Loving Bella by Elizabeth Bonet (books suggested by bill gates .TXT) 📖

puffy eyes. “You’re kidding me?” It tore at Joy’s heart to do so but she shook her head no.
Bella groaned and threw her hands onto her lap. She stared blankly into something, not knowing what, for about two minutes. “Alright I’ll go.” “Good girl. How about you go sit in the pastor’s office for the rest of the service and I’ll tell Natine ‘I was just having a conversation with you’. And I felt it was best that you stay in solitude.”
Joy lifted Bella’s chin once again. “Is that alright with you?” Bella nodded with little enthusiasm. Joy opened the door to find Mason pacing nearby. As soon as Bella noticed him she gasped and ducked back into the bathroom. Once the door was firmly shut Joy turned to Mason.
“Mason there is no one else in the bathroom you have my permission to go inside and throw her over your shoulder if needed. The office is open so you can go in and talk with her. But you need to lock the door after yourselves ok?” Mason in shock barely nodded. Joy left him then after tilting her head slightly toward the door and walked away. Mason reluctantly turned in an about-face and opened the door.
Bella heard a soft click on the doorknob and she quieted her breathing. “Mrs. Joy could you please tell Mason that-” The sound of heavy boots against the linoleum floor stopped her mid-sentence. “Mrs. Joy?” Bella looked under the stall door to see to light mustard colored boots topped with camouflage pants.
Mason threw open the stall door to see the small girl practically shrink before his eyes. She shrieked and searched for a way to exit but saw none. Clearly seeing that she had no way of escape she teared up. “Bella -” Mason’s voice caught. He shook his head in reprimand toward himself.
“No! I need to be her comfort. What good will it do her if the man who is supposed to be comforting her starts crying himself?” He bent low and outstretched his arms to lift her up. She swatted his hands at first and fought. But he ignored her for determination.
“Bella please.” Her gaze dropped and she surrendered. She allowed him to lift her up into his arms and against his strong chest. Upon feeling the warmth emanating off of him Bella relaxed. She breathed in his scent and whimpered. Fresh emotions arousing, she wept onto his chest.
Mason sighed. Wanting so very much to lift her face up and kiss her tears away but fighting every impulse, kicked open the door and carried her off to the office.


Chapter four


Mason sat down in Pastor’s huge plush desk chair and situated Bella on his lap so she would be more comfortable. She tightened her grip on his shirt and continued to cry. After a little while she quieted. Mason sure she might be asleep, lowered his gaze to chance a look at her. His heart stopped.
Bella’s once tanned hands were white from gripping his shirt so hard. Her long black hair fell in a curly mass around her head. Bella’s dark eyes were accentuated by recent tears and her lips came into a full and swollen pout. She sat staring up at him a small tear streaming down her cheek.
Mason softly lifted the tear off of her cheek with the tip of his finger. Bella’s mouth dropped as he promptly touched his finger to his lips and tasted the teardrop. Mason smiled at her wide eyed wonder and began to smooth her hair with his hand. Weaving his fingers through the curls every now and then.
“W-why? Are y-you here?” Bella stammered barely able to get the words out. Mason placed a finger to her lips and quietly shushed her. He was surprised at the thrill that raced through him with this simple action but did not let on. “The time for explaining will come soon enough. You just sit here and rest my little darling and I’ll tell you when you wake up.”
Bella’s mouth gaped open. She placed two hands against his chest and pushed herself away. “little darling?!” Mason pushed her head back against his chest but did not answer. She would come to learn how he felt about her soon. But not while she was in this condition.
Mason spoke softly but his tone was commanding. “Go to sleep Bella. You’ll find out what you want to hear soon enough. But for now you must rest my sweet.” Bella shook her head in astonishment sending black curls flying in every direction. Mason cocked an eyebrow to show his seriousness and she relented.
Placing her head back against Mason’s chest she heaved a heavy sigh and caught his heartbeat. It was a relaxing sound. One that eventually lulled her to sleep.

~*~*~*~

Mason sat still. Trying to control every emotion that rose within. He began to relax himself when Bella moaned and shifted on his lap. Her hair covering her face ever so slightly so the only thing you could see were her eyes. One arm lay over the top of her abdomen and the other still gripped his shirt, but more gently now then before.
The tall red head stiffened at the sound and sat up rigidly. Knock. Knock. Knock. “Oh no” He heard the knock again and cleared his throat. “Who is it?” Pastor’s voice sounded behind the door. Mason told him to enter but remembered the door was locked. Knowing he couldn’t get up because it would awaken Bella; Mason told the pastor this. A few seconds later Pastor’s head stuck around the door and peeked inside. His eyes grew huge in seeing the closeness between the two on his chair.
He needed to remind Mason just how young that girl was and planned to do it soon. Reading his face correctly Mason held up a hand to cut Pastor off. “Your wife.” Simply put but explained everything. Pastor nodded and closed the door behind him. “Son, why?”
“She was crying and I sought to comfort her she fell asleep not too long ago.” Mason felt a slight movement coming from Bella and looked down. The young girl was staring at him with eyes so round he thought they looked like moons. Mason slightly cocked his head to the side and raised a brow in questioning.
She shook her head slowly so that Pastor would not take notice. She moaned and dug her face into his chest. Mason wrapped his arms around Bella and shifted her on his lap. Bella sighed out of pure delight which brought a smile on Mason’s lips. Pastor practically missed the entire affair besides the latter portion. He noted the sigh and smile of both the adolescents and mentally shook his head.
Clearly they cared for another. Whether the other party knew it or not was a different matter. Mason looked up from Bella’s ‘sleeping’ face to find the pastor watching them. He shifted uncomfortably in the chair knowing he was about to get the verbal beating of his life. He cleared his throat to speak but found he had nothing to say.
“I love her.” Mason mouthed this to the now shocked pastor and began to play with a curl at the nape of Bella’s neck. “Mason do you know what you’re doing? She is 13 years old! Have you seen Mark? Or her father?! They could make a young man like yourself wet his pants upon sight! Are you willing to risk her happiness?”
Mason’s look became shocked. All he had thought about was how much he ‘loved’ her and how beautiful she was. How much joy it gave him to hold her let alone be near her. But if he really loved her then why would he put her through misery? Leaving her behind to pine and worry after he left for Germany. If he truly loved her he would not have slept with Renae, but kept honorable and not have a secret to hide from her.
For fear she would not understand and hate him. But what was there to understand? There was no justifying the great wrong which he had done her. He didn’t know how but somehow she knew. All of it. From the moment he took his first swig to the moment Bradley woke him up at the bar. “I’m sorry.” This was directed to Bella and her look went from confused to shocked to hard.
“Forgive me?” Said so lightly with so much remorse that Bella couldn’t hold back her tears. She didn’t care if pastor knew she was awake or not. Mason had done the unforgivable and she knew it! Oh how she just wanted to cry. As it seemed all she did lately was cry. He had done something she hoped and prayed he wouldn’t do and now asked for her forgiveness! How could he have the audacity?!

~*~*~*~

Pastor stared in disbelief from the chair which he now sat. This poor girl. What she must be going through. To be in love with a boy, who was living the life of a man. Not to mention the anxiety of worrying because he was not only going to be in another continent, but in a war.
And now apparently he had done something to upset her. This was an obvious examination seeing that Bella was sobbing on Mason’s once crisp uniform. Pastor glanced down at his watch and winced. He looked up to see the younger man’s pained expression and smiled wryly at him. Pinning Mason to the chair Pastor spoke. “We will talk later. Count on it.” With that Pastor exited the room so that he could preach the sermon.

~*~*~*~

Mason fighting all emotions forced himself to look at Bella. The redhead’s heart broke. Bella was shaking and the sobs had abated. “Bella,” His voice broke. “I am so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. Really I am sorry. I was drunk and I didn’t think about you otherwise I would not have made such a fool out of myself.”
Bella sat motionless with a dull look in her eyes. Almost as if she were dead. Beginning to feel panicked, Mason began to shake her and the dull expressionless face vanished. In return a disgusted furious one replaced it. Bella flung her fists