t talk about anyone getting in my pants in front of a man giving me performance reviews, Eddie,” Buck said sternly, and Wallace laughed. He leaned on the truck. “What are you two talking about?”
“Ah, well, I saw him sitting here and thought I’d introduce myself,” Wallace said, then grinned. “Just in case he turned out to actually be a supermodel.”
Eddie laughed. “Who do I blame for that, again?”
“Thomas,” Buck said immediately. “He’s not remotely ashamed of himself either. I’m considering posting some deeply objectifying pictures of you on my Instagram.”
“Dios, get in the truck,” Eddie muttered even as Wallace laughed and waved as he walked away.
Buck took on the driving task since Eddie looked a little tired.
“Donaldson looks like a knock-off Ryan Gosling,” Eddie muttered, and Buck laughed. “A cheap knock-off.”
“I told you he wasn’t my type,” Buck said in amusement, and Eddie huffed a little. “I had a talk with Captain Remy today. He thinks that Donaldson wanted to use me to get a job and make his father proud. The dumb ass is throwing all of these expectations in my direction based on what he wants and expects to be given. We’ve both encountered that type before.”
“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “I got the wood and put it in the garage. Luis offered to come over and help with moving the rocks and stuff this weekend.”
“How are you related to Luis?”
“He’s my abuela’s nephew through her brother,” Eddie said. “So, my second cousin, I think.”
Buck nodded. “Sounds about right. I don’t have any cousins—my father was an only child to only children. My mother pretended to be an only child, and Uncle Dixon couldn’t have kids….” He frowned. “Because of the accident. At any rate, I’m sure I have some distant second or third cousins on her side of the family, but none of them reached out when Uncle Dixon died, so no one close. Do you know Luis well?”
“Better than most of my father’s side of the family,” Eddie admitted. “He’s close to our age and didn’t have an issue with my sexuality. Some of the others had to be sort of eased into it. My grandfather’s brother was a bastard about it, but I don’t care.”
“What’s in the bag in the back?” Buck questioned.
“The URSA my pop bought me. I have been thinking about what you said and what kind of story I want to tell. I went to the VA today and met some other vets—including a man who flew bombers during the second world war. I didn’t record any of it, but several of them said they’d be fine with it if I did in the future.”
Buck smiled. “Sounds great.”
“And I set up a YouTube channel today,” Eddie said and was chewing on his lip when Buck looked his way. “I thought maybe I could, if you don’t mind, talk to you about what you’re doing now and how much work it takes to be an active-duty firefighter.”
Buck nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’m not shy.”
“I noticed that…fairly soon after we met. I should tell that story for Insta. It’s not every day that a stranger saves your life, then strips off most of his clothes and bathes in a mountain stream afterward.”
“I was hot.”
“You still are,” Eddie assured.
“That is a terrible, horrible line, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Eddie just shrugged and grinned. “I’m not worried about you cheating.”
“I know,” Buck said easily. “I teased you about you being territorial because I didn’t want Christopher to worry.” He shrugged. “It was threat assessment for you.”
Eddie flushed and took a deep breath. “I know you can handle yourself.”
“Yeah, but you’re not that far out of a warzone, and there’s this asshole trying to push into our personal circle like he has the right. You’re a soldier, and I’ve always known that about you. It was clear even without the haircut.” Buck wet his lips. “Which you made look good, by the way.”
“There’s no one I trust more, Evan, than you.” He exhaled slowly. “Do you know what I remember most about you saving my life that day?”
“What?” Buck questioned with a glance toward Eddie as he turned off the highway and into their neighborhood.
“After you got me upright and secured, you cupped the back of my head with your hand. It was the most relieving moment of my life up to that point,” Eddie said. “You asked me if I thought I’d hit my head. I said no.”
Buck hummed under his breath. “I wasn’t an EMT at the time—jerking you up the way I did was a dumb move because you could’ve had a spinal injury. I would handle it differently today.”
“It worked out fine. That’s something else I know about you.”
“What do you mean?” Buck questioned.
“It’s always going to work out just fine…because I’m with you.”
The End
Love this series
Good story
They are so great together. Just beautiful.
Thank you
Your version of Christopher Diaz is my all time favorite and I keep coming back to this story due to the gorilla.
Christopher had me in hysterics with his line about gorillas! Also, I love Eddie doing a threat assessment