Needed [DDLB]

chapter twenty-two

After they clean me up and make me presentable for the most part, they change me into a white shirt that has my name on it with pretty pink letters and funny fonts with sparkles all on it, black leggings, and a pastel pink skirt. They make sure to get me dressed and ready fairly quickly, and by the time I'm at the car and getting buckled into that darn seat again, I'm as dizzy as ever with how fast they were with doing it.

I blink up at Connor as he places a paci in my mouth and smiles at me. "Now, off to the restaurant!" They all get in and Dakota shares a look with me in the mirror above my head. Then I feel them pull off.

All of the sudden there is a scream and the car stops abruptly while it was going relatively fast. I realize too late that I wasn't really buckled in all the way and the chest pieces were still tucked into the sides of the seat, so when the car stops, I'm flung into the trunk like a measly sack of potatoes, and there are several more screams and yells that go off in the front of the car.

I see black dots in my vision as I pick my head up off the floorboard of the vehicle and start wailing in pain. I faintly register someone opening the hatch to the trunk and growling before picking me up with haste and checking my body for injuries that I can feel are there. Dakota makes me look him in the eye and he's blurry so I blink several times to get him clear until there aren't any black spots in my vision anymore, and he isn't blurry.

He soothes and rocks me whilst in his arms, and I wipe my boogers on his shoulder, making his frown tilt up a little bit. Not much, though.

"It's okay, baby, you're safe now. I'm so sorry your dada forgot to clasp the chest piece, I don't know what got into him," He croons at me. I sniffle but say nothing.

"From now on, I'll do your buckles, and I'll even let you drive to the restaurant today as a reward of being such a good boy," He says tilting my chin up and rubbing soothing circles into the skin just above my hip. My bottom lip pokes out and I give him the puppy dog eyes as "yes please,".

I always wanted to have my own car and drive!

He chuckles at my newfound excitement and wipes a stray tear from my cheek before kissing the spot and holding me more firmly. I sigh in content ignoring the now dull ache in my stomach. As he opens the door, I get bombarded with questions and worry-filled eyes.

I stick my head in Dakota's chest in complete silence and he answers their questions in a calm manner. They all sigh and sit back down in their seats, but never take their eyes off of me.

Dakota gently takes my face out of his warm chest and chuckles at my whine. He turns me around on his lap so I'm sitting down facing the steering wheel and my tiny legs are on top of his tree trunk ones. Grasping my hands, he puts them at the bottom of the wheel and makes me hold on to it tightly before grabbing on at different spots and then I feel the car slowly start moving.

I gasp as I realize something...

I'm driving!

I'm actually driving!

I grin to myself, noticing that I'm too short to see anything but the huge wheel in front of me and the dashboard behind the wheel, but who cares - I'm driving a car!!

I try to jump and bounce on his lap in order to see, but when I do, Dakota groans loudly and makes me sit back down with his right hand firmly on my waist. I pout.

I'm still driving, though, so I don't care!

"Daddy, look!" I shout giggling. "I drivin'," I shout grinning. I look back at him but Dakota tuts at me, telling me to keep my eyes on the road. "Don't wanna crash, baby, do we?" He asks playfully. I gasp and turn back, looking forward even though I can't see the road.

I hear the laughter of the men behind me. "No crash," I pout.

"That's right, baby, you're so smart!" Alec says and squeezes my cheek from the passenger seat. I giggle and swat his hand away, making him laugh at my expense. I put my hands back on the wheel.

I feel Dakota press a kiss on my head and sigh comfortably.

This feels like home.