Page 102 of The Wright Man

Bella took one step inside, wrinkled her nose, and said,

"It smells like testosterone and missed child support payments. Boyd and Theo must be here."

I choked on a laugh. Theo didn't.

“My child support is current, for your information,” he said, clearly offended. “How ‘bout you find out for yourself? Give me one night with your lil slim thick a—"

"You couldn't handle a yoga mat, let alone me. Drink your beer and grow a personality," Bella said, before he could even fully form his next sentence.

Boyd attempted a comeback in Tina's direction, but she shut it down before he even got the words out.

"Don't even try it, Junior," she said, tossing her robe on a hook. "You could never ride this ride."

Gavin tried to jump in. "Hey, Tina, Bella—good to see y'all."

They both looked him dead in the face and said absolutely nothing. If looks could kill, he'd be a chalk outline.

I smiled.

We set up in the open dining area, unpacking our feast like queens. Chicken tikka masala. Saag paneer. Basmati rice. Buttered naan. Tamarind chutney. Heaven in paper containers. We spread out the food, popped open the wine, and got to work like the boys weren't even there.

Of course, they hovered. Like underfed, uninvited gremlins.

They sniffed around the table, trying to see if they could get a plate, because Gavin had invited them with no food and no plan and hoped they'd just live off vibes and Coors Light.

"Back the fuck up," I said sweetly, scooping rice onto my plate. "This food is for people with vaginas."

Theo clutched his chest dramatically. "Damn, Angie! After all we been through?"

Boyd snorted. Theo kept going. "I was your first kiss!"

Gavin laughed too hard at that. Boyd doubled over, clapping his knees like he was in a BET sitcom.

I didn't flinch.

"You did think you were my first kiss, didn't you?" I said.

Bella cackled. Tina fell out into a chair. Gavin wasn't laughing anymore.

We ate. We talked shit. We laughed until we couldn't breathe, doing exactly what we planned to do. The three stooges tried to throw jabs, but we were faster, sharper. They didn't stand a chance.

Every one-liner we tossed back was a dagger wrapped in glitter. And I was loving it.

Eventually, Boyd turned to Gavin and said, "Yo, bruh... you might wanna rein in your wife. She's starting to sound like she used to. Before you tamed her."

The three of us froze mid-bite.

Tamed?

Tamed.

Okay.

I wiped my mouth slowly with a napkin, savoring the moment. Then I turned to my girls.

"Tee. Bells. Come here."

They stood up immediately.