Absolutely Mad About Munson

I had picked up the old 1954 Chevy 3100 truck at a car auction, it needed a ton of work but I thought it would be a fun project. I fucking loved restoring junkie old cars, taking something old and weathered and making it look shiny and new again.

I looked over at my Sweetheart, her eyebrows were knit together and she was biting her lip. I smirked.

" Yeah, it really has potential."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her waist." I know it just looks like a hunk of rusty metal now Princess, but just wait till you see her after her transformation. She's gonna be beautiful. I've got a fucking vision in my head Dollface ,the truck painted maybe Yellow or blue, whitewall tires, chrome fucking glinting in the sun and my gorgeous wife sitting in the passenger seat wearing a pretty little dress."

" Sounds like quite the vision. It's going to be amazing. If anyone can do it Eds, it's you."

" It's us. I got this truck for us. I want you to help me with it Love. It can be our project. I think it will be fun."

" You want me to help you? Baby the only thing I know about cars is how to change a flat tire and how to do an oil change. My dad made me learn how to do those basic things. I don't know the tools, or the names of the car parts or what they do-"

"I can teach you! Your so fucking smart Babygirl , you will pick right up on it. I have total and complete faith in you." I nuzzled into her neck. "It will be great."

" I love the idea of us working together on this," she wrapped her arms around mine." I guess worse case I can at least hand you tools? "

"Fuck yeah you can," I squeezed her tight. "This is going to be fucking awesome! "

*****************************************

I laid out the tools on my rolling cart so everything would be easily accessible and organized. I wanted things to be ready for my Sweetheart, after all it was our first time working together on something like this. We had done small projects around the house, we actually work very well as a team but I knew that this was really outside her comfort zone.

" Let's fucking do this Munson!"

I turned to see my sweet Angel stepping out of my office and into the garage, and God damn. She was wearing a pair of my coveralls and fuck, there was something about seeing her in them that almost instantly turned me on. It also didn't help that she had it partially unzipped and even with a tank top on underneath her tits were still practically falling out. She totally did that on purpose.

" I have never seen anyone look sexier in a blue pair of coveralls than you do right now."

She laughed." Well I am glad to hear that considering that you work in a shop full of guys."

She had piled her hair up in a messy bun and had a folded bandana tied around her head to keep her little whispy hairs out of her face. The 'Eddie' patch on her chest and the way that suit fit her fat, round ass, fuck -

" Are you going to just stand around ogleing me all day, Mr. Munson , or are we going to get to work?" She smirked.

" I would gladly stand around and ogle you all fucking day if I had the opportunity, especially in that outfit." I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close." But you are right, we have work to do." I quickly kissed her cheek then let her go." Do you have any questions for me Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, are you sure you want me to help?"

"Absolutely ,one thousand percent."

"Ok."She ran her fingers along the tools on the tray." Looks like we have- Ratchets, pry bars, sockets , screwdrivers, pliers and torque wrenches. And over there an impact driver."

" Very good Princess." I beamed.

" So what is the first step Baby?" She asked, surveying the truck, hands on her hips. She was so fucking adorable."Something tells me that there will be a million steps."

I crossed my arms over my chest ." There will be, but we will go one step at a time. It just takes a lot of patience, but there is no rush ,we have all the time in the world Darlin."

She smiled." I'm just so excited to see it when it's done."

" Me too Babygirl." I smiled then clapped my hands together." First things first," I reached over and slowly zipped up the zipper on her coveralls."While I appreciate and often worship your breasts, they are fucking perfect after all, it is that exact reason we gotta zip that shit up. I will never get any work done with your tits hanging out like that."

She laughed. " I did it on purpose you know. Now you know how I feel when I see you in the coveralls."

" Yeah, but I don't look like that in mine. I look like a fucking Grub."

" I beg to differ. Especially when you have your white tank on underneath it ." She smiled." In all honesty,You could wear a burlap sack Baby, and still be sexy as hell." She slapped my ass and I yipped. " It's fucking distracting. But while we are out here in the garage we gotta keep our heads in the game, gotta stay focused. "

" So it's all business out here, no hanky panky,I can respect that. " I smirked and lightly kissed her neck ." But we can still fuck in my office right? I can bend you over my desk, take you from behind-"

She swallowed hard." Baby! Focus! Head in the game , remember?" Then she smiled. " And of course we can still have sex in your office, I'm counting on it. " She clapped her hands together and changed the subject.  "So Munson ,what is first step?"

I smiled. "We take this fucker apart. We fucking dismantle it."

" Wow, like the whole thing? That is going to take a while,but it makes sense. "

" We don't have to take it completely apart, she's got a lot we can still work with . Remember Angel, there is no rush.We have all the time in the world." I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose and her lips. " First of all let's get some fucking music cranking! I work better with music on." I flipped on the radio at my work station then popped the hood.

" Holy Shit Baby. That looks super intimidating."

" I will ease you into it Sweetheart don't worry, I will go over every piece of this car, every part, tell you what it does, how we fix it. You're going to be better at it than me by the time we are finished."

" I highly doubt that, but I'll try. You were saying we might paint it yellow when we are done?"

I shrugged." For some reason that was how I envision it, but it doesn't have to be that color-"

" No, I think it would look nice. Not like a bright yellow but like a ...... pastel yellow?"

"Yeah."

" We need to name her."

I smirked. " Ya think so Doll? And what should we name her?"

I watched her shrug." I don't know. Maybe something will come to me as we are working."

" Maybe. Ready to get to work?"

"Absolutely!"

"Well alright!"

*****************************************

" Buttercup, no Daisy, no, Sunny!"

I looked up from where I was working under the hood and grinned. My Sweet Girl , bless her fucking heart, was standing on a step stool, ratchet in hand, grease streaked across her cheek, smiling. I couldn't get enough of how fucking sexy she was in coveralls, (so I got her her own pair with a patch that said Sweetheart in pink cursive writing where her name would go)and a baseball cap with Munson's written across the front, abbreviated of course because Munson's vintage and foreign auto repair and restoration was way too long to fucking spell out on there. "You think of a new nickname Princess? Because I will happily call you anything you fucking please."

Her smile kicked up a notch, and fuck, so did her dimples." It's not a nickname for me Baby, it's for the Truck! Although I wouldn't mind being called Buttercup-"

" You want to call the truck Buttercup,Daisy or Sunny?"

" She is going to be yellow right?"

" If you still want her to be-"

" Than she needs a cheery name!"

I slowly nodded. " I suppose-"

" I know the names aren't very metal, neither of them are but we are talking about an oldie here, so I think a sweet nickname is in order."

" I like Sunny."

She beamed." Me too."

" So Sunny it is."

" Perfect!"

I smiled again and I watched as she went right back to work. This fucking girl was something else. Every single night she had shown up at the shop after work, she would change out of her office clothes,throw on some coveralls and join me in bay 2, where I would have the radio cranking and the cold beer waiting.

She was so eager to learn, and her fucking brain was a sponge, soaking in all the information I had to throw at her. She wanted to know EVERYTHING. And she was fucking good at taking things apart and putting them back together again.

" I think you should come work for me." I said, wiping my hands on a rag and taking a long swig of beer.

She grinned." You and I both know I'm not good enough for that."

" But you could be. Your a fucking natural."

She looked up and laughed ." Your just saying that because I'm your Wife."

" When have I ever said anything to you that I don't mean?"

" Never."

" You're better at this than Robbie ever was, why do you think I have him working in parts? He refuses to learn this shit, like it is beneath him because he has a college degree."

" So do I, but I think it's fun. And I like working with you baby. You're so encouraging and patient with me . It's sweet and I appreciate it."

It was my turn to smile." I'm just fucking stoked that you wanted to help me."

" Of course I wanted to help Eds, you got this truck for us. Working on it together means I get to spend quality time with you. " She stood on her tiptoes to kiss me." Some day we will have a little kiddo running around and we won't have time like this together.Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to have a little Eddie causing chaos in our house, but for now, I want to enjoy you and I want to take advantage of these moments."

" Sweetheart," I kissed her this time, sweet and slow, then lowered my forehead to hers." It's going to be you and me forever, even if we have kids. I will make sure that we make time for each other, I promise." I rubbed her arms. " I want you to know that this means so fucking much to me, your enthusiasm, your eagerness to learn- I am having such a fucking blast working with you Kitten, my favorite part of the day is when you walk through the door and into this garage. All the shit,the stress that may have happened throughout the day fucking disappears the second you stroll in. " I kissed the top of her head. " The guys fucking love it too. Those cranky fucking bastards are regular old softies when they know you are coming in-"

She laughed." That's because I bring them cookies and snacks!"

" It's because you are a ray of sunshine Princess."

She smiled shyly." You are so incredibly sweet Mr.Munson,  I love you so fucking much." She grabbed onto the front of my coveralls, then leaned in." You know what baby? We have been working awfully hard and I think we need to take a break, don't you think we should take a break?"

" Oh absolutely, " I smiled."  A break is exactly what we need." I grabbed her ass and lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist.

" We can be quick, then get right back to work." She insisted.

" I don't know Love, we have been here for hours,  slaving away, I think we deserve a nice , long break."

She smiled." I mean, you are the boss. Who am I to argue?"

"Come on my beautiful little Buttercup," I walked out of the shop with my wife clinging to me like a koala bear." I'd like to spend some quality time with you in my office."

" I would like that very much." She leaned in and kissed my neck, nibbled on my ear, and fuck, my dick instantly got hard. I thanked God every day for giving me the virility and stamina to keep up with this insatiable woman.

When we got inside my office I kicked the door closed and set her down on my desk. " I'll be right back Babydoll, " I ran to the adjoining bathroom to quickly washed up, not wanting to touch my beautiful Princess with dirty hands. When I emerged from the bathroom she was sitting on my desk wearing nothing but her Munson's baseball hat, her panties and a smile.

" Hey Boss Man."

"Fuuuuck." I ran my hands down my face as I walked to her, and smiled." You're such a fucking naughty girl."

" I'm just trying to get a raise, I don't mind working a little overtime," She smirked as she looked up at me."Oh shit, that's right, I don't technically work here but," She ran her hand down my chest, unzipping the coveralls as she slid her hand down, eventually cupping the growing bulge in my pants. "I got something to raise up."

I groaned as she ran her hand along my clothed cock " Yeah Dollface ,you sure did."

" I can help you with that you know. I've been told recently that I'm very good with my hands."

" Oh, I know ." I smirked." And I have been told that I have a big tool that always gets the job done ."

She laughed. " Biggest I have ever worked with. I know from experience that it can really fucking screw too."

I moved closer to her, lightly running a hand down her bare shoulders, her arms. I bit my lip as I slid a finger along the waistband of her nearly non existent lace thong." Do you always wear panties like this under your coveralls?"

" I gotta look sexy if there is a chance that I might get fucked in the boss mans office." She grinned.

I smiled and shook my head." Employee of the month right here. But honestly Angel, you would still be fucking sexy wearing white cotton granny panties."

" Good to know. I wear them because I know you think they are hot, but the truth is,these underwear are so damn uncomfortable -"

I smirked." I can help you with that." My Sweetheart gasped as I reached down and ripped the tiny piece of lace apart with my hands using minimal effort and discarded it on the floor. I lightly pushed her back onto the desk, and when she was settled I bent down and ran my tongue along her slit. She tasted so fucking sweet. She shivered and moaned."Better now?"

"Yes." She breathed." Holy shit Eddie-"

"Enough chit chat my love." I leaned over and kissed her, nipping at her lips.."It's time for me to get to work."

*****************************************

We worked on the truck as often as we could- nights and weekends. Weeks turned into months - only taking breaks when our life schedules got super fucking hectic or when we were searching for or waiting for parts. We both understood that this could be a long process, and we wanted to take our time and do things right.

We worked together smoothly and efficiently, my girl anticipating and handing me tools and parts before I even asked for them. The project was finally coming to an end, which was bittersweet. Exciting but a little sad. I had really enjoyed our time working together.

When the day came to start the truck up for the first time I handed over the keys to my Princess, letting her do the honors, and when it turned over right away she looked at me, grinning.

" Isn't that a magnificent sound Baby? Listen to that engine! "

I beamed. "Sounds fucking beautiful Kitten. We fucking did it. All she needs is the paint job and she will be ready to fucking go ."

" I'm really going to miss this." She said sadly, running her hands along the steering wheel.

" This doesn't have to be the last project we ever do Sweetheart. There will be more. We can for a future project together, pick it together." I leaned down and kissed her. " I loved doing this with you. And just think, if we can tear apart a car and put it back together and work as well as we did together we can do anything."

She smiled again." We are a pretty good team aren't we Baby?"

"We are. Now why don't we take her out for a little test drive?"

*****************************************

Today was the day. The paint job was finally finished and the truck, well it looked fucking amazing. I knew it would. The chrome was shined up, and the truck was polished and gleaming. It looked brand new again, and it was time to present 'Sunny' to my wife.

" Close your eyes Dollface, I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh my God Baby, I'm so excited!!" She clapped her hands together excitedly and squeezed her eyes shut.

I grinned. I couldn't keep her waiting any longer, so I opened up the garage door for bay two. The guys working at the shop all stopped what they were doing and came running out, all wanting to see the expression on her face when she got a look at it for the first time .

" Countdown, 3,2,1, open your eyes Sweetheart."

When she opened her eyes ,her jaw dropped and she gasped. " She's... beautiful! Oh my God Ed's, she is perfect!!" Her eyes flicked from the car to me, a smile a mile wide spreading across her face.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close." We did good Mrs. Munson."

" Yeah you did." Bert, one of my employees said." You guys did an amazing job, and you both lived through putting it back together. " He lifted his hat and scratched his head." My old lady and I would have killed each other, no way we would have gotten along-"

My Princess laughed." That's because you call your wife your old lady."

He laughed." Your probably right. You got a good one Bossman."

" Don't I know it." I kissed her on the top of her head. " Go ahead baby, I know your dying to check her out." I let her go and watched as she took off towards the truck.

I smiled as I watched her run a hand lightly over the hood. " She is so pretty, I love this color."

" I gotta say Mrs. M, you are one hell of a mechanic. "

She chuckled." I only helped Tom-"

" You did more than just help Babygirl. "

" If you're looking for a career change, Mrs M ,we could always use another set of hands around the shop. Just saying... I mean the boss is a fairly decent guy-"

I grinned and threw a rag from my pocket at him." Get your ass back to work."

He laughed and went back inside, the others right behind him.

" So whatta ya say Dollface, ready to take her for a spin?"

" Yes!"

" Awesome. I'm going to go change out of my grubby clothes, I don't want to sit on the newly upholstered seats with grubby clothes on-"

Her eyes went wide." I totally forgot about that! I was so distracted by the paint job ... " She opened the front driver's side door." Holy shit Eds, I love it! It looks awesome!"

" It came out great. I'm going to change, grab a few things and I'll be right back ."

" Sounds good Baby, I'll be here admiring our masterpiece." She beamed.

I quickly changed and washed up, grabbed a few extra things out of my office then bolted from the building. My gorgeous wife was sitting in the front seat of our truck, smiling.

" Eddie, I'm in love with her.  You even got license plates with her name on them! You really thought of everything baby-" She leaned out the window as I loaded up a couple of things in the back." What is all that?"

I smiled." A little surprise."

"A surprise? "

" Yeah Buttercup, a surprise. Now sit back and relax. We are going for a little ride."

*****************************************

" Oh Baby, this is spectacular!" My Princess gushed as I helped her out of the truck. We stood in the middle of a field filled with wildflowers,every color and every flower you could possibly imagine blanketed the ground below us.

We drove around town for a little while,proudly showing off our new ride but then headed for some back roads, away from all the hustle and bustle. I wanted to celebrate with my girl, and I wanted it to be special so I took her to a place that I hadn't been in a long time .

" This is one of my favorite places. I used to come here, a lot when I just needed a minute, when I needed to catch my breath and think . " I looked around at the field full of wildflowers. "My life was super crazy and chaotic, I was a young single dad trying to start up my own business. Wayne would come up to visit, offer to watch over Robbie, and I would just come out to this field and fucking zone out, enjoy some piece and quiet and not have to think ." I put down the tailgate and hopped up, spreading out the blankets I had brought in the truck bed, making it nice and comfy then offering my hand to my wife and pulling her up.

" It is beautiful here Eddie, thank you for sharing this place with me."

I leaned forward and kissed her. " I thought you would like it." I smiled and turned to a picnic basket I had packed with snacks and started laying food out.

" Holy shit Munson, you really thought this out didn't you?" She smiled.

" Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Besides, tonight we are celebrating the maiden voyage of our truck,and we gotta break her in." I winked and pulled out a bottle of wine and opened it, pouring generous amounts into plastic tumblers. I handed her a cup and raised mine up in the air." To teamwork and hard work- I am so fucking grateful that I have you Dollface.You stepped outside your comfort zone and into the garage. Every day you would show up with a smile on your face, enthusiastic and ready to go. You weren't afraid to get dirty, either under the hood or in my office." I smirked. " But seriously, I can't tell you how much that means to me." I clinked my cup to hers.

" Baby, that was so sweet! I enjoyed every minute of our time in that garage, and I learned a lot about cars. I also learned a lot about us. We are an amazing team. We got through that entire project without a single raised voice or argument. We work well together. We are going to be amazing parents some day." She grinned.

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying our picnic and our wine, watching the sunset and snuggling under the blankets when the temperature dropped and the stars came out. We indeed broke in the truck that night, making love in the dark, my gorgeous wife looking like a fucking celestial Goddess in the moonlight with the twinkling stars as a backdrop while she rode my cock until we were both shimmering with sweat, breathing heavy and completely spent. After we laid there in each other's arms breathing in the cool night air, relaxing and stargazing, looking for constellations while listening to the radio. It was the perfect night, an incredible way to celebrate our achievement, or passion, our work and our love.

As always thank you for reading ❤️ Comments and re-blogs are always welcome ❤️

Kitchen area/corridor overview with lots to zoom in on (including Eddie)

The corridor to Eddie's room. That's a cool calendar.

Table clutter & of course mugs

Eddie's bedroom. I refuse to talk about the fucking ceiling mold again, there's been a separate post for that.

Sweetheart & loads of other shit. I feel sad for the yoyo not getting any love in fanfics. With the way it's placed I'd say Eddie fidgets with it all the time.

Handcuffs my beloved & another guitar

It's funny that Eddie owns a basketball. Haven't noticed that before

And yes, the living room aka the hats & mugs museum

Everyone's favorite Garfield mug <3 But also check out that cool light switch in bottom right corner.

Steve technically counts as Eddie's trailer detail.

MUGS MUGS MUGS MUGS

I'm kinda fascinated by that bulbasaur looking thing 2 shelves above Garfield but I can't figure out what it is.

Your eyes immediately drop to the little cardboard box of screws that had apparently slipped from your arm, scattering across the concrete. Before you can bend down, he's already crouched, gathering them one by one.

"Oh my God, thank you," you mutter, already embarrassed. "Today's just... one of those days."

He stands, holding the box out to you. "Trust me, I have a lot of those."

Before you can answer, the tiny voice from your shopping cart pipes up.

"Mama forgot apples."

You look over at your daughter, whose legs are happily swinging from the front of the cart as if the world isn't actively trying to kick your ass.

"We're not at the grocery store, bug."

"I know."

"So..."

"I still wanted apples."

The man snorts, trying to hide it behind his hand, and you can't help smiling despite yourself. He glances at the collection of fittings in your cart before looking back at you.

"So... you remodeling your house or planning on flooding it?"

You hold up the wrinkled list. "My kitchen sink won't stop leaking."

He nods once. "And you got sent here with that list?"

"My landlord told me it'd be an 'easy fix.'"

His face immediately says everything. "Oh..."

"What?"

He scratches the back of his neck. "I mean... no offense to your landlord, but he's either lazy or doesn't know what he's talking about."

You laugh, genuinely this time. "Could be both."

"Probably both."

He steps beside your cart and gently picks up one of the connectors you'd grabbed. "You don't actually need this one."

"No?"

"Nope."

He swaps it for another. "And this thread tape is garbage."

"It is?"

"It's the cheapest stuff they make."

"I picked it because it was the cheapest stuff they make."

He smiles. "Fair enough."

For the next ten minutes, he walks beside you through the aisle, explaining everything in terms that actually make sense instead of sounding like a repair manual. He never talks down to you, never makes you feel stupid, just casually points things out with an easy patience that surprises you.

Your daughter has apparently decided he's the most fascinating person she's ever seen.

She leans over the cart. "Mister."

He looks over. "Yeah?"

"I like your hair."

He instinctively reaches up to touch it. "Thanks."

"You look like a lion."

You slap a hand over your mouth to keep from laughing.

He pauses for a second before grinning. "I've been called worse."

She nods thoughtfully. "I have a unicorn."

"That's awesome."

"It's pink."

"My favorite color."

Her eyes widen. "No way."

"Way."

She gasps dramatically and immediately begins digging through the pile of toys she'd somehow accumulated in the shopping cart.

You rub your forehead. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"She adopts people."

He glances down at the little girl now proudly presenting him with a stuffed dinosaur that has clearly seen better days. "I'm being recruited?"

"I'm afraid so."

He accepts the dinosaur with complete seriousness. "An honor."

Your daughter beams. Mission accomplished.

After another few minutes, he places the final item into your cart. "There."

You stare at the contents. "So... this should actually fix it?"

"Should."

You hesitate, then smile sheepishly. "You don't happen to know how to install it too, right?"

The words leave your mouth before you can stop them, and you immediately regret them.

"Oh my God, forget I said that."

He laughs. "No, actually..." He rubs the back of his neck. "I do."

"You do?"

"Spent enough years fixing my uncle's trailer. Not licensed or anything, but I know what I'm doing."

You study him for another second. "And what's the catch?"

"The catch?"

"Nobody just offers to fix a complete stranger's sink."

His eyebrows lift. "I wasn't exactly offering."

"No?"

"I was kind of waiting to see if you'd ask."

You laugh. "So now that I have?"

He pretends to think. "Hmm..."

Your daughter kicks her feet again. "Mama makes yummy grilled cheese."

He looks at her. "She does?"

She nods emphatically. "And tomato soup."

You cover your face. "Honey..."

She points at him. "He can come over."

He immediately raises both hands. "For the record, I support stranger danger."

"He doesn't look dangerous."

"I appreciate that very much."

She studies him another second. "You got nice eyes."

His ears actually turn pink. "Thank you."

Then she sticks out one tiny hand. "I'm Rosie."

He shakes it with complete sincerity. "I'm Eddie."

She smiles like she's known him forever.

You don't know what possesses you to trust him. Maybe it's the way he talks to your daughter like she's a real person instead of a nuisance. Maybe it's because he's spent the last fifteen minutes helping you without expecting anything in return.

Or maybe it's because, for the first time in what feels like years, someone looked at you and didn't see a burden. He just saw you. 

"So..." you say carefully. "If you're sure..."

He shrugs. "I'll fix your sink."

"And if it turns out to be a bigger problem?"

"Then I'll tell you honestly."

"And if you can't fix it?"

"We'll order pizza and pretend we never touched it."

A laugh slips out before you can stop it. "That's a terrible plan."

"It's worked for me before."

Rosie is already nodding enthusiastically. "I like pizza."

He leans closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "I think she's on my side."

You smile. "I think she’s usually on the opposite of mine."

Neither of you could've known then that the sink would be fixed in under twenty minutes. Or that he'd stay another three hours because Rosie insisted on showing him every stuffed animal she owned.

Or that he'd come back the next weekend because she'd proudly announced she wanted to show him her coloring book.

Or that months later she'd accidentally call him "Dad," clap both hands over her mouth in horror, and burst into tears because she thought she'd hurt his feelings.

And years after that, if anyone ever asked Eddie Munson when he met the love of his life, he'd grin and tell them it happened in the plumbing aisle because a stubborn little girl needed apples and her exhausted mother didn't know the difference between a pipe coupling and a garden hose.

2 years later…

By the time you pull into the driveway, your shoulders are aching from wrestling grocery bags in and out of the trunk, and your patience has been thoroughly tested by the woman in front of you at the checkout who insisted on writing a check in the year 1998.

You manage to hook three bags over one arm, another two over the other, and nudge the front door closed behind you with your hip.

The house is quiet for approximately three seconds, then you hear it: a tiny burst of giggling. Then another. Then Eddie's voice, dramatically lowered into what can only be described as a very serious royal accent.

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty, but Sir Teddy Bear has informed me that the strawberry scones have been stolen by dragons."

Rosie's gasp is so loud you hear it from the foyer. "No!"

"I'm afraid so."

"The pink dragons or the green ones?"

"The pink ones."

She sighs dramatically. "They're always doing that."

You quietly set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter before peeking around the corner into the living room, and your heart almost physically stops.

The coffee table has been pushed against the wall, a floral blanket spread neatly across the rug with every stuffed animal Rosie owns arranged in a perfect little circle. Tiny plastic teacups are balanced precariously in front of each guest, alongside mismatched toy plates covered in invisible desserts.

And sitting right in the middle of it all...is Eddie. 

He's cross-legged on the floor, his long curls pulled into two horribly uneven pigtails secured with glittery pink scrunchies. Rosie has somehow convinced him to wear a feather boa, an oversized plastic pearl necklace, and a paper crown that's hanging halfway off his head.

He still has a black band tee and jeans on, of course. The tiara somehow makes it look even cooler.

Rosie notices you first. "Mama!"

She jumps up and nearly spills an imaginary cup of tea all over herself before sprinting toward you, wrapping herself around your legs.

"Eddie's having tea with us."

"I can see that."

She beams proudly. "He knows all the rules."

You glance over at him as he lifts the tiny plastic teacup with absolute dignity. "I've been informed that my pinky needs to stay out."

Rosie immediately corrects him. "It stays up."

"My apologies."

He raises it another inch. "Better?"

She nods approvingly. "Much."

You can't stop smiling. "What exactly am I looking at here?"

Rosie grabs your hand and starts dragging you toward the blanket. "We're princesses."

Eddie quietly adds, "I'm Princess Sparkles."

You bite your lip so hard it almost hurts. "Princess Sparkles?"

He nods solemnly. "I wasn't given a choice."

Rosie immediately spins around. "You picked that one."

He freezes. "...I was given a choice."

She points a tiny accusing finger at him. "You said it was the coolest one."

"It was."

"You said sparkles make everything better."

"They do."

"So you wanted it."

He looks over at you with complete resignation. "I have no defense."

Rosie climbs right back onto the blanket before patting the empty spot beside her. "Mama, sit."

You carefully lower yourself onto the floor, smoothing your jeans beneath you. Immediately, Rosie starts pouring from an empty plastic teapot into your equally empty cup.

"This one's raspberry."

You take a sip with complete seriousness. "Oh my goodness."

She smiles. "It's yummy."

"It's delicious."

Eddie clears his throat. "If I may..."

Rosie nods graciously. "You may."

He lifts his cup. "I detect notes of raspberry with... perhaps a hint of gasoline."

Rosie frowns. "No."

"No?"

"No gasoline."

"My mistake."

She leans over and whispers loudly enough for everyone to hear. "It's strawberries."

He nods in understanding. "Ah. An excellent vintage."

She looks unbelievably proud of herself.

The tea party continues for another twenty minutes, complete with imaginary cookies, a lengthy debate between Bunny and Mr. Dinosaur over proper table manners, and Rosie insisting everyone sing happy birthday to a stuffed giraffe whose birthday appears to have been invented on the spot.

Eventually, she crawls into Eddie's lap without thinking, settling there like it's the most natural place in the world. He absentmindedly smooths a hand over her hair while continuing an entirely serious conversation with the stuffed giraffe.

"And how old are you turning today?"

Rosie answers for it. "Six."

"Oh wow."

"But not really."

"Oh."

"It's pretend."

"Right."

"You're bad at pretending."

"I'm learning."

She reaches up and gently fixes one of his crooked pigtails. "There."

He smiles. "Thanks, sweetheart."

Your chest aches. Not because of anything dramatic. Not because of all the nights you sat awake wondering if Rosie would grow up wondering why she wasn't enough for someone to stay. It aches because she no longer wonders.

She has Eddie. The man currently accepting fake tea from a five-year-old with the same reverence most people reserve for expensive wine. The man wearing a plastic tiara without a single complaint. The man who never once made her feel like she wasn't his.

He catches your eye from across the blanket, so you smile at him softly. He smiles back.

Then Rosie reaches up and shoves another glittery necklace over his curls. "There."

He looks down. "What does this one make me?"

She grins so wide her cheeks puff out. "My daddy."

Silence settles over the room for just a heartbeat. Eddie doesn't hesitate; he just looks up at her with the gentlest expression you've ever seen and presses a kiss against the top of her head.

"My favorite title I've ever had."

Rosie simply nods like that was the obvious answer all along before returning to her tea.

By the time Rosie is tucked into bed, complete with three stuffed animals, one bedtime story, a glass of water she absolutely won't drink, and a solemn promise that you'll check for monsters under the bed even though she's well aware monsters don't exist, the house has settled into that quiet only late evenings seem capable of producing.

The dishwasher hums softly in the kitchen. The television is on low volume, neither of you really paying attention to whatever old movie is playing.

You've long since changed into one of Eddie's old shirts, sleeves swallowing your hands, and he's stretched out on the couch with his legs kicked over the coffee table, one arm lazily draped around your shoulders while the other balances a bottle of beer against his knee.

You're tucked comfortably against his side, your own beer untouched for the last fifteen minutes because somehow you've become completely distracted tracing absentminded circles against his forearm.

Neither of you says much; you never really have to. Comfortable silence had become one of your favorite languages together. After almost two years, it isn't awkward anymore; it's simply home.

Eddie presses a kiss against your temple before taking another sip of his beer. "Can I ask you something?"

You tilt your head up. "When have you ever waited for permission?"

He grins. "Fair."

He looks back toward the television for another moment before his expression softens. "You don't have to answer."

Your fingers stop moving.

"But..." He shrugs. "I realized the other day I don't actually know what happened."

You don't have to ask; you know exactly what he means.

He keeps his voice careful. "Rosie's dad."

For a second, all you do is stare at the condensation rolling down your bottle. It's funny. People assume single mothers talk about it all the time. In reality...you spend most of your life trying not to.

After a quiet moment, you let out a slow breath. "I was married."

You feel Eddie's arm tighten ever so slightly around your shoulders, but he doesn't interrupt.

"We got married young."

You smile faintly, though there's no humor in it. "I thought that was what you were supposed to do."

He stays quiet.

"So we got married, got an apartment together, talked about vacations we'd never actually take because money was always tight."

You laugh softly. "We used to argue over whose turn it was to buy toilet paper."

Eddie smiles. "The truly romantic stuff."

"The glamorous side of marriage."

Your smile fades. "When I found out I was pregnant... I was terrified."

You look down at your hands. "I remember sitting in the bathroom, staring at the test, thinking there had to be a mistake."

"And then?"

"And then I got excited."

Your voice comes out almost embarrassingly quiet. "I started making lists. I looked at baby names. I started clipping little nursery ideas out of magazines. I remember standing in the grocery store crying because I walked past baby socks."

A tiny laugh escapes you. "They were so little."

Eddie reaches over and quietly intertwines his fingers with yours, and you squeeze them.

"I couldn't wait to tell him."

You stare at the floor.

"He didn't cry. He didn't smile. He just looked at me."

The silence stretches.

"I remember asking him if he was okay. He just stood and told me he'd be back later."

You swallow. "He wasn't."

You blink a couple times before continuing. "He started coming home less. He worked late. He stopped touching me. Hell, he stopped looking at me."

Your voice remains remarkably calm. "I found lipstick on one of his shirts."

Eddie's jaw clenches.

"I asked him about it." You laugh quietly. "He told me I was hormonal."

"A month later, he asked for a divorce."

Eddie finally looks down at you. You don't look angry anymore; you just look tired.

"He actually used the words..." You smile bitterly. "'I think we've grown into different people.'"

He says nothing.

"So I signed." Your thumb rubs absentmindedly over the bottle label. "A week later he moved in with someone else."

"A girl barely old enough to drink." You let out another humorless little laugh. "My mother called it trading in for a younger model."

You look toward the ceiling. "I think she was trying to make me laugh."

"Did it?"

"A little."

Your eyes drift toward the hallway leading to Rosie's room.

"He never came to appointments. He wasn't there when she was born. He didn't call. He didn't write. He never met her."

Eddie's entire face has gone still. "He knows about her?"

You nod once. "He just... didn't want her."

The words hang in the room. Simple, matter-of-fact. Far crueler because of it.

You shrug one shoulder. "It took me a long time not to think there was something wrong with me."

Your voice cracks for the first time. "Then I worried there was something wrong with her."

Eddie turns immediately. "There isn't."

"I know that now."

"But at three in the morning with a newborn who won't stop crying and bills stacked on the counter..."

You smile through watery eyes. "You start asking yourself questions you know aren't true."

Without saying a word, Eddie reaches over and gently takes your beer from your hand before setting both bottles on the coffee table. Then he wraps both arms around you, like he's trying to hold every broken piece anyone else ever left behind.

You bury your face into his shirt, and he presses his cheek against your hair. After a minute, he quietly says, "Can I tell you something?"

You nod.

"The first day I met Rosie..."

You smile despite yourself. "The hardware store?"

"The hardware store."

He chuckles softly. "When she held out that stuffed dinosaur and told me his name was Mr. Pickles..."

You laugh through your sniffle. "It was Mr. Sprinkles."

"Oh." He grins. "See? I wasn't listening."

"You absolutely were."

"I wasn't."

"You were."

"I was busy because this tiny little person had just informed me that dinosaurs eat grilled cheese."

"They do."

"They absolutely do." He kisses your forehead. "I remember thinking..."

"...that if I ever got lucky enough to have a kid someday..." His voice lowers. "I hoped they'd look at me the way she did."

You close your eyes.

"And then I kept coming over." Another kiss against your temple. "And somewhere along the way..."

He shrugs against you. "...I stopped imagining some hypothetical kid."

"It was just Rosie."

You feel your throat tighten and he smiles into your hair. "I don't know the first thing about biology. I don't care whose eyes she has. I don't care whose nose she has. I don't care who signed what paper or what his last name was."

He gently tips your chin up until you're looking at him. "I've been hers since she handed me that beat-up stuffed dinosaur."

You can't stop the tears anymore, and he wipes one away with his thumb.

"And for the record..." His voice is impossibly soft. "The biggest idiot in Indiana walked away from you."

He gives you that crooked little grin that still makes your heart flutter after all this time. "Worked out pretty great for me, though."

You laugh, sniffling. "Yeah?"

"Oh, absolutely."

He starts counting on his fingers. "I got the prettiest girl I've ever met."

You roll your eyes. "Mm-hmm."

"I got a kid who thinks dinosaurs eat grilled cheese."

"They do."

"They absolutely do."

"And..." He leans over to steal a quick kiss. "I got invited to tea parties."

"A real privilege."

"The highest honor."

You smile into another kiss. Then he rests his forehead against yours and murmurs so quietly you're not sure he even meant to say it out loud.

"I didn't step up because someone else stepped out." His thumb brushes your cheek. "I stepped up because I fell in love with you."

"And somewhere along the way..." His smile softens into something almost impossibly gentle. "...I fell in love with her too."

You don't answer; you just lean into him until he's practically swallowing you whole with one of his hugs.

The familiar rumble of Eddie's van pulls into the driveway just as Rosie finishes painting approximately half of your thumbnail and almost all of your finger.

She leans back with a look of absolute pride. "There."

You hold your hand up to admire the aggressively uneven layer of bright pink polish coating your nail and cuticle alike. "It's beautiful, bug."

"I know."

She nods very matter-of-factly before dipping the tiny brush back into the bottle with all the confidence of a seasoned professional and absolutely none of the precision. The front door creaks open a second later.

"I'm home!" Eddie calls.

Rosie's head whips toward the foyer so quickly she nearly launches the polish across the living room. "Daddy!"

She abandons your half-finished manicure entirely and hops off the couch, bare feet slapping against the hardwood as she sprints toward him. You hear him laugh before you even see him.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there."

You round the corner just in time to see Rosie wrap herself around one of his legs. Eddie looks exactly like he always does after work at the shop.

His curls are tied back in a loose bun that's already halfway fallen out; there's grease smeared across his cheekbone and forearms, his old band shirt is stained with oil, and his jeans look like they've survived some kind of explosion underneath a car.

He crouches down anyway. "Hi, sweetheart."

She immediately wrinkles her nose. "You're dirty."

He looks down at himself. "...Little bit."

"A lot bit."

"Maybe a lot bit."

She reaches up and pokes a streak of grease on his arm with one tiny finger. "Ew."

He gasps dramatically. "Excuse me? This is artisan-grade mechanic seasoning."

"It looks yucky."

"It probably is."

He scoops her up anyway, careful to keep his hands away from her clothes as much as possible before carrying her over to where you're standing. His tired eyes immediately soften the second they land on you.

"Hi, pretty girl."

You smile. "Hi yourself."

He leans down, stopping just short of kissing you. "I'm gross."

"I noticed."

"You sure?"

You grab the front of his shirt and kiss him anyway, grease and all. When you pull away, he looks almost offended. "I literally smell like motor oil."

"And?"

"And you kissed me."

"I happen to like motor oil."

He grins. "Liar."

Rosie wedges herself between the two of you. "You both smell funny."

You snort. "Thanks, Rosie."

"You're welcome."

Eddie presses a quick kiss to the top of her head. "I'm gonna go shower before I contaminate the entire house."

She watches him head toward the hallway before suddenly remembering something incredibly important. "Wait!"

He turns. "Yeah?"

"I'm painting nails."

His eyebrows lift. "Are you now?"

She proudly holds up the tiny bottle. "And after Mommy's..."

She points directly at him. "...I'm doing yours."

He looks at you, and you very helpfully shrug. "I don't make the rules."

He presses a hand dramatically to his chest. "I've been selected?"

"You have."

He smiles at Rosie. "You got black?"

She blinks. "What?"

"Black nail polish."

She looks down into the little plastic basket of colors before digging through every bottle with increasing concern. "No..."

He sighs dramatically. "Of course."

She brightens. "I have sparkles."

He looks at you, and you bite your lip. He already knows he's doomed. "Well..."

He says carefully. "...dealer's choice."

Rosie gasps like she's just been entrusted with the nuclear launch codes. "Really?"

"Mhm."

She nods once with complete seriousness. "I know exactly what to do."

You exchange a look with Eddie. He mouths, Help. You smile sweetly. Absolutely not.

Twenty minutes later, he's freshly showered, hair still damp around his shoulders, wearing an old pair of gray sweatpants and one of your favorite oversized Sabbath shirts. He sits obediently on the living room floor while Rosie carefully arranges her entire nail polish collection around him. You curl up on the couch behind them, pretending to read while secretly watching everything.

Rosie picks up one bottle, sets it down. Another, sets it down. Then…she finds it. The brightest, loudest, most offensively glitter-infested neon purple imaginable. You physically have to cover your mouth.

Eddie eyes it suspiciously. "...That's the one?"

She nods enthusiastically. "It's princess purple."

"Oh."

"And sparkles."

"I see."

"And hearts."

"I can... also see that."

"And glitter."

"I definitely see that."

She beams. "It's pretty."

He looks at her, then at the bottle, then back at her. Without another word, he extends both hands. "Do your worst."

Rosie giggles so hard she almost falls over. For the next half hour, she paints with absolute artistic freedom. The polish ends up on his fingers, his knuckles. One suspicious streak somehow appears halfway up his thumb.

She pauses every few minutes to inspect her work before adding another layer. When she's finally done, she grabs both of his hands and holds them up proudly. "There."

Eddie examines them with complete sincerity. "...Rosie."

She waits expectantly. 

"I think these are the coolest nails I've ever had."

Her entire face lights up. "Really?"

"Oh yeah." He wiggles his fingers dramatically. "I've never looked more fabulous."

She immediately launches herself into his lap for a hug. He catches her without hesitation, wrapping one arm around her while being careful not to smudge his fresh manicure. You watch them from the couch, smiling so hard your cheeks hurt.

Rosie pulls back just enough to admire his nails again. "I made you pretty."

He gently tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "You always do, sweetheart."

She yawns a huge, sleepy little yawn, the kind that scrunches up her whole face. Eddie notices instantly.

"You getting tired?"

She shakes her head, then yawns again. "No."

"Mhm."

"I'm not." Another yawn.

He smiles knowingly. "Sure."

She curls herself against his chest anyway. Within maybe three minutes, she's completely asleep. Eddie looks over at you, careful not to move too much.

His hands are still decorated in violently purple glitter polish. His stepdaughter is slightly drooling on his shirt. His hair is still damp. He looks happier than you've ever seen another human being.

You quietly reach over and lace your fingers with his. He glances down, then back at you.

"So..." You whisper. "You gonna keep the nails for work tomorrow?"

He looks at his hands, looks at Rosie, looks back at you, and smiles. "Absolutely."

"You know the guys are gonna make fun of you."

He shrugs. "They can."

You raise an eyebrow. "They won't bother you?"

He looks down at the little girl asleep against his chest and gently kisses the top of her head.

"I'd let this kid paint my entire face green if it made her smile."

He glances back at his sparkly purple fingertips. "As far as I'm concerned..."

He wiggles them proudly. "...these are the coolest damn mechanic hands in Hawkins."

The house has long since gone quiet.

The dishes are done, the lights downstairs are off, and somewhere outside, rain taps softly against the bedroom window. The fan hums overhead, filling the room with the kind of gentle white noise that always seems to lull everyone to sleep.

Rosie had insisted on one extra story tonight. Then one extra hug. Then one extra glass of water. Then one extra kiss for Mr. Sprinkles. Then another for herself. If you give a mouse a cookie, or whatever they say. 

By the time you'd finally pulled her bedroom door closed, she'd already been halfway asleep.

Now you're curled beneath the blankets with your head resting on Eddie's chest, absentmindedly tracing lazy circles against his side while he combs his fingers through your hair. Neither of you is talking anymore, the exhaustion of the day settling comfortably over both of you.

His lips brush the top of your head. "You asleep?"

"Almost."

"Liar."

"Mhm."

"You drooled on my shirt."

"I absolutely did not."

"You absolutely did."

You smile into his chest. "I think you're making things up."

"I would never."

"You literally convinced Rosie last week there were raccoons that delivered pizza."

"There could be."

"There aren't."

"You don't know that."

You laugh quietly, the sound muffled against him. "I love you."

He doesn't even pause. "I love you more."

"You can't prove that."

"I can."

"How?"

"I made you grilled cheese with the crusts cut off yesterday."

"I didn't ask you to."

"You didn't have to."

You shake your head, smiling to yourself. You don't know how much time passes before a tiny knock sounds against the bedroom door. Three little taps, then another.

Then the knob slowly turns. The door opens only wide enough for a small face to peek through. Rosie's eyes are watery; her little bottom lip trembles when she spots the two of you.

"Mama?"

Your heart immediately softens. You sit up before she's even finished speaking. "What is it, bug?"

She clutches Mr. Sprinkles tighter against her chest. "I had a bad dream." Her voice is so quiet you almost don't hear it.

You hold your hand out. "C'mere."

She doesn't hesitate. Bare feet shuffle across the hardwood before she climbs onto the bed, crawling right between the two of you without so much as asking permission, as though she'd done it a hundred times before.

Maybe she has. You immediately pull the blankets over her little shoulders while Eddie scoots closer from the other side, making sure she's tucked safely between you.

Rosie simply curls into your side, one hand reaching across until it finds Eddie's sleeve. She hangs onto it tightly. You smooth her hair back from her forehead.

"Wanna tell us about it?" 

She shakes her head. "It was scary."

"I know."

"There was a loud noise."

You gently rub circles against her back. "But you're here now."

She nods once, then another sniffle. "You guys are here."

"We are."

"And we're not going anywhere."

She wiggles a little closer until she's practically glued to both of you at once. Eddie quietly reaches over and tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"You know what's nice about bad dreams?"

She looks up at him with sleepy, curious eyes. "What?"

"They end."

She thinks about that. "They do?"

"They always do."

"And then you wake up."

She nods slowly. "I woke up."

"You did."

"And then I came here."

"You did."

"And now you're with us."

Rosie looks down at Mr. Sprinkles before whispering, "He got scared too."

Eddie leans over to inspect the stuffed dinosaur with complete seriousness. "He seems pretty brave to me."

"He was pretending."

"Oh."

"He didn't want me to be scared."

Eddie smiles softly. "I think he did a pretty good job."

Rosie considers that before giving the dinosaur a little kiss on the nose. After another quiet minute, she yawns. One of those enormous little yawns that seems far too big for someone so tiny.

You can't help smiling. "Tired?"

She immediately shakes her head, then yawns again. "No."

"Mhm."

"No."

She curls up even smaller anyway, one hand still tangled in your pajama sleeve now, the other resting against Eddie's arm.

You feel Eddie's hand find yours over the blankets, his fingers lacing through yours without a word. Rosie's eyes are already drifting closed. Just before she falls asleep, she mumbles something so quietly you almost miss it.

"I'm happy."

You glance across at Eddie, and he's already looking at her.

"What made you think of that, sweetheart?" he asks softly.

Her eyes never open. "I like when we're all together."

Your throat tightens instantly.

She nestles deeper beneath the blankets. "I like my home."

A few seconds later, she's asleep; completely, peacefully asleep.

You and Eddie don't move; you don't dare. He looks over at you in the darkness, and there's something in his expression that says everything words can't.

You reach over the little lump of blankets between you and rest your hand against his cheek. He turns just enough to press a kiss into your palm.

this shit actually made me ugly cry from pure content

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He made his coffee and went out on the deck to smoke. Eddie looked over the view — lakeside, forest, beautiful but secluded. Hopper’s ditch was long gone. The house was big and nice; he’d picked it himself. Fangs only cared about forest access. The demobats woke up too and started scratching at the door. He let them out. They got cold within minutes and started scratching to get back in — the little things were clearly getting old. He didn’t know their lifespan. 

Eddie took a long drag.

Steve and Robin came for lunch. Eddie made chicken pie. And lemon squares.

“Eddie, you look great! Is Dahlia sleeping through the night?” Robin kissed him on both cheeks and immediately reached for a lemon square. Eddie almost slapped her hand but caught himself. Parenting mode off.

“Yeah, four years ago.” He served the food and poured the wine.

“Damn, children grow so fast,” Robin said, digging into her pie.

“Man, you’ve got a lovely nest here — woman, kids.” Steve looked around, taking in the fine balance between chaos and a clear effort to keep things tidy. “Who’d have thought you’d beat me to it?”

“Congratulations on your marriage too, guys.” Eddie smirked.

Steve choked on his wine. Robin patted his back in a very wifely way.

“Thank you, Eddie. It was very kind of Steve to offer his benefits and support when I went back to school — it’s expensive, you know. Our marriage is purely platonic. Well —” she paused, “he has promised to father my children when I’m ready. But only through IUI.”

“That’s fucked up. Spare me the details.” Eddie hid his grin in his glass.

Steve was sweating, pretending choking on the wine was responsible for his red face.

“Must be nice being a stay-at-home dad — all that time to yourself.” Steve couldn’t resist the little pin.

Oh, this is going to be interesting. Robin watched their banter, reaching for another lemon square.

“First of all, I’m not a stay-at-home dad, I’m WT’s manager. I happen to cook because I’m the one who actually eats, and I happen to clean when I have time, and I do laundry cause turned out she’s mostly colorblind…”

“Manager of a woman who does nobody-knows-what.”

“Classified.”

A silence settled over the table. From the kitchen came the sound of demobats crunching on cat food. It can’t be good for them, but for a few days will do. 

“Too bad she’s away — I was hoping to see her,” Robin said, rescuing the conversation. “You really must visit us in San Francisco. You’d love it.”

“We might make it to California next breeding season. She should be back tomorrow, if things go smoothly.” Eddie was quietly worried — the government work was dirty, but it paid well, came with good benefits, and provided cover for children with unusual features.

They ate, drank, took jabs at each other, and had just started a board game when the school bus pulled into the driveway.

“We’re home! I’m hungry and she bit a boy!” The kids burst in. Damien was a three-quarter-size copy of Eddie — same face, fangs, small black claws, and broad leathery wings. Dahlia looked like a perfectly normal little girl, apart from her gleaming red eyes.

“You get it guys? D&D?”

Steve and Robin exchanged looks. 

He’s an idiot. — A lucky one.

“How many times do I have to tell you to hide the wings?!” Eddie grabbed the broom. Damien immediately launched himself to the ceiling. Dahlia located the lemon squares and began eating.

Eddie clocked it instantly. “No dessert if you bite people! Steve, Robin — little help.” He handed the broom to Steve. “Get him down.”

Robin sat with Dahlia to support Eddie’s argument of not choosing violence, as counselors recommended.

“Are these yours or did you raid Eddie’s garage?” Steve cornered Damien into losing the wings and running to his room.

“His stuff’s embarrassing. I do industrial — that’s real music, not stupid riffs.”

Steve surveyed the two electric guitars and the Korg Triton responsible for the kind of noise that could drive even Eddie to the edge.

“Kid, you are tubular.”

“What does that even mean? Get lost, and tell Dad to feed me before I snack on you, Elvis.”

“That’s not Elvis —” Steve gestured to his still gorgeous hair. “Know your classics.” He retreated with dignity. Eddie was already brushing Dahlia’s wild hair while she worked through the last of the lemon squares.

“Three-quarters devil is hungry. Do something, man.

In the evening, Steve put his key in the car door, then stopped and turned to Robin.

“The IUI thing — if we do it now, you’d have time to graduate before the baby comes. What do you think?”

PS: this is my 100th post, batties, love you all, so grateful people love my WT and their wild ride.

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