"So send her a message now," I suggested. "Make it clear that it's not an option? Then she can cancel with Zeke or change that to her mom's place."
"I can try, but Meredith willnotlet her hang out with that guy," Luke told me. "Bad kid, remember? Never mind that whole gay thing. She's the one who taught Faith about fags and dykes. If she had any idea that Faith's friend wasn't trying to be her boyfriend, she'd lose her mind."
"So we'll warn Faith not to say anything," I decided. "This will be fine, Luke."
"Yeah, I know. Also means a child-free weekend," Luke mentioned, his words just a little too casual. "So, if this doesn't fall through, I was thinking that maybe I can finally take y'all on a date?"
"All of us?" Cy asked, sounding a little surprised.
Luke nodded. "The three of you keep calling me the cowboy, and it's dollar drafts at the Saloon. Bit of a drive, nothing fancy, and just a little bit of fun and dancing." He looked between the three of us.
"And a reason to not fret about your kid being out of the house," Ash realized.
"I'm in," I said, because I honestly liked the idea. "I have never been to a country bar before, and it counts as cultural appreciation, right?"
"Gonna wear tight jeans?" Ash teased.
"And boots," I decided. "Although I might just go with a little dress instead. I've done a few western-themed shoots, you know. I can rock the cowgirl look."
"I vote for the dress," Cy said.
"I'm just rooting for the cowgirl," Luke admitted, pausing to run his eyes over me. "Figure we can all work to see who gets the girl on his arm tonight."
I was nodding, liking this idea the more I thought about it. "Let's call it a celebration for Luke's charges being handled. Cobalt said he'll make it go away, and I honestly believe him, so does it really matter if we jump the gun a bit?"
"Not at all," Luke said. "It's about time things started to go right around here, and Faithdoesneed to spend time with her mom. If for no other reason than to remind her why she needs to hold it together for a couple more weeks." He looked between all of us. "And I'msoready for us to get a little time together."
"Think that bed can fit four?" Ash asked, looking over at Cy.
"I think we'll make damned sure of it," Cy said. "And you two are going to have to help me get her drunk."
"Oh, she'sfundrunk," Ash agreed.
Cy pushed at his arm playfully. "Show-off."
I couldn't help but smile at the group of them. "Be careful what you ask for, boys. I shoot whiskey. Two of you are going to have to work to keep up. The other gets to drive."
"I knew I liked you for some reason," Luke said, moving to lean against the bookshelf. "This is a good thing, right? I'm just crazy for thinking that shit's about to hit the fan?"
"No, I'm right there with you," I admitted. "Bracing for it, I think."
"Two more weeks," Ash told us. "There's not a damned thing that can happen in the next two weeks that we can't handle. We're the fucking Shades of Trouble."
"Emphasis on the fucking," Cy teased, but then he paused. "Shit, the dog yard! We need to finish the side fence."
"And Darnell will be back for the court date," I pointed out. "Put his ass to work, we can all celebrate again, and then we'll talk about a puppy. Tonight, however, we're going to be stupid, have a little fun, and show this cowboy how to have a good time. I'm so tired of being serious all the time."
"Princess," Luke warned, "I plan to be showing you how to have real country fun. So, I'll pick the three of you up at eight? Should give Faith enough time to have a meltdown if she's going to, or Meredith to change her mind, or something to go wrong - because I'm actually looking forward to this."
"And we're all going to dance with Violet," Ash decided. "Even you, Cy."
Cy just grinned. "Yeah, and I actually know how to two-step. Try to keep up Ash. The real men are going to make you look bad."
Watching them, I couldn't stop smiling, but it was ok. Bit by bit, we were making this work. Southwind, Luke's custody, and everything else. The best part, though, was that the new constant in my life was that my three boyfriends justworked. I couldn't wait to see what happened when they didn't have to be good.
I had a feeling this was going to be the bad kind of fun, and I was so ready for it.
Chapter Fifty-Four
