Until I Met You

Until I Met You- Chapter Sixy One

"Why is daddy so mean?" Alice asked in a hushed tone as Layne tried to cut her hair to fix it.

"He doesn't mean to be. He's just... tired is all." Layne told her.

"Does he still love me?" Alice asked. Layne turned her around and looked into her blue eyes.

"Don't ask something like that, Alice. We both love you, no matter what. Daddy just gets grouchy sometimes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you."

Alice smiled. "Good, because I love him."

Layne smiled. "Good. Now, look at your new haircut."

Alice excitingly looked into the mirror, feeling confident with the work her dad had done. But when she seen herself, she frowned.

"Dad, I look awful." She gasped.

* * *

"Alice cut her hair last night, so Layne had to try to fix it." Jerry sighed. Him and Eddie sat on a park bench, watching the kids play.

"So that explains the gaps." Eddie mumbled.

"She's driving me crazy," Jerry chuckled. "How about Jeremy? How's things with him?"

Eddie smiled. "It's going really good."

"Yeah, he's a real sweet kid."

"So is Alice. You just have to keep in mind she's a child, Jerry. Children need a lot of attention and love. She may do things that kills you, but you have to remember, she's a child."

Jerry sighed. "Yeah, I know that. I guess I am a little rough on her sometimes."

"Daddy, my shoe is untied." Jeremy said, throwing his foot up on Eddie's leg, getting sand and dirt on him. Eddie tied it for him before wiping the dirt off his shorts.

Alice came running toward Jerry, collapsing on his legs. Her hair was wet with sweat, and her face was blood red.

"Well, looks like you've been playing hard." Jerry chuckled, pulling Alice up on his lap. He offered her his bottle of water, which she happily took.

"I miss Dad." Jeremy whispered to Eddie.

It seemed as if Jeremy didn't like to be away from Chris for long. And it was the same way with Eddie. When Jeremy was with Chris, without Eddie, he began to miss Eddie.

"He's at home waiting for you." Eddie told him with a smile. "You ready to go?"

Jeremy nodded his little head, reaching up for Eddie to get him. He was tired, and felt like his little legs couldn't make another step. Eddie stood up from his seat, picking Jeremy up and holding him on his hip.

"You guys wanna stop by?" Eddie asked. Jerry shook his head.

"Nah, I guess we should be heading home too. I'll catch you guys later." Jerry said.

"You wanna give Jerry a hug before you go?" Eddie asked, looking at Jeremy.

Jeremy nodded. Eddie leaned him down, allowing Jeremy to wrap his arms around Jerry's neck, while Jerry returned the hug with one arm.

"C'ya later little guy." Jerry whispered to him.

Once Eddie and Jeremy were gone, Jerry turned his attention back to Alice, who still sat on his lap, watching the clouds in the sky.

"You still mad at me?" Jerry asked. Alice turned and looked at him.

"You didn't make me mad. You made me cry." She said. Jerry frowned.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I didn't mean to. I love you so much. More than the entire world."

Alice smiled, wrapping her arms around Jerry's neck. The two shared a hug, before Alice began to whine to go home.