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"A relationship agreement? A marriage contract?" She gaped at him, clearly stunned.
"Yes," he said concentrating his beautiful blue eyes on the road ahead of him as they drove towards Belmont Palace. "I've thought about it during the night while you were asleep and I had my lawyer draft this document. I want us to stay at the estate as I promised I would during my father's last days. He wanted nothing more than to have all of his boys settle down and to give him grandchildren. We knew he might not be around to see all of our children, since it takes nine months. He was given six months to a year to live, almost a year ago. At least now he has a real grandchild. But I want to make sure things go smoothly since this could be too much of a shock for him. I also want him to believe that we settled our differences and we’re in a solid relationship, a happy one,” he said.
"Wait a minute, how did you get this drafted during the night?"
"You should know me by now, Hope.” He grinned and a sexy dimple appeared on his cheek that made Hope melt inside. “I have access to just about any resource I need at any time, whether it's a lawyer or an accountant twenty-four hours around the clock. You know my staff is loyal, dedicated and also well rewarded by me."
"Yes, they are...Twenty-four hours around the clock, huh?" She smiled and rolled her eyes. Of course, how could she have forgotten?
“You worked for me in the past. You should know that by now." Cole grinned again, arching a brow.
"Of course. I forgot how powerful and strategic you are—always having backups on hand for anything and everything," she said in a low voice. She then scrolled down the document and her jaw fell open. "Hold on, this is only a one-year agreement."
"Well, no need to drag it on. I’m sure you’ll want to reclaim your freedom."
"Right. Of course..." She swallowed hard, wishing it could have been much longer than just a year. But who could blame him? There was so much in her life he could not know about. The guilt was overcoming her again. Maybe it would be for the best. Nor would she want word to get back to Lendovia. That would destroy everything she’d fought for.
What would happen if everyone in Lendovia found out? The lie she'd been keeping would be revealed. This could destroy her and so many people around her. Maybe it was best for them to have a one-year contract after all. But they should want to keep it a secret.
"What's on your mind?" Cole delved in low voice. “Hope, if you’re not comfortable doing this…you don’t have to agree.” That was Cole, always thinking of others first. So different from the other rich and powerful men she’d met in her life.
He glanced around briefly to see that Mia was still soundly asleep in her car seat. He didn't want his little girl to hear any of their conversation.
"No. I want to do this.” God, how she would love to be Cole Belmont’s wife forever but she couldn’t, could she? She had too much from the past that would destroy that.
“I want to add a clause that we will keep our relationship as secret as we can," Hope added.
"Keep it a secret? My father would want to announce it everywhere."
"Cole, please trust me on this one. I looked over everything on this agreement. I’ll do this, no problem. But please promise me you’ll keep it a secret as much as possible. I don't want word to get back to Lendovia."
"And why not, Hope? What are you hiding from me? Are you in any kind of trouble in Lendovia?"
I will be if word gets out that I have a child. "I can't get into that now, Cole. Please trust me on this one. The most important thing right now is Mia meeting her grandfather."
"That’s true,” he agreed. “And there are a lot of other important things, too. Like Mia feeling as if she belongs to a family. I want her to have security and stability."
"I want that, too, Cole, I…" Hope just prayed and hoped things would work out somehow. He would probably want joint custody after their one-year agreement.
"What were you going to say?" he asked.
"Nothing." She glanced over the document again. Then she read out loud, "Both parties will agree to never go to bed angry at each other?" She arched her brow, trying hard not to chuckle.
"Yes. I don't think it would be good for Mia. And I don’t think it would be good for us. Tension in a relationship is never good for children.”
"Agreed,” she said and read further, smiling warmly. “And both parties will celebrate each appreciation dinner with Jonah Belmont and the family and ensure that his final days are happy with his grandchild and his son and daughter-in-law. Hope will play the role of a loving wife…" She then glanced on further and her heart almost stopped. "Consummation will not occur until both parties get reacquainted with each other." Hope was stunned. "Just what do you mean by that, Cole?"
"I meant what I said. I want us to get to know each other better and not rush into things the second time around. We’ll take things slowly at first, spend time as a family with Mia. You and I should wait at least a month before any physical activity. That would only complicate matters since this is an arrangement."
“Fine. But then what would happen after the one year? You wouldn't possibly take Mia away from me, would you?" she asked him pointedly.
“I wouldn’t want to do anything that would hurt you or Mia. I’d want joint custody, of course. And you’ll be taken care of. One million dollars a year for life and all paid childcare expenses and a home with gated security.”
Hope’s jaw fell open. She wanted to protest his conditions. She could not believe this. She would rather have Cole, not his money. But then again, if they couldn’t be together, she wouldn’t want to go living out of a garage again, would she?
After all, she had to remind herself that it was she who was holding back on letting Cole into her life for fear that her past might turn him off.
Beggars couldn’t be choosers, right? Her head was spinning into a daze thinking about what Cole was saying.
“I also want my daughter to feel as if she's in a loving family,” Cole continued. “No matter what happens between us she’ll always have both of us in her life and even if we end up living apart after the one-year she’ll be seeing me every single day. Because I want her to know her father is always there for her and I want her to feel my presence and see me every day of her life." Cole’s voice was filled with emotion. It sent shivers down Hope’s back.
She glanced lovingly at her daughter, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Cole was serious about his role as a loving, devoted daddy. What more could she possibly want, right?
Cole.
Hope glanced down at the rest of the document and couldn't believe everything he'd written in there. "You also want us to spend at least three hours per day with Mia engaged in family activity?"
"It's very important for children to spend quality time with their parents. Whether we're reading to her or playing games with her, or building doll houses together, or shopping for toys together, we’ll do it as a family. Too many times I see parents too busy that they hardly ever spend quality time with a child. Well, I'll be changing my schedule around at the office to make sure I spend a lot of time with Mia and I want her to see both of her parents with her at all times, happy and loving."
"I can't argue with that, Cole. I appreciate that you want to make sure the best happens for Mia. And that was one of the reasons I felt fearful coming to you at first. I felt that if you were upset with me you wouldn't want to even spend time with her."
Astonishment flashed in Cole's eyes. “How could you even think I’d be such a lowlife?”
"I've seen it happen with other men.”
"Well, you should know by now that I'm not other men."
“That’s true,” she agreed quietly. He really wasn’t, was he? Most men she knew would have split by now if she sprung a child on them suddenly—a child she’d kept a secret from birth.
As they were nearing the Belmont Palace, Hope felt her insides grow giddy. She drew in a deep breath not knowing what to expect.
She sighed heavily, weighing her options. "Okay, I'll sign the agreement. But this is subject to change," she playfully teased him.
"Subject to change?"
"You should know me by now, Cole. I worked as your executive assistant. I might want to add in some conditions later." And one of them was how on earth was she going to be near Cole and not be able to touch him for at least a month until they got to spend time with each other—getting to know each other all over again. She wanted to feel him again, to enjoy the silky sensation of his skin on hers and his soft lips and incredible love-making. She loved the way he made her body feel when they were together. How could he want to torture her that way by keeping his distance? He couldn’t possibly mean what he said, that they should take it slowly and refrain from being intimate for at least a month. She was sure he wouldn’t last. But then again, she didn't want to take her chances. Cole could be pretty tough when he wanted to.
* * *
When Cole, Hope and Mia arrived at the Belmont Palace, the morning sun was shining brightly as they passed the gold gated entrance and drove on the paved driveway leading to the front of the estate. Snow covered most of the beautiful garden but Hope could still see the magnificent white marble stone water fountain at the front. The stone was precious because it was actually a statue that was completed in the early 1920s of Ms. Elizabeth Grenton-Belmont, holding a vase pouring out water. She was Cole’s great-grandmother. Of course, being winter, the water was drained so that the water pump didn’t freeze during the frigid Canadian winter. But it was a stunning sight to see virtually all year round—except winter.
