"Frankie, where did you say you bought this from?" Boyd standing with what looked like a book minus its covers in his hand.
"The garden centre, why?" Frankie sitting with her legs spread out straight and wide in front of her, Amelia nestled between her mother's legs as they read a book.
"Have you looked at the instructions? If you can find the English in that then you're a better person than me." Flicking through the pages of the leaflet in his hand.
"Give it here. Come on baby, let's see if we can help daddy find the right pages of his book since he's disturbed ours." Frankie holding her hand up as she passed the book they had been reading to Amelia and took the pages of the leaflet from Boyd.
Boyd looked down at Frankie as she flicked through the booklet, finally stopping about halfway through. Amelia was sat looking at the book in her hand, flicking through the pages mimicking her mother, when Frankie stopped, Amelia stopped.
"There, how could you not find that? Do you want me to build it while you sit and read?" Looking between Amelia and Boyd as she held out the booklet to him.
"No, I can do this. You two sit and read Peppa Pig." Taking the booklet from her outstretched hand, his fingers deliberately brushing hers as he did.
"Well, you know where I am. We're making cakes after this, so god help the kitchen." Laughing as Amelia shoved the book back at her and screeched Read mummy.
Frankie took the book and wrapped her arm back around Amelia's waist, both of them looking at the book as she started to read it again. Sure enough, as soon as she read the last page Amelia was scrambling away from her shouting cake repeatedly at the top of her voice. Frankie shut the book and dropped it on the coffee table before she stood up and followed her daughter through to the kitchen.
"So, what do we need to make cakes then?" Seeing Amelia stood trying to open the door to the refrigerator.
"Eggs, and milk and dust." Frankie laughing at Amelia's description of flour.
"That's right. Let's get the eggs and milk out the fridge, and the dust, sugar and bowl out the cupboard." Frankie Reaching above her daughter to open the fridge door and get the eggs and milk.
Frankie put the eggs and milk on the bench while Amelia dived into the cupboard and started to pull stuff out. A sudden cloud of dust flew into the air as Amelia dropped the back of flour and rained back down on her.
"Awww, fuck." Amelia sweet little voice making the words sound funnier than they actually were.
"Amelia Boyd, come here right now." Frankie standing looking down at her daughter as she slowly made her way towards her.
Frankie picked the little girl up and placed her on the kitchen bench, her little feet swinging as Frankie reached for a cloth and towel to clean Amelia up. Frankie cleaned the flour off Amelia's face and clothes, giving her hair a ruffle with the towel to clear away the remaining flour.
"Right, that's you all clean. Now, are you listening to me, Amelia?" Frankie looking at her daughter as Amelia looked up her, her big brown eyes so full of innocence and wonder. "What you just said when you dropped the flour, we don't use bad words in this house, okay?" Amelia chewing on her bottom lip as she nodded her head. "Good, now how about we make these cakes for when daddy has finished building your swing and slide." Picking Amelia up and kissing her forehead before setting her back on the floor.
Frankie glanced out the window towards where Boyd was stood, his back to her where he was bent over building Amelia's play equipment. He was crap at anything DIY, and they both knew it. Yet, since Amelia had arrived he had chipped in with every aspect of being a father and partner. Even after a bad day at work, he would come in and take Amelia from her as she lay exhausted on the settee, the baby fussing over colic or teething and Frankie seriously sleep deprived. When Frankie had started to express and introduce bottles to Amelia, Boyd was up during the night feeding her, sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery as Frankie grabbed an extra couple of hours sleep. He took more time off than he ever had, taking Amelia out in her pushchair to the park, walks on the Heath, even swimming.
She had gone along to swimming one Saturday with him, sitting up in the stands watching. Amelia was about four months old at the time, and Frankie suddenly saw the appeal for Boyd taking their daughter swimming. He was the only dad in the pool, surrounded by women with babies of a similar age to Amelia. Women who, going by her own cleavage, were all still breastfeeding as well. Boyd was surrounded by fawning, still hormonal women, with huge boobs, in swimsuits. That man knew exactly what he was doing. After the swimming class, she had met him and the other mums in the pool's entrance, all the women surrounding him as he carried Amelia. She had made a deliberate show of pushing her way through to reach him, standing on her tiptoes as she all but glued her lips to his, one hand on the back of his neck the other on their daughter. When she finally pulled back she slid her arm around his waist, kissing her sleeping daughter on the head as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they walked out together, the women behind them now all gossiping about her.
When it came to painting and decorating, Boyd would watch Amelia while she got on with it. Furniture building was still her forte, but he was getting a little vbetter at it. He was the one who had insisted that he would turn Amelia's cot into a cot bed when she started to try climbing out the cot. It has taken him four times longer, lots of swearing, but he had done it, and he was proud of his hand work. From then he had built new shelves for the study, a new desk, and Amelia's scooter.
Frankie watched as Amelia attempted to stir the cake mix, glancing back out to the garden. Boyd had finished building the swing and was by the look of it halfway through building the slide. Turning back to Amelia she helped her stir the cake mix, then between them, they separated the mix into cases and Frankie put them in the oven. Cleaning the cake mix off Amelia she lifted the little girl down and watched as she went running out the kitchen towards the garden.
"Amelia, stay out of daddy's way," Frankie yelled, knowing her daughter would take no notice at all.
Washing and drying her hands, Frankie followed Amelia out into the garden. She was surprised to find Boyd stood on his own, still building the slide and Amelia nowhere in site.
"Where did she go?" Frankie looking at Boyd as he slotted the ladders into the frame of the slide.
"No idea, kind of busy making sure I keep all my fingers and thumbs attached to my hands." Boyd returning his attention back to the slide in his hands.
"Amelia, where are you? I'm coming to find you." Frankie calling out in a singsong voice as she went looking around the garden for her daughter. "Found you." Frankie laughed as she scooped Amelia into her arms, the little girl giggling as Frankie tickled her. "The cakes should be ready, you want to come look?" Sliding Amelia onto her hip as she carried her towards the house.
Frankie switched the over off and set Amelia on the floor beside her, opening the oven and removing the cakes as Amelia watched.
"Cakes, cakes, cakes. Can we decorate them now?" Amelia jumping up and down excitedly.
"Let's gather everything we need first, give the cakes a chance to cool," Amelia screaming in delight.
Frankie set the cakes to cool while they gathered up icing sugar, chocolate, sweets, sugar strands, and squirty cream from the fridge. Lifting Amelia up on to the bench they both started to decorate the cakes. Frankie tried desperately hard not to think of the last thing she had used the squirty cream for, her checks turning a deep shade of red as she recalled a very naked Boyd, and some very messy bed sheets.
"Awww, fuck," Amelia called out again as she dropped her cupcake on the floor.
"Amelia, what did I tell you about using those words in the house." Amelia's big brown coffee coloured eyes looking up at her.
"Ahhh, fuck." Boyd's loud gruff words reaching Frankie from the garden.
Frankie looked straight at Amelia, who was now grinning from ear to ear as they both turned to the kitchen door just as Boyd stormed in hold his right thumb clamped in his left hand. Frankie picked Amelia up and put her on the floor, kissing her head as she shook her own head.
"Mel, go play for a few minutes while mummy has a chat with daddy, please." Frankie seeing her daughters grin grow even wider as the little girl skipped away.
"Let me see," Frankie said as she turned to face Boyd, his right thumb still held in his left hand.
Boyd slowly opened his left hand and held out his thumb to Frankie, Frankie expecting to see blood at least. There was no blood, just a very red thumb tip and a slightly discoloured nail.
"Come here and get it under the cold tap." Frankie taking hold of Boyd's hand and dragging him towards the sink.
Switching the cold tap Frankie thrust Boyd's thumb under the tap, holding his hand in place as water splashed both him and her.
"Fuck sake, be gentle." Boyd moving a little closer to the sink so he wasn't stretching as much.
Frankie rounded on Boyd and glared at him, Boyd visible shrinking back a step as she looked at him.
"What?" Boyd asked innocently as he saw a brief flash of annoyance cross Frankie face.
"Will you watch you're saying around Mel! I've already heard her say aww fuck twice today thanks to listening to you. She picks everything up, including your habit of swearing." Frankie watching as Boyd tried not to smile but failed miserably. "It's not fucking funny, Pete." Frankie quietly growled at him. "I do not want a call from daycare saying she taught the other kids to swear. What happens if she's kicked out? You'll have to be the one to stay home and watch her." Frankie turning her attention back to his thumb and turning the tap off.
Frankie picked the towel up and dried his hand then her own, looking his thumb over as she patted it dry.
"Nails going to bruise, but you'll live." Letting go of his hand as she threw the towel on the bench and saw Boyd still grinning. "I swear I may actually kill you one day, you know that right? Teaching our three year old to swear, Pete, it's not funny." Giving his arm a thump before he managed to slide his arms around her waist and pull her against his chest.
"She's fine. It's not like she's swearing like a sailor, or her mother when she's had a few too many." Earning himself a death glare from Frankie. "If her swearing is the worst I have to deal with then I'm happy. What did she swear for anyway?" Boyd now curious why Amelia had sworn.
"The first time she dropped the bag of flour and caused a dust cloud. The second was because she dropped her cupcake on the floor after I'd just put cream on it." Both of them looking at the messy bench and cupcakes.
"Ohh, we still have squirty cream left?" Frankie's cheeks again starting to colour as he mentioned the can of cream. "We had fun with that, didn't we?" Boyd reaching behind Frankie and picking the cream up.
Frankie watched him shake the can and turn his head to the side, opening his mouth as he did. He raised the can and squirted some into his mouth, then closed his mouth and put the can back on the bench. He turned back to Frankie and leaned towards her, his head dipping enough so his mouth could cover hers. When he kissed her he opened his mouth, some of the cream still sitting on his tongue. Frankie's mouth was open in a second, her tongue swiping against his as he let her taste the cream. When he finally pulled back a little he licked his lips, a small trace of cream sitting under his bottom lip.
"Tasted much better the other day when I was licking it off your," Frankie silencing him with another kiss.
The kiss came to a natural end, Frankie nipping his bottom lip with her teeth before she looked at him.
"That is definitely not a word I want you teaching our daughter. Now, get in there and play with her while I go finish what you started." Frankie placing one final kiss on Boyd's check before she let him go.
She watched him walk into the living room, heard Amelia's squeal of delight that daddy had come to play. Frankie cleaned up the mess in the kitchen before she headed outside to finish building the swing and slide set. It didn't take long, and it was soon stood proudly stuck in the ground for extra security. When Frankie came back into the house she was surprised how quiet the place was, no sound coming from the living room at all. Taking her shoes off she made her way through to see why it was so quiet, stopping at the doorway and surveying the mess. There were toys everywhere, the toy box completely empty as it's contests littered the floor. The people responsible for the mess were both past the point of caring. Frankie smiled as she took in the sight of Boyd and Amelia. The L shaped settee had been cleared, and now held a sleeping Boyd who was lying on his back with Amelia asleep on his chest. Frankie left them to it, Amelia was due for a nap anyway and so was Boyd by the look of it. She was halfway through cleaning up the toys when she heard her name being called somewhat sleepily. She turned to see Boyd looking at her as he shifted Amelia a little as she was slipping.
"Leave that, come and join us." Boyd low raspy voice sounding sexier than it should.
Frankie looked at the last few toys on the floor and shrugged. Crawling across the floor she climbed up on the settee beside Boyd, waiting until he had shifted a little before lying down beside him. Boyd managed to slip his arm under Frankie's neck as she turned on her side to face him, it was the only way all three of them would fit on the settee and not fall off. Neither Frankie or Boyd minded, Frankie curling up alongside Boyd as she slid her arm over both him and their sleeping daughter.
"This is nice." Frankie suddenly yawned, a wave of unexpected tiredness washing over her.
"It is that. Both of my girls asleep in my arms. Now shhh, or you'll wake Mel up." Boyd seeing Frankie close her eyes as she started to fall asleep.
Boyd watched as Frankie fell asleep, his own eyes struggling to stay awake. Looking down all he could see was a mop of brown hair, one lot lighter than the other. Amelia's hair wasn't as dark as Frankie's, but it was the same length, both of them suiting the shorter look. They were so similar in looks, Amelia only gaining her nose from him. Boyd hadn't felt this happy in a long time, not since he had a small boy with blonde hair sleeping on his chest. Luke was gone now, his torment and anguish finally at an end. He missed his son every single day, and he always would. Yet Frankie had given him a chance to do things right, to be a good father, and a good partner. His last thoughts as he fell asleep with Frankie and Amelia safely sleep beside him was of how happy he was, and how he wouldn't change any of it.