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| Chapter Three | |||
| Secrets Foretold | |||
| Chloe was meeting Belle and Mimi for the first time in weeks. The last time they had gotten together had been when she told them that Jarod was her son. That was three weeks ago. As she headed to the table she noticed that Mimi was the only one there. | |||
| She walked up to the table and sat down. "So what are you up to Meems?" She asked as the other brunette looked up in surprise. | |||
| "I thought you were going to be late." Mimi said as Chloe signaled for the waiter ordering a glass of water with a lemon slice accompanying it. | |||
| "I thought I was too, but my noon appointment cancelled on me today. So I just left early. Where is Belle? I was sure she would be here by now." | |||
| "She had to go to the office for something. I can't remember exactly what she said she needed to do. Oh well, I'm fine by the way." She answered Chloe's first question just as the waiter arrived back at the table. "I'll have the chicken with linguini in white sauce." She said smiling at the waiter when she passed her menu over to him. | |||
| "I'll have the Fettuccine Alfredo with the Garlic Toast, please." Chloe closed her menu and handed it to the waiter who took it and walked away. | |||
| "How are things with you?" Mimi asked. | |||
| "Well, I'm good." Chloe said smiling. But, the smile didn't have the sparkling radiance of happiness that it usually had. The smile didn't quite reach her eyes. | |||
| "So then I take it that things are good with Jarod?" Chloe nodded as she sipped her water. But, Mimi had seen the look in her eyes and she knew something was wrong. "Okay, is it the children or Philip?" | |||
| "The kids are fine with Jarod. They already accept him, it's like he was there all along. They have a better relationship than I thought they would. Well, you know Jessica follows him around like a shadow. He's like her idol. And Ariana well, she gets a kick out of bugging him like she does Dominic. And Dominic he just loves having an older brother around the house." Her eyes lightened with joy as she spoke of her children. "And Philip is ... with Jarod Philip's ... you know I can't even find the word to describe how he is with Jarod. It's sort of difficult to explain." Chloe answered as she pushed a strand of her long hair back behind her ear. | |||
| Once the food had been served the ladies ate in silence as if they were each pondering some problems. | |||
| "So how is Philip with Jarod?" | |||
| "I don't want to say tense. But, that's the only word that seems to fit their relationship- it's tense." Her eyes flickered slightly. "It's like, Philip talks to him and I know that he really means what he says. But, there's a barrier enforced between him and Jarod and I get the sense that he can't quite process that Jarod is my son. He's alive and real and poses no threat. To me or him." Chloe drank from her glass and had a far off look in her eyes. | |||
| "Chloe, Philip is worried that you're going to get hurt somehow by Jarod. You know how protective he is of you." | |||
| "I can deal with Philip being protective of me. I've had a lot of years dealing with that. But, it's not that. Philip is ... he's not, I mean we're not..." She paused. "You know what never mine, I shouldn't have brought it up." | |||
| "No Chloe you can tell me anything, absolutely anything, I promise we are friends you know." Mimi was worried Chloe and Philip were having problems. And she couldn't help but be intrigued, not to mention get her mind off her own problems. | |||
| Chloe hesitated. "Maybe I should just wait for Belle to come." | |||
| "What?! Chloe I'm your friend too. You can tell me anything and maybe I'll even be able to help. Now, come on you were telling me about Philip not being able to do... what exactly is it that he can't do?" Mimi asked confused then an astonished look came on her face and she leaned in close covering her mouth from the restaurant. "You don't mean-," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. | |||
| Chloe was confused at first but then she laughed outright. "No, no Meems I can honestly say that Philip has no problems in that area." She said with a suggestive wink of her own that had Mimi giggling like a schoolgirl. | |||
| "Good, because I was going to say," Mimi broke off as both she and Chloe started to laugh. "Okay, well seriously, now that we've out ruled that area, tell me what do you think the problem is between you and Philip?" | |||
| "It's just that I don't know for sure myself. All I have been able to determine is that it has something to do with Jarod. I think that it has something to do with Philip doubts about who his father is." | |||
| "Oh yeah, what has the investigator told you about that? I mean has he found anything yet?" | |||
| "Considering that Jarod refuses to tell us where he was born or who his parents are, I don't think we're going to get very far. His social worker even told us that she didn't know how he got to her office when he was looking for me. All she knows is that he came to her years ago looking for me. So now, we're kind of at our wits end." | |||
| Mimi nodded as she thought about what Chloe had said. "I don't know if I could say anything to you to make you feel better but, I don't think Philip is worried about Jarod's paternity so much as he's worried about you. I know I'm not a psychologist or anything so this is just an amateur opinion. But, I think that Philip's main concern is that something might happen to you if you don't find out who Jarod's father." She sipped her drink again as she thought about her own family. Happy that she wasn't Chloe and she knew who the father of her children were. | |||
| "Okay, I can see that. You may be right. But, I'm not fragile it's not like I'll break or anything. I just will have to wait and see." Chloe sipped her coffee and glanced at her watch. "I wonder where Belle is?" | |||
| "Well, I have no idea, she should have been here by now. Something important must have come up." | |||
| "I wonder what happened?" Chloe and Mimi continued eating their lunch and conversing wondering all the while about Belle's absence. | |||
| ~*~*~*~*~*@*~*~*~*~*~ | |||
| Belle was running late and she knew she was supposed to meet Chloe and Mimi for lunch an hour ago. However, her meeting had run over and she still had to go drop Ian off at Hope's. Technically she knew she didn't need to attend the meeting since she was on maternity leave. But, she had agreed to the meeting before she had gotten pregnant and she wanted to attend it. | |||
| Belle sighed. "Ian, I am so late. I wonder if your aunties are still waiting on me." Belle said glancing at her watch as she leaned down to look at her baby son, seeing him alert and happy in the stroller seat. "Let's go see Grandpa before we leave." She stood up and pushed the stroller towards her dad's office. | |||
| "Hello Belle, and who is that you have with you today?" Carol, John's secretary asked. She was a nice old woman that had been with Basic Black since the beginning. She was very matronly with several grandchildren of her own. | |||
| "Hello Carol. You know my youngest baby, Ian. We're here to see his Grandpa." She answered as she picked up Ian and straightened his shirt. He waved happily at Carol. "Is he in by any chance?" | |||
| "Well, he's not in a meeting right now. And I am sure he wouldn't mind being interrupted to see his lovely daughter. Do you want me to watch the little one while you go in and see him?" | |||
| "No, that's okay. I think we will go in and see him together." Belle answered before she left walking down the short hallway to John's office carrying Ian. | |||
| As she got nearer she heard voices and figured John was on the phone. Getting closer she realized he sounded angry and he wasn't alone, someone else was there. It was a woman, who had a softer much calmer voice. It was only as she approached the open doorway that she saw the owner of the other voice it was Hope. | |||
| ~*~*~*~*~*@*~*~*~*~*~ | |||
| "...John, we agreed after JT was born never to tell him the truth. You can't change your mind now. I-we both have too much at stake here." | |||
| "Hope, I know that and I'm not suggesting that we tell him the truth. I just want to get a chance to spend some time with my son. He is my son and I just want to be with him. Why can't you understand that? I've given up a lot." John swallowed, his throat thick with emotion. "Don't I deserve at least this? All I'm asking for is a chance to bond with him for a weekend. Please." John begged to hope unbeknownst of Belle's presence at the doorway. | |||
| "John I..." Hope opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. | |||
| "Hope come on, Bo won't even be here this weekend, I will. JT wants to go on this trip and so do I. It's only one weekend; I promise I won't say a thing. Besides, if I kept the secret this long what makes you think I will tell him now? I let another man raise my son as his so wouldn't it be safe to assume that I won't say anything to him. " Hope couldn't refuse his one request. After all the years he stood aside and let Bo raise JT as his own. There was no way she could deny him this one weekend. | |||
| However, just as she about to tell him it was okay with him to go on the trip with JT a baby squealed from the doorway. She turned and faced the doorway John did the same. They both were shocked and silent not knowing what to say as they saw Belle in the doorway holding their grandchild. | |||
| ~*~*~*~*~*@*~*~*~*~*~ | |||
| After a few moments of silence Belle spoke as she held Ian tightly to her body. | |||
| "You're JT's birth father?" she asked quietly although it was more of a statement. John started to deny but he stopped himself and nodded guiltily "How long have you known, Dad? How long?" Belle asked him when he didn't respond to her. | |||
| "I've always known." | |||
| "John," Hope said as she walked to him and grabbed his arm. | |||
| "Hope, she was standing right there. She obviously knows we can't lie to her. I won't lie to her anymore." He took Hope's hand off his hand his arm and held it. Then he looked at Belle. | |||
| "Why didn't you say anything? JT is almost eighteen years old and you've allowed him to grow up not knowing who his father is. How could you do that to him? To me ... Shawn," Then as if the thought had just occurred to her she faced her father and mother-in-law. "Oh my god, does he know? Does Shawn know about JT?" | |||
| "No Shawn doesn't know and neither does Bo or Brady and that's the way we want to keep it Belle." Hope answered her walking closer to Belle who shook her head in disbelief as she backed away. She couldn't take it all at once. She thought about what Hope said and something came to her. | |||
| "Mom knows," John nodded again it was all too much. "I have to go I can't stay here with either of you. Not like this, not now." She turned and started to head out of the door. "I have to tell Shawn." As she started to walk back to the hallway John and Hope followed her. John grabbed her arm gently careful not to jostle her hold on Ian. And pulled her back into his office. | |||
| "Belle you can't tell Shawn. It would mean-," he started to speak but Belle interrupted him. | |||
| "I'm not keeping any secrets from my husband. This secret has been kept too long. And I think that it is time you realized that. Now, Dad, I don't care what you say I going to tell Shawn." Belle resolved quietly removing John's hand from her arm and adjusting her son on her hip she turned to continue down the hall. | |||
| "Belle please wait," Hope asked. Belle didn't turn around but she paused at the doorway. "I don't want you to tell Shawn. It's my secret; I should be the one to tell him. Let me tell him, in my own way ... please." Hope didn't know if Belle would let her tell Shawn but she needed to be the one to tell him about JT. | |||
| "Alright, I won't tell Shawn. But, if you don't tell him by Monday, I will. You have one week, that's all I'm willing to give you. That goes for you too Dad. One week. Now, I taking my son and I are leaving here." And with that Belle left carrying her son. | |||
| On to Chapter Four | |||
| Back to Secrets of the Heart | |||