Page 47 of The Dating Prohibition

One Year Later

“Hi, we’re a part of tonight’s supper club.” Logan stood at the hostess stand outside the private dining room at Porter Prohibition.

“What’s the password?” Kendra cracked a smile at her brother.

“Really, Keke...”

“It’s Kendra, and you have to abide by the rules, or you don’t gain entrance,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I came all the way here to celebrate your one-year anniversary, and this is how you do me?”

“Surely this is not that difficult, bro.”

“I know you came up with this wack-ass password just because you wanted to hear me say it.” Logan rolled his eyes and pursed

his lips until Shonda nudged him. “Fine, but it’s the only time you’ll ever hear me say this.”

Kendra crossed her arms over her chest as Shonda snickered. “I’m waiting.”

He blew out a breath. “Little sisters rule.”

Kendra stepped aside, sliding the barn door open to reveal the rest of their family and close friends. “Welcome to the supper

club,” she quipped, before cackling and hugging her brother tightly.

“You couldn’t think of anything more creative?” Logan grumbled.

“Come on, Mr. Big Time. Y’all are getting featured in magazines as the next big thing—the top Black-owned restaurant in the

DMV! Surely you had to know that we can’t let your head get too big. Gotta stay humble.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he muttered, half smiling and giving her a squeeze. “It’s good to see you.”

“Always. And how is my little niece or nephew?” Kendra reached for Shonda’s belly, which was just barely beginning to show.

Shonda beamed, reaching for her sister-in-law. “Hungry and sleepy.”

“Well, you’re in for a treat!” Kendra gave them a squeeze and walked them inside as her staff began to deliver an amuse-bouche

to everyone.

“Hey, you finally made it!” Ben ambled forward from speaking with Kendra’s parents to clap his best friend on the back.

“Yeah, we would have been here sooner, but someone’s bladder required constant stops...” Logan teased his wife.

Shonda shrugged playfully. “Eventually, I’ll blame the baby, but for now, I blame you.”

“At any rate, you made it safely, and that’s what we care about.” Kendra squeezed Shonda’s hand. “I’m so glad y’all are here.

We have so much to catch up on! Come on, you’re sitting with Lani and me.”

Shonda’s creamy brown skin glowed. “Yes, girl time!” She clapped.

Kendra winked at Ben. “We’ll leave you two to your bromance.” She led Shonda to a seat between her and Lani, allowing family members to make their way over to greet her between courses.

“So, how are things?” Shonda spoke between chews, her mouth stuffed with peanut noodles served with garlic and chili shrimp.

Kendra had decided to make a bunch of Shonda’s favorites in honor of the new addition to the family she was carrying. “Amazing!

We just received the keys to the new house and have been trying to consolidate our belongings, but I never realized how much of a hoarder he was.”

“BJ? A hoarder?” Lani whispered conspiratorially. “That’s tea.”

“Well, I swear the man has multiples of everything . I mean, he’s super organized with it, but there’s just so much stuff! You’d think that I need the extra closet space, but

it’s gonna be packed with his collectibles and old journals and God knows what else.”

Shonda waved her finger. “You’ve gotta convince him that he doesn’t need all that stuff.”

Kendra side-eyed her. “You’re gonna have to teach me how to do that, because he’s not budging.”

Shonda’s eyebrows bounced. “You’re already equipped for convincing him. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Kendra cackled. “It’s that easy?”

Her sister-in-law nodded with an evil grin on her face.

“Diabolical,” Lani mumbled.

Kendra stood up as several of her staff entered the room with the next course. “Okay, y’all, we have so much to celebrate

tonight! We are expecting the first grandchild in the Porter family!”

Everyone cheered, and Logan kissed Shonda’s temple as she rubbed her belly.

“BJ is now officially a tenured professor at the University of South Carolina!”

“What?!” Logan exclaimed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Ben laughed. “There’s a lot going on, man. I meant to tell you, I swear!”

Kendra held up a pair of keys. “Ben and I are also officially new homeowners! We’re going to start moving in next week.”

The family whooped and hollered. Auntie Mack did a little praise dance before leaning into the arms of Jackson, her beau.

“And we’re so happy to have all of you here with us to help us celebrate the one-year anniversary of Porter Prohibition’s

opening!” Ben began to clap and everyone joined in as Kendra clasped her hands together in disbelief. “I can’t believe how

quickly time has flown and how well received we’ve been here in Charleston. I wasn’t convinced that Charleston could feel

more like home than DC, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised, and I’m so happy that we’re putting down roots here. I want everybody

to eat, drink, and be merry—Shonda, I’ve got a special mocktail for you—and I want you all to make sure you reserve a little

room, because I’ve got a very special dessert planned for us.”

Shonda’s face lit up at the mention of dessert, and Kendra exchanged a knowing look with her brother. He’d shared over the

phone that her sweet tooth had gained strength since the start of the pregnancy, and she had the perfect treat in mind to

satisfy it—at least for the night.

The celebratory feast continued with many of Shonda’s favorites—Chilean sea bass prepared with Thai basil and chilis, papaya salad, pork adobo with sinangag and a perfect sunny-side up egg, whole fried snapper in panang curry, Filipino-style beef empanadas, and ube pandesal stuffed with cheese.

Platters of food were passed family style, the room quiet ex cept for the occasional groan of approval, several dancing in their seats as they ate.

Auntie Al pushed back from the table, her hands on her stomach as she smiled. “You put your foot in this food, Keke! I have

to stop now or I definitely won’t have space for dessert.” Uncle Ronnie grunted next to her, reaching for what was left of

her plate.

“Thank you, Auntie,” Kendra laughed. “I got to teach the cooks some of our family recipes, and we’re putting some fun fusion

spins on them for next week’s supper club menu.”

After the grand opening last year, Auntie Al and Uncle Ronnie had pulled Kendra aside to convey how impressed they were with

all that she had accomplished. Auntie Mack had been keeping them in the loop with everything that Kendra had done and how

hard she’d been working, Mack igniting her sister’s competitive spirit when she mentioned that she’d supplied Kendra with

a love gift to help keep her on her feet while the business was in its early days. Not to be outdone, Al and Ronnie matched

the gift and vowed to come down to visit at least once per quarter to show their support.

Kendra stood to head toward the kitchen. She ran her hand along Ben’s shoulder as she passed him. He caught her hand and tugged

her back.

“Where are you off to?”

“I wanted to help the cooks bring out the dessert.” She’d shared with him what the dessert was, but she hadn’t told him that

she had a surprise for him as well. She leaned toward his ear and whispered, “I had the cooks make an extra cake for Shonda

to take home.”

“Logan will say you’re doing God’s work,” he mused, pulling her closer to kiss her lips.

“Those cravings are no joke!” she giggled. “Be right back.”

He nodded, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

“How are we doing back here?”

“We’re ready if you are, Kendra.” Lindsay gestured to a serving cart with two identical cakes on the top tray and a smaller

boxed cake on the bottom.

“Everything looks divine !” Kendra gushed. “Okay, Val, clear any empty plates and, Roman, deliver dessert plates and utensils please.” Both nodded

and moved in different directions. “Mel, can you pop the dessert bubbles and sparkling juice? There’s a tray of flutes on

that counter.”

Lindsay grinned at Kendra. “You ready for this?” Lindsay had been Kendra’s first hire—formerly a private chef, she had remarkable

instincts when it came to Kendra’s cooking style, and her suggestions for their regular menu changes ignited Kendra’s creativity.

They balanced each other out in the kitchen, and they’d grown close over the past year.

“Ready as I’ll ever be! You want to follow me in?”

“I’m right behind you.”

Kendra led the way through the door into the private room and gasps erupted as her relatives recognized the dessert behind

her. “One of Shonda’s all-time favorite desserts is Granny’s chocolate doberge cake.”

Shonda’s eyes lit up as she waved her fists in the air. “You are seriously the best human ever !”

“Y’all know I have to put my spin on anything I make, so this is a chocolate and hazelnut doberge cake, and this—” Kendra

pointed to the small box below the cakes “—is one for you to take home for that sweet tooth.”

Logan raised his hands to the heavens, and Kendra caught Ben’s eyes as they both burst into laughter.

“I’ve got one more surprise up my sleeve—”

“Before you get to that—” Ben cleared his throat “—do you mind if I say something?”

Kendra eyed him curiously. “Sure, of course.”

He walked around the table to stand near Kendra, Shonda and Lani whispering to each other until they were shushed by Kendra’s mom. “I have a surprise too.”

“You do? I told you that you didn’t need to get anything to celebrate the anniversary.”

“This isn’t about the restaurant’s anniversary,” he said carefully, reaching for her hand.

“Help me understand.” Kendra’s brows pinched together.

“Yes, you’ve worked to the bone to create a successful business, and everyone knows we just got the keys to our new home,

but I’ve got something that I need to get off my chest.”

Kendra’s heart began to pound with worry as a stone fell to the pit of her stomach. What is happening? “What’s wrong?”

“I realized that there’s something that I need before we move into our new place.” He gazed at her intensely, squeezing her

hand.

Her brain began to short-circuit as she tried to imagine what he could mean. “I—”

“This past year has been the best year of my life. We’ve both grown in our careers, and we’re building something together.

There’s no one else that I want to do life with—to build a family with—and I want our next steps to bring us even closer together.

And before you ask, yes, I spoke to your father and your brother.” Ben’s thumb caressed the palm of her hand as he pulled something from his pocket and knelt on one knee—collective

gasps echoing around the room.

“Oh my god,” Kendra whispered, a flurry of emotions building within her as she stared into Ben’s eyes, his face soft and full

of love. Tears welled in her eyes. Please don’t ugly cry, please don’t ugly cry.

“Kenny, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Her chest swelled. “Yes.” She beamed, leaning forward to cup his face and plant a kiss on his lips. She pulled on his hand, but he stopped her.

“One last piece,” he whispered, turning her left palm downward to slide a solitary diamond onto her ring finger.

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” She admired it before tugging at him once more. As he stood, she threw her arms around him.

“I had help picking it out, you know.” His head bobbed in Lani and Shonda’s direction.

“Seriously, you two have really upped your secret game! All of you knew?!” she cried as she was met with knowing smiles. She

pressed her hands to her chest. “It’s perfect. This is perfect.” Her family began to rise from their seats to come and congratulate

them. “Wait!” she stopped them. “There’s one more thing.”

Kendra turned and Lindsay handed her a cake knife. She sliced into the cake exposing layers of cake and chocolate buttercream

accented by crushed hazelnuts.

“I know it’s my favorite, but it’s just a cake, Keke—you just got engaged!” Shonda exclaimed.

Kendra deftly pulled out a thick slice of cake and pastel hard candies poured from its center. “But it’s not just a cake.”

She smiled mischievously.

“Who puts candy in a doberge cake?” Mrs. Porter lamented. “Your Granny would have a fit!”

“Granny gave me the idea when I called to tell her the news,” Kendra laughed as she reached inside to pull a square piece

of fondant from the center of the candies. Turning, she handed it to Ben. “Here.”

His eyes widened in shock, and he stared at it, carefully holding it in his hand. “Are you serious right now? Kenny!”

“What is it? Tell us already!” Lani begged.

“Y’all aren’t the only ones who can keep a secret,” Kendra winked at her brother, who returned his usual tight-lipped smile.

“Well?” Mr. Porter spoke up.

BJ turned the delicate confection around. Pressed into the white fondant was a black image. A sonogram.

“We’re having a baby!” Kendra exclaimed.

Shrieks of joy echoed around the room as everyone rushed to their feet and around the table.

Shonda pointed a finger at Logan. “You knew and you didn’t tell me?”

Logan held up his hands in surrender. “Keeping one secret was already asking a lot of you,” he teased. “Besides, everyone

knows our Granny is a huge gossip. Once she knew, that entire side of the family knew.”

After a litany of hugs and belly pats, Shonda found her way to the cake while Ben found his way to Kendra. “We’re having a

baby, Kenny?” His eyes glistened.

“You’re gonna be a daddy. So we gotta figure out this wedding, because Baby Stephens is on its way!” She wrapped her arms

around his neck, reveling in the love surrounding them. “How did you keep all of them from telling me?”

Ben gently brushed his lips against hers as they curved into a sly smile. “Sometimes, all it takes is the right password.

You love me?”

“Always.”

* * * * *