Home The Hard Way *Single Dad! Eddie Munson X Steve Harrington Steddie Series*

Part Nine

"Hello, Lucy!" Steve called, reaching his hands towards her. He took her easily from Eddie, his smile matching hers. "How the heck have ya been, sweet girl?"

Lucy beamed up at him. Her dark eyes, that were too much like her daddy's, shining in the sunlight. She babbled, something that sounded like "pah pah pah" as she clapped her hands together.

"Yeah, pretty girl." He answered, nodding his head very seriously. "Daddy's car is all fixed up. We're going for a joy ride."

"Thought we were getting dinner?" Eddie asked.

"Is there not time in the day for both, Edward?"

"Call me that again and I'll kick your ass," Eddie tried desperately to appear intimidating with his threat. But the slight pink hue that covered his cheeks and his shy smile thwarted those efforts. "Hang out with her while I grab the car seat." He said, turning away quickly in hopes that Steve wouldn't see his blush. It didn't work.

When he returned from inside the house, car seat hooked over his elbow, he realized quickly that he didn't actually know how to install the car seat. The only time it had ever been used was on the drive home from New York. And even then, neither Eddie nor Wayne really knew what they were doing. They had opted to just buckle the seatbelt over the car seat. They decided to ask Sarah. She was more than happy to assist, showing Eddie the proper way to run the seat belt through the bottom of the seat and explaining that she should actually be backwards on the seat for safety.

The diner on the other side of town was exactly what Eddie remembered. Small and warm. The booths were cramped and the table tops were sticky. As soon as the scent of burnt coffee and onion rings hit his nose, he felt like he was finally home. Like a trip to Myra's was the one thing that had been missing from this summer.

Eddie set Lucy's car seat and diaper bag on the booth seat beside him, sliding in after her. He smiled as he watched her take in her surroundings. The bright lights, the sounds and smells. All of it was brand new to her.

"Man," he sighed, his eyes still on Lucy as he spoke to Steve. "It's so wild watching her, like, experience everything for the first time. Like, I've been in diners just like this a million times, but she hardly ever goes anywhere. It's weird to think about. Right?"

Steve was grinning when Eddie finally turned his attention to him across the table. Eddie noticed that the smile lines that bracketed his grin were deeper now than he remembered. He still had a smile that absolutely captivated Eddie, though he was getting better at maintaining his composure.

Steve's smile grew, his cheeks pushing up just a bit more. A single soft chuckle fell from his smile as his eyes scanned Lucy's expression. "Yeah," he agreed, eyebrows raising. "Pretty wild."

There was so much more that Steve had wanted to say to him. But he didn't. He just smiled and watched the pair across from him. Lucy couldn't decide where to look, her eyes darting all around the small diner. Every little thing seemed to amaze her. And every little thing she did seemed to delight Eddie. Every coo, every expression, every reach of her tiny palms towards something she wanted.

Eddie expertly fed Lucy her mashed turkey and rice as they waited for their own orders. His aim had gotten much better over the last few weeks. He stuck his tongue out a lot when he fed her. He did something similar when he played guitar, Steve remembered. Like having the pink tip of his tongue sticking through his lips helped him to focus.

After dinner, Steve needed a milkshake. Chocolate, preferably. "I'm ravenous, remember?" He giggled when Eddie seemed impressed that he had room left for anything after the massive burger he'd ordered. Sonya, as her name tag read, brought over two chocolate milkshakes with a tired smile.

"Does she like chocolate?" Steve asked.

"She's never had it," Eddie answered with a shrug.

"You've been keeping this poor, sweet angel child away from chocolate? For her whole life?"

Eddie rolled his eyes, the same pink tint brushing over his cheeks. "She's six months old, Steve."

"Nearly seven."

The pink turned a bright red and moved down Eddie's neck. He could feel his skin going warm beneath the collar of his Anthrax t shirt. He'd remembered her birthday. She'd be seven months old next week, and Steve remembered.

Steve picked up his unused spoon, ready to dig into his milkshake. He suddenly stopped. His spoon hovered over the glass.

"Can I give her some?"

"Uh, yeah," Eddie answered. He also wasn't sure if she should have it, truthfully. But she'd been eating baby food for a few weeks and seemed to be doing just fine. "Just a little, though. Just in case."

Steve's million dollar smile returned as he dipped the very tip of his spoon into the whipped topping on his glass. He held the spoon to her, his arm extended over the table top. She didn't hesitate to lick the tiny dollop of cream from the end of the spoon. Her eyes widened and Steve thought again that she looked so much like Eddie. She squealed, her hands balling into tiny fists excitedly.

"Oh, honey," Steve smiled. "That's not even the best part."

Eddie laughed as Steve took half of the whipped topping from his drink and shoved it into his mouth. Cream stuck to the corners of his lips. He felt a familiar flutter in his chest a Steve stuck his tongue out just enough to lick his lips clean.

"She is so gonna like me better after this," Steve announced confidently as he repeated a similar process as before. He dipped the tip of his spoon into his glass, collecting the smallest amount of frozen chocolate deliciousness.

She seemed wary at first. Eddie realized, once again, that this was new for her. Everything she'd ever eaten had been warm at best, room temperature at worst. She'd never had anything cold in her mouth before. Steve pushed the tip of his spoon into her mouth, gently pulling it out as she wrapped her lips around it. Both men wore bright, almost comical smiles as they watched her. She stuck her tongue out through her lips a few times, like a puppy with peanut butter.

She soon realized that Steve was right. This was the best part. Her excited noises grew louder. She clapped her hands quickly, bouncing in her seat. Eddie and Steve shared a look over the table, their own giggles nearly drowned out by Lucy's.

"Told ya," Steve winked.

After paying the bill, Steve revisited the idea of a joy ride.

"What about Lucy?" Eddie asked as he pulled away from the parking lot.

Steve turned in his seat, looking over his shoulder. "She'll be asleep before you even get up to the speed limit."

Eddie thought about Steve's offer. He looked into the rearview mirror, at the back of her car seat. He was sure Steve was right. Her belly was full, it was almost bed time, and everyone knows babies sleep like rocks when they're in the car. He smiled over to Steve, who excitedly grabbed Eddie's arm with both hands.