Troian Bellisario: Just Me & My Girl

Boys Are For Kissing

Two Days Later
Troian's Pov

"Come on mommy!" Aspen yells from downstairs "Let's go!"

"Just give me a minute!" I call back.

"But mommy, you already said that a minute ago! Me and Ella can't wait to go to the park!" She whines. I sigh as I pull my shirt over my head, walking down the hallway at the same time.

"Okay, I'm coming Aspen." I say "Do you have Ella's leash?"

"Yep!" She says as I get to the bottom of the stairs "Right here!"

"Okay, clip it onto her collar." I say. After Aspen does so, we all walk out to the car together.

"I'm cold." Aspen says as I help buckle her seatbelt.

"I brought you a jacket." I reply "But it is pretty chilly today, isn't it?" She nods, pulling her jacket over her lap. Even though it's the end of December, it's still not really that cold here in LA. It can be chilly at times, but it's still warm enough to go to the park. But I guess in Aspen's eyes, anytime is a good time to go to the park.

After placing Ella on her dog bed beside Aspen, we pull out of the driveway and head toward Kinsman Park. We're going to meet Keegan there and go for a little walk, as well as let Aspen play on the playground. It's a great park, with open fields and paths that loop around the entire area, we find ourselves going there quite a bit.

"There's Keegan!" Aspen exclaims as we pull into the parking lot. I shut off the car and help Aspen out, then pick Ella up off the seat. The December air is crisp, almost having a slight chill to it. I look at my daughters jacket on the car floor, then to her bare arms. Even though she's not asking for it now, I know that she'll tell me she wants her jacket as soon as we start walking away from the car. I pick it up and tuck it over my arm, already knowing she'll tell me she's cold soon enough.

I watch as Aspen runs to Keegan, who stands at the edge of the parking lot. He picks her up and spins her around, then plants a big kiss on her forehead. After he sets Aspen down and I give Ella to her, I give Keegan a long hug, followed by an equally long kiss.

"Ewwww!" I hear Aspen say from behind me. Keegan and I both chuckle, but press our lips together again anyway.

"Pay close attention, Aspen." Keegan jokes "You'll be kissing boys like this before you know it."

"Ewww! I will not!" Aspen says defensively "Boys are gross!"

"Do they have cooties?" Keegan asks.

Aspen nods "Boys are yucky and gross. And they have cooties."

"I'll check back with you in ten years." Keegan says, chuckling.

"You can think boys are gross all you want, because you won't be kissing any until you're at least thirty, right Aspen?" I say, only half joking.

"Right!" She replies "And maybe not even until I'm forty!"

"Atta girl!" I say "That way you can stay my baby forever." She nods proudly, which just makes me giggle. I can't picture Aspen, my baby girl, kissing anyone. She's my baby, and I wish I could keep her that way forever. I don't know if I'll be able to handle seeing her kiss boys, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

"You're not gonna kiss a boy until you're forty?" Keegan laughs. Aspen nods truthfully.

"Good luck with that." He chuckles.

"Hey! She's my baby, and she's not gonna be kissing any boys for a long time." I tell him "And Aspen's right, boys are gross." I pull my hand away from his and pretend to act disgusted, although he just chuckles.

"You're right, babe." Keegan says "Us boys are disgusting. So Aspen, make sure never to kiss one until you're at least thirty-five."

"Okay." She agrees breezily. I laugh as I slip my hand back into Keegan's, then lean up and give him a peck on the lips. We walk hand in hand toward the playground, Aspen and Ella running ahead together.

"Be careful with her, Asp!" I call "She's only a puppy!"

"I know!" Aspen yells back. Keegan chuckles, lifting the camera from around his neck and snapping a few pictures.

"You have to bring that thing with you everywhere, don't you?" I laugh. Keegan lowers the camera from in front of his face and nods, then snaps a picture of me.

"Hey!" I gasp "What was that for?" He smiles slightly as he stares into my eyes, not looking away.

"Because you're beautiful." He replies. I feel heat rise to my cheeks, and I can't hide the smile that creeps onto my face. I don't know how to respond, so I just stare down at my shoes with a goofy grin.

Keegan gently tilts my chin up with his finger, forcing me to look into his crystal-blue eyes. I'm not complaining.

"God, you're beautiful." He whispers, making me blush even more.

"You sure know to flatter someone." I say, slowly pulling him into a hug.

"Oh I'm not flattering," Keegan replies into my hair "I'm just stating a fact."

As I hug him tightly, I can't help but smile. How did I get so lucky as to end up with such an amazing man? I tilt my head up in preparation to kiss him, but get stopped before our lips connect.

"Gross! Don't kiss again!"

I chuckle as I turn to face Aspen, who stands up ahead with a disgusted look on her face, although she still grins.

"Oh I'm gonna kiss him!" I say "And lucky for you, you get a front row seat!"

"Yuck!" I hear as I press my lips into Keegan's, although it still doesn't make me stop. As we kiss, I can tell that Keegan is smiling, which just makes me smile even more. When we pull apart, Aspen is walking up to us, her hand covering her eyes.

"It's okay, you can look now." Keegan chuckles. She moves her fingers apart so that one eye is peeking through, and when she realizes it's safe to look, drops her hand to her side.

"Why do people kiss?" Aspen asks innocently. I think about how to respond correctly, then come up with the perfect answer.

"Because it's how you show someone that you love them." I tell her, scooping her up in my arms "Like this!" I plant a big kiss on her cheek, causing her to giggle gleefully.

"I get it!" Aspen exclaims, then presses her lips to my cheek "I kissed you because I love you!"

I smile widely, hugging Aspen tightly. She's the cutest, most loving little girl that I know, and I'm more than proud to call her my daughter.

"Come here Keegan!" Aspen says, motioning for him to join us. He smiles, then wraps his arms around both of us, creating a group hug. Aspen leans forward in my arms and kisses Keegan's cheek, still grinning.

"Because I love you!" She declares, her blue eyes glimmering. Keegan's eyes hold the same expression, and he leans forward and kisses Aspen.

"I love you too." He replies truthfully "Both of you."

I smile so wide that my jaw nearly hurts, but I don't care. All I can focus on is how happy I am right now, how warm and fuzzy I feel inside. And it's all thanks to the two amazing people right in front of me.