Chapter 45

Nancy Mulligan was sipping her tea sitting on the rocking chair on her porch facing the North Pacific Ocean. She was basking in the morning sun next to Redfish Rock Marine conservation area. She was watching her favorite couple that was staying on the camping ground next to her cottage. It was her favorite pastime; to sit on her porch and watch people who came to stay.

She had first noticed this young man, who was apparently a Native American, very attractive with his fedora style straw hat, black earrings and muscular lean body. She might be almost sixty, but she wasn't dead yet and she still had seeing eyes; she could appreciate a handsome male figure when she saw one. But it wasn't the looks of this man that had caught her interest, no, it was how the couple were together and what they did together: they read a book to each other out loud.

Right at this moment, they were laughing over something that she had read. They were practically howling bent in two in the middle. The young man was making them breakfast while she read. It wasn't a book this time she held mobile in her hand, and she read something from that. But whatever it was, it was clearly very amusing.

That was delightful sight and Nancy noticed she could not but laugh herself. Strong urge came over her and she wanted to know what they were laughing about. She whistled Archie, her corgi to follow her. It was time to take him for a walk anyway.

"Aww Paul, look at that cute corgi." Nancy heard the girl to say when they got closer.

"His name is Archie, and he loves when someone gives him a proper belly scratching," Nancy said and as a cue Archie trotted to the girl and jumped against her legs. The girl knelt to give him a scratching and to get a full facial lick.

"Aren't you a cutie," the girl said laughing, and the young man she had called Paul came to her kneeling too.

"I love corgis, my friend has one and that's one clever little bitch," Paul chuckled, and Archie gave him a face wash too. Then he went down on his belly and turned on his back offering his belly for full body massage.

"He seems to love you two," Nancy laughed. What an adorable couple they made. Nancy marveled the long red-brown hair the girl had and her beautiful face with big brown eyes and an open inviting smile. Paul was as handsome as she'd seen him from afar, or even more so with intense dark brown eyes and cheeky smile that gave him a boyish look, but he was full grown man.

The way they touched each other and looked at each other talked about strong affection. Nancy's heart swelled when she looked at them. She had a soft spot for young people not having any children and hence any grandchildren of her own.

"How old is Archie?" the girl asked.

"He's about eleven, gramps now."

Archie stretched his long body and yawned the way that almost made him sound like a cat. His signature yawn. Nancy hadn't heard any other dog making similar noise. The girl and Paul laughed.

"So, if you don't mind me asking what was it that you were laughing about just earlier. I couldn't not avoid hearing it from my porch while I was drinking my morning tea."

The girl blushed a bit. Had she been too noisy?

"Um... I was reading a very funny review of a very dumb book," the girl said.

"Yeah, it was fu.. totally hilarious and so spot on. We've been reading this book and we heard about the review and Bella read it while I was making us breakfast."

Ah Bella. What a suitable name for this adorable young woman.

"What book, if you don't mind me asking?"

The girl started to laugh, "Fifty shades of Grey."

"Oh, I've heard about that. Why are you reading it, if it's so terrible?" Nancy was curious.

"It was on the self by the cashier in one shop we stopped to buy food," Bella-girl said. "And we'd finished the book we were reading so we bought it. I knew of it of course, I write reviews and work in a bookshop but so far, I have actually avoided reading it. I wanted to know if it was as bad as I've heard people saying it is. Must say they haven't been wrong even though it is very entertaining. Not sure if we're going to finish it though," Bella told her and looked at Paul clearly asking his opinion.

"I don't know, I might be tempted to know if that inner goddess will eventually shut up," Paul chuckled.

"Baby, there are few sequels to that book. It most likely will carry on to the other ones as well," Bella said patting his thigh.

"Holy shit," Paul laughed, "I think we're had enough then. It had gotten pretty boring already."

"Yeah, I think the review tells all we need to know," Bella agreed.

Nancy was watching them smile on her face. And sighed, to be young and beautiful.

"So how long are you staying here?" she asked them.

"We'll leave tomorrow," Bella told her. "I'm doing some research in the conservation center and I'll get it finished today."

"Oh, what field of research?" Nancy asked knowing of course that it must be something to do with marine life if she was at the Redfish Rock center.

"Marine biology. It's my major in UW. I'm taking part in living laboratory research that evaluates the long-term effects of marine reserve protection on marine species and habitat in this area," she told her.

Oh, beautiful and smart. "That is very impressive dear," she said.

"And what it is that you do, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked Paul.

"I'm a chef or getting my certificate by the end of this year."

That's interesting. But then she'd been watching him making every meal while the couple has stayed at the camping ground.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you two. My name is Nancy and I live at the cottage over there," Nancy said and pointed her cottage to them.

"That is very lovely place you have there," Bella said. Paul was playing with Archie. Archie clearly liked the boy.

"It is. It has been in my family since the 1950's. My grandfather built the cottage while he was working with the local lumber company. I moved here permanently after my father died beginning of this year."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your father," Bella said.

"Oh, don't be. He lived a long and happy life, died at the age of 91."

Bella smiled and patted her arm. What a sweet girl.

"I would like to ask you for a dinner tonight. I'm pretty lonely up there and I would like to have someone to chat for a bit."

Archie was getting ready to continue his morning walk and ran after a bird. She whistled him back, and he obediently came.

Bella and Paul looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, we would love to come," Bella said.

"Would at 7pm be good for you?"

"Yes, that'll be fine," Paul answered

"I'm up there. Just follow that path and you'll be on my front porch."

"Do you need help with the food?" Paul asked Nancy when he and Bella arrived at Nancy's place.

"Well, if you don't mind since it's your art. I might want to ask you what is wrong with my gravy."

"Dear," Nancy said to Bella, "make yourself home and enjoy the view."

Bella walked to the big cozy looking room with a strong marine theme feel to it. There was a white couch and a fireplace and a dinner table that was set for three. She walked to the window. There was a telescope pointing towards the ocean. The panorama view over the North Pacific Ocean was spectacularly lined up with some shore pines and the five gorgeous looking stark monolith islands distinctive to this area were in full display from here. The scenery was breathtaking.

She peeked through the telescope. It was pointing towards one of the islands. There were some sea birds nesting on it.

She turned the telescope and looked another island. There were same birds too and was that a sea lion? She focused telescope and indeed it was a sea lion.

"Beautiful," she breathed.

What a place to live, she thought. All this natural beauty around you. In Honolulu she had lived almost on the beach and the constant sounds of the ocean had been there. She missed that sometimes, waking up to the sounds of waves crashing to the shore.

She then looked around the beautiful room. There were old looking photos on the mantel piece. Bella walked to look at the photos. One picture captured her eyes and she gasped. Was she really seeing what she thought she did: young woman was wearing a dress that looked exactly like her wedding dress. The woman was in the photo with a young man holding his hand.

Could it be? No. Impossible. She looked at the photo more closely. The color was faded and being an old photo where the colors weren't probably so good in the first place it was a bit hard to say what the color of the dress was, but it might be green. It sure did look a lot like hers. It wouldn't be such a big deal otherwise but the fact that her dress was unique made by hand spoke of a weird and an unbelievable coincidence.

Paul came from the kitchen.

"Wow, what an amazing view," he said.

"Come look at this photo," Bella said and reached her hand out to him. Paul came to her taking her hand kissing her fingers.

"What photo?"

Bella pointed the photo to Paul he looked at it more closely.

"No way. It can't be."

"But it looks like my dress. It is identical, only it is hard to say what the color is."

Nancy came from the kitchen carrying a salad, she placed it on the table and came to them.

"What are you two looking at?" she asked.

"This photo here. This sounds odd," Bella said clearing her throat, "but that dress on that young woman looks exactly like my wedding dress. I bought it second hand from Port Angeles last December."

Nancy looked at her stunned.

"It is my mother on that photo and my father. It was their first date," Nancy told them.

Bella gasped. "The shop owner told me that an elderly man had brought the dress to the shop, and he had told him the story of the dress. That his late wife wore it on their first date, and it was in July 1960. I remember that because our first date was in July. It is originally from..."

"...Scotland," Nancy completed her sentence. "It was made by my grandmother for her wedding dress, and she brought it with her when she and my grandfather moved to America after the Second World War."

"I can't believe this. I have your mother's old dress," Bella said stunned. This was bizarre. Absolutely unbelievable.

Nancy was speechless for a while. They just stared each other and then the photo. Paul wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Do you have a photo of your dress?" Nancy asked.

"I have," Paul said and took his phone from his short's pocket. He scrolled through his photos. "Here." He showed a photo where they were at the courthouse just after the ceremony.

Nancy gasped and she covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes filled with tears. She pinched the screen to enlarge the photo a bit.

"It really is my mother's dress. I recognize the stitch on the hem. It's my mother's hadiwork. This is unbelievable I ..." Nancy's words were interrupted by loud shrilling noise from the kitchen. The smoke detector.

Nancy and Paul rushed into the kitchen. Bella stayed put to look at the photo. She didn't know what to think. How was this even possible? It was a small miracle that they would end up having dinner with a lady in this little place whose mother's dress she had bought. Now more than ever she felt that picking up that dress was meant to happen. Would she ever get to know why though, and did it even matter? Life was full of surprises some weirder than others and this was definitely on the weirder side.

"I'm sorry, the bread burned," Nancy said when she came back from the kitchen. She placed pot on the table and Paul followed her with two more.

"Let's eat my dears," Nancy said.

Paul pulled the chair for Bella and helped her to settle by the table and sat next to her. Nancy sat opposite her.

"I must say that it is incredible thing what we just found out. You said you bought the dress from Port Angeles."

"Yes, I didn't want any traditional white bridal dress but something beautiful yet simple that fitted my style. We had small ceremony at the courthouse and wedding dinner with just the family and our closest friends," Bella told Nancy.

"So, I went to look for a dress from the vintage store with my two friends and found your mother's dress. It even came with the fabric cut off the hem. We made pocket square for Paul from it. And there is still quite a bit left."

"Can I see the photo again?" Nancy asked.

Paul took his phone and found the photo.

"Here. There are others, if you want to see them swipe forward," he told Nancy.

She looked at the photos and sighed and awwed.

"You two look so beautiful together and the dress suites you so well Bella. This is unbelievable." Nancy's eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Sorry that I keep repeating that, but it is just amazing."

"It is," Bella agreed whole heartily. "Did you ever wear the dress?" she asked.

"Once, it was my high school graduation," Nancy told them. "As I was younger, I never wore dresses, but I wanted to please my mother on that day, and she was so happy seeing me in that. But I never wore it again. It just wasn't my style."

"Has anyone worn it after that?" Paul asked.

"No, I don't think so. I have three brothers and I don't have any children who might have worn it. My mother wore it when she was younger on special occasions like on their anniversary and such. But she grew out of it after she had had my baby brother."

"I'm so happy to hear more about the dress. It is very special to me. I don't wear dresses much either, but I know I'll wear this dress many times," Bella said.

They ate and Nancy asked them bunch of questions how they met and how long they've been together. Nancy told them that she was a former kindergarten teacher and now trying to pursue career as a writer. She told a bit about her parents and how she had got Archie. The dog had just showed up behind her door in San Fransisco and after no one ever came looking for the dog or called the police about him, she had kept him.

Bella found she really liked Nancy. She reminded a bit of her aunt, Charlie's big sister. She had same oval-shape face, same red color hair and green eyes and even the dimple on her left cheek was the same. She realized she missed her aunt it was over five years she'd seen her. She used to spend lot of time with her, and she had learned sign language with her aunt, it was her main means of communicating being deaf since birth.

"Baby, did you hear what Nancy just said?"

"Huh?" Bella had been deep in thought. "Sorry I was just thinking how much you Nancy reminded me of my aunt and that I haven't seen her in many years."

"That's alright dear," Nancy laughed. "I was just saying that I'm happy to see you again if you ever drive past this area."

"Oh, we will. I will come back for the conservation center sometime in September to continue the research and taking part in one week diving excursion," Bella told her. They would be monitoring the ground fish population in the area.

"That's lovely. Give me a call before you come. You can stay in my spare bedroom if you want."

"That is generous of you."

"It will be my pleasure for sure. It will be fun me to have you as my company for few days."

Dinner was very nice, and Nancy was happy getting few pointers from Paul about how to make good sauce for fish.

"Before you go, you are welcome to take any book you want from my bookshelf. To get something to read," Nancy said.

"Paul … ah... Paul that is so good, don't stop," Bella moaned.

Paul had no intention of stopping. He was balls deep in his wife's body, his whole-body trembling with need and want.

Bella lifted her legs around his waist, and he pumped deeper.

"Jesus fuck you feel so good baby," he panted and kept pumping. Skin slapping against skin, loud moans and whole campervan moving with them was turning him on so much he thought he would lose his mind.

"So. Fucking. Good."

Bella propped to her elbows and attacked his mouth biting his bottom lip lightly drawing blood.

Paul hissed enjoying the pain it inflicted. They ate each other while Paul kept slamming into her.

Then Bella pushed his chest and Paul was on his back. Bella sank onto him and started to ride him her breasts bouncing with her wild hair.

"Yeah baby, fuck me!" Paul moaned lifting his arms over his head and pushing them against the wall. Bella's eyes were burning when she looked at him through hooded eyelids, and he was fast drowning in them.

Then she changed her rhythm into slow undulating movements, she was leaning forward her hands on his chest and she rubbed her clit against his pelvis. She had her eyes closed head bent back and she was biting her bottom lip. She was dancing on him. Paul placed his hands on her hips and grounded his pelvis against hers making more friction.

"Ah ... Paul …"

Sweet Jesus it was pure delicious torture. Fuck he could stay like this forever. Paul lifted himself and took her other nipple into his mouth nipping it quite hard. It sent her over the edge.

"Paul!"

Bella screamed as her hips jerked and her inner walls started to milk him like a vise. He thought he was going to pass out, it was so fucking intense.

"Fuck Bella … "

He felt his own release fast approaching and he turned them over once more and rammed into her with all he had left and came shouting Bella's name.

He collapsed next to Bella pulling her to his chest. They were breathing heavily totally spent.

"Goddamn, I love you baby," Paul murmured into Bella's hair.

"Love you more." Was her silent reply. He felt her lips moving against his nipple and then they drifted off to blissful sleep.

Paul was startled from his sleep by a loud noise made by some sort of bird. Bella was still fast asleep. He rubbed his face and felt his stomach rumble. It was time, he checked the time, for late lunch.

He got up silently and covered Bella with a blanket and went outside. He pulled his shorts on and stretched glancing at the sky and was happy to notice that it was bright blue no grey clouds anywhere. They would see the full moon tonight.

They have found this perfect secluded area by the Smith River just few miles off the Highway 101 right after they had entered California. They haven't seen anybody else in these past two and half days they've been here. It had been perfect. They didn't have a shower, but they washed in the river. The water was cold, but it was easy to get warm after dipping in. They had tried to warm up water so Bella could wash her hair, but it was ridiculous amount of water her hair needed so they had given up. She had washed it in the river in the end. His lips curved into smile remembering the amount of screaming the freezing water had caused.

But there was a dark cloud entering into their paradise; they were running out of food. So, they needed to leave tomorrow morning at the latest unless they caught a fish, they could eat for dinner tonight. The thing was that he wasn't much of a fisher even Holly and Charlie had tried to teach him when he was a kid, it was Sam who caught fish on their camping trips. They had one rod though so why not try at least.

He really didn't want to leave this spot. These past two and half days were the most they have had sex during their road trip. The only thing Paul disliked about traveling with the campervan was that if they stayed on the camping ground where there were other people around, having sex with your otherwise sex-beast of a wife was a bit strained. He didn't care rat's ass if they were loud and people might be bothered about it, but he could trust his wife to care. And she had been quite stiff while having sex, not letting it go.

Things had changed when they had found this perfect spot and they hadn't stopped making love since they've arrived, other than to eat of course and having a quick wash in the river and some shut eye somewhere in the middle. But mainly enjoying each other's bodies day and night. It was his idea of a paradise, and he could stay here forever.

He decided to brew some coffee as he thought about their road trip. It had been one helluva ride.

They had stayed on beaches, danced on beaches, made love on beaches, eaten wonderful sea food, most of it made by him, but there had been few good restaurants as well.

At one beach some people had come to ask what smelled so good and they had end up selling about ten servings of his paella and they would have sold more if there had been any left. Bella had suggested that they could start a business selling his food from the campervan. Not a bad idea at all.

Not to mention meeting that Nancy-lady. It sure had been weird coincidence to meet her. But he was very happy that now Bella had a nice place to stay when she came to her field trip in September.

On the road they had read out loud couple of books. Bella was writing a review of one of them. She had picked up writing reviews during the summer. When he was driving Bella read and other way around. He loved listening to her voice and this way he could be part of her work. He loved that. They had lots of interesting discussion about the books. One book gave them good laughs too.

They had had one big fight. If he hadn't heard somewhere that couples who fight stay together, he would have freaked out of that fight. It was about him being jealous, of course. He was fucking jerk sometimes.

Their arguments usually were about him being jealous or too possessive. And it was so fucked up because Bella honestly never gave him any reason to be jealous. She just was so fucking tempting to all males, and her personality draw in all sorts of people, not just horny suckers. Everything he loved about her made others love her too and it was hard pill to swallow.

This particular time he had had to watch that some fucker got hard on while talking to her. They had stopped by the roadside ice-cream kiosk and because the parking lot was full, Paul had stayed in the van. There was quite long line, but they both craved some ice cream, and they were middle of nowhere and no other kiosks or shops around hence the long line and full parking lot.

It hadn't taken long that this fucker was talking with Bella and Bella being Bella was smiling and chatting back. And Paul had seen the fucker's shorts starting to tent something Bella had been totally unaware of. She just chatted away and laughed while that fucker was drooling all over her. The tattoo and the ring on her finger hadn't put that fucker off. He was too busy drooling over her breasts to notice.

Paul had been doing his breathing exercise and reasoning that it isn't Bella's fault how men behave around her and how she affected them. Fuck he was affected all the fucking time. By the time Bella had come back to the van with the ice-creams he was fuming. He had taken the ice-cream but had been unable to eat it. Bella had asked why he was pissed off, and he had harshly asked was it impossible for her not to talk to all those pricks out there. The second that had come out of his mouth he had regret it. He was a fucking asshole.

Bella had got mad and damn, he hadn't known she could have such a temper.

"Fuck you, Paul!" she had shouted and had slammed her ice-cream on his chest and stormed out of the van. And all he could do was to watch her run away. They had stopped by narrow road, and he could not take the risk to cause any accidents leaving the van where it was. It had taken ten minutes before he had been able to park the van and run after her.

He had found her at the beach. At first, she hadn't allowed him to come near her but after pleading and repeating what a fucking asshole he was, she had given in. Fuck he hated those moments when he felt like he could lose her. They made deep cuts into his soul, especially when it was something fucking stupid he had done. He had promised himself yet again to stop being jealous without any reason.

It had been road trip of fucking big emotions to say at least. The fight was one but then there was the other night when he had got the same panic attack that he had had on their honeymoon.

It had been very hot night and they were having steamy sex. Bella's long hair was glued into her skin, and she was riding him, whispering loving words to his ear and they had been close to their release when he had started to feel the panic rising, the feeling that he was going to fall into a dark abyss that he needed to take over to get the feeling to vanish. He had told her what he was feeling, he had promised to do so, but it had been almost too scary to say out loud.

"Shh … baby. Look at me. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. You can let it go I'll catch you... you won't fall ... shh..." Bella had said, and she had hold him tight while riding them into powerful release. He had cried, they both had cried. Fuck it had been intense.

Afterwards they had wondered what had triggered that feeling. First time it was on their honeymoon, when he had felt so fucking happy it had almost been too hard to take in. And it had been the same on that day, it was an anniversary of their first date, and they had been laughing their asses off remembering that mutt that had eaten their food and they had talked about their future together about raising a family someday. It had overwhelmed Paul, the feeling of happiness and when Bella had taken the lead in their lovemaking it had been too much, but now Bella had been right there with him, catching him. That moment was the most powerful single moment in his life. It was the moment he had given her his soul, to have it with his heart, body and mind.

All it had needed was being vulnerable and being vulnerable was the scariest shit Paul knew.

He didn't know if he could ever get rid of the fear of losing her. He knew If something would happen to Bella, he would fuckin die. There wouldn't be anything left for him. He knew it was fucked up in some sense, that it wasn't healthy to be so attach to somebody. But being with her had given his life it's meaning. It was nothing without her.

Paul was dragged out of his deep thoughts by a sneeze that came from the van and soon the sole reason for his existence emerged from the campervan rubbing her sleepy eyes looking fucking edible in his t-shirt.

"Do I smell coffee?" she asked.

AN:

If you want to know what Bella and Paul were cracking up about Google Fifty Shades of Grey Goodreads review and you should find Katrina Passick Lumsden's review. It is hilarious.