Dandelions

Christopher Diaz

Edited 28/10/2025

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"Tía Pepa!" Christopher exclaimed as he and his dad stepped into her house for lunch.

"Christopher!" Pepa laughed, hugging her grand-nephew tightly. "How are you, mi niño? And what's new?"

"I'm a big brother!" Chris announced proudly, his whole face lighting up.

His dad and Buck had explained everything to him—how Elle's mom had died in a car accident, just like his own. Chris had gone quiet then, trying to imagine what that must have felt like for her. He'd been sad for Elle, but mostly he'd been worried. When his mom died, he'd had his dad and Buck to help him through it. But Elle didn't have anyone. She was just a baby, too little to understand what she'd lost.

Then Buck had told him that Elle would be staying with him, that she would be his daughter. Chris had tried to be happy right away, but the thought had still made his stomach twist. What if Buck didn't have time for him anymore now that he had a baby to take care of? What if things changed between them?

But those worries hadn't lasted. Buck had made sure of that. He'd taken Chris and his dad house hunting, letting Chris help pick out which room could be his. And when they started setting up the nursery, Buck had asked for his opinion on colors and toys, even let him help build the crib. By the time the room was done, it felt like something they'd all built together.

Buck had called him Elle's big brother and Chris hadn't stopped smiling since. He'd always wanted siblings, and now he had a little sister. Everything was perfect.

Pepa blinked at him in shock before turning to Eddie, her eyebrows shooting up. "¿Marisol está embarazada?" (Marisol is pregnant?)

"What? No!" Eddie exclaimed quickly, caught off guard. "Marisol and I— we broke up," he clarified, giving his son a quick glance. "The baby's Buck's."

"Evanito?" Pepa repeated, even more surprised.

Which—ouch. Eddie felt that one. He tried not to take it personally, but come on. Pepa hadn't been half as shocked when he'd told her Shannon was pregnant—and he'd been a teenager then, barely out of high school, with no clue what he was doing. Buck, on the other hand, was supposed to be the careful one. For all his recklessness on calls, he was almost annoyingly responsible about everything else, especially women.

So yeah, hearing Pepa sound more stunned about Buck than she'd ever been about him stung a little. Not that he blamed her. It was just... ironic.

"Is the mother that girl he was seeing? Natasha something?" she asked, still trying to make sense of it, and Eddie had to work to keep a straight face.

"No," Eddie corrected, a hint of irritation creeping into his tone. "It's Natalia, not Natasha." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before offering Chris a gentle smile. "Mijo, why don't you go sit at the table while I talk with Tía Pepa, okay?"

Chris sighed, trying not to roll his eyes. Adults and their secret conversations. It was always the same — whispering when they didn't want him to hear. He was practically an adult now! Still, he went, though not without a faint scowl.

As he sat down, he could still hear the low murmur of their voices from the next room. This, he decided, was one of the many reasons Buck was his favorite person. Buck never talked around him. He always answered every question Chris had, no matter how awkward or complicated. Buck treated him like an equal — like a partner.

While his dad and Pepa were busy being boring adults, Chris let his mind wander. He started thinking about how to decorate his new bedroom at Buck's house.