Chapter 4 - A Shadow in the Snow
The festival was perfect. Too perfect.
We rode the carousel. I bought Lily a ridiculously oversized pretzel. Clara and I stood close together by the fire pits, the heat of the flames mirroring the warmth building between us. When the town band started playing a terrible, off-key rendition of a holiday classic, Clara laughed so hard she had to lean against my arm for support.
But the universe has a funny way of balancing joy with dread.
I was in line buying a third round of hot cocoas when I heard it. A man's voice. Sharp, entitled, and angry.
"Well, well. Look who decided to finally answer her phone. Oh wait, you didn't."
I turned. Standing in front of Clara and Lily was a man in his late thirties. He wore an expensive ski jacket and a designer watch. His face was handsome in a generic way, but his eyes were entirely devoid of warmth.
Clara had instinctively pulled Lily behind her legs. Her face was paper-white, all the joy stripped from her features.
"Mark," Clara said, her voice shaking. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in town for a ski trip," he said smoothly, taking a step closer. "Figured I'd drop in on my ex and my kid. Though it looks like you're doing just fine playing house."
This was Mark. The biological father. The man who had walked out when Lily was in diapers because fatherhood was cramping his lifestyle.
"You haven't called in two years, Mark," Clara said, trying to keep her voice steady. "You don't get to just show up and ambush us."
"I'm her father, Clara. I have rights," he sneered. He looked down at Lily, who was hiding her face in Clara's coat. "Hey kid. Look at me when I'm talking."
He reached out to grab Lily's arm.
He never made contact.
I stepped between them, my hand clamping down on Mark's wrist with the vice-like grip of a man who spends ten hours a day working with heavy timber. I didn't squeeze to break, but I squeezed enough to let him know I easily could.
"The lady asked you to back away," I said, my voice dangerously low.
Mark looked at me, his eyes darting to my height and the breadth of my shoulders. He tried to yank his arm back, but I held it for one more second, letting the message sink in, before releasing him.
"Who the hell are you?" Mark spat, rubbing his wrist.
"I'm the guy buying the cocoa," I said. "Now walk away."
May you like
Mark sneered at Clara. "This isn't over. I'm taking you to court. Let's see how much you like playing the victim when a judge sees you keeping my daughter from me."
He turned and melted into the crowd. Clara let out a choked sob, her knees buckling. I dropped the cocoas and caught her, pulling both her and Lily into my chest.
