"So do it," Faith insisted. "Please, Dad? Besides, how cool is it that all of her husbands are taking the woman's name? It's always the other way around. And, I dunno, I think the people who run Southwind should always be Dawsons. Like, a tradition or something - and you're going to run Southwind."
"Are you sure?" Luke asked her. "Maybe you should take some time to think about it. I mean, with everything going on..."
Faith just hopped off the couch and turned around to face him. "I'm sure, Dad. Look, Zeke is Midnight. That means he's a Shade of Trouble now. It makes him like my brother, but the secret type. That's a family. It doesn't matter that our last names are different, so why does it matter if mine is different from yours? I just have one request."
"What's that?" he asked.
She started swinging her shoulders, twisting like she was having too much fun with this. "Don't make me be the flower girl, ok? I'm not five!"
"Then you will not be the flower girl," Luke promised. "But you can't say anything to Cy or Violet. They don't know."
"And," I said, deciding to drop my own news out there, "I got the rings yesterday. They're perfect, Luke."
"Can I see?" Faith asked.
"Only if you help us make this happen," I told her. "See, we want to ask them here, at Southwind. We want it to be a surprise. We also want to do it on a day that doesn't suck like this one."
She looked at me and made a point of rolling her eyes. "So ask them when Southwind opens. Hello, what better way to remember the anniversary, right?"
"Actually..." Luke said.
I was nodding. "I like it. We'll just need Faith to make sure those two are standing side by side at some point."
"I can do it," she promised. "You make sure that Zeke comes home and I'll do anything, ok?"
"I was going to take care of Zeke anyway," I assured her.
"I know," Faith admitted. "I was going to help you two anyway. See, I've been learning from my stepdad." Then the little brat turned and gestured to the offices first and the stairs next. "Hello. Rings?"
"My office," I told her. "Top drawer by the wall."
She ran off to see them, but Luke and I took just a little longer to get up. "So Zeke's really going to be ok?" he asked.
"Everything is going to be ok," I promised him. "It may not always be easy, Luke, but this man I really respect made me realize that easy shouldn't be the goal."
"Sometimes it means a little more when we work for it," he told me.
"So we'll just keep working until it's ok," I said. "Now let's go see these rings, soon to be co-husband."
Luke slipped his arm around my waist as we headed that way. "I kinda like the way that sounds."
"Yeah, like happily ever after," I agreed.
Epilogue
The January weather was bright, clear, and cold. I pulled on my coat and headed for the front door. Next to Cy, Faith was bouncing excitedly, trying to make us hurry. Her lilac coat was thick and puffy, made specially for her by Ash. While most teenagers would be sulking about the winter holidays ending, that girl was thrilled because tomorrow she officially started at a new school.
And today the new students arrived.
"Violet!" she groaned. "Comeon!We don't want to miss this."
"And it's freezing out there," I reminded her.
"It's fifty-two," Cy countered. "That's nothing close to freezing, Vi."
"Feels like it's freezing," I told him, but I did hurry.
In all honesty, I was as excited about this as Faith was. Our first students were arriving. Not Gran's students. Not Bea's. These wereours, and the first chance for us to prove that the magic that had been started here could continue for another generation. So when I tipped my head in approval, Faith wrenched open the front door and hurried out, daring us to keep up.
