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“I’m going to cut to the chase, sons. Barring a miracle, doc says six months, twelve tops.”
“Oh, God, Dad!” Dane could feel his blood pump hard and his veins constrict. “Are you serious?” Dane tried hard not to show emotion, but it was damned difficult. He’d been down this road with his mother. He was twenty-nine and already had to deal with the death of his mother when he was a teen, now his father, too?
“You know, I realize people die, but as someone once said, I always thought I’d be the exception.” Jonah chuckled.
Dane swallowed hard but the lump just wouldn’t go down. He thought he would choke on his own emotion.
Yeah, funny. He always thought hard-riding Jonah would always be around. Jonah was supposed to be immortal. He was as tough as proverbial nails and could pretty much conquer anything.
“Now, now, boys,” Jonah pacified, leaning forward. He placed the brass bucket on the side table beside him. “I’m seventy-five,” he continued. “That’s not a bad age but my only regret is that I put off marriage and having kids till I was way into my forties and early fifties. I never factored in that I might not be around to see you all marry and have kids of your own. I wanted more than anything to be a grandfather, to show my grandkids the ropes…” He clasped the brass bucket handed down to him from his grandfather.
“Just as my own grandfather had played such a strong part in my life,” Jonah said, an emotional edge to his steady tone.
“Oh, Jonah, I know how much that means to you, but you can’t dwell on that now.” Aunt Maya walked into the study, wiping her apron. She’d just finished making her special homemade lasagne. Aunt Maya was Jonah’s younger sister. She was a seventy-year-old widow, who had sadly lost her husband many years ago. They never had any children of their own, but Aunt Maya was godmother to about sixteen children of her friends and cousins, and she was a maternal figure to Jonah’s boys.
She took her role as auntie incredibly seriously. As such, she got on their nerves at times, too.
The aroma wafted to Dane’s nostrils. Usually he’d be salivating for a home cooked meal, but he needed to find out more about what was going on with Jonah.
“I’ve already spoken to the lawyers about this.” Jonah cleared his throat and he held up his chin. “This bucket I have right here beside me is more than just a bucket. It is symbolic of the Belmont family line and the Belmont magic that was my grandfather.”
“I know, Dad,” Leo said soothingly.
“I know you’ve heard the story before. Jonah Belmont came back from the first war, injured, no other job in sight but he was given a brass bucket from a shop owner. And he used the bucket to fill it with water and offered his services to anyone who needed to have their windows cleaned. But it wasn’t just that. He’d met your grandmother, who was the daughter of a store-owner. Not one for handouts he’d created his own job.”
“And that led to him working for a small bed and breakfast, which he ended up taking over and turned that into the first Belmont motel, which then became a hotel and grew to what it is today, a worldwide conglomerate,” Dane finished for him.
“Yes, that’s right. This bucket held dreams. And today, it is what I will fill with my bucket list items.”
“Bucket list items?”
“Yes. My last wishes are to see that you, my sons, fulfill the Belmont honor that is more than simply making money. It is about making love count. Carrying on the family line. Marrying and bringing joy to that special someone and bringing children into the world. This hotel is a family dynasty and it must remain so.”
“Dad, what are you saying?” Cole asked.
“Two things.”
“Two things?”
“Yes, the first is that since there isn’t much time, I would like to have you boys stay here for the year at the estate. There are seventy-five rooms. I know you all visit often, but I want to spend family time with you.”
“Sure thing, Dad,” Chase concurred.
“Of course,” Dane added. “You really didn’t even have to tell us, Jonah. Chase and I spoke about it on the way over here. We were planning to move back in to be with you in any case.”
“That’s good to hear, sons.”
The rest of the boys agreed.
“And secondly, before the six months or the year is up, I want to fill this bucket with a boutonnière from each of you, signifying that you’ve married and settled down in order to receive the Belmont family blessing.”
“The Belmont family blessing?”
“Yes. You heard right. My grandfather’s lucky brass bucket that led to building this very hotel legacy was also a place where he stored his boutonniere. His marriage to my grandmother was a long and happy one. The same with my father. He placed and stored his boutonniere in this bucket and he also enjoyed a long, loving relationship with his wife and success, too. Now, me being who I was, the rebel, I decided I wasn’t going to go for that hogwash. But then look at me. Four failed marriages and I’m alone now. I don’t want the same for you boys. You must carry on the tradition.”
The look on Dane and his brothers’ faces must have been priceless, because even Aunt Maya’s jaw fell wide open.
“Jonah, you must be running a fever again,” Aunt Maya said. “Let me check your forehead.” She hurried over to where her brother was seated.
“No, no,” Jonah said, waving her hand away from his head. “There’s nothing wrong with me. It’s the boys you should be checking, Maya.”
“The boys?”
“Yes. Good-looking successful young men who can’t seem to maintain a relationship. They use the silliest excuses and they think life will always be around for them. They’re not even trying. I’ve even attempted to fix them up on blind dates and what do they do? Don’t call the girl back.”
“Now that’s not true, Dad. You know that,” Leo chimed in.
“Yes, it is true, Leo. What ever happened to that friend of yours? That nice girl?”
Leo said nothing. He dropped his head in embarrassment.
“Don’t use workaholism as an excuse, Leo.”
“And, Chase, I know you find it hard to trust women again, after that…um…scandal with that social media leak and that tape. But not all women are gold diggers. This coming from a man who’s married a couple times.”
“Actually, four times, Jonah.”
Jonah gave his sister the look. “Thank you for correcting me, Maya.”
“You’re welcome, Jonah.”
“Anyway, Chase. You need to settle down with a good woman. Not someone who’s in the limelight. Just an ordinary good-hearted woman. Stop going after these drama queens. That’s where your trouble lies,” Jonah pointed out.
“And the parties,” Maya added. “You need to take a break from all those high-profile bashes you get invited to, Chase. Not to mention those models you date, as thin as the toothpicks on my kitchen counter.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Don’t they ever eat?”
“Aunt Maya, please don’t try to help,” Chase said.
“Sorry.” She shrugged. “I’ll go back to the kitchen to check on the lasagne.”
“And, Dane, I know you’ve only just recently come to know me as your father, but I worry about you, son. I know you’ve been burned badly by love before, but honestly, there are good women out there. I promise you. Never stop searching for love, because what you search for and seek out in life, you will find.”
“Thanks, Jonah. But really. I don’t think I’m going down that road again.”
And that was the truth. He’d thought he was in love with Sophie, until he’d found out she’d been using him. They met when she was getting over her ex. After they started living together briefly, he found out that he was only a rebound boyfriend. She went straight back to her ex. So much for helping out others. They’d planned on getting married. He’d announced it but little did he know that she was planning to go back with her rich lawyer ex. Then Sophie found out Dane was an heir to the Belmont dynasty and tried to swing some moves on him. Of course, he ignored her. Women and Dane did not make for a long-term relationship. There was no way in hell, no matter how much he loved his father, he would traverse that road again. Not even for a bucket list item.
“And I thought bucket lists were for things you wanted to do, not what you want others to do,” Dane said.
Ted interrupted the discussion when he came into the room. “Excuse me, sir,” Ted said to Jonah. “You have a guest here. Um…Mr. Jo.Jo.?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve asked my good friend Toni Romero to lend me the services of their wonderful detective, JoJo.”
“Detective?” Dane asked. “Why?”
“Because, my dear son. I have a limited time left to set things straight. I need JoJo for a few things, including ensuring the family name stays good…”
“Stays good?”
“Well, it is possible that something might surface in the future that could possibly destroy everything the family has worked for.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Aunt Maya said, walking back into the study, adjusting her apron. “Are you going to tell them now, Jonah, about-”
