Page 40 of Colt
“But he was saying bad stuff. I couldn’t just let him.”
“I know. Sometimes protecting the people you love means getting your hands dirty.” I pulled to a stop at a red light and turned to face him fully. “But here’s the thing, Luca. If you’re always fighting, you can’t always be there to protect her. You get suspended, you get expelled, you end up somewhere you can’t help her at all. You gotta be smart about it.”
Luca chewed on his lower lip, processing this. “So what should I have done?”
“Honestly? Walked away. Found a teacher. Let the adults handle it.” I shrugged. “Would that have felt as good as punching him? Hell no. But you wouldn’t be suspended, and Tyler would be the one who got in trouble for bullying.”
“That’s dumb.”
“Yeah, sometimes doing the right thing feels dumb.” The light turned green and I eased forward. “But it’s still the right thing.”
We drove in silence for a few more blocks. Then, quietly, Luca said, “You get it.”
I glanced at him. “Get what?”
“Why I had to do something. Everyone else would just tell me hitting is wrong.” He paused. “But you understand why I couldn’t just stand there.”
“I do.” My voice came out rough. “Doesn’t mean I want you fighting. But yeah, kid. I get it.”
Luca was quiet for another long moment. “That kid you punched. The one who talked about your mom. Did he ever do it again?”
“No.” I smiled. “Never said another word to me.”
Luca nodded slowly, pleased. “Good.”
When we got to Betty’s house, Lilac’s car was already in the driveway.
She came out onto the porch as I pulled in, her face tight with worry. Luca climbed out of the truck and ran to her, burying his face in her stomach as she wrapped her arms around him.
I hung back, giving them space.
After a moment, Lilac looked up at me. “Thank you for getting him.”
“Of course.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “He’s suspended for two days. The other kid was talking shit about you.”
Her face went pale, then flushed with anger. “What did he say?”
“Nothing worth repeating.” I met her eyes. “Luca defended your honor. Got a bruise for his trouble, but he gave better than he got.”
Lilac looked down at her son, smoothing his hair back from his forehead. “Baby, you didn’t have to—”
“Yes, I did.” Luca pulled back, his jaw set. “He was saying bad things about you. About you and—” He glanced at me. “I wasn’t going to let him.”
Lilac pulled Luca close again, but her eyes found mine over his head. “What did you say to him?” she asked quietly. “In the car?”
“That I understood why he did it, but he needs to be smarter about picking his battles if he wants to keep protecting the people he loves.”
She stared at me for a long moment, then she nodded once. “Thank you,” she said again. But this time, it sounded like she meant something more.
I nodded back and climbed into my truck.
But as I drove away, I caught Luca’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He was standing on the porch, watching me go.
And for the first time, he raised his hand in a small wave.
?
Two days later, I was out on Betty’s porch replacing a rotted board when a truck pulled into the driveway—a big silver Dodge with a bumper sticker that read MY KID IS AN HONOR STUDENT.
