"It was," I grumbled, but they both knew I was lying. "But Luke? You're going to have to teach her about boy stuff."
"Boy stuff?" he asked.
I nodded slowly, making sure he was paying attention. "Hard-ons, nocturnal emissions, morning wood, and all of it. Random erections at the worst times, and so on."
"When she's older," he said.
I just cupped the side of his face and made him look at me. "Her only friend is a boy. A gay boy, but trust me. You'd still prefer that she hears it from you and not him. He's her age, and I can promise that he doesn't have a clue. If they're going to be hanging out? It'll come up. Make sure Faith knows about it, and that she learns about it in a healthy way. Your other option is that she'll play around on her own."
"Help me?" he begged, looking back at the guys.
"I'll help," Cy promised. "I'll even make it scientific enough that you won't die. I'll also make it clear that just like we'll buy tampons and wash clothes, her friend might need help sometimes too."
Luke nodded. "Ok. I can do this, right? I'm not failing somehow as a dad?"
"Not at all," Ash assured him. "Cy, include a little trans stuff in that lesson, ok?"
"Can do," Cy assured him. "Gonna make Faith the best ally ever. I mean, if her dad's on board."
"More than you can imagine," Luke agreed. "Figure it's kinda like preparing her, right?"
"Exactly," Ash said.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The house was a little insane the next morning. Violet helped Faith pick an outfit that had accident options. It was a cute little skirt with black leggings underneath. Then, she put an extra pair of leggings in Faith's bag, along with some pads, and made the girl promise to call or text if there were any issues. Luke made a point of telling her she looked good. Ash snuck a candy bar into her bag as well, so she was all set.
But the sound of everyone banging around and calling down the stairs ensured I was up. Faith had this, even if she was still a little nervous. But once she was gone, Luke announced that he was cutting hay today. He'd been interrupted a few times too many, and he needed to do it now. Naturally, I decided to offer help.
Down at the cabins, a small crew was measuring the roofs and checking to make sure they'd hold the solar panels Violet wanted. Supposedly they'd be done in a week, but I'd believe it when I saw it. Step by step, things were starting to come together, yet the place already looked so different than I remembered. Stepping into the barn was proof of that.
Luke's office was finally the way he wanted it. The floor had been swept clean, proving there was concrete under all the dirt that had built up for so many decades. The walls were lined with well-organized tools. He had a fan pointed at the workbench, but it was off right now. Then there were the horses all munching away at their morning grain.
"Need help with the hay?" I asked as I rounded the corner.
Luke glanced back, those pretty green eyes of his making me a bit weak in the knees. "Sure. Nothing else for you to do, huh?"
I just blew out a breath. "Not really. We've reached the stage where one thing has to happen before the next can. The house is done, my office is done, the gate, security, and everything else is done. We just have to get power and air down at the cabins, and then we can start going through the applications. Violet's even got a list of contractors for everything from food to cleaning."
"Nice," Luke said. "Kinda explains what she's always doing in that office, huh?"
"Busting her ass," I assured him. "Oh, she makes it look easy, but just thinking about all the stuff she sorts out makes my brain hurt. So how are you doing with your kid growing up on you?"
He chuckled. "Um, is it weird to say I'm a bit proud?" Luke turned back to his bench. "I mean, it's stupid. It's just a period, but it's also been one of my big fears, you know? What would I do if she started while with me? In all honesty, I'm glad Violet was here."
"You would've done the same thing," I assured him. "Hell, just wait until Violet has a bleed-through. Can't imagine that will be easy. More like a duck and cover situation."
"I'm calling in Ash if it ever happens," he joked. "He can deal with her; we'll handle the rest, right?"
I moved behind him to wrap my arms around his waist. "Sounds like a plan. So what are we doing today, Daddy?"
He groaned but still leaned back into me. "That does not work as well for you as it does for her. You know that, right?"
"Oh, so you like it when Vi calls you Daddy?" I teased.
Luke stilled. "No, it's..." He grunted. "Never mind. It's stupid."
"Family," I realized. "You like being a dad. Big question, though. What would you do if it's not yours? Say it's Ash's?"
