Believe Series box set Read online

Oh Megan, my head kills. Xx

  Haha, Jenny, you went onto shots with Michele. What do you expect? Xx

  Oh no, How is she? Xx

  Throwing up for the 6th time in 40 minutes. So rough. Xx

  Haha, unlucky. I’m never drinking again Megan. Xx

  I have heard that before. Xx

  Well this time I am serious. I’m going to die on the sofa all day. I’ll txt you later. Xx

  Have fun. If you need anything txt me Jen. Xx

  “Jennifer?” I hear, slowly opening my eyes.

  “Jennifer?” Oh my, I slowly sit up and glance over at the clock. It’s ten in the morning. Oh no.

  “Jenniferrrrrrrrrrr.” I walk to the front door and unlock it.

  “Oh, you’re alive then.” I glance up.

  “Yes, I’m alive, Uncle Dave,” I say, moving to the side. Uncle Dave is a tall, slim man with no hair. He started losing his hair before he turned thirty. His eyes are a hazel colour, not like any other family member’s eye colour.

  “So, you’re hungover?” He questions before sitting down on the sofa.

  “I was,” I state.

  Uncle Dave makes himself at home as usual. He is my mum’s brother. He has always been a father figure in my life. At one time, my dad was really close to me, adored me, talked to me, and just spent time with me. When we lost Martin, he became different. I spoke with Mum a while back over who to give me away at the wedding. She spoke with Dad, and he said he would be happier if his brother did it. Nothing better than knowing your own dad blames you for his only son’s death. I asked Uncle Dave the other day if he would give me away. He said yes and we agreed to discuss the details later. But, why today? Luckily, he did not come around too early. I don’t think I’m in the mood to talk too much.

  Chapter Six

  28 Days to Go

  Today is my final dress fitting before the big day. I had the dress sent here by courier from the bridal shop in London. I did not bring it up myself; otherwise, Rich would have seen it before the wedding. I had it delivered directly to the shop that carries the bridesmaid dresses I chose. We spent hours dress shopping around here, but never found the dress that was the one. Even though I had no particular dress in mind, I just did not want anything straight up and down. I wanted a little bit of sparkle and something to enhance my chest, but not a dress so large that I could not walk through the doors, or one that made me look like a toilet roll cover. I have to keep Rich happy. Megan found a little boutique in London on the internet, so we checked it out. It was the best decision I made.

  I remember walking into this little boutique wedding shop down a little alleyway and seeing the most beautiful dress hanging on a manikin in the middle of the store. There was an array of dresses hanging around the room on rails, but this one stood out above all the others. I walked straight up to the dress and touched it. It was absolutely perfect.

  “Megan,” I said, turning to face her.

  “That’s the dress, that’s your dress,” she said with a big smile.

  “Good morning. Welcome to Hope Boutique. My name is Caroline,” A tall, older lady with long grey hair said while coming to greet us.

  “Hi, any chance my friend can try on this dress?” Megan questioned.

  “Of course,” Caroline answered with a smile.

  The rest of the day is a bit of a blur to me. I followed Caroline into the fitting room, and she assisted me into the dress. I remember slipping it over my head with Caroline fastening it at the back before pulling it out at the bottom so it flowed just right. The dress was a perfect fit, no alterations needed. This can’t be right? Most dresses don’t fit like this the first time. I took a deep breath before walking out of the fitting room and into the main room where Megan stood. Her mouth instantly dropped.

  “You look like a princess,” she stated with a wobble in her voice.

  “Really?” I questioned.

  Megan nodded her head, unable to speak. I saw tears rolling down her check. That was the moment I knew for sure this was the dress. The one.

  The purpose of today’s dress fitting is to make sure everything is right. I am so eager to try it on one last time before the wedding. It’s going to be the first time since Lucy was born that Megan will be in her dress. She has worked hard to get her figure back quickly. She has lived off a rabbit food diet as she calls it. She never drank at my hen do either, but I think that might have something to do with Lucy. I get to see them both in just under an hour. I fling my hair into a loose bun and add a necklace that’s the same length as my wedding one. I grab my keys and jacket as I walk to the door to leave. I am so excited I feel like a child at Christmas.

  *****

  I stand by my car. It is only a two-minute walk from the shop, and I am twenty minutes early to meet Megan. Everything is done by appointment times in the shop, so I have to wait here for her. I check my mobile.

  Hi Jen, I’ll be there in 5. Xx

  Hi Hun, can’t wait Xx

  I have a little time to wait. There is a shop beside the wedding boutique that sells iced fruit drinks. I decide to take up some time and get one for Megan and me. Megan loves them. They are the best thing to keep her in a good mood. Lucy is too young for them, but I bet she will be like her mum and love them when she gets older. I walk to the counter and wait for the attendant.

  “Good morning, Miss. What can I get you?” The tall brunette man asks, displaying a full smile across his face.

  “Two diced red fruitiest, please,” I reply.

  “To take out or sit in?” He questions with a voice so sweet and brown eyes so intriguing they are giving me butterflies.

  “To take out, please.” I take out the money from my new purse and pass it to him. Our fingers touch and the hairs on the back of my neck alight. He drops the change into the palm of my hand. I move over to the side while he makes them.

  I can’t help myself from watching him work. He bends down to the fridge then stretches high to the cupboard. Oh, wow! He is so cute and looks in fantastic shape from the back. He is wearing a black shirt, not the normal uniform that everyone else in the shop wears. The staff normally wears a baby blue t-shirt displaying the company’s logo. I wonder if he is new. I’ll definitely be coming here more often if he is.

  I shake my head. Get out of it, Jenny. You are marrying Rich.

  A man wearing the company shirt walks past me and straight over to the man.

  “Mr. James, what are you doing here?” He questions him.

  “I just popped in to drop off those folders,” he replies, pointing to some black folders on the side. “You were really busy, so I thought I would help out for a bit, Mat.”

  “Thank you, Mr. James,” the man says, looking worried.

  He finally has a name. Mr. James walks over to me, carrying one drink in each hand and placing the two clear plastic holders on the table.

  I gaze up at him. “I’ll just get you a holder for them, Miss,” he states, turning around and bending to get one. Oh, wow! What a close up view! He is wearing a pair of black jeans that show off his amazing arse.

  “Here you go,” he says, placing them into the holder and fastening it. “What colour straws would you like?” He questions.

  “Any.” I don’t care about the colour of anything right now.

  “Pink it is. All females like pink, or so I have been told.” He places the straws alongside the drinks and winks at me.

  “Thank you,” I state, taking hold of the carrier.

  He is very attentive to me. I normally never get this kind of treatment. The attendants usually order the drink then pass it to someone else to make. Today, the shop is really busy, but Mr. James pays attention to me longer than usual. I walk through the crowd of people, taking a sneaky glance back, to see that Mr. James is still looking in my direction.

  Pushing the door open, I notice Megan standing against the wall with Lucy in her pram.

  “Hey Meg, how are you?” I ask while walking towards her.

  “Hi, I
thought you would be in there. I’m good,” she says, giving me a hug.

  “Here you go,” I state, giving her one of the drinks.

  “Are you ready?” She asks.

  “Of course.” We stand outside sipping our iced drinks while we wait for my appointment time. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mr. James walking down the little alleyway to where the cars are parked. I turn slightly to watch him. He walks straight over to the posh black car that’s parked beside me and climbs into it. I shake my head and turn to Megan.

  “Let’s go.”

  We walk over to the bridal shop and open the door.

  “Good morning, Miss,” the lady says. “I’m Olivia. You must be Jenny.”

  “Yes, I’m Jenny and this is my maid of honour, Megan,” I say, pointing to her.

  “Shall we get on? Who’s first?” She asks.

  “Megan goes first. I’m dying to see her in her dress.”

  Megan heads off with Olivia while I take a seat on the white circle sofa in the middle of the room with Lucy in my arms. The circle sofa is unique with an open middle section enhanced with different accessories on it. Megan told me earlier that Lucy has been a little fussy today and has spent most of the past twenty-four hours crying. She wonders if it could be the start of teething.

  This shop is stunning. Its walls are painted a light red colour and feature full-length mirrors all around the fitting area. There is a thick, cream coloured curtain behind the front of the shop so people cannot see inside. Two side walls showcase the selection of dresses the shop boasts.

  “Wow! Megan you look fantastic!”

  “Thank you, it fits,” she says with a huge smile covering her face.

  The dress is a dark pink colour with a sweetheart neck and floor-length bottom. It is not made out of anything clingy, so it floats. On the right side of the dress just above the hip area is a little flower in the same colour with a hand-stitched diamond inside. It looks absolutely stunning on her. The other bridesmaids’ dresses are the same colour, but differ with a halter neck and flower located on the other side. Megan’s dress needs to stand out, but not be too different from the others.

  Chapter Seven

  20 Days to Go

  I have spent the past several days running ragged at work. Today is the first day in over a week that I have gotten to do anything for the wedding. The last two days for me have been spent in bed with a viral infection, the first one that has knocked me down in a while. That is part of the joys of being a nurse, I guess. I am so excited that it is nearly time for me to say “I do”. I will admit that I am worried something will go wrong. Rich is still distant with me. He has spent so much more time away from home, going for longer runs after work, eating and then heading straight to bed. He has continued his morning routine, but now he changes in the bathroom, away from me. His behavior grew more indifferent when he came back from his stag do, which consisted of paintball with the lads. That was the first time he had been anywhere near Chad since he opened up over kissing Megan. I still play the conversation in my head.

  “Why did you kiss Megan?” I shouted as I jumped into the car.

  “I don’t want to talk about it, Jenny,” Rich replied, looking down at his legs.

  “You have to tell me! We are getting married soon.” I paused. “Or did you forget that and think you can kiss anyone you want whenever?”

  I sat there, looking at him as he placed his hand over his face.

  “Just tell me why!” I snarled.

  “I was scared,” Rich said. I heard the worry in his voice.

  “Of what?” I paused. “Please tell me, Rich,” I pleaded and placed my hand on his back.

  Rich shrugged.

  “Do you not love me anymore?” I asked while my eyes began filling with tears.

  “I do, I think I do, I was just confused,” Rich replied, turning around to face me.

  “Go on.”

  “I kissed Megan to see if I had feelings for another woman.”

  “Why? Why Megan?” I questioned. Tears begin rolling down my face.

  “I love her.”

  “What?” I asked, unclipping my seat belt.

  “I loved her, or I thought I did. I did not feel anything when I kissed her.” He paused. “I am so confused.”

  “Why?”

  “I have feelings for a man.” He paused. “I think I do.”

  I opened the car door to get out. Rich took hold of my arm, stopping me from leaving.

  “Let go!” I yelled.

  “No, Jenny, we can sort this.”

  “Not if you’re a flipping gay boy!” I yelled as more tears streamed down my face.

  “Jenny, I was drunk. I have never been around him since.”

  “Who?”

  “Chad,” he replied as he kept a tight hold of me.

  “He is straight. Right?”

  “Yes, but we got drunk and close. I felt something.” Rich pulled me close and forced a kiss on me. I used all my strength to push him off me. I didn’t want him anywhere near me. Rich kept tight hold of my wrist. “I love you. The feelings I have for you are more than I have for him. I love you more than anyone, than life. You are my world, Jenny.” He paused, “Please forgive me. I said nothing happened. It was just a feeling, a feeling I never acted upon. I never will act on it. I can’t be without you. Please, Jenny.”

  I took a deep breath. “Take me home.” I needed to get home. I needed time to think. I didn’t know what to do.

  Later that night, we sat and talked through everything. Rich recounted the entire story. He had been at Chad’s twenty-sixth birthday party. They had been drinking all night at a strip club, and I knew that’s where they were. I trusted Rich enough to know he was not going to do anything stupid. Well, I thought I did. He told me that someone started a fight on them, and Chad pulled him close out of the way so he wouldn’t get hurt. They ended up really close.

  He said, “It just felt right. It felt like we should be close. At the time, it was like the world stopped, leaving just the two of us.” He paused and turned towards me. He placed his hand on my knee and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry?” I questioned.

  “Yes,” he answered, tilting his head down to the floor. “I know I shouldn’t have done it, but you know as much as I do, when something feels right, you act on it. That’s how we became an item. That moment with Chad…it felt right. I felt like I was doing the right thing. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted everyone to disappear.”

  I spent the rest of the night wanting to be away from Rich, but he was not going to have that. I agreed to sexy time with him, so he would stop worrying as much. I did not want it, and definitely did not want to be near him, have him touch me or anything dealing with him. Once he fell asleep, I took a long shower and washed everything off me. That night I slept on the sofa alone.

  After a few days break, Rich came back to the flat we shared at the time. He had seen Chad and talked everything out with him. He was definitely over it all. He spent the next few days helping me with wedding plans and going back to the normal Rich, the man I fell in love with, the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. My Rich.

  I think I will always worry a little bit that something did happen. I think I would rather not know, though. I chose not to tell Megan; I cannot have her worrying over this. Yes, she is my best friend and like a sister to me. I know she wants to do what is best for me and protect me, like I do with her. I just hope Rich and me are sorted now, that Chad is history in the love life side. I know they are still friends. I never asked him about Chad when he came back from the stag do. I do know they all got drunk, like men always do, and Chad was in some of the pictures, but never mentioned.

  Today, I’m going to write all the name place cards and match them to the seating plans. I love being able to write in calligraphy. It is such an easy thing to learn and looks so nice and pretty. It saves a lot of time and money being able to do the little bits myself. I switch on the stereo and get eve
rything set up to begin writing.

  Finishing touches are the best.

  Chapter Eight

  Today seems to be going by quickly, and I don’t have enough time to accomplish everything on my list. Rich finished work ten minutes ago and should be home soon from his twenty-minute run, only to leave for a thirty-minute run later. He only worked until lunch time, so I thought it would be nice if we could just relax and have fun like we used to do.

  “Jennifer?” Rich yells as he comes through the door, slamming it behind him.

  “Yes, I’m in the front room,” I reply. Rich never uses my full name. He hates it and feels that it is old-fashioned. He has never used it during the entire time we have been together.

  “What are you doing?” He asks.

  “Name place cards, seating plan and other stuff,” I state, turning to face him.

  “More fucking wedding stuff?” He storms out of the room. Something must be wrong. I have never seen his eyes so cold before.

  I get up from the floor and follow him up the stairs. I walk into our bedroom to find Rich sitting on his side of our bed. The window is wide open and his mobile and keys lay to the side of him on the bed. His head is tilted towards the floor.

  “What’s wrong?” I enquire as I walk towards the bed.

  “Go away,” he says in a calm manner with his head still pointing down.

  “No, what’s wrong?” I climb onto the bed behind him and crawl to him.

  “Nothing,” he says in a sharp tone.

  “Yes, there is,” I state, remaining calm.

  “Everything,” he replies, lifting his head up and staring out of the window.

  “Talk to me,” I demand.

  “The wedding, work, Chad, Luke, everything!” He is shouting now.

  I take a deep breath. Why did he have to say his name? “Let’s start at the top. The wedding.”

  “It’s taking over our lives.” He turns on the bed to face me.

  “I know, but it will be worth it. It will be over soon,” I state.