pup looked so grown up and beautiful. The smile on her face was the best part, though.
She'd wanted a fairytale, and we'd done everything to give it to her. That gold dress shimmered like it was made of metal. The flowers around the room let off the sweetest scent. Her friends all matched, setting them apart, and my little heiress had no problem being the center of attention.
Her grandparents came first. Maria stepped in to place a sparkling tiara on her head, securing it so it would last all night. Manuel passed her a little baton and what looked to be a small china doll dressed almost the exact same as Gabby. The girl beamed at her grandparents, said a few things that were lost in the murmuring of the crowd, and then the pair stepped back.
Next, it was Elena who walked forward. While Gabby sat there with the little doll in her lap and the baton - no, that was a scepter - in the crook of her arm, Elena knelt. Slowly, my mate worked off her daughter's shoes and replaced the flats with heels. At one point, Gabby had to dab at her eyes, and I had a feeling Elena wasn't much better.
Pax had explained this part to me, though. Usually, it was the girl's father who removed her childish slippers and gave her the heels of a woman. The whole thing was symbolic, so I thought it even more fitting that Elena was the one to guide Gabby into adulthood. Sure, she was still a child to me, but she no longer looked like one. Somewhere in the last few months, our little girl had turned into a pretty amazing young lady.
Then Gabby caught Elena's hand and said one last thing. I caught a look of confusion on my mate's face, but she just nodded and stepped back. That was when the music began to play, and it meant it was my turn. Just like at a wedding, the father-daughter dance was a very big deal, and my little girl no longer had a father. That she'd asked me, of all people, to stand in?
With everyone watching, I walked straight through the crowd and bowed before her like the perfect gentleman, offering her my hand. She placed hers in it and the first chords to a lovely symphonic waltz began to play. I paused to kiss her knuckles, and then lifted her from the chair. The smile on Gabby's face proved that I'd just nailed it.
"You know how to follow?" I asked.
"I know how to waltz," she teased. "Do you?"
"I've been to a few formal weddings," I said as I clasped her waist and moved into position.
Then I stepped, and my pup followed perfectly. No, she wasn't the best dancer, but neither was I. Her dress, however, made up for it. With everyone watching, I swept her around the small dance floor, making her skirts swirl like something from Beauty and the Beast. When I snuck in a little spin, she giggled loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Where did you learn to dance?" I asked when she was against me again.
"Dad used to do these fancy things for work, and he thought it was cute." Then the little imp decided to send me out in a spin.
I went with it, and the crowd of watchers laughed, but Gabby's was the loudest. As the pair of us made a production out of having fun, I caught a glimpse of Elena standing with her parents. She had one hand pressed to her lips and her eyes were sparkling just a little too brightly. It actually was a good look for her.
"I think we're going to make your mom's mascara run," I warned Gabby.
"Probably," she agreed, "but you really are the best dad I've ever had, Ian. My real one never cared, and I know you don't just like me because of my mom. I..." She bit her lips together and moved with me through the corner. "That's why I wanted it to be you, because you are my dad in a way."
"As much as I can be," I promised her. "No matter what ever happens between Elena and me, I still want you as my heir. Gabby, you're an amazing girl. You're going to grow up and become a miraculous woman, and any time you need a father figure, I will be there. For broken hearts, for chasing off boys - or mean girls. I don't care." And I