Page 137 of Break the Rule
“Yeah.”
“And Addy and Ella are yours.”
Understanding dawns on Eden’s face, his shoulders sagging in relief. “Yeah.”
“We’ve both got people we love, and maybe it’s not like everyone else, but neither of us is like everyone else anyway. Being normal is really fucking overrated. We can have a weird little nontraditional family together.”
“Are you calling us your family?”
“I’d like you to be. You and Addy and Ella. I’d like to get to know them, to have the chance to love the people who love you. I’d like the chance to loveyou, Eden.”
“Goddamnit,” Eden says, dropping the frame onto the carpet before slamming into Charlie with such force they fall into the couch. “Fuck you, Charlie.”
“Yeah, baby. Fuck me, maybe forever?”
Eden doesn’t answer in words, but he doesn’t need to. He holds onto Charlie—his arms wrapped around him tightly and his breathing uneven. He holds on and doesn’t let go, and that is enough. Eden is enough.
23EDEN
Fidgetingwith the wrist on his long-sleeve t-shirt, Eden darts his eyes around the park for the tenth time in the last five minutes. He got here early to find them all a spot in the shade, and now with their picnic blanket spread out and a cooler full of drinks Addy packed at the ready, there’s nothing for him to do but wait. He even went by Juanita’s to pick up their to-go order and somehow ended up with his job back once Juanita saw him. She insisted that his quitting wasn’t allowed, which was possibly more emotional than Eden had been prepared to deal with. He’s actually excited to go back to work for the first time ever because Juanita and Rosio and Armando always made him feel welcomed and cared for, and he’s starting to get that maybe that’s not always a trick.
Despite the fact that Eden is never early, he’s the first and only one here, waiting for Addy and Ella and Charlie to all arrive. Taking a quick glance at his phone, he can’t help but worry since Charlie should’ve been here already.
Despite Charlie’s assurances that he wanted to come today and officially meet Eden’s family, a part of Eden hasn’t stopped worrying. What if Eden fucked Charlie senseless yesterday, and he came back to his senses today and realized he could do betterthan a walking red flag full of trauma who comes with a not-his-own-kid but also kind-of-a-kid? Granted, Charlie hadn’t seemed put off once he learned about Ella, but it’s not like they had much time to discuss it. Eden had been in the middle of blowing Charlie when he got a text from Addy letting them know she and Ella were on their way home from the park, and the last thing Eden wanted to do was introduce Charlie and Ella without warning. He might not have much experience with kids, but he knew enough to know that was a shit thing to do. Particularly because there had never been anyone else in Ella’s life beside Addy and Eden, and he had no idea how she might take it.
That night after Ella went to bed, Eden and Addy stayed up half the night talking, not just about Charlie, but about all the things Eden had been keeping inside. By the time Eden was falling asleep in Addy’s arms, he felt lighter than he had maybe ever, and they’d agreed to set something up with Charlie the next day so he could meet Ella.
Talking to Addy had been easy, Ella not as much. She had all the curiosity and tact of a four year old, which meant she was both deeply curious and also deeply skeptical about Charlie. Not that Eden could blame her. Eden had never brought anyone to meet her, ever.
The more he thinks about it, the more things he realizes could go wrong. What if Ella doesn’t like Charlie? What if Charlie isn’t good with kids? What if things are awkward? What if?—
“I couldn’t find you at first, but then I thought well, look, here’s a park full of smiling, happy people, just look for the frowning face,” Charlie says with a shit-eating grin.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a pain in the ass?”
“Not today,” Charlie says, dropping onto the blanket before leaning over to give Eden a kiss. Birdie barks, moving into Charlie’s lap but allowing Eden to pet her. She’s warmed up tohim a lot, but she still clearly loves Charlie more, which is kind of sweet.
“You brought your dog.”
“You said Ella likes animals, and I wasn’t going to bring that asshole Sweet Cheeks. He’d run away. Agnes, too.”
The fact that Charlie brought his dog to try and win over Ella does something funny to Eden, who leans over and crashes his mouth to Charlie’s before he says something disgusting like ‘I’m really glad you came’or ‘I missed you.’
“Mmm, hello to you too,” Charlie says, licking his lips. “Is that pineapple chapstick?”
“Kiwi.”
“Let me taste it again.”
Eager for an excuse to be as close as possible, Eden swings one leg over Charlie to sit in his lap, making sure his skirt isn’t riding up in the back before shoving his tongue into Charlie’s mouth. He kisses him like he can’t get enough, like he didn’t all but devour Charlie less than twenty-four hours ago, like Charlie is everything to him.
When he pulls back, Charlie’s eyes are blown wide, his mouth open and his cheeks flushed a deep burgundy.
“Fuck, baby. Can we get you more of that chapstick?”
“I have a new mango one in the car.”
“Please let me taste it later,” Charlie begs. “I’ll do any?—”
