Unexpected

Chapter 4-Dom

Sunlight filters through the blinds, casting a warm glow across the room as I glance at the clock. It's nearly eight in the morning, leaving me the entire day to organize my apartment and run some errands. Since I have to work tonight, my plan is to drop off Jules at Danny's house so Rebecca can watch her. Having a support system like this is comforting.

Jules bursts into my room, her hair tangled at the ends. Bright blue eyes stare at me intently. "Daddy, come on." She grabs my hand, attempting to pull me out of bed, but her efforts are futile against my weight.

After a minute or so of struggling, she releases my hand and climbs onto my bed. Her bottom lip sticks out in a pout. I brush the hair out of her face with a smile.

"Jules, what's the rush? You usually like to sleep in," I say.

One thing I appreciate about Jules is her ability to sleep until noon if allowed. She shakes her head, trying once again to pull me out of bed.

"I want food, and then I want to go build a snowman."

I glance outside and notice a fresh layer of snow on the ground, perfect for building a snowman or two.

"Why don't I ask Danny if we can go over, and you could do something with the boys? Or, at least Nathan would probably build one with you," I suggest.

Jules smiles, her cheeks turning rosy pink. "Yay, I'll go get ready."

She bounces off my bed and scampers down the hall to her room. I reluctantly follow her. Jules insists she's a big girl, capable of picking out her own outfits, but the last thing I want is for her to get hypothermia while playing outside.

"Daddy, I don't need that."

I make a feeble attempt to slide Jules into a snowsuit, but she seems determined to wear leggings and a thin jacket.

"Jules, you're going to freeze. Just wear this, and I won't ask you for anything else, well, besides a hat and some gloves."

Finally, she caves, letting me wrap her up in warm clothing, though it's clear she's hating every minute of it. Occasionally, she glances out the window, as if the snow might disappear if we're not fast enough. I turn her body so I can grab her hair and style it into a braid, just how Rebecca taught me. Just because I don't know what I'm doing most of the time doesn't mean I'm completely incompetent. She pivots back to face me, displeasure written all over her face.

Taking her hand, unwilling to let her escape, I grab the first hat I find in her drawer. It's a bright pink one with sparkles. I hand it to her with a smile. She frowns, looking up at me. I hold her gaze until she finally breaks and slowly places it on her head, giving it a firm tug to cover her ears.

"Okay, I'm going to get ready. Don't do a thing," I warn.

She sticks her tongue out at me, bright red. "What did you eat?" I ask.

"A candy cane."

I laugh lightly, covering it quickly with a cough. "Jules, you can't eat that kind of stuff for breakfast. Why don't I make you some eggs before we go?"

She crosses her arms and takes a step back. "I'm not hungry anymore."

This girl is going to make it far in life, I can tell. She has the determination of a bull.

"Like I said, I'm going to get ready. Don't mess around, got it?" I say slowly.

"Daddy, I won't do anything. Hurry, before the snow melts," she whines.

I stand up and head toward the door. "That isn't how snow works, especially in Ohio."

Jules, apparently tired of our small talk, presses her hands against my lower back, attempting to make me walk faster. She follows me all the way to my room before slamming the door, trapping me inside.

After finishing getting ready, I walk out to check on Jules. I find her rolling around on the floor with Colby, her joyful, high-pitched laughter bouncing off the walls as she carelessly tries to push our dog off her.

Navigating around the discarded toys, careful not to step on her dolls, I say, "Come on, Rebecca told me that the boys would love to help you build a snowman. Let's go before they change their minds."

A ball of fury, she wiggles her way past me and out the front door. I don't even bother checking to see if I have everything; I'm too worried about her safety. Our town is safe, that I do know, but the idea of something happening to Jules makes my skin crawl. I want to guard her like she has the cure to solve world hunger.

I hold her hands as we slowly make our way down the stairs, looking out for slippery spots that could potentially send us to the hospital for the day. The weather is typical, grey, and cold. It makes you wonder how someone could like living in this climate every day, but I don't know anything else; this is where I was born and raised.

Mrs. Teal is outside the daycare, shoveling the sidewalk. "Hey, how's it going?" I ask.

She looks up at me, fear washing over her features before she recognizes us. Once she does, I can see a sparkle in her eyes as she tugs the scarf off her mouth to speak. "Sorry, Dom, I almost didn't recognize you guys for a second. You two are all covered up."

I shrug, unlocking the car so Jules can climb inside. "No worries. I'm taking Jules to a friend's; she really wanted to build a snowman."

Mrs. Teal smiles and leans against the side of the building. The grey in her hair has become more prominent over the few years I've lived here, making the passage of time feel more surreal.

"That's good. That girl deserves to have as much fun in her life; kids never realize how lucky they have it until they're adults themselves."

Her comment hits me harder than I expected. It feels like just yesterday I was as eager as Jules is now to go play out in the snow.

"True, well, have a good day, Mrs. Teal."

She winks and gives a small wave. "Be careful on the roads, Dom. I heard it's nasty out there."

"Can we listen to Disney music?" Jules asks the second I get into the car.

The thought of listening to Disney music makes me want to rip my ears off and feed them to Colby, but instead, I plaster on a fake smile and hope that I sound enthusiastic. "Of course."