I'll Be There

Chapter 27

After finally pulling Dulcie away from the playground, they headed back towards the car. Dakota put the child in her car seat while Jamie put the stroller away and held the door open for Dakota.

"I was planning to go home and make dinner but it's gotten so late, what do you say we pick something up," he asked Dakota.

"Sure, is Nando's okay," she asked. She'd had a craving for their chicken ever since the last time she was in the U.K.

"Yeah, that's perfect. I can find something for Dulcie there too," he answered.

After picking up their dinner, Jamie proceeded to get the bags out while Dakota got Dulcie out. Upstairs in his flat, he put their dinners on plates and set the oven. Dakota came up shortly after with the tot and some of her bags.

"I'm not going to bring in all of her things. It would be silly to unpack everything tonight just to have to load the majority of it back up tomorrow," she stated.

"I agree, what you have is fine. Just put her down and set everything on the couch. I want you to go take a nice, long bubble bath while I unpack what she needs tonight. I've put the food on plates in the microwave to keep it warm," he replied.

Dakota didn't need to think twice before following his orders. She'd needed a nice relaxing bath but hadn't had time to take one.

While Dakota was upstairs, Jamie picked Dulcie up and sat her on the counter. "Do you want to help me make cupcakes for Kota," he asked the toddler.

Dulcie smiled brightly, "Yes, cupcakes for Kota!" Her little eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at the thought.

Jamie sat out the pre-made mixture, eggs, oil, butter, and measuring cup for the water needed to make the cupcakes beside Dulcie.

"Dulcie do it," the tot said enthusiastically.

Jamie chuckled. "Let me open the package and you can help me pour and stir in the eggs, water, and oil, how about that," he asked, trying to prevent losing all the cupcake batter to the floor.

"Okie dokie," she replied. She watched on as her dad got everything ready for her to help.

Jamie opened everything, put water into the measuring cup, and cracked the eggs open into a bowl. "Do you want to help me pour the powdered mix into the bowl," he asked. She nodded excitedly as she put her little hands on Jamie's and, together, they emptied the plastic bag. "Now you can pour the water in all by yourself," he smiled, knowing it was very unlikely she would be able to make a mess with such little amount of liquid in the cup.

Dulcie took the cup he handed her and poured the liquid, shaking the cup many times to make sure every last drop was out. While she did that, he melted the butter in the microwave.

"Good girl," he praised the toddler. "Now I'm going to pour the oil since there is a lot of it going in the cup and put the butter in since it's hot, and you can stir with the little spoon while I stir with the big spoon."

Dulcie sat happily on the counter waiting for her spoon. She loved to help in the kitchen.

Jamie handed her a little spoon and they stirred the cupcake batter together. Jamie then let the tot put the cupcake papers into the baking pan while he poured the cupcake batter into them. It took some convincing Dulcie that her job was just as important of putting the paper in as Jamie's was of pouring the cupcake batter, but she agreed once Jamie agreed to let her help decorate them with the icing.

After the oven beeped signaling the completion of cooking, Jamie carefully removed the cupcakes. He got the jar of icing out of the bag and showed Dulcie how to spread it on the top of each little cake. Then he took a plastic bag, put some red icing in it, cut a small hole in one of the corners, and started to spell out 'WE ARE FAMILY!' Each cupcake got a letter and the last had the exclamation point.

They finished up just in time. Right as he finished cleaning up the mess they had made, Dakota walked into the kitchen. Jamie started to sing, "We are family, I've got both of you with me," as Dakota looked on in utter bliss. She was so amazed that her wonderful husband-to-be had thought of such a sweet gesture.

"Oh my gosh! You guys! I love it," she exclaimed, hugging Dulcie before giving Jamie a deep, passionate kiss.

"Ewwww," Dulcie yelled.

Jamie rolled his eyes as they laughed at her.

At Dakota's insistence, they ate their dinner before starting on the cupcakes.

"That was delicious! Jamie, where did you learn to bake like that," Dakota asked.

"Me mum taught me quite a bit but this was all thanks to Betty Crocker," he replied proudly.

Dakota laughed.

Dulcie looked over at the, rubbing her stomach. "Happy tummy," she observed.

Jamie chuckled as he picked the tot up. "Alright, bedtime young lady. You've had a long day."

"No," Dulcie whined, "I no sleepy."

"It's way past your bedtime. You'll feel sleepy once you close your eyes and drift off into dreamland," Jamie said, taking her back to her fully furnished nursery that he had made just for her when he moved into the apartment.

Dakota cleaned up the kitchen. Once she had finished, Jamie still hadn't returned. She tiptoed down the hall and peaked into the nursery. Jamie was rocking a sleeping Dulcie, still singing an Irish lullaby. He had a big book of fairy tales on his lap as well and she was holding onto a blanket and her teddy.

"A little help here please," Jamie begged Dakota. "I don't want to wake her."

"Sure," she obliged, heading over to gently pick the toddler up out of his arms. When Dulcie began to stir Dakota hushed her back to sleep. She gently put her down into her crib and kissed her on the forehead. Jamie did the same and they turned on the nightlight before softly closing the door behind them.

Author's Note:
First off, I want to apologize for the delay. I've started a new position at work and life has been crazy ever since. Now that I'm finally getting into the swing of things, I'm going to try to update at least once a week. This week and next are going to be chaotic but it should slow way down after that, so I'm really planning to work a lot on this story then.

Thank you to ZVJSJD for the cupcake idea and thank you to AthenaShakespeare for helping me to come up with what to write on them. I had a bit of writer's block during that time and the advice was greatly appreciated. I feel like I'm leaving someone out but if I remember whom I'll add them in. Thanks to all my readers for their patience. I promise to try to do better in the future.