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"Women are a sea of mystery. They’re the most beautiful creatures but if we could figure them out and how their mind works, we’d be set for life."
Cole grinned. "That's true. In any event, keep me posted on everything that's going on. I think I’m going to have another word with Julius Morgan. She assured me he’s not trying to hurt her, which works for me. I want to find out if he can shed some light on the situation.”
"That dude's got some serious trouble, too. He's quite a character. But yes, it would be a shame if he didn't even know that he had a grandchild. I mean, look how happy Dad is,” Brandon added.
"You're right about that. Well, we’ll take it one step at a time. But I'm going to try to encourage Hope to speak to her father at least. I want my child to know her family on both sides. As much as we can give her all the love in the world that she’d ever need, she should at least know about her other grandfather."
"You're so right, bro. Got any other plans for the next three weeks before Christmas?”
"I'm going to take Mia to Rockefeller Center in New York. Then we'll do some shopping at Macy's and then we’ll head right back here to Yorkville Center to get her some special gifts. We’re also going to do some fun adventures around the city. Toronto hosts a whole lot of family activities during the winter season. I wonder if my little girl’s even been skating before."
“Whoa there, bro. You've really got a lot planned,” Brandon commented.
“You're right. I've missed three years of Mia’s life and I guess I'm getting way ahead of myself but I just don't want to miss any more time to spend with her. I just want to bless her each day I can and make sure that every moment of her life she’s spending quality time with her daddy. You have no idea what it did to me, tearing me up inside seeing baby pictures of her, a time I missed because I didn't even know she existed. I missed her first step, her first word. I heard that babies say dada first before they say mama only because it's a lot easier on the developing tongue. I got all choked up thinking that she might've said dada without me even being around to hear it. Guess I’m just trying to make up for lost time. I only wish that Hope had told me about Mia from day one."
"I know, man, I know it tore you up to find out that you’re a father after all these years. I’d be just as shocked as you probably feel right now. But trust me on this one, Dad’s right, you’ve gotta let the past go so that you can hold on to the present. Mia needs your full attention now, not half of your emotions mired in the past. It's really hard but sometimes the hardest things to do are the right things to do. Hope it all goes well for you, bro. You deserve it, Cole. You’re always there for the whole family, man.”
“Thanks, Brandon.”
Cole swallowed hard. In three weeks it would be Christmas and he'd be married to Hope. But what Brandon and the entire family didn’t know was that he was taking things slowly with her until they got to know each other better all over again. And in one year, he’d probably dissolve the union and they could go their separate ways. It seemed as if that was what she wanted. Hope walked out on him after their first engagement, right? And she still wouldn’t tell him exactly why she did it. Cole knew that her heart was in wanting to make his dying father’s wish come true and for that he truly appreciated it. But that was the only reason for the new engagement, wasn’t it?
Chapter 13
Three weeks later, Hope could not believe how fast the time had flown. About a month prior, she’d been living out of a cold garage apartment on the west side. Now her daughter and she were living at the Belmont Palace. And in a few days, it would be Christmas, and Hope would become the Belmont family's Christmas bride. She was going to be Cole’s wife.
It was too bad it would be in name only. And only for a year. Cole already made it clear to her. But there was just so much she couldn't reveal right now. If only he could understand that she had a very good reason to keep part of her life away from him. But oh, how her body craved his sensuous touch. And those magical lips of his and the silky touch of his caresses that sent tingling sensations to course through her body.
Cole had taken Mia and Hope on various excursions over the past few weeks. They'd flown on his private jet to New York to go to all those Fifth Avenue department stores. Winter in New York was so festive and so were all those luxury stores lining Fifth Avenue. They even took in a show on Broadway. They’d gone strolling through Central Park. Then they'd flown back to Canada.
They went shopping in the exclusive Yorkville area. They went to dinner and saw shows at the Princess of Wales Theatre in downtown Toronto. Cole even took Mia on a trip to the CN Tower, which at one point in time was the tallest standing structure in the world. There was a restaurant at the top of the tower called 365, where you could dine and see the entire Toronto skyline and the great Lake Ontario from thousands of feet up.
While in Toronto, Cole insisted they go ice skating at Nathan Phillips Square.
At this moment, Hope was lacing up with her daughter to join Cole and the rest of the Belmont clan on the ice.
"I can't believe you encouraged me to do this," she said with a smile. "This is so exciting. I don't think I've been skating here before."
"You'll love it."
"There's nothing like family fun at Nathan Phillips Square," Chase, Cole’s brother, added. He and his fiancée Abbi had already skated on the ice and came back for a break.
Everybody enjoyed the cavalcade of lights at Nathan Phillips Square, which was so wonderfully lit for the Christmas season. Jonah Belmont also wanted to join in. The lights and the decorations were so festive. It was nice to take a ride from Belmont into Toronto for a change. The elder Belmont wanted to experience so much in his final days as he’d said to make sure that he soaked up everything. They had already been treated to the illumination of the official Christmas tree and some brilliant fireworks while a DJ skating party entertained the crowd with wonderful performances.
There was nothing better than taking a spin around Toronto’s famous outdoor skating rink with the glittery holiday lights and the sound of music and laughter and fireworks. They were also treated to breathtaking scenery of the downtown core. Many people brought their families and their children to this winter wonderland. The whole environment melted Hope’s heart. But it was so much fun being with Cole.
"This is fun, Daddy, look," Mia chanted.
"Good, sweetie. Just hold on to Daddy’s hand, okay?” he said as he took her out on to the rink holding her firmly.
He’d already shown her how to lace up her skates and try to walk on the ice at first, then he’d helped her get a feel for the ice. Hope watched with such love in her heart. Cole taught his little girl how to bend her knees slightly and lean forward, not back. He taught her about maintaining proper balance and doing squats. He also taught her how to practice standing up and watched as she playfully fell then he lifted her back up again. It was so much fun to see Mia having a blast with her daddy on the ice.
Hope wished she had spent time with her father like this. But he was a whole different kettle of fish than Cole was.
She felt so blessed to have Cole in her life. And in Mia’s life. He was really a good father. He looked so charming and positively sexy the way he moved on the ice. The Belmont family seemed to have a blast.
Later, after a fun evening of skating, they drove back for an hour to Belmont. Ted, the butler, had a wonderful dinner in place for the family when they arrived. They spent the evening sitting around the fireplace reminiscing about wonderful memories and talking about the other fun things they were going to do for Mia. And of course the wedding. Hope got nervous thinking about it, feeling terribly guilty that it was only going to be for show, as Cole and she had a lot of issues between them to work out. And in a year they would go their separate ways as agreed. She swallowed a hard lump wishing things could have been different between them.
"Hush little baby don't say a word mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird," Hope sang to her daughter sweetly, later that night at bedtime. She then read her daughter a story and taught her daughter how to pray and to thank God for each day and to ask for protection and continued blessings.
"That's a nice thing you’re doing," Cole said to Hope. He stood in the doorway and watched how much she loved Mia and how careful she was with their daughter. Even though she couldn't give her many material things in the past, it was evident Mia was raised with a whole lot of love. And that meant the world to him. As he watched Hope kiss Mia’s forehead and tuck her into bed, he waited for her at the doorway then turned off the light when they’d left the room.
"I guess we'll be getting to our bed soon," Hope said almost breathless.
Cole didn't know what got over him just then. How could he have kept away from her so long? His body was burning with desire for her. Hope looked so delicious in her hugging pink night top and black pajama bottoms. She was the most gorgeous unbelievably sexy mother he'd ever seen—the mother of his own child.
They walked to their room next door to Mia’s, which also had a large living area where Cole would sleep on the couch in the room by the stone fireplace under the pretense that they were a happy couple. They had an en suite bathroom where he took his cold showers and tried hard as hell to stay away from her, but how long could this celibacy period last? It was killing him but they’d agreed to take it slowly, right?
