“You mean you don’t already…” the words were out before C.C. could stop them, clamping her hands over her mouth.

“Well, that was subtle,” her sister commented.

“Hey, I just figured that if it was right…” C.C. looked up to see Brooke’s right eyebrow arch, “Okay…” the brunette looked quickly out the window, “Hey, nice ferns in those planters…did you just get them?”

“Sam,” Brooke laughed out loud, “You aren’t going to let her change the subject, are you?”

“Change the subject? What more is there to say on it?” Sam shook her head. “Next she’ll have us running off together.” The blonde paused for moment in thought. “Not that it would be a bad thing, mind you,” she glanced over to Brooke.

“Hmmm…I don’t know…” Brooke rubbed her chin, deep in thought. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“God, I think I need some air.” C.C. unbuckled her seatbelt, then pushed against Sam’s seat. “We stopping here for a while?”

“We can if you’d like.” Brooke watched as Sam got out, “Come on.” The driver got out and walked around the car to stand by Sam, “Actually C.C., we’ll be right there,” then turned toward Sam and kissed her.

“Good,” C.C. looked up from the doorway of the car to see her sister and roommate locked in another embrace, “Yikes, it’s getting too hot around here for me,” she said as she climbed out of the car.

Brooke leaned in toward Sam, speaking softly in her ear, “I don’t know when I’ll get to kiss you again, tonight.” The tall woman put on her best pouty face and asked, “So may I have one before we go in.”

Disgusted at the total display her sister was making, C.C. brushed past them making her way toward the house, as she called out over her shoulder, “One? Hell, give her two for that performance.”

Sam complied with her roommate’s advice, giving Brooke two kisses before they let their embrace slacken. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Brooke sighed and looked up to see where C.C. was. “We’d better get going,” she motioned with her head as her sister touched numbers on the security pad, unlocking the door. “They’re going to be…”

“SURPRISE!” The sound came out of the open door to the house, as C.C. stood shocked by the joyous noise, letting a few “Happy Birthday’s” drift on the air.

“Aw…You guys remembered…” C.C. grinned, pleased at the surprise.

“Yeah, how could we forget?” Brooke mumbled as she watched Mario run up and paw at C.C. “Even the dog’s in the act.” The tall woman noticed that the dog didn’t lick her sister and Brooke thought back to how Sam was greeted by the pet the evening before.

“Well, it looks like Mario knows the difference between me and C.C.” Sam smiled as she slowly walked toward the house.

“Of course, he does. Go over and stand next to her and see what he does.”

Sam turned around, wiggling her eyebrows at Brooke, “And do I consider every lick from Mario to be a kiss from you?”

“No, consider every lick to be four kisses from me.” Brooke caught up to Sam who pulled her into the shadows of the shrubbery.

“I’ll remember that,” then she laid a kiss on the older woman’s mouth.

“Mmm…do that again and I will not be responsible for my actions, young lady.”

“Ah…but you are,” Sam teased her. “And your family is not twenty feet away.” Sam laughed softly then, without warning, placed another kiss on Brooke’s cheek. Releasing the hold she had on the mesmerized woman’s clothes, Sam headed for the door, not even turning around when she heard the groan that Brooke emitted. Looks like it’s going to be a long night for someone. Sam laughed to herself and hoped that she too would be able to wait for the night to pass.

From the time C.C. walked into the house, someone always seemed to be handing the woman a fresh mug of beer, never letting the now legal participant finish one in its entirety. Needless to say, before the food was even ready to eat, a rather inebriated twenty-one year old was making her presence known to everyone at the party.

“I’m so glad that we got to see this day, C.C.,” Terri teased her younger sister. “You know, we had our doubts about you living this long.”

C.C. looked her sister straight in the eye as she strove to maintain her steadiness and said in her most sober voice, “Are you saying that just because I’m fitshaced or do you mean that?”

Terri shook her head knowing all-too-well the hangover that her sister was heading for the next morning. “Sis, I think you better slow down or you’re not going to make it until tomorrow. Fitshaced?” The pediatrician made a face, shaking her head, “What the hell is that?”

Just then C.C. lost the precarious balance that she was trying to maintain, her hand slipping off the couch caused her to fall face first onto the overstuffed piece of furniture. The brunette lay there for a second then rolled onto her back. “Fitshaced…You’re looking at it,” she smiled the silliest of grins and tried to right herself before anyone could become alarmed. “This is the best birthday party ever I had.”

Her sister reached down and gave her a hand, “No more for you, little missy. I want to be celebrating a lot more than just twenty-one with you. Besides, Mom will kill me if she knows I didn’t slow you down at least.” Terri sat her sister down in the corner of the couch and pointed a stern finger in her direction. “Now, you sit there and don’t move for at least an hour.”

“Yeah, treat me like a kid. You all are so good at that,” C.C. chided her sister as she left to go join in another conversation. “I’ll just sit here and play with the dog,” the tipsy brunette looked around the room for the dog and found her laying at Sam’s feet as she sat on the loveseat talking to Randi.

Mable Gordon was so used to watching everything happening in a room that it was like second nature to her. She was a mother, and that’s what mothers do. Well, especially with the four children that she had brought into the world. In her travels about the room, as she mingled with her family, she noticed one thing that struck her as rather odd. Brooke’s pet, Mario, seemed to always be at Sam’s heels no matter where the young woman went or what was going on away from her. In fact, she had only remembered once that the dog had gotten up and went to her mistress, only to be petted and sent off with a few whispered words in his ear. It was funny how the dog crossed the room back to where Sam was and jumped up on the small woman, licking her face repeatedly when she bent over to pet the animal. Watching the smile on the blonde’s face and the quick glance around the room confirmed a suspicion that Mom had hidden under her knowing smile.

During the course of the evening, Brooke mingled with her parents, siblings, and their husbands, making sure to never stay too long in any vicinity close to Sam. Occasionally she would walk past the young woman and wink when no one was watching, but she dared not linger any longer.

Instead, she spent more time with her sisters. That was, until the time she looked up from a conversation to where Sam had been just a moment before and the woman was gone. Letting her eyes roam around the room, Brooke came up empty-handed and found herself ready to hit that old internal panic button that she knew all too well.

“Hey Randi, excuse me. I’ll be right back.” Brooke tried to think of some reason for her abrupt departure before her oldest sibling’s story was done. “I need to get dinner ready for Mario.” She smiled and walked away.

“Yeah, that dog has a better life than the rest of us,” Randi shook her head then continued on with her story for the benefit of her father and Terri as Brooke entered the kitchen.

Brooke stopped short when she rounded the corner leading into the kitchen, seeing Sam with her mother.

“Here, is this what you’re looking for?” Sam had opened a drawer and held up a spatula that she thought the family matriarch might be needing.

“Well, thank you Sam,” Mable raised an eyebrow as the blonde handed her the utensil. “But how did you…” her thought was cut off by the emergence of one tall child of hers.

“Hi, Mom. What’s up?” Brooke grinned. “Need any help?”

“I just figured that it would be there…” Sam shrugged, “My Aunt keeps it there in her kitchen all the time. Lucky, I guess.”

“Hey, Sam,” Brooke tried to keep her voice from becoming softer, and cleared her throat. “How are ya? Having fun?”

“Yeah, loads of fun. Thanks for inviting me.” Sam smiled as she watched Brooke blowing her kisses from high above her mother’s head when Mable’s attention was centered on Sam.

“Oh, no problem at all. Right Mom?” Brooke drew her Mother’s attention toward herself, “Can’t have a party without C.C.’s roommate now, can we?”

“No, not at all,” Mable agreed turning around, almost catching the show of tongue that Sam was displaying in Brooke’s direction.

The blonde used the action to wet her lips, acting so innocent and pure then said, “Who else would know her better?”

“Well, I guess you’ll find that out this year, won’t you.” Brooke nodded, then pointed over toward the cabinet with Mario’s food in it, “I just came in to feed Mario, excuse me.”

“Sam, I didn’t see any car out front for you or C.C. Will you need a lift back to the dorm tonight?” Mable looked over her shoulder at Brooke. “Henry and I could…”

“Ah…actually, I offered to drive them back, Mom,” Brooke turned around with the dog food bag in her hand.

“I don’t have a car, Mrs. Gordon,” Sam chimed in trying to take the heat off Brooke.

“Hmmm…gee, Brooke that seems a little out of your way, Dear.”

“Well, I…ah…yeah, but…” Brooke stumbled with her answer. “I picked C.C. and Sam up and you know…” the tall woman shrugged her shoulders, “Twenty-first birthday and all…”