David shifts, settling Neal down into his carrier on the ground before he stands and stares fondly at Emma, thinking that she shouldn't have had to hold this tradition. He thinks back to his own birthdays as a child and knows, more than anything, that he would've given her the world. His heart seizes to think that he hadn't been capable and he tries hard not to feel guilty.

"If we weren't on a boat and I weren't so terrible at it, I would've baked you the biggest cake. I have twenty-eight years to make up for, don't I?" He still readily accepts the cupcake with a warm smile on his lips.