"Claire what's going-," he said as he saw the man, "dad?"
"James! How great to see you again! Who is this little munchkin?" he said, reaching forward to hold her.
"Her name is Zoey and you need to stay the hell away from her," Jim said, pulling Zoey back out of James' reach.
"Is that the way you talk to your father? She is my granddaughter after all," James said.
"She is not your granddaughter and you are not my father you hear me. You stay away from me and my family," Jim said, in a tone that Claire has never heard before. Zoey started to cry in Jim's arms, at how low his voice sounded, it scared her. Jim started shushing her but it wasn't working, and James being there didn't make it any better.
"You need to lift her head, and feed her, has she had her nap..." he kept trying to tell Jim what to do. Jim, knowing that he was about to freak out, gave Zoey to Claire and she went into the living room.
"Okay you need to leave like now, I don't want you here, I don't care why you're here just leave," Jim half-shouted.
"Why should I. Don't you want your kid to have a grandpa," James said with a smirk.
"She has a grandpa who has been there since the day she was born. I don't want you in my life. Don't you get it! You left! I was five! FIVE! Five years old when my dad left! And for what! What! What was so important! To just leave me and mom! What did we do! Are we just that bad! You are not my dad. And you never will be. And Zoey is not your granddaughter!" Jim yelled tears streaming down his face. Jim shut the door in his face, turned his back to the door and fell to the floor sobbing.
In the other room Claire had gotten Zoey to calm down and left her with Toby when she heard the door slam shut and sobs. She walked out to the hall and saw Jim on the floor crying his eyes out, the sight alone shattered Claire's heart. Claire sat on the floor next to Jim and just hugged him. He held on to her as if she was going to just disappear. He sobbed into her chest as she soothed him.
Claire Pov.
It broke my heart to see Jim this heart-broken about something. I held Jim Until he passed out from exhaustion. I went into the living room where Toby was sitting on the couch with Zoey asleep in his arms.
"I'll take Zoey upstairs. Can you get Jim, he fell asleep in the hallway?" I asked.
He nodded as I took Zoey from his arms and took her upstairs and laid her in mine and Jim's room in her crib. I went back down stairs making sure I had the baby monitor. I walked into the living room and saw Toby lay a blanket on Jim.
"Claire, who was that? What did he want?" Toby asked me. I pointed towards the kitchen and gestured to go in.
"I think it was Jim's dad," I said.
"No way," Toby gasped.
"Yeah, and he wanted to be in Jim and Zoey's life and kept saying how she would grow up without a grandpa and stuff like that. Jim didn't let him tell him why he was here," I told him.
Toby just sat there shocked. I went into the living room where I saw Jim asleep on the couch with red puffy eyes. I looked over to Toby who nodded and gently picked Jim up and took him upstairs.
I followed him upstairs and watched as he laid him down. Toby went back downstairs while I stood there for a minute before I left a kiss on his forehead and followed Toby as we watched tv in the living room.
Jim Pov.
I woke up and felt arms around my waist. I looked around and saw Claire's arms around me. I heard a small whimper coming from Zoey's crib so I got up and went over and saw Zoey looking up at me with a pout on her face and tears in her eyes.
"Hey baby there no need to cry it's okay," I whispered, as I picked her up.
She let out a small coo and snuggled into my chest.
"It's okay. I'm not leaving anytime soon," I said
"Someone to play catch with, out in the backyard
To pick up the pieces of your first broken heart
Someone to say slow down when you turn sixteen
Yeah, I grew up without a dad
I'm gonna be the best one I can be" I sang softly as I rocked her in my arms.
"Someone to scare the monsters when it's dark in your room
Someone to put their foot down when they want a tattoo
And not say I love you, but to show you what it mean
Yeah, I grew up without a dad
I'm gonna be the best one I can be" I walked with I down stairs as Zoey was staring up at me with wide eyes.
"They say dads are supposed to shape you, in the way I guess mine did
I knew what I wouldn't do if I ever had a kid
They say history repeats itself
Well, I guess that's up to me
Yeah, i grew up without a dad
I'm going to be the best one I could be" I finished once I made it into the kitchen. I was about to get Zoey a bottle when I saw her asleep.
