Cheer Up, Daddy!

Claire Ford

Chapter Sixteen 

(Claire Ford)

Jackson was having a complete meltdown in his mind. 

The airport was packed. It was only 10 a.m. but everyone in New York City seemed to think it would be a great idea to book flights in the morning to God know where. The traffic was shitty, Jackson had to abandoned his car at some random train station so he could to make it to the airport on time. In the train, the twins couldn't stop crying and Jackson had no idea how to calm them down with all the people kept bumping him to the wall. When they came out from the subway station, the sky was covered with heavy, gray clouds and a rumbling storm could be seen approaching from where he stood. He called Dustin and asked him to pick then up on the way to the airport, he didn't want to risk the chance of letting the twins get sick. For half an hour, Dustin came with his car just in time to save Jackson and the twins from drenching in the cold rain. 

When they arrived to the front gate, Jackson received a text from the woman who was responsible for all of these disasters and upon reading the text, the phone was thrown out from the car window and now Jackson had to buy a new one in the airport. Jackson was left alone in the digital store because Dustin wanted to buy thicker jackets for the twins, telling him to meet up at Starbucks once he was done. 

Hence it explained why Dustin was scrolling through his phone disinterestedly  and sipping on his iced mocha while Jackson was feeding James a bottle of formulas and patting Jeremy on the back in one hand in the JFK airport's Starbucks as they waited for his mother to arrive. 

His mother, the founder and owner of CM Ford, had given him a late night call which he nearly missed it, his headache was pounding as his mind tried to register what his mother was saying to him. Jackson was fully awake once he caught the words 'coming' and 'New York' in a sentence, barely hit the floor trying to put on his shirt after she told him it was a 6 a.m. flight.

 It was already 5:39 a.m. when she called.

"Her flight has been delayed two times already and she's only telling me now!" Jackson hissed and carefully took a sip on his Espresso because James and Jeremy were currently climbing on his shoulders like monkeys again.  

"That's Claire for you," Dustin raised his cup up as a toast, Jackson ignored the gesture and lifted the twins down onto his laps. James pouted and stuck his forefinger into his mouth, sucking it like a pacifier before Jackson pulled it out and replaced with a real one. Jeremy had started to nod off, head bopping up and down following to the soft melody from the speaker. Everyday Jackson watched the twins getting bigger and soon they would be traveling around the world with girls around them, he knew he was getting ahead of himself but his heart still lurched at the thought. 

Dustin's phone 'dinged' after a few minutes and his finger swiped right on the screen as he checked on the text. 

"She's here." Dustin put his phone in his man-bag and stood up, helping Jackson to put James and Jeremy back into the strollers. Jackson drowned his Espresso in one go and walked up to the counter, ignoring the teenager on the front who was staring up at the drink's menu, clearly indecisive. 

"Dude, I'm here first." The boy pointed out and shot a dirty look at Jackson.

"Listen kid, I'll get you whatever you want," Jackson turned around and took a quick glance at him, "after you know what you want."

"I don't want your free drink, asshole. I have the money to buy myself a drink." 

"Great," Jackson drawled boringly, "now can I have a cup of hot latte? Decaf."