Sorry mistaken me so long to update. I've had total writers block. I'm going to try and wrap up this story in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for reading.
Grace sat on the edge of the lake, just like she had the night before her Mom and Sam's wedding. But rather than missing her Dad like she had then. he was sat right next to her. "Mom and I sat here the night before she married Sam. I was upset because I had been thinking about you. But I told her you would want her to be happy."
"That's all I ever wanted for you both. But I also had to keep you safe and that's why I did what I did. I did it because I love you."
...
They had been talking for what felt like hours, Jake told his daughter everything. He was still amazed that his little girl had turned into the young woman that sat next to him. He made a mental note to tell Cassie what an amazing job she had done, bringing up Grace on her own. "Do you still love Mom?" Grace suddenly asked, almost worried about his answer.
"I will always love her. But she has moved on...we have both moved on." Grace nodded, almost relieved. "So, Sam? He seems like a good man?"
"He's great. He's made Mom really happy and he's been a really great step-dad. He taught me to drive, gave me an internship as his practice. He even asked my permission to marry Mom." Jake listened to his daughter, that familiar pang of jealousy mixed with anger coiled around his stomach. It wasn't supposed to be like this, it was supposed to be him and Cassie forever. It was supposed to have been him that taught Grace to drive, to see her grow up, to be there for all those important things. He had missed everything that Sam had been there for.
Grace looked at her watch, "Oh, I'd better head back. It's almost dinner time. Do you want to join us?"
"Yeah, that would be nice. They both got up from the bench they had been sitting on and began the short walk back to Grey House. Jake asked about what Grace was studying at college and if she was enjoying it. It was apparent to him how much his daughter had grown up and how little he actually knew about her. Before Jake had come back to Middleton, whenever he thought about his family he pictured them how they used to be. He hadn't thought about how much they would have changed in his absence. It made him sad to think about how much he had missed out on and he wondered if this would be the case with Brandon and Lori.
...
When they arrived back Sam was helping Cassie to dish up dinner and Nick was setting the table. "Hey, Mom. Is it ok for Dad to join us for dinner? "
"Of course, honey," Cassie answered whilst bringing Grace close to her for a sideways hug.
"As long as it's no trouble?" Jake asked. Cassie gave him a warm smile, a smile that had always caused a warmth inside him. "No trouble," she said casually as she walked past him with a couple of plates in hand. Sam followed closely behind her with two more plates. They all seemed like they had done this many times before, Jake couldn't help but think back to all the family dinners they had had when he and Cassie had been together. Within moments they were all sat down, Linda came in to join them. Nick and Grace talked animatedly through dinner, exchanging stories from college, everyone else listened intently. It was clear both of them were thriving at college. Sam squeezed Cassie's hand and she turned and gave him a sweet smile, a gesture which Jake also noticed.
"Mr Russell, Grace mentioned once that you were Chief of Police in Middleton?" Nick's question took Jake off guard. "Do you think you might go back?"
"I don't know, I've not really thought about it."
"Now that you're back, you could," Nick added.
Jake gave a small smile, "Yeah, maybe."
"Dad that would be great. I could see you whenever I'm home from college," Grace chimed in, "You could just come back to your old life."
Jake glanced at Cassie, who now had Sam's arm draped around her shoulders. "Honey, it's not always that simple," her mother said sadly, "a lot of time has passed. Sometimes we need to let go of the past so that we can be open to a future we never imagined." Cassie looked towards Sam and gave him a small smile.
It was at that moment that it hit Jake, it wasn't just what Cassie had said but also in the way that she had said it. It had been hard for her to move on, he knew Cassie. He knew that when she loved, she loved deeply and unconditionally. In that moment he understood, really understood, what he had done. In his mind he was just trying to keep his family safe, but he now realised he had shattered Cassie's world and left her to pick up the pieces. And Sam, he had helped her realise a future without Jake in it. He seemed like a decent guy that loved both Cassie and Grace, he couldn't really stay angry at him for that.
"Yeah, now that the threat is gone. I really need to think about what I'm going to do next," Jake said thoughtfully. He knew that it wouldn't really be fair to Cassie for him to stay in Middleton but the town still felt like home.
"Yes, there's much more world out there th an this little out of the way town," Linda commented offhandedly.
"Come on Linda, you have to admit it's pretty great here," Sam laughed at her dislike of small towns.
"Yes, well. It's definitely no New York." Everyone gave a little smirk at this. Linda was set in her ways and there was no use in arguing with her. "To be honest, I've moved around a lot and I haven't found anywhere that even remotely compared to here," Jake (who clearly didn't know Linda well enough) commented, which sent Linda into a long rant about the pitfalls of small town living compared to big cities. Nick and Grace looked at each other and silently agreed on clearing the table. As they got up to begin clearing, Cassie and Sam joined them knowing that Linda wouldn't be finished any time soon.