KENNEDY

"Are you close?" Isaiah's excited voice chimes through the loudspeaker in my car making me smile.

"Iz you asked me that two minutes ago." I chuckle.

"I know I'm just excited. So, are you close?" He repeats.

"Yes the GPS says that I'm five minutes away." I answer.

"Perfect." He cheers, happiness evident in his tone.

Ever since Isaiah and I hit a bump in our relationship from when he lied to me about his mom being the senator he has been acting clingier than usual. I think our argument took its toll on our relationship and now he is behaving like I will dump him over the slightest thing. He has been buying me flowers every single day accompanied with some thoughtful gifts which is all very sweet but I wish he knew that we are good and he does not need to make it up to me anymore.

Our disagreement took its toll on me as well and I hated every moment of it that's why I chose to forgive him without dragging it out. He also looked really sorry and I could not take the kicked puppy look on his face any longer. Plus realized that I am doing the same thing to our friends that Isaiah did to me so I could not be mad at him for too long as that would make me a hypocrite. My only hope is that when I tell my friends about who Kennedy Jane Foster really is they will take it much better than I did when I found out who Isaiah's mother is.

"Are you here yet?" Isaiah asks again.

"Iz!" I scold playfully.

This boy will be the end of me.

"Are you here yet?" He repeats anxiously.

"Actually yes! I'm at the gate." I reply when I pull up to the heavily guarded gates.

"Yes! She's here!" He screams followed by a lot of yelling that forces me to take him off loudspeaker.

I give my name to the guard at the gate and after he confirms I am on the guest list, the gates slide open and I drive on. The Carter compound is much more modern than ours is and more than ever I feel ashamed for thinking that Isaiah was poor as I drive up to the main house. I love how it's built so close to the river because the views are magnificent. It looks like a modern country house. I wish we didn't live in the middle of Manhattan but then I recall how close we are to Starbucks and that thought leaves my mind immediately.

"Is that princess?" Wesley's voice asks on the phone making me realize that I did not hang up.

"Yes." Isaiah replies and that's when the call ends.

There are a lot of cars parked in the driveway leading up to the house so I park mine at the closest spot I can find that isn't so far from the house. I check my make up in the rearview mirror to make sure that it's still perfect and when I like what I see I exit the car after grabbing my phone and keys.

I unlock the trunk to get Cairo's gift and a couple of more things that I brought. I'm bent over grabbing everything when two familiar arms wrap themselves around my waist and lift me off the ground. I laugh as I lean into Isaiah's chest. He sets me down a second later and turns me around kissing me before I get a moment to catch my breath.

His tongue tastes like sour candy which explains part of his energetic self today because it seems like Wesley is not the only one who will be riding a sugar rush. My work will be cut out for me dealing with the two but I am already used to it.

"I missed you." Isaiah confesses our lips a whisper apart.

"You saw me last night at work." I remind him.

"That is twelve plus hours too long away from you." He whines kissing me again.

I grin in the kiss and bask in his affections because if I am being honest, I missed him as well. Fighting with Isaiah made me realize that I never want to lose him in my life. No matter what comes between us I believe that we will work through it because this boy right here is mine to keep for as long as he will have me.

Before we start making out right in the middle of the parking lot, I pull away and kiss his cheek before stepping away from his arms to get back to the task at hand.

"What's all this?" Isaiah asks looking at everything I brought.

"Art supplies. I thought I'd contribute to the party and put my artistic skills to use by face painting the kids. Those who are interested that is. Unless you guys have already hired someone for that task?" I ask recalling that I did not even bother to confirm that fact before undertaking this task.

I did not think this through.

"No we haven't and it's a fantastic idea." Isaiah assures me making me smile happily.

"Good, I' glad." I nod.

Isaiah wraps his arms around my waist once more and leans his chin on the crook of my shoulder. "Have I told you how amazing you are?"

"A couple of times but it wouldn't hurt to hear it a little but more." I answer.

"Well you are amazing Berry." He praises warming my heart and making me feel really good about myself.

"Thank you and right back at you." I answer. "Now please help me with this, we have a part to get to."

"Yes ma'am." Isaiah responds kissing my cheek before grabbing as many things as he can, leaving me with only the presents to carry.

I also recall that I bought Rebecca flowers so I grab them from the back seat before locking the car behind me. My nerves start getting the better of me as we walk up to the house which is weird. I have already met Rebecca and she liked me and from what Isaiah has told me about Parker he is really nice so there is nothing to worry about but I am still worried.

"Don't worry, they will love you. They already do." Isaiah assures me bumping his shoulder with mine and giving me a reassuring smile.

"I hope so." I mumble.

"I know so."

The front door is already open so all we have to do is walk in. The house is even more immaculate on the inside than it is on the outside. Whoever designed this house could give my mom's designer a run for their money because ... wow.

"The party is in the backyard." Isaiah explains when I see no sign of a party anywhere in the house.

He leads the way through the house which allows me to see more of their beautiful home.

"Whoa! It looks like Optimus Prime threw up in here." I exclaim looking around in wonder at the blue and red Transformers themed party.

There are kids running all around enjoying all the amenities set up for the party. There is a blue and red bouncy house, a trampoline and cosplayers in Transformer outfits playing with the kids. The snack and drinks table is filled to the brim with what can only be described as a kids' wonderland.

"Come meet my parents and the birthday boy." Isaiah invites.

He leads me towards the gift table where Rebecca is standing next to who I can only assume is Parker from the way he has a possessive arm wrapped around her waist.

"Kennedy!" Rebecca exclaims the minute she spots me.

"Hello Senator Carter." I greet politely.

She gives me a scolding look and I remember that she asked me to call her Rebecca which I still don't feel comfortable doing.

"What did I say about that? When I am within these walls I am Rebecca or mom."

"Yes ma'am." I cringe unable to call her Rebecca which makes her smile.

"Don't worry about it dear, we will work our way towards it." She assures me.

"These are for you." I say giving her the bouquet of mixed colored roses that Isaiah told me were her favorite.

"Oh dear you didn't have to but these are lovely, thank you." She gushes.

"My pleasure." I smile glad that she likes them.

"Kennedy meet my husband Parker, my love this is Kennedy, Isaiah's girlfriend." Rebecca introduces.

Parker smiles and hold his hand out for me to shake. "It's nice to meet you Kennedy."

"Likewise sir." I reply.

"No flowers for me?" He teases.

"Unfortunately no, I didn't think red would be your color so I brought you something else." I say handing him a plain looking gift bag.

"Sweetheart I was only kidding but thank you." He smiles reaching into the bag and retrieving a bottle of single malt whiskey that Isaiah told me he loves.

I did my research beforehand to make sure that I won them over.

"Wow, this is my favorite, how did you know?" He asks and then turns to Isaiah who is looking everywhere else but at him. "I appreciate this."

The bottle was hard to find and cost me a pretty penny but the approval in Parkers eyes makes all the hassle I went through to acquire it all worth it. They do not ask me how I got it because I am pretty sure by now they know who I really am.

"My pleasure sir." I respond.

"Call me Parker please."

"I'll try." I chuckle knowing I won't be able to do that either.

"Mom where is Cairo?" Isaiah asks.

"Last I saw him; he was playing Pin The Tail On the Donkey so you might want to start your search there." She replies.

"Okay, come I want you to meet him." Isaiah says taking my hand after setting my presents down with the rest.

"Excuse me." I say to his parents.

"Go, we will get to know each other more later." Rebecca replies.

Isaiah whisks me away to find Cairo and I cannot stop the smile on my face. That meeting went better than I thought and his parents are just as awesome as Isaiah told me they would be. They are definitely much more accepting than my own parents were which makes me very happy. Now I am much more at ease and know that the day will proceed smoothly.

"I told you they would love you." Isaiah whispers as we walk through the backyard looking for Cairo.

"Yes you did." I smile happily.

He is about to say something else when someone yells for me. We turn around to see Wesley headed our way.

"Princess!!" He screams out excitedly.

"Wes." I chuckle at his enthusiasm.

As per usual Wesley picks me up in a hug and twirls me around. I am forced to let go of Isaiah's hand as I hold on to Wesley's shoulder before he drops me.

"Put me down you oaf." I demand.

"Who you calling an oaf?" He asks twirling me around faster.

"Wes put her down before she gets sick." Isaiah demands and only then does Wesley set me down.

"Welcome to the party princess. Fashionably late as usual." He grins.

"It's my MO." I answer with a wink. "Where's Baron and Kristie?" I ask him.

"Playing board games with the smaller versions of themselves. Who knew six-year-olds could be nerds too?" He scoffs.

"Well they have to start somewhere." I reason but to Wesley that doesn't sit right with him.

"Where is Cairo?" Isaiah asks him.

"With Optimus Prime." He replies pointing is in the direction of the actor dressed as Optimus Prime surrounded by a bunch of kids.

"Okay, see you later Wes." Isaiah says and before Wesley can get another word out he drags me away.

There are too many kids with Optimus Prime so Isaiah asks me to wait as he grabs Cairo. He comes back a minute later with a younger carbon copy of him only with lighter skin. The boys definitely took after their mom.

"Champ this is my girlfriend Kennedy. Berry this is my baby brother Cairo." Isaiah introduces when they get to me.

"I am not a baby anymore, I'm six." Cairo decrees defiantly making me laugh.

"He said it. It's nice to meet you Cairo. Happy birthday." I say shaking his hand.

"Thank you. I like your hair." He compliments making me beam with happiness.

Compliments from kids hit different because they are pure and honest. "Thank you. I like yours as well."

This makes him smile and blush hiding his face on his brother's neck.

"Look at that, something that you both have in common." Isaiah teases making me roll my eyes at him.

"So Cairo, who is your favorite Transformer?" I ask him.

"Bumblebee." He cheers happily.

"Wow, he is mine too. How would you like a face paint of bumblebee?" I offer.

He nods happily and I turn to Isaiah. "Baby would you be a doll and grab me my stuff and help me with a place to set up?"

"Of course berry, here you take him." Isiah replies handing Cairo over to me who easily shifts into my hands.

Working at Frosty Dream has made me much better at interacting with kids so I am not anxious being left alone with Cairo as Isaiah runs off to do as I've asked. He's also a bit heavy but after all the lifting I do at work, I manage just fine.

"So tell me Cairo, do you have a girlfriend?" I ask him and he surprises me by nodding.

"Yes."

"Who?"

He points at a cute little blonde seated with Kristie and Baron.

"She's cute."

He nods even more enthusiastically which makes me chuckle. Cairo is a delight to be with and by the time Isaiah comes back he has talked my ear off and I know a lot about him, his school, teacher, girlfriend and how Isaiah is the best big brother in the world. Their relationship reminds me of mine with Astrid who is actually the one who helped me find the Whiskey for Parker.

"Ready?" I ask Cairo as he sits in the tiny stool Isaiah has set up for the kids to sit as I paint their faces.

"Yes." He nods.

"It's a bit cold." I warn as I stroke his face with yellow face paint.

He winces at bit at first but after that he sits completely still and lets me do my thing. It takes a couple of minutes but when I am down I turn him to face the mirror so he can see my handiwork.

"What do you think?"

"I love it. Thank you Kennedy." He says hugging me.

"You are welcome Cairo." I reply with a smile as I hug him back holding in my tears.

He is so precious.

"I'm going to show mom." He says scrambling off the stool to go find his mom.

"You are going to be the hit of the party so I hope you know what you signed up for." Isaiah says as another kid takes Cairo's place and a line starts forming behind her.

"I'm ready." I say to him.

He kisses my forehead and excuses himself. I turn to the cutie in front of me and ask her what she wants. She asks for Arcee. She is an easy one since her main colors are red and white. Just as with Cairo, she loves it when I am done and I get a hug in payment. These kids are going to kill me with hugs but I am not complaining.

Even though it's a Transformers themed party, the kids are not limited to that art only and some ask for other things like avengers, mermaids, princesses or just animals that they like.

"I want my face painted as well." Wesley demands when I get a few minutes break from the kids an hour later.

He is too big for the stool so he sits on the grass in front of me.

"Okay Wes. Which character do you want?" I ask him.

"I want Megatron." He replies confidently.

"Wesley you are the furthest thing from Megatron. You are more of a Bumblebee." I reason.

"Too common. I want Megatron." He insists.

He is right, I've done like five Bumblebees already so I decide to humor him. "Your wish is my command my lord." I relent and get to work.

Megatron takes a little bit more work than the others so twenty minutes later I turn him towards the mirror to see what I've done.

"Damn that is scary." He exclaims looking a little bit scared of himself.

"Told you." I reply afraid that he hates it but then he smiles and claps happily.

"I love it." He cheers out loud.

He jumps to his feet, encompasses me into one of his giant hugs before skipping off to show off his Megatron art. There are no more kids coming to my table so I decide to take a break myself as I get something to eat from the snack table.

"Hey girlfriend." Isaiah whispers leaning over my shoulder when he finds me some time later.

"Hello boyfriend."

"Having fun?"

I turn so we are facing each other and offer him a finger sandwich off my plate which he eats off my fingers. "Lots. My mother never let me have such parties when I was younger. They were more of sophisticated tea parties for her than for me."

"I'm sorry Berry."

"It's okay. I'm over it." I shrug.

I truly am. My mother raised me the way she did because she did not know any better because she was raised the same way. When it's my turn to have kids, I will definitely do a better job at raising them than my mother ever did.

"I know but still now it's up to me to make up for some of those lost childhood memories." Isaiah declares.

"How?" I ask him.

He does not reply, instead he waits for me to finish eating before he takes my hand and drags me away once more. For the next hour Isaiah and I behave like a bunch of six year olds playing every available game. We even get to the bouncing castle and trampoline. I resist when it comes to pinning the tail on the donkey but he insists and I cannot resist his cow eyes.

Our friends join us and we end up having so much childlike fun that a part of the little girl in me that was damaged in me is healed by my friends and the best boyfriend in the world.

When lunch rolls around, it's an open buffet which means we end up overeating as usual.

"I'm stuffed." Wesley groans in pain and nobody disagrees with him because we all feel the same.

"Wanna see my room?" Isaiah whispers which means he wants to spend some alone time with me.

I nod. "Yes please. I think it's only fair since you have already seen my room."

We excuse ourselves from our friends and Isaiah leads me into the house giving me a tour as we head up to his room. His bedroom is a typical boys room with grey walls, basketball stickers on the walls and a wall lined up with all his trophies. It also smells like him which is my favorite scent in the whole wide world.

"You know you never did tell me why you hid all this from me in the first place." I ask Isaiah as I take a seat on his bed.

He does not seem surprised by my question because he takes a seat on the bed next to me and lays down so that his head is on my lap looking up at me. Unable to help myself, my fingers weave into his hair and starts playing around with his curls.

"For the first seven years of my life before mom got her law degree and met Parker, we were dirt poor, barely scraping by. And then it all changed overnight. Parker came into our lives, we moved to a bigger house, I dressed better, ate better and lived better but deep down inside I am still that kid who had to eat cereal and ramen noodles because it's all mom could manage to buy. I guess I've never really felt like I belonged or deserved all this and I am afraid that one day I will wake up and it will all be gone like one really good dream."

My lips find his and I wipe away his tears with my thumbs after his heartfelt confession. "I am real. This is all real."

"I know. I know." He nods and kisses me deeper.

My heart goes out to five-year-old Isaiah who had to go through so much to get to where he is right now. I wish there was something I could do or say to make him feel better but I don't know what that is so I settle for holding him and kissing him so that he knows I am here for him.

"I love you so much." I confess.

"I love you more Berry, more than you will ever know." He replies.

We fall into a moment of comfortable silence where we are just existing in each other's presence.

"Now that I have met your family, how about we tackle my parents next." I suggest.

"But I already met your parents." Isaiah counters looking alarmed.

"Not as my boyfriend." I remind him.

"Are you sure? They did not like me that first time and will like me even less now that we are dating." He asks me.

I have given this a lot of thought and I know it's the right move. "Yes, I'm sure. I don't care if they like you or not but I still want to introduce you to them as my boyfriend."

"Okay." He nods.

"Great, I'll make the arrangements next time they are home." I reply and kiss him.

When we pull apart I spot his guitar hang on the wall so I request a song from him. He gets up to get it and makes sure it's properly tuned before he begins to strum the familiar tunes of Unconditionally by Katy Perry. By the time he is done I am in tears.

"Berry, why are you crying?"

"Happy tears, I promise." I say getting up to hug him and thank him for the song.

We are interrupted when his mom knocks and enters the room. "Time for cake you two and bring that for the song." She says referring to his guitar.

"Yes mom."

Rebecca leaves and it's just the two of us again.

"You heard her. Cake time." Isaiah says kissing me sweetly before taking my hand and leading me out of his room.

Cairo's cake is two layers, half blue and red for Optimus prime and the top later is yellow for Bumblebee. The rest of the party is perfect and when it's time for presents Cairo is overwhelmed with toys and he absolutely loves the nun chucks I gift him. Rebecca is wary of them but I wanted to give him something outside the box and I know I've succeeded.

After all the party is done, all the guests leave but I stay for dinner with the Carters so they can get to know me better and I them. We end up sharing an amazing meal together.

At the end of the night when all is said and done I can definitely say that meeting the whole Carter family for the first time was a resounding success.