April 4
"Mommy! I want to get out now." Alexis yelled from the bathtub. Beyonce put her dress down on the island in the closet and made her way into the bathroom. "I'm wrinkly." Alexis said showing her hands.
"Alright, let's not let you wrinkle anymore then." Beyonce said grabbing her daughter's favorite towel. Alexis stood up and held her arms out as Beyonce placed the towel around her body. "Hold on tight." She wrapped her arms around Beyonce's neck as she was lifted into the air.
"I'm getting big." Alexis said with a laugh as Beyonce took her out to the bedroom. She dropped her onto the bed and grabbed the clothes Shawn left out for Alexis to wear.
"Yeah you are, sooner or later I won't be able to carry you anymore." Beyonce said in a sad tone. She was going to miss being able to carry her daughter, her first born, in her arms. "You should have stayed a baby." She said blowing a raspberry on Alexis's stomach.
"But I want to be a big girl." Alexis said through her laughter. Beyonce laughed as well and finished getting her daughter dressed.
"All done. Go wait downstairs." She said placing her on the floor. Alexis took off running out of the room as Beyonce went back to her dress. "Nah, not enough cleavage." She said before throwing it onto the bed. After six of them, she was still undecided in the wardrobe department.
---
"I was ready on time." Alexis said as her parents bickered over being late to the dinner party.
"That's because I dressed you."
"Well you should have dressed yourself first." Shawn said taking a bite of his food. Beyonce raised her knife to give him a signal. "You don't scare me." He responded with a laugh.
"We'll see tonight." That's all it took to have Shawn in submissive mode. He wasn't willing to risk the night's festivities over some bullshit. If he was going to get the cold shoulder, he was going to earn it over something real.
"Daddy, are you gonna leave?" Alexis asked as she picked at her food. He smiled and placed her onto his lap.
"I'm never gonna leave you." He said giving her a kiss on the cheek. She nodded and looked over at Beyonce.
"You gonna leave mommy?"
"Never. You're both stuck with me forever." Beyonce rolled her eyes in a playful manner as Alexis kept a smile on her face. She knew her parents would never lie to her. They were honest people, and if her dad says he's never going to leave, then he meant it. Never means never.
"The Carter family!" All three turned around to be met with another family that was sharing their table. The Simmons family. Not Russell and Kimora, but the Reverend and Justine. They all said their hellos and got situated in their seats.
"So how's it going with your job?" Beyonce asked Angela.
"Good, school and work together suck but I'm managing it." She said with a laugh. Alexis made her way over to the oldest Simmons daughter, Vanessa, and was busy trying to play with her hair.
"Mommy I want hair like this." She said getting Beyonce's attention.
"We'll see." That was the trick to being trustworthy parents. Don't lie and say yes when you know damn well it's not going to happen. Beyonce didn't promise anything, but she also didn't cause her daughter's hopes to disappear. This way everyone was happy.
---
"I like them daddy, they were nice." Alexis said as they began to leave the dinner.
"Yup, they were nice." He said lifting her up into his arms. Now was when they needed to watch out for their daughter the most. Paparatzi were loose and there was no telling what could happen. "You wanna go first and get the attention, or you want me to go first?" He asked looking over at Beyonce.
"I'm too weak to carry her, I'll go out first." She said giving him a kiss and placing a kiss on her daughter's cheek. "See you in the car." She quickly walked through the doors and was met with a million flashes. All she needed to do was make it to the car so Shawn could have an easier time with Alexis, but it wasn't going to be easy.
Her name was being called from every direction. They all wanted at least one picture. But why? Why were they so obsessed with her picture when there were a million other celebrities walking out of the same place. It's because she was going through a rough patch in her marriage.
And it didn't help when Shawn walked out a minute later without her by his side. Now his name was being called and his daughter's name was being called, but she knew not to raise her head from her father's shoulder. She was taught that at an early age.
"Hey man, watch out." Shawn said as one of the paparatzi got too close for comfort. He quickly placed Alexis in the car and got in after her. "Damn man, I'm tired of this shit." He said leaning back into the seat. Alexis let out little giggles when she heard her father become angry. He wasn't like this at home, he was her personal teddy bear.
"Maybe we should go on vacation." Beyonce said as Alexis cuddled into her. Shawn looked down at his daughter who was smiling at him with her thumb in her mouth, sleep slowly taking over her.
"You like the sound of that munchkin?" Alexis nodded slowly and he smiled. "I guess we're going on a vacation." That's what they needed. A vacation from the lifestyle, not from each other. The media would still say they are doing it for the sake of Alexis, but that didn't matter, it only mattered that they knew what was going to happen in their lives.
And they always know what's going to happen.
