Cheer Up, Daddy!

Chow Garden

Thank you for the support, I love you all!

Chapter Fourteen

(Chow Garden)

Jackson was losing his mind.

This morning he had to witness Ryan, who might have some unresolved trauma during his childhood, running around the babysitting center with a gigantic pink box in his hands. The second Jackson settled the twins into their cribs, he was attacked by the box which was bigger than his head and with a closer look he realized the box wasn't just pink, it was coated with tiny red glitters and bright sparkles. He didn't want to associate anything with it and kindly removed himself from the spot but the box was back at his face, a big grin was seen on Ryan's face.

"What is it this time," Jackson grumbled loudly, a glass of vodka would be good for a situation like this.

"It's finally here!" Ryan exclaimed emptily, Jackson wasn't aware little Tina was following her father until an excited squeal coming from below. Today Ryan dressed his daughter in a yellow princess dress with a headband made into small plastic crown on her head, it seemed awfully familiar to Jackson but he couldn't pin-point which Disney princess had this dress. Upon greeting her, Tina returned a toothy grin at Jackson and thanked him for the compliment.

"I'm Belle!" Aha, Jackson thought to himself.

"You look pretty in it." A part of him was grateful he had sons instead of daughters because he had zero knowledge about Disney princesses, although his mother didn't believe in the gender stereotype idea but growing up with three brothers wasn't really all sugar, spice and everything nice. There was still a scar near the edge of his left eyebrow from falling off a tree, he was pushed. Still, he would like to have a daughter...

Maybe not, he lost count how many times Tangled was repeated on his television when Dustin was babysitting the twins.

Oh god, Dustin was his 'daughter'.

"Dude, are you okay?"

Jackson shrugged forcibly and took a sharp breath, that was a dangerous thought which he would never venture further into. Yet he could not believe he was getting a bit sentimental by the thought of having another child. A few weeks ago the reality of taking care two children had nearly screwed his life over and those sleepless nights were dragging him down like dead weight day by day. Right now looking at Tina and the twins, the bubbly feeling in his stomach was enough to tug on the tip of his lips up. The twins were messing up with his emotions, pulling out a side that Jackson did not know he was capable of having.

The box was in his face again, "anyway, please take a random paper from the coloring table and write down the name of your favorite restaurant and then put the folded paper into this box."

"Okay..." Jackson was wary but obliged silently, he couldn't find a decent pencil around so he used a blue crayon to write 'Lumiere' down and obviously Ryan was peeking over his shoulder. Once he folded the paper twice, he dumped into the box without looking, "are you going to tell me what this is all about now?"

"Nope," and there he went out the door with a twirling Tina trailing behind.

He was back at the office after Andrienne arrived (clearly there was still some tension between them), the rest of morning went uneventful with more papers to sign and more meetings to go. Mama Ford wasn't quite amused to hear her youngest son was making a mess in her company, warning him all the way from Iceland to keep his personal shit to himself and fix the mess up before she came back from her vacation. One said even hell was pale in comparison to the wrath of a mother, even he did not want to admit to himself but Dustin managed to lessen the burden on his messy life for now.