Tender Mate

Farewell to the Dark

                      It was snowing. And even though it was night, Noelle could see the scenery as if it were day by the light of a golden moon. She took a path through the trees, following snowshoe rabbit tracks and small circles of fungus being coated by the frost like a buche de noel. The snow dampened all sound, and for the first time she didn't find the silence cold...or the cold itself for that matter. She felt warmed. Like a budding feeling in her chest was floating her through this gold and white and green wood. The easiest hike she'd ever been on. It didn't even feel like exercise. 

                      "Momma!"

                      Emma. She was giggling and running ahead in that slow way that toddlers go thinking they are so much faster than their parents. She went around a bend in the path just out of sight, her peals of laughter echoing and trailing behind her. Noelle rounded the corner and saw the Paddington bear lying in the path, Emma somewhere out of sight. As she reached for the forgotten toy, a puppy dashed out from the ferns and grabbed it by the coat, looking up at her with playful green eyes. It took her a moment to realize that it was a wolf pup. Light brown coat with some dark markings. Those green eyes though. Could wolves have green eyes?

                       The pup suddenly dashed down the path and Emma came out of hiding to chase the small wild thing with her bear. Noelle reached her hand out as though to stop them, but a very large dark chocolate wolf brushed past her and trotted after them. He looked back to her, lake blue eyes alight with the same radiating warmth of this place, and that feeling in her chest overwhelmed her. Then he headed after the two best friends to catch up with them.

1AM

                       Noelle woke with a slight start and slowly sat up. What had she been dreaming? Seeing the clock on the nightstand she realized her head had hit the pillow not even an hour ago. Realizing she felt not in the least bit tired, she pulled her robe on and tip toed to her daughter's room to look in on her. 

                       The little girl's door was slightly ajar, and Noelle realized she'd forgotten Emma's night light. A step into the room though and she realized that the golden glow of the harvest moon kept the room almost as bright as day. The night was cold, and she could see through the blinds that it was snowing and blanketing the world outside in white, but the light streaming through made her feel warm. Bits of her dream filtered into her consciousness and the snow and the moon and those blue eyes gave her a sense of intense deja vu. Who's blue eyes had she been dreaming of?

                        Walking to the opposite side of the bed, Noelle lifted the covers and slid in to hold the tuckered out tyke. She kissed her daughters soft curls and her thoughts drifted to the man that had done the same just a couple hours ago. They'd just met that day, it had to be a fluke. He did seem like a sucker for kids, but she also got the impression he'd been a long term bachelor for a while. Who wasn't in a relationship if they wanted a family? People who didn't actually want a family yet, of course. 

                        But at the same time she had this feeling--like she knew very deep down--that he was already more than great father material. His sheet fort rant might have had something to do with that, or how he'd bought them each a lice of pie tonight and helped Emma clean up after she got it mostly on herself and then gave her his slice. It was more than how he acted with her little girl though. He did more than just everything right, he did it beyond perfect with such care. He was perfect. He was too perfect.

                         She couldn't deny she'd checked him out, her own forwardness startling her, but it had been such a long time since there had been any passion in her life once the honeymoon phase was over with Patrick. But then, Everette was very attractive...it almost unnerved her, except she found herself looking at him longer and longer and finding him all the more...well, attracting her.