"Dinner," she added when I grumbled back.
"What the..." I started as I moved into the main area, still half-asleep.
"Yeah, Teddy does it up," Ayanna agreed. "I never mind staying here. He spoils the hell out of us."
He did, too.
I mean it wasn't like he'd just ordered from one place. There was pizza, baked ziti, various Chinese food, Indian, sushi, and what looked like traditional diner fare—fries, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and burgers.
"He really does this whenever he has company?" I asked, looking over at the man as he paced in front of his floor-to-ceiling windows, talking on his phone.
I wanted to ask if he was talking to the guys, but I didn't want to be too pushy about it. I knew they were trying to purposely keep us in the dark.
"Just the girls," Harmon declared. "Teddy has a thing about women."
"Don't they all," I said, rolling my eyes.
"No, it's different. I can't explain it. I mean, yeah, just like all the others, he will happily take home random and enthusiastic women. But when it comes to the stay-around women like, well, us, he almost seems deeply invested in us."
"She's not wrong," Ayanna agreed, opening the tops on the Chinese food cartons. "When I opened my business, he rented out an entire club for a surprise party. He really pays attention and dotes. It's..." she started, taking a deep breath. "It's rare."
"He found out I wanted a garden at the clubhouse, and basically brow-beat Huck into doing it for me. I've always wanted to ask why he does so much for us, but I also get the feeling that he doesn't want to talk about it."
"Yeah, he has some sadness in him," Ayanna agreed. I barely knew the man, but somehow my heart ached for him at the idea.
"Alright. What show are you all subjecting me to over dinner?" Teddy asked, clapping and rubbing his hands together. "How To Get Away With Being The President's Mistress While Working A High Stakes Emergency Room Job As Well As Fighting Sexism And The Patriarchy While Wearing Heels And Eating Popcorn?"
"Don't forget drinking wine," Ayanna added, smirking.
"Ah, yes, how can I forget the wine?" Teddy asked, going up on a stool to make his own plate.
"I was thinking about..." Ayanna started, getting cut off by the banging of fists on the door.
"Where are my bitches at?" a female voice called, squashing the hope that had been swelling in my chest.
To that, Ayanna and Harmon shared a look, one they both turned to Teddy.
"What can I say? I wanted the whole crew back together," he said, smiling, as the girls rushed past the island to get to the door.
"I hope your liver is in good shape," Teddy declared, laughing at my confused look. "These girls haven't been together in ages. Harmon can't drink, so Gus will declare that the three of you drink enough for yourselves and her."
"And what about you and... Wes?"
"West," he clarified. "We are going to enjoy the show," he said, putting his plate down to go and greet his guests.
Huck's little sister had his blonde hair and strong jaw, but that was about where the similarities ended. Gus was shorter and seemed to have inherited all the extroversion in the family.
Beside her, West was a tall and fit guy with light hair and a myriad of tattoos.
"Oh, wait, I need to meet her," Gus announced, pointing over at me before making her way over. "You're the wife that no one knew about," she declared, smiling.
"That's me," I agreed. "Sass," I added.
"Well, aren't you exactly his type?" she said, shaking her head. "Now, the question is, was his type always that way, or is his type the way it is because of you? My money is on the latter."
"It wasn't like that between us," I insisted.
"Oh, please," she said, rolling her eyes. "We can talk about it over... all of this," she said, waving at the island. "Teddy, you always deliver," she praised, giving him a sweet, sisterly smile. "And for that, we will not subject you to some love story based show tonight. But we will make you sit through badass women handling the problems the men around her couldn't figure out. That's how we roll around here."
With that, the trio wandered off toward the living room, leaving me with Teddy and West.
"They're a lot," Teddy said, taking in my standoffishness. "You'll get used to it."
"I've never really had friends," I admitted, hemming and hawing what to put on my plate. "This all feels very new to me."
"You're a wheelwoman, right?" West asked, loading up his own plate. And I was struck with how comfortable and familiar he was, despite living in New Jersey since he was part of the mother chapter of the Henchmen. Either they visited often, or on the occasion when they did, they were simply welcomed as family, with no awkwardness at all.