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After we had told my dad, of course. I had never seen Colt so nervous. But luckily my father had already suspected and was fond of Colt, so we were in the clear.
Beaming from ear-to-ear, she looked toward Colt and then back to me. “So, do I get an official introduction now?”
I laughed. “Colt, this is Eden. Eden, this is Colt.”
They shook hands. “Nice to meet you,” Colt said. “Officially, that is. I certainly remember you already for that night in Turkey.”
“I bet you do,” Eden said, wiggling her eyebrows. “And you want to thank me, right? Because I’m the one who sent this girl over to you. She was all shy, drooling over you from afar.”
“Eden,” I said.
Colt gave a hearty laugh. “I definitely owe you then! Thank you, a thousand times.”
Eden took a bow. “My pleasure. All I ask is for you to pick a handsome best man for me to walk down the aisle with at your wedding.” She winked, and all I could do was shake my head. “I’ll be back. I’m going to get us some drinks,” she said.
“I never knew politicians had such sassy children,” Colt said with a laugh.
“I guess it’s time for you to get used to it,” I said.
“I’m already used to it.” He stooped down to kiss me, making our crowd of observers cheer some more.
Eden returned with our drinks just as the roar of the crowd reached an almost deafening pitch.
“Your dad is a rock star!” Eden yelled over the crowd.
I nodded, having come to the same conclusion some time ago.
It was astonishing how far he had come, but I suppose it wasn’t too surprising. My father had always been a hard-worker. Plus, he was smart, driven, friendly, caring, and everyone who met him could tell that unlike typical politicians, he genuinely wanted to bring about change for the better. He was the kind of politician that only came around once in a lifetime, and all the top news outlets were already holding non-stop discussions about his chances of actually being the President one day. While it all made me nervous, it also made me extremely proud of him.
Security guards from the pub began requesting for guests to clear an area to permit my father room to make an entrance. The crowd began to disperse, clearing a path at the doorway, all the while continuing to cheer.
Eden began to pump her fist in the air and chant, “Finley! Finley! Finley!” and not before long, it seemed like the entire pub had joined in.
A group of secret service agents arrived first, strategically positioning themselves around the pub and preparing for my father’s entrance.
Next, none other than Milly Penson walked in, a sheepish look for her face. The poor woman was entirely new to all of this, and I knew just how disorienting it was. Colt and I both began waving our hands so that she could spot us through the crowd. Grateful to see familiar and friendly faces, she hurriedly made her way over to us.
“My goodness, this is really something,” she said, hugging me.
“It sure is,” I said, hugging her back. “I guess we’re just going to have to get used to it though.”
“I think you’re right,” she said. She chuckled and shook her head. “And your father had the nerve to not expect a big turnout.”
“Always modest,” I said.
“Tell me about it,” Milly said.
Finally, the man himself made his entrance. From the look on my father’s face, I immediately knew Milly had been right; he hadn’t at all expected this level of interest in his pub gathering. The place was filled to capacity, and from the sounds of it, there were even people outside who couldn’t get in but still wanted to congratulate him and wish him the best for the general election.
The instant he was inside the pub, with secret service surrounding him, his eyes scanned the premises in search of me, Colt, and Milly. When he saw us standing safely in the distance, his expression relaxed. He smiled and blew kisses our way, and then headed farther into the pub.
He reached the bar, where the event organizers had set up a platform turned into a temporary stage. A microphone was placed in his hand, although he did not speak for quite some time. Instead, he posed for pictures and shook dozens upon dozens of hands.
When the crowd began to chant his name louder by the second, he raised a hand to silence them, the smile never leaving his face.
“Wow…” he said, clearly overcome with emotion. He shook his head. “This is more than I could ever ask for. I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight. I cannot tell you how much this means to me.” He paused as the crowd applauded. “Tonight is a very special night, for multiple reasons,” he continued, causing the crowd to quiet again. “So before I say any more, I want you to all turn around, and congratulate my daughter, Natalie, for passing her BAR exam!”
Heat rushed to my face as hundreds and of eyes turned my way, clapping and cheering.
