“Grandma told me,” she admitted. “I was feeling pretty down and out after you were sentenced to prison, and she thought of this story when she saw a bank named Berkley. She told me that you and Mom really fought hard over the names, but Mom won. You named me Boston.”
“I had a great friend named Berkley in the Navy,” I said quietly. “He was a great dude. Died when we were on a mission.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I went with Winn as my middle name for you. Or the old you.”
I squeezed her just a little bit tighter. “Is that huge packet by the door all the information that Apollo said that was heading Bossy’s way?”
“It is,” I confirmed as I let Boston go. “This is going to be a weird transition, calling you Berkley. But maybe we should start doing that sooner rather than later, just to get everything ironed out before you start school next week.”
“How are you going to explain the nickname, though?” Bossy tapped her lip.
“Well,” I said. “We could just tell them that you’re incredibly bossy and that’s how you got the nickname.”
“She kind of is.” Eddy laughed. “She did force me to take a shower today.”
“You kind of smelled,” Bossy teased.
“I did not!” Eddy snickered.
“You didn’t, but you looked like you could use a cold shower after Dad left…”
Eddy’s face flamed.
I turned to survey Eddy. “Is that right?”
Eddy’s face went even redder.
I fucking loved it.
“On that note,” Boston said. “Y’all get dinner going, and I’m going to go and shower. Dad, we really need to talk about the fact that you didn’t put an en suite bathroom in the guest bedroom. It’s incredibly awkward to walk down the hall naked at fifteen.”
“Uhhh.” I hesitated, unsure what to say.
Boston laughed as she made her way toward the guest bathroom.
Eddy leaned her hips on the counter and watched her go.
When the door closed behind Bossy, I turned to survey Eddy.
“You have a good kid,” Eddy said as she finally looked at me. “One of the best people I’ve ever met.” She studied me for a long moment before saying, “I’m jealous.”
That warmed my heart.
As well as soothed some invisible fear that I hadn’t been acknowledging until now.
I wanted Eddy to love Boston. I wanted her to be just as important to her as I was.
And I knew that I was important to Eddy.
I didn’t miss the way her eyes would light up when I entered the room. Or when she would say “thank you for everything” and give me the tightest hug she could manage. I didn’t miss the way her eyes lingered on my mouth, or the way they followed me around a room.
Hell, I didn’t miss it because I was doing the exact same thing to her.
I…loved her.
I wasn’t sure when it happened.
But one day a couple of days ago I’d woken up with Eddy’s face buried against my side and I realized…I wanted that for the rest of my life.
