An Unbreakable Bond

by Kalia Lewis

  Choking, Annabelle spluttered, “Don’t…don’t even mention his name.” Even after ten years she still found it difficult to talk about Tristan. The humiliation of that night continued to burn within her. Blushing deeply she looked at April. Only two people knew that Tristan was April’s father and Katie was one of them. Pushing her plate away, she gave her a severe stare. “Anyway, there are probably millions of people in Houston. I doubt that Cara Boone has met him.”

  Ignoring the, ‘do not go there’ tone, Katie proceeded to probe. “Do you still have his company phone number that Wade gave you?”

  “Where are we going with this?” She bit her lip to stop it from wobbling.

  Katie shrugged. “Aren’t you even slightly curious about where he is and what he’s doing?”

  “No, I’m not. He can fall off the face of the earth for all I care!” That was a total lie. Never a day went by where she didn’t think about his whereabouts.

  Putting up her hands in mock surrender, Katie laughed. “Whoa, easy tiger, I was only asking!” They ate in silence for a while, but Katie was in a taunting mood. “I wonder if he got married and had any children.”

  “Mmmm, probably.” For the first few years after he’d left she’d followed his life, but watching him with a continuous line of beautiful women only made her sick to the stomach, so she’d deliberately stopped keeping any tabs on him. It was better to not know. If he was married and playing happy families with someone else it would probably break her soul in half. The pizza was beginning to feel like cardboard in her stomach.

  “I wonder if he ever thinks about us and those good old days. Maybe I should get that number from Wade and give him a ring and see how he’s doing?” When Katie got a whiff of resistance from someone she became relentless.

  “Right, that’s it! This conversation is over. Do what you want, but keep me out of it. As far as I’m concerned what’s in the past needs to stay in the past.” It was time to leave and end this discussion. Katie was about to lead her down a one-way street called memory lane and she didn’t want to go there. A burning sensation squelched in her gut and she motioned to the waitress for the bill. “All this talk has now given me indigestion!”

  April looked confusedly from one to the other and Annabelle took a long slurp of her drink to prevent herself from talking further.

  Before they parted in the car park, Katie squeezed Annabelle’s hand. “You can’t hide from him forever you know.”

  Squeezing the hand back she replied, “I’m not hiding. I’m right where he left me. He was the one who left and he also chose to stay away, so who’s the one hiding?”

  “God, what pizza did you have, the wise slice?” They both laughed and hugged each other.

  Annabelle drove the thirty minute journey home in reflective silence. She still lived in the village of Edingthorpe. Three years ago her father died and her mother had taken early retirement and sold the greengrocer’s shop. They both decided to stay in the village and Annabelle now lived around the corner from her mother in a quaint cottage with a rambling back garden.

  Wade had left to manage an oil rig in the North Sea and they only saw him once every six months, which meant that most of her support system for April came from her mother and Katie.

  Pulling her Ford Focus into the small driveway, she peered up at the arch over the steps to the front door. It was mid-May and the buds were starting to break out on the wisteria. It was already warm and promising to be a hot summer.

  They got out of the car and walked through the front door. “Home sweet home,” she sighed. April skipped off into the back family room to phone her friend and Annabelle went straight into the kitchen and switched on the kettle. The walls were painted a sunny yellow colour and the units were shiny melamine white. A small kitchen table was in the centre of the room and the fridge freezer was covered in photos, magnets, reminder notes and April’s paintings. A far door led out onto a little patio and into the garden. The round tower of Edingthorpe’s All Saints church could be seen in the distance as it glistened in the evening sunset. It was a happy house and Annabelle loved it.

  Later that evening she tucked a tired April into bed. Familiar cobalt blue eyes stared back at her and she stroked her rosy cheek. April was a mini replica of Tristan with long limbs, an enigmatic charm, thick black hair and full lips. Smiling, Annabelle kissed the top of her head. “Goodnight sweetheart.”

  April smiled back and snuggled further down into the covers.

  The day she found out she was pregnant completely changed her life. Knowing that a piece of Tristan was growing inside of her had helped her heart to heal. April was her entire world and she’d given her hope and a purpose to live for. The news had devastated her family, especially Wade who had relentlessly tried to get the father’s name out of her, but they soon resigned to her refusals to answer and they all took delight in April when she was born.

  It surprised Annabelle that Wade did not see the resemblance, but she figured that Wade thought he knew every single one of Tristan’s conquests, which made the possibility of Tristan being the father non-existent as he didn’t know about his fling with Annabelle.

  Lying in bed she allowed her mind to probe behind the closed doors of her memories. A rush of warmth filled her as she thought back to that one night that had shaped the rest of her life. She recalled his smell, the feel of his breath on her face and her feelings of anticipation.

  The shameless way she had led Tristan to his room during his leaving ball under the pretence of having a gift for him. What she was about to do wasn’t something she’d ever done before. The woman that stood before him was sultry, fiery and he had no chance against her determination. The gift was her and he was going to receive it either willingly or under duress.

  Oh God, what was she doing?

  She could walk right out of here and forget the whole thing, but there would never be anyone else for her, he’d filled her whole heart. Rarely did a day go by when she wasn’t thinking, imagining or dreaming about a future life with Tristan. She sighed in resignation. Rather than have no time with him at all, she was going to take this opportunity and find out what his reaction would be.

  Approaching him, she put her hands on his chest. They shook slightly. “Tristan…will you kiss me?”

  It must have shocked him as astonishment flashed in his eyes and he pushed himself off the door. “Are you serious?”

  “Please Tristan. I need you to do this for me.” She knew that if she could get him to take the first step her dormant pent up passion would take over. Soft music from the ball below wafted into the room adding to the intensity.

  A tremor of longing skittered down her spine as he took a long, slow drink of her from her feet all the way to the top of her head. The longing and appreciation in his eyes as they met hers made her shiver. If she could have caught her reflection in the mirror, she would have seen a pure, yet alluringly sexy woman, all at the same time. Fascinated, she watched as he licked his lips.

  But a shadow fell across his face and he leaned back against the door again. Thinking that he was going to refuse her, she reached up on her tiptoes and moved her hands up to his shoulders and she dared to skim her lips against his.

  When there was no response she purposely began to brush her heavy breasts against his folded arms. No man could resist that!

  She heard him suck in his breath. “Annabelle, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  A coil of heat began to unfurl in the pit of her stomach at the sound of his husky reply. It was working. Pushing harder against him she skimmed his lips again, only this time she applied more pressure. “Please, do this for me,” she whispered against his mouth. Rejection wasn’t an option.

  A low guttural sound rumbled from deep within him and he pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest. She could feel the fast pumping of his heart through his shirt.

  Closing her eyes to the feel of him, she let out a little sigh as his lips came swiftly down upon hers.
They were warm, firm and flavoured with sweet champagne. Tentatively, she glided her hands along his shoulders and around his neck. It amazed her how easily her body moulded into his and she quivered in delight. He intensified the kiss in response and she melted into the deliberate movements of his lips, but it was still not enough. The feeling of wanting to climb inside of him and drink from some inexplicable essence was driving her forward. What it was she did not know, but she knew he was the one that could sate this inner need.

  Suddenly, she gasped in surprise as she felt his tongue scorch across her bottom lip, demanding entry. Softly, she parted her lips and he sank in, probing the delicate sides of her mouth before flicking the end of her tongue. Never had she been kissed like this, with so much urgency and ardour, but close wasn’t close enough and she ran her hands through his hair pulling him further into her so that their lips quickly became a fusion of fierce passion, sending unadulterated energy searing up her spine and dissolving her insides.

  A low moan escaped her as she felt his hand move from the small of her back and slide up her body to touch the side of her breast, leaving a trail of molten heat. Taunting her, he made small circular movements with his thumb under her breasts, sending her heartbeat into overdrive and she pushed against him needing more of his touch.

  Laughing softly, he answered her and moved his thumb up higher across her nipple, teasing it through the material with expert touch.

  An electric bolt fired through her body and she tilted her head back, revelling in the sheer thrill of each pulse.

  He took that as an invitation and gripping his other arm tightly around her waist, he forced her to bend further backwards and open her neck to him and he began to kiss her jawline, continuing downwards, until he was gently sucking on the throbbing pulse that he found at the base of her neck. It was blissful and she opened herself up to him.

  He devoured her skin as if she tasted of sweetness and summer and when he couldn’t taste her further due to the material being in his way, he unclipped the shoulder strap of her dress and let it fall forward to reveal the tops of her creamy breasts. If there was a point of no return this was it. She could feel that something had snapped inside of him and six years of pent up energy was about to be let loose.

  “God, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured hotly, as he kissed across her full mounds.

  Pulling her leg up through the side slit of the soft material, he glided his hand up her thigh and slowly moved around to capture her firm behind, feeling the silk underwear as he caressed her and drew her more tightly against his groin.

  Whimpering at the feel of his arousal against her abdomen, she curled her leg around his hips. The need to get closer was like a thirst that couldn’t be quenched. “Tristan,” she sighed. “Please…”

  Pulling herself out of her reverie, she pummelled the quilt in frustration and firmly shut the door on the memories of that night. To go further into the sweet ecstasy was only torturing herself. It would lead to nothing but a hot feeling and a sleepless night! Turning off the light she stared at the ceiling and painfully waited for sleep to come.

  Chapter 2

  The following week passed busily by as Annabelle prepared the final details for several other weddings that were taking place during the summer. Early Wednesday morning she’d finalised a professional looking package of suggestions for her new client and nervous excitement was causing her to look at the clock every two minutes. At one-minute to nine the sound of the little doorbell notified her of Cara’s arrival.

  A tall confident looking woman strode in. “Hi, I’m Cara Boone. Are you Annabelle Summers?” She spoke with a Texan drawl as she marched over to the desk and extended her hand.

  “Yes, I’m Annabelle, nice to meet you Cara.” She stood and smiled warmly as she leaned in to shake her hand. Looking behind Cara she couldn’t see any male following her in. Confused, she asked, “I was expecting to see both of you?”

  Cara looked her up and down and smiled thinly. “My fiancé is arriving late tonight and we will be here in the morning at nine to check that everything is in place. Will that be a problem for you?”

  Wow! This woman was about as warm as ice. “No, no, that’s fine.” Annabelle noticed that the woman was superbly groomed. Dressed in a black cashmere trouser suit with a crisp white blouse, she oozed the polished designer appeal. Standing nearly a head taller than her in her stilettos, she made Annabelle feel small and frumpy in her flat pumps, beige linen trousers and cream shirt.

  Looking around disdainfully, Cara wriggled her nose. “My, this is a cosy place.”

  Was she being sarcastic? She folded her arms defensively and replied, “Thank you, I like it and it serves its purpose well.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it does, although I was expecting something a little more…well…upbeat, but you’re the only one who could get me Blickling Hall at such short notice, so remind me of that quaint English saying?”

  Cocking her head, she replied, “Great things come in small packages?”

  “No, no.” Cara clicked her fingers. “I think it’s, beggars can’t be choosers.”

  Did she really just say that? Picking herself up from the verbal right hook, she could feel a flush of anger rising up into her jawline, but before she could rally a response Cara opened her phone and made a call.

  “Jane, bring in the file.” Within seconds the shop door opened and a stressed looking woman entered. Smiling tentatively at Annabelle, she handed the file to Cara and promptly left. Cara pursed her lips with impatience. “I have my car waiting outside, so I shall just be brief. This is a stack of papers with all my wedding requirements and I want everything listed in it.”

  Taking the file Annabelle flicked through it, nothing had been spared. She was miffed. Hours of work down the drain and now she would have to start all over again with arrangements and negotiations. “So, you don’t want a full consultation to look through any other suggestions, you just want me to organise the wedding according to the content of this file?”

  Levelling a cool glare at Annabelle, Cara placed a hand on her hip. “I don’t normally have to repeat myself, but in this instance I will excuse your inability to listen, since you don’t yet know me properly.”

  Annabelle blanched and felt like giving her a verbal right hook of her own!

  Without even registering the effect of her words, Cara continued, speaking slowly as if she were a child who had a problem understanding. “We will be here in the morning at nine sharp. On Friday, we will attend the photographer’s exhibition as you advised over the phone, and on Sunday, we will go over to Blickling Hall to finalise everything.”

  Now she was pissed. “I hope you realise that it’s virtually impossible to create a dream wedding in just three days!” This woman was clearly some sort of power freak!

  Narrowing her eyes, Cara scoffed, “Obviously, Miss Summers –”

  Annabelle noticed the drop of her first name.

  “You are perhaps not competent enough to take on this task?”

  Annabelle tossed the file onto her desk. There was a decision to be made. Does she tell her to take her arrogant groomed derrière out of here, or does she swallow her pride? After all, this was a big job and she could afford to take April on her first holiday abroad. The holiday won. She put on her best smile and swallowed the desire to put a dirty foot mark on the back of her cashmere black pants. “Well Cara, I may not have the swanky office and décor you’re used to, but I can assure you that your dream is in good hands.” Crap! How many favours would she have to call in for this one!

  Cara nodded at her approvingly. “My contact number and deposit cheque are in the file.” Turning her back, she promptly left, leaving behind the strong opium scent of her perfume.

  Stunned, Annabelle sat on the edge of her desk. The whole interlude had taken less than ten minutes to complete. It felt like a lead hammer had just been dropped on her world. Grabbing the phone she dialled a familiar number and swung her foot nervously whilst waiti
ng for the pick-up.

  A deep husky tone answered, “Daniel Carter here.”

  Annabelle gulped. “Daniel, help!”

  It took the longest thirty minutes ever for Daniel to sweep into the shop and enfold her in a big bear hug. If anyone could save the day it was Daniel.

  Looking down at her, he grinned. “Sweets, have the sharks been at your door?”

  Hugging him back she laughed. “This one was worse! More like the man-eating piranha variety!”

  Daniel had been her friend for seven years, helping her step into event management. Tall, toned and suave with a mop of wavy blonde hair that would often flop onto his forehead and across his cornflower blue eyes. Daniel Carter was definitely a sight to drool over. There was a deep love between them and she’d often thought that if things had been different he would have been perfect for her. Well, that's if he wasn’t gay and happy with his partner, Philippe!

  “Okay, pass me the file and show me the dirt.” Sliding off his jacket, he pointed to the kettle and opened his phone.

  By late afternoon they had waded through most of the file. “Okay sweets, if we move the wedding day to Tuesday that means we can get the white vintage Rolls Royce, hire nearby Dunstan Hall Hotel for the astronomical number of guests and order enough limos to chauffer everyone, but we can’t have the marquee reception at Blickling Hall because of other functions.”

  Sighing, she massaged the back of her neck. “It seems that when we can make a booking in one area, another area is booked up. Come on Daniel, there must be something magical that you can pull out of your top-hat?”

  Thoughtfully, he tapped his lips with his pen. “Well, just for you, I could open the ballroom upstairs, which is currently used as a museum piece for public viewing.”

  Throwing her arms around his neck she screeched in happiness. “Daniel, I promise you won’t regret this!”

  He laughed. “Yes, but it comes with a condition.”