Forever My Soldier (Love Conquers Life Book 3) by Alison Mello Page B

Campbell is participating in this fashion show and I’d rather not be late.”
    I let them take a few more pictures of Carter and I posing, and then we walk into the building to find our seats. My mother and Richard are already inside and seated as well as Derek and my father.
    I give my father a warm hug. “Hi, Daddy.”
    “You look gorgeous,” he says as he returns the hug.
    We take our seats as the lights dim, indicating that the show is about to begin. An announcer comes out to discuss the evening and the designers that are here as well as the models that are going to appear. A few minutes later, the music starts and the first model walks out on the stage. She’s wearing some really ugly evening apparel that neither Bella nor I would be caught dead in, but she’s beautiful and wears it with pride. Next out is Bella wearing her first evening gown. It’s a gorgeous floor length gown with beautiful sparkles throughout. The bust line is very low cut and sexy, but she wears it well. She’s stunning. People are clapping and whistling as she walks the runway. I’m so proud of her. This has been her dream, and despite the lack of support from her parents, she’s chased it and made it happen.
    We watch as a few more people take the stage and then Bella appears for a second time wearing a casual summer dress. It’s fun, flirty, and it’s perfect for her. As she gets to the end of the runway, we hear, “You’re beautiful, Bella!”
    We all look at Derek, and he shrugs his shoulders. The last few girls make their way down the runway as more clapping takes place. Then the music dies down a bit, and they announce that one last outfit will be shown and that it will be worn by Bella. She takes the stage one last time as they talk about the outfit and the designer who made it. She approaches the end of the runway and a single rose is tossed on stage. Bella playfully picks it up, and as she makes her way off stage again, the same voice shouts, “I love you, Bella!”
    I look at Derek, who’s now getting pissed because she clearly has an admirer that I’m not sure Bella knew about. As soon as she’s off stage, the lights come back up and the audience starts talking about the night. It’s quite loud, so we decide to make our way into the other room where hot appetizers are being served with wine, cheese, crackers, and fruit. As soon as we have a glass of wine in hand, the guys make their way to the bar for a scotch on the rocks. I make a note that Carter is drinking, which I’m fine with, but I’ll watch to see how much he drinks.
    As they’re returning, Derek pulls his phone from his inner pocket.
    “Here, watch this.” He hands his drink to Carter. “That was Bella. She wants me to meet her at the stage.” He wanders off to find his girl.
    When they get back a few minutes later, she’s visibly shaking.
    “Bella, what’s wrong?” I ask, concerned.
    “That creep from the audience freaked me out. He had a note attached to the rose he threw, and when I got backstage it said something about loving me and holding out hope that I’ll one day be his.”
    Derek wraps his arm around her. “It’s okay, babe. I promise I won’t allow him anywhere near you.” Derek and Carter are both in military mode as they scan the crowd for anyone suspicious.
    “You looked beautiful up there,” My mom says, trying to change the subject. Hopefully, that’ll save the evening. We all continue to chat as we pick at appetizers being passed around.
    A waiter approaches us and says, “Excuse me, are you Bella?”
    “Yes,” she says, a little skeptical.
    “A gentleman asked me to deliver this to you.” He goes to hand her a glass.
    “I’m all set, thank you. I don’t want it.”
    “It’s been paid for, ma’am.”
    “I understand that, but you see, this man right here is my boyfriend and unless he bought it, I don’t want it. Please tell him to leave me alone.”
    “My apologies,” he says as he walks away with the glass.