Soul Mates. The Beginning.

by Christine Wood

  “I’m so sorry I just, I don’t know what happened, I’m sorry, we can’t do this, we, sorry I, can get into a whole heap of trouble and I can’t risk it Bella, I can’t, it’s against the law and I could get into deep shit trouble.”

  “Chris, I kissed you back, but yeah, it’s so not happening again and as nice as it was, I know, you would get into trouble. Let’s eat I’m starving, you did pack food and water?”

  “I did, Bella…”

  “No, don’t say anything more Chris, I may be older in the head and wise beyond my years but I’m not on paper nor in the eyes of the law, but thank you for the kiss, it was… Nice.”

  “Thanks, had I been younger, and you older, perhaps it would be different, but it isn’t damn it. Bella, I like you a lot, I think I always have from the day your mum and dad brought you home and you grabbed my little finger, you had a special place in my heart and I was an honorary brother and that’s how it should have stayed Bella, I’m sorry, I won’t touch you again I promise.”

  “Let’s eat, I’m famished and yeah brother and sister, I get the message loud and clear stop it, it was what it was a kiss.” As she got out of the sinkhole, the excess water flowed from her swimsuit and she screamed.

  “What?”

  “I have tiny lobsters in my knickers and my bra turn around I need them out arghhhh, they are biting my nunny, fuck that hurts arghhhh.” Shit do I help her out, what do I do? I keep her calm…

  “They are crawfish, Bella they a delicacy, they must like you.” I laughed and turned around, just as one hit me on the head. “Ouch don’t harm them they are more afraid of you.”

  “Damn it, I have to ride home knicker less. Right you can turn around, why did they attack me and not you?”

  “My tighty whities are tight Bella.” She laughed and pointed.

  “Damn tight, are you that pleased to see me?” I turned and grabbed my jeans. “Sorry, boundaries crossed, how dumb am I? Look get dressed and feed me food please the sun will be going down soon and then where will we be Chris?”

  “Done, come on and eat, get the food from the saddle bags and the blanket from under Amigo’s saddle. I am aroused by you, you’re not dumb Bella just too young and shit I’m gonna be regretting this tomorrow.” I kissed her again.

  “Boundaries Christopher, you’re crossing boundaries.” I pulled away and placed the rug on the ground, as we made out and damn fine it was too, but regret on both sides as it could go no further. She pulled away this time not me, and as she did I smiled, thank God one of us stopped.

  “Eat and stop being a temptress Bella, we or I could end up in jail if I do that again, we have two years before I can do that legally down here.”

  “Two years you have to be joking?” I wish I was, I could marry her with her father’s blessing, but not do anything more without it, and marriage is not on the cards for me.

  “No joke, I’m more than three years older than you, so there’s not a get out of jail card free for me literally. Here eat and don’t look at me like that, it will soon pass. Besides we need to get to know each other, and you have an education to get and college life to enjoy, parties and boys more your own age to have fun with.”

  “I find boy’s my own age rather boring, and not that interesting. All they want is in your pants and to have sex, and that’s so not what I want from life, even with you, all I wanted was the kiss, which is what I got and I enjoyed thank you.”

  “Never say never Bella, I have had all that and found it fun at first and so mind blowingly tedious after a few years.”

  “Nahah no discussions about your ex-sex please? I still have delusions your pure and innocent, deluded I know, given the skanks you and Luis left my party with, they gave him some sort of medical problem too, don’t ask me what? Dad wasn’t best pleased and Mum was horrified.” I laughed to myself and oh-ed aloud.

  “I really did ruin your party Coffee, needs a friend?”

  “No, she is fine thank you, just eat and dry out in the remaining sunshine and then we need to get back, I’ve had a great day thanks, and got what I wanted from it, really I did.” I did too in a damned strange way.

  “Sorry, it couldn’t have been more or for longer, the plane is coming for you at mid-day, so you need dinner and sleep. I need to be able to tell Hugh all was fine?” I sound like a broken record and know it. The look on her face is one of desolation despite her saying she just wanted a kiss, she lied. Who knows perhaps I can be deluded too and hope she waits for me? Given my high sex drive, I hardly think I can wait that long, so I put those thoughts well away. As I eat the meal, she looks into my face and smiles, as she watches me.

  “Don’t over think this thing Christopher. You couldn’t even stop kissing me, so staying celibate for me is not what I would ask of you, but if, in two, four or ten years we see each other again, perhaps I get the extras, deal?” I laugh and hope she can’t read minds.

  “Deal, in the future if we are both single and above the age of consent in your case, you have a deal. Come on let’s pack up it’s a long ride back and the horses are well rested.”

  We packed and readied the horses and rode back, Bella was quiet as she rode steadily and to my side. I watched as her breasts bounced as she rode and wow, it was a nice sight, it couldn’t be helped without the protection of the swim suit she rode here in. She refused to put it back on given what had been in it earlier. I wanted to stay faithful and think only of her, but that was so never going to happen, I knew it and was surprised that Bella knew it too. As the sun was going down we arrived home, and Kenny and James came out for the horses.

  “Did you have a good day Chris and no accidents this time? Buddy has gotten a deep seated stone bruise to the sole of his hoof, and it’s pretty sore for the poor guy. It’s led to poor Buddy being a little lame. I fitted a poultice pack to provide comfort and relief he should be fine tomorrow we will let him rest a few days.”

  “Thanks Kenny, no we had an uneventful day really, the horses were fine and the ride out better, oh there’s a mess of crayfish in the pond too. Miss Bella caught a few.” James is ogling Bella and I’m mad as hell, go figure?

  “Great, I will have a ride out tomorrow if that’s alright Sir? Mum likes her crawdads.” Great he’s outta the way tomorrow. “I can take Bella too if you like?”

  “No, her plane will be here before you could get back, perhaps when she’s her again James. How is Amy, she had a headache at breakfast?” Kenny tells me the real reason behind the headaches and I laugh.

  “Fine Chris stop worrying, she has new glasses and is too stubborn to wear them, that’s all and she was up reading her lady books most of the night.” James takes the horses from me.

  “Thanks James, if you could give them some feed after a wipe and brush down I would be appreciative thanks.”

  “No worries Sir.”

  “Damn it James, its Chris, my dad likes to be called Sir not me.”

  “Okay Chris and thanks for giving me the part time job, college is so expensive.” he smiles again at Bella as I fume.

  “Anything I can do let me know Kenny.” Like paying for him to attend a university in Outer Mongolia perhaps, so that he’s never home when I bring Bella back. I’d offered to pay his fees and was told no, he had to do it himself, as they didn’t raise a lazy boy. I took that as a stab in the stomach at the time, but the insult wasn’t aimed at me but at Amy’s brother who bled their mother dry and sponged off her all through college and uni, only to marry a rich girl and leave their mother with a massive debt.

  I did offer to have him killed as a joke, something she smiled at and said the offer was already on the table from Kenny. I heard laughing as I entered the kitchen, Bella was telling Amy all about her crawfish catching skills and if she never sees another one, it will be a day too soon. Dinner was a quite affair of steaks and fries, milkshakes and cheesecake for afters. As I washed and Bella loaded the dishwasher, I wanted to hold her again.

  “Eyes forward Christopher.”
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br />   “How…?”

  “The mirror on the wall I can see you watching me, really you want to get into trouble?”

  “Really, I don’t, but hell I wish I could just hold you and kiss you again.”

  “Umm me too, but best we don’t, how about a game on the Xbox thing, I can kick your arse on Call of Duty?”

  “You play?”

  “Like a bitch, I’m a pretty damned hard faced mercenary, good and ready to kick arse, you ready for a whooping boy?”

  “Oh, that sounds like fighting talk, you’re not a camper, or are you?”

  “Nope, I ain’t no-pussy-hide-and-seeker I’m a fight to the death warrior. Come on get it turned on Chris, I need to put a jumper on.” When she came back, she was dressed in clean jeans and a jumper. After a two-hour game of her kicking my arse, she decided to go to bed. Me? I still had hours of work to do, and as she whooped in my face at beating my old arse she gave my face a kiss and said goodnight, nothing more just the chased kiss you’d give your brother.

  “Night Chris and really thanks for today it was everything I wanted and fun, see you in the morning, stay and get some practice you need it.”

  “Night Bella and thanks for understanding.” She smiled and headed to her room, damn I needed to work some frustrations out in the gym, so headed to the cellar and punched the bags and hit the gym hard, these next few years are gonna be gruesome. I think me and the gym will be spending some quality time together, I will try to stay on the straight and narrow. I do two hours down here and then hit the office. Tonight is going to be a long hard slog.

  I woke in the morning to a god damned awful racket in the kitchen, I climbed out of bed and rushed down the stairs in time to see Gina, the fiery Italian stood in the kitchen, and she was laying into Bella. I pulled poor Bella from her arms as Tanner came rushing in.

  “Where in the fuck were you two, and how did this skank get onto the property, never mind into my home?”

  “Sorry Christopher, but I buzzed her through the supply gates, she said she had my order from Millar’s, so I let her in and could hardly pull her off or hit her in her condition Sir.” I knew she was a stalking nutter, but how the fuck had she found me, I was as far as she knew Jude Parrish, an accountant from New York? I left her teaching Italian and English, at some school in Japan she worked in.

  “Gina, what the fuck are you doing here?” She turned and as she did, I spotted her swollen belly.

  “I have come to ask you do the honourable thing, I’m having your son.” Oh fuck, that child was not mine. I took precautions with her and yes, I know they can fail, I pray they hadn’t and she was messing with my mind, her constant texting and calls bordered on harassment and stalking all made sense now, shit.

  “Like hell it is and how did you know where I lived?”

  “Easy your picture dancing with this home wrecker was on line yesterday. It said your real name was Christopher Holland, that is your real name I noted, and it wasn’t Jude Parrish at all, and then I simply did a web search and found you owned this place. That was after you were photographed getting in her Daddy’s plane in Vegas too, so I asked the nice man at the little airport there to help me find out where you’d gone, as I was, and am about to have your baby. He was so helpful as I cried that I would be giving birth any day and I needed to find you, I needed a place to stay and have your child. I was given a lift on a charter flight he had coming to Austin, and then a nice man from Millar’s, who was delivering an order to the airport, happened to be coming out here when I asked did anyone know how I could get here and I snagged a lift. I’m nothing if not resourceful and it seems lucky that I was in Vegas, I have spent a month looking in New York for you, before that London, you left a business card for Holland Hotels, so I was doing the rounds of their hotels and I hit pay dirt in Vegas.”

  “I am not that baby’s father I can assure you. You may however stay in the guest lodge, but not in my home. When you have the child, we will be tested, should the child turn out to be mine I will provide for it, of course I will, but as to me and you no way.” I worked out from her saying the child was due and yeah, the dates did kind of match up, it had been almost nine months. Bella was in tears and Tanner had sent her to pack. She had ordered a private jet to fly them straight back. Bella came down with her bag in hand and tears in her eyes, that sight alone broke my heart.

  “I will leave you to your family Christopher, the jets ten minutes away, keep in touch please, I’d like to know if your son is cute or not, I think he will be and don’t worry, I won’t be upset if you leave me off the wedding guest list.” That cut me to the core, that she believed her and was leaving. I’d ruined another fucking birthday for her, damn it.

  “You don’t have to leave, stay please? Gina will be looked after, my doctor is being called, and she will be having all the tests and things done, if it is my child it will be looked after. I can sure you Bella I don’t shirk my responsibilities, but I will be having nothing to do with his mother.”

  “Look, she comes before spending time with me, and before going to Australia too, stay and sort this out. If it is your child, whether you like it or not, she’s in your life for the remainder of it. Unlike your father, you won’t be a bad parent, you didn’t like having it done to you and I know you wouldn’t do that to him.” I watched as the jet was landing, Henry was taking them to the plane. I gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek and wished her well in her studies. Then joked about perhaps not inviting me to her eighteenth? To which she laughed.

  “That was the last ever party I will ever have. Good luck, you will make a great dad, just do everything your dad didn’t, and all the things my dad does and you won’t go far wrong.” With that she got in the car, and was driven away from me, I was heartbroken and it hurt. Now to sort out this mess I find myself in. Gina was in the guest lodge, as I went to see what she was playing at.

  “Has the home wrecker gone?”

  “Don’t be stupid Gina, there is no home to wreck, even if this child turns out to be mine, we will never be a family. Gina, you are here now, and we are getting you tested and blood works ran. My doctor has been called and he’s arranging for the stuff you need doing, you know the baby crap? So, I will take it you are telling me the truth, until I get the results or the child’s results are before me, however should the child not be mine, you will apologise to Bella, for God’s sake, she is just sixteen, you fucked up crazy bitch. What possessed you hitting a child like that?”

  “And you love her, it’s written all over your face, she has ruined us Christopher.”

  “There was and is no us, carry on and I will get you admitted to a psych ward, and if the child is mine, I will fight you for full custody.”

  “You ran out on me and our child, so I hardly think a judge will award you custody of my child, try it and I go to the papers.”

  “Go on, I have amazing lawyers who I pay and arm and a leg in retainers to get me the results I need, and who have never lost yet, money speaks Gina where’s yours?”

  “Darling so harsh, are you sleeping here with me, I have missed you.”

  “Again, there wasn’t and never will be an, us! We were a crazy few days of sex and nothing more and I know I was covered.” I damn well pray that I was covered.

  Three weeks later…

  I am flying back from Australia, after being told the baby is on his way, and will be born at some point today, and I know I will not make the birth. Gina had stopped at the ranch for her own safety, and is being cared for, in fact she has around the clock security, she has to have security as she is unhinged, she actually has self-harmed to get my attention and tried to harm the baby she carries, to get me to come to heel. Nothing she did fazed me, I just had her doctor give her something to knock her out, cruel? No, she was a disturbed woman, hell bent on killing Bella and using the poor child inside her as leverage, she is not here in the real world, she is off most of the time in her very different reality, a scary reality where she does things no sane pers
on would dare to do. After she first tried to slit her wrists, I made sure she had around the clock supervision and the best medical care available. It’s the least I can do, seeing as all the scans and dates we have, makes it fifty-fifty chance that the child could be mine, but she refused an amniocentesis or chronic villus sampling to be taken from the child, so we’re waiting it out, and today’s the day the wait ends.

  Bella still hates me, and I don’t blame her, but when it boils down to it I had a past and a past which this time burnt me bad, and Bella, she got a little singed by that awful past. It was my fault bringing Gina into her world, and she is one mad kook, as it turns out she really is a kook too. Gina has also been diagnosed as being bipolar, something she has suffered with from an apparent early age, and had been missing from her family for a couple of years, only reunited by my search into her past for information into who this would be could be, mother of my child was. She has been off her meds for a while too. It would seem I do attract the kooks into my life. My drinking has stopped because of this too, as I am gearing up for becoming a father, and I need a clear head and all that it takes for being a good father, like Hugh, besides it’s a big thing to be a father and get it right. Bella was so right, I had to do it like her father, not mine and I won’t go wrong. Bella told her father the injuries she got at the hands of Gina, were from a fall from a horse, to both save her blushes and Tanners job. She has also refused to take my calls, and has now returned to London. I nearly stopped longer on the refuel in London, just to talk, but she was apparently looking at colleges abroad with Hugh. Hell, as soon as I get this over with the better.

  Gina’s mother has been here for the duration of my absence, and if the child is mine she has agreed to me bringing it up, and if not then it is agreed that she will bring it up. Gina will return to Italy, and be sectioned, as she has said to anyone who will listen, that she will kill the child rather than give it up. Given her medical history and her history at the ranch, it makes it more than likely she will always be unstable, and the child will be vulnerable and at risk. I am still in the air, and have hours left before I can get there, when I receive the call that the little boy has been born, and they say the child is definitely of Asian parentage, most likely Japanese.