Nothing Less

Chapter One.

Songs for this chapter are:

Someone New- Hozier

Style- Taylor Swift

Ghost - Halsey

"Daddy?" a small voice cuts through the darkness of my bedroom.

I lean over and click on the lamp and my eyes adjust to the illuminating light spreading throughout the room.

            "Adeline? What's wrong?" I sit up, tugging the blanket up my chest, remembering that I'm not dressed underneath. I glance over at my wife, her naked back is exposed and she's sleeping on her stomach, sprawled out on the bed, the way she usually does.

            "I can't sleep," a small hand rubs over little brown eyes.

            Relief spreads through me.

            "Did you count sheep?" I ask her. She often has trouble sleeping lately, and I'm trying not to worry too much about it. Her doctor says that she's just having a hard time shutting her wild mind off at night and it's a normal behavior for her age.

            Adeline nods. "And ponies. I counted ponies too. A blue one, a red one, and a grumpy yellow one."

            I try not to laugh. "A grumpy yellow pony?"

            "Yep. He stole the blue one's cookie."

            My little girl's mom stirs in her sleep, but doesn't wake. I pull the blanket up over exposed back, just in case she decides to roll over.

            I look at my daughter, whose eyes match my own, and can't even try to hide my amusement at her inventive imagination. She's so creative for her age, always telling tales of goblins and princesses.

            With a smile, I reach for her hand and she moves her teddy into her other arm and she grabs my hand. The poor stuffed bear is close to falling apart. She doesn't go anywhere, aside from school, without it and some days, I find the furry thing in my messenger bag when I get to the school.

"How about you meet me in the kitchen so you can tell me what happened next?" I say, trying to convince my six-year-old to give me a minute to throw on some sweats.

            She nods and I kiss her hand before she drops it to her side. "I'll be out in just a minute, sweetie."

            Adeline looks over at her mom and back at me before she makes her way to the doorway. She turns around. "Can we have a cookie while we talk?" My little negotiator asks. She's just like me, always wanting sweets.

            I glance at the clock on the nightstand. It's twelve-thirty and she has school in the morning. Since I'm her first grade teacher, I shouldn't encourage her to eat sugar in the middle of the night.

            "Please, Daddy?"

            I know I'm supposed to be responsible, and that I shouldn't be condoning a sugar rush six hours before she has to wake up for school. Her mom's going to kill me, but I know dang well she would cave too. Those big brown eyes and that teddy bear in her arms reminds me that she won't be a kid for long.

            Adeline waits expectedly.

            "Grab me one too. I'll be out there by the time you pick out the tiniest cookies in the jar for us." I tell her.