My Protector | Damie

Chapter 17

JAMIE POV;

Dulcie squirms in my arms when she sees Dakota sitting at a table waiting for us. She strains to close the distance between Dakota and I and I pick up my pace, now speed walking towards her to get Dulcie to stop whining. When we agreed to go to lunch together with Dulcie I was worried Dulcie wouldn't want to be around Dakota. She's not seen her in person in a while and she gets very easily distant from people, but I see with Dakota that won't be the case. "Hey, Dulcie." Dakota takes her in her arms and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I see you still won't talk to me." Dakota says to Dulcie using the extra sweet voice she has reserved for children and dogs. She's nearly a year old now and getting so big, but she won't talk. It's alarming to me even though I've been assured plenty of times that it's okay and she'll eventually get there. I still worry. I guess that's what parenting is like. Constant worrying. The waitress comes around to take our orders and I swear Dakota doesn't take her eyes off her, very obviously checking her out. It's like watching a hungry tiger about to pounce. She disappears for a while, bringing Dakota's attention back to Dulcie and I, but then she comes back with our lunch and the same thing happens. I take a bite of my steak as Dakota comments on my eating habits relentlessly. "You look like a chipmunk doing that with your cheek will you just chew your damn food." Dakota calls me out, nearly making me burst into laughter. "Watch your language." I mumble, between chewing my food. "Oh, I'm sorry, dad. I meant just chew your dang food." She rolls her eyes at me and I make a face. "Did you just call me dad?" She nods and giggles. "It would appear so, dad." I grimace again at the way the word sounds coming from her. She giggles at my reaction and says it over and over again just to bother me. "I'll get you back for that later, Dakota." I threaten, knowing damn well I won't be doing anything about it. She giggles again and the sound is music to my ears.

As we walk down the hall to Dakotas hotel room and walk inside we're continuously bickering with each other and I'm not even sure I remember what started it at this point. "You suck at being subtle, Jamie! You couldn't hint at anything to save your life you always just give it all away!" Dakota says, jabbing my shoulder. "Oh yeah, like you weren't checking out that waitress real obviously today." She swallows uneasily and blushes. "No of course not!" She rushes to defend herself, but I just laugh. She always gets so defensive when she's hiding something from me. It's obvious she was crushing hard on the waitress at lunch and I have my suspicions on some of the other women in her life as well. "Just admit it Dakota, You find women attractive. It's not a big deal it's just a fact." She furrows her brow and pouts in my direction for a second before speaking again. "Fine. I sometimes find other female humans to be attractive. Are you happy now?" I smile, unable to stop myself. I didn't think she'd ever actually admit it to me, I just thought she'd brush it off like all the other times I've teased her about it. "Yes, very." I reply, feeling pretty smug. "You know....I still talk to Amelia quite often, so you should watch what you say to me, Dornan. I could so easily steal your girl." She threatens. "Yeah right, like someone would pick you over all this." I scoff at her, moving to flex my arm muscles in her direction. She crosses her legs tightly and blushes slightly in response. Her response confuses me, usually she'd laugh and probably smack my arm down, but I don't have much time to think about it before she interrupts my thoughts. "You're right. I retract that statement." She corrects herself. "Plus I'm a great singer." I wiggle my eyebrows at her, knowing how annoyed she gets by my constant singing. "Oh, yeah? Then why don't you sing something for me?" She suggests, testing me. "You know, I think I will." The perfect song comes to mind as I think through the songs I could sing on command. I get out my phone and start playing the music that goes with the song, prepared to amaze dakota. She's always made fun of me for singing random stuff on set because I've never sang an actual song for her but I'm about to end all that. I hum along to the music, the lyrics flowing through my mind fresh now that I've heard the first few notes.
"Oh, where you feel so damn exposed
Way down here in my soul
Where there is no secret code
Won't leave you waiting
Blaming everyone you see
Paper cards and chemistry." I sing, keeping my voice steady and soft.
"Keep feeling beautiful
Keep feeling beautiful
Keep feeling beautiful
When I go
Find, what you think you've left behind
And I'll be standing there
As your world begins to tear, I'll save you falling
Blaming everyone you see
Paper cards and chemistry." I find as I sing them the lyrics are unsettlingly fitting for Dakota and I.
"Keep feeling beautiful
Keep feeling beautiful
Keep feeling beautiful
When I go
When I go beyond the story line
Chase the dawn and you will find it, they don't know
And no one knows
Oh, where you feel so damn exposed
Way down here in my soul
For there is no secret code" The way it's phrased reminds me of the way Dakota and I feel towards each other, exposed yet protected by each other.
"Keep feeling beautiful
Keep feeling beautiful
Keep feeling beautiful
When I go" I sing the last few lines of the song and Dakota starts to tear up. "Jamie that was beautiful!" She still looks stunned and teary eyed as she compliments me.

The lyrics are still stuck in my head when I arrive on set the next day and devise a plan to sing parts of it to Dakota throughout the day just to see how long it takes for her amazement to turn into annoyance. It never does, not after the first time I sing the song through, not even after I've sang the chorus for the tenth time in one day.

Authors Note; Two updates in one day! I'm really trying my best to keep up on writing this.