When we arrive, Connor opens the door for me, helping me out. I kiss his cheek before going to the back door, getting Arielle out. She wraps her arms around my neck as I rest her on my hip, and we walk towards the doors. It's a good thing this venue is usually used as a restaurant, so we rented it out for the night.
We walk through the doors, and Riley walks over with Toby. They're dressed as-
"Spongebob and Patrick!" Arielle exclaims. We all chuckle as she switches from me to Riley.
"That's right, Ellie. You get a kiss for that," he says, and he kisses her nose while she giggles. They started calling her Ellie as a nickname.
"I like your outfits," Toby compliments.
"Thank you," the three of us say, and we all laugh. I then hear somebody shouting.
"She's coming! She's coming!" We all find a spot to hide, and then I hear the door open.
"Am I in the right place?" she asks herself. I switch on the lights, and we all jump out.
"Surprise!" She jumps and starts laughing at her reaction. Arielle runs up to her and hugs her leg.
"Happy birthday, Quinnie!" she squeals, smiling up at her.
"Aw, thank you, Arielle! Where are Mommy and Daddy?" she asks, picking her up as people start to mingle again.
"We're right here," I say, and I go over to my mother. Connor takes Arielle from her, and I hug her tightly.
"Happy birthday, Mom," I whisper.
"Thank you, sweetie. Did you guys do all of this for me?" she asks, pulling away to look at us.
"Absolutely! Of course, we had help from Mr. and Mrs. McDonough with the planning, but other than that, it was all us," I tell her.
"You guys are definitely the best people in the world," she says, hugging the three of us.
* * *
"Mrs. Quinn, Connor and Emily would like to perform a dance for you," Riley announces as we step into the middle of the floor. Everybody else sits down, and I watch Toby bring a chair over for my mother to sit in.
We get into our positions, and the music starts. Immediately, we start dancing, and I keep my eyes on him. He does the same with me, and we smile the whole time. At that moment, I feel like we're back in the studio, practicing with nobody else watching us. Arielle hasn't even see the dance yet.
He suddenly picks me up, and I remember that we're performing. I notice that he hasn't messed up once, which would be the first time ever since I taught it to him. Now he's dancing like he's been practicing for years, when it's only been about three months.
We stop as the music does, and the lights go up. Everybody starts clapping, but Connor and I are just panting, staring at each other with huge smiles on our faces. I then look over at my mother to see tears streaming down her face while her mouth is split into the biggest grin I've ever seen. The remaining McDonough family are cheering and whistling, and Arielle's eyes are wide, her mouth hung open.
"Mommy!" she suddenly screams, and she runs towards me, laughing. I pick her up and rest her on my hip.
"That was beautiful, Mommy and Daddy," she says, kissing our cheeks.
"Awe, thank you Ari," Connor says, taking her from me. She then wiggles, so he puts her down, and slow music starts to play.
"May I have this dance?" he asks, bowing and holding out his hand. I laugh and take it before we waltz in little circles.
"You did amazing out there. You didn't mess up once," I say.
"Well, I had a strategy," he says.
"What's that?" I ask.
"Just think about the people in my life that I love. I love you, Foster Quinn." I smile.
"I love you, too, Connor McDonough." His face lights up, and he softly kisses me before spinning me around.
A/N: I AM SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED WELL. Don't worry, it's not over yet! I still have a couple more tricks up my sleeve. Foster's outfit and the dance are on the side. Sorry it's rushed a little. -Emily
