When he finished, Esperanza shook her head. “Something isn’t right here.”

“I know, right?”

“And tomorrow you meet with the boy you rescued?”

“We hope.”

“Big Cyndi and I can help with this, you know.”

“I can handle it. You two are busy.”

“Don’t do that, Myron.”

“Don’t do what? You have a business to run.”

“A business I run. Big Chief Mama and Little Pocahontas get rotated in and out of the lineup. We can be free anytime you need us.” Esperanza leaned forward. “This is Win’s cousin. I want to be a part of it. So will Big Cyndi. Don’t shut us out.”

Myron nodded. “Okay.” Then: “Where’s Hector, by the way?”

Her face darkened. When she spoke again, the words came out in an angry spit. “He’s with his father.”

“Oh. I take it from your tone that the custody battle is not going well.”

“Tom has an in with the judge. A golfing buddy, believe it or not.”

“You can’t get a venue change?”

“My attorney says no. Guess what Tom’s claiming.”

“What?”

“I lead a”—Esperanza made quote marks with her fingers—“‘prurient’ lifestyle.”

“Because you’re a wrestler?”

“Because I’m bisexual.”

Myron frowned. “For real?”

“Yep.”

“But bisexuality is so mainstream now.”

“I know,” Esperanza said.

“Practically a cliché.”

“Tell me about it. I feel so passé.”

She turned away.

“So it’s bad?”

“I may lose him, Myron. You know Tom. He is one of those master-of-the-universe, take-no-prisoner types. It isn’t about what’s right or wrong or the truth. It’s all about winning. It’s all about beating me no matter what the cost.”

“Anything I can do?”

“Answer one question.”

“What?”

“You knew he was a twat waffle, didn’t you?”

Myron didn’t reply.

“So how did you let me marry him?”

“I didn’t think it was my business to interfere,” Myron said.

“Whose business was it, then?”

Boom. Drop the mic. Esperanza just stared at him for a second. She had no family. She had only Myron and Win and Big Cyndi.

“Would you have listened to me?” Myron asked.

“No more than you listened to me when I told you how awful Jessica was.”

“I eventually saw the light.”

“Oh yes, you saw the light. Right after she dumped you and married another man.” Esperanza held up her hand. “Sorry, that was stupid. I’m just pissed off.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Besides, now you have Terese.”

“And you approve of her.”

“I love her. If I could get her to switch sides, I’d steal her from you.”

“Flattering,” Myron said.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“If Win is back, does this mean I’m not your best man anymore?”

“You never were,” Myron said. “It’s the ‘man’ part that gives him the edge.”

“Sexist.”

“But Terese and I wanted to ask you something.”

“What?”

“We want you to officiate the ceremony.”

Esperanza didn’t often look stunned. She did now. “Really?”

“Yeah. You have to get ordained online or something, but we really want you to be the one who marries us.”