For Tappin.
She smoothes her hand over her skirt, fingers twisting the satin organza so that it slides over her fingertips. Her legs kick out and she watches the fabric re-settle over the chair and her knees. She's glad she painted her nails; the bright blue looks sharp against the crisp white of her dress. Her toenails are red but her shoes cover them up. Maybe she can slip them off at some point. The little heels are comfortable but she'd rather go barefoot.
She looks up when another pair of heels click toward her. The tulle of the other dress brushes her skirt, tickles her ankles, drawing a giggle from her lips. "Mom, too close!" she shrieks, giving Kate's thigh a shove.
"Too close?" Kate says with a grin. When Al nods, Kate scoops the girl off the chair and snuggles her up against her chest. "How's this for 'too close'?"
"Stop, Mom! Stop!" She doesn't sound forceful at all when Kate starts tickling her sides, holding onto the squirming six year old expertly. "Mom!"
Kate drops Al back on the chair and the girl anxiously runs her hands over her dress to right it. "You ruined my hair," Al mutters, getting up to run for a mirror along the wall. Her brown curls are in disarray, the beaded headband crooked and hanging off over her forehead. She grabs the headband, clutching it in her fist as she spins to face Kate. "Mom, fix my hair. You ruined it."
"I didn't ruin it, Al," Kate says, crouching in front of the girl and threading her fingers through the tight curls. "Made you look like the wild woman you are."
"Not a wild woman."
Kate takes the headband from Al's fingers and slides it back into place. "There. All better, okay?"
Al turns to check the mirror to make sure her hair looks presentable. She tucks a strand behind her ear then nods. "Okay." She touches one of the flowers on her belt and shifts so that one foot is behind the other, a little off-balance in the kitten heels. "Where's Rick?"
"He's waiting for us outside." Kate catches her as she starts to run for the doorway to the outdoor garden. "Ah-ah. Got to wait another few minutes."
"Why?"
"Well that's just how weddings work. Got to give people a chance to sit down before we go out. Then you go out first and I'll be behind you. Rick will be up front so you go right to him." Kate brushes her own hair back behind her shoulder but it slides back over her bare shoulder to hang against her cheek again.
Al reaches over and pushes at the stray curl, looping it behind her mother's ear. "And then what do I do?"
"You get to hold my flowers for the ceremony," Kate says. "Just remember not to –"
"Not to crush them," Al groans. She's heard this speech too many times now. Don't crush Mom's flowers. Rule number one. "How long?"
Her mother shrugs. "Maybe ten minutes."
She laughs when Al rolls her head and sighs dramatically. But it's not funny – Al wants to dance and sing and see Ryan and Espo make fools of themselves at the party. Cause she already knows they're going to be goofballs and are planning a dance-off for later in the night.
"Come on, kid," Kate says quietly. "Time to get going."
She doesn't crush the flowers. They were held way in front of her even as her arm started to hurt. But the bouquet stays intact as she smiles up at the adults. They both look so happy, she thinks, tilting her head to the side to better see her mother. So happy, the smile widening as she laughs, Rick reaching over to wipe a stray tear off her cheek with a wink toward Al.
But the party means she doesn't need to worry about her mom's flowers or how uncomfortable her shoes are getting. Al slips the heels off under the table and wiggles her toes, admiring the red polish.
"Hey, little chica?"
She glances up from the shade of her hair and finds Espo standing in front of the table. "Yeah?"
"We need a YMCA partner," he says, gesturing to Ryan next to him. "Care to join us?"
Al looks at Rick and Kate for confirmation that she can leave but Kate's gone and Rick is finishing off a pretzel covered in chocolate. "Can I dance?"
He nods, giving her a little push off the chair. "Go for it, dancing queen." When she raises a brow, he shakes his head with a smile. "Before your time obviously. Have fun, kid!"
She runs around the table, grabbing Ryan's offered hand. "I don't know this dance."
"You don't know the YMCA?" Ryan says. Al shakes her head, narrowing her eyes at the men who are now glaring at her. "It's easy. Watch."
Al hangs back, watching as her mom's co-workers wave their arms in the shape of letters to go with the lyrics of the song. "That's silly."
But a minute later, she's sandwiched between the men, giggling as she makes her arms into an M, shouting along with the chorus. She doesn't see Rick or her mom in the room but the door to the garden is open so they must be outside.
The song ends and Al slumps against Espo's leg. "That was fun."
"Back to your table you go, then!" The man picks Al up under her arms and runs her back to the head table to deposit her at her chair. "Hold court here, little chica, so your parents don't murder me."
"Here," says Jenny, handing Al a plate of cake. Evelyn, her mom's boss's wife, is next to her. "Let's eat some cake and wait for them to play the good music."
Al stabs her fork into the piece, careful to avoid the colorful flowers on the side. The piece is huge and frosting smears over her lips as she chews. Jenny and Evelyn are talking about shoes and Al is glad hers are off, safely under the table.
"Having a good time, kid?" Rick asks, tossing Kate's heels under the table as Kate wipes a napkin over Al's face, getting rid of the frosting.
"Yes!" She holds the plate up so the crystal nearly hits him in the nose. "There's cake! And I was dancin' with Ryan and Espo." Her voice lowers to a stage-whisper. "They're weird." Al points her fork at the duo still on the dance floor with Lanie watching them from the sideline.
"Want to come dance with me?" Rick asks, leaning on the table to drag a finger through the frosting of her cake and eat it. "I won't be weird."
Evelyn helps Al off the chair after the girl places her plate on the table. "No weird dancin'," she warns, narrowing her eyes at the man.
"Promise. No weird dancing." She sees the wink he tosses at her mom but ignores it as he takes her hand to bring her back to the dance floor just as a slow song starts up. Some of the floor empties, though Jenny and Evelyn excuse themselves to join their significant others on the hardwood. "You know how to dance to this song?" he asks, leaning down to murmur in her ear.
"It's too slow for YMCA."
"That it is. Watch this little trick." He grabs her hands and lifts her up in the air, grinning at Al's giggle, before setting her on the toes of his shoes. "Look at that. You're ready for Dancing with the Stars, Miss Beckett!"
She wraps her arms around his knees. "Love you so much, Rick."
He brushes his hand over her hair, dislodging the headband. "Thanks."
"Thanks? For what?" Al asks, turning her head up to find his eyes.
"For sharing her with me." He tugs one of her curls and pushes the headband back into place. "For letting me be part of your lives."
She hugs her arms closer, nearly tripping him up as he shuffles around the dance floor. "Welcome."
In the midst of the soft music, Al asks seriously, "Now can I go have more cake?"