“Another of the Miracle Five?”

She nodded. “And Ben’s best friend.” She waved a hand. “I consider Sebastian to be a son of mine and, between you and me, often find myself liking him more than I like some of my biological kids.”

“I heard that, Momma!” CeCe’s oldest daughter said from the far side of the kitchen.

“Good,” CeCe shot back. “Let that keep you on your toes.”

“If Ben liked Leah, then why did his best friend date her?” Akira asked.

“Sebastian didn’t start dating Leah until Ben demanded he do so. And thank goodness he did. Sebastian was very lonely, before Leah. The two of them fell in love and they’re perfect for each other, and Ben knows it and supports them. But now it’s high time that Ben moves on. I only have six grandkids.”

“Six sounds like a lot.”

“Well, it’s not! I gave birth to four children. I’ve spent the last forty years parenting, and that sucked most of the spunk right out of me.”

If CeCe had any more spunk, she’d be a Chihuahua.

“Six grandkids isn’t a good return for four kids,” CeCe stated. “I want and deserve more.”

“Yeah,” her big husband said as he walked by and stole a cookie. “More grandkids.”

“Steal another cookie, Hersh,” CeCe said to him, “and you’ll lose a hand.”

“I really hope my mom isn’t talking to you about wanting me to procreate,” Ben called from the punchbowl.

“She is,” Akira called back.

“Mom,” Ben said, “this is the first time Akira’s agreed to go anywhere with me. To get her to come, I had to assure her that we’re just friends. I don’t think she’s ready for you to pressure her to go forth and multiply.”

“Keep an open mind,” CeCe told her. “It doesn’t make a bit of sense for you to push away a man who will be good for you because you’re afraid he won’t be good for you.”

Ben entered the room. “The punch is done.”

“Did you add twice as many frozen sherbet balls than the recipe calls for?”

“Mom. I wouldn’t dream of adding the amount the recipe calls for. I’ve known since I was five that pink party punch needs twice as many sherbet balls.”

“See?” CeCe said to Akira. “Lifetime guarantee.” She then handed them two brooms and commanded them to make a final sweep of the hardwood floors.

“It’s a good thing this isn’t a date,” Ben said as they progressed into the living room. “Sweeping the floor and a sermon from my mom would have made me really hard to resist.”

“You’re so right. We’re not vacuuming next, are we? I can’t help but have a crush on men who ask me to vacuum.”