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It’s Sophia’s fault.
Well, not really, but the entire series of assumptions and misunderstandings started with her helping her mother sign up for Instagram. Adriana had decided to stay in Tucson having finished her degree, leading to Helena engaging in some minor handwringing over being so far from her grandchildren. Sophia, ever the helper, showed her mother both Adri and Eddie’s profiles full of their kids: Helena was thrilled.
Eventually, Helena added a few more people to her feed: Adri's husband Finn, her sister-in-law Pepa, and (after a charming visit in 2020) Eddie’s friend Buck. There was a steady stream of grandbaby pictures to enjoy. The app didn’t let her save them, but her eldest granddaughter, Maria, had showed her how to “screenshot” the post. There had been an attempt to explain the difference between the two processes, but it didn’t mean much to Helena. Computers hadn’t been common place until she had a baby in her home and another on the way.
Now that Ramon was retired, they shared her account. Every Saturday morning, they would look through the week together. Sophia and Maria at a concert: “Can you believe she’s nearly nineteen now?” Adri and her husband, and their kids watching Spring Training during a visit to Finn’s family in Arizona. Helena and Ramon shared a look when they spy the ex-wife making an appearance: “I try to understand they feel differently, but I could never be so kind to one of your exes.” (Of course, Helena had never met any of her husband’s ex-girlfriends and she didn’t have stepchildren. Regardless, she saw Finn’s children as her grandkids.)
Occasionally, Eddie would post a non-Christopher related picture. Something from work like the medals he and the rest of the team had been awards: “Flying into a hurricane?! I’m terrified just thinking about it, Roman.” Other common posts were from pick-up games, school projects, and heartfelt looking quotes that Helena learned were ironic “memes”. In the lead up to Christmas, while she sipped her coffee, she came to a pause at one such post. Eddie, pulling Buck and another man close. The caption was a single icon: a rainbow flag.
Helena tried to be the cool grandmother. She had accepted she wasn’t going to understand all the choices younger people made. She had looked up several interviews when Eliot Page had come out as a man. During one summer visit, Christopher told her all about his best friend who used singular nonbinary pronouns. Adri’s stepson has a boyfriend that Helena understands to be rather serious. She definitely has dropped the ball several times, but she’d like to believe she was learning and doing better. And now that he’s retired, she has pulled Ramon along with her.
Despite all that good will intended, Helena initially didn’t understand. He son had been married, had a child with a woman. It didn’t make sense.
Ramon seemed less put on his heels: “He looks happy. I don’t know that he’s looked so happy since he first fell in love with Christopher’s mother.” (Sadly, Shannon’s name had never been redeemed in their eyes. They respect that Eddie has tried to move past her abandonment of her family, but there are some things they are too set in their ways to see past.) Helena, who had dropped her phone with a gasp, looked at the picture again. Eddie did have a boyish smile about his cheeks. He did look happy. She nodded, working to let the kneejerk denial fall away because she nearly immediately moved on to a few more pressing questions.
To start: She had learned that for gay people, she should not expect them to come out to everyone. Despite this, she had to question why Eddie had not told her about this new (or at least newly public) aspect of himself. Had he intended to have this be how he came out to her? Would he want to talk to her about it? Somewhat darkly, she wondered if Eddie had discussed this with his father already. But no, she and Ramon continued to communicate better in the last two years. While he certainly holds his son’s confidence, he wouldn’t have left her so far out of the loop on this either.
Her next thought was to scroll down and see who from Eddie’s LA life had commented. Who already knew?
Fire_Fox: Diaz again with the cutest boys in his pictures! SMH. Congrats
HenWilson75: About damn time.
A flurry of other comments that seem to tell her this is news to more people than just her, at least.
The final immediate question that came to her as she scrolled back up to take in her son’s obvious joy.
There were two men with him in this picture; which one was the boyfriend?
Eddie was propped against the headboard, scrolling through videos on his phone sent by Buck, who was about 20 feet away, in the bathroom. Tommy, who leaned into Eddie’s hip while reading his book, looked over at his own phone as it buzzed on the bed stand. “He could just come in here in and show us them.”
Eddie snorted. “He’ll realize in a minute what he’s doing.”
Tommy laid his book open on his chest, resting his eyes. “I hope so. I want cuddles.”
Phone set aside, Eddie shifted himself and Tommy so he could lay down, lightly rubbing his knuckles against Tommy’s scalp before snuggling his face into Tommy’s neck, “All you had to do was ask, babe.”
It was still so new. Eddie had responded to his Marisol-was-a-nun freak out by breaking up with her. He realized that he was trying to date a mother for Christopher, and even as she liked spending time with him, it wasn’t fair of Eddie to treat her like a nanny with benefits. After some moping and a weird run in with a woman who could have been Shannon’s twin, Tommy and Buck had dragged him along to trivia karaoke. They all had a bit too much to drink and when Eddie had awoken snuggled between them in Tommy’s huge bed the following morning? Well, Eddie had a moment of panic quickly squashed by Buck’s mumbled “five more minutes” and Tommy pulling Eddie back down to sleep more.
There had been a lot of talking. And Eddie worrying. And Buck worrying. And Tommy pretending that he wasn’t worrying. Tommy nearly bolted in the middle of a discussion around Buck moving in when his lease was up, assuming that Buck would eventually choose Eddie and that he was saving them all strife by bowing out. Buck had been too shocked in the moment that Eddie ended up grabbing Tommy’s arm to stop him. The continued decisions around Buck’s future living arrangements had been tabled until after the holidays, but several weeks on they were finding their orbits shifting more and more to Tommy’s house.
Back to now, Tommy shifted himself into a good reading position again, and Eddie could hear his phone buzz again. This time without a twin buzz from Tommy’s, so he reached back over to check it. It was a text from Sophia.
Sophia: Does Tommy have any diet or allergy restrictions? Adri and I were looking at options for dessert.
Eddie smiled, appreciating his sisters taking time to think of his man. “You don’t have any food allergies, right? My sisters want to make sure they don’t kill you with dessert.”
“Considerate. I was expecting a shovel talk."
Buck finally made an appearance from the bathroom, hair wet and boxers slung low on his hips. “Oh, I am sure Sophia will corner us when we’re there. But, if she’s not plotting our deaths, that seems promising.”
“Just send her 20 videos from the bathroom and see how endearing she finds it.” Eddie texted back with Tommy’s lack of allergies though preference against black licorice/star anise flavors.
Sophia: Oh, Mom was being weird earlier. You told her about bringing Buck and Tommy, right?
Eddie frowned. He had intentionally not been too detailed when his mother had asked who was with him other than Christopher and Buck. He completely intends to talk to her before they fly out in a couple weeks because coming out during the visit when he doesn’t have an easy escape is not his idea of a great time.
Eddie: Sort of
Sophia’s bubble popped up. Disappeared. Popped up. Disappeared.
Sophia: What exactly does “Sort of” entail to Edmundo Diaz?
Eddie: I said I was bringing 3 people with – Christopher, Buck, and Tommy
Sophia: And…
Eddie rolled his eyes before replying: And you should go to bed and trust me to have conversations with in my own time.
Sophia: Oooookay, bro. Just tell me if I need to tell Adri to make more mulled wine.
Eddie set his phone down, not realizing his sigh was audible until Buck spoke, “What else did she want that has you making that noise?”
“I maybe haven’t talked to my mom about the fact that I’m in a polyamorous relationship with two men.”
Buck stared at Eddie for a long beat.
“You know she liked the photo of us you posted yesterday, right?”
Unknowingly, Sophia had been no help with clarifying the situation for Helena.
“So, Eddie is bringing his new boyfriend to Christmas.” She had forced every once of casual into her voice, trying not to trigger Sophia’s older sibling loyalty, “What do you think of him?”
Sophia was weighing options between two different oranges and then ultimately putting both in her bag, then she hummed. “I haven’t met Tommy in person yet, but Christopher likes him. He’s a helicopter pilot.” She grabbed two more oranges for good measure.
“Oh, he’s Tommy.” Helena knew the name as the third person joining Eddie at Christmas along with Buck and Christopher, “Good to know. And a pilot? That’s a surprise. I’ll have to ask him about it.”
“Well, Buck said that he was the pilot when they flew into that hurricane back in March, so I’m sure he must have some fun stories.”
Helena nodded, “I guess they only need two rooms then. Might talk to Isabel about rearranging lodgings.”
Sophia paused in her continued citrus examination, “How many rooms did Eddie say they needed?”
Helena carefully answered, not wanting to show her lack of information during a fishing expedition. Maybe she should have put Ramon up to this. “He wasn’t very specific, just that he was bringing three people with him.”
The Diaz family holidays were a full-on affair, and Helena had started using a spreadsheet once Adriana had gotten serious about Finn, suddenly adding three new members to their not small gathering. At the time, it hadn’t struck her as odd that Eddie was bringing friends with him, especially when Christopher had shared that after Christmas, they were all flying to Buck’s family in Pennsylvania for New Year’s. It was a lot and maybe he’d just had a plate full of logistics.
Sophia made a face, and Helena knew she wasn’t going to pry more from her. But at least she knew who her son was bringing to dinner.
Buck was feeling his nerves coming on as they packed their bags. Tommy had been called in for a last-minute shift coverage and Eddie was already packed, but then realized he had forgotten to leave room for the presents they were bringing with them. Buck had a knack for optimizing luggage and so had directed Eddie to bring him the unwrapped gifts (they would wrap them in El Paso) and go enjoy some Saturday morning time with Christopher before they went to have dinner with Pepa.
The task of sorting through various items and getting them packed neatly distracted him. This was going to be their first trip as a throuple, or a triad. The exact label was both still under discussion and not the be-all end-all of their relationship, as long as they all remained on the same page that it was a relationship that was not going anywhere for the time being. Buck had already committed to joining his sister and her family in Pennsylvania prior to Eddie inviting them to the Diaz Christmas, and Buck had tried to back out of going home. “I don’t want to be too much.”
Eddie had taken his hand, rubbing a thumb over his palm. “It’s not too much. It’s maybe a lot, but I think we’ll be okay.”
Buck had sighed, rolling his shoulders and then agreeing not to cancel. Maddie was so excited to show Jee an east coast Christmas, and Buck knew that she would understand if he didn’t join. But she would have been sad to miss him for the whole holiday. Ultimately, he also wanted to show Eddie and Tommy his hometown.
Buck firmly pressed Eddie and Chris’ shared suitcase close, confirming it would close and not explode if opened. Tommy didn’t have his own suitcase, planning on just bringing what would fit in his carry on and then supplement with laundry, but Buck squeezed his gifts alongside his own in a suitcase. Victory.
Now, Buck just needed to make sure no one’s carry on would have issues getting through security. He walked out into the living room to deposit the suitcases next to the door and saw Eddie attempting to block Chris from seeing the screen, obviously losing at Mario Kart.
“Daaaaaad, you’re so bad, you cheater.” Chris was cackling as Eddie’s character was once again fished out of the water as Chris started a victory lap. Apparently cheating was also inconducive to steering. Buck leaned over the back of the couch and covered Eddie’s eyes.
“Buck! I was going to win!” Eddie attempted to twist away, but Buck followed.
“Pretty sure that he already won.”
“I did.” Chris nodded. Confirming as the game finally gave up on Eddie finishing at all.
Eddie flopped back, finally free of Buck’s handmade blindfold, half-heartedly glaring up at his boyfriend. The betrayal. Buck leaned down further again kissed Eddie upside down, causing Chris to make an exaggerated groan of disgust.
Standing up, Buck ruffled Eddie’s hair before retrieving their work bags to empty and use as carry-ons.
“Thank you, Buck.” Buck had to look up because he’d been ready for a sarcastic snark but instead Eddie was smiling and genuine. “You always take care of us.”
And despite Chris protesting, how was Buck not supposed to give his boyfriend another kiss?
Having collected Chris’ backpack for use as his carry-on, Buck was working his way through the house for another hour making sure all the essential, if-we-lose-our-checked bags items were distributed between their three bags. His phone buzzed as he was trying to figured out whose bag would fit Chris’ game console. Oh good, hopefully that was Tommy saying her was headed home. Maybe his bag would have a good spot for it?
No, instead it was an Instagram notification? He normally would have just dismissed it, but he saw it was Eddie’s mom. Curious since he hadn’t posted any pictures of Chris recently, which was typically the only time she interacted. He clicked to see which picture it was.
It was a picture from the medal ceremony, back in May. The phone was centered on Tommy making that scrunched smile at something Chimney was saying. Really one of Buck’s favorite pictures.
But what Helena doing scrolling through his Instagram, liking pictures from six months ago?
Ramon Diaz didn’t fully understand what his eldest was laughing so hard about as she and her mother were prepping the guest rooms. Something about the picture website?
“Mama, I’m not saying you can’t look at older pictures on someone’s profile. But it’s weird to like them because then they know you were scrolling back.”
“Well, how was I supposed to know that liking it was a faux pax
“Why is that weird?”
Sophia looked to her father as if hoping he would help support her. Of course, he had no idea why anyone would care about when a picture was liked. Having grown into an insightful woman, Sophia quickly realized this.
“It just… is.”
“Well, I’ll just not do it in the future.” Helena grabbed her glass of cider and slid onto the couch beside where Ramon’s favored chair was set, picking up her phone.
“Good. I don’t want Eddie to be scared off from bringing them to the holidays.” Sophia settled on the other side of the couch with her own phone. She didn’t need to be home for a few more hours as her husband Jon was out at the movies with their girls. Thank goodness he enjoyed musicals because after Moana 2 and Wicked, she could not be convinced to sit through Mufasa.
A few short videos later, Helena suddenly sat up straight and turned to her. “Wait, what do you mean them? Is Tommy a them?”
Tommy hadn’t spent the holidays with family in a long time and so that may be why he was not prepared for the full impact of the Diaz clan. They were met at the airport by Eddie’s dad, Ramon. From what Eddie had shared about their past relationship, Tommy could see the slight tension of Eddie being unsure ow his father was going to react. Ramon hugged first Eddie, then Chris, before nodding at and shaking hands with each Buck and Tommy. It was an understated welcome.
And then they arrived at the house. There were at least four children chasing each other. Eddie’s Aunt Pepa was having a fast-paced exchange in Spanish with Isabel as they carried several suitcases away from the entry way; Tommy caught something about beds as they passed. Helena and one of Eddie’s sisters were rehanging decorations in the living room. Christopher spotted one of his older cousins sat on the couch with a game console and was immediately (politely) demanding Tommy fish his console out from Tommy’s sole piece of luggage. Evan nudged around to greet Isabel with a hug as she returned from wherever the suitcases had been vanished to. It wasn’t deafening, but Tommy would be pressed to think of the last time he’d been engulfed by this much noise.
As soon as Christopher had his console, Tommy turned to Evan and gently took the bag from his hand. “I’m going to find out where we’re sleeping.” He just needed… a few minutes.
Pepa was nearby, so Evan tapped her shoulder to spin her away from where she was greeting Eddie. She would probably know where they were posting up. Eddie looked a bit concerned over his aunt’s shoulder, but Tommy just shook his head. He’d be fine. It was just overwhelming.
There were a pair of rooms toward the far side of the house, at the end of a long hall, that likely had once been the Diaz children’s rooms. Now, one was purely a guest room, dominated by a queen size bed opposite a chest of drawers with a lamp. The other was clearly a craft room most of the time, two half finished quilts draped over a sewing table that was pushed as far over as possible to make room for the currently deflated air mattress and the twin sized bed that Tommy was willing to bet normal was covered by the materials piled on the sewing table. A neat stack of sheets, pillows, and another blanket sat at the foot of the bed, as if ready for use on the air mattress.
Tommy had thought Chris was getting his own room, so maybe one of the cousins was now planning to stay here instead of at Isabel or Sophia’s? He still snagged the extra pillow for the other room, knowing already that they would need it.
Setting his and Buck’s bags on the chest, Tommy let himself lay back on top of the sheets. The dull buzz of activity still flowed up the hall, but it was far enough that he could re-center himself.
The last large family gathering Tommy could recall attending was before his mom had left. His aunt, father’s sister, had recently gotten married and wanted her brother to bring his family to meet her new husband and stepdaughter. Tommy had probably been nine or ten, and had been excited to not be the only kid at these get-togethers, as he often had been. It was devastating to then find out his new cousin was actually in her twenties and despite early in the evening attempting to listen and chat with Tommy, had gotten in an argument with his father after dinner, after the wine had gone around several bottles over, that had ended in his aunt shoved through a banister. He’d later been told that they weren’t welcome back as his aunt had broken her arm during the fall. Not too many years later, after Tommy started middle school, his mother had left before Thanksgiving.
After that, the closest he and his dad had to a holiday gathering was grouping their order at the Chinese restraint and listening to the football game until there was no more beer and his dad would find some failing to begin berating Tommy over.
The noise here in the present was happy. Even as there was an annoyed shriek as some sibling or cousin combination became suddenly fed up with the chasing game that they had all been playing. Not that Tommy was under the illusion the Diazes were perfect, just based on what Eddie had shared about Ramon’s health scare and the way their relationship had been recovering in the last three or so years, and how they had been very critical and involved with raising Chris pre-moving to LA. No one here was going to end up with broken bones for want of inflicting pain. No one was hiding bruises under their sweaters in a too-hot living room. No one was hiding.
Tommy’s break from the crowd must have gone on too long, because he started at the knock at the door. It was Eddie with the other bags, and a curious expression.
Tommy pre-empted any questions: “I’m fine. Just… you told me it might be a lot and I should have believed you.”
“We can still book a room, if you would rather- “ Eddie had already offered a few time to get them a set of rooms if either Evan or Tommy decided that staying in Eddie’s parents’ home was too anything. Tommy cut him off.
“No, it’s nice here.” He sat up, holding out a hand, “I think I’m really going to enjoy getting to know your family.” Then with a bit of Kinard brand snark, “And I wouldn’t want to make your mother think her son’s boyfriends don’t want to be here.”
Tommy pulled Eddie in close, pecking him on the cheek. “At least your parents seem to be unbothered by the whole boyfriends plural situation.”
Eddie froze. “So, you know how I was going to explain to my mom?”
Tommy leaned back so he could look Eddie in the face. “Please don’t tell me you didn’t tell her.”
“Okay. I won’t tell you that.” Eddie didn’t look at all as sheepish as Tommy thought he should. Brat.
“I’m getting Evan.”
Ramon had started to piece the situation together at the airport, when he’d met his son and his… men. When Helena had first shown him the photo of the three of them, he had assumed that Eddie had been with Buck. The two had been close since Eddie had moved to LA, Christopher clearly looked to him as much as to Eddie, and given how Buck had stepped up after Eddie had been shot? Ramon felt it all made sense.
At the airport, Buck had been helping Christopher into a jacket and throwing on a hoodie as Ramon pulled up to the curb beside them. It wasn’t the coldest, but Texas in December was definitely colder than California ever really got. When he and Helena had visited the previous summer, Ramon had been thankful he had begun wearing more collared short sleeve shirts rather than feeling he had to wear long sleeves at all times. The heat was sweltering in Los Angeles. After greeting them, Buck turned away to grab bags and load them into the back of Ramon’s truck. ‘Kinard’ was splashed across the back of the hoodie in white block letters. Ramon didn’t think anything of it beyond being pretty sure that Buck’s last name was Buckley. Then upon arriving at the house, Tommy had near-immediately fled to the guest rooms and Buck, who had been quickly recruited to help finish dinner, kept looking in at the living room with concern. Eddie had followed the former down the hallway once the suitcases had been unloaded.
Ah. It was indeed not just Eddie with Tommy, or Eddie with Buck.
A part of Ramon felt sad that his son had not felt free to share this with him, but the fact that Eddie had not only planned to come to Christmas but brought along his boyfriends felt like a sign that Eddie wanted to share it with him, with both his parents. His family.
When Eddie had returned with Tommy several long dozen minutes later, Ramon extracted himself from the rummy game to walk over.
“- not that I don’t get how hard this is, but we are literally in your parents’ house.” Tommy clocked Ramon just as Eddie seemed about to offer a rebuttal. “The rooms look great, Mr. Diaz.”
“Please, Tommy, my son’s boyfriend can call me Ramon. Buck certainly does.” Ramon pat Eddie’s shoulder, “Though I do think we need to talk about whether you will be needing that air mattress you mother put out.”
Eddie seemed deeply uncomfortable. They were still trying to get to a place where Ramon’s respect was stronger than Eddie’s worry about his critique. He had many years to make up for.
“Eddie, you are welcome here. We just want you and your boyfriends to be comfortable.”
Eddie nodded, “Thanks dad. Um, maybe after the girls go back to Sophia’s? We can talk.”
Dinner was nearly ready, and Isabel still had Buck hard at work mixing the cake batter so it could be in the oven soon enough to be cooling while they ate. Adriana sat down next to her brother and sister, knocking her knee against Eddie’s.
“I didn’t know you were dating a chef.”
“Well, I don’t do too badly, but yeah, it’s Buck’s thing.” Eddie kept looking over, looking besotted at the hunk with flour on his cheek. In Eddie’s defense, Tommy was also doing the same from the other side of the living room where he was mostly carrying on some very Dad sounding conversation.
“Seems like you should be in there helping then.”
Sophia laughed as Eddie shook his head, indignant. “Nuh-uh, I have been banned from cooking in this house.”
“Good thing you brought two firemen with you.” Adriana cackled, falling back into the siblinghood of their childhood. Adri was the baby, Eddie was the put upon middle child, and Sophia tried to convince them all that she was wiser because she was the oldest.
“Oh, okay, then. We’ll see how this goes.” Eddie handed his drink to Adri and walked into the kitchen.
The sisters were laughing, Sophia’s daughter getting in on it. Dad and Tommy’s conversation had been put on pause as the noise peaked. Maybe a minute after Eddie entered the kitchen Isabel shouted, dramatic, followed by Pepa. Adri tried to lean around to see what was happening, but too soon there was an Eddie-sounding yelp that preceded Isabel leading Buck out of the kitchen with Eddie slung over his shoulder. It was something, knowing her brother was by no mean a slim or small man, to see his boyfriend heft him with only a bit of effort.
“Damn, Adri, Jon better start working out.”
Adri smacked her sister. “Don’t go there unless you want to know too much.” Sophia rolled her eyes.
Buck delivered Eddie to the couch beside Tommy, before retreating back to the kitchen. Isabel tutted at her granddaughters. “You shouldn’t be so mean to your brother. He brings me my favorite kitchen help and he gets nothing but grief from you two.”
“Abuela, we didn’t make him doing anything.”
Eddie and Tommy were leaning into each other with giggles. Yes, clearly, he had been so bullied by them.
Isabel shook her head, “You should get your children ready for dinner when you are done with your mischief.” Turning on her heel, evoking the telenovelas she watched everyday, “Think about the example you are setting for the children.”
Sophia’s daughter was fully laughing and clapping after her bisabuela’s performance.
It was good to have them all together like this.
During dinner, Adriana’s two daughters had struck up conversation with Tommy about his nail polish. He hoped he hadn’t made too much a fool of himself when he shared that he had a bad habit of chewing his nails when he was anxious or bored. Nail polish deterred that.
“Did you bring any with you? I really like that color.” The older one, Gina, was showing off her nails. Izzy, who was six, was mostly interested because Gina was. The color on his nails at the moment was a dark green that shifted amber in the light.
“Uh, no, I didn’t. But, I’m sure we can get you a bottle.” Tommy looked over, trying to catch Adriana’s gaze to ask if that was okay.
Maria chimed in, “I have a polish like that at home.” She asked about what brand it was, and Tommy confirmed it was the same.
“Hey, Mom, when we’re done eating, is it okay if I run home really quick to grab some polish? Izzy and Gina really like the shade Tommy has and I’m pretty sure I have a bottle.” Sophia assented.
So now Tommy was listening to some school gossip, and answering some questions as he helped the younger two girls do their nails alongside Maria
“Did you really fly a helicopter into a hurricane?” Gina had been telling them all about how she got to Space Camp this year, since she was ten now. She really wanted to learn to fly.
“Yes, I did. Though, it was mostly just wind and rain.” Tommy was all for cool stories, but didn’t want to scare anyone.
“Did you remember your umbrella?” Izzy was admiring her nails, though Maria kept having to get her not to poke at the drying polish, “In one of my books, the goose always brings an umbrella out in the rain.”
Tommy shook his head, “Nope, I knew I forgot something.”
After lots of cleaning up, tiny fingers with tiny nails were hard to paint with a full-size brush, Sophia came over to break up the party. It was well past Izzy’s bedtime, and the Diaz sisters had carpooled their families over to Ramon and Helena’s in Sophia’s van.
Izzy whined, but promises that they would see Tommy tomorrow eased the way.
Aside from Chris, who was posted up in his room playing a game with some classmates, all the other kids were staying at Sophia’s. This left the house perfectly empty for Eddie to have a little chat explaining to his parents.
Tommy could respect that they were all trying to improve their relationship, son to parents. From what he understood, Eddie hadn’t felt supported nor trusted by them in the past.
Not that Tommy ever wanted to repair his relationship with his own father, but he felt a flutter of jealousy that his father certainly didn’t either.
Helena was clearly struggling. “I know you shouldn’t feel obligated, that’s what Adri’s son says. I just… I feel hurt that you didn’t explain. And foolish for assuming and not asking you.”
Eddie shifted, stirring his coffee as if he’d actually added anything to it. “I should have. And I’m sorry that it hurt. I didn’t… I didn’t want to feel judged.”
Ramon nodded, “We all weren’t our best with this. And while I wish I could say of course we wouldn’t judge, I know that I wasn’t the most understanding when you were a boy.”
Buck was clearly, deeply uncomfortable. Things with his parents were… not like this. They weren’t ever going to talk about things like this.
Ramon continued, “You are welcome here, all three of you. Buck, I know you are a good man and that my grandson adores you. And I trust that you both have chosen another good man.”
Eventually, tensions defused and more pie passed around when Pepa interrupted, talk moved to childhood stories. It was nice. Not perfect, not final, but a nice night with family who love each other, complications and failings be damned.
“Eddie, this is your fault.” Buck groused, barely squeezing onto the mattress beside him and Tommy.
A queen bed was not big enough for three gigantic men.
They tried shifting places a few times. But they had grown used to king mattresses (and spoiled by Tommy’s California king), so eventually, after some grumbling, Buck ended up taking one for the polycule and moving to the couch. It was far too late to inflate the air mattress without waking everyone.
This is why the next morning, Buck was awoken by Helena setting coffee beside his head.
He was still a bit groggy, but after toast with jam appeared, he sat up.
“Thank you, Mrs- I mean, thank you , Helena.”
“Of course. Sophia and I are going out to get a bigger bed for that guest room. Hopefully the couch was okay.”
“Uh, fine enough.” Buck’s feet were hanging over the end. As soon as Eddie and Tommy were up and about, Buck planned to catch a few more hours in the actual bed.
Ramon joined them, and conversation moved to telling them about what Buck had been up to, bisexuality aside, since they’d last spoke. Not that he’d had a long conversation with either of them. Mostly Buck giving the whole table a diatribe about the intersection of accessibility and environmentalism. Less paper straws, more reusable drink ware.
Buck felt himself steered down into a similar place, and suddenly he and Ramon were having a legitimately interesting conversation about the fall of physical media. He barely missed a beat when Tommy squeezed in next to him, Eddie taking the empty arm chair beside him.
“Dad, don’t let him talk you into canceling your Netflix. I ended up signing right back up when the new season of the Baking Show started.” Eddie ribbed him.
“I would have to have a Netflix to cancel in the first place. It sounds just as bad as cable.”
Buck rolled his eyes, “Don’t even get me started about-“
Tommy pulled Buck over for a kiss, “Really, don’t get started.”
“Do you prefer my Net Neutrality lecture?” Buck leaned in, teasing.
Tommy laughed, nose scrunching, “No lectures during Christmas, Professor.”
Ramon already had swapped a few book recommendations for a podcast Buck had been listening to.
“Too late.”
Eddie, through a bite of toast, “If this firefighter gig ever gets old, you still could go into the family business.”
Helena, who had started flipping through a magazine, perked up, “Family business?”
“My parents were both teachers.”
“Not any longer?” Helena asked, clearly not sure if she was asking if they were dead or…
“They retired during the pandemic. Now they spend the winter in Pennsylvania and the rest of the year RVing around the country.”
Later, as Buck was helping move the previous bed out to the mother-in-law loft for Isabel, Helena took the moment to ask another question.
“Do you always go to your parent’s during the holidays?”
“Not usually. My parents and I aren’t close.” Buck had decided long ago that part of the Buckley family healing was to be honest, “I’m mostly going because my sister and her family went out for Christmas and will still be there, and I didn’t want to miss them for the entire holiday.”
“Do they visit when you don’t have the Holiday off?”
“Historically, no. Why?”
Helena looked a bit guilty, “Ramon and I don’t travel much, but we were already talking about coming out to LA for Christmas next year. I just am wondering who I’m up against.”
Buck frowned, “In what?”
“Making sure I always get you all for Christmas.”
Helena scrolled through Instagram, enjoy the pictures of Eddie and Christopher in the snow on New Years Day. Christopher and Jee making brownies with Maddie and her mother. There was a series of somewhat awkward looking family portraits with Buck and Maddie, their significant others, and the Buckley parents. Buck had included three versions, one having been snapped with everyone smiling plainly, then one where Tommy had turned and kissed Eddie as Buck laughed, and finally one where both Eddie and Maddie were being dipped by their partners while Mrs. Buckley looked shocked.
Tommy had commented: I thought she was going to chase us all out of the house.
Buck replied: You are a menace. She is still bright red.
Tommy: And who’s fault was that?
Helena wondered if her son wasn’t the only one bad at sharing the basic details of his relationships.
But she felt pretty certain she could pencil in getting Christmas with Eddie and his family next year.