"Sit still!" Nancy snapped at me. "Liam, is this how you intend to raise her?"
"She's just looking," Liam countered. "So yes, it really is."
Thankfully, the waitress finally showed up with our food. From the look on the girl's face, she could tell this little meeting was far from civil, so she was hurrying. I hadn't thought we'd been that obnoxious, but maybe the tension was just a littletootense?
Because people were watching. In the quick glance I'd gotten, I'd been able to see the restaurant wasn't full, but too many eyes kept turning our way. Ours, luckily – they weren't looking at the floor. They seemed more interested in the emphatic whispers that were just a little too loud or the way Liam and John were leaning at each other.
Yeah, it looked like a disagreement. Then again, it was. The Sparks would be mortified to think anyone in town would talk about this later, since they were the sort of people who cared about the opinions of others. Liam - whose last name was also Sparks, even if he was never a "Sparks" to me - would probably find it funny. At least I hoped he would.
I kinda did.
My shadow had just tried to choke out Mrs. Sparks? Yeah, there was some humor there, if I overlooked the shock and panic parts. My heart was still pounding a little too much, but whatever. Maybe my shadow was now like some representation of my inner darkness or something?
I had no clue, and I couldn't really ask now. I wanted to. I also knew better, and the one thing being a foster kid had taught me was that staying in my lane was always safest. So long as I acted like everything was fine, I wouldn't be the one getting in trouble or messing this up.
And today, I really wanted to make sure I got this right.
Chapter Two
RAIN
Somehow, we made it through lunch with the Sparks. It felt like it took forever, but there was something about the ordeal that reminded me of closing a book. This was an ending - and maybe even a new beginning? I wasn't sure, but it felt big, or maybe important? Necessary, that was the word I was looking for.
Even better, my shadow was a normal one again. No more shimmering or moving on its own. Yet just as we got back to his car, Liam's phone beeped. A press of his key fob unlocked the doors, so I slipped into the passenger seat while he pulled his phone from his pocket. Then, for a little too long, he just stood there. He didn't call anyone. I couldn't see him typing. The man simply stared at the screen.
"Liam?" I asked.
He let out a breathy laugh, then dropped down behind the wheel. "Bracken has news," he said before passing me his phone.
The moment I took it, he moved to close his door and put on his seatbelt. I saw that from the edge of my vision, but I was looking for the newest message. The conversation between these two was filled with the most disgustingly cute emojis. Hearts were everywhere. Green ones from Bracken and black ones from Liam. A few rainbows were mixed in the middle of the text - just on principle, it seemed - and there at the bottom was what he wanted me to see.
Bracken:
It's done. She's ours. WE HAVE OUR DAUGHTER!
Next came a line of excited emojis and balloons. Then there was a picture proclaiming, "It's a girl!"
Bracken:
Paperwork should be mailed whenever the govt. gets around to it. Her name is legally le Fae now too. Lorraine Brooks le Fae. It's real, baby. No one can take her from us now!!!
I was smiling at the screen. My teeth had clamped down on my lower lip, but my mouth was trying to smile around it. The crazy thing was how the text kept getting blurry. How could my eyes be watering if my lips wouldn't stop smiling? That shouldn't be possible.
I'd never had anyone want me like this before. I barely knew these two! I'd met Liam because of a fluke, and Bracken was supposed to merely be my teacher. There was no logical reason why they'd want me, of all people, and yet they did. There wouldn't be so many emojis otherwise. Never mind how cute it was that Bracken called Liam "baby." Yet seeing "daughter" on the screen hit me right in a place I hadn't expected: my heart.
"Rain?" Liam asked, reaching over to ease the phone from my hands. "You ok, kid?"
"So you're officially my dads now?" I had to fight to keep my voice from cracking.
"Sounds like," he said. "You still ok with this?"
I nodded quickly before he could try to apologize or something. "And it's legal, right? I mean, I know you used magic and all, but as far as the state cares, it's all legal? Permanent?"
"No take-backs," he assured me. "I'm pretty sure there was a little magical involvement, but I don't know what type yet, and it doesn't matter. You're stuck with us for the rest of your life. When I'm old, you and Brack will have to wipe my ass and put me in diapers or something."
"Eww!" I groaned, but it made the tears fade. "Liam!"
As if that was some kind of cue, he started the car. "And, since I'm legally your dad now, we're going to do something about your fashion sense, young lady. I have a reputation to uphold as a gay man or something. What do you think, maybe a few new outfits fornext semester?"
