"Was hot as hell," I told her, knowing Luke could hear. "He was all bowed up and ready to throw down. Pulled him off before he could put a fist in Kindle's face, though."
"Fucker deserved it," Luke snapped.
Ash just lifted a hand. "And he's the kind of guy who'd call the cops for assault, Luke. The last thing you need is another charge on your record. You'd lose Faith."
"Yeah, I know," Luke admitted.
"So how did he get onto the property?" Violet asked.
"That was me," Luke said. "Gate beeped and I looked. He was asking for Dr. Marshall, so I assumed he was with some board or group to inspect something. After we had the ag assessor out here, it just made sense. I should've asked." His eyes found mine. "I'm sorry."
"You're fine," I promised.
Luke's jaw clenched again, but this time he didn't look away. "If you could see the look on your own face right now, you'd understand. Seeing that guy fucked with you, Cy. You just got blindsided by your ex, and I know what that feels like, so I'm sorry. I'm real fuckin' sorry, ok?"
"It's ok," I said one more time. "Luke, he made me realize something. The whole time I was with him, I always said that there's no problem that can't be fixed if we just come back and talk it out. That's why he came down here. Now, I'm pretty sure he also got dumped by that queen he was fucking, but whatever. He made me realize that for years I've been trying to convince myself that coming back was ok. That if Ash would just come back - or you, although I didn't know that at the time - then it would be ok."
Ash chuckled. "Violet's the only one who's not in shit for something, huh?"
I looked at her, then wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure you should be, but you don't run away. You scream, yell, and do all the things I know how to deal with."
She snuggled up against my side. "I also don't let go of what matters to me. I'm too scared of losing it completely. Probably from being dumped by my mom, right?"
"Probably," I agreed. "Kinda what makes us Southwind kids work, though. We all know what it's like to be alone and in shit." I leaned in and kissed the top of her head, loving when she moved just a bit closer. "But I told him to go, and I'm sure he's almost to Oklahoma by now. Gonna miss Emilio, though."
"You are pretty cute with the dog," Luke admitted. "You two should've seen it. Cy realized that dog was in the car, and he was damned well going to save it before it could get hot. Then he's all cuddling it. Fucking cute."
"Shut up," I muttered.
"Bet you slept with that thing, didn't you?" Luke went on.
"He gets cold. That's why he has the sweaters," I insisted.
Then Luke pushed himself off the couch and crossed the distance. "Cy, you look good holding something small and fragile. Doesn't matter if that's the dog, my kid, or Violet. It works for you." Then he palmed the side of my face. "And I learned one thing out there. I'm willing to fight for you. Just so you know."
"We all are," Ash said.
That was what it took to make the last of my stress vanish. "Funny thing? I'm pretty sure Violet's the one who made him shit his pants."
"Good," she said. "That was the intention, because while I don't fight like them, that doesn't mean I'm willing to lose you, Cyan. Not now, and not ever."
I leaned back and just took it. I'd half expected them to be pissed. I'd definitely expected a lot more questions about whether I wanted to get back with him, or if I'd asked him to come. None of that. These people? They accepted me just like I was. They made me feel right.
No, they made me feel like I'd finally come home, and there wasn't a damned thing that would make me give that up.
Chapter Thirty-Two
That evening, Cy and Ash were cute. Little by little, those two were figuring things out. Cy would wrap his arms around Ash, who'd lean into him. There were a few lingering looks over dinner that made Faith giggle at them. Then I found the pair curled up together on the couch watching TV that night, with Faith sprawled on the couch across from them.
"Does the Duke really want to marry her?" Faith asked.
"Shh," Cy teased.
"Dunno yet," Ash told her. "He's up to something, though. He's also hot."
Cy grunted at that, but the giggles from Faith proved why he'd said it. I came around the corner to see a rather handsome Black man in period clothing, and decided that Ash had a point, but it was good to hear Faith laughing again.
School had been hard for her. She'd made it through the first week, so I hoped it would get easier. Every day, we went over her comebacks, and she'd actually used a few of them. Slowly but surely, this young lady was starting to grow a spine. Unfortunately, that didn't mean she liked school yet. The poor thing probably never would so long as she went there.
