"Wow! A boat!" Sasha exclaimed, her eyes wide in excitement as she stood before a yacht anchored on the wooden deck she was standing on.
Her pink sparkly dress glittered into the moonlight as the night sky promised a beautiful silent weather perfect for sailing in the river.
On her neck was a silver diamond necklace with a letter "S" that added glamour to her dress. Alex noticed it right away. She had the same necklace except for the letter "A", in which Robbie had given to her on her eighteenth birthday.
"Are we going on the boat, Dad? Is this yours?" Sasha asked excitedly. Her feet were itching to go inside.
"Yes, and," he took another item from his pocket and placed a small diamond barette on top of her head. "Of course, it wouldn't be complete without a little crown for my princess."
"Oh my gosh! This is so beautiful. It matches my necklace. Thanks, Dad!" and she gave him a hug. This time it was much longer than before and Robbie hugged her tighter. His heart just couldn't take so much love for her that he felt like it was going to burst out of him. He had been waiting for this moment all day, for her to hug him again, and he felt contented that he saw how happy she was.
"Dad, you can let go now. I need to breathe," Sasha said and he chuckled as he let her go.
"Sorry," his eyes almost got teary-eyed.
Who would have thought that a girl like Sasha could make him cry? The lost years that he had not known about her had only encouraged him to make most of the year to come.... and hopefully more years for that matter. He didn't want to part from her at all. She was his most precious gift. A gift that needed to be kept for a long time no matter what.
He took her little hand as he led her inside the yacht. Alex was about to mount it, too but he motioned for her to wait.
"Please take her inside," he told one of the crews waiting for them.
He then went to Alex, and offer his hand to her. Alex smiled and gave her hand to him.
With her long silky black dress that hugged her body, cinching her waist and just enough fabric to cover her round breasts, he couldn't let his gaze falter away from her. Any man would drool over the sight as her slit went all the way up to her thigh, giving him enough imagination on what could she be hiding underneath it all.
Her fair skin matched with his own pick of red lipstick from his line, had made her whole face lit up, making her look prettier than before. Her make-up just gave her a natural glow. A personal pick from his line as well.
He felt proud to be able to know exactly what would suit a woman like her. It might be weird for some, but eversince he was younger, she had been his inspiration to the many beauty products he had made on his own. Her face was the very first subject of his experimenting in the early days and he was not wrong to pick her as his very first model as well. Yet, there was always a price for fame and fortune... and one of them had actually hurt him more than anything else.
Alex was somehow expecting him to tell her how stunning she looked tonight but he never uttered a word since they left. The moment Robbie saw her, he never let his eyes off her and yet, he didn't bother to give any kind of praise, even just for the dress itself.
'Just don't expect it. It didn't even matter,' she told herself and yet, why was she was feeling a bit glum about it?
She did not pick the dress herself but Divine insisted it on her.
"I am not sure if that would fit me right," she told Divine.
"Oh, c'mon, Ms. Allison. With your natural beauty and curves, we sure know it would fit," Divine assured her.
So she reluctantly tried it on and looking at herself in the mirror, she was surprised how she looked. She might have gained weight but at least it gave her a bit more flesh in other parts of the body that needed it. Most especially her breasts which were the first ones that she saw changed in herself. It might not be perky but at least it was rounder, much better than her small size before.
Robbie held on to her hand. He couldn't resist not to get a glimpse of her every second of the night. The way her long straight black hair was pulled up to a bun, letting some little frills of hair fall on the side of her face, had made him stare longingly to her neck. He suddenly wanted to trail his lips on it and he swallowed hard. The last thing he wanted to to do now was to drift his mind off from what he should be focusing on instead.
Bernie was waiting inside the yacht. He was sitting in one of the cushioned beige seats that surround an oval wooden table. On top of the table was a two-layer white and pink cake with a sparkling edible shoe on top, and pink balloons filled the place as they floated to the roof of the lower deck. The table was also set for the four of them as the crew awaited on their sides.
Sasha ran towards the table as soon as she saw her cake.
"Even my cake sparkles!" she exclaimed as the crew members smiled. It gave them enough satisfaction upon knowing that all their efforts have been appreciated even if it was done last minute.
"Of course, honey. Your daddy would always give you the best stuff," Bernie reminded her.
"This is the best birthday ever!" and that made Robbie smile and Alex, too.
Although she didn't want to admit it, she knew in herself that this kind of celebration would never come for Sasha if not for Robbie. She was extremely happy that her daughter could have memorable childhood better than hers.
She gazed at the man beside her admiringly. Robbie might not going to be the perfect mate for her but at least he would be the best father to Sasha and she felt happy knowing that.
"Can I blow my cake now?" Sasha asked.
The cake looked so appetizing that she wanted to sink her teeth into it right away. She never really had a big cake just like this before. Most of the time her mom would just buy her a small round cake good enough for the two of them to share. She never asked too much from her knowing they didn't have enough before.
She realized how lucky she was to have her. Because if not for her she would never be able to meet her dad and have this awesome celebration.
Realizing this, she went over to her mother and gave her a hug. Alex was puzzled since she never really give her a random hug except when she needed comfort.
"What's the matter, honey?" Alex asked, suddenly concerned. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, Mom. I just want to thank you for making me meet Dad finally. It is still the best gift ever," Sasha replied sincerely.
"It really is," and she looked over to Robbie and smiled. She knew now that she made a great decision of finally introducing him to her daughter after several years of asking for it.
"Okay, everyone. Can we start the celebration? As much as I wanted to see this lovely scene, I am famished. So if you don't mind, can we have dinner now?" Bernie stated and they all went to the table to sit.
The crew members started moving and soon enough food of all kinds were served. There were steak, seafood and salad. Wine was poured on their glasses as well and apple cider for Sasha. Then, they started to eat. There was silence for awhile until Robbie noticed that Sasha was not eating any of the seafood platter.
"Sasha, why don't you try the crab or the shrimp? They're really delicious," Robbie asked.
"I can't," she answered.
"Is she allergic?" he turned to Alex.
"Yes. Crabs and shrimps in particular."
"Like you."
She smiled. "You remembered."
"Of course. That part of you, I would never forget."
She smiled widely and her eyes sparkled. It's amazing how her heart was filled with joy upon hearing all this. She shouldn't be flattered and she didn't understand why she was feeling that way. It should have just been normal since they knew each other for so long... and yet, he was the only one who actually remembered and knew her so well.
Miguel was never like him. He often forgot a lot of things about her. Sometimes when they went out, he often brought him to a seafood restaurant since it was his favorite, and she ended up not having eaten anything at the end of a date. So, often, Robbie would serve her steak when she got home so she would devour it like a hungry lion who hadn't eaten for days.
That was before... time has changed.
'Stop comparing,' she scolded herself. 'Miguel was out of the picture now and Robbie should not replace him as well.'
She had told herself years ago that it's better off for her not to have anyone in her life except Sasha. Sasha was enough for her, and she didn't need a man to fill whatever void it needed to fill in since her daughter had made her feel accomplished already. She never needed anyone so she knew she wouldn't look for someone now.
Even if Robbie seemed a hopeful choice.
'No. He should never be a choice at all. We will never work because he is gay,' she reminded herself.
'But was he really?' and she found herself doubting herself of who he really was.