1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 x 8-inch pan. Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Add in cocoa powder, flour and baking powder. Pour and spread into greased pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
For the marshmallow layer:
4 ounces cream cheese
1 container whipped topping
4 cups marshmallow cream
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine all ingredients.
To build trifle:
1 box honey flavored Teddy Grahams
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup milk chocolate chips
In a trifle bowl, place half of the brownies broken apart in the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the marshmallow layer. Top with 1 cup of Teddy Grahams. Repeat layers again and top with chocolate chips, marshmallows and Teddy Grahams.
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Dinner Party Invitation
Dominic and Alecia
Alecia
I’m ready.
I’ve gone through my list fourteen times. Everything is as perfect as it’s going to get.
It’s an important night for my husband, and I want it to go off without a hitch.
I march into the kitchen of the vineyard, and my home, where my best friend and caterer extraordinaire, Blake, is working his magic.
“Hey,” he says when I walk into the room. “How’s it going? You look like Julie the cruise director with that clipboard.”
“This is my job, smart ass.” I flip him the bird, but Blake just laughs at me. “How’s it going in here? It smells amazing.”
“Of course it smells amazing. I’m cooking.” He points to the stove. “I have the chicken marsala simmering over there. The beef Wellington is in the oven, and the grilled flank steak is ready to go. I have fish tacos, too.”
“It’s a lot of protein,” I mutter, but he just shakes his head.
“I’m the boss of the kitchen, and I know what I’m doing. You have a freaking huge family, Alecia. And they don’t all eat the same things.”
“You’ve got me there.” I sigh and glance about, satisfied that Blake does in fact have everything under control. “They should be here soon, so I’m doing a final sweep through to make sure everything is good to go.”
“I’ve seen it outside,” Blake replies and wipes his hand on the white towel flung over his shoulder. “It looks amazing. I love what you did with the twinkle lights. The food is going to rock, of course.”
“Of course.”
“And this isn’t a party for a bunch of strangers, Leesh. This is your family, and they’re going to have an amazing time no matter what.”
“You’re right.” I nod and take a deep breath. “You’re totally right. I just want to make it special. Dom deserves it.”
“I’d say you’ve accomplished that. He’s going to love it, and you’ll have a great time.”
The doorbell rings, and the butterflies take up flight in my belly.
“It’s show time,” I say, take a deep breath, and leave my clipboard in the kitchen, in case I need it later.
“Well hello there, beautiful,” Steven Montgomery says when I open the door. He’s dressed in a coat and tie, and he wraps me up in a big hug.
“I know we’re a little early,” Gail says when it’s her turn for a hug. “But Steven’s excited for tonight.”
“I am, too,” I assure her. “You’re always welcome anytime.”
“How are you feeling, dear?” Gail takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. Two months ago, I would have broken down into tears, but I’ve healed a lot since the miscarriage earlier this year. No one but Gail and Steven knew that I’d been pregnant.
“I’m actually doing much better,” I reply honestly. “Thank you for asking.”
“Oh, I’m so glad,” Gail says with a smile. “Where’s Dominic?”
“He’s in his office. Feel free to wander out back, or anywhere really, and I’ll go find him. We have some bottles of wine open, and there are appetizers out for you as well.”
“We’ll make ourselves at home,” Steven assures me.
I love Dominic’s family. I didn’t know that I could fit into a group of people as seamlessly as I have this one. They’re diverse and funny, and they’ve welcomed me with open arms.
I wander up the stairs toward Dom’s office, and as I approach, I can hear his voice, so I pause outside the door.
“No, I haven’t told her.”
His voice is hard. I scowl and lean in, wanting to hear more.
“Don’t worry, I have this handled. It’s about time you got this figured out. It’s taken far too long.”
What the hell?
“Good. See that you do.”
He hangs up and walks out of his office, seeing me in the hallway. His face transforms into a happy smile.
“You have good timing.”
“I was just coming to find you,” I say. “Your parents just got here.”
“They can wait a moment.” He pins me against the wall and leans into me.
“Do not mess my hair,” I say sternly, but he just laughs. “I mean it, it took me forever to make it look like this.”
“You’re gorgeous no matter what you do. And I’m not going to get you alone again for a few hours, so I want a moment with you.”
When he says things like that, my whole body breaks out in goose bumps. How did I get so lucky that this is my husband?
“Well, how can I say no to that?”
His lips twitch before they land on mine. The kiss starts slow, easy, and then he sinks in and devours my mouth, his hands cupping my shoulders to hold me in place. Not that I plan to go anywhere.
He groans and shifts his stance, sliding one thigh between my legs, and I can’t help but rub against him, already throbbing for him.
“We don’t have time for this,” I murmur against his lips. Dominic is a world- class kisser. I don’t know how he does it, but every damn time he kisses me it feels like the first time.
It’s almost ridiculous.
“Later then,” he whispers, pressing soft kisses to each cheek. “Before we go down there, thank you Tesoro, for everything. You’ve worked hard for tonight, and it means the world to me.”
“You mean the world to me,” I reply. “And I wanted this celebration to be special. You’ve more than earned it.”
“You’re amazing.” He kisses me once more, still full of longing and passion, then takes my hand and leads me down the hallway.
I can hear more voices downstairs.
“I’m quite sure Alecia wouldn’t put this out here if we couldn’t eat it,” Will insists, making me grin.
“Sounds like more of them are here,” I say, making both of us laugh.
“Will always sniffs out the food.”
“Let’s go through the kitchen,” I suggest. “You can say hello to Blake before we get sucked into the wonderful black hole that is your family.”
“Good idea,” he replies, leading me through the back door of the kitchen. Blake glances up and grins.
“Hey, fancy people.”
“Thanks for all of this,” Dom says. “Are you sure we can’t pay you for it?”
“Nah, it’s my congratulatory gift. Besides, mentioning me in the magazine article more than tripled my business this month. Trust me, I’m happy to do this.”
“We appreciate it,” I say, snuggled up to my husband’s side. “How’s Emily?”
Emily is my former assistant, and Blake’s wife. She had a baby just a few months ago.
“She’s great. She wanted to come today, but we couldn’t find a sitter.”
“Oh, she should have come anyway. Everyone’s bringing their kiddos tonight,” I reply. “You should call her and have her come. There’s plenty of room and food, and I’d love to see her
and the baby.”
Blake grins, then shrugs. “I’ll see what she’s up to.” He turns to Dom. “Did you get everything figured out?”
I frown up at my husband, but he doesn’t bat an eye, just nods once.
“Thanks again, Blake.”
He leads me out the back door to the back yard, where the family has gathered under the tent and all of the twinkle lights.
“This is beautiful.”
“You provide an amazing backdrop.” He kisses the crown of my head. I wonder what he was talking about in his office. What hasn’t he told me? Was he even talking about me?
And if not, who the hell is her?
Just as Dom predicted, we’re both swept up in the sea of our family, chatting and laughing with our guests. Kids zoom past, and babies cry, but are quickly soothed.
Dom’s voice was hard on the phone. Like he was angry. It must be bad news.
I bite my lip and nod, as if I’m following Jules and Natalie’s conversation.
Are we going to lose the vineyard? Is it a financial problem?
God, I hope not. I love this place as much as if it were a living, breathing member of our family. Besides, that can’t be it. He was just featured in Wine Magazine as the winery of the year.
We’re definitely not going out of business.
“I want to do a girl’s night,” Natalie announces just as Samantha and Meredith join us.
“I’m all in, but please don’t schedule it for the end of September,” Sam says and pops an olive in her mouth. “Because Leo is finally taking me on a proper honeymoon.”
“That’s awesome,” Jules says. “Where are you going?”
“Somewhere tropical,” Sam replies with an excited smile. “I’m going to park my ass in a beach chair for two weeks, and no one can stop me.”
“Atta girl,” Nat says, patting her shoulder. “So, how about next weekend?”
“Can we do the week after?” Meredith asks. “We’ve finally moved into our new house, and we’re doing an open house-style housewarming party next Saturday.”
“Fun,” Nat replies. “There are so many amazing things happening for the family. I love it. Of course we should do the following weekend. Put it on your calendars. Girl’s night, my house, no boys allowed.”
“Done,” I say, mentally making the note.
I glance across the room, looking for Dom. He’s talking with Isaac and Luke, and his gaze turns to mine. He winks, making my stomach clench.
Of course my mind wants to go down the darkest paths possible. I over think every single thing.
Could he be cheating on me? Was he talking to a woman, and she was pressing him to tell me about her? Maybe he’s bored with me?
Or maybe it’s because I can’t seem to get pregnant.
I look his way again, to find him still watching me, and I know that’s not it. I know it. A man doesn’t kiss me the way he does, or just love me the way he does and then fool around.
Dominic wouldn’t do that to me.
Why am I thinking all of these stupid things, anyway? It’s probably nothing at all. I need to just ask him later when we’re alone.
He’ll tell me.
“Right, Alecia?”
I blink rapidly, focusing on Amelia, a cousin of the Montgomerys, and a new client of mine, who I didn’t even realize joined us.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. What was that?”
“We’re coming along on the wedding plans,” she says, watching me closely. “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah.” I wave her off and smile at the group. “I’m totally fine, just running through mental lists for tonight to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”
“Have you seen this place?” Jules asks. “You clearly didn’t forget anything. It’s absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you.”
“Tell us more about Amelia’s wedding,” Meredith says. “She said it’s going to be here at the vineyard?”
“That’s right.” I’m able to relax while I tell them about our plans. Talking about my job always puts me at ease because I love it and I know it inside out.
“She’s not a bridezilla, is she?” Nat asks, bumping Amelia with her hip.
“Not at all,” I assure them. “In fact, Lia is quite laid back.”
“Whoa,” Lia says in surprise. “I think I’m high strung and a basket case.”
“Girl, you don’t even know what high strung looks like. I once had a bride break down into a full-blown temper tantrum because the wedding cake baker didn’t offer chamomile tea as a cake flavor.”
“Wait, they have that?” Jules asks, scrunching up her nose.
“I guess she saw it on Pinterest, and decided she had to have it.” I shrug. “So no, you’re not a problem.”
“Anastasia and I are going dress shopping next week,” Lia says with a smile. “And she’s making the cake, of course. We’ll have to ask her about the chamomile tea flavor, although that doesn’t sound delicious.”
“I’m so happy that we finally have another person in our family getting married,” Meredith says with a smile. “It’s been a while.”
“Mostly everyone’s having babies now,” Jules says. “How is Hudson, by the way?”
Meredith and Mark have two kids. Lucy is two and Hudson is just a couple months old.
“He’s a good eater, that’s for sure. He’s with Mark somewhere.”
Yeah, everyone’s having babies. And we will too. Hopefully sooner rather than later because my clock is ticking like crazy.
“Are you going back to dancing, Mer?” Jules asks.
“Well, I’ll always have the studio,” she replies. “Jax and I will do that until we die. It’s fun to teach the kids.”
“Our kids all love it,” Nat says with a nod.
“And you keep us in business.” Mer winks. “Starla called not long ago and asked Jax and me to choreograph her next tour, so we will probably do that.”
“So exciting,” I say, clapping my hands. “I love her new album.”
“Home wrecker,” Sam mumbles under her breath and takes a sip of wine, making us all laugh.
“She never tried to wreck your home,” Mer says. “Leo and Starla are ancient history.”
“I know,” Sam says with a smile. “I’m being petty. I’m sure she’s nice. She just doesn’t get to be around my husband.”
“Totally understand,” I say, patting Sam’s back. “Hey guys, I’m going to go have a word with Dom, and find out how much longer we have until dinner.”
I look around and see Dom standing near the edge of the tent talking to his brother, Matt. Their heads are together, and both of them are frowning.
“Hey guys.”
They immediately stop talking, and stare at me as if I’m interrupting something important.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Of course, what do you need?” Dom asks, and I’m taken aback by his brisk tone.
“Uh, nothing. I just wanted to let you know that I was going to check on dinner.”
Dom just nods and I walk away, completely confused.
My God, is Dominic in trouble? Is that what the phone call was about? Is Matt giving him advice?
Holy shit.
I set my thoughts aside, more determined than ever to ask Dom what’s going on after everyone goes home.
Blake is just plating the food in the kitchen when I walk in. Servers are hurrying about, getting ready for the busy dinner service.
“Shall I have everyone take their seats?”
“Yep,” he says, not looking up. “Perfect timing.”
I march back out to the tent, clink a spoon against a water glass to get everyone’s attention, and announce, “Dinner is served.”
Dominic
Steven, my father, clinks his water glass, catching our attention. We’ve pretty much finished the main course, and it seems that Blake has another hit on his hands.
Everyone enjoyed their meals.
“I’d like to
say something,” Steven says as he stands. He’s directly across from me, looking about the room with love and kindness, the way he always does when we’re all together. “I’m incredibly proud of you, Dominic, and what you’ve built here at Cuppa di Vita. Not just because of the recognition in the magazine, which is a great honor, but also because you’re doing what you love with the woman you adore.”
He reaches down for Gail’s hand, linking their fingers.
“There’s nothing more important than family. If everything else was gone, the ones who love you would still be here. Thank you for letting us celebrate with you today.”
He raises his glass, and the rest of us follow suit.
“To Dom and Alecia.”
“To Dom and Alecia,” everyone repeats.
“Now it’s my turn,” I say as I stand and button my jacket, looking around at a room of former strangers who now mean more to me than anything. “You’re right, the recognition in the magazine is a great honor. It’s not just mine, but it also belongs to all of my staff and their families, who sacrifice their time so that the vineyard can be a success.
“I had a vision for this place when I bought it ten years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long now.”
Everyone nods in agreement.
“And I can honestly say that we’ve far surpassed any vision that I had back then. I don’t think I knew how to dream big enough.”
I glance down at Alecia, who’s watching me with wide blue eyes.
“And then this amazing woman came into my life, and I knew what it truly meant to dream. To plan. To want more. None of this would be possible without you, Tesoro. You are my muse, you keep my feet firmly planted on the ground, and you support my ambitious ideas. Thank you for being mine. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she mouths as the family erupts into applause.
I return to my seat and cup Alecia’s face in my hands, pressing my lips to hers.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she says.
“It’s absolutely true.”
She smiles softly, then gets pulled away by Brynna, who wants to talk about a birthday party for their youngest, Michael.
Indulge With Me (With Me In Seattle Book 10) Page 8