Family Comes First

Chapter 36: A Blanket of Snow

Buster stayed outside most days. For a few nights, Jimmy would let him into the house and I hated how he would follow me around the kitchen with a bone in his mouth. I kept tripping over him and having to push him out of the way. He would be panting, and drool would be dripping out of his mouth.

I preferred the sound of him panting. It was better than the sound of him gnawing on the bone.

One morning, I was sitting in the rocking chair in our room. Flashes of what happened at Noah's played through my mind, but I tried to push those thoughts away. I focused on the sound of running water as Jimmy was taking a shower.

Jimmy came out of the bathroom running a towel over his wet hair. Charles had told us last night that he and Tommy were going into town today. I could hear them moving around downstairs, and I was excited for them to go. I loved being alone with Jimmy.

Jimmy pulled out a set of clothes for me to wear. I changed into the clothes, and he watched me as I buttoned up the shirt. He threw the towel into the bathroom and ran his fingers through his dark hair. I went into the bathroom, grabbed the brush, and ran it through my tangled hair. It had grown quite a few inches since I came to the house.

"Do you think I should cut it?" I asked.

I knew I wasn't supposed to be asking questions, but being alone with Jimmy made me feel safe.

"Cut what?" he asked.

"My hair," I said, twisting a strand around my finger. "Lindsay and Emme both have short hair. Do you think mine would look good like that?"

Jimmy slid his hands around my waist and pulled me against his body. Jimmy nuzzled his face in my neck before kissing my cheek. He took one hand off of my waist and twirled a piece of my hair around his finger.

"No," he said. "It looks much better this way. I don't like it when girls cut all of their hair off. Yours is staying long."

"It would always grow back," I said.

"Julie, I said no."

I bit down on my lip. He patted my hip before taking a step back. He grabbed my hand and we walked down into the kitchen.

Charles was counting through the stack of bills in his pocket when we got downstairs. His back was to us, but I could see him put each twenty-dollar bill down on the counter. I could see Tommy through the window over the sink. He was loading something into the back of the truck.

"Going so soon?" Jimmy asked.

"We were just about to leave," Charles said. He grabbed the stack of bills, folded them, and shoved them into the pocket of his jacket. "I have to talk to you two though."

"What's it about?" Jimmy asked.

"You both know that we are running low on food," he said. "When you're cooking tonight, don't use any meat. We'll be rationing it out until we go hunting again."

"Can't you buy some meat today?" I asked.

Charles glared at me. My face went pale, and I took a step to the side so that I was hiding behind Jimmy. My gaze dropped to the floor.

"Julie," Jimmy snapped. "Be quiet."

"Only cook meat when I tell you to," Charles told me. "There should be someone soon."

"She won't," Jimmy said.

"Good." Charles looked over his shoulder to see Tommy closing the back of the truck. "We better get going. We should be home before it gets dark."

"Good luck," Jimmy said.

"Have a good day, you two."

Charles walked out of the house. Jimmy and I watched out the window as the truck pulled out of the driveway. Jimmy grabbed my arm and pulled me out from behind his back. I was expecting him to be furious, but instead, he sat down on the chair and pulled me down onto his lap.

"We're finally alone," he said. "I love you so much."

He leaned in and kissed me. His arms tightened around me as our kiss deepened. I put my hand on his shoulder, and my other hand ran up into his damp hair.

"I love you too," I said once he pulled away.

His hand ran down my back and onto my leg. He rubbed my thigh.

"How about you go and get us some breakfast?" he asked.

"Okay," I said.

I leaned in and gave him one more quick kiss before getting up off of his lap. I pulled out one of the pots and began preparing our usual oatmeal.

"How did you sleep last night?" he asked.

I looked over my shoulder to see him shuffling the pack of cards that always sits on top of the table.

"Really good," I said. "What about you?"

"Yeah," he said. "Good too."

I took a quick glance up out of the window and then had to look again. White flakes began to fall from the sky and my lips lifted into a smile. I have lost track of all time since I have come here.

"What's the date?" I asked.

"What?" he asked.

"The date," I said. "What day is today?"

"November 14th." Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. That told me that he was guessing, but it was closer than any guess I had. "Why?"

"Because it's snowing," I said.

"It's what?" He finally looked up from his deck of cards.

He leaned back to see out of the window. A smile grew across his lips, and he got up out of his chair and came over to me. We watched the snowflakes dance in the air before they dusted the grass. It was so beautiful to watch.

"Come on," Jimmy said, cocking his head to motion toward the kitchen door.

I followed him as he removed the chain from around his neck. The key was dangling at the end, and my heart pounded in my chest. I haven't had a breath of fresh air since we came back from Noah's.

Jimmy opened the door and pulled me onto the porch. I took in a deep breath, and it felt like heaven in my lungs. The cold air bit at my skin, but I did not care. Jimmy ran down the steps of the porch and I followed him onto the grass. His shoes left a track in the snow. I did not know where Jimmy kept my shoes because I almost never needed them. The cold snow was biting on my bare toes and was causing my feet to burn.

Jimmy looked down at my feet. He shook his head as he chuckled.

"A little anxious to get out here?" he asked.

"I don't know where my shoes are," I said.

"Jump up," he said.

I locked my fingers behind his neck and jumped up toward him. He grabbed the back of my thighs and I wrapped my legs around his waist. The snowflakes were settling and melting into his hair. I watched as the snow fell into the indentation of the scar on his cheek. I kissed him. His lips were cold against mine.

I loved the two of us being together. I could not wait until Jimmy and I got our own place together. I could not wait until we had our own family.