Wade tugged at the hem of the black tux he was wearing. It wasn't often that one would find him in a tux, or much less thinking about wearing a tux.
People bounced around him, parents taking photos of children and boys and girls chatting loudly and couples embracing each other tightly.
Wade cringed slightly at the sight of a father hugging his daughter. He hoped to God he didn't smell like blood. He had promised to be here and had already missed the ceremony, but at least he was there, wearing a tux and wanting to say congratulations.
A bright bubbling laugh filled his ear as a weight crashed onto his back. He stumbled forward slightly and caught the legs of his daughter before she tumbled to the ground. "Look." She said brightly. She shoved the certificate under his nose. He grinned proudly at it. She had grown out of the Goth phase she had been in.
His grin slipped away when he saw Chace West not too far off. The guy saluted him, not in a mocking manner at all, just respectfully, but stayed away. "Congrats, I'm proud of you." He really was too. She still hadn't swayed under Stryker's offer to become a soldier for him. She dropped to the floor.
"Uh-huh, you are late though." She chided, her tone slightly disappointed. Wade hated that she already knew when he'd show up and when he'd not show up. "But I get it, work, right? Anyway, Chace wants to take us out to dinner. All of us, the guys too, and I want you to be nice dad. I really like him."
Wade growled out his response. He knew it was probably really immature of him to stay angry at the prospect of her dating a boy three years older, especially if they've been dating three years, but still. He didn't like Chace. No matter how nice he is.