"Mackenzie Josephine Anderson!" Blaine bellowed suddenly, his attention being pulled away from his old classmates.
Blaine was happy that Rachel, Tina, and even Kurt were there. It was nice to see them, and it was a little crazy to see how grown up everyone had become. He had certainly lost touch with most of the McKinley kids, and he looked forward to hopefully catch up with them as the night went on. But in this moment, parenting came first.
"Mackenzie, I told you, you have to keep your shoes on at least until after dinner," Blaine scolded with a sigh. Mackenzie had been complaining that the shoes hurt her feet, and Blaine knew it could be half true. But this was a formal event, and he at least wanted his daughter to be presentable until people were drunk enough to stop caring (and the photographer got all the formal pictures he needed).
"Sorry, daddy," Mackenzie apologized with big puppy eyes and a pouty lip, clearly hoping her father wouldn't stay too mad. Blaine took a couple steps toward Mackenzie and gestured toward the nearest chair for her to hop up on. He squatted down and unbuckled the shoes so he could get them back on Kenzie's little feet.
"Blaine! I didn't know she was yours!" Rachel exclaimed, taking the few steps over toward them. "She's absolutely precious."
Blaine smiled sheepishly as Mackenzie shrunk into herself, taken aback by Rachel's Excitement. Of course Rachel didn't know. He didn't exactly send out an announcement about Mackenzie's birth. And he didn't exactly reach out to old comrades to inform them either. Tina walked up behind Rachel, a smile on her face as well. She'd probably seen Mackenzie in a few Facebook photos, so she didn't look as surprised. Blaine imagined it was still a 'reality shock' moment in a way. But no one looked at surprised as Kurt, who still stood back a few feet from the women, mouth slightly agape.
"Yup, all mine," Blaine confirmed as he buckled one of Mackenzie's shoes. "My personal pain in the butt," he joked, to make Mackenzie giggle a little – trying to get her to loosen up and avoid shying away. "Mackenzie these are some of daddy's old friends from when he went to school." Blaine explained, continuing onto the next shoe. Once he got the Maryjane on his child's foot, he turned slightly to each of the adults in turn. "That's Rachel, and Tina, and Kurt," he explained. Blaine knew Mackenzie wasn't likely to remember any of their names, but he liked to make it a point to try and teach Mackenzie to politely introduce herself.
Mackenzie was still young though, and still shy. And as Blaine stood again, she reached her arms up – silently asking to be lifted by her father. Blaine obliged for now, figuring at least this way she was staying out of trouble. The girl lay her head on Blaine's shoulder as he sat the child on his hip, keeping her eyes shifting between the adults a bit apprehensively. Her arms were snaked around Blaine's neck, keeping herself protected from the strangers.
"Hi Mackenzie!" Tina cooed, reaching out to try and tickle the girl a little. Mackenzie pulled away slightly, but smiled. "You look so pretty! I love your dress!"
"Someone's being shy," Blaine noted, bouncing his daughter a bit in his arms in an attempt to get her back to her smiley, giggly self. He was sure she'd become more comfortable as the night went on, but Mackenzie was often wary about new people.
"Oh, it's quite alright," Rachel noted, a bright, happy smile being offered to Mackenzie. "We can all be a little shy sometimes." Blaine found it hard to believe Rachel was ever shy, but he nodded in agreement if only to make his daughter feel a little more comfortable. "How old is she?" Rachel asked, turning to Blaine.
"Why don't you tell Miss Rachel how old you are?" Blaine offered to Mackenzie, who responded by turning her head away, and burring herself deeper into the crook of her father's neck. Blaine sighed just slightly, adjusting his hold of Mackenzie so she wouldn't slip out of his arms. "She's five," Blaine answered, seeing as Mackenzie wasn't going to participate.
"Oh 5? I would have guessed you're at LEAST 17," Tina joked sweetly, managing to get a small smile from the girl in Blaine's arms.
"God help me when she's 17," Blaine said passively. He had no desire to believe his little girl could ever be a teenager.
"Blaine, how did I go 5 years without knowing you're a dad!?" Rachel asked, a slight look of offense in her face, but her tone was lighthearted, joking even.
"Well you blocked me on Facebook, so there's that," Blaine noted. He noticed Kurt shift uncomfortably at his comment. Blaine had a feeling Kurt had something to do with Rachel cutting ties, and frankly he understood. Rachel was furious with Blaine when she found out he cheated on Kurt, and probably would have decided to block him on her own anyway. But Blaine knew Kurt probably insisted upon it, so he wouldn't have to accidentally come across liked photos or posts. He didn't even know if the two even used Facebook anymore. Blaine was still technologically trapped in 2010 – a symptom of being a busy single dad without cable or internet.
"God, I'm going to have to fix that," Rachel said, pulling her phone out of her clutch, swiping at the screen. "I could always use a cute fix in the middle of my day."
Blaine chuckled and bounced Mackenzie again. "Well Kenzie and I would be happy to provide," he insisted, inwardly happy about the fact he was reconnecting so easily with Rachel, even if it was mostly due to his daughter being naturally adorable. "Right Kenz?" The little girl shrugged, picking her head up to look at her father.
"Daddy can we go get food yet?" Mackenzie asked quickly and softly, clearly trying to ignore the fact that these strangers were there.
"Dinner isn't for another few minutes, kiddo," Blaine explained, taking a quick look over his shoulder. He noticed that Cooper was sitting at his assigned table – actually with a few other of the new directions. "Why do you go ask Uncle Coop for some bread and butter," the man offered, pointing over to the table.
Mackenzie nodded, and wriggled out of Blaine's arms. She scurried off quickly, blonde curls bouncing behind her. "She'll come around," Blaine promised the women, who seemed a little disappointed that Mackenzie ran off so quickly. Kurt didn't seem nearly as upset, and seemed a bit less stiff once Mackenzie left, though Blaine noticed his gaze kept drifting to the girl now and again.
"Oh I'm sure she will," Tina agreed. Rachel also nodded. Blaine was sure the women would try to win his daughter over by the end of the night – if only for the opportunity of a selfie or a dance. "Guys, look it's Mercedes! Let's go say hi!"
"Been there, done that," Blaine said jokingly. "I would, but I should stick around and be ready for the toasts."
"Alright, we'll meet on the dancefloor later then!" Rachel said excitedly. "Are you coming Kurt?" she added, as her and Tina already started walking away toward their old friend.
"I'll meet up with you guys in a bit," Kurt decided, waving them off. Blaine gave the man a half smile as the women turned away and scuttled off toward Mercedes in their ridiculous heels. A couple moments of silence met the men as they stood in front of the bar. Blaine stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his toes, not entirely sure what to say. Luckily, Kurt was more willing to break the silence.
"You look great," the taller man noted. His tone was apprehensive, but genuine.
Blaine smiled, and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Thanks… you too. Really great."
Another moment of silence. Blaine's hand found its way back into his pocket. Both he and Kurt turned to focus on the room, watching everyone else move around them. It was probably another minute before Kurt spoke up again. "So… you're a dad."
"Yup." Blaine answered simply with a nod. "Yeah for 5 years now," he added with a chuckle. Blaine was happy to see the comment made Kurt laugh as well. Thank god humor was a great way to break the ice and clear the air.
"She seems sweet," Kurt noted, looking over at the little girl who was now sitting on Cooper's lap and munching on a roll. Blaine smiled after his daughter, he found it difficult not to. "And you seem really happy."
"Of course," Blaine agreed instantly. "She's everything to me. Even when I'm sad I can't help but be happy because I have her. She makes every day worth living." Another moment of silence washed over Blaine and Kurt, and Blaine worried for a moment he may have spoken too strongly of himself and his daughter. But then Kurt spoke again, revealing the thought that had been hanging on that silence.
"So, does she have another dad?" Kurt asked tentatively, clearly hoping he wasn't pushing the boundaries of the awkward conversation. Although Blaine figured that if they were going to engage in the awkwardness, he may as well dive head first.
"Nope. Just me and her," Blaine explained simply. He could go into it, how he ended up with a daughter on his hands over 5 years ago, but it didn't seem like a conversation to have with his ex-boyfriend at his best friend's wedding.
"Wow..." Kurt mused. "I give you all the credit in the world. Just thinking back to my dad raising me after my mom died… being a single dad is tough."
"No kidding," Blaine said with a chuckle. "She's a good kid though…" Another moment of silence. "So Vouge?" Blaine asked suddenly, a smile shot Kurt's way.
Kurt's head snapped toward Blaine, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape. "How… are you stalking me?" he asked with joking accusation.
"I read Vouge, Kurt," Blaine noted, a roll of his eyes. "I saw your name on a 'trends' article a couple years back. I kinda look out for it now," he admitted. It was by chance that he noticed Kurt's name the first time, but Blaine would be lying if he said he didn't try and find it from there on out.
"Oh god, you've read those trash articles?" Kurt asked with a sigh, putting a hand to his forehead in shame.
"Hey those aren't trash! How would I know that puce is 'in' without you?" Blaine asked with mock seriousness. The man laughed as Kurt rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, they're not that bad!"
"They're fine, I just can't wait until I finally get to publish a real article. Or get my designs in there somehow," Kurt explained, clearly a little disappointed he hadn't gotten his chance to shine yet.
"I'm sure you'll get there. You've always had an amazing eye for fashion and culture," Blaine said comfortingly.
"I guess… but I have been wrong about things."
"Like puce?"
"No, like all those times I told you in high school that purple wasn't your color."
Blaine laughed, and looked down at his tie, taking a moment to straighten it out. "Well I'm glad that it only took 8 years to finally get permission to wear my favorite color again," Blaine joked back. It finally felt a little less tense, and Blaine was happy about that. Kurt's smile told him the other man felt similarly. Kurt's smile turned to a look of surprise though, and Blaine's face quickly matched it as he felt a force suddenly against the back of his legs.
"Daddy! Daddy! It's dinner time!" the little girl now hanging on Blaine cried happily.
"Mackenzie, Mr. Kurt and I were having a conversation. This is very rude!" Blaine scolded slightly.
"Sorry," The little girl said to the other man quickly. "Comon' dad! It's dinner time," the girl whined, quickly turning back to Blaine and tugging at her father's suit jacket.
"Looks like it's time for me to go," Blaine said rolling his eyes.
"Yeah…" Kurt agreed, his voice somewhat hesitant as he watched the little girl pull at her father.
"Sorry about her, she's just… a little excitable today," Blaine explained as he was slowly pulled away. "We should meet up again after dinner, yeah?" Blaine offered, taking short slow steps to temporarily appease Mackenzie, making her think she was accomplishing something.
"Uh, yeah sure. After dinner," Kurt agreed.
Blaine smiled, and gave Kurt a quick wave before finally turning and giving into his daughter's wishes to pull the man across the room to get seated for their meal. He briefly thought about how that reunion with Kurt could have been so much more awkward – even though it was somewhat awkward to begin with. He thought that it was nice they were able to chat and laugh. He hoped he'd have a moment to talk to him again before the end of the night. Blaine knew, though, that the next couple hours he'd be caught up in all his best man and daddy duties. And the pouring of the champagne at the head table reminded Blaine it was time to focus. He had a speech to make, after all.
A few minutes later, after everyone was seated and waiters were in the wings with carts full of fancy plates with silver covers. The champagne had been poured, and people were on the edge of their seats, waiting anxiously for the food. But they'd have to sit through just one speech first.
Blaine stood, and tapped the end of his champagne glass to get everyone's attention. The room hushed fairly quickly and people turned to face him. Blaine was glad he had so much experience in front of people - being a soloist at Daulton and McKinley certainly prepared him for the pressure of having a thousand eyes on him. Although, speaking was a bit different than singing, and this speech was certainly more important to Blaine than his old Glee club days. The man cleared his throat, and wiped a bit of sweat off the palm of his free hand.
"I promise you all I'll keep this short and sweet so we can get to eating," Blaine started with a joking tone, getting a couple chuckles out of the crowd. "It's a complete honor to be standing here tonight to talk at the wedding of two of my best friends. I've been lucky enough to see these two grow from strangers to the most amazing couple, and there aren't enough words for how happy their happiness makes me. Sam has been a close friend of mine since high school, and he hasn't changed much since then. Always goofy. Not that bright." More chuckles.
"Brielle and I met in college. She lived across the hall from me in my freshman dorm. We were both eager to make friends and found comradery in each other. We became each other's wingmen. We never went out without each other and helped find guys to flirt with. Little did I know my job would be easy…"
"When I found out I was going to be a father, Brielle was the first person I told. She helped me get my head on my shoulders. Sam was the second. The two came together and surrounded me with love and support, and when I decided to take on the task of single fatherhood, they rallied and were there for me from day one. Day one for Mackenzie and I was also day one for Sam and Brielle."
"They dropped their normal lives to move in with me, a newborn, and a friend of mine who was essentially a stranger. Living together wasn't easy at first, but they managed. Eventually they even agreed to babysit together. Babysitting together turned into dates. Dates turned into sharing their own apartment. Sharing an apartment turned into this beautiful marriage. I'm so incredibly thankful that I've had Sam and Bri by my side the past 5 years, and even happier that they found each other through me and my daughter. I can't express how perfect these two are for each other. Sam helps Brielle relax, forget the stress of her days, and makes sure she remains adventurous. Brie helps Sam stay grounded – she bring him back to earth when he flys too high. They balance each other beautifully, and there's no doubt in my mind that they'll have an amazing life together."
Blaine turned to Sam and Brielle, seeing that Mackenzie had crawled into Brielle's lap at some point during his speech. "Sam. Bri. I wish you all the happiness in the world. And I thank you for all the happiness you've brought me and my daughter. I know you two will have the best life together, and I only hope I can continue to be a part of it. I can't wait to see what comes next for you two. Congratulations."
Everyone clapped happily, and toasted to the happy couple. Blaine raised his glass as well, and took a sip. "Now let's eat!" he said officially ending his speech, then taking his seat next to Sam for dinner.