The Icing On The Cake
Jim had only been home from work for a little over an hour, and he was exhausted. Ellie, however, was full of energy. Despite the fact that he was ready to fall asleep at any moment, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Ellie standing patiently next to him, leaning on the bath as she waited for it to fill with warm, bubbly water. This was the routine, a night time plan he'd developed one night when Ellie was still the length of his arm. He'd spent hours upon hours on the Internet researching how to be a good dad, no, the best dad. All that searching and reading had led him to formulate a bedtime routine. Baths gave them time to bond, and watching her watch him make the bubbles never failed to become the highlight of his evening. He'd learned to wrap up their night together with a baby massage, something the hospital had strongly encouraged him to do after Ellie's birth. The nurses had explained to him how great they were for preemies and anything that was great for Ellie was great for him.
"Ba ba ba." Ellie clapped excitedly as the tub filled with water.
Jim rubbed his fists lightly against her chest in a circular motion as if he was washing her body.
"You love bath time, huh, Elliecakes?"
Eager to get in and play, she threw her head back against his chest and kicked her feet impatiently against the floor. He removed her diaper and carefully popped out her hearing aids before placing her into the soapy water.
Jim tapped Ellie's nose, trying to grab her attention, waving her pink rubber duck in the air. "Look who wants to join you, Ellie! It's Duckyduck," he told her, throwing the plastic toy into the water. Immediately Ellie picked it up and brought it to her mouth, gnawing the plastic eagerly. The poor duck was her new favourite chew toy.
Rummaging through the little box he kept by the bath, he selected an old squeeze bottle. "How about this? You wanna play with this?" Dipping the bottle into the water, he squeezed it carefully, filling it up completely before gently pouring it into her hand. He grinned at her reaction to the sensation of the water filling her open hand.
"You like that, huh?" He was painfully aware that Ellie couldn't hear him, but when she was watching him so intently, like she was doing at that moment, Jim could swear her little mind understood everything he said. He tilted the bottle slightly, and then covered the hole at the top with his other hand, stopping the water from escaping. "Look what happens when Daddy does this."
She giggled, looking up at him with wide eyes as though he'd just performed the world's most spectacular magic trick.
"Here, give Daddy your hand and you can do it yourself." He helped place her small hand over the hole and let go, watching as she stopped and started the water all by herself.
"Clever girl."
Holding on to the side of the tub, Ellie hauled herself up. Her chubby little legs splashed around as she bounced excitedly up and down, shrieking with delight as she created mini tidal waves with each swift movement of her feet. Her hands never left Jim's, holding on to him as if her life depended on it.
"You having fun there, splashy?" Jim chuckled, enjoying the look of pure contentment on his daughter's face. She'd always loved the bath, but recently she'd not been satisfied with just sitting there and being washed. She liked to stand up and touch everything in sight, tug relentlessly at the shower curtain, grab daddy's hair, or eat ridiculous amounts of bubbles.
Letting go of her hands, he placed them carefully onto the cool porcelain. Taking two of his fingers from each hand he crossed them over each other. "Can you sit down for Daddy?"
She continued bouncing, and Jim repeated the sign he'd done just moments ago before rapping the bottom of the tub. "Sit down, missy."
Ellie's little face flushed from the warm bathroom, reaching out for his hands she sat down, laughing at the sensation her butt made when it hit the water.
"We need to wash your hair, don't we pumpkin?" he sighed, reaching for the baby shampoo. This was the one part of bath time he loathed. He didn't care that the bottle promised no more tears, Ellie always cried; she didn't like the feel of the water being poured over her head. Realistically he knew he wasn't hurting her, the soap wouldn't have stung even if it had gone in her eyes, but he felt guilty nonetheless.
"Shhh. Daddy's sorry" he apologized, once he'd finished rinsing her hair. "Let's get you out and into your nice warm pajamas, huh?"
Wrapping her up in her pink fluffy hooded towel, he rubbed her back soothingly as he made his way toward her bedroom. Her tears finally subsided, and were slowly turning into little squeaky hiccups.
Laying her gently on the changing table, he re-diapered her and began dressing her in her pyjamas. He'd finally managed to get both her legs into her sleeper suit just before the doorbell interrupted them. He scooped her up, tucking her blanket around her to keep her warm.
He hurried down the stairs, pulling open the front door. "Oh!" he exclaimed in surprise, as he saw a casually dressed Pam stood before him in the doorway. "Hey!"
Pam looked at him, eyebrows furrowed in sudden confusion as she awkwardly fingered the strap of the purse dangling from her shoulder. "Did you...not mean for me to come over tonight?"
"Oh God, yeah!" Jim quickly answered, stepping back to let her enter. "I'm so sorry! I just didn't realize the time."
"Are you sure?" She bit her lip. "I'm really sorry I'm so early," she said apologetically, a half-dressed Ellie peering up at her from Jim's arms.
"Honestly, it's fine," he smiled warmly, wanting to make her feel more comfortable. He couldn't name the feeling, but something inside him shifted a little at the sight of Pam feeling so out of place. She wasn't out of place, and he needed her to know that He wanted her there, they both wanted her there. "We'd finished bath time anyway." He smiled again. "Look who it is, Ellie," he grinned down at his daughter. "Can you say hi to Pam?" He waved his own hand for emphasis, trying to get Ellie to copy him. When she did, Pam's face lit up. That's more like it, he thought to himself.
"Aw, hi, Ellie."
Jim chuckled at the way Ellie was still waving at Pam, clearly loving the attention and reaction she got from it. It suddenly occurred to him, though, that he'd forgotten something pretty important. "Hey, do you mind holding her for a second?" he asked Pam. "I left her aids upstairs."
She raised her eyebrows at him and bit her lip nervously, just as she had the moment she'd walked in. "Um..."
"You'll be fine," he laughed. "I'll only be a second." He handed Ellie over, not waiting for an answer. "Here, take her." He smiled encouragingly. "I'll meet you in the living room."
"Okay."
True to his word, Jim was only gone a minute. As he approached the living room, he noticed that Pam had taken it upon herself to finish buttoning Ellie's pajamas. Why couldn't she see how great she was? Their foreheads were pressed lightly together as Pam listened intently to Ellie babbling away happily on her lap. He couldn't understand why Pam was so nervous around children; she was a natural. He stood in the entryway a moment longer, smiling to himself at the sight of his two favourite girls enjoying each other's company. That warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach returned.
Pam nodded her head teasingly, clearly amused by her gurgling. "Mmmhmmm, really?" she grinned. "That's very interesting, Ellie. Thank you for telling me."
"Don't listen to anything she says, Pam. It's all lies," he sighed mock-dramatically, moving across the room to sit down next to them on the couch. He rubbed his index finger down Ellie's rosy cheek for a moment as she animatedly continued her "speech." He smiled. This was so perfect.
He reached down for the batteries he'd brought downstairs along with her hearing aids and began replacing them.
"Jim, what does that mean?" Pam asked suddenly, turning to him.
"Hmm?"
"I'm not sure, but I think she just signed something."
"Yeah? What did it look like?" he asked, head down, concentrating intently on the aids' fiddly battery port.
"She kind of… Wait, you're going to have to look at me so I can show you." She told him, nudging him slightly.
Jim looked up from what he was doing and smiled. "Okay, go."
"Okay, so, she kind of took her hand, and covered half of her cheek," she explained, moving her hand up to demonstrate. "And then she moved it a little, so that her whole cheek was covered."
Jim raised his eyebrows quizzically, and let out a small laugh. "Are you sure that's what she was doing?"
"Yes." She told him, nodding her head, going over the sign once more to make sure she'd gotten it right.
"Is that right, Ellie?" he asked with a warm grin.
His daughter repeated the sign, clearly frustrated.
"See!" Pam exclaimed, proudly, bringing her hand up to her own cheek. "I was right."
Jim impulsively leaned over to kiss Pam, resting his forehead against hers as he smiled happily.
"Wh--What was that for?" Pam stuttered after a moment, her face slightly flushed.
Jim chuckled.
"Huh?" She sounded slightly breathless.
"She was asking you for a kiss," he explained, signing once more to Ellie, before pointing to Pam.
Ellie instantly lunged forward, planting a sloppy, wet kiss on Pam's lips.
Pam giggled. "She's so cute!"
Ellie then turned to Jim and requested a kiss.
"You want a kiss, huh?" Jim asked, holding his arms out so that she could crawl into his lap, carefully popping her aids in to her ears as she made herself comfortable. Ellie's eyes grew wide and she clapped excitedly at the sound of her daddy's voice. "C'mere then!" he laughed. Wrapping his arms around her tiny body, he smooshed her toward him and planted loud kisses on her cheeks. Ellie fell into a fit of giggles, filling the room with her laughter.
Placing kisses on Ellie's upturned palms, Jim couldn't help but grin. He was so unbelievably happy right now – this couldn't be healthy, right? He was in the company of two amazing ladies and he suddenly felt like the luckiest man alive---God, he was being so cliché and… girly.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Pam out of the corner of his eye, standing and heading toward the kitchen. "Where are you going?" he asked, making funny faces at the little girl in his arms.
Pam giggled. "Didn't you want help?"
"Hmm?"
"Making stuff for Ellie's birthday party tomorrow…" she reminded him.
"Oh! Yeah! That's right." Jim chuckled, embarrassment washing over him. Oh, great. Not only did he forget that she was coming over, now he'd forgotten the reason. What was his problem tonight?
Standing up, he shuffled Ellie in his arms, "Okay, Beesly. Let's go. That cake ain't gonna make itself."
Pam grinned, watching as he sat Ellie in her playpen in the corner of the room, making sure she had enough toys to keep her entertained for a while. The whole time he had his back to Pam, he could feel her eyes on him, and the knowledge that she was focused on him made his heart speed up and his breathing quicken, hoping he looked a little more relaxed than he felt.
"One yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting coming up!" he exclaimed, forcing himself to sound normal. He walked over to Pam and reached into the cupboard behind her, pulling a box of cake mix out over her head.
"Um, what is that?"
Jim scrunched his nose in confusion. "It's a cake…" he said slowly, waving the box in front of her.
"I can see that," she groaned, pushing the box back toward him, "but why are you showing me this. I thought we were making a cake?"
"Uh, we are. Did you not see what I was waving in front of your face just now?
"That isn't how you make a cake, Jim."
"I hate to break it to you, Pam," he mimicked teasingly." But it's really simple, I'll show you," he grinned, rolling up his sleeves.
"No, no you won't. We're not making that."
"Come on, it's delicious. All you need is a couple of eggs, some water and a stick of butter then, voila!"
"No, come on. We're not making Ellie's first birthday cake from a box," she declared.
Jim hid a small smile behind his hand. This was great – he wasn't making Ellie a cake; they both were, together. He was about to say something, about to comment, but he stopped himself when he noticed the colour staining Pam's cheeks. No, don't be embarrassed...please don't be embarrassed.
He quickly continued their banter instead, wanting to put her at ease. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is Betty Crocker's Super Moist Yellow Cake not good enough for you?"
"It's from a box."
"I know that, you keep telling me this like I may not have noticed the…boxage."
"It's just – homemade cakes always taste so much nicer," she admitted, sounding suddenly shy.
"It's okay, Betty. I still love you," he grinned, placing the box on the counter and lifting himself up to sit on the counter top. "I know this may shock you, Pam, but I don't have everything you need to make a homemade cake. I don't really have much use for vanilla extract in my life."
"Well, we're going to change that aren't we, James?"
"James?" He smirked.
"What? It's your name, isn't it?" she retorted.
"It is my name," he told her smugly."But my Mom and Grandma are the only people in the world who call me that."
"Oh, I'm sorry." she said sarcastically, quickly stepping back into the banter. "As I was saying, Jim, we need to educate you in the art of vanilla extract. So, go grab your shoes."
"Really? I think I'll be okay."
"Come on, we're going to the store," she told him, ignoring his last comment.
"What, now?"
"No, Jim. On the twelfth of never. Yes, now!"
"Okay," He laughed, walking over to Ellie, who was now slumped half-asleep over one of her cuddly toys. "Come on, sweetheart," he whispered soothingly as he rearranged her in his arms.
"Oh. She's almost asleep…Should I… should I go to the store by myself?"
"No, no. It's fine," he reassured her as he headed toward the hall. Pam followed quickly behind as Jim got himself ready. He could feel her watching closely as he slipped on his shoes. "Hey, can you hold her for a second? I need to grab my wallet."
"Sure."
He melted at the way Ellie reached for Pam as he handed her over, her hazel eyes stirring lazily as she cuddled into Pam's arms. Smiling sleepily, she tugged on one of Pam's auburn curls, before resting her head on her shoulder.
Jim ran upstairs, grabbing his wallet from his bedside table. As he came back downstairs, he watched, transfixed as Pam twirled the tassels on Ellie's hat around her finger as she spoke quietly to the little girl in her arms. Something must have alerted Pam to his presence on the stairs bringing her gaze to meet his.
"Do you, uh, do you want to take her?" Pam asked. Jim felt his smile drop a little as he heard the nerves cloud her question. Her awkwardness hit him hard. Pam had put Ellie's hat and coat on and was now standing in the hallway, ready to go. And yet she still didn't seem to realise just how much he adored seeing his girls together, so natural. So right.
"No, its okay. She looks really… snugly," he smiled, seeing how comfortable Ellie looked all curled up in Pam's arms.
XxXxXxX
"We don't need a cart," Jim laughed as he pushed Pam toward the entrance of Wegman's. "We're only picking up vanilla, right?"
"No. We also need stuff to make the frosting," she told him as she picked up a basket, making her way toward the baking aisle.
Chuckling, Jim followed quickly behind as he adjusted Ellie in the Snugli that was strapped to his chest.
"Ooooh, food colouring," she grinned excitedly, throwing a couple of bottles of the brightly coloured liquid into the basket. "We could make the cake pink…"
"I don't think so. We're making yellow cake. " Jim smirked, attempting to grab the small bottle from her hand. "Who even colours their cakes anyway?"
"People in England do," she told him matter-of-factly.
An uncontrollable grin covered his face as he asked, "And you would know this how?"
"I saw it on Cake Masters… it's like… the British Ace of Cakes," she explained, spontaneously reaching for some Graham Crackers as well.
"You watch British cake shows?" he laughed, shoving his hands deep in to his pockets.
"Hey, don't make fun of me. It's on late at night when I can't sleep."
"Yeah? I prefer watching Ninja Warriors when I can't sleep."
Pam grinned and elbowed him gently, careful not to disturb Ellie. "Ninja Warriors? And you're laughing at me? Dork!"
"Hey, be nice! I only watch it… okay, so there really isn't a reason I watch it – other than it being awesome," he laughed, realising how stupid that sounded. "So, what do we need those for?" he groaned, pointing at the Graham Crackers. "We only came out for vanilla."
"I know, but I just had the best idea," she grinned, skipping giddily down the aisle. Jim didn't think he'd ever seen Pam this happy before, and the fact that it was Ellie who'd put that excited smile on her face suddenly made him feel so… so warm, so happy.
Turning slightly, she called over her shoulder, giggling "Keep up."
XxXxXxX
Taking a seat at the breakfast bar, Jim pointed his bottle towards Pam. "Why are we making two cakes?" he asked, watching her pour the batter into two separate cake pans.
"We?" Pam smirked, tapping the outside of the mixing bowl, loosening the mixture.
He tipped his head back and downed the last of his beer. "Okay. So, why are you making two cakes?"
"That's better," she grinned. "And I'm making something."
"Yeah… I gathered that much."
She poked her tongue out. "Oh, ha ha. You think you're so funny," she teased, handing him the battered covered spatula.
His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What am I doing with this?"
"I'm finished with it. You can lick it if you want."
"That's wha…"
Moving a stray curl behind her ear, she kicked the door to the oven shut, "Don't you dare finish that sentence." She warned teasingly.
"-t she said," he grinned, his eyes locked with hers as he went back to licking the spatula. He watched intently as she sauntered toward him, nestling herself between his legs.
"Hey." Pam said quietly, resting her hand lightly on his thigh.
"Hi."
She leaned towards him, a look he'd never seen before in her eyes. "So, uh. You've got a little…"
Before he knew what was happening, he felt her lips against his – all soft and warm, and he froze as her tongue gently brushed against the corner of his mouth.
"You had a little batter on the corner of your mouth," she told him breathily.
"Uh huh."
His breathing matched hers as he leaned in for another kiss, this one even slower and sweeter than before. She was nibbling his bottom lip and he could feel himself slowly but surely losing control. Panting slightly, Jim pulled back. Her glassy green eyes locked with his, unwavering, letting him see anything he cared enough to look for within their depths. Exhaling deeply, he ran his hands down her arms, intertwining their fingers, squeezing them enough to focus her attention, letting her see the emotion rolling through him and offsetting the gravity of the moment with a tiny, barely there smile. Pam, mirroring his small smile, pulled him up, leading him into the living room. He sat down on the couch and tugged gently on her arms until she fell on to his lap, their mouths immediately reconnecting, crashing together with a force that would put gravity to shame.
Kissing Pam, he was kissing Pam. That thought killed him almost as much as the action itself. His fingers skimmed the back of her neck as he gently nudged her closer. They continued that way for a little while, until Pam scooted off his lap and lay down on the sofa, pulling him on top of her.
Jim felt a bolt of electricity surge through him at the soft whimper that came from Pam as he nuzzled her neck. He nipped lightly at the skin below her ear, tasting a mixture of perfume and salt… and Pam, he was tasting Pam. She ran her bare foot up and down his jean clad legs. Was she trying to kill him?
Yep, she's definitely trying to kill me he thought, as he felt Pam's hands pull at his t-shirt and run them down his chest before settling firmly on his stomach. Just as his fingers grazed the lace of her bra, a sudden and impatient cry startled them both from their passionate embrace.
"Seriously, I'm going to Tylenol her, next time."
"You'd drug your daughter?" Pam asked as her laughter broke through.
"At this point, I'm thinking it's either Tylenol or a babysitter."
She pushed him off of her gently so that she could sit up. "Well, good thing we have a babysitter for tomorrow then."
"Damn right. I'm already counting down… the seconds, until I can get back to doing… this." He inhaled deeply, attempting to pull himself together before leaning down for another quick kiss. "I'll be right back."
XxXxXxX
"Sorry about that," Jim apologised, walking into the kitchen to find Pam placing the cakes carefully onto the cooling racks.
She looked up and smiled one of those perpetually happy grins he'd come to love so much. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Was she okay?"
"Yeah. She's just teething," he explained, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, nestling his face into the crook of her neck. "Mmm," he hummed. "You smell really pretty."
She blushed and tilted her head to the side giving him better access. "Wanna help me make my awesome frosting?" she asked, sighing contentedly at the feel of his lips on her skin.
He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Sure," he replied, pressing his body closer to hers.
She glanced over her shoulder. "Are you going to behave?"
"Hmm, let me think about that… no," he replied, only half joking.
"Well, I'm going to need you to sit over there if you want to help," she instructed, pointing to the barstool on the other side of the breakfast bar.
"Nah. I'm good right here, thanks," he told her, digging his fingers into her hips.
"You're hopeless," she laughed, and he joined in with her.
"Okay. I prefer awesome, but whatever."
"Well, make yourself useful then, and get me some butter and milk."
"Yes, Ma'am," he mock saluted.
Once he'd retrieved the items from the refrigerator, he made his way back behind Pam. "Okay, so teach me how to make this fabulous frosting of yours."
"Okay." She measured the butter and placed it into the mixing bowl. "Now you're going to need to use your fingers to sort of squish the butter around until it's all soft and fluffy."
"Show me."
"It's not difficult, Jim"
"Show me. I don't want to mess it up," he whispered into her ear, nipping it gently.
She rolled up her sleeves and removed her jewelery, before placing her hands into the bowl, squeezing the butter in between her fingers.
"Ah. Like this?" he asked, placing his hands on top of hers, helping her soften the butter.
"Yes," she mumbled quietly, as she continued to knead the mixture in front of them, even though it was now the perfect texture. "Now we uh, we just need to add the cocoa, confectioners sugar, milk and the uh… the vanilla," she stuttered nervously.
He watched her as she carefully measured out the ingredients, throwing them into the bowl. "Now we need to, uh… to beat it," she explained as she worked at the mixture.
"Wow, Beesly. A Michael Jackson fan, really?" he teased, helping her mix everything together.
She leaned back slightly, pressing her body even closer to his as she retorted in a cheeky tone. "I might be, but clearly you are."
"Urm…"
"Ha, yeah. That's what I thought. You're busted, Halpert… Now, keep stirring." She crawled out from under his arms and asked, "Where do you keep your knives?"
He nodded his head towards the drawer next to her. "In there, why?"
"You'll see." She chose a couple of different sized knives and walked over to the cake, touching it gingerly with her index finger to see if it was cool enough to start preparing. Deciding it was she placed the cake she then placed the cake on a tray and began cutting.
"What are you doing?"
"Just wait and see," she told him, looking up and flashing him with a quick smile.
Jim watched as she sliced bits off and rounded corners as she carefully moulded the cake. Once she was done, she began putting the pieces together. It didn't take him long to see what she'd made – there in front of him stood a 1-shaped cake.
"Pam. That's amazing."
"Seriously, you like it?" she asked nervously. "I hope you don't mind. I just thought it would be cute."
He looked up and saw the hesitation on her face. "Do I mind? That's just… I love it." He dipped his finger into the frosting and ran his finger along her bottom lip. "Whoops." He grinned, leaning in to kiss the chocolate from her mouth.
Pam moaned and he could feel her body responding to him. God, he could get used to this. Her hands moved to his chest, balling his shirt in her fists, before she slowly pulled herself back. "The cake…" she suddenly said out loud.
"Huh?"
"The cake… we have to ice it," she explained, removing his arms from around her waist.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes…"
Sticking out his bottom lip he whined. "But…"
Pushing him towards the counter she smiled, "Come on, we have to finish this."
"All right, Beesly." He sighed teasingly, "pass me the spatula, so we can ice this baby."
XxXxXxX
Once they'd finished decorating the cake, Jim grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and linked their hands, pulling her towards the living room.
"Wanna watch a movie?" he asked, as he flopped down on to the couch, bringing her down beside him.
She smiled as she curled her arm around his. "Sure."
"Okay, so it's going to have to be whatever's on T.V at the moment, as my DVD collection consists mostly of Barney and Elmo," he told her, flicking through the channels aimlessly.
"Go back! Jim, go back!" Pam squealed suddenly, reaching across him to grab the remote, "The Princess Bride is on."
"I take it you like this movie, then?" he laughed.
"It's a classic, Jim."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Can we watch it?"
"As you wish," he smiled, kissing her quickly.
"You know this movie?" she asked excitedly.
"It's my mom's favourite. She used to put it on for us all the time."
She snuggled closer. "But do you like it?"
"It's okay, I guess."
"You so love it, that's cute…Wesley," she teased.
"Inconceivable."
Pam giggled, pressing her face into the side of his arm and inhaling deeply. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means," she recited from memory.
With that, Jim leaned in and kissed her. Letting himself revel in the softness, the warmth of her body and how right it felt to hold her in his arms.
They'd been making out for a while, and Jim had gradually leaned back, his head now resting on the arm of the couch - Pam lying across his chest.
"Ohh, I love this part," she exclaimed, using his shoulders as leverage to push herself off of him. It was clear to Jim that she didn't want things to go any further tonight, especially with Ellie right upstairs. He sat up, glancing at Pam as she cuddled back up to him as she watched her favourite scene play out on screen. They sat like that for some time, enjoying the rest of the movie. As the credits rolled, he realized she'd fallen sleep on his shoulder. Looking at the clock, he saw it was a little after one o'clock. Untangling himself from her as carefully as he could, not wanting to wake her, Jim gently guided her body down and placed a pillow under her head before carefully bringing her legs up so that she was lying fully on the couch. Just as he'd covered her with the blanket from the back of the couch, her head shot up, although her eyes remained closed. "I dunno… I guess you'd use it just like Neosporin…" she muttered, snuggling further into the blanket.
Jim smiled and shook his head. "What?"
Sighing, Pam turned over.
"Okaaay then," he chuckled quietly to himself. "Such a dork." He grinned, making his way over to the door. "Sleep well, Beesly."
XxXxXxX
Jim woke to the sound of crying. He gave a quick stretch before making his way into his daughter's room.
Crouching down beside her crib, he signed. "Shhh. It's okay. Daddy's here." He scooped Ellie into his arms bringing her close to his chest, something that always calmed her down. Sitting down in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, he kissed her temple, "What's the matter, huh? What's with all these tears? Daddy doesn't like it when you cry," he told her, bouncing her gently on his knee and using his thumb to wipe away the tears that had started to dry on her cheeks.
Once Ellie had settled down, he stood up and made his way downstairs. Using his thumb and index finger he formed a little circle, "Do you want some Cheerios?"
Ellie nodded her head, and grabbed on to the neck of his T-shirt, catching some of the hair at the top of his chest as she tugged playfully at the material.
"What are you doing, you little monkey?" Jim asked, chuckling quietly as he tried to release her grip on him. On the way to the kitchen, he ducked his head into the living room, seeing Pam still fast asleep on the couch.
Sitting Ellie in her highchair, he popped in her aids before pouring some Cheerios into a bowl and taking a seat at the table beside her.
"You gonna share some of these with Daddy?" he asked, brushing his right hand over his left, creating the sign for sharing.
Ellie reached into the bowl grabbing a handful of Cheerios, squishing them in her tiny hands as she lifted them towards Jim's mouth.
"Ooooooo's," she offered, not satisfied until he'd eaten everything out of her hand.
"Alright, you eat that while Daddy starts clearing up, okay?"
He got to work on the kitchen and managed to wipe down all the surfaces and sweep the floor before Ellie demanded his attention.
"Daaaaaaa!"
"Yes?" he asked, crouching down beside her.
Her little index finger pointed to the sky, requesting to be picked up.
"Come on, you. You want to help Daddy put away your toys?" he asked, as he rubbed his right fist over his left palm in circular motion.
Ellie nodded her head enthusiastically. He scooped her up and sat her in between his legs on the floor and watched as she began helping deposit her blocks into the little box in front of them.
Bringing a hand down from his mouth to the palm of his other hand. Jim cooed, "Good job, Elliecakes."
Her legs bounced up and down, just like they always did when she got excited.
He repositioned her so that she was sitting on his lap facing him, he grinned. "After such a teary start, you're suddenly very happy today, little lady." Gurgling, she lightly smacked her hands against Jim's.
"You wanna play Pat a Cake?" He asked, knowing immediately what her response would be. Her little fist bobbed up and down impatiently, her way of saying yes.
"Okay, are you ready?" Jim prodded, jiggling her gently on his lap, making her giggle.
"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, Baker's man! Bake me a cake as fast as you can," he sung, clapping his hands together, followed quickly by Ellie, who began copying his actions to the song.
"Roll it, and pat it," he smiled, tapping her nose lightly, "and mark it with E, and put it in the oven for Ellie and me."
"Aw. I remember Pat a Cake."
Jim turned around to see Pam standing behind them, smiling shyly.
Running a hand through her hair, she began to apologise. "I'm so sorry I fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me?"
"Because it was late and you looked really comfortable," he grinned, standing up. God, she looks gorgeous and adorable when she's just woken up, he thought.
"Thank you… but I'm still really sorry."
"Don't be. You were pretty amusing. Did you know you talk in your sleep, Beesly?"
"What?" No, I don't," she laughed, shaking her head.
He loved making her blush. "Oh, but you do. And don't worry. I have a constant supply of Neosporin in the bathroom, so you're good."
"Neosporin… What? Jim, shut up."
Leaning against the counter he adjusted Ellie in his arms, "No. I think it's cute. You're like a girl scout. Always prepared…even in your sleep," he laughed, clearly enjoying poking fun at her.
Brushing a curl behind her ear, she turned to leave. "Okay, now I know you're lying."
"Hey, where you going?" he asked, worried he'd offended her.
"Someone let me sleep in," she teased. "I need to go home and change, so I can be back here to help you set up before the party starts."
"Oh, okay." He continued smiling at her, almost wistfully. That feeling was back, yet again. He didn't want her to leave. "Will you be long?"
"Why?" she asked playfully. "You gonna miss me?"
"Actually..." He stared at her. She was so great. "Yeah," he heard himself answer honestly. "I am."
Pam's eyes widened slightly, biting her lip. He hoped it was for a different reason than the day before.
'Shit, I've scared her.'
"I'll see you in a bit, okay?" She smiled warmly. She's okay.
She must've noticed the obvious relief on his face, because she giggled slightly. Blushing, but confident, she walked back over to him and tenderly kissed his cheek. "Bye, Jim."
Pam held Ellie's hand and waved. "Bye, Ellie," she cooed. "See you soon."
Ellie looked up at Jim and then glanced back at Pam. "Buuuh," she waved, bringing her hand up to her mouth to blow a kiss.
Jim watched her leave, the door closing gently behind her. Man, he loved that girl.
****
To Be Continued
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