5
KIAN
Kian spotted Syssi making her way through the crowd with Allegra perched on her hip. His daughter's sparkly tiara had slipped to one side, and her chubby fingers were tangled in Syssi's necklace, but she looked utterly delighted with the attention she was receiving from everyone who stopped to coo at her.
His heart swelled at the sight of them.
In his two thousand years of existence, nothing had prepared him for the fierce, all-consuming love he felt for his daughter and her mother. Before Syssi had entered his life, he'd dedicated himself to the clan, but now these two precious ladies were his entire world, and the clan's business took a back seat, at least as far as his heart was concerned. It still took too much of his time and left too little for what really mattered.
"There they are," he murmured to Amanda, who stood beside him on the platform. "Perhaps this time, Allegra is ready to say a few words to her guests and wow them with her advanced vocabulary."
Amanda snorted. "The prodigy miracle child."
"That's right." He wasn't embarrassed in the least for thinking that the sun came out in the morning to shine on Allegra's golden curls and the moon came up at night just to sing her a lullaby.
"She certainly has your stubbornness," Amanda said. "It's right there in the set of her jaw."
"Can't deny that." He sighed. "As Syssi likes to say, it's the flip side of the same coin. You can't have determination and assertiveness without stubbornness, right? If she were sweet and mellow, she wouldn't have what it takes to be a leader."
Amanda nodded. "I agree a hundred percent, especially since the same can be said about me."
"Daddy!" Allegra cried when she spotted him, reaching out with grabby hands, nearly strangling Syssi with the necklace still clutched in her fist.
"Careful, sweetheart," Syssi untangled their daughter's fingers from the jewelry. "You're going to break Mommy's necklace."
"Come to Daddy, sweetheart." Kian lifted Allegra from Syssi's arms, planting a kiss on her rosy cheek. "Are you ready now for your big speech, Princess?"
Allegra nodded solemnly. "I say thank you."
"That's right," Kian confirmed, catching Syssi's eye with a smile. They'd practiced the simple words with Allegra for days, though whether she'd stick to the script was anyone's guess.
Allegra bobbed her head again, but there was a gleam in her eye that made Kian suspect she had ideas of her own.
She was supposed to have said the line after his mother's speech, but she'd refused because she'd wanted to get the doll first. It had taken Syssi some time to explain that no one was going to take the doll because if anyone but her did that, Uncle Gerard would be angry, and everyone was scared of Uncle Gerard.
It hadn't been a lie either and, evidently, even Allegra knew the power of Chef Gerard.
"I want to talk there," Allegra pointed to the microphone on the platform.
"Come on, then," Kian said. "Let's give the people what they want."
Together, the three of them climbed the steps to the platform. The crowd's attention immediately shifted toward them, and a hush fell over the lawn.
"Hello, everyone," Kian said into the microphone. "Thank you for joining us on this special day. Allegra has something she'd like to say."
He held the microphone up to his daughter's mouth, but suddenly confronted with the reality of addressing the crowd, Allegra ducked her head shyly against his neck.
"It's okay, sweetheart," Kian murmured. "Remember what we practiced?"
Allegra peeked out at the assembled guests, her blue eyes wide. Then, as if making a decision, she reached for the microphone with determined hands.
Kian surrendered it, keeping a firm grip on both his daughter and the mic to prevent any disasters.
Allegra took a deep breath, then proclaimed in a clear, high voice, "Thank you for coming to my birthday. Eat the cake, but don't touch the doll. She's mine."
As the crowd erupted in laughter and applause, Kian looked at Syssi, who was covering her mouth to stifle her own giggles.
He took the microphone back, bouncing a now-beaming Allegra on his hip. "Well, you heard the birthday girl. The cake is for eating, but the doll is spoken for."
