" So you know my Parents, there is no need to be nervous right?" You rambled as you sat in the passenger seat of Eddie's car on the way to your Parents house.
You had been invited over for dinner, and you were nervous, so fucking nervous.
You had told your Mother when you had broken up with Robbie and she had been just as devastated as you had been. You had told her that you were seeing someone new and while she was happy for you, she was surprised that you had moved on so quickly. You replied with ." Oh, well I have known this guy for a while, he's a friend."
" Oh Honey, is it someone I know?"
" Yeah, I'm seeing Eddie."
" Eddie, Eddie, that sounds familiar. Where do I know him from?"
" Robbie, it's Robbie's father."
There had been silence on the other end of the line. You had been dreading telling your Parents, not because you were ashamed, it wasn't that at all, you were happy, so fucking happy with Eddie,happier than you had ever been. It was because your Parents , you loved your Parents to death but when it came to you they were totally overprotective.
" It's going really well Mom, I like him, a lot. He's wonderful."
" Well that's nice dear," she said shortly, " But isn't he a little too old for you?"
There it was. You had been expecting it.
" Actually no. Mom, I'm in my mid twenties, quickly rounding the corner to thirty. The age difference doesn't mean a thing to me. It's just a number Mom."
More silence.
" Mom, you've known Eddie now for years, you know how funny and sweet he is. He treats me like a queen,he is amazing."
" I just hope you know what your doing. The man could have been your Father in law!"
You sighed." Yeah but he isn't, because his Son cheated on me! After years of being together! And that wasn't the first time, that was just the first time he got caught! He cheated on me , just like Ben did , just like Chet did in high school. Eddie would never do that to me. "
" I hope your right."
And that was the end of that discussion.
Eddie squeezed your leg." I'm fucking nervous. I mean we have always gotten along great, but that was before I was fucking their daughter."
" Jesus!"
" Sorry Sweetheart."
You sighed." Remember Baby we are in this together, you and me." You lean over and tuck a piece of hair behind his ear and he flashes you his sweet smile. You hoped your Parents were going to be on their best behavior, you hoped that they wouldn't be judgmental or close minded. You loved Eddie, truly loved him and there was nothing that they would say to change that. You hoped that they could look past the age difference and see what your relationship was really made of.
When Eddie pulled into the driveway you both sat there for a minute mentally prepping for any conversation that could arise.
It was Eddie that made the first move. "Let's go Dollface, it's going to be fine." He leaned forward and kissed you, then got out of the car ,walking around to get your door. " Let's do this." He grabbed a bottle of wine from the back seat.
You took his free hand and squeezed it,holding it securely in yours while you walked up to the entryway.
Your Mother had opened the door before you even had a chance to knock.
" Honey!" She pulled you into a hug, practically suffocating you.
You hugged her back," Hey Mom," when she let you out of her death grip you turned to Eddie. " You remember Eddie?"
She offered him a smile, " Of course. Welcome, come in please."
" Thank you for the dinner invitation. It's wonderful to see you again. " Eddie gave her a sweet, genuine smile.
So far so good, your Mom was being pleasant. It was your Father that you were worried about.
" We are happy to have you guys."
Eddie reached out and handed your mother the nice bottle of wine that he had picked out." I hope you like it, I thought it would pair well with dinner."
" Thank you Eddie. Speaking of wine, I already have a bottle open, why don't I get you both a glass?"
You followed your Mother dragging Eddie through the house. When you reached the kitchen you sat at the island where your Mom had laid out some appetizers.
" Where's Dad?" You asked snacking on a cracker.
" He's in the den. I'm sure he'll be out soon , now that the snacks are out. He's been wanting to eat them all afternoon and I told him he couldn't touch them until you got here." She slid over a glass of wine to you, to Eddie. You watched her eyeing him for a moment, as if she was staring into his soul trying to figure out what his intentions were with her daughter.
" These mini quiche are amazing." Eddie popped one into his mouth ,chewed then took a sip of wine.
Your mom blinked." Thank you." She drank a gulp of her wine. " So, how are things?"
You sipped you wine." Things are great. Work has been busy, but that's good makes the week go by faster. And everything else is ," you glanced over at Eddie and smiled ,sliding an arm around his waist. He smiled down at you and on instinct he kissed the top of your head. "Well everything else is perfect." You knew it was bold, cuddling up to him in front of your Mom, but you wanted to show her, show her how loving and sweet your relationship was.
You looked at your Mother, who looked between the two of you then took another sip of wine. Her eyes warmed. " Well that's good."
" How has it been around here? Have my brothers graced you with their presence?"
You mother waved her hand." Oh please, only when they want a meal or need laundry done. "
" Typical, so typical."
" Ah, there's my baby girl!" Your Father's voice said from behind you, you jumped and you instantly felt Eddie tense. Now before, your Father and Eddie had a great relationship but now...
" Hey Dad." You smiled , trying to keep things as normal as possible. He came over eyeing Eddie as he kissed your cheek.
" How's my girl?"
" Never better. Life's good Dad."
" Glad to hear it. " He rubbed your shoulder. He glanced over again at Eddie." Hello Ed."
" Hey, hello." Eddie smiled, extended his hand and your father shook it firmly.
" I see your drinking wine, why don't you come with me to the den, I'll get you a man's drink, a glass of scotch."
You looked from your father to your boyfriend, who appeared calm but you could tell that he was nervous by the way that his leg was shaking.
" Sounds good."
You took his hand and gave it a squeeze before he followed your father down the hall and into the den.
" Do you want help with dinner?" You could feel butterflies in your stomach, you needed a distraction.How was your father going to act towards Eddie?
" That would be great Honey." My mom opened up the fridge and started pulling out a bunch of vegetables. "Wanna chop?"
" Sure." You pull out a chopping board and a knife from nearby cupboards, "So is Dad going to be decent to Eddie or...."
Your Mother sighed." He doesn't love the thought of you and Eddie in a relationship. He thinks he is too old-"
It was your turn to sigh." I don't understand why age has to be an issue, it isn't for us! Dad is seven years older than you-"
" That is different-"
" How? You were 20 when you met him, he was almost 30!"
" Things were different then, and we were only seven years apart-"
"Mom," You rolled your eyes, " When you were my age you were already married and had me! I know that you will always think of me as your 'Little Girl' but I am a grown woman, I can make life changing decisions on my own, I can hold myself accountable for those decisions that I make. I'm not some young ,impressionable girl, I'm well educated and self sufficient.Have I ever made any rash decisions or poor choices? Ever done anything that I haven't thought through? Have I ever been irresponsible?"
" No."she sighed.
" It is not like I am rushing this, I have known Eddie for years, YOU have known Eddie for years. He is so sweet, and caring and loving. I am so happy, happier than I have ever been. "
" What does Robbie think of all this?"
" He wasn't thrilled at first, more about the fact that I had moved on then the fact that I had moved on with his Father. I reminded him that he had made the conscious decision to end our relationship by cheating on me. I knew I deserved better than that.We sat and talked like adults, he told me that he was happy that his father was finally happy . "
Your mom finished her wine." I don't want to see you get hurt."
" Like I have with guys that were my own age, guys that have treated me like I'm expendable? Eddie would never treat me the way that those boys did. He values our relationship, and that is what it is Mom, a real relationship. I can't wait to talk with him every night on the phone, I practically run out of work on Fridays because I know that I will be able to spend time with him on the weekend. The way that he looks at me with such love in his eyes, he treats me like I am the most precious human being in the world and you would rather have me throw all that away just because he is older than me? "
Your Mother plopped down on a stool beside you."You really do love each other, don't you?"
" Its real Mom."
She smirked." Since when did you get so goddamn good at speaking? You should have become a lawyer."
You chuckled." I was on the debate team and I have had to taken a lot of public speaking classes." You finished your wine.
She sighed." Your Father is going to be a tough nut to crack. You are his sweet little baby girl, and he is very protective of you. "
" I bet if one of the boys was dating an older woman it would be a non issue." You picked up your knife and started chopping.
" Honey-"
" It's true! He would probably be sooo proud ." You shook your head. " He better be nice to him, I can't lose him."
Eddie's POV:
Shitshitshit. This isn't going to be good.
I'm pretty sure I'm about to get a fucking lecture like I'm a fucking teenage boy. I can feel my heart beating hard in my chest. Man the fuck up Munson, you have known him for years. It's going to be fine, just two guys having a drink in a den.
" Here you go Ed. A real drink." I watch as he hands me a glass, then pours himself one and quickly downs it. From the way that he's slurring his words I'm pretty sure that he has already done this a few times, which isn't like him. This can't be fucking good. His eyes are burning a hole through me ,waiting for me to take a sip.
Fucking Scotch, I take a sip and try to keep my expression neutral. " So how's it going?"
" Well , Ed, to tell you the truth things could be better."
" Really? What's going on?" I played dumb. I knew exactly what direction this was about to head.
" Well you see Ed, I'm kind of worried about my daughter."
I took another sip of that god awful liquid." Worried? Why are you worried?"
He crossed his arms infront of himself. " I miss my daughter Ed, since you have been in the picture, we haven't seen her much. It's like she is obsessed with you."
" I would never do anything to keep her from you if that is what you are implying. She is a grown woman that makes her own decisions. Our relationship is still new, we enjoy spending time together. I would never interfere with her relationship with you. You guys are her parents, I value the importance of family, I never had one other than my uncle."
" I'm worried that you are going to break her heart."
I set my drink down on the coaster." I can assure you I have no intention of breaking your daughter's heart. I happen to care for your girl very, VERY much."
" Do you love her?"
" I do." I said without hesitation.
" And she loves you?"
" She does."
" You don't think that there is anything wrong with your relationship?"
" I don't, but I am guessing that there is something that YOU find wrong with it. Please, enlighten me. Is it our age difference? For us it doesn't seem to be an issue." Maybe that came out a little more snippy than intended but at this point why beat around the bush? He clearly has a problem with me now.
" I do think that there is an issue with the age difference. You're SON is the same age as her."
" And I was very, very young when he was born. And I took responsibility and I raised him ."
" So fast forward to the future, what do you do when my daughter decides that
She wants to get married and have children." Her father looked at me smugly." Are you going to start over again at say, 50 years old? Start from scratch if you even can? Wake up in the middle of the night with a baby, or chase around a toddler? Do you really want to be the dad at daycare that would get mistaken for the grandfather?"
His words were like a punch to the gut. We have been so busy enjoying our time together, just the two of us that we haven't really had any discussions about the future, well ,not about children. " It wouldn't be the first time I have raised a child."
" Do you think you could be a productive Co-parent at your age? Or would you be overwhelmed, unable to handle it and leave?"
Wow. Scotch made him a fucking nasty bastard. He's really hitting below the belt tonight." Nice to hear that you think so highly of me. It's not like I'm fucking 70. With all due respect, if or when we ever have the discussion about our future together, marriage or children ,that will be a decision that we will make together as cohesive and equal partners, and if we do decide that we want children, I will be there ,present and participating in my child's life because love and care for them and your daughter."
I watched as he opened his mouth to make another remark but was interrupted by," Guys! It's dinner time!"
My Sweet Princess popped her head into the room and instantly I saw her smile disappear, as if she could feel the tension in the room." Uh, what's going on in here?"
I plastered a fake smile on my face. "Just chatting. Dinner's ready? Perfect, I'm starving." I got up from my chair and walked over to her, I watched her eyes move from her Father to me. I leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, I would just act normal and get through this dinner." Wow, I'm catching a whiff and it smells amazing, let's go Sweetheart." I wrapped an arm around her waist and we walked out to the kitchen.
Reader POV:
So dinner was fucking awkward. Your Mother doing her best to keep conversation going, keep the mood light. Your stomach was in knots, you knew that something had happened in that den.
You reached under the table and placed a hand on Eddie's bouncing knee, a habit that he had when he was nervous or anxious, and you felt his body relax under your touch. His whole demeanor had changed, and it worried you. You gave him a small smile and received one back.
After dinner you both opted to help clean up , you helped put things away and Eddie helped your Mother with dishes. Your Father, full from dinner and drink retired to the living room to fall asleep in front on the television. Your earlier discussion with your Mom had put you both on the same page. She could see it now, the feelings that you had for one another, the glances, the brief, sweet touches. She knew it was real.
When you were finished your mother tried to convince you to stay for dessert but you politely declined, stating that you had drank too much wine and now had a headache , you would need to go home and sleep it off, which wasn't true at all, you just wanted to go home.
She wrapped you in a tight hug and told you she loved you, hugged Eddie too and thanked you both for coming to dinner.
The car ride home was quiet, you could see the wheels turning in Eddie's head as you gazed over at him. You picked up the hand that was resting on your thigh and brought it to your lips.
" Baby, what happened?"
He blinked a few times, snapping out of his thoughts." What was that Princess?"
" Eddie, what happened in that den? You've been different since then. Please tell me what happened."
He sighed." I'm still kind of processing it myself ."
" Just tell me baby. We are in this together remember?"
" You really want to hear it? Ok, buckle up Sweetheart because it's rough."You watched as his grip tightened on the steering wheel." Your Father fucking HATES me, any friendship we had before is completely null and void, he thinks I'm a piece of shit."
" What?" My heart dropped." Baby, I'm so sorry."
He glanced over at me briefly." I know he's your father, and pardon me for saying this but he was a nasty fucking bastard tonight."
You ran your hand over his leg and squeezed." Eddie, I don't know what to say except I'm sorry. I'm not making excuses for him but he was drinking pretty heavily tonight-"
" Yeah so he could build up the courage to tear me to fucking shreds."
" It doesn't matter what he said, none of that matters-"
" It matters to me. I've been called a lot of shit by a lot of people but the things he fucking said really hurt."
You watched as he turned into the parking lot of your apartment complex. Why were we here? Why didn't he bring you home, HIS home?
He turned off the car and just stared out the window. " What do you envision your future to be like Angel? House with a white picket fence and kids running around the yard?"
Your stomach was tying itself into knots." Your there, in my future, you are always there,I know that for sure-"
He turned , a pained expression on his face." What about children? I know that you have talked in the past about having kids some day and driving them to music lessons and soccer practice-"
You searched his face." Where are you going with this Eddie-"
" Your father reminded me tonight just how fucking old I am. What if we got married some day and you wanted to start a family. "
" But Eddie I'm not ready for that right now, I just want to be with you, enjoy our time together, just the two of us-"
" Well Tick Tock Sweetheart, I'm not getting any fucking younger." He ran his hands over his face." If you are with me you don't have the luxury of waiting. I'm a fucking fossil. What if I can't give you what you want."
You leaned forward." All I want is you."
" I don't want you to have to give up your dreams, your future for me."
You felt your chest get tight." Eddie-"
" I don't want you to have to make exceptions for me. Fuck!" He slammed his palm on the dashboard, making you jump." I don't want you looking back on your life one day thinking , boy, maybe I should have done things differently. What would my life have been like with someone else?"
You swallowed hard, tears pooling in your eyes. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening." I don't fucking want anyone else Eddie! You are the only one I'll ever want-"
" I should have known better than to let this go on, I shouldn't have fallen in love with you. I'm just going to ruin your life."
" Eddie stop," you choked out." You told me you wouldn't break my heart. You promised me you would grab on and never let go. Don't you remember that? That first time we were together? When you said that if you found a girl like me you would grab on and not let go?"
" I remember." He sighed." I need you to understand that I am doing this for you. I will not stand in between you and your family and I will not ruin your life. I love you too goddamn much."
Tears rolled down your cheeks." If you loved me you wouldn't do this-"
" Its because I love you that I am doing this!"
" That's bullshit! If you loved me you wouldn't give a fuck about what my father said. Let's face our problems head on, bull-fucking-shit. The first problem that we encounter and your fucking gone." You sniffle and unbuckle your seatbelt. Your heart was pounding in your chest , from hurt and anger.
" I love you so fucking much-" Eddie leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel." I need you to understand that."
" I love you so much that I'm going to do exactly what every other man in your life has done to you and break your heart into a million pieces." You wiped at the tears on your face with your sleeve.
" I never wanted to hurt you." He choked out." I never wanted to break your heart-"
" Well it's too fucking late." Your sadness had turned to anger, you opened up your car door and turned to get out.
" Sweetheart I'm so sorry."
" I'm sorry too, I'm sorry that you wouldn't fight for me the way that I would have fought for you." You slammed the car door and ran into your apartment and didn't look back. Once you made it inside you crumbled to the floor, and sobbed. You cried until you were gasping for breath, until you no longer had tears left to shed.
Eddie's POV:
My heart broke as I watched her lip quiver, as I watched the tears pool in her eyes, and it shattered as she spat words of truth at me," You promised me you would grab on and never let go ."
I had , and I had promised her that I wouldn't break her heart too and I fucking did.
I rested my head against the steering wheel and nearly choked on a sob, completely falling apart in anguish. I hoped that she would someday realize that I did this for her, I had been so blinded by my happiness that I never considered her future until it had been thrown in my face. I love her so much, so FUCKING much , I want what is best for her even if it meant that I had to destroy my heart for her.
I drew in a long shaky breath. How the fuck was I going to live without her?