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Hope realized this was going to be an emotional family reunion . She’d just realized that Mia was probably the first grandchild in the Belmont household for a long time, and guilt washed over her as she realized she’d denied them this joy when she’d been running from her past.
Before Hope could say anything else, she heard footsteps in the corridor and the sounds of chatter and laughter before seeing Dane Belmont, the general manager at the flagship Belmont Hotel, and his new wife, Olivia, who, if Hope remembered correctly, was a social worker. Even though she’d been out of touch with Cole, she still kept in touch with another intern who still worked at the hotel.
Olivia still worked as a social worker doing community and charity work even though married to a billionaire, which Hope admired and respected.
Hope was flustered at that moment and overwhelmed by this tsunami of affection she and Mia were being showered with. She certainly didn’t expect this warm reception.
My God, her daughter was part of a powerful and well-connected family. The thought just sank in after all these years of her little girl’s life. She wouldn’t want Mia to miss out on the love and connectedness of the Belmont family. What had she been thinking? Oh, right. Her life was in danger and she needed to do everything in her power to protect her little girl—and preserve her own life.
“It’s so good to see you again, Hope,” Olivia said.
“Nice to see you, Hope,” Dane chimed in, as he and his wife cooed over Mia in Aunt Maya’s arms. “And you must be Mia,” Dane said proudly.
“Hi. What’s your name?” Mia asked, excited by all this attention.
“I’m your uncle Dane, Mia,” Dane said, with obvious emotion in his voice. “I’m your daddy’s brother.”
“Oh!” Mia said, thrilled as if she’d just discovered a secret.
Then Chase came in with his fiancée, Abbi, a former housekeeper who worked at the Belmont’s Ranch Resort out in BC on the west coast. It was weird, because Hope had heard a lot about Cole’s brothers getting hitched, especially after they’d learned that Jonah Belmont was gravely ill and she’d caught glimpses on the Internet of them but this was the first time meeting some of them in person. She was also aware of hotshot detective and securities mogul, Brandon Knight Belmont, being Cole’s newly discovered half-brother. Hope had worked with Brandon before he discovered his famous and affluent bloodline, when they needed a detective to sort through some cases at the Belmont Hotel Corporation’s head office. But this was all so much for her right now. At least Mia wouldn’t be the only newly found addition to the Belmont family.
Hope sucked in a deep breath as everyone gathered around Mia.
“So how have you been?” Dane said to Hope. “We’ve missed you around the office.”
“Thank you, Dane. I’ve missed working there,” Hope said, while Dane spoke with her at the table. Mia had settled down to eat and was being showered with affection from just about everyone there.
“Cole tells me you’re back in town and you brought your little surprise,” Dane said quietly to her.
“I know. You’re probably wondering what happened and why I kept it quiet this long.”
“Hey, it’s not for me to get into. It’s between you and Cole. But you know Dad’s always been crazy about you. I’m sure he’ll be happy when Cole tells him.”
“I hope so.”
“He’s wanted to have a grandchild in the home for so long. This is probably one of the best Christmas gifts you could give him.”
Hope swallowed a lump in her throat and hoped Mr. Belmont would find it in his heart to forgive her for keeping Mia a secret from the family for so long.
Chapter 10
“Dad, I have something to tell you,” Cole said firmly. There was no other way to break the news to his old man. He just had to come out and say it like it was.
“Yes, what is it, son? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost and you don’t know what to do with yourself.”
Yeah, more like a beautiful ghost from my past. Hope Morgan.
Cole drew in a deep breath.
“Well, it’s along those lines, Dad.” Cole sat down beside his old man in the grand study. The heat from the fireplace was warm and inviting, yet Cole felt a sudden chill come over him, just having to tell his old man about Hope and how she’d kept Mia from him all these years, but he was determined to let him know that things were good between them and that Hope heard about his illness and wanted to let him spend time with his grandchild.
“What do you mean?”
“Dad, you know Hope’s back, right?”
“I’m so glad to hear it, son. Your brother told me that’s why you couldn’t make it to the family meeting last night.” Pride shone in the old man’s eyes. “I knew you’d do the right thing and get back together with Hope. I always thought she was a nice girl. Very polite, caring, hard working. My spirit always took to her. It makes me feel good to know you’re going to give her one more chance and work out what ever differences you two had.”
Cole sighed and looked away for a moment, gazing out the window into the blue lake. He then shifted his gaze back to his father.
“Dad, there’s no other way to say this but…Hope was pregnant when we broke up.”
“What?” Jonah turned in shock. “Pregnant? What happened to the baby? How come no one said anything about this to me before? Did you know at the time she was pregnant?”
“No,” Cole confessed quietly. “Not at the time. She told me she didn’t know either when she’d left Belmont back then.”
“Well, how long have you known?”
“Just last night. I…” Cole was about to tell his old man that they’d met by accident at the food bank but caught himself just in time. “We just met by chance. She was going to get in touch with me. She just got back into town a couple of months ago and is renting an apartment on the west side. Well, she was renting an apartment. We spoke about it and she wants us to give it another go, Dad. I want that, too. She’ll be staying here,” Cole said, his voice lifted up a notch, “and so will your granddaughter.”
“What?” The man could hardly contain his wide grin. “Granddaughter? So the baby survived? I have a grandchild?”
“Yes, Dad. And she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. She means the world to me, Dad. I can’t believe how much she looks like me and like her mother. She’s got the best of both of our features.” Cole felt his heart flutter in his chest. He was so overcome with positive emotions over his daughter, it was profound. Mia really meant the world to him, even though he’d just met her. It was as if something inside him changed in a good way. He was suddenly protective over her and wanted nothing but the best for her in every way possible. He was a dad. He was Mia’s daddy. And that meant everything to Cole. He’d bend over backwards for her and rearrange his whole life for Mia. He’d lay down his life for his daughter in a heartbeat if necessary.
Then another feeling befell him. He’d do the same for Hope, too, wouldn’t he? Mia was a part of Hope. She was a blessed result of the love that Hope and he had shared. And his mind kept running back to the heated explosive passion they’d shared between each other. He loved Hope and he’d meant it when he told her he’d always love her until the last rose in that bouquet he’d given her more than three years ago died. And she still had that rose. Yes, she still had that rose as if it meant the world to her but what about the unbreakable bond they were supposed to have between them? They’d gone from a business relationship to the most passionate relationship he’d ever had in zero to sixty at breakneck speeds by his standards. He was always the type of guy to take things slowly. Especially a man in his position where so many opportunists and gold diggers abounded. And he’d never dated anyone who had worked for him before Hope. But she was different. Or, so he’d thought. They’d spent enough time together over the years, working late hours at the office and on several different projects, traveling together, eating together. They were practically inseparable when she was his personal assistant. Yet, she couldn’t trust him fully…
Even thinking about Hope made Cole’s heart turn over in his chest. God, he loved her so much. Yet, it puzzled the heck out of him that she was still keeping him in the dark over what really went down a few years ago when she up and left him without a reason.
How could he rush into things with her again? Cole was going to make sure Hope was safe and then he would do his part to be a good father to Mia. But jumping back into a real relationship with Hope wasn’t the answer. He really needed to slow things down this time around and guard his heart and be the best father he could be to his little girl.
“Well, where is my granddaughter, son?” Jonah asked eagerly.
"She's in the conservatory having breakfast with her mother," Cole said, proudly, feeling blessed that he was able to give his dying father a grandchild.
The conservatory was one of the most frequently used rooms by the family in the palace, next to the study and the family room. It had a breathtaking panoramic view of the lake with its floor-to-ceiling windows all around, decorated with lush green plants and cozy chairs around the oak family table with all the trimmings and antique glassware. It was where they enjoyed hanging out, singing and filling their bellies with homemade or chef-prepared breakfasts, brunches and lunch. Cole was glad his daughter was now spending time with her family there.
