The smell of buttered toast and scrambled eggs sizzling in a skillet, greet me when I wake.

Who's cooking in the kitchen?

Turning the corner from my bedroom to the kitchen, Troy's standing near the stove wearing my "Will Cook for Love" apron. I relax and take a seat at the breakfast counter. "Look at you trying to burn!"

He pours me a cup of coffee, adds three spoonfuls of oat milk caramel creamer and a dash of cinnamon.

"Still remember how I like my coffee?" I ask as I take a sip.

"You never change, remember?" Troy reminds me.

"Tried and true. What made you want to play chef today?"

He adds shredded cheddar cheese and folds it into the scrambled eggs. "You were out. Snoring like a whale on Ambien. One of us had to do it."

"You ass!" I smack his hand.

He takes a fork and grabs a fluffy, cheesy morsel. "Taste this."

"Hmm. What's that herb?"

He shakes his head. "My secret."

"My kitchen. So, there's only so many herbs it can be. I'll figure it out."

"Not with my help. Ready to eat?" He takes two ceramic mushroom-colored plates out the cabinet and dresses them with eggs, toast and a bit of parsley. He sits next to me at the breakfast bar.

"Looks delish." I say rubbing my belly.

"I know." Troy replies happily before digging in.

I sip on my coffee. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?"

"I'm trying my best to be fair. It's a tough position to be in."

"You're talking about Phoenix?" Troy asks knowingly.

"Yeah, see he spent last night with his soon-to-be-ex and their two kids. They have two daughters back home for the holidays from boarding school. He's telling me he needs time to break the news of the divorce to them."

"And you want to know if you can trust it?" Troy takes a sip of his orange juice. He cocks his head to the side and squints. "Well, it depends. Phoenix has a sketchy track record. Let's be honest. He's been caught in his fair share of lies. But after you dropped his ass, he came correct?" Troy waits for my confirmation.

I nod.

"OK, so he's a 'changed man,'" Troy puts it in air quotes. "You've seen that the divorce is actually going down?"

"Oh, yeah. It's been filed and there's a court date. He says he's trying to make it as smooth as possible. But I just find him doing more and more things that make me uncomfortable when it comes to Nora. It's like he's telling me he's getting away from her, while he's moving closer to her."

Troy takes a bite of toast and thinks for a moment. "The way you describe the situation, bruh's on a tightrope at a thousand feet high. The man has baggage and it sounds like he's trying to let it down easy. If his daughters don't know and he wants to tell them gently, let him. He seems genuine enough. Has he lied to you since you took him back?"

"No."

"Well, until he does, you got to give him that room. I wouldn't worry too hard. Just keep your eyes open, Ari. You've been through it with him, you can smell his lies now!" Troy laughs to himself. "Spend enough time with you, and you'll have a bruh's DNA sequenced down to the letter!"

I gasp. "Troy, that's not fair!"

"What?" He looks at me seriously. "That's just who you are, Ari. Nothing wrong with that."

"I guess." I shrug.

"And since you know me so well, why don't you hook a bruh up with one of your friends? Someone I don't know! I'm on the market."

"I'll keep my eyes open."

"Cool." Troy kisses me on the forehead. "Now let me clean this mess up." He takes my plate to the sink. "Told you I got you." He blows me a kiss from the sink.

What a guy.

"Someday, some girl is gonna be so lucky, Troy."

"Should've been you." He says under his breath as he rinses the plates in the sink.

"Another life, Troy. Another life."

"Not if Phoenix fucks this up!"

"NOT funny!" I laugh beside myself.

He laughs and backs up with his hands in the air. "Just kidding. Phoenix knows what's up. He'll do what it takes to keep you. I know he will. With all the shit he put you through, he's lucky, I'll tell you that."

*******************************

https://youtu.be/3Iyuym-Gci0

"So, it's done, now?" Penelope teeters on the edge of a smile.

"Not . . . exactly," I reply.

"I don't get it, why are you glowing, then?" she asks mirroring my glee.

"Because it's a step, a huge step, in the right direction." Mia answers for me.

"That's right, ladies. We're in uncharted territories." I peer over the edge of my coffee mug as I sip my caramel macchiato.

"So, when do we meet them?" Penelope asks. "I just love twins. They're fascinating to watch."

Mia stares at Penelope disapprovingly. "They're not some science experiment, Piña. They're two prepubescent girls. Tricky territory." Mia stirs cinnamon into her latte.

"And you would know. Hell, we all would. Been there before," I reply before turning to Penelope. "And you aren't meeting anyone just yet. I still haven't laid eyes on these girls. I'm just praying it's downhill from here."

"Remember those days? The-teenage-angst-me-against-the-world days?" Mia reminisces.

"—The-murder-you-for-that-compliment-I-thought-was-an-insult days?" Penelope laughs.

"The- wear-all-black-all-the-time-including-thick-black-eyeliner-and-black-lipstick days!" Mia throws her head back. "My emo days."

"The are-my-thighs-too-big-for-this-skirt? Even-though-everybody-claims-my-body-is-perfectly-fit days."

"The my-face-is-a-zit-filled-pizza-so-hide-me-from-my-crush days," I add, laughing like a wild hyena.

Mia doubles over. "Ohh, God! These poor girls!"

Smiling widely, Penelope raises her brow. "You got it cut out for you, chica."

"I mean, they sound sweet enough, let Phoenix tell it."

"Yeah, but he's their dad. They can do no wrong. I know a daddy's girl when I see one. And from the little you've told us, they sound like daddy's girls." Mia says.

"Daddy girls are a world of hurt when it comes to letting another woman in his life. I saw this one ID episode. The dad had just gotten a divorce and was dating. He met a woman, fell in love then decided to introduce his daughters to his new fiancée. Kinda like your situation, chica."

Mia and I exchange knowing glances of impending doom.

Penelope suddenly makes a cut-throat gesture. "They offed her! And then shot him! He almost didn't make it. The girls are in prison for life. Tried as adults. They were only 15 and 17. Lucky they didn't have the death penalty!"

"Geez! You're so fatalistic when it comes to Ari."

"Yeah, like all the time! What's up with that? You trying to freak me out?"

Penelope looks as if we caught her off guard and laughs. "No, it's just," she shakes her head. "I don't know! I just want you to be careful. These things can get messy."

I look down at my half empty mug. "I hear you."

"So dark, Piña."

"Hey, ID is my lifeline. You learn so much about people and their motivations. I'm telling you, chica."

"Still, that's way too intense." I laugh nervously.

"Right!" Mia laughs and pushes Penelope playfully.

Penelope smiles. "Alright, OK. I get it."

"Plus, that's what I got you two for. To watch my back and let me know if I'm going too far."

They both nod.

"So deets, sis." Mia tastes her latte before adding a few more dashes of cinnamon.

"Yeah, chica. Give us the blow by blow." Penelope cradles her cup comfortably, absorbing the heat from her caramel flan latte.

"Well, he called me today and let me know he had the 'The Talk' with his girls last night! Just like that. It felt like the flood waters came when he told me that. I couldn't believe it. I mean everything's been a drag, taking forever to get done. In my mind, this was one of the biggest obstacles."

"What do they think?" Mia asks.

"Well, that's just it. The way Phoenix describes it, 'The Talk' went well. He didn't go into detail over the phone, but we're meeting up later, so I'll find out then."

Mia shrugs. "So far so good, right?"

I nod optimistically.

*******************************************

Looks like Aria's finally getting her way. How do you think she's handled herself so far?