Bella never knew that a snowstorm could be so relaxing. Okay, she’d panicked at first. No connection to the outside world - to Ithemba, and not to mention the snow piling up outside, trapping them in their Alaskan cabin. In the end, though, it had granted them additional time to relax, just the two of them. But now, they were back home in Ithemba, reunited with the family, exhausted from travelling and happy to be home.
The day they returned was declared a day to relax. There was a huge time difference. South Africa was 10 hours ahead of Alaska, so the jetlag was a bit difficult for Bella to cope with. Still, there was no time to adjust. A day after they returned, it was back to work. They had a lot of catching up to do. “Is it me?” Bella asked as she and Nathan returned from the animal enclosures, “Or did all the animals get bigger?” Lions grew quickly, but even Kandula had grown. The little elephant was extremely excited to see Bella and Nathan again too. “It’s not just you,” said Nathan. “Our girls grew too!” “Yes! That I did notice.” She shook her head in disbelief as they continued walking towards their homestead again. Bella smiled as Nathan wrapped an arm around her lower back, pulling her close as they walked on. “I’m glad to be back home. Back in warm South Africa.” She chuckled. “Aww, don’t you miss the cold?” There was a playful sparkle in Nathan’s eyes as he glanced down at her. Bella chuckled. “There’s just one thing I miss about the cold weather.” She smirked at him. “But I’m not against experiencing it in South African heat either.” Nathan chuckled. "Is that the birthday girl's wish?" Bella smiled at her husband. "Right now, I have everything I could ever wish for. This birthday girl is more than happy today."
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“Almost there,” Nathan announced, that uninhibited smile gracing his handsome face again. He seemed so alive. It was something that Bella saw so often since they arrived in Alaska. Back home had become so busy, and at times rather stressful, as they prepared Ithemba for the dozens of changes. But out here, in the wilderness, in the cool, crisp air, all worries were forgotten.
Bella stopped and took a deep breath, leaning on her hiking stick. The cold air made her lungs burn a little, but it was still rather refreshing. Bella reached down and rubbed her thigh, not for the first time. Nathan gave her a look and Bella immediately noticed, pulling her hand away. “I’m fine.” “Let me know if you need to rest,” he said. “Nope. I’m good.” Bella smirked at him and continued along the mountain trail. Nathan chuckled and shook her head. “That’s my wife… Still stubborn as ever.” Bella grinned. “Yep.” Her old injury didn’t often bother her, but she figured it was the drastic change from the climate that she’d grown accustomed too combined with the physical exertion of the climb. Still, there was no stopping her. She wanted to make it to the top of the mountain. To gaze upon the Pacific Ocean from the high altitude. “Remind me to give you a massage when we get back to our cabin,” Nathan told her. Bella wasn’t about to deny the physical contact. Not while they were away from the kids and had all the time in the world to explore their passions, sleep in, and even stay in bed where it was nice and warm. “I’d love that,” she said. Eventually, they got to the top and Bella gasped at the beautiful view. “Wow…” she said. She placed down her stick and stood near the edge of the mountain with Nathan right beside her. “We did it! Remember the first time we went hiking together?” She saw a spark of amusement appear on Nathan’s face. “Just forget the part where I hurt myself as we were returning.” “Hey at least we made it to the top of the mountain without any injuries… from either of us.” Bella thought back to Mexico where Nathan’s shoulder had been impaled by the stick. To this day, Nathan still had the scar. It was one of many things that reminded them of where they came from and where they were today. Bella’s leg was in the past, and even when it bothered her, she was so grateful to still be having adventures with the love of her life. She wrapped her arms around Nathan and brushed her lips against his. “So…” she said. “Which Alaskan adventure should we tackle next?” Bella had expected the Alaska that was always shown on television and in movies. The frozen tundra, polar bears, mile-high snow…
Instead, Nathan had introduced her to a woodsy area with just patches of snow. The rough naturalistic settling that surrounded the cabin in which they were staying was absolutely perfect. Bella made a mental note to take lots of pictures for her family. For now, the girls were in their aunty Belie’s hands, but as Nathan and Bella didn’t want to overwhelm the new mother, they’d made a call to Rosa who was more than happy to visit South Africa and spend time with her granddaughters. Nathan could probably see that far-away look in Bella’s eyes as she wondered if the girls were missing them. “The girls will be fine,” he said with a charming smile. "Relax." He placed more logs in the fireplace while Bella sat, shivering underneath a thick quilt. “You know me so well,” Bella said. “Come, come…” She signalled for Nathan to join her on the couch. Alaska’s frigid temperatures brought so many opportunities for cuddling. As Nathan joined her on the couch, Bella pulled the covers around both of them. “This is really perfect.” She glanced around at the cabin. They had many plans and adventures for the upcoming days of their vacation, but tonight was strictly for cuddling. Bella shuddered once more. “No worries,” said Nathan. “The hearth will warm us up soon enough. But until then…” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “There’s one surefire way to warm up. It requires taking your clothes off though.” Bella burst out laughing, though she knew that it was actually legitimate. Skin to skin contact got the job done best. She could think of a few other benefits too. “Alright” she said, pretending to be reluctant. “But I’m so cold. You might have to help me out of these clothes.” Nathan smirked at her as his hands slide up her side underneath the blanket. “I’d love to help you with that.” “I did it!” Bella exclaimed, jumping up from the chair in the home office. She ran to the kitchen where Nathan was working on dinner. “I passed everything. I’m graduating. I just got an email from the uni.”
Nathan responded to her with as much excitement. "I didn't have one doubt in my mind that you could do this," he told her. After all her hard studies, late nights, and most difficult: the time away from her family, Bella had succeeded in earning enough credits to get her Doctor of Veterinary medicine degree. There was, of course, still a matter of passing the written licensure examination, but Bella was sure she could pass that with both hands tied behind her back and her eyes blindfolded. Perhaps it was cocky to think that way, but she felt prepared. After all, she’d been working with Nathan for years. In a few days, Christmas would be here, then Nathan’s birthday, then the new year. They hadn’t arranged any plans for their desired trip to Alaska but now they could. Now Bella had the freedom to travel without having to take school books or notes from class. The exclamations of excitement between Nathan and Bella soon drew the attention of the twins. Eryn and Mya came running into the room, excited as their parents, as if they knew what was going on. It wasn’t until Bella lifted Mya into her arms to spin her around that the young child asked, “Why are we happy?” Bella beamed from ear to ear. “Mummy did really well in school, so now I don’t have to take any more classes. I can be home with you girls, and daddy too.” She winked at Nathan and set Mya down, only to have Eryn jump into her arms. “Oef!” Bella exclaimed, catching the 4-year-old. She chuckled and hoisted Eryn onto her hip. “You girls are getting way too big, you know that?” she asked. The good news was that now she’d be around to see their every growth spurt. The end of the school week for Bella had finally arrived. It was perfect timing too since the following day was hers and Nathan’s wedding anniversary. 6 years… It was unbelievable how quickly time had seemed to flown by, yet a lot had happened. Between classes, Bella snuck into town to buy a bottle of red wine and some chocolates. They’d already been loaded into the car for her trip home after class that night.
As always, the drive home was long. This time, however, it seemed longer than usual. Bella kept glancing at the time. 22.00, 00.00, 03.00… It was such a relief to be home again. Ithemba was mainly silent at night. They didn’t have any nocturnal animals, and no creatures needed to do any hunting. Bella parked her car and glanced towards the guesthouse where Belie and Athena lived. Soon, there were be more “guest homes” (dormitories, really) added to their land. Unbelievable… Quietly, Bella grabbed the wine and chocolates from the passenger’s seat and got out of the car. She walked into the house and slipped her shoes off. Inside, all was silent. Everyone was, no doubt, fast asleep. With soft footsteps, Bella padded towards the bedroom. Nathan was fast asleep, the minimal illumination of the moonlight shining through the window, revealing a peaceful look of restfulness on his handsome face. Bella almost felt bad to wake him up. Almost. Her shirt was already thrown off before she crawled into bed and leaned over him. She trailed a line of soft kisses from his collarbone, up his neck, and by the time he’d awoken, she claimed his lips. She glanced at the clock, it was after 3am. Then she turned her attention back to Nathan as recognition sparked in his eyes and a dreamy smile melted onto his lips. “You’re home,” he said quietly. “Mm-hmm.” Bella smiled and claimed his lips once more, feeling his strong arms wrap around her waist. “Happy anniversary, love. It was still so weird: Belie legally had a kid. A girl. It was official, Nathan was far outnumbered by girls. Athena’s presence was a mix of emotions for Bella. The 5-year-old looked like Aelin, but she definitely possessed some of Eli’s features. Sometimes, when the little girl was thinking deeply about something, she looked like a female version of Bella’s late brother. Gods…
Belie had panicked - A full-blown nervous breakdown - just before Bella left for school. She’d asked what she would do with a little girl, why Eli had chosen her as kobemother, why she’d agreed, why she’d adopted. She’d admitted that she didn’t think she would make a good mother. That she’d never intended to have kids. Somehow, Bella had managed to calm her step-sister down and assure her that she was already doing a great job. “You’re not alone,” she told her over and over. “You and Athena are family.” If there was one thing that was certain, Eryn and Mya were beside themselves with excitement. They enjoyed having another little girl to play with. Athena was 5, the twins would turn 5, and after Eryn had asked about “kiddie garden”, Nathan and Bella had discussed it. Perhaps it was time to hire someone to homeschool all three girls. Nathan and Bella were more than capable, but sometimes Ithemba demanded too much for them to play the roles founders, veterinarians, parents, /and/ teachers. For now, though, while they didn’t have a private teacher, Bella took matters into her own hands. After her three days at school in Jo’burg, she went shopping in the town. She returned home that night with bags and bags of goodies for the kids. They weren’t the usual sweets and toys, they were learning supplies: flashcards, books, leapfrog tablets with educational games for kids, and lots of posters that could fit into a ‘classroom’. Perhaps, for now, it’ll go in the playroom, but it was definitely a start. |
Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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