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Hope could tell Cole was troubled inside trying to contain himself while she went over details with the doc. His face was dressed with concern. And who could blame him really? After all, he’d just found out he was a father today and his little girl had a health condition. And on top of that, he found out his little girl had been in line at a food bank to get food for Christmas. Ironically, at the same place he and his family volunteered to give out to the needy every year. How awful for him.
Hope drew in a deep, yoga-style breath as the doctor examined her little girl.
Mia was squeamish at first and didn't want the doctor to touch her and then Cole hugged her and soothingly sang to her. His voice was sweet and soft. Hope was so amazed, her jaw fell open. He sang “Hush little baby, don't say a word, daddy’s going to buy you a mockingbird...”
Even Hope felt soothed almost enough to be lulled into a dreamy sleep.
Cole could sing? For the brief period she’d dated him before their quick engagement three years ago, she didn’t know he could sing like that. She’d never seen that side of him before.
Mia instantly settled down, giggled and enjoyed the song her father sang to her.
“Good! You seem to be a real pro at this, Dad,” the doctor complimented Cole. “It takes forever for me to get my little ones settled down so fast at a time like this. You two must be really close.”
Cole, of course, didn’t say a word, not verbally, anyway. He simply hugged Mia protectively to his chest. His actions spoke volumes about his love for his daughter.
“Okay, Mia. I’m just going to place this little mask over your face. Nothing to it. Just listen to your daddy’s voice.” The doctor then proceeded to give Mia her nebulizer treatment for her asthma to keep her airways clear.
Just then, the nurse came in. “We have a room ready, doc. Room 1201 on the pediatric floor. It’s private.”
“Good, we’ll just finish up the treatment first then we’ll keep Mia for observation until the morning. We just want to run a few blood tests and wait until we get the results,” Dr. Mansfield told Cole and Hope before returning his attention to Mia.
Hope was relieved they were going to keep Mia for observation, just in case. She was also thankful and felt comforted having Cole there and she had to give it to him for jumping into the role of daddy when he least expected it. Talk about a man who was there when you needed. The more he was so good with Mia, the more guilt gnawed away at Hope’s confidence and sense of security, wishing things had been different, wishing she hadn’t screwed up her life or wasn’t in any danger that she had to keep them apart in the first place.
How was she going to tell her little girl the man singing to her who she just met today was her father? The disquieting thought raced through her mind.
Cole kept playing over and over in his mind what he was going to tell his old man. “Guess who’s coming to dinner, Dad? Mia Morgan. A little girl who happens to be your granddaughter. Hope, the girl you always thought would be great for me, forgot to let me know she was pregnant and kept it to herself these last three years until we bumped into each other at the food bank while she was getting food to feed our daughter.”
Cole shook his head thinking of how ludicrous the whole situation would sound. There was just no sane or logical way to come to his father with this huge revelation. And right now there were other issues brewing back at the Belmont Palace. Cole felt he should be there, too, but he needed to be with his daughter. Right there and then—and with Hope.
Chapter 7
“Where’s your brother, Cole?" Jonah Belmont queried Leo.
The Belmont family had gathered in the grand study at the Belmont Palace to have a serious discussion regarding Jonah's health status among other particulars.
"He's with Hope Morgan, you remember his former executive assistant,” Leo said. "I spoke to him earlier. She's back in town and he went over to see her."
"What? Did you tell him how crucial it was for him to be here?” Jonah asked.
"Yes, I did, Dad. But it looks like something's up with her. I know he'll be here as soon as he can."
"Well, I haven't heard from Hope in years. She was a damn good personal assistant to him, from what I remember. I always thought they were good together. I kind of liked her," Jonah said with a grin, as if an afterthought. His mood seemed to lift slightly. “Well, I sure hope he's doing the right thing and he's going to think about making an honest woman of her. If that's the case, then he's forgiven for being late to this family meeting. Which brings me back to the discussion at hand."
Jonah picked up the brass antique bucket that had been in the Belmont family for many generations. "Although a few of you are not happy I invited Ernest Jackson to come to this meeting-"
"I can't believe you asked him to come here at this time of night," Maya, Jonah’s sister, interjected.
"Well, he couldn't make it earlier,” Jonah said. “And I thought it was important to see him now."
“Dad, I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, but I really don't like the idea of having the Jacksons on our property. I don't trust them. I know you want to bury the hatchet and make amends but they've done us wrong over the years. You know that famous saying, ‘You can't shake hands with a clenched fist,’” Brandon said.
"Who's to say his fists will be clenched?" Jonah shot back with a sly grin.
"But you heard about what they did at the Belmont Ranch Resort out in BC. You don't seriously trust them, do you?" Chase added.
"Sometimes it's better to forgive your enemies than to keep things held captive in your heart. It's better to take the high road. Besides, there have been lots of misunderstandings over the years and this must end. Especially now that my time is limited…" Jonah said.
“I see what you mean, Dad," Leo said. "But we still think you’re making a mistake. Besides, what is the real story with this brass bucket? We’ve only heard bits and pieces over the years, but it seems to mean so much to you. And this superstition that you're having about us getting married and putting our boutonnieres in the bucket for good luck or a blessing or something…"
"It's not a superstition, Leo. This is a true testimony. The story is long and involving and over the years I wanted to wait for the best time to tell you boys what really happened back then, and how important it is to have and keep love in your life. And how some families can be blessed as well as cursed."
"We're listening," Chase said, his arms folded across his chest with his fiancée, Abbi Lopez, by his side. Chase had met Abbi when she went to work as a temporary housekeeper at the Belmont Ranch Resort & Spa in British Columbia. That's where they’d also met trouble. That's where Jake Jackson showed up to try to stake claim on the land. There had also been some false rumors surrounding the new renovation and claims that the land wasn't good enough. Chase had a hunch the Jacksons were up to it, to try to sabotage the Belmont's name once again as they had done over the years.
“Well, as I've said, it's critical you all follow the family tradition and each put your boutonniere in this brass bucket. And coincidentally, since my diagnosis, this has become more like the bucket list challenge. Because as someone once said it's not the years in your life that matter, it's the life in your years. And love makes life worth living. Well, yes, there is a dark family secret that the Belmont family has tried to make sense of. It’s important to understand the past. And there was a misunderstanding between your great-grandfather Mr. Belmont and Ernest Jackson's great-grandfather. I will get into that story a little bit later but not now. I'm a little tired and I don't want to go down that dark path. However, I will say that any of the Belmont men since we've acquired this brass bucket who do not followed the tradition to have their boutonnieres blessed end up living lives of misery and loneliness. Like I did. I didn't follow my father and grandfather's tradition and ended up with four failed marriages, luckily, the business side was good for me," Jonah lamented.
"Sorry to hear that, Dad,” Chase said.
“Me, too,” Leo offered. “But what does this really have to do with us filling the brass bucket? Why do you think this bucket is so blessed?"
“Because it is, my son. This bucket has been in the family for generations yet it has been on this earth for many, many years. Dating back over thousands of years."
Chase's jaw fell open and so did his brother’s. They knew the bucket was special but didn't realize just how old it was.
"Over a thousand years?" Chase clarified.
"Yes, over a thousand years,” Jonah repeated. “And this bucket was supposed to be given to the rightful owners, to those who are noble and followed a certain pattern. Your great-grandfather and Ernest’s great-grandfather were best friends. And there's always been speculation over who really was the rightful owner of this bucket during tough economic times when everyone else was hit hard. Because of this bucket my great-grandfather started the first hotel during the turn of the century. And that led to a life of prosperity. It's not just a life of love and blessings but prosperity for those who inherited it and passed it down to future generations. Now having said that, the Jacksons have had a lot of trials over the years. And they blamed us for having framed Ernest Jackson, the first, and fraudulently taking claim to the bucket but that wasn't the case. I swear to you. But there's more to the story…"
