Timeless

Chapter 6: Buck

The drive to LA took two days and Christopher was amazing for the majority of the trip. There were a few upset moments here and there, mostly when they were in the hotel when they had stopped for the night. Evan really chalked it up to Chris being in a new location and him waking up without his dad being there. It broke Evan's heart when Chris cried and looked around the room, expecting Eddie to walk in the door. He couldn't blame Chris at all. He wanted that too.

It had only been a few days, but not falling asleep or waking up next to Eddie, going through their daily routines without him, it was all so much harder than he thought. But he was staying strong, for both of his boys.

When they arrived in LA, he went straight to Pepa's house. He had called her when they got on the road this morning and she insisted on them coming by before going over to the new house. He pulled into the driveway later that afternoon, exhausted from being on the road for so long. He was thankful that Eddie made him drive the truck because he knew that the Jeep wouldn't have made it. Chris had slept for most of the ride but was awake now that they had stopped. Evan took him out of his car seat and went to knock on the door.

Almost immediately, Pepa opened the door. He recognized her from pictures that Eddie had shown him of when he was younger. She smiled at him before pulling him into a tight hug. It took him by surprise but it wasn't unwelcome.

"Oh Evan, it is so nice to finally meet you," she said. "My Eddito has told me so much about you. Come in, come in."

She ushered him inside and closed the door behind them. The house was even more beautiful on the inside. Very well decorated, with family pictures covering the walls.

"Oh, mi amor," she smiled, taking Christopher's hand. "Oh, he's just so precious."

"Isn't he?" Evan smiled. He never missed an opportunity to brag about his boys. She asked if she could hold Christopher and Evan passed him over. Chris, ever the charmer, immediately started smiling and giggling.

"Come sit. You must be exhausted," she said, leading him into the kitchen. He made his way over to the table and noticed someone else in the kitchen. Eddie's abuela, Isabel. She, like Pepa, looked exactly like the pictures Eddie had shown him.

"Evan! It is so lovely to finally meet you," she said, coming over to hug him. Eddie had warned him about his family being huggers. Evan didn't mind at all.

"It's nice to meet you too. Eddie has told me so much about you guys," he smiled.

"All good things I hope," she smiled. "Are you hungry? You must be. You've been driving all day. Dinner should be ready soon. Take a seat."

He sat down at the table and just took in his surroundings. This house felt like a home. It felt lived in and loved, something he had never really felt before. He could feel the love that these two women had for the people in their lives and it seemed that their love was extending to Evan even though they had just met him.

"You must tell us about you and Eddie," Pepa said, sitting down with Christopher on her lap. "My nephew, though a family man, loves to keep things to himself. I just have to know how he met the man that made him so happy."

Evan blushed and he knew that Eddie would make fun of him if he were there. He never passed up on an opportunity to talk about his boyfriend. He told them both their story, including his own home life and how Eddie helped him so much by bringing him into his and Christopher's lives.

"I'm so happy you two found each other," Isabel said. "My grandson is a good man and I know he was doing what he thought was right staying with Shannon, but I just knew he wasn't happy. Now he has someone who loves him and his son like they deserve."