"He's been amazing with them," I admitted softly. "J asked Dominic if they could call him Dad last week."
Cadence widened her eyes. "What did Dominic say?"
"He cried. Like, full-on tears in the kitchen. Then he said J could call him whatever they felt comfortable with, but he'd be honored."
Silence fell, warm and thick.
"Damn," Ro whispered. "You bitches are about to have me crying in this fancy mansion. Y’all know I be trying to be classy."
We laughed.
Matilda returned with the poppers, arranged artfully on a slate board with cooling crema drizzled in a pattern that probably had a French name.
"Eat," I urged, desperate to change the subject before I started crying too. My hormones had been insane lately—I'd cried at a diaper commercial yesterday. "And tell me—are we team Diego or team 'Simone should've kept her legs closed'?"
Cadence bit into a popper, chewed thoughtfully. "Okay, here's my thing. Diego was nineteen. Still a baby. But. . ." She paused for effect. "That boy had skills that suggested either a very attentive previous partner or access to some grade-A sexual education materials."
"He watched porn," Ro picked up a popper. "Good porn. The kind that teaches technique, not just jackhammering."
I nearly choked on my fake champagne. "Ro!"
"What? I'm just saying. . .the way Diego used his hands in chapter eight? That's research. That's a man who studied."
"Speaking of studying. . ." Cadence turned to me, eyes sparkling. "Tell Ro your news. You said you would do it at the meeting."
“Oh yes. Ro, you’ve been so busy sending the kids off to college and moving, I didn’t want to bother you.” I set down my glass, suddenly nervous. "So. . .Dominic convinced me to take a leave of absence from the firm."
“Bitch!” Ro set her martini down. "Why?"
"So. . .I can go back to law school." The words tumbled out fast. "He said I've been talking about wanting to finish my law degree since he met me, and now that we have the money and the stability, there's no reason not to. So I. . .enrolled last week. I start in January."
Silence.
Then Ro screamed so loud I jumped. "BITCH! LAW SCHOOL? You're going back to law school?!"
"I'm terrified," I shivered a little. "I haven't been a law student in years. What if I can't keep up? What if—"
"Stop." Cadence reached across the table to grab my hand. "You've wanted this forever. You're brilliant. You're going to kill it."
"And Dominic's taking care of everything else," Ro snapped her fingers. "The man literally gave you a mansion with a butler and staff. Let him handle the logistics while you focus on becoming the badass lawyer you werealwaysmeant to be."
My throat tightened. "You really think I can do it?"
"I know you can," Cadence bobbed her head. "And we'll be here the whole time. Study sessions. Coffee runs. Whatever you need."
"Damn right," Ro snapped her fingers again. "Though I draw the line at learning actual law. That shit looks boring as hell."
We laughed, and the tension in my chest eased.
"Okay, enough sappy shit." Ro wiped her eyes. "Let's talk about the real scandal of this book—the scene with the garden hose."
"Oh my God," Cadence shrieked. "Why would the author write that? Who thinks of that?"
I shrugged. "Someone who's been through a hot summer and wanted to cool off in a very specific way."
We all screamed with laughter.
Matilda reappeared with a silver tray balanced on one hand, the movement so smooth it looked choreographed. Crystal bowls shimmered, each filled with a pale green gazpacho so silken it resembled liquid jade.
