The older man had raised James after his parents died, and Chris had spent many hours with them in their youth. He inhaled deeply to shake off how the uncanny resemblance unsettled him. “Sometimes, you just know when something’s right.”
“So, you planned this baby?”
“Plan, shplan.” He lifted his shoulders. “Planning is overrated sometimes. We’re in love. Yvonne and I have an appointment with an immigration lawyer next week to find out what we have to do to get her a green card besides getting married. We’re going to be moving into Kate’s upper unit sometime in the near future, and before I forget, will you be best man at the wedding?”
James was rendered speechless, which thrilled Chris. For as long as they’d known each other, James had always been the one who knew what to say in any circumstance. To see him standing there with his mouth open as he struggled to process all the information Chris had thrown at him was an absolute joy.
“Cat got your tongue, bro?”
James spluttered. “Y-you, you. You did that deliberately. Of course, I’ll be your best man. When’s the wedding? Have you told your parents they’re finally going to get a grandchild?”
“We’re thinking Valentine’s Day for the wedding. I took Kate and Yvonne to Arizona for Thanksgiving, and my father threw us out, so no, I haven’t told them. What’s the point? They’re narrow-minded dinosaurs when it comes to non-traditional relationships.”
“How much did you tell them, and did you give themtime to get used to the idea before you presented them with your future ‘wives?’” He used air quotes around the last word.
“I told them I was bringing friends for Thanksgiving, and my mother apparently missed the plural. They were pretty shocked, but my father was flat-out rude, and he disowned me. What was I supposed to do?”
“Have you talked to either of them since?”
Chris shook his head.
James crossed his arms. “Your parents are good people, Chris. Maybe they just need a little time to get used to the idea and a little finesse in how it’s presented. News of a grandchild might go a long way toward making things right with them. The wedding won’t hurt, either. Speaking of which, how does Kate feel about that?”
“It was Kate’s idea. She knows the immigration lawyer as a client and got a lot of information from him about how these things work. I don’t know what we’d do if Yvonne weren’t Dutch, but given the circumstances, we’re doing what we need to do to make things work. Kate will be the maid of honor, of course. She stays our Mistress, and it works all the way around.”
“You might want to leave that part out when you talk to your parents.” James’s lips twitched, and the lines beside his eyes crinkled.
“No, I was going to lead with the BDSM,” Chris said sarcastically. “Give me a little credit, man. Seriously, James, do you have any ideas about how to get them to come around?”
“Would you like me to talk to them for you?”
Chris choked up a bit. How had he deserved this amazing friend? “I’ll have to think about that.” He blinked and cleared his throat. “Hey, who told you about the baby,anyway? We haven’t told anyone but Yvonne’s aunt and uncle.”
“Laura told me. Apparently, Suzie spotted it first. If you let your pregnant girlfriend parade around the club naked, you have to realize someone is going to catch on.”
“Great. So now, for all practical purposes, everyone knows.”
James lost control over his grin, and they both burst out laughing.
CHAPTER FORTY
Yvonne chewed on her pen during the weekly menu discussion at The Sweet and Savory Table on Saturday morning. She wasn’t a partner, only part-time help, but since she’d joined Club Indigo, Sonja and Suzie increasingly involved her in their day-to-day business. Today, she was wishing she had a green card or a visa that would let her work for them for real and missed part of the conversation.
“I’d like to do something special to bring in more customers as well as keep our regulars happy. I know our products are selling well, but we need to keep innovating to attract new people,” Sonja stated.
Suzie stretched and rolled her shoulders. “I agree, but somehow, I haven’t had much inspiration lately. All I seem to do is keep the peace between Abby and Tim.” She sighed. “Teenagers!”
Yvonne remembered how she and her sister had fought growing up. From the time Yvonne was six and Els was eight until Els left home to study in Eindhoven, they’d fought about anything and everything. Somehow, Els moving out had triggered a change, and the sisters had gotalong well since then. Now she missed Els, her last living relative other than herTanteWilma. She didn’t miss Haarlem, but she did miss some of the Dutch foods, like chocolate sprinkles on her bread for breakfast! And she longed for akroket.
Yvonne shot upright and almost poked her eye out with her pen. She ignored it and blurted out her idea. “We could do a Dutch week!”
Sonja paused with her mouth wide open.
Whoops, Sonja had been mid-sentence by the looks of it. Yvonne felt her cheeks heat, and she cursed her fair skin silently. “Sorry.”
Suzie studied her pensively. “No, don’t be. Please continue, Yvonne.”
Yvonne looked from Suzie to Sonja and back. She drew a deep breath and launched into her explanation. Both women listened with growing attention until she finished her monologue. “There must be more Dutch people here or people who are curious about other cultures, right?”
