Marcus continued to mumble as he drove all the way to Madera Drive. Was Annabel in trouble? Did she need his help again? Was she ill? He passed the short drive in a state of melancholy, until he pulled up and saw Rachel already waiting for him outside the café. Good thing it was a nice day. The little silver tables glinted in the sun, and the bright green umbrellas kept a little shade over the patrons. Getting out of the car, he waved and shouted, “Hi, Rachel.”
“Marcus, I’m so glad to see you.”
Marcus’s heart sank. “What’s wrong with Anna? Tell me.”
“Sit down. Do you want a coffee? My treat,” Rachel offered.
“Not yet. Besides, I should buy you one after being so rude the other night. Just tell me what’s wrong.” Marcus had an ominous feeling about this meeting. A cold shiver ran down his spine, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Why was Rachel smiling? It wasn’t nice to smile if something was wrong. “Marcus, oh forget about that and just sit down. There’s nothing wrong. Well, not exactly,” Rachel admitted.
He didn’t like the not exactly part. “Go on. I’m waiting.” He bounced his heel up and down beneath the table.
“Annabel is ill as such, but it will pass soon enough.”
Marcus reached for Rachel’s hand. “What do you mean she is sick? How sick? I mean, is she going to be all right?”
“Marcus, calm down.” Rachel smiled. It was just as she suspected. Marcus was totally and utterly in love with her best friend. “Before I tell you, can you answer me something honestly?”
“Of course.”
“Have you started seeing your ex again?” Rachel watched him intently.
“Heavens no, Rachel. I had to find her to tell her about—” But Marcus couldn’t say it; he presumed Rachel would know all about it anyway, and there was no need to speak about it further. His hand automatically touched his pocket. He still carried Emily’s picture with him. “Besides, it had been all Anna’s bright idea, and then she just walked away.”
“I know. That’s what I thought,” she said, nodding her agreement.
Marcus could see Rachel was hesitating. “Just tell me. It can’t be that bad, can it?” He braced himself for whatever it was.
“Annabel has morning sickness.”
He had no idea what Rachel was talking about. Everyone gets ill at one time or another. Then it hit him. “But that would mean…that would mean…” He stumbled over his words.
“Yes, Marcus, it does.” Rachel smiled at him.
He felt his heart fill. “I’m pregnant? Seriously? I mean, she’s pregnant. No, she can’t be. How did she get pregnant?”
“Do you really need me to explain the birds and the bees to you, Marcus?
Then he thought for a moment. “Is it mine?” What a stupid-ass question. Of course it isn’t yours. You’ve not seen her for a few weeks.
“Of course it is. My boyfriend examined her and said ten weeks. You do the math.”
“Where is she?” Marcus stood. All he needed was to know where to find her.
“She’s at home, Marcus.” It was all Rachel said to him, but he didn’t need to hear any more.
“Listen, Marcus, you two need to sit down and really talk. I know she’s hurting, and I don’t want to see her like this anymore.” Rachel’s tone carried a warning.
“But she left me, said to go and see Josie. I don’t know what possessed her to think I would take Josie back.”
“I don’t know, but you’re having a baby, and I am definitely not the one you should be talking to.”
Marcus was too overjoyed to pay much attention. Could Rachel be right? Could Anna be pregnant? But what if he lost them like he lost Emily? No, no, nothing could happen to Anna or his child. He loved Anna so much. It was time he told her instead of keeping his love a secret as he had for all these years.
“Thank you. Thank you.” He dashed back to his car. “Bye,” he shouted quickly over his shoulder. Annabel was pregnant, and it was his. Why hadn’t she told him?
It took him less than ten minutes to get to Annabel’s house. He hadn’t exactly obeyed the speed limits to get there, but if he had been stopped, he would have just said it was an emergency and hoped he would get away with it. He should have stopped off and got Annabel some flowers and chocolates or teddy bears and balloons. Isn’t that what expectant fathers give to the mother of their child? He had been too excited to even consider such a trivial thing.
Cautiously, Marcus went up to the bright red front door. Did Emily mind that he was going to be a dad again? What if she hated the idea? His soul was drowning as a tidal wave of guilt washed over him. Grabbing the lion’s-head doorknocker, he knocked several times.
Long torturous minutes passed, and no one came to the door. Was she in trouble? Wasn’t she in? The thoughts ran through his head like a bullet train. Just as he was about to give up, the door opened slightly.
“Marcus?”
Annabel stood there in a dressing gown, looking like she had done ten rounds with a garden hedge. “Can I come in?” he asked cautiously.
“I guess.” Annabel opened the door wider for him so he could enter her messy domain.
Marcus looked around, there seemed to be stuff everywhere, not at all like his empty shell of a home. “Just like the flat then.”
“I guess. Marcus, I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you doing here?”
“I’ve seen your friend,” he blurted out. “I know about the baby, Annabel.”
“Good news sure travels fast.” Annabel was incensed. “I thought friends were meant to be trusted.”
“Sweets, she only told me because she cares.” Marcus ran his hand down her arm.
“Look, I’m not going to interrupt yours and Josie’s life.” Annabel still held onto the open door. “Please, just go.”
She really did think that he had taken Josie back. This had to be sorted out before it was too late. Annabel’s eyes were puffy and red. He could see she had been crying.
“No, I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me.”
Marcus pushed the door closed, and Annabel didn’t have the strength to stop him. He was shocked at the paleness of her face, her skin lacked the glow that many people had when they were pregnant. Had she even eaten anything? Maybe he should have brought her something to eat, but he hadn’t thought things through properly. Maybe he should leave and come back with food? If he left would she let him back into the house?
“Marcus.”
“Look, Anna, you need to sit down.”
“I’m pregnant, that’s all.” But she allowed him to steer her into the front room.
Marcus sat her gently on the sofa, taking a seat beside her. “Listen, babe. I didn’t think that after Emily died, I could feel so alive again.”
Annabel stared at the floor. She wouldn’t look at him, but he could tell she was hurting just as much as he was. He’d hated hearing her say good-bye the first time, but he wouldn’t survive her saying it again.
“You brought me back.”
“How have I done that? You’re with Josie. Look, you can see our baby; I won’t stop you.” She paused. “Just go, please. I’ve had enough.” Annabel moved to the corner of the sofa, putting distance between them.
“No, I will go once you have listened to me.”
“There’s nothing to say. I’m sorry you lost your daughter, and it was wrong of me not to be there to talk to.” She looked out the window. “You have your wife back. You will be happy again.”
“Ex-wife,” he interjected. “I don’t want to be with anyone but you. I said you brought me back and you have.”
“I don’t understand. I—”
Marcus interrupted her. “You did that. The way you fought to keep the hospital ward open. You helped all those people at the service station.”
“I didn’t—”
“Yes, you did,” Marcus replied sternly. “You took charge whilst everyone else stood and looked on.”
“M
arcus, I did my job. That’s all, just my job.”
He was so proud of what she had done, how she had taken care of everyone including him. Annabel had never seen herself clearly, and this was no exception, but he was determined to make her change her mind about herself.
“You made me see that, although I had lost something precious, my life wasn’t over. I could live again, love again, and be happy. I imagine what she would say—‘Daddy, don’t be sad anymore.’ She said that all the time if I ever looked sad or upset about work. When I packed her toys away, I could hear her voice telling me everything would be okay.” He reached for her, but Annabel moved away. “I know I must sound like I’m crazy, but I’m not. If I need her, she is here in my head, my heart, in everything I do, and I want to make her so proud of her daddy.”
“Marcus, she would be proud of you. I wasn’t the only one to help all those people. You did too and helped raise all that money.”
Marcus looked shocked. “You knew about the sponsorship money.”
Annabel touched his face. “Of course, I realized when you told me what your daughter had—I knew.”
“I wasn’t sure if I should tell you. I hated to think that you considered our relationship payback for the money. No matter what I did, you were still so unsure of me, and I had to gain your trust without you feeling obligated.” Marcus was worried he was losing the battle. He wanted so much for Annabel to understand. Now was the perfect time to reveal the drawing he had planned to show her.
“Will this change your mind?” Marcus pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I found it by the Christmas tree.”
Confusion flashed on Annabel’s face. “Who on earth would have a Christmas tree up in July?”
“Me, at the house,” he replied sheepishly. “I couldn’t face taking it down, whilst all her presents lay underneath. That’s why I live in a hotel. The house is too empty.”
Annabel unfolded Emily’s drawing of a house and a family. A drawing of so much hope, so much love, etched onto the paper in bright colors. “Emily.” It wasn’t a question more a statement.
“She wanted a mum and a little sister. On the front of the envelope, she had written To Santa.”
“You and Josie could have more children,” she replied.
Marcus grabbed her shoulders. “There is no me and Josie! Aren’t you listening to anything I am saying?” Marcus stood and paced around the room. “I went to tell her about Emily, just like you told me to.” He slammed his hand down on the fireplace. “She wasn’t bothered. Didn’t care that my little girl was gone.” The grief that Marcus felt poured out of him. He had tried so hard to bottle it all up, hide it away in his dungeon of self-pity. He sat back down again right up against her. She shuddered, his beautiful Anna. “So you see, I was sent on a fool’s journey. I know it was only right she should know, but—”
“I thought…I thought I was just another—” Annabel tripped over her words. “It seemed so right, and then you told me. Grief makes people do stupid things.”
Marcus’s heart broke to see Anna so upset, so small. “Well, grief made this biker almost lose the best thing to ever happen to him.
“But you got your bike back.”
Marcus laughed heartily; this woman was going to drive him crazy. She was always so insecure and unsure of herself. “One day, sweets, you will see yourself clearly, and I intend to make sure you do.”
“I love you, but you didn’t—”
“Oh, sweets, I love you. I have always loved you.”
He felt Annabel wrap her arms around him. She held him close, but it felt all wrong. He should be holding her. Marcus removed her arms from around his neck and pulled her into his embrace. He watched how Anna curled up on the sofa with her head against his chest.
“You’ve always loved me?”
He stroked her back. “Yes, I even loved you that summer, except I was too stupid and immature to do anything about it. Then you walked away from me, and I had no idea why.”
“I thought you had walked away.”
“No, I wouldn’t do that to you. I admit I had done that in the past with other people, but you have always been special.”
“I just didn’t want you to think you made a mistake.”
“You were never a mistake.” To prove his point, he lifted Annabel toward him, brushing his lips against hers, then roughly claiming her. They kissed hungrily; all the passion and all the heartache they had experienced came out in their kiss. When they eventually came up for air, Marcus needed to tell her what he had found out about the hospital fraud.
“When I came home, I met Mr. Underwood and told him everything I had found out about the hospital funds.”
“What did he say?”
“Well, to be honest, he didn’t seem that shocked. He seemed to have an idea something was going on. Mr. Wild had been taking funds from the hospital, putting your ward at risk of closure.”
“So it was Mr. Wild. Has he been arrested?”
“Not just him, sweets, but, Mrs. Higginbottom as well.”
Annabel raised her head to look at him briefly. “Tell me you are joking?”
“I wish I was. They were in it together, as on company accounts you need two signatures.”
Annabel stared at him, her mouth open slightly.
“That way one partner is not committing fraud, but—”
“I don’t understand?”
“I will explain another day; right now I have more important things to think about.”
“What would that be?” she purred.
“Making love to you would be a good start.”
“I like that idea. I’m sorry. I thought you would get back with Josie.”
“There will never be a me and Josie again,” he replied softly. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? And besides, I just told you.”
“Maybe I need—”
“To hear it again? I love you and only you.”
“I thought—”
Marcus held her tight. “I know what you thought.” When he lifted her chin so she looked at him, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “I have only ever loved one person other than Emily, and she decided to walk out on me before I had a chance to tell her.”
“Who was that?”
“I will give you one guess.”
The tears she was holding back spilled. “I love you, so much it hurts.”
“Oh, Annabel.” He pulled her into his arms, her body wracked with sobs. He stroked her head and back as he held her tightly to him. They had wasted so much time when they could have been happy. He wiped her tears away gently with his fingers before crushing his mouth against hers. The sparkle he thought had extinguished was still there hidden behind all the pain and hurt and grew as he repeated, “I love you,” over and over.
“I never want to be without you. Emily was telling me she wanted a sister and a new mum, and you would have been perfect.” Everything was falling into place. “We can be a family.” He placed his hand on her stomach.
****
Annabel never thought she would feel such happiness again, and she wasn’t going to throw this chance away.
“You still want me?” Her voice shook from her crying.
“Of course I want you. Who could not?” He kissed her head. “Marry me, Anna?”
“Oh, Marcus, I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes would be a good idea.” He chuckled. “I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
“Yes, oh, Marcus, yes.” Annabel kissed him back, a slow lingering kiss full of so much promise and hope; they would have so much to look forward to. A whole new life to share. Everything that had happened had been worth it. Annabel had everything she had ever dreamed of and so much more. She wondered when the right time would be to tell Marcus the ultrasound showed twins!
A word from the author…
Charlotte McFall writes contemporary romance surrounded by her family, who are always a source of inspiration and amusemen
t. She would love to have afternoon tea with Jane Austen and Elizabeth Bennet, her favorite author and heroine. Originally hailing from Burnley, Lancashire, within the shadow of Pendle Hill, synonymous with the Pendle Witches, she now lives a stone’s throw from the beautiful Peak District. Writing isn’t a job for Misty, it’s a way of life—she couldn’t imagine not writing romantic stories.
Find out more at
word [email protected]
or join me on twitter @chazmac76
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