Little Lexi || DDLG

Chapter 16

~~~~~450 VOTES FOR CHAPTER 17~~~~~

I'm woken by a loud clap of thunder, sounding so close that it could've been inside my room. I gasp and sit bolt upright. I've never been comfortable with thunderstorms; they just make me panic for some reason. They say that your worst fear is what you died from in a past life, so maybe I was struck by lightning during a storm or something.

I'm suddenly hyperaware of the rain pounding onto the roof and the gusts of wind buffeting the trees outside the window. My breathing becomes shallow and my heart races. Suddenly, lighting flashes and is followed by a roar of thunder even louder than the last one. I let out a sort of quiet, strangled scream and hastily climb out of my crib, opening the door and rushing down the hall to James's room.

When I'm outside his closed door, I stop and consider my options. I could go back to my room and wait out the storm, which has to stop eventually, or run to James for comfort but risk looking like a pathetic wimp afraid of a couple raindrops. The thunder booms again and the rain increases, making my choice for me. I open James's door and step in quietly but quickly.

He's sitting on his bed reading when I enter, looking up as I approach. "What are you doing up, baby girl?" he asks, confused.

"I'm scared, Daddy," I whisper. Lightning flashes and more thunder follows a few seconds later, making me whimper. James's face transforms into understanding. He holds out his arms and I run to him, jumping into his safe embrace.

"It's okay, honey, it's okay," James soothes me, stroking my hair as I press myself against him. My breathing starts to stabilize after a few minutes but I haven't stopped shaking yet. He holds me tight against him, the physical contact and pressure of his strong arms helping to calm me.

"Have you always been afraid of storms?" he asks gently. I nod, then cringe as the wind picks up. "Actually, let's not talk about storms," James decides quickly, seeing my reaction. "Let's talk about...good things. Happy things." He smiles reassuringly down at me. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..."

"Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens," I whisper against him, the corners of my mouth turning up slightly. The Sound of Music is one of my favorite musicals.

James's smile grows. "Brown paper packages tied up with strings..."

"These are a few of my favorite things," we finish together.

He kisses the top of my head. "Do you feel any better now?"

"Yes, Daddy," I murmur, and I really do. I'm still unhappy about the storm, but I'm no longer panicking.

"Do you want to sleep in Daddy's bed tonight?" James ventures. I nod vehemently. There's no way I'm going back to my room. I slide under the covers and his body curves around mine protectively. His scent pervades every breath I take, making me feel secure.

"Good night, baby girl," he whispers.

"Good night, Daddy."

ooOoo

This time I wake up naturally, not by rolling thunder. Late-morning light streams in through the window, bathing everything in a soft yellow glow. James is still asleep with his arms around me when I open my eyes so I'm careful not to wake him up. His face looks boyish in slumber, like all of his cares and worries have been drained away and replaced with peace. My eyes roam over his face, trying to commit each detail to memory.

A few moments later, he shifts and opens his eyes, which alight as they fix on me. "Good morning, little one," he says with a smile, his morning voice rough (and sexy).

"Good morning Daddy," I say shyly. James is so...glorious, I can barely believe that he's real. He kisses me softly and rests his forehead against mine, but our moment is ruined when my stomach rumbles loudly. James laughs and I blush.

"Definitely breakfast time," he decides. "I think pancakes are calling us!" We get out of bed and he carries me downstairs to the large kitchen. I rub my eyes, trying to wake myself up. James sets me down on a countertop and kisses the top of my head. "Want to help me make breakfast?" I nod enthusiastically.

James flies around the kitchen getting out flour, milk, salt, and sugar as well as other ingredients and utensils. Then he beckons me over to his spot at the island counter. "I need you to measure out a tablespoon of sugar for me, princess," he says mock-seriously, his eyes sparkling. "This is the most important part of the recipe."

"I'll do my best, Daddy," I giggle, and carefully scoop a tablespoon of sugar from the jar and dump it in the mixing bowl.

"Good job, honey," he praises me. "Can you do the baking powder for me too, please?" I do as he asks, adding to the growing mound of ingredients in the bowl. Then I reach for an egg, intending to add it to the mix, but James quickly swats my hand away.

"No no no. That's too dangerous for little girls like you to do," James reprimands me.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," I say meekly.

"Don't worry about it." He mixes the batter together expertly, like he's done this thousands of times. When it's been stirred to his satisfaction, he goes to the pantry and rummages for something. "You know what these pancakes need?"

"What?"

"Chocolate chips!" I squeal and clap my hands. Chocolate is my weakness. James returns with a bag of dark chocolate chips.

"My favorite," I sigh, staring at the bag with reverence.

"Want to pour them in?" James asks, noticing my clear tunnel vision.

"Yes please!" I take the bag and slowly pour a few in, then dump almost half the bag into the batter.

"Woah, careful there," James exclaims, retrieving the bag from me. "That's a bit too much chocolate."

I turn and stare directly into his eyes. "There is never  too much chocolate."

James laughs. "If you say so." He stirs the chocolate chips into the batter and then gives me the spoon to lick while he heats up the griddle and pours the batter onto the hot surface. I watch in fascination as he flips the pancakes several times—something I've never been able to do—and then slides them onto a plate one by one. Before long, there's a mountain of pancakes on the plate, which he carries to the table with me following on his heels. We sit across from each other and stare at the towering stack of goodness.

"I think I may have made a few too many," James says sheepishly. We both laugh. "Well, we can freeze them or something." He loads our plates and drizzles syrup in the shape of a smiley face on top of my pancakes.

"Thank you, Daddy," I say, and dig in. They're delicious—sweet and savory balanced with the bitterness of the dark chocolate. I groan in appreciation, and look up to see James gazing at me with an enamored look on his gorgeous face.

He must notice my confused expression because he clears his throat and shakes his head, looking down at his plate before raising his head to meet my gaze again. "You know what, baby girl?" he says, a smile forming on his lips. "I think we're going to have a great day."

A/N: youre welcome for a cute fluffy chapter look forward to angst and suffering in the future. well ya fave got asked to prom by the cute guy...it was a small & cute debate-themed promposal which was great and now I have like 8 days to shop for a dress thank god for online shopping!!! um also I think I failed an SOL which is a state test youre required to pass in order to get a credit for the course but who even cares not me. also im hella into game of thrones now and i accidentally love tyrion lannister and also jaime lannister and also im not emotionally prepared for season 6. I probably wont update again until late june because I have to study for finals etc which is going to eat up a lot of time sorry but please comment and vote! like seriously there are thousands of people reading every chapter the least you can do is vote ok thanks that's it