1 year, 4 months later

Jackson pulled up at his dad’s house. Even though he was tired after a night of work, he couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of seeing his daughter again. She’d been shoved at him some 16 months ago, and at the time he had no clue how to raise her. But he’d quickly gotten the hang of it. Now, his house was baby-proof and he’d consider himself a great dad. He got out and went up the front steps, lightly knocking on the door. He left Belle with his dad when he worked, which wasn’t bad because he worked at night. When he got off of work, he came and picked her up. His dad opened the door and motioned for him to come in. Jackson came in and found Belle asleep in the guest bedroom. He gently picked her up, thanked his dad, then took her out. He buckled her in and drove home. When he arrived, he carried her to her room and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead then headed to bed. He loved his daughter more than anything and thanked the Belfords (in his head) every day that they’d tracked him down and given him her instead of sending her into the foster care system. He stripped down and climbed into his bed. A lot had changed since Belle had come into his life. He didn’t do one-night stands anymore, for starters. He had one relationship for 2 months but she didn’t like Belle, or rather, she wasn’t cut out to be a mother. He turned his light out and fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning, Samuel and Patrisha got called to the hospital early in the morning. “What is it? Is Catherine okay?” Patrisha asked. Cathrine had been in a coma for two years, and the doctors were starting to think she may never come out. But with the money they had, Patrisha and her husband were never going to give up until they had to. The doctor who’d been monitoring Catherine since the beginning smiled, “She’d woken up.” Patrisha felt tears prick her eyes and she quickly went to Cathrine’s room.

Catherine’s eyes were heavy and her mind felt blank. Where was she? She pried her eyes open to find her mother and father standing over her. Her mother had tears running down her cheeks. Her father’s eyes were glazed. Why were they crying? They never cried. She tried to open her mouth and ask but it felt heavy too. “Catherine dear, can you hear me?” her mother asked. With great effort, she smiled. It wasn’t like she could say ‘yes’. Relief flooded her mother’s eyes. “You’re in the hospital.” The hospital? She became alarmed. “You were hit by a car and then went into a coma.” Her eyes widened- weight forgotten. “You were in a coma for two years.” She gaped. Her mother smiled sadly, “But you’ve come back to us and that’s all we can ask for.”

Patrisha and Samuel stayed and talked to Catherine for an hour but she grew weary and fell asleep after that. The doctor told them he’d give them a call if she slipped back into a coma. On the way back, they had a lot to discuss. “We won’t tell her about the child. It’s best that way. We can’t have a bastard in our family and there’s no way she’s going to marry that bartender man,” Samuel said with conviction. Patrisha nodded, “To ensure that, we should move her to our country home. It’ll be good for her recovery as well.” “Good idea my dear.” Patrisha smiled, but in the back of her mind she couldn’t help but feel like they were making a grave mistake.

That evening, Jackson headed to his dad’s house. He unbuckled Belle. She raised her arms and he picked her up and carried her inside. She could walk but she preferred being carried. He remembered the first time she’d walked to him. It was one of the happiest days of his life. Jacob opened the door and grinned, reaching for his niece, “How’s my princess?” She giggled. Jacob managed to charm all the girls. Jackson rolled his eyes and handed her over. “I’m going to head off to work.” Jacob nodded, “Okay, I’ll be in a little later.” Jacob worked during the day but hung out at the club at night. Jackson gave Belle a kiss on her forehead then headed to work. When he arrived, the bar was running smoothly. He headed behind the counter and placed a hand on Victor’s shoulder, “Good work Vic. I can take over now.” Victor nodded, “Okay man. See you later.” Jackson nodded and got to work. He really enjoyed working at the club. He got to meet people and they all shared something in common: a like to drink. He walked over to a group of women who were giggling amongst themselves. “How can I help you, ladies?” he asked. They all smiled with obvious interest. “We’ll have shots,” one of them said. Another smiled, “What time do you get off handsome?” His mind went back to that night years ago, when Catherine had been so daring. He almost smiled, until he remembered the fact that she dumped her child on him. No, she’d sent her lawyer to do it. She couldn’t even be man...no, woman...enough to do it herself. And he loved Belle but he knew that when she got older, she’d want a woman to relate to. There were things that he wouldn’t be able to help her with. Boys weren't one of those. And that sent his mood down to hell. He hadn’t realized he was glaring until the woman said, “I didn’t know you were taken!” He reigned his glare in and sighed, “I’m sorry. I’m not. I’m just not in a good mood. I’ll get your shots right away.” He pushed thoughts of Catherine fucking Belford out of his head and concentrated on his work that he loved. And as he chatted with people, he found himself lightening up and his mood improving. This was why he worked at a club. People were so free to be themselves here. He slid a man his drink and went onto the next order. By the end of his shift and closing time, he wasn’t mad anymore. He figured Catherine was too busy with high society to bother with a child. It was probably for the best that she gave up all rights instead of trying that co-parenting bullshit when she wasn’t available. He picked Belle up around 4:30 the following morning and took her home.