Soulmate

By Celia Crown

Warren didn't want a soulmate, and Sunny is an unwanted soulmate.

 

Life is not fair.

 

He has his happy ending within his reach, but he won't try. She was never given a chance at the fairy tale, but she wants it.

 

They are two different souls believing in different things, a chance at an unconventional love, and a forever waiting for them with a hurdle.

 

That's okay.

 

Fate isn't fair, either.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Celia Crown
• Release date: Apr 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223636083

Book preview

SOULMATE

___________________

CELIA CROWN

Copyright © 2020 by Celia Crown.

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction.

The book or any portion of the book may not be reproduced or used under any circumstances, except with the written permission from the author. Public names, movies, televisions, locations, or any references are used for atmospheric purposes. Any similarities and resemblances to alive or dead people, events, brands, and locales are all complete coincidences.

Contents

Soulmate

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilogue

Afterword

More Books

Soulmate

By Celia Crown

Warren didn’t want a soulmate, and Sunny is an unwanted soulmate.

Life is not fair.

He has his happy ending within his reach, but he won’t try. She was never given a chance at the fairy tale, but she wants it.

They are two different souls believing in different things, a chance at an unconventional love, and a forever waiting for them with a hurdle.

That’s okay.

Fate isn’t fair, either.

Chapter One

___________

Warren

It’s completely black when I unlock my home, and the warmth from the summer breeze breathes down my skin.

The residual smell of dinner has faded, and the noisy buzzing of crickets falls into silence when the door closes behind me. I stand still by the door, eyes flickering to the corners of my home as I drop my bag by the wall.

I’m tired. The flight back was rough with all the delays; a nasty storm trapped everyone in the airport, and then turbulence rocked the plane the entire trip. The car ride home was even worse due to the sudden blast of heat after the rain.

Sometimes I do hate summer.

I turn the living room light on and sort through the mail that’s sitting there. But my attention goes to the creaking of my bedroom door when my dog comes trotting out. His tongue hangs out as he greets me with a massive nudge to my leg.

I kneel and run my hands through the thick fur of my German Shepherd.

He doesn’t bark, but he does pant heavily.

Orion was a rescue dog before I brought him home. I’m not a big fan of pets, but I got Orion for more than companionship.

I got him because my sweetheart needed protection when the marines deployed me.

Sunny is the house sitter who looks after my apartment when I’m gone, especially during extended deployments. They leave my home vulnerable to burglaries and squatters no matter how secure this apartment complex is.

It’s a government-funded complex with security measures in place, but that hasn’t stopped some residents from having their homes invaded. This place is known to be filled with soldiers who are ready to be shipped off to other areas of the globe.

That’s where the service of house-sitters comes into play.

I have known my little sunshine since she was sixteen. Her grandfather was one of the most admirable Generals, and I looked up to him. But he was always away on duty, so Sunny would end up being home by herself.

He passed away when she was eighteen, and I took her in instead of letting her fend for herself in a world of greedy bastards.

She applied to be a house-sitter until she could find a more stable job. As a young eighteen-year-old girl, she was going to be in a house filled with strangers.

Not on my watch.

I had her watch my apartment and used Orion as an excuse to have her care for him as well. But Orion is here to protect her in case of emergencies.

I had known her for two years at that point and knew her quite well, given that her grandfather helped me learn things the marines didn’t teach.

The General didn’t live in the apartment complex like I did; he had his own home with his granddaughter.

The last I heard; his home had been sold by one of her uncles. The proceeds were split, and Sunny received enough money to sustain herself for a while.

If not, she has me to turn to.

When she was eighteen, I was deployed again.

I made her promise to take care of my apartment and Orion. While I know it was despicable, I ensured she would be exactly where I wanted.

I wasn’t about to let some college frat boy take her away.

Sunny is too inexperienced, a naïve little girl with no guidance since her grandfather passed away. I want the role of taking care of her, whether she wants it or not.

Now, two years later, at the age of twenty, she is still the sweetest girl I know. She continually sends photo updates with Orion through a secure network used by military personnel.

I admit I am a terrible owner; I look at every detail of Sunny before remembering I have a dog. Orion is working his way into my heart, and I never once regretted taking him home with me.

I guess it’s true a dog is a man’s best friend.

Did you take good care of Sunny for me, Orion? I ask while rubbing his fur.

I’m even talking to him like a human, that’s how much things have changed in me.

He pants and answers with a sharp yip. I can see from the shiny fur, healthy weight, and no visible injuries that Sunny also took care of Orion.

The old Warren would never have the patience to deal with people. I’m the type of man who keeps to myself. I have this intense dislike for human interaction and quickly feel silent rage.

I pull back to go through my mail again. It hasn’t been opened in the past week because I told Sunny that I would be back from my deployment then. I didn’t give her a specific time because I wanted to surprise her. Knowing Sunny, she was sitting in anticipation for the whole week.

She’s so endearing.

I flip through the mail and pick out the important stuff before tossing all the advertisements.

Some bills come by mail, but the utilities are paid automatically through my bank account.

I don’t want Sunny to stress about paying bills when she has classes to worry about. I keep all the letters she sends about her classes and the people she meets. Sunny befriends people but finds out later they are wild partiers: a not-so-good influence on her.

I taught her to trust no one and take what is said with a grain of salt. Stories of campus injustice are familiar, and I don’t want her to fall into that.

Since I hired Sunny directly as my house-sitter without using a middleman, I pay her directly for those services. I keep her occupied with lots of work, so she can’t even think about having a social life.

She made a friend near here, a girl named Heather, who goes to the same college but takes different classes.

It seems a lot of college students are using house-sitting as an easy way to make money. It’s a smart choice with less actual work while making money, but the risk is significantly higher.

Who the hell knows if the house belongs to a murderer?

Sunny went from being my General’s granddaughter to my friend and ultimately to my housemate. I don’t plan on stopping at that; the selfishness in my heart won’t let me.

I shut the living room light off, and my eyes adjust to the darkness while I move based on my recall of the layout. My bedroom door is ajar from Orion’s exit. The scent of something indescribably sweet fills my lungs as I step in.

The curtains are open as the moon shines through the windows. We’re on the first floor, and nothing is more dangerous than a perpetrator seeing a young girl through the glass of easy access.

I jerk the curtains closed with more force than I intended, and that startles her awake.

Her disoriented slurring words ripple through the room as I turn on the nightstand light. She winces and hides her eyes from the bright glare. The light shade of blonde in her hair tumbles over her bare shoulders as she turns her head.

You can’t sleep with the curtains open, I tell her quietly.

Sunny turns back to me with red-rimmed eyes and blinks several times before the happiness in them glows significantly.

You’re back! she squeaks with a grin.

Her arms wrap around my neck as she lunges at me.