John paused, then nodded, then paused again. "Ok."
"I'm with Violet and two guys," I went on, deciding that I had nothing left to lose. "So, maybe Mom and Dad were right to kick me out. Fuck if I know, but the four of us have something, and it's working, and I don't give a shit if anyone else likes it."
"Good," John said - and he sounded like he honestly believed it. "I'm... damn. Wow, Luke. I don't know what to say. I mean, ‘I'm happy for you’ sounds lame as shit. Fuck Mom and Dad, though. I mean, they fucking kicked you out for having the kid and doing the right thing? That's... They seriously made me think it was because you'd made Meredith abort the baby or something. Not that I have a problem with that, but you know how Mom gets about those things."
"No, my daughter's the best thing I ever did," I assured him. "Shit, John. Faith's perfect. I just told her about all this stuff - I mean, me with guys - and she's cool with it. I was braced for the worst, but my little girl? She's brilliant and generous and pretty much the best kid I've ever met."
"Sounds like she took after you," John said, turning to lean against the railing. "I'm still stuck on you dating the supermodel, though."
"Yeah, um, do you know who Ashton Walker is? He owns the company Violet works for, Risqué."
John bobbed his head. "I know the company." Then he looked over quickly. "Wait, he was a model too, right? Like some perfume or underwear type of thing?"
"Yeah," I agreed. "He's the one hosting the show tonight. He grew up here. So did the other guy, Cy, but he's a mental health doctor."
"And they're..." John made a face. "Your boyfriends?" he tried. "Is that the right word?"
"Yep, boyfriends," I agreed. "One girlfriend and two boyfriends, plus the daughter and a real job. It's absolutely crazy, but I'm helping get this place ready to open up again. I mostly just cut hay and deal with the farming stuff, but it's a step up for me."
"What were you doing?" John asked. "I mean, I thought you would've moved a long-ass time ago. You always wanted out of this town, to go to college, and all that. Since I didn't know about Faith, it never once occurred to me that you'd stayed." He pressed his lips together and nodded his head a few times. "Luke, I was so fucking pissed at you. I'm sorry, but I was. I fucking hated you for leaving me behind like that."
"I didn't want to," I told him. "Fuck, John. They said I was dead to them. They told me not to come back until I'd learned a thing or two and married that girl. I lived in my truck behind the gas station for a few days - until Vera found me. I was out here drowning, and my entire family was just gone. All I had was Faith, so I made sure I became the kind of father I wished I'd had."
"Any way I can meet her?" John asked. "I mean, I was just going to drop Sadie off and come pick her up when she's done, but it's not like I have anywhere else to be. Just not really an underwear party kinda guy."
"Me either," I assured him, "but yeah. Move your damn weak-ass mini-truck out of the way so people can turn around, then I'll let you meet your niece."
The strangest look took over my little brother's face. "Shit. I have a niece. Damn, Luke." Then he stepped in and just hugged me. "I have fucking missed you so damned much. I don't care if Mom and Dad approve. Now that I've found you, I'm going to become the biggest pain in your ass. Shit, Sadie works right up the road, so I'm in Cats Peak at least once a week." He leaned back and stammered for a moment. "I mean, if you're ok with that?"
All I could do was nod, because this was the last thing I'd expected to happen tonight. "Yeah, John. I'd love it. Now go move your damned truck before I start getting all emotional and shit."
Chapter Forty-Six
Iwas sitting at the little bench Faith used in front of her makeup mirror. After the scene her mother had made, the girl was naturally upset, but this was anger and shame, not trauma. Zeke sat on the bed beside her, gently rubbing Faith's back. At first glance, it was the sort of gesture that most people would think was meant to be comforting. I got the impression the boy was mostly praising her for speaking out.
Because these two kids worked well together. When one stepped up, the other stepped back - but they took turns with that. There was true affection between the pair of them, and it was the perfect thing for their age. If I had to guess, I would say that Faith had been helping Zeke as much as he had been helping her.
"Your mother is only doing these things because she hopes it will bring you back to her," I explained. "It's really hard to go from being the most important person in someone's life to a lesser position. Your mom used to be the one who took care of you, and who you turned to for everything. At least she thought she was. Now, you can go weeks without talking to her. You don't call her the way you always called your dad. I'm sure she's feeling like she's been replaced. It's possible she's worried that you don't love her anymore."
"But trying to embarrass me is not the way to make me love her," Faith insisted.
"No, it's not," Zeke agreed.
I nodded at them both, pausing when I heard feet in the hallway, then answered anyway. "You're both right, but that doesn't mean Meredith understands that. From her side of things, I'm sure she has a very different perspective. Just keep that in mind when -"
A tap at the open door made all of us look over. Luke was standing there with another man, and one I didn't recognize. He was about an inch taller than Luke, but not quite as broad. The problem was that he was cute and my boyfriend was standing just a little close. A moment of jealousy washed over me, but I pushed it down. I knew that Luke wouldn't do anything like that. Especially not tonight with so many people in the house.
"This looks serious," Luke said, jerking his chin at me. "Everything okay?"
"Oh, I was just making sure that Faith wasn't too mortified after her mother's visit," I explained, flicking my eyes over to his new little friend. "Who's this?"
Luke dropped his hand on the man's shoulder. "This is my little brother, John." Then he pointed at Faith. "That's my daughter, Faith. The young man sitting beside her is her best friend, Zeke." Finally Luke gestured at me. "And that's my boyfriend, Cy."
"So what color are you?" Faith asked.
I waved her down. "No, that's your real uncle, Faith, not a Southwind uncle." Then I looked at John. "I'm curious how you ended up here tonight, of all nights. Gonna make a wild guess that you're not a bra and panties kinda guy."
"My girlfriend wanted to come to this lingerie party," John explained. "The last thing I expected was to see my brother standing on the porch. I never would've thought he was still living in this town." Then he smiled at the kids. "And I didn't realize I had a niece."
