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Her dark eyes widen, and she drops the glass in her hand. It shatters against the wood, hurling glass everywhere. “Either I’m too sleep-deprived from that baby trying to eat every piece of lint off the floor or—”
I wrinkle my nose. “I’m really here.”
“You dirty bitch!” she squeals, running toward me. Her arms fly around me as we laugh, hugging each other. “God damnit, River West. You bitch,” she cries into my shoulder, snotting everywhere. But I don’t give a shit. “If I had known you were coming, I would have laid out the red carpet.”
“No, you wouldn’t have,” I choke, clutching her tight.
“You’re right!” she cries, sniffling on my shoulder. “But I would have at least cleaned my house. Alma and Anni have flipped my damn house upside down.” Sniffling, she pulls away, clapping a hand on my cheek. “But I’ve missed you and—” Her brows furrow. “What are you doing here? Last time we talked to you—” Her eyes widen on Asher, who awkwardly stands beside Korrine, softly talking to her and Lyric.
“Um, yeah,” I say, clearing my throat.
“Yo, Ricky!” she shouts her husband’s name. “Grab the gun. We’ve got a snake to fill with pellets!”
“Um, maybe I should just wait in the car,” Asher says, gesturing toward the SUV with horror lining his face. If he thought meeting Korrine was terrible, he’s now facing the wrath of my best friend, who openly glares at him with hostility.
“Oh, no, you won’t. You and I are going to enjoy some sweet tea on the porch.” I suppress my snort when Korrine gives him aI’m not taking no for an answerlook.
“Oh, shit. She’s breaking out the sweet tea,” Ode hisses, pulling on my arm. “We better get before she breaks out the vanilla wafers and wants to have the sex talk again.” Ode snickers under her breath when Korrine side-eyes us with a knowing smirk.
Yeah. I don’t want to have that talk again.
“Y’all go inside. Asher and I will sit out here and enjoy the sun and conversation.” Asher’s eyes scream for help, silently begging me not to leave him in the clutches of Korrine.
“Okay. Have fun,” I snort when Asher swallows hard, sitting beside Korrine in a second rocking chair.
“All right, you’re coming with me. We’ve got lots of tea to devour ourselves.” Ode grins at me, pulling me along. “Come inside, Lyric, my love! Alma would love to play!”
“Okay, Auntie Ode,” she says, hopping off Korrine’s lap and running inside without looking back.
“Is he going to be okay?” I murmur as she pulls me through the large living room littered with toys. The TV screams, but not over the squeals of Lyric and Alma, Ode’s three-year-old daughter and Ly’s long-distance best friend, hugging amid chaos.
“Bitch, please. Mama is going to eat him alive. Maybe he’ll be a changed man by the time she’s done with him. Converted and everything,” she snorts, plopping my ass in front of the dining room table. “Now, how about some drinks?” she asks, setting down a large bottle of tequila in front of me.
“Ew. Why tequila? And it’s only like eleven.”
“Pfft. Bitch, this is the only alcohol that makes you talk. And it’s five o’clock somewhere. Now, explain why douchebag number one is sitting on my porch like a domesticated dog,” she says, pouring a tall shot of tequila.
“No lime? Salt?”
“No fucking lime for you, Missy. Take your shot and tell your bestie everything,” she demands, pointing to the shot with her brow raised.
“Fine,” I grimace, tossing back the shot. “Jesus,” I croak through the burning sensation tingling down my throat.
“Out with it!” Ode says, pouring another shot. “I need all the dirty deets.”
So, I tell her everything that’s happened since we last spoke on the phone, starting with the fights, the revelations, and everything in between. I’ve texted her updates here and there in our daily messages but being in her presence hits differently.
“I just…don’t know how I feel about it, Ode. I’m so fucking conflicted about everything,” I murmur at the last of it, drowning myself in another shot of tequila.
“Wow,” Ode says, drinking a shot, too.
“Yeah…”
“So, they volunteered to follow you here to protect you and Lyric. They’ve stepped up.”
“Massively. Asher makes her breakfast every morning, even before all this. He wants to be her father. Rad’s teaching her the drums. Callum tries to read to her every night. And Kieran is bonding with her like he never left her side. They’re all trying as dads and—” I look out the window, examining the bright blue, cloudless sky as I gather my thoughts.
“And with you?” she asks, pouring two more shots for each of us.
