The CEO’s Quadruplets

Chapter 3

            Isabella could still taste the chocolate mousse and coffee on her lips as they drove through the city and up into the hills toward their home. She kind of wanted the chocolate cake, but Amory promised he had a cake waiting at home for them to share. Glossy buildings gave way to bungalows tucked away by trees. Each little house had its own oasis, and the houses grew as the car climbed upward. Their house was not the biggest, but its position at the peak of the landscape always took Isabella’s breath away.

            Built in the 1950s, the classic post-and-beam home had been technically bought by Amory before they ever met, but when it came time to design the hollow shell Amory had found for a dime and a song he asked Isabella to help. It was how they grew so close. Shopping for countertops and buying furniture together had a serious effect on the intensity of Isabella’s feelings. It made her feel like they had been together for a decade, and the feeling ended up being mutual.

            Amory loved the quintessential design of this period home and the modernity of the open floor plan. Isabella loved the natural light that flooded the main level, and let her beloved yard feel fully integrated into the interior of the home. The white walls of the house let it bounce around the rooms and make the house a paradise for them both. The deep warm wood floors seemingly extended into the soft green grass and natural stone pool patio, so Isabella felt like she was outside even if she was sitting on the grand sofa in the main room.

            They pulled into the hidden carport upon arrival. The electric vehicle Jack had picked her up in throughout the day was to her left charging, and to the left of Amory’s little classic Italian convertible they were driving now was Isabella’s massive sky blue wagon. The car she practically lived in during medical school, she bought it off an elderly couple for just under ten grand. The pristine leather seats and glossy finish had been meticulously maintained by the original owners. It was classic and open just like the home up the brick-lined path, and she refused to drive anything else.

            It made her heart happy that Amory had taken care of her beloved classic car.

            Hearing her heels click on the bricks, Isabella felt the house was oddly quiet. Even on the more quiet nights, the house would glow, but it sat there darkened. The dark wood frame blended in with light, and the windows reflected back the external lights from the yard. Isabella pressed in their key code with familiar ease, which gave her a bit of pleasure to know that she had not forgotten the number after all that time.

Opening the door, Isabella saw her little Romeo sitting in the foyer. He spun in circles with excitement to see her, and with a squeal she grabbed up her puppy dog. Holding him in her arms, she finally noticed that he was wearing a funny little red plastic cowboy hat like a children’s party. Confused, Isabella noticed that the main floor of the house dimly lit by candles was suddenly coming to life as Amory drew the lights up behind her.

All her favorite people were standing there.

“Happy Birthday!” they all shouted, but not exactly in unison.

Isabella spun around to see Amory laughing at her expression and asking her, “Are you surprised?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, giving her dog a little kiss on the head as she set him down.

Her friends from the non-profit were there. Amory’s small family smiled back at her. Even her own family had driven in for the night. Isabella wanted to cry, but knew Romeo would bark at her if she did. Her mother scurried over to be the first to hug her as music began to play. Pitchers of boozy punches were lined up at the bar. Party store decorations were hung about the room, and colorful taper candles provided a soft glow to the party’s ambiance. Isabella was able to get a closer look at the details of the party as she hugged and thanked everyone for coming.

It was around the same time as her last hugs of some friends from medical school that the best of any party finally arrived. Covered in sprinkles and cream cheese frosting, Isabella wanted to take a fork to the two-tiered confection all by herself. As her brothers pushed her favorite bar cart toting the large colorful cake, she noticed they each were wearing a silly hat like Romeo’s.

Isabella felt silly for not realizing it was their doing.

“Happy birthday, Bell!” the twins said in unison.

Both serious law students, Isabella never knew how they fit into a legal office or court room. Sebastian and Kai Torres were both complete clowns, but their charm made them successful legal aids as they worked to open their own firm. Their disarming grins that melted client’s hearts were worn on their faces now as they lit the sparkling candles on her cake, and began the usual raucous birthday chorus. Everyone cheered are the ditty was sung, and Isabella quickly learned as her little brothers laughed that the candles were also trick candles. It took her an embarrassing amount of time to blow them out, and Sebastian and Kai chuckled the whole duration of her escapade.

To diffuse the awkward pause, Isabella made a melodramatic expression of tiredness as she joked, “Well, that was my workout for the week!”

The party laughed along with the joke, and continued to drink all the booze supplied.

Each giving Isabella a kiss on the cheek like they did since infancy, Sebastian and Kai enrapt her attention as Romeo came to Kai to be picked up.

“My triplet!” Kai said as he grabbed up the dog.

Sebastian took his sister by the arm as he explained, “Amory let us do the decorating and party planning. We invited everyone you hate, including our parents. We got a red velvet cake from that bakery you never want to go to, and there may or may not be an ice cream bar in the kitchen.”

“Thanks, guys.”

“It was Amory’s idea to surprise you,” Kai admitted. “You married a cool dude, Isabella.”

“What high praise,” Amory said happily. “I’m going to go see about this ice cream bar, and make sure we have plenty of whipped cream.”

“He may eat all the whipped cream if you aren’t careful,” Anne Blake said as she walked up.

Much younger than her older brother, Anne Blake was fresh out of her business degree, and still able to spearhead the Blake philanthropic foundation. When you met her it was clear why, the fiery redhead had this eager magnetism that made you just want to engage and connect. She could convince old men to fork over millions to the arts. She could convince her Olympic swimmer husband Evan Owens to go on to win another silver medal after saying he was going to retire. She got her toddler son Leo to somehow never throw a tantrum.