There was a threatening undertone to his voice, one that told me the decision might not all be mine, that they might not actually let me walk away from all of this…
*****
Bella
“I don’t understand.” I cried out to my phone in utter frustration. What the hell had gone wrong? Why had Enrico suddenly stopped talking to me?
“Maybe it’s because you gave him what he wanted?” my sister replied cruelly, making me regret confiding in her. I’d only done it because I knew how much more experienced she was with the workings of a male mind. I should have known that she was going to be a complete bitch about it…
“It can’t be that though.” I didn’t want to keep telling her my story, but there was no one else around to damn well listen to me. It was Pru, or no one. “We had sex, then he drew me…”
“Still weird, by the way,” she couldn’t resist jumping in.
“…and we’ve been texting and talking ever since. It’s only been since Thursday that he’s stopped.” I’d gone over and over it in my mind, and I couldn’t think of anything to explain this sudden change. There was nothing that I’d said that could have put him off.
“Dad’s pissed off with you,” she carried on, digging the knife in deeper. “He only told you to pretend to like the guy, he didn’t tell you to fall for him.” Luckily our parents only knew a little bit, and that was only because I’d been forced to confess. They’d been wondering why I was so unhappy, and I had to tell them something.
“I know.” I sighed deeply. My father had been praising me, thinking that I was the only smart one in the family, the only one to see through the Abattelli family, but then I’d let him down for falling for Enrico.
“Look,” Pru moved closer to me, throwing her arm over my shoulder in an unusually affectionate gesture. “Men are shits. They all are.”
I felt a tear trickle down my face at her words. I didn’t want to be at the receiving end of a guy treating me like rubbish – especially not one that I cared so deeply for, that I’d been so wrong about over and over again.
“Do you really think I ended all of those engagements?” she finally continued, in a sad voice.
“What do you mean?” I gasped. I’d always seen Pru as this strong, independent woman that tossed men aside when she grew weary of them, and as much as I mocked her for it, I was always a little jealous. But now, I was seeing a whole new side to her.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds, gathering herself before continuing. “I always act like I’m the one who does the dumping, but I’m not.” She sighed deeply, as if this was hard for her to say. “I get clingy, needy, jealous.” Wow, I could never imagine my overly confident sister being that way. “I push them away; they get sick of me.”
“I…” I didn’t know what to say, so I hugged her tight, praying and hoping that this guy, whoever she was with now wouldn’t treat her that way. I could see now that she was vulnerable too, that she had walls just like me, and I wanted better for her.
“So I know how you feel, okay?”
“Yes,” I answered quickly, realizing that this moment of brutal honesty would change us forever. I already felt like we were closer, and that maybe… just maybe, we might start working on the same team.
If a better relationship with my sister came out of all of this mess, then there would be at least one silver lining.
“Just forget about him, okay?” she offered me one final piece of advice, and I nodded agreeably, even though I knew wouldn’t be quite that simple…
*****
Enrico
Bella had stopped trying to call, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. Sure, it was understandable because I hadn’t been answering, but it stung all the same.
I just couldn’t. I couldn’t deal when I wasn’t sure where my future lay.
Of course, I knew what I wanted to do, but this wasn’t just about me. I had so many expectations weighing on me, and that was the killer. Boris and the rest of my dad’s men were on my back all the damn time, trying to get me to take his place. They kept promising me money and power, which wasn’t tempting me, but the fact that it would kill my dad if I didn’t follow in his footsteps, was.
My dream was to be with Bella, to be an artist, but I didn’t think I was good enough for it. I thought that the Abattelli name dictated my future, and I wasn’t sure that I could escape it.
I was being torn in a million different directions, and I had no idea which way I should turn.
I wished I had someone that I could turn to for advice. Someone that could help me. Without a mum or any siblings it was difficult, and my dad had ensured that all of my friends were his friends. Looking back, even when I was in high school, he’d pushed all my friends away, leaving me with no one.
He’d manipulated me my entire life, and now I was a byproduct of that.
But even as I knew that, I didn’t know how to shake it off. It was maddening.
*****
Bella
It had taken me a few weeks, but I’d finally gotten to a place where I could get out of the house and act like normal. I’d been utterly floored by Enrico, but now I was moving past that.
Sure, I wasn’t over him – I didn’t think I would be for a very long time – but I was moving on, and that was something.
As predicted, myself and Pru were becoming increasingly close. We could both see how huge the walls were that we’d built around ourselves, and the effect that had caused on everything else, and we were trying to break them down, to be more for one another.
I hated everything that had happened, but I was glad for that one reason.
“Shall we go to lunch today?” Pru asked me, in a routine that was becoming increasingly common for us.
Our parents didn’t know yet, but she’d dumped her latest fiancé – herself this time. She realized that he wasn’t right for her, and that she’d only been staying because she was afraid of another failed engagement.
Luckily they were distracted anyway. Dad had found someone else to merge his business with – someone genuine this time – and that was keeping them both very busy, leaving me and Pru to sort out our own lives once more. The only difference was this time we weren’t alone. We had each other.
“Sure,” I grinned. “Where are you thinking? The Italian?” We generally always went to the same place, so I wasn’t sure why I was asking really.
“Um, no.” She seemed oddly distracted. “I think we should go to this new little bistro…”
“Sure, whatever,” I replied, checking my appearance in the mirror. Even that looked different these days. The pinched expression, the too much makeup, the prissy pinned up look… it was all gone. I was a new, freer, more casual me, and it was kinda nice to look at.
I was even starting to write. Just a little bit, but that was enough to make me feel happier.
Of course, I’d kept this to myself. I hadn’t even told Pru. I didn’t want anyone to know in case I failed. I would tell the world once I was certain that it was something I was good at, something I could actually succeed with. But I still had it all the same.
As we walked along, we chatted effortlessly, making me wonder why we’d wasted so much of our lives at one another’s throats. It was so silly looking back now.
But by the time we arrived at the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice that Pru was acting increasingly weird.
“Okay, what’s up?” I eventually asked. “Do you have a new boyfriend or something?” I was suspicious; there was definitely something on her mind.
“No, of course not!” she exclaimed, far too dramatically. “There’s nothing.”
I stared at her for a few seconds, trying to make her crack, but she refused to meet my eye. In the end, I turned my attention back to the menu, deciding that she could tell me in her own time.
If she had someone, then I was happy for her.
“Okay,” she finally conceded. “I’ll tell you…”
But before she could get
her sentence out, a familiar masculine voice broke out, grabbing our attention. “Bella?” he asked.
I turned to face him, taking in a sharp breath at the sight of him. It was amazing how deeply he could affect me, even now after I thought I’d begun to move on. He was just so damn gorgeous; he was almost painful to look at.
“Enrico?” I gasped, shooting Pru a look. Her guilty expression told me that this was what she’d been going to say, that she knew about this and was a part of it. “What’s going on?”
“I have something for you.” He smiled at me, sending my heart fluttering wildly. That smile would always get me, no matter how much I hated him.
He handed me a piece of paper, and as my eyes fell to it, my entire foundation shook. It was the painting of me, the one that he’d done all those weeks ago, finished, and it was beautiful.
All the arguments that I’d stored up for this exact moment, fell off my lips as I gazed at his work.
“Wow,” I finally said. “I love it.”
He’d captured something gorgeous in me, something cute and vulnerable, something I hadn’t even known was within me. It was the exact way that I wanted him to see me, and I couldn’t believe that he did.
It was almost too much.
Tears sprung up in my eyes, which I tried to blink away, but unfortunately this made them start to spill out.
“Bella?” he asked again, drawing my attention back to him. This time, when I went to meet his eyes, he was on one knee on the ground in front of me.
“Oh my…” I threw my hands over my mouth in shock.
I glanced over to Pru, looking for some help, but she was nodding enthusiastically at me. I could see in her eyes that she was trying to communicate with me that this was right. That it didn’t matter that it was quick, or that things had gotten messed up, and from her that was hugely important. She knew more about love than anyone I knew, and if she felt it was right… and if deep inside I knew that it was right, then it was probably right.
“Bella,” Enrico started once more. “We’ve been through more than most, and we’ll go through lots in the future I’m sure. But we’re strong. Together we’re strong, and I believe that we can do it.” He sent me a teary grin, and I felt my cheeks growing increasingly wet. “I think we can make each other better people. I think we can give each other the world. So I guess what I’m asking is will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you be my wife?”
His words touched me deeply inside, and I could feel myself melting. “Yes,” I gasped. “Of course I will.”
Then he picked me up and spun me around as we all broke out in a mini celebration.
*****
Epilogue
Enrico
One year later…
To say that our journey had been difficult was a massive understatement. Bella’s parents were angry that we’d eloped, my dad was furious that I didn’t want the business, and because of that we’d faced all kinds of financial struggles… but we were getting there.
Together.
“When are we meeting Pru and Brian?” I asked her from the other room in our tiny apartment.
A lot of things had changed for all of us. Pru had finally found the true love of her life, I had gained some success with my art career, and Bella had received a five book publishing contract for her romance series that was loosely based on us and all that had happened.
We were getting there, slowly but surely.
“In an hour or so,” she called back, causing me to hop up from the sofa where I was sitting to go and join her.
“That gives us plenty of time…” I strolled up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and placing kisses down her neck.
“Oh yeah?” she replied, rolling her head to one side. “For what?”
“For more baby making.” I murmured against her skin. We’d decided to start our own family a little while ago, and we’d been doing plenty of trying ever since!
She spun around to face me, pulling me in for a deep and passionate kiss. I immediately picked her up, wrapping her legs around me so that she could get a good feel of just how excited she made me. Even after a year of marriage, the honeymoon phase hadn’t passed. I still wanted her just as much as I did on that very first day.
“Oh God, you feel good,” she groaned against my lips, showing me that she felt just the same way about me.
That was enough to make me toss her backwards on the bed, before hovering over her.
“I love you, you know,” I said seriously. I wanted to tell her every single day, I never wanted her to forget how deeply I felt for her. After such a confusing road to get here, I needed her to really understand that I’d always be there, no matter what.
“I love you too,” she smiled sincerely.
Then, I began tugging at her clothes, needing her naked, and she was pulling at the material covering me too, just as needy.
As I plunged into her, and I watched her arch her back in pleasure, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, she was the most beautiful woman on the entire planet. And she wanted me.
“Enrico?” she panted beneath me as I moved. “I have something to tell you.”
“What?” I moaned, wondering if this was essential to tell me right now, right in this moment, just as I was getting into it.
“I did a test today. I’m already pregnant,” she announced, with an excited edge to her voice.
“What?” I screeched, stopping what I was doing. “Are you serious?”
She flushed eagerly and nodded beneath me. “I’m serious. Our family is going to be complete at least.”
“Oh my God.” I pulled her tightly in for a hug. “That’s amazing. Just think… all from that one date…”
And then we burst into laughter, remembering the bizarre way that we’d met, and all that it had led to.
“To the future.” I smiled and kissed her.
“To the future,” she replied.
THE END
Bonus Story 9 of 40
Her Dream Come True
Tessa James held the lottery ticket in her shaking hand, and stuffed it back in her pocket to hide it from the people milling about the corner store. She couldn’t believe her eyes when the scanner had declared her a winner. And not just any winner, but the winner.
She had to get out of Alta Loma quickly and find the nearest lotto office before someone found out she was carrying millions in her pocket.
The only problem was, Tessa didn’t have a car and she had no idea where to find the nearest California lottery office.
She walked out of the store briskly, passing a homeless man on her way. He was a regular, sitting in the streets day after day with a sign pleading for help. Tessa always gave what she could, but living on her own and barely scraping by herself made it hard for her to do anything.
But today was different.
She reached into her left pocket, the lotto ticket still firmly shoved into her right pocket-and pulled out a ten dollar bill. She placed it in his hand, smiling at him warmly.
“Hey Sid, what’s the good news today?”
“The world’s going to end any day now, Baby, but you’ll be fine until the end.”
Tessa guessed Sid’s age to be about sixty, a full forty something years older than Tessa herself. She didn’t know what had led the man to become street dependent, but she could guess. Most everyone she knew was one missed paycheck away from living on the street. Tessa was no exception to this, though her situation had changed drastically overnight.
The trolley station was within sight, and Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. It would only take her a few minutes to get out of crime-ridden Alta Loma and to the downtown area. Once there, she would find a quiet place to get the information she needed.
She looked at her watch. It was only ten in the morning. She had plenty of time.
She flashed her monthly pass to the metro guard and climbed the stairs of the middle car. The only open seat was next to a middle-aged white man, so Tessa smiled at
him and asked him if the seat was open.
To her surprise, he smiled back and moved over, giving her plenty of room to sit without being jammed against him. Which was good, since her pocketed hand was between them, and she wasn’t about to let go of the ticket, or bring it out and show it off.
People had died for much less in her neighborhood.
Tessa’s stomach was in knots as the Trolley lurched forward and sped between each stop. She tried to breathe slowly, in and out, staying as calm as possible. Which was difficult, because she wanted to scream to the rooftops that she was a millionaire!
A woman and a small child got on the trolley, sitting across from her and the gentleman beside her. The little girl was no more than four, carrying a tattered dolly that had seen better days. Both the doll and the child had blonde hair and startling blue eyes.
The little girl looked at Tessa, smiling broadly and waving her little pinky finger at Tessa.
“Can I touch your hair?” the little girl blurted out, completely unashamed.
“Jenny, don’t be rude,” the mom turned to Tessa and smiled an apology, “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Tessa said, smiling at the little girl. “Of course you can touch my hair.”
She bent over and the little girl reached out, feeling Tessa’s hair and marveling at the texture.
“I wish my hair would stand up like that.” The little girl’s face was full of awe, and Tessa couldn’t help but laugh.
The mother opened her mouth, her face turning red with embarrassment, but Tessa held up her hand.
“No worries. She’s just curious. She’s not the only child to say something about my hair. The natural look isn’t really in right now.”
Tessa winked at the little girl, “I like your hair too. When I was little, I wanted to have blond hair and blue eyes just like you.”
“But your eyes look like chocolate. I like your eyes.”
Alien Mate Page 37
