A Map for Bella Books 1-4 Read online
Contents
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BOOK 1: Bella's Hope
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
BOOK 2: Bella's Holiday
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
BOOK 3: Bella's Heart
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
BOOK 4: Bella's Home
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Epilogue
Preview: Christmas in Tuscany (A Legacy Series Reunion, Book 1)
A note from the author
Other Titles
Legal Notice
*A note for new readers:
If this is your first introduction to Paula Kay’s books, be sure to pick up “Buying Time” of the Legacy Series which is book 1. (That series is also sold as a 6 book set.) Whether you read the Legacy Series before or after “Bella’s Hope,” it will give you more insight into this second series which takes place where Legacy Series leaves off.
You can download “Buying Time” here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TNF3XRK
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In times of happiness, people turn to the bridge to celebrate their life's successes, proposals are made, love is declared, relationships that last forever start on the bridge.
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Sincerely,
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A Map for Bella
(Book 1)
Bella’s Hope
By
Paula Kay
Copyright © 2015 Paula Kay
Cover design by Beetiful Book Covers
All rights reserved.
PaulaKayBooks.com
Chapter 1
Isabella Dawson looked up from her laptop, aware of her friend’s presence as Jemma stared intently at her from the doorway.
“You look great, Jem. Hot date?”
“No. No date. Just going out with the girls we met at the cafe yesterday.” Jemma seemed to be eyeing her carefully before she continued. “Come with us, Bella. Seriously, you’ve been working nonstop and—”
“I can’t.” Isabella cut her friend off. “You know how close I am to finishing.”
Jemma was nodding her head, but it was an argument the two had been having more and more, lately, during their travels.
“I know. I know, but Bella—it’s Paris.” Jemma gestured toward the window where they had the most stunning view of the Eiffel Tower.
Isabella took in a deep breath. If she was being honest with herself, she knew that she’d become more than a bit obsessed with finishing her book. Despite the changing landscape outside their rented apartments, finishing the book seemed to be all she thought about these days—well, that and the much anticipated upcoming meeting with her birth father, Lucas. The sudden thought made her heart pound faster.
“I know. You’re probably right, but I’m just having a hard time relaxing—thinking about the deadline and—and everything.”
“Your self-imposed deadline, you mean.”
Isabella felt her face go hot. She’d come a long way since high school—since her trip to Italy only months ago—but shaking her perfectionist tendencies was proving harder than she’d anticipated.
“Yeah, I know. What can I say?” She laughed lightly, willing her friend to understand.
True to form, Jemma crossed the room to put her arms around Isabella, giving her a quick kiss on top of her head. “I know. I get it. And you’re right. It is important. I know you want to publish it before Christmas. I’m cheering you on—promise.”
The two hugged and Isabella thought about how lucky she was—for about the millionth time since she and Jemma had begun their European journey together, months earlier. She and Jemma were so different in many ways—Jemma was definitely the free spirit of the two—but somehow they’d made an unbelievable connection and now Isabella couldn’t imagine her life without her new best friend.
“You’re a great cheerleader. It means a lot to me. Truly. And I’m ac
tually hoping to be done before London—before we meet Thomas. If I can get the rough draft done in the next week or so, I’ll be able to enjoy England and Ireland with you guys. Besides, Thomas would kill me if I spent this much time on my computer when we’re finally getting together.”
“Well, I can’t wait to meet Thomas finally. You guys have talked so much during our trip that I feel like I already know him.”
“The video chats have been fun, huh?” No matter how busy things had gotten, Isabella had honored her weekly video chat commitment with both Thomas and her parents back in Connecticut.
“Very fun—especially given how cute that so-called best friend of yours is.” Jemma winked at her and Isabella laughed in response.
“I’m not sure what I need to do to convince you. Thomas and I are just friends. You’ll see that when you meet him. He’s practically like a brother to me.”
“So then you don’t care that I find him extremely attractive?”
Jemma was teasing her, but there was no denying the instant feeling the thought caused in Isabella’s gut. She didn’t know exactly why, but the thought of Thomas liking Jemma in a romantic way caused her stress. Well, they were her two best friends, and potential friction between them wouldn’t be good. Isabella hadn’t been in many relationships herself, but she knew enough about Thomas’s track record to know that his relationships—at least thus far—had known their share of friction.
“Bella.” Jemma’s nudge brought Isabella out of her thoughts. “You know I’m only joking.”
“Well, I’m not sure about Thomas being the right guy for you but I do know that you deserve someone great, Jem.”
“As do you.” Jemma walked across the room to pick up her handbag from the table. “But neither of us are really looking for relationships on this trip, now are we?” Jemma laughed. “Might I remind you of our pact?”
When they’d started their European adventure a few months earlier, they’d discussed at length their goals for the trip. Besides their mutual desire to explore their creative ideas—Jemma with her painting and Isabella with her writing—they both felt that it was the perfect time in their lives to be selfish, learning more about themselves and what they wanted to do after their big adventure.
And Isabella had the journal from Arianna—the greatest gift that her birth mother had left her when she died. The letters that she’d written to Isabella in that leather-bound book had meant more to Isabella than anything else she held in her possession. She’d not shared those private letters with anyone yet—not even Jemma. Even as she had the quick thought, Isabella knew that the journey she was on was to be shaped not only by the map that Arianna had left her, but by those words her mother had written just for her.
“Hello. Earth to Bella.” Jemma’s voice interrupted Isabella’s thoughts.
“Oh, sorry. Right. The pact.” She smiled at her friend as she got up from the desk in the corner of the living room. “We’ve got plenty of time for boyfriends, right?”
“And plenty of time to just have a little fun. And on that note—don’t wait up.”
“Jem, be careful, okay?”
“As always.” Jemma turned to smile at her as she opened the door. “And if you change your mind, text me.”
“Will do. Have fun.”
Chapter 2
Isabella closed her laptop and crossed the room to the kitchen to put the teakettle on. She’d gotten into the ritual of having tea during her nighttime writing sessions ever since they’d arrived in Paris three weeks earlier. She sat down at the small table in the breakfast nook to wait for the water to boil.
When she and Jemma had found the apartment rental online, they’d both fallen in love with it instantly. The place had big windows and wonderful little balconies—all of which revealed the stunning views of the Eiffel Tower and the beautiful city below. Isabella felt like pinching herself yet again as she stared out the window.
She’d never in her wildest dreams imagined that she’d be on this trip of a lifetime to begin with, let alone able to afford the luxury accommodations that they’d been able to rent along the way. She hadn’t grown up like that. She was only just starting to understand what it felt like to not have financial concerns—to have the ability to say yes to anything, regardless of the price tag.
And she and Jemma had been saying yes to a lot when it came to their travels. They’d already extended the first part of their trip to include much of France, which was how they’d come to be in Paris. They were both enjoying the inspiration that they’d felt while in Italy and France. Isabella’s writing had accelerated and Jemma had painted some of the most beautiful pieces of her life thus far.
They hadn’t quite been ready to head to London upon Thomas’s arrival there a month earlier, and when Isabella had invited him to join them in Paris, he’d declined. Finally, after much prodding, he’d admitted to the fact that he was quite enamored with a woman he’d met—someone he’d been chatting with online before arriving in London. Isabella couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she even thought about the conversation that they’d had about her. He’d even used the word enamored, which had totally thrown her for a loop. She knew that Thomas was probably just having some fun and she’d get the real scoop from him soon enough.
Isabella got up to walk over to the map that they’d tacked up on the wall—Arianna’s map—her birth mother’s map from so long ago. She used to tear up whenever she’d look at it, but now those tears had been replaced with a fierce determination to make this trip count—to see everything that the young Arianna had never been able to see before she’d died.
Even as she had the thought, it made her feel uncomfortable. Jemma would probably tell a different story. She’d expressed her fears that Isabella was missing out on so much—staying in writing during so many of the days spent in gorgeous European cities. But Jemma hadn’t read the letters.
The whistle of the teakettle interrupted Isabella’s thoughts. She made her cup of tea and walked back into the living room, placing it on the end table while she went to her bedroom to retrieve the journal. She’d been keeping a journal herself during the trip—just as she’d always done—but tonight she needed to reread the letters from her mother. She needed some fortification for the choices she was making—for the anguish that she was feeling about finishing her book.
She sat back on the comfy sofa and opened the worn leather cover to the pages she’d read more times than she could count since the book had been placed in her hands only a few months earlier. She knew the words by heart, yet she loved to look at her mother’s handwriting—she felt connected to her when she read them, something that she knew Arianna had wanted desperately for her daughter.
My Dearest Daughter,
I’m so sorry that these words will never be spoken for you to hear them from my lips. I wanted so badly to meet you one day—to hold you in my arms finally for more than just the short seconds we had together the day that you were born.
I’m sorry that you might have unanswered questions. It was never my intention to not be able to share with you all the thoughts I’ve ever had about you ever since the day that you were born, but fate had something else in mind, so the words on this page and the words spoken by those closest to me will have to be enough. I pray that it will be.
Where to start…there’s so much to say, isn’t there?
I want you to know, most of all, that every day I’ve regretted that I didn’t fight harder to keep you. I never wanted to give you up, but I think, given the circumstances, perhaps it has been the best thing for you after all. I’ve hoped and prayed every day that you’ve had a good life—that you’ve felt loved and that you’ve had everything you could need to be happy.
Your happiness is what drives me daily now as I watch the clock tick toward the end for me.
By the time you are reading this letter, you will have met everyone that has meant so much to me: Gigi—hopefully Douglas is still by her side; her husband if I’ve had any say in
it ;)—Lia (your grandmother), Blu, and Jemma.
My greatest wish now is that you would know them all and be loved by them all in the way that I was—and that they will have the chance to know you too.
I know you might be wondering about your father. I’ve not spoken a great deal about him to the others. I’m afraid that I’ve not been fair to him about any of this—your birth or my death. He loved me at one time and he deserved to know about you, but my parents wouldn’t allow it while they were alive and—well, I’m sorry to say that I was a coward in that regard. But I think he’d want to know you, so I will leave that to you and in the back of this book, you’ll find his name and the last known address and phone number that I have for him. Locating him is something that Douglas can probably help you with if that time should come—and why shouldn’t it? You deserve to know the full truth of who you are, my sweet girl.
By now, Douglas will have told you about the trust that I’ve set up for you and all about the wealth that I’d grown up with. None of it ever really meant that much to me, except I know that it bought me some opportunities in life that I might not have known otherwise. It definitely bought me some special experiences with Lia and with the others—those are the things that have meant the most to me during these last days.
I want you to use the money for your education if that’s your wish or your need, but you have my blessing to use it for your dreams—whatever those might be—and truly there is plenty there for everything you could ever want for. I love that I can give that to you now and I only wish that I could be there to share in it all with you.
Do what you like with the things in the box. My intention with each item is that they would help you to have a better sense of who I was and what my dreams were as a young girl. But don’t spend one moment worrying about me now. I’ve come to a total peace about my life and my death. I’ve forgiven myself even for the decisions made that took you from me. It is only about moving forward now, and this letter to you is a part of all that for me, just as I hope that it will be for you too.
A Map for Bella Books 1-4
The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6