"But do you think it's right?" I asked. "Would Bracken be ok with Zez? I mean, he's too pretty to have a normal term. He needs something to remind him he's old and should be grey - not looking like he's in his twenties."
"I am not complaining about how he looks," Liam teased. "I'm also pretty sure he'll be thrilled with anything you want to call him, even his name."
"Well, I kinda like Zez," I decided. "You're definitely stuck with 'Dad,' though. Sorry, Liam. I've been wanting one for a long time."
He surged up and wrapped his arms around me. "And I've wanted to be one, Rain. More than you can ever guess." He squeezed a bit harder and leaned back. "Now let's get you some good shoes and a whole lot more clothes so we can take your genius of a shadow home."
"I don't want to spend all my money," I muttered.
"Which is why I'm buying this," he assured me. "And there's no reason I can't get a few clothes or other things too."
"I don't want to spend your money either," I admitted. "I mean, it's just stuff, right? I don't exactlyneedit."
He just leaned back to look at my face. "This is our money - the whole family's. Brack and I have a joint bank account, and he's not a poor man. I'm not broke, even if I am a social worker. We're doing ok, Rain. Completely middle-class. That means he and I can buy our daughter clothes for her adoption day, right?"
Holy shit. He was right. Today was my official adoption day! Sure, a magical one, but that no longer seemed weird to me. With things like plants that enjoyed being petted, a shadow that had opinions, and a talking crow? How my adoption happened didn't matter as much as that it actually had.
I had a family now. A real one. A crazy one that didn't necessarily fit into most people's rules. One of my dads was human, the other was fae, and I was the friend of a wildling. If that didn't make this feel like it was meant to be, then I couldn't imagine what family I should be with. These two men wanted to be my dads. I wanted to be their kid. I'd probably change my mind the first time I got grounded,but still.
So I hugged him again. "Be careful what you wish for, Dad. Hasn't anyone warned you about teen girls and shopping?"
"And foster kids never have enough," he countered. "Shoes, Rain. If you're going to become a real Morrigan, then you're going to need footwear that will keep up. After that, a few more clothes, because you did not get nearly enough." He pointed at the stack of shoes and lifted a brow. "And your shadow will make sure you don't look at price tags today. We can set limits tomorrow, ok? This is all three of us celebrating."
My shadow jerked its thumb up in obvious agreement, which made me giggle.
"Deal," I relented, because if both my shadow and my dad were on the same side, this was definitely going to happen.
Plus, I'd already looked at the tag. I knew how much they cost, but I also really wanted these shoes.
Chapter Four
RAIN
When we got back to Silver Oaks, the place was a ghost town. Everyone who could go home for the winter holidays was long gone. That was just a bit less than half the school. Those who couldn't leave had been spending time in the lounge areas for their floor. Winter weather made even the atrium a little too cool to be comfortable. That worked out for me, though.
Loaded down with at least a dozen bags of clothes and stuff I'd bought myself, my arms were burning before I made it to the elevator on the girls' side of the dorms. Beneath me, my shadow was once again normal. Behind me, Liam had even more bags from the purchases he'd made. When I'd used up one whole gift card, Liam had taken over, but he was loving it. I now had an entire wardrobe suitable for "his daughter," he said.
Together, we rode up the elevator to the fourth floor, but the moment we stepped off, we were busted. A snorted laugh came from the wrong direction, making me look over in time to see Ms. Rhodes closing the door to her own apartment. When my eyes landed on her, she turned to me and held her arms out.
"Please tell me there's no iron in there?" she asked.
"Just clothes," I assured her. "Dad decided my closet was embarrassing."
"Oh, we're to the 'Dad' stage already?" she teased, looking over at Liam to make it clear who that was pointed at.
"I do not need your help, Ivy," he grumbled.
She took a few bags from my arms. "Then I am not helping you. Lead on, Rain." After flashing me a smile, she fell back beside Liam - but didn't offer to help with any of his bags. "So, it's been sorted?"
"Brack sent me a text saying it's official. Paperwork should arrive in the next few weeks," he assured her.
"Congratulations," Ms. Rhodes beamed, and she sounded completely sincere.
"But I wanted to talk to you about a few things," Liam said, keeping his voice down. I was eavesdropping shamelessly. "Brack and I were thinking about moving back to one of the cottages at the end of the year. Also, it seems Rain's shadow has opinions."
"Opinions?" Ms. Rhodes asked.
"It pantomimes things, and not the things Rain is doing. Almost like it's got a mind and personality of its own. Is that a Morrigan thing?"
