A Splash of Vanilla (Three Sisters Catering Book 3)

by Bethany Lopez

  “With what?” I asked, pausing from putting the cabinets on what would hopefully be my mom’s new kitchenette. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, Millie and I are turning thirty this month,” she said, talking with her hands like she only did when she was excited.

  “Yeah, I remember when your birthday is, babe,” I replied with a smile.

  “You know the date, but I don’t think you realize how much I like to celebrate my birthday. This isn’t just any birthday, it’s a big one. Plus, last year Millie and I had separate birthday celebrations, but this year we are back together, just as it should be. So, we have to go big,” Dru said, her eyes widening to alarming proportions. “And, Mick, I’m not only talking about a party . . . I’m talking about the party. And I don’t just celebrate my birthday, but I celebrate my birthday month.”

  “Oh boy,” I muttered, running my hand over my head.

  Does that mean I’m supposed to get her presents every day of the month?

  “Don’t make that face,” Dru said with a laugh. “I know what you’re thinking. You don’t have to do anything but be there for me on my birthday and come to the party.”

  “What about the rest of the month?” I asked, fearing the worst.

  “It’s no biggie, I just like to do little things for myself throughout the month, like get a massage, or take a day off and go to the lake. Stuff like that. I mean, if you want to throw some role playing, or kinky sex my way for my birthday month, I wouldn’t say no.”

  “Really?” I asked, getting excited about this birthday month thing.

  “Mmmm-hmmm,” she said with a coy smile.

  “Okay, well, if you need anything from me for the party, just let me know, but of course I’ll be there. Where’s it gonna be? Here? The bar?”

  Dru rolled her eyes and I knew I was way off base.

  “No, we’re going to rent out the banquet room at The Hilton. Millie and I decided on an 80s theme, so all I need you to do is come up with a costume for yourself, we’ll handle everything else.”

  “I can do that,” I said, thinking of the old Def Leppard T-shirt I had stashed away in one of my drawers.

  Seemed easy enough.

  I watched her as she talked excitedly about her birthday, so beautiful and giving. In truth, Dru didn’t ask for much, instead giving all of herself without expecting anything in return.

  We’d been together over six months now, which may not seem like long to some, but when you were in your late thirties, like me, and you’d been around the block a few times, you recognized treasure when you found it.

  And Dru was the treasure I’d been hunting for all my life.

  Thinking the timing was right, I put down my tools, brushed the dust off my jeans, and walked over to where she was still happily talking about mix tapes, scrunchies, and neon clothes.

  “Dru,” I said softly.

  She stopped talking and looked up on me, a residual smile on her face from her party planning.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s officially your birthday month now, right?”

  Dru nodded.

  I stopped in front of her and took her hands in mine.

  “Move in with me,” I said simply, looking into her eyes as they widened.

  “What?” she gasped.

  I clenched her hands in mine and grinned down at her.

  “For your first birthday month gift, I think you should move in with me.”

  “That’s not really how the birthday month works,” she managed, biting her lip. “Are you serious?”

  “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. We’ll pack up your things and move you in this weekend. You can do whatever you want to the house . . . throw pillows, fuzzy blankets, plants . . . anything. Part of your birthday month celebration can include decorating our house. What do you say?”

  Dru squealed and jumped up and down three times before pulling her hands from mine and wrapping them around my neck.

  “Yes, yes, yes! I would love to move in with you.”

  We kissed, both of us smiling so hard that our lips barely touched.

  “Ma’s gonna be ecstatic,” I told her. “She’s already making wedding plans.”

  “I know,” Dru replied with a chuckle. “Last time I was at her place, she randomly had bride magazines on her coffee table.”

  “Hmmm, subtle,” I joked.

  “If there’s one thing your mother is not, it’s subtle.”

  “That is true.”

  “Maybe my moving in will be in the plus column for her accepting this apartment,” Dru said, looking around at the space that I was almost done working on.

  “I doubt it. She’ll probably argue that we need alone time, not her living under the same roof,” I said, knowing the way my ma’s brain worked.

  “Don’t worry,” Dru said. “We’ll convince her. Between the two of us, we’re bound to wear her down.”

  Dru

  “GOSH, I’M NERVOUS . . . WHY AM I so nervous?”

  I was pacing across Jericho and Tasha’s living room, practically wearing a hole in their carpet.

  “It’s going to be fine, they’ll love you,” Millie assured me.

  She was busying herself with food and refreshments, and I knew she’d already checked those canapes three times, so she wasn’t fooling anyone. She was just as nervous about meeting our brothers as I was.

  We were all there, with me, Millie, and Tasha waiting in the living room, while Mick, Jackson, and Jericho were hanging out on the back porch.

  We’d decided to give the brothers a chance to meet us first, then bring in the guys once they were comfortable, so as not to overwhelm them on our first meeting.

  “You’re both making me nervous, come sit down,” Tasha said, one hand on her protruding belly, and the other on the seat next to her.

  I was about to join her when the doorbell rang.

  “They’re here!” I cried, freezing in place.

  “Well, go let them in,” Tasha said, shifting uncomfortably. “This is what you’ve been waiting for.”

  “Right,” I replied, spinning on my heel and hurrying to the door.

  I opened it to see three tall, good-looking young men who had our father’s eyes and varying shades of brown hair.

  “Hi, I’m Dru, welcome and please come in.”

  I cringed at how mechanical I sounded. I planned parties for a living for crying out loud, I should have no problem talking to people.

  Except, these weren’t just people, they were the brothers I never knew I had.

  I stood back while they walked inside. Brody was the last one in, and he totally put me at ease when he stopped and hugged me quickly.

  “Hi, Dru, thanks for inviting us to come over,” he said with his sweet, lopsided grin.

  “Thanks for coming, Brody. I’m a little nervous,” I admitted softly.

  “Me too . . . we all are. We must have tried on fifty different shirts between us,” Brody whispered back.

  I smiled at him and closed the door as I followed them into the living room where Millie and Tasha were introducing themselves.

  “I’m Ridge, and this is Wes and Brody,” the tallest, and I assumed oldest, brother was saying.

  “We’re so happy you could come, are you hungry? Care for a drink?” Millie asked, taking Ridge toward the small buffet she’d set up.

  “How far along are you, Natasha?” Wes, the middle brother, asked.

  “Please, call me Tasha. I’m just over six months,” she replied, rubbing her belly lovingly.

  “Cool,” Brody said. “I’ve always wanted to be an uncle.”

  Tasha’s face brightened and I knew she hadn’t thought of that yet.

  “Well, you’re in luck, cause you’re about to be.”

  “I can’t tell you how shocked we were when Brody told us that he’d found out we had older sisters. I can’t believe our father kept that from us, although I really shouldn’t be surprised by anything he does any more,
” Ridge said, his tone conveying his anger when he mentioned our dad.

  “I’m sorry they decided to keep it from us, I would have loved the chance to know you growing up, but, as I’m sure you know, after our dad left us, he never looked back.” Millie’s eyes filled as she spoke. “Sorry.”

  “You don’t have to apologize,” Ridge said. “Our dad is a dick, always had been, always will be. I’m glad my mom’s finally getting shot of him, even though she’s not much better. From what I hear, you guys at least lucked out in the mom department.”

  “Yeah, we really did,” Tasha said with a wistful smile. “I’m sorry you didn’t at least have that.”

  “At least we’ll have each other, right?” Brody said, all wide-eyed and optimistic. “I’m thinking this house probably looks pretty badass for Christmas.”

  “Brody,” Wes chided, as if Brody was going too far by inviting himself to come back.

  “He’s fine, Wes,” I assured him. “Honestly, we’re happy to have you back anytime you want to come. Holidays, breaks, the weekend, whenever you want to visit. You’re family, and you’re always welcome.”

  “Thanks,” Ridge said, popping a jalapeno popper into his mouth. “Wes and I are at U of M, and Brody will be joining us in the fall, so we don’t get a lot of time off, but thanks for the invite.”

  “It’s open-ended,” Millie replied, shooting me a look that said, Ridge would be the tough nut to crack.

  “If you guys don’t mind, our husbands and my boyfriend are here and would love to meet you as well. Then we can all sit down and eat,” I said, trying to read their expressions to see how things were going.

  “Yeah, I’d like to meet ‘em. Mick’s your boyfriend, right, Dru? The PI our mom hired?” Wes asked, surprising me a little.

  “Uh, yeah, I didn’t know she’d told you about that.”

  “My mom tells me everything.”

  “Yeah, he’s the favorite,” Brody said with a grin.

  “Shut up, Brody,” was Wes’s reply.

  I could hear Brody’s big laugh as I went out to grab the men.

  “Hey, you can come in now,” I said, then looked around and saw they were doing just fine, chilling with whiskey and cigars out on the patio.

  “Okay, we’ll be right in,” Mick replied, before taking a puff off of his cigar.

  Mick

  EVERYWHERE I LOOKED THERE WERE leg warmers, lace gloves, and big, ratted-out hair dos.

  Toto played over the speaker and everyone looked to be having the time of their lives.

  The sisters had really outdone themselves for the twins’ birthday, turning this banquet room into a time machine and taking us all back to the eighties.

  I had on my regular jeans and Def Leppard T-shirt, and that was as far as my costume went, but some of the guests had gone all out. From my vantage point by the open bar, I could see a Michael Jackson, Prince, Bon Jovi, and what someone had described as Rainbow Bright.

  Dru was dressed up as Like a Virgin, Madonna, and had been working the room ever since we’d arrived.

  She was laughing at something that Brody said, her face lit up with happiness. It was a good look on her, and one that I hoped I’d see often throughout our lives.

  Jackson and Millie, who were dressed as Mork and Mindy, were dancing their way across the floor. I chuckled as I watched Jackson try to Moonwalk, then took the old fashioned the bartender had just finished over to where Ma was sitting.

  She was dressed just like she normally was, and when I commented on her not wearing a costume, she’d replied, “I’m one of the Golden Girls.”

  “Here you go,” I said, placing the cocktail in front of Ma and a bottle of water in front of Tasha, who was also dressed in her regular clothes.

  “I’m a pregnant TV mom, take your pick,” she’d said wryly, clearly not feeling up to the festivities.

  “Gah, this baby won’t stop playing soccer with my bladder,” Tasha complained, pushing herself up to standing, then heading to the bathroom. Again.

  “That sucks,” I said as I sat next to Ma.

  “What?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink and nodding in approval.

  “Being pregnant. Tash is miserable.”

  Ma waved her hand.

  “It’ll pass. Pregnancy has its ups and downs, but the payoff is huge. You’ll see,” she said, giving me the side eye.

  “One step at a time, Ma. Dru just moved in.”

  “I mean, better to live as husband and wife than to live in sin, but who am I to judge?” Ma replied, and I knew she didn’t really care about Dru and I living together without being married, she just really wanted us to get married and start a family.

  I understood. Having me later in life meant she wasn’t getting any younger, and she wanted to be around for as much of her grandchildren’s life as she could.

  Which was only one of the reasons why I was planning something big for Dru’s birthday present.

  “Need anything to eat?” I asked as I stood up, intent on the buffet.

  “Some of those meatballs and little egg roll things.”

  “You got it.”

  On my way to the food, I saw Miami Vice, aka, Jericho and Hector, surveying the food and Millie mixing something in a big punch bowl. I took a detour to her.

  “You and Jackson sure know how to cut a rug,” I said with a grin.

  Millie laughed prettily, and I moved to kiss her on the cheek.

  “Happy birthday,” I said, pulling a small box out of my pocket that contained a necklace with a rose gold whisk-shaped pendant.

  “Oh, Mick, you shouldn’t have,” Millie said, taking the box and opening the lid. “Oh, wow, it’s beautiful. Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said, then, embarrassed by the emotion I was feeling I asked, “What are you making?”

  “Eggnog,” she said, taking the necklace out of the box and placing it around her neck, then turning slightly so I could clasp the back.

  “Eggnog, it’s not Christmas.”

  Millie patted the necklace with a small smile on her lips, then said, “I know it’s not Christmas, obviously, but it is my birthday, and I love eggnog, so, why not?”

  “I’ve never been much of a fan,” I admitted.

  “That’s because you’ve never tried mine. Here . . .”

  “Hey, big stud,” Dru said, coming up next to me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

  “Hey, birthday girl.”

  I took the cup Millie offered and took a sip.

  “Huh, it doesn’t taste all thick and sweet like that stuff you get at the grocery store,” I commented, taking another sip.

  It was creamy, slightly sweet, with a kick. I liked it.

  “That’s the vanilla,” Dru said, grinning at her sister as she filled her own cup.

  “Vanilla? I thought whiskey was the secret ingredient to eggnog,” I joked.

  “Oh, there’s whiskey in there too, but I’ve found that a splash of vanilla elevates the eggnog from a perfectly good drink to an excellent one.”

  “Nice,” I said, surprising myself by finishing the cup. “I’ll have to have Ma try this, she’ll love it.”

  “I’ll take her some,” Millie offered.

  “I’m grabbing her some meatballs and spring rolls anyways, so . . .”

  “On it,” Millie countered, walking away to fix my ma a plate.

  “I didn’t know she was so bossy,” I told Dru, who was grinning up at me.

  “I think being Kayla’s mom has helped with that.”

  “Dance with me,” I murmured.

  When she beamed at me and nodded, I took her hand and led her to the center of the floor.

  We danced to some horrible eighties song that had me yearning for a little Pink Floyd, but I blocked it out and focused on the woman in my arms. Scanning the room, I saw that everyone was there, including all of Dru’s brothers, so I stopped dancing and took both of her hands in mine.

  “Why’d you stop?” she asked, m
eeting my eyes.

  “Dru, Druscilla,” I began, fighting to keep the emotion out of my voice. “You came crashing into my life like a jackhammer, and while I stuck to my code of not dating clients, you waited patiently until you could bust down my walls and sneak inside. You’re the balance that I needed in my life. The light to my dark. The Madonna to my Bob Dylan. You’re the splash of vanilla I didn’t know I needed to make my content life exceptional.”

  I paused and got down on one knee, releasing her right hand to pull the other jewelry box out of my pocket.

  I looked up to see Dru staring down at me, tears streaming down her face with an expression of wonder.

  “Dru, will you make me the luckiest man alive and marry me?”

  She mouthed the word yes, but no sound came out.

  That’s good enough for me.

  I slid the ring on her finger and stood, taking her in my arms as she found her voice and shouted, “Yes!”

  The room erupted in cheers as I hugged her and spun in a circle.

  I searched out Ma, found her crying and laughing with Millie and Tasha, and closed my eyes as I hugged my bride to be.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you, too,” Dru replied, cupping my face with her hands. “I’m gonna be the best wife ever.”

  “All I need you to be, is you.”

  Dru

  “I AM SO HUNGRY, I could eat three cheeseburgers, but my belly feels so full of baby that I can’t imagine trying to fit anything else in there . . . It’s the weirdest feeling”

  Tasha was in her last few weeks of pregnancy and had reached the get it out stage.

  We were at a barbecue at Tasha and Jericho’s house. Millie and I had come early to cook and help get everything ready, so Tasha didn’t have to. She wanted to stay close to home, so we brought the party to her.

  She was sitting in her rocking chair on the porch, holding court while we all buzzed around her.

  Our brothers couldn’t make it down, since they all had school, but we kept in contact with messages and social media. The whole gang was here though, as we celebrated Tasha and Jericho’s last few days of freedom, before their lives were taken over by the new baby.