RPF

Lunch With Daddy

The oven dinged, signaling that the cookies Mary had baked were done. With James on her hip she shuffled into the kitchen. The aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies made her mouth water. It even seemed to catch the attention of a very fussy seven-month old, who calmed down almost immediately. Mary noted the change in her son and chuckled slightly before single-handedly removing the cookies from the oven.

"Well, Jamie, what do you think? You think that Lizzy will like these cookies?" Mary smiled down at her son as she moved the cookies from the cookie sheet to the cooling rack.

James just looked up from the cookies to his mom. Then with a big grin on his face and a giggle escaping his lips, he grabbed at the air over the cookies. Mary laughed a little and spun her son around causing him to laugh even more. The ringing phone broke her out of her joyful moment with her son.

'Hello.' Mary answered her phone while still juggling James.

"Hey, babe. Just letting you know that things are kind of crazy here at the office so I don't know when I'll be home. Sorry." Chandler sighed into the phone.

"Well try not to be home too late. James and I are having a great time here despite you not being here. We wouldn't want daddy spoiling the fun now would we, James?" Mary cooed at James with a big smile on her face, one that reached up into her eyes.

"Are you seriously trying to turn our son against me?" Chandler and Mary both chuckled. "Anyways, I gotta get back to work. See you later tonight, but if it gets too late don't wait up." Chandler stated in an attempt to wind down the conversation.

"Love you Chan".

"Love you too Mar."

The click in Mary's ear told her that Chandler had disconnected the phone. However, today he at least told her he loved her before hanging up. Mary put the phone down and carried James to the back bedroom where she and Chandler slept. She laid him in the middle of the bed so that she could change her clothes. Almost immediately James rolled over from his back to his stomach and pushed his body up onto his arms. His eyes followed his mom as she walked back and forth getting dressed. Mary glanced at her son and smiled the smile she reserved only for her little boy.

"You know what I think we should do today, Jamie?" Mary leaned onto the bed to be at eye level with the child.

James rolled back onto his back and kicked his legs into the air. It's as if he is telling his mom that he is excited for whatever she has planned.

"I think we should go surprise daddy at work. I'll dress you in that nice new blue plaid shirt and jeans combo that Nana sent from Kansas. You will be the hottest man on the town in that outfit. Daddy would have to hire you."

James grinned a big toothless grin and stuck his tongue out. Taking that as a yes, Mary scooped him up and carried him to his nursery.

After getting him dressed Mary carried him to walkway off the kitchen, in front of the door, and placed him in his stroller. Mary trotted back into the kitchen and placed the cookies into a tub. With the cookies in hand, Mary informed James that they had to drop off the cookies at Lizzy and Hunter's before they could go across town to see daddy.

Mary knocked on her best friend's door. As Mary heard Lizzy holler "just a minute," James, as if on cue, dropped his bottle on the floor. Mary bent down and picked it up, suddenly feeling like she had been up and active for longer than the 5 hours that had passed.

"Hey, Mary and the cutest little guy on the block." Lizzy greeted as she opened the door.

"See, Jamie I told you you were too handsome for daddy not to hire you," Mary said to her son as she handed him back his bottle.