"Good guy or bad?" I asked.
Cy shrugged. "Both. He's Blaze, and Gran named him after fire and hunter's orange for a reason. Yeah, it's a warning." Then he looked over. "He also makes Violet look powerless, but he always has a price. Even for the rainbow, because he says that if you're not willing to pay it, then you don't need what he has to offer."
"Damn," I breathed. "Well, if it means keeping Faith, I'll pay his price."
"He won't askyou, Luke," Cy told me, dropping his voice to almost a whisper. "He'll ask Vi, because she's the only one who can pay. Probably a favor, but that means getting him something the moment he needs it. It's how he makes miracles happen. The guy's like fucking Rumplestiltskin, but I hug him every time I see him."
Which said enough. In truth, it said more than enough. Cy trusted him. He might accept that the guy was a blade that cut both ways, but Cy still trusted him, and that made me feel a little better about considering him as an option. I also decided that if we needed it, I'd call him myself, making sure Violet didn't get in the middle of that.
"I really don't want to put her in the middle," I finally said, "but I've been learning to accept that it's gonna happen. I'd just rather take the hit on this one myself."
Cy chuckled, the sound making it clear he understood. "Yeah, but it's Violet, and that's what she likes doing best." He paused. "Luke? Are we cool now?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Kindle," he said. "I know it bothered you, and I just want to make sure you're good with it. Not being nice, but honestly good."
"We're good," I assured him. "I still don't understand why you even wanted to talk to him, but you clearly needed to. I'm also learning that every rule I learned is pretty much wrong." I smiled, making it clear I wasn't trying to blame him, simply explain.
"It wasn't really that complicated," he admitted. "See, I was so damned worried that whatever I kept doing wrong, I'd end up doing again. He made me feel like I was so worthless that I wasn't even worth dumping before he moved on. The fact that we were planning to get married only made it worse. So yeah, hearing that what bothered him isn't a problem I'll have in my..." His eyes darted to the side, scanning the room. "...Current relationship? It makes it easier to believe in the good thing I got."
"No second thoughts?" I asked.
"Not a single one," he promised. "Getting back together with him was never an option. Somewhere between packing my stuff and shoving you against that truck for your smart mouth, I realized that I'd never loved him. He was a placebo. A placeholder, at best. What I really needed to do was come home, and now I'm here. Just needed to convince myself that I wouldn't end up running away again."
"So you know, some of us wouldn't just let you go." I leaned in, bumping his shoulder with mine. "Kinda used to chasing my dreams, Cy. If you try to run from this? Yeah, I'll drag your ass back. I'm the kind that fights for things. Pretty much all I know."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Hence the closure, Luke. Realized that for the first time in far too long, I'm in a place where screwing up can always be fixed."
He bumped me back, and our eyes met. He didn't need to spell it out for me. I understood completely. The four of us worked together in a way that two never would. Didn't matter what came next. Somehow, we'd work together to fix it. That was why this felt so fucking good. It was why I would fight to keep this.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Ihad never seen a grounded kid happier than Faith that weekend. She cleaned the kitchen just like her father had declared. She also had her phone with her the whole time, pausing every few minutes to send a text to her new little friend. The rest of us tried to ignore it, but I had to give the kid credit. She cleaned the hell out of not just the kitchen but also every bathroom in the house. The guest toilet was sparkling.
It also made me wonder how many times she'd had to do the same when she lived with her mother. Oh, I knew that Luke was going easy on her. He was a pushover as a dad, yet I didn't think Faith needed more punishment. That kid was the kind who responded to logic more than harsh discipline. Plus, we'd all been raised by Gran. That woman's sneaky tactics of making us see the gentle consequences of our decisions tended to work better than angry screaming matches.
Faith had messed up, so she would be reminded of the chores she'd had when living with her mom. She'd risked her chance to stay with her father, so the punishment was a reminder, yet one that took into consideration that she deserved to stand up for herself. That she could still talk to Zeke? It was that last little bit that said she was loved and her father - all of us, really - were on her side.
Then Faith came and talked to each of us, one by one, apologizing for getting in trouble at school. She told Ash that she hadn't meant to, and that she really did want to live with him. She asked Cy if she was wrong to be so angry about it, and then talked to him about what the psychiatrist had told her to try. When it was my turn, she hugged me and said she'd try harder next time, and that she finally understood what I meant about her bullies forcing her to react.
The worst part was that Luke didn't exactly get a report on how she'd done at the therapist. Faith had talked to the man for just over an hour. When that was done, the doctor had spoken with Luke for a bit to discuss his worries about her. It seemed Faith no longer wanted to cut, but she did show a few signs of depression and that was partly responsible for her acting out. He made it clear that her "comeback book" was a great idea, teaching her how to passively control her bullies without becoming aggressive, and how Faith had mentioned that it wasn't easy to say something that took away their power without picking a fight.
But that was it. The man gave no hint as to whether he thought Luke was a good father, if Faith would be better off with her mother, or anything else. He just said he'd see her at their next appointment. It left us all wondering what would happen at the next mediation, or when the next bad news would hit, and yet we made it through the weekend without any noticeable teen drama.
Then, Monday night, Luke yelled down the stairs. "Violet!"
From the fear in his voice, I was up and out of my office in an instant. Something was wrong, and that sounded like panic. I ran into the living room to find him standing at the top of the stairs with a strange smile on his face, looking half horrified and half amused. I didn't slow down as I hurried to the top.
"What? Is everything ok?" I asked.
He just wrapped an arm around my shoulder and steered me up the hall toward the bedrooms. "We're having a girl crisis, and my daughter is refusing to talk to me."
"Uh..."
"She's locked in her bathroom." He lowered his voice. "I think it's a period thing."
"Oh!" All the fear fled from my body, and I hurried into her room. "Faith?"
