Two months later

Catherine parked her car in the parking lot and headed inside the mall. It was nearly Christmas and she wanted to get some last-minute shopping in. She loved Christmas shopping nearly as much as she loved the holiday itself when she got to spend time with her family. They had big Christmas parties every year, inviting all their known family and friends. She headed into Louis Vuitton and picked out a scarf for her mother. Her mother loved scarfs, and this was one she didn’t have yet. After purchasing the scarf, she headed on to the next store. After around an hour of shopping, she took her accumulated bags to her car. She saw the food court across the parking lot and decided to grab a bite. On her way across, she heard tires screech. She looked to her left and saw a car barreling towards her. Next thing she knew, everything went black.

Patrisha Belford and her husband Samuel had been putting some presents underneath the tree when her phone rang. It was a number she didn’t recognize. “Hello?” “Mrs.Belford?” “This is she?” “Your daughter, Catherine Belford, was hit by a car and is being rushed to the hospital.” Patrisha grabbed Samuel’s arm for support, “What do you mean? How did this happen?!” She put it on speaker-phone so Samuel could hear. The man explained what happened and told her what hospital Catherine was being taken to. On their way out of the house, Samuel called up his lawyer. He was going to sue this man who had the nerve to hit his daughter! When they reached the hospital, they were told which floor she was on. She was in the ICU and had gone into emergency surgery. While waiting, Samuel talked to their lawyer. About two hours later, the doctor came into the waiting room. “How is she? If she needs better medical care, we will pay for it,” Patrisha said. “She survived the surgery. So did the baby. We’re still in the unknown zone so we’ll have to wait and see if she pulls through.” Patrisha didn’t hear back ‘baby’. She looked at Samuel and he looked angry. “What do you mean ‘the baby’?” he asked. “She’s pregnant.” “With whom? She’s not married!” “We can’t tell you who the father is just by knowing she’s pregnant.” Samuel got back on his phone. Patrisha looked at the doctor, “Can I see her?” “You can look through the glass but we want to make sure the room stays sterile.” She nodded and followed him to the room. There Catherine lay, bruises covering the few unwrapped places on her body. She was hooked up to so many machines. Patrisha dabbed the tears in her eyes away. So much for a merry Christmas season. Meanwhile, Samuel called one of the private investigators on his speed dial and told him to look into who Catherine had associated with lately. He was going to find out who had the nerve to sleep with his daughter out of wedlock.

The following morning, he got a call back from his PI. “You better have good news,” he said. “I found him.” “You did?! Who is he?” “His name is Jackson Forester. He’s 23 and works at a club not too far from here. From what I found, about two months ago he and Miss.Belford had a one-night stand at a nearby hotel.” “Do you have his contact information?” “I do.” “Email it to me.” “Will do.” Samuel hung up. He headed back to the hospital with Patrisha. When they arrived, the doctor looked grim. “What happened?” Patrisha demanded. “Miss.Belford has gone into a coma.” Samuel could feel the blood drain from his face.

8 months later

Knock knock. Jackson rolled over and looked at his phone. It was 10 in the morning. Everybody who knew him knew not to come knocking at 10am: he was trying to get his sleep! He worked until the club closed at 3 and then helped clean up. He’d gotten home at 4! He grumbled, “This better be important.” He pulled on a T-shirt and some shorts then headed to the door. He swung it open, expecting to see Jacob or one of his friends. But instead there stood an older man in a suit who looked a little pissed at being made to wait for one-minute. Jackson felt underdressed. “Yes?” he asked in a clipped tone, to show the man that he wasn’t the only one who was irritated. This seemed to irritate the man further. “Are you Jackson Forester?” “Yes. Who’s asking?” “I’m Richard Smith- personal lawyer to the Belford family.” Belford. Weren’t they some ultra-rich family? What did they want with him? “Okay…?” “Do you remember her?” He held up a picture of a woman. He instantly remembered her. It was the assertive chick who he’d slept with almost a year ago. He’d hoped she would come back for repeats but she never did. He nodded, “Yeah, I’ve met her once.” He nodded, “This is Catherine Belford.” Well shit. Were they going to sue him or something? They did send their lawyer. And now he really felt underdressed. “Do you remember sharing a bed with her?” They were going to sue him. He gulped, “Yes, the night we met.” “When was that?” “Uh...last October.” He nodded, “She got pregnant.” His heart stuttered. What? Is that why they were here? To get him to sign over complete custody because he wasn’t rich enough to be the father? He clenched his fists, “If you think-” “Miss.Belford has found herself in an unfortunate situation and is signing over complete custody of your one-month-old daughter. Please sign here.” Jackson blinked. Did he hear correctly? “Are you telling me that she wanted to give me the baby?” “Yes. Exactly. Also, because of the circumstances and the Belford wealth, they have given the naming privilege to you. You must put her name here so I can have it submitted to the courts as well.” Jackson was in shock. He signed his name then moved up to put his daughter’s name. The name that jumped out at him was Belle, because this guy kept saying Belford, so he put Belle Forester down. The man nodded and walked to his car. Out of the backseat he extracted this high tech looking carseat with a sleeping form in it. He brought it to Jackson and handed it to him, “Congratulations Mr.Forester and good luck. All her papers will be mailed to you. You will get them within the week by UPS. You’ll receive an email when they arrive and you’ll have to sign for them.” With that, he turned, walked away, got into his car, and backed out. Jackson looked down at the sleeping baby. She had her mother’s blonde hair. “I wonder if she has my eyes,” he mused. He took her inside and closed the door. That’s when it all came crashing down. He was a father. He had a daughter. He didn’t know the first thing about raising a child. He didn’t have any supplies either! Shit. He called Jacob. “Hello? I’m surprised you’re awake.” “I have an emergency!” “...What is it? The chick you took home is already clingy?” “What?! N-” Belle chose that moment to wake up and let out an ear piercing scream. He cursed under his breath. “Was that a baby?” Jacob asked. “Yes dipshit- that was a baby. Correction, that was my baby. And I need help!” “On my way.”