AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cole looked uncomfortable for minute. "I think I'll go and grab some breakfast from the café downstairs," Cole announced.
"Sure.” Hope then got up and walked over to Cole who was standing in the doorway. “And thanks for everything, Cole,” she said wearily. “If I haven't told you already, I’m thankful for everything you’ve done."
"You don't have to thank me for anything,” he said softly in a low voice. “She's my daughter."
"I know," Hope said softly. There went that tingly sensation in her belly again.
"You still like your coffee black?" His dark, sexy blue eyes penetrated her and made her feel as if she couldn’t breathe. When she looked into his dreamy eyes, she saw Mia’s eyes and her heart turned over inside her chest. Her legs felt weak for a moment.
Mia inherited Cole’s beautiful dreamy eyes, didn’t she? Hope could see it now for the first time, under the brightness of the hospital light in the room. Though it was after seven in the morning, it was still dark outside and the nurse turned on the light when she entered the room.
"With two sugars, please and thank you," she said, trying to regain her composure while her heart raced like mad. God, she hoped Cole didn’t sense her nervousness. She tried to sound as casual as possible.
"I'll be back soon then." Cole walked out of the room.
For some strange reason, even though he wasn't going too far, Hope felt the sudden chill of loneliness come over her. She didn't like to see the back of Cole walking away from her. It was as if she wouldn't see him again. She had to get over this groundless anxiety she was having. She knew darn well he wasn't happy about this whole situation. What must he be going through these past few hours knowing he had a daughter he never knew he had? Hope kept telling herself she had a good reason. If only he knew.
The nurse and Hope gently got Mia up and got her ready for the day. They bathed her and Hope helped her with her little Disney princess pull-ups as Mia got out of the hospital gown and into her own clothes again, then the breakfast tray came soon after from the kitchen staff.
"Are you okay, sweetie? Did you sleep well, hon?” Hope gently asked her daughter.
Mia nodded and yawned then she opened her arms to her mom. "Hug," she said to her mother with her arms stretched out, ready for her usual morning embrace.
Each and every morning, Hope made sure to tell Mia that she loved her more than anything in the whole wide world and how much she meant the world to her, then she’d give her a great big bear hug, sometimes including Bailey the teddy in the group hug. But no matter how tired she ever got or how exhausted she’d grown after a long day at work only to pick up Mia late from the daycare, Hope made sure Mia got her hug and love, every moment she was with her.
"Of course you can have a hug, sweetie. Mommy’s always going to love you and take care of you and be with you, forever and ever," she said, her heart pounding in her chest as she hugged Mia with all the strength in her body.
She was determined to make sure Mia would always be in her care, no matter what. Mia was her world. And she knew that she was Mia’s world.
“You’re such a caring mommy,” the nurse commented.
“She’s everything to me,” Hope said and she meant it with all the grace in her body and soul. “I don’t know what I would do without her. I love her with all my heart and soul. Do you have any kids?”
“No, not me. Not yet. I just finished nursing school and I need to pay off my student loans first. Hopefully, I’ll meet the right guy, too. That helps. But oh, I’ve got a lot of debt…”
Hope felt her pain. “I hear you. I know it can’t be easy.” Though her initial college fees were paid for, she knew many others who were struggling and much later, she’d been cut her off completely from her funds from Lendovia, but it was all in good time because by then she’d launched the internship at the Belmont Hotel Corporation that then led to her super entry-level executive assistant job. And meeting her hot and sexy boss, Cole Belmont, was an unexpected blessing. And if she hadn’t met Cole, she wouldn’t have the joy of her life in front of her now. She loved Mia more than she loved anything else in her life.
“Well, children are a blessing but I don’t blame you for wanting to wait until you can give them everything,” Hope said to the nurse.
The nurse smiled appreciatively. “Is that what you did?”
“Well, I…I waited until I finished college.”
“Did you two get married after that?”
Hope’s heart sank in her chest.
She looked down at first then her gaze drifted to Mia with a warm smile. “Mia’s an unexpected blessing, a gift I’ve always wanted. But…” she broke off. She didn’t want to get into the truth with the nurse about not being married to Mia’s father. It was obvious the young nurse didn’t know too much about the Belmonts to know that Cole wasn’t married … yet.
Cole said he wanted to speak with Hope further about a plan to make his father happy in his dying days, to settle down or at least give the old man the impression that they’d be settled down. But what would happen after that?
“Anyway, it’s not just having enough to raise your child, but they deserve to have the one special thing that money can’t buy.”
“What’s that?” the nurse asked.
“Time. Children spell love T.I.M.E.”
Cole was at the door when he overheard Hope talking to the nurse and something inside his body tugged at his heartstrings. A warm feeling centered in his chest. That was the Hope he knew years ago, that eager, insightful, ready-to-please, hardworking intern who would bend over backwards for others, not just her clients or her co-workers but anyone who was in need—always offering encouraging words of wisdom.
He still found her to be the most captivating beauty he’d ever seen and from what he could tell, a wonderful mother to his child though she kept him away from Mia for the first three years of her life. He couldn’t help but feel unsettled and heartbroken about it, though he figured his former office goddess must have had a good reason but why wouldn’t she share the real reason she skipped town on him years ago? Did she do something in her past for which she was ashamed? He already had Brandon on the case. His instinct was to protect Hope—from whatever danger she could be facing.
Cole observed and saw the way Hope hugged Mia to her chest like a loving mother holding her precious baby. He also studied Mia’s expressions and saw how much she loved her mother—his little girl practically glowed whenever her mommy held her. It was obvious the feelings between them were strong in a loving, unbreakable bond.
He could tell his little angel was crazy about her mom. And that made him feel good inside.
But God help him, she’d denied him all these years to be with his daughter. And if it hadn't been for him volunteering at the food bank, who knew how long she would have kept Mia from him?
After watching them for a moment at the open doorway, he made his way into the room. “Got coffee," he said. "We can have breakfast at the palace. I just spoke to the doctor down the hallway while you guys were busy with Mia. He told me she’d be ready to go home shortly."
"Oh," Hope said. "Will the doctor be coming in soon?"
"Yes, he's next door with another patient right now, but he'll be in when he’s done."
Just then the nurse smiled and finished what she was doing and left the room after marking something on the chart on the wall. She drew a picture of a smiley face on the chart under today’s date for Mia.
Mia looked at the picture and laughed.
“Hey, Mia, you’re looking super this morning. Look at you. Did your teddy bear get any sleep?"
Mia giggled. "No, silly. Bailey doesn't sleep. He's always awake. Mommy bought him for me at the fair. She won him in the game. I love Bailey. He's always my friend."
"I think that's wonderful, sweetie. And you know something else?"
"What?" she said eagerly.
"Mommy and daddy are always going to be your friends, too.” Mommy and daddy? The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. He got so caught up in the emotional moment of being Mia’s daddy that he let himself slip up. He could see Hope shift uncomfortably by the bedside, clearly stunned.
"I don't know where my daddy is,” Mia blurted out, her cute little lips curled into an adorable pout.
Cole swallowed hard. "Well, there's going to be a surprise later. Your mom and I have something we want to speak to you about. How would you like to go to a fun place with lots of toys? A really big place like a palace?"
Mia’s eyes lit up. Her face became animatedly joyful like a kid in a pet store. “A palace? Like a princess?”
"Yes, darling. Just like a princess. Because you are a princess.” You’re my princess. “You’re a princess to mommy and you know something? You’re a princess to me, too.” Cole paused thoughtfully, for a moment. He certainly didn’t want Mia to feel that it was right for her to talk to people she didn’t know very well who would invite her to fancy places. An overwhelming sense of protectiveness came over him just then.
