Loving You

XXV. Proud

Saturday, April 16th, 2016

"Damn, Casper. You have really good taste," Mia commended when I walked out into the living room after getting ready. I wore a tight black mini-skirt, gray tights, and a dark purple flowy blouse that accentuated what little cleavage I had. My shoes were ankle boots that almost looked like they were for hiking, except sleeker and more comfortable.

Casper smiled smugly. "Oh, I know." He winked at me, making Bexley smile.

"Everyone ready?" I asked glancing at the clock on the wall. Cas had arranged for a stretch limo to pick us up and take us to the venue. I was actually pretty excited since I had never been in one before.

"Yep, we're all ready, just waiting on the limo now." Casper checked his phone, and everyone else just sat around socializing.

"My Marcus! Mommy says Duke can't come," Bexley whined, running into his outstretched arms as soon as he walked through the front door.

"Duke probably just needs to relax tonight. But you're going to have so much fun." Marcus set her back on her feet and shook Casper's hand firmly.

Michael, who was sitting on the couch beside Soren, stood up and greeted Marcus. "Hello. I'm Michael, a friend of a friend."

Marcus shook his hand politely. "I'm Bexley's bodyguard. I am here to look out for and protect her. I take my job very seriously." He did. He'd asked us to provide him with the names of every person we knew would be around so he could do background checks, and figure out who would likely be a danger. He was very thorough and professional. Plus, Bexley really liked him, which was a plus.

"Car's here." The nine of us filed out to the limousine waiting for us, but Marcus elected to follow behind in his own car. Just in case he needed to take Bexley home early.

"Holy crap," Mia muttered under her breath when we pulled up to the venue. There was a long line of people waiting to get into the theater Kelsey's father, Mr. Kline, had rented out. It was like something out of a movie.

There were tons of photographers and a bunch of socialites, musicians, and even a few athletes that I recognized. I had no idea how they'd gotten so many people to attend, but it was really cool.

When we got out of the car, Marcus was right outside waiting for us. He took Bexley from my arms as we walked through the front doors and inside the building. We were two hours earlier than they told us to arrive, but it still seemed like we were late.

"Oh, good, We've got dinner waiting for you in the green room, and the bar is fully stocked. We have places out of the way where Bexley can be nearby but also watch TV or movies or play with the new toys my dad insisted on buying." Kelsey started talking a mile a minute the second we walked through the doors.

I'd told her I'd be happy to find a babysitter, but both she and Casper insisted that she would be totally fine to come, and they would make sure to accommodate. Kelsey had really gone above and beyond, even creating a nap room just in case Bexley needed a break from everyone. Mostly, though, she was just happy to stick to me. Which I was absolutely fine with.

"Oh, Aspen, I bought a couple pairs of baby ear protection. Which one do like better, honey?" Kelsey held up both pairs of what looked like noise cancelling headphones without the cord. One was sparkly pink and the other was shiny metallic purple.

"Purple!" Bexley immediately put them on and beamed up at Kelsey. "Thank you!" She ran over to the tables in the VIP lounge area where Soren, Michael, Knox, Mia, and Hugh were all sitting. "Papa, look!" She jumped into his lap and showed him what she'd just received.