Her mouth dropped open and Faith gaped at me in shock. "You're not mad?"
"No, baby, I'm not. Violet did the same thing with Cy once so Mr. Simmons wouldn't be rude to him. It's not easy being different in a small town. I'm also proud of you for protecting him back. It's the kind of thing a real woman does."
"But I can still be friends with him, even though he's gay?"
"Yeah, kiddo. And so you know, his mom told me back there. I just wasn't sure if he'd told you, and it's not right to out people, because they might not be ready for it."
"So I shouldn't have told you?" she asked.
"Did he say you could? Because that's what matters." I glanced at her, then back at the road. "Faith, the more people that know he's gay, the bigger the chance that someone will tell others. You see what Cy and Ash have to go through, and maybe Zeke isn't ready for that. Maybe he wants to pretend for a bit, and that's ok. Maybe he needs to hold it together long enough to get everything in order before he tells everyone."
Yeah, I wasn't talking about that boy anymore. Nope, I was thinking about me, but I also had a bit of hope. I knew it was different when it was her dad, and I knew she adored Violet and would be worried about that. Still, I was doing my best - and fumbling at it - to teach my little girl how to be what this boy was going to need. Figured I had a little experience on my side.
"He said his mom would probably tell you," she admitted, the look on her face proving she was thinking hard about this. "I should've asked."
"Well, you text that boy and let him know that you told me, and that I don't care. Tell him that I'm also not going to tell anyone else unless he says I can."
She pulled out her phone and started typing. "Thanks, Dad. For not being too mad, and everything, I mean. I really wasn't trying to get in a fight."
"I know, Faith." I turned into Southwind and eased up the drive so the gate would start to open. "I never meant to get in most of mine either. Thing is, I want you to grow up to be better than me. I want you to learn from my mistakes, but I know you're going to make your own, ok? But you still have to clean the kitchen and bathrooms."
"Promise. It's kinda worth it to have a best friend."
I smiled at her, but inside, I wanted to groan. My mind was already spinning through visions of sleepovers and dress-up dates. I didn't know this boy at all, but I sure knew my little girl. Poor Zeke had no idea what he was getting himself into. Then again, I had a feeling they were probably like a young Cy and Violet.
Yep, I was going to need to get a little advice. I also sucked at putting my foot down with this brat. I should be yelling at her for getting in trouble. I should make it very clear just how bad she'd messed up. Instead, I was a little proud of her. I wanted to brag that my kid was a badass.
I also wanted to hunt down those three girls who were tormenting her and give them a piece of my mind. Sadly, talking to Cessily was about the best I was going to get. I really hoped this didn't fuck up our case.
Chapter Forty
Igave Cessily a heads-up that things were getting messy at school. When Luke got home, he called her and filled her in on everything that had happened. Oddly, she wasn't pissed off. Once she heard what had happened, she just said she'd handle it. I had a feeling it was because Faith hadn't started it, so she could use it as proof of the escalation of bullying.
But that night, Luke told me about Zeke, who was known to be trouble. He was also gay, and his mother was struggling to make ends meet, so she worked two jobs. Then he told me about how the kid had stepped in to take a punch for Faith, and he asked if that had been what Cy had been like.
It wasn't, but only because Cy hadn't gone to school with me. He'd been at Southwind, and Gran had sent me to the public school. Looking back, I had a feeling that had something to do with custody. My mom had dropped me off and vanished. Enrolling me at Southwind could've caused problems when Gran sued for legal custody, but she hadn't told me any of that. It would've made things easier back then, knowing I was putting up with it for a reason instead of just because my friends weren't good enough.
So the next day, I made a point of stopping in Ash's office. At first, he didn't notice. He was so intent on his latest design that nothing else mattered. He also looked amazing like that. There was something about a dangerously beautiful man lost in concentration that made me want to distract him.
I moved around behind his chair, then leaned in. My arms wrapped around his shoulders. Without thinking about it, Ash reached up to clasp my wrist, holding me there. And then I kissed his neck. A soft murmur fell from his lips, his eyes closed, and he leaned his head back to give me more room.
"That's a good way to interrupt me," he said softly.
So I nipped at his earlobe. "Faith's bestie is gay."
"What?!" His chair tipped forward, his tablet got tossed onto the desk, and Ash spun to face me. "That's great!"
Not the response I'd expected. "Uh, it is?"
Ash caught both of my hands. "Vi, it means she's honestly ok with this. I mean, Faith knows, right?"
"She told Luke. So did the boy's mom, but still."
"Then she's fine with it. She's ok with us, she's not grossed out or worried about sins. Vi, it means she won't be too upset when Luke tells her. It means she's learning." He pushed to his feet, so close to me. "It means this can actually work long term."
"Us?" I asked, stepping back.
But he followed, letting his eyes run across my body. "All four of us." And then he shoved his arms on either side of my head, caging me against the wall. "Please tell me no one's home?"
