Believe Series box set Read online

  “What would you like to eat, Megan?” Mark asks.

  “Anything, just no eggs or cheese. I am not allergic to anything to my knowledge,” I state.

  “Right, no eggs or cheese, so my special dish is out the window until after the baby is here. Pasta it is then. I do a lovely pasta dish with tomatoes.” I smile. The thought of food right now is making me feel sick.

  “Perfect, anything I can do?” I cannot believe what he just said. That means he intends to see me after “Bump” is here.

  “Yes, sit there and carry on looking beautiful.” I feel myself starting to blush. “I am not beautiful, Mark, but thank you.”

  Mark carries on going around the kitchen, getting the ingredients he needs for the meal, stretching and bending to get the things, and showing off his fantastic body. I cannot believe how lucky I am. He is not phased one bit by the distance or pregnancy. The smell of the food permeates the room with heavenly aromas. Mark places the cutlery, plates and glasses onto the dining room table, yet another large table. I know it must be for the size of his family. It must seat at least ten people. Mark continues to refuse my help.

  We sit at the table and begin eating Mark’s wonderful cooking. He has made it a bit spicy, but totally mouth-watering. “It is amazing, Mark. Who taught you to cook?” I question him.

  “My nanny, Annabella, from when I was a child. With my parents being busy at work, she brought us all up. She taught me to do everything, to be independent. She is my role model. I go and see her every week. She is retired now. You should come with me tomorrow. I would love for you to meet her and her to meet you. She will absolutely adore you.”

  Annabella sounds like a lovely woman. “She sounds amazing, Mark, a lovely role model for you,” I state.

  “She is lovely. She told us that as long as you believe in yourself, you can do anything in life. I believed in myself and had her as a huge support and look where I am. Please, come and meet her tomorrow at whatever time suits you.” I sit there, looking at my half-eaten pasta.

  I take a deep breath. “Mark, why do you want me to meet her? I am a nobody.” Mark takes hold of my hand. “Look at me, Megan.” I do as he asks.

  “Megan, don’t say that. You’re a loving and caring person. I want you to be happy. I intend to make you happy, either you accept it or not.”

  “I will come with you if you want me to. I am happy that she helped you believe in yourself. I might never have met you otherwise. It will be nice to find out all about the troublesome little boy you were.” I give Mark a cheeky wink.

  “Fate brought us together. I was an angel, never trouble. Okay, maybe I was trouble, sometimes. Thank you, baby. What time is best for you?”

  “I have plans with Jenny till around two, depending on how much talking we do. After that I am free.”

  “So, I will come get you from your hotel at say, three, giving you time if you are running late.”

  Mark lets me help him load the dishwasher. It is the least I can do after our lovely meal. I yet again turn down dessert, even though I have a very sweet tooth. I have to keep away from sugary treats; otherwise, I will end up being a beached whale. I cannot remember the last time I had a dessert. Mark goes off and gets some things he needs. I stand at the French doors in the lounge looking at the amazing view; this shows the other side of the house to what the view in his study is. There is nothing much in the garden at this side, just what appears to be a rose bush in the middle. Behind the garden, you can see the picturesque hills. Mark appears back in the doorway with a grey overnight bag; he’s wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt with a black jacket in his hand.

  “Hey, are you ready to go back to the hotel, beautiful?”

  “Are you talking to me? I am not beautiful. I am just me. Yeah, I am ready."

  “You are beautiful,” Mark firmly says as he moves closer, placing a little kiss onto my cheek.

  Mark continues to be a gentleman, holding the door open for me. The drive back to the hotel is illuminated by the stars shining down to light the way. The moon is so big and bright in the night sky. I can’t believe it is eight at night. Time has gone by so fast. Mark takes me up to my hotel room, leaving his overnight bag in the car.

  “Thank you for dinner. It was lovely,” I go onto my tip toes and place a kiss on Mark’s cheek.

  “You are very welcome again. When do you go home?”

  “In two days’ time, we leave at six p.m.”

  “Can you stay any longer?” Mark takes my hand, walks me over to the sofa, and we sit down.

  “I wish I could, but I have a midwife’s appointment at lunchtime the next day.”

  “Okay, what are you going to do with yourself for the rest of the night?”

  “No idea. Have you got work to do?”

  “No, why?”

  “You can come stay for a bit then if you want. You don’t have to.”

  Mark smiles, kisses me on the cheek, and walks out of the hotel room, without saying a word to me. I take off my shoes. Oh, I have wanted to do that all day. I hear the door open, and it is Mark with his overnight bag. He places his overnight bag on the side with my things. Taking out his folder, he places it onto the sofa.

  Hi Hun, How are you? Are we still up for in the morning? Have you heard from Mark? Xx

  Hi Jenny, I am okay. Yeah we are up for the morning. Yeah we have had dinner together. Mark cooked, back at hotel now with him. Xx

  The rest of the night I spend in Mark’s arms, watching him do some work and drawing. I cannot believe how talented he is. Time is going by too fast; it will soon be time for me to leave London and leave Mark. At least, I have two days with him. I get to meet Annabella tomorrow. I wonder if she will like me. Mark is asleep next to me on the sofa. His breathing so settled. I sit there watching him.

  “Mark, you fell asleep.”

  “Mmmm…” Mark opens one eye, looking at me.

  “Come on, sleepy. It’s bedtime.”

  “It’s your job to fall asleep, not mine,” he says cheekily.

  It’s only six in the morning. I don't know why I am awake so early, and I am not tired. I have no plans of waking Mark up this early. He is in the same attire as last night, and I am wearing his black T-shirt. I could get used to this. I watch Mark’s bare chest rise and fall. I pull the cover over him; I do not want him getting cold, even though I could watch his naked chest all night. Sitting up in bed, I check my messages.

  Hi Hun, can we cancel today? I have a sickness bug. Xx

  Hi Jenny, of course get well soon. Let me know if you want or need anything. Xx

  Thank you. Can you go with Luke, collect the rings and suits, I do not trust him on his own? Xx

  Of course I will. Message me the details and get some rest. Xx

  I do not know Luke very well. I know he is an actor, one of those actors that loves himself more than he loves others, and thinks he is the best at everything he does. I have enjoyed some of his films, but not because of him. He just happened to be in them. I might find out more about him today while we are out. I would prefer the day with Mark, but if I get going, I can spend more time with Mark.

  Hi Luke it’s Megan. Let me know what time and where you want to meet. X

  “Morning, beautiful.”

  “Morning, did I wake you?” I place my phone on the side, turning and facing Mark who is sliding himself up in the bed so he is sitting up.

  “No, you did not, baby. How long have you been awake?”

  “Over an hour.”

  “You should have wakened me.”

  “You looked so peaceful asleep. No point in us both being awake at silly times.”

  “True, so you’re off shopping with Jenny today?”

  “No, off with Luke. Jenny has a sickness bug, so Luke and I are off to collect the things.”

  “Oh, you have never mentioned Luke.”

  “Have I not? Luke is Rich’s best man. You will have heard of Luke, Luke Galloway. Yes, the Luke Galloway, the actor.”


  “Oh, wow! I loved his last film. You will have fun. Should I be worried though?”

  “Did you? I cannot remember it. No, Luke and I only met at the engagement party. He seems weird to me.”

  “Good.” Mark leans forward, placing his lips onto mine, “Mmmm… perfect lips you have, Megan.”

  “So do you, Mark. What time do you need to be at work?” I cannot let things get too far away. I am not going to sleep with him while I am pregnant. I know you can, but I do not want his first memories of us together having ‘little lady’ in the middle.

  “How about breakfast in bed, Megan?” Mark suggests.

  “I think I can do that.”

  Shopping with Luke could be fun. Luke is the same age as me, just famous and makes sure everyone knows about it. He has been acting for the last five years. I think he can sing too, from what Jenny has said about him. Mark treated me this morning to breakfast at a café then kindly dropped me off where I am meeting Luke. As always, Luke is late, just as Jenny warned me he would be.

  “Hi, sexy, you’re blossoming well.” Luke pulls me close in a tight hug.

  "Hi, Luke,” I reply in a pissed-off manner.

  “Right, do you have the list of what to do, sexy?”

  “Yeah, shall we get on with it?”

  “Indeed, sexy.” If he calls me “sexy” once more time, I will scream. Luke is cute, but he does not do anything for me. The next three hours we collect all the things on the list. Luke is actually so sweet, helping people, people who don't know who he is. He must call women “sexy” all the time, because he has not stopped all day.

  “That’s us done, Luke.”

  “Brilliant, sexy, finished with plenty of time to get to my business lunch date. Thanks for a good day. You definitely made shopping easier.”

  “Have a good lunch date, Luke. I’ll see you before the wedding.”

  “I hope we do. I can't wait to meet the ‘little lady’,” Luke replies.

  “Bye, Luke.”

  “Bye, sexy,” Luke pulls me in close, giving me another hug and placing a little kiss onto my cheek.

  Now, that everything is sorted for Jenny, and it is only lunchtime. With Luke having plans, it saves the “do we go out for lunch” decision. I think I am too nervous to eat. I can’t wait to see Mark, but I don't know if Annabella will like me. I am just a normal person; there’s nothing special about me. I choose not to let Mark know I have finished early and head back to the hotel to pick out what to wear. I am thinking hair down, leggings, ballet shoes, and a float top. Mark said I had to be me, not posh, so this will do. I change and settle down onto the sofa. There is just over an hour until Mark is coming for me, so I’ll relax here.

  Hi Megan, have you finished shopping? X

  Hi Mark, yeah we finished just after 12. I am at the hotel, changed ready to go.

  You should have said I could have finished early. X

  I know Mark, but you need to do some work. The hotel door is open, just let yourself in.

  I will do Megan. X

  “Hey, baby.”

  “You were quick. Did you get your work sorted?”

  “I was in the car in the parking lot. Yeah, it’s all sorted for now. You look very pretty, Megan.”

  “Thanks, will it do?”

  “Of course, let’s go.” Mark takes hold of my hand and places a little butterfly kiss onto my lips. Perfect, his lips are so soft.

  “Let’s go.” I grab my jacket and bag off to the side. The journey to Annabella's is in the same direction as Mark’s house. Annabella's house is a little house with plenty of grass. It has a little white fence surrounding the garden with a garage to the side. Mark parks up in front of the garage.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, let’s do this before I change my mind.” Mark gets out, opens the car door and takes my hand. We walk towards the house. There is a hanging basket full of flowers at either side of the door. He opens the door, and we walk straight in. A little black Labrador comes running towards us.

  “Hey, Jessie, awww… you are getting so big!” Mark goes down onto his knees.

  “You like that? You like your belly being rubbed? Awww, shall we go find Mummy?”

  Jessie seems to love Mark, licking him like crazy, so cute to see. Mark takes hold of my hand. “This way, I forgot to warn you about Jessie.”

  “It’s okay. She is cute.” The house is just like a normal house, no oversized stairs and some pretty pictures on the walls. We walk into the lounge. It has two dark brown three-seater sofas and a television in the corner with a dog bed in front of the big window. There is a big open fireplace with wood burning in it. I can see the fire is about to go out.

  “Hi, Annabella, how are you?”

  “Mark, you are here! I have been looking forward to seeing you and finally meeting Megan. I am okay.”

  “Annabella, this is Megan.”

  Chapter 9

  Annabella is an older woman. She is sitting in a high-backed brown chair in the lounge. She has white hair, which looks newly permed, and she has bright blue eyes.

  "Hello, Megan, it’s very nice to meet you. Mark has told me a lot about you. Please take a seat," she says as she points at the sofa that matches the chair she is sitting in. Smiling at me, she looks like a kind person, but as I have learned in my life, looks can be very deserving and deceiving.

  "It is lovely to finally meet you as well, Annabella. Thank you for inviting me." I can feel my heart beating so fast. I am far from being a confident person. When I first meet someone, I am very shy. It takes me time to relax and manage to talk. I take a seat on the sofa. Annabella reminds me of a sweet old Grandma. Mark never told me she was from America. She has the accent that gives it away. She must visit home multiple times a year to keep her accent. Mark is sitting on the floor, playing with Jessie. It is so nice seeing him happy and relaxed.

  "Are you having a nice time here? Would you like anything to drink?" Annabella asks.

  "It has been lovely. I’ve met Mark, which has been nice. No, thank you, I don't care for anything to drink." She is so sweet; I have a feeling this is going to turn out like a game of 100 questions.

  "Mark told me you are expecting your first child, a girl. What a big blessing!" she exclaims while her eyes look down to my bump.

  "Yes, I am. I can't wait. I hear you used to look after Mark." I do wonder what he has told her about me. I decide to change the questions onto her. I don't feel comfortable talking about where "Bump’s" father is with her.

  "No telling stories about me, Annabella," Mark adds with a cheeky smile on his face.

  "Oh, I want to know all these stories though." I wink at Mark.

  "Give me a minute. I have some pictures you can look through," Annabella says, rising from her chair.

  "That would be great." I smile, looking at Mark, who is tickling Jessie’s belly.

  "Oh, Megan, look what you have done." Mark rolls his eyes playfully.

  "Well, I need to see if you have always been cute." I wink at him.

  "I am not cute now, never was."

  "Oh, you are cute, Mark," I say teasingly. I can't believe I just openly said that out loud.

  "Here it is." Annabella walks back into the room slowly holding not one, but three photo albums.

  "A lot of photos you have there, Annabella. I hope there are a couple of good stories to go with them."

  "I am out of here. I'm not listening to this. I'll go walk Jessie." Mark stands up, kisses me on the forehead, and disappears out the door with Jessie.

  "I looked after Mark from a baby. He was three months old when I first met him. He had a good set of lungs on him, could scream for hours. Craig was two, and Mia hadn't even been conceived."

  "He was cute as a baby. I must admit I have a soft side for all children. I love babies. You must have had your hands full with all three of them."

  "I am used to having a lot of children around me. I have four children of my own. Three of them live in the USA, in Etowa
h, North Carolina. One is in England, no idea where. She doesn't want anything to do with me, because she thinks I love the children I have cared for more than I love my own. She does not understand that I came here and worked to have money to look after them. When I retired, Mark was kind enough to buy me Jessie and this place. He said it was the least he could do for me after everything I had done for him. He knew how much I had wanted a puppy. I always have.” I see a tear roll down Annabella's cheek. I would love to know more about her family, but I don't want to upset her anymore.

  "I have noticed he is very generous. He has spoken very highly of you," I inform her.

  "Megan, I have never known him to be like this about anyone. I have never met any of his past girlfriends or heard of any of them. He came and saw me straight after he met you at the bar." I cannot believe he's been talking about me. What has he been referring to me as...his girlfriend?

  "I am just worried, with the distance and a baby on the way that he is not going to want me. I do have feelings for him though." As I just admitted this to her, she is making me feel comfortable enough to be a bit open with her, and she must think I am strange.

  "How would you like to hear a couple of stories about Mark, while you look at the pictures?" Annabella asks. I think she can hear the worry in my voice.

  "I would like that, Annabella, very much." I give her a little smile.

  "Have you ever noticed the little scar on the bottom of Mark's right leg?" Annabella enquires.

  "I haven't." Does she know he has stayed with me? What she must think of me?

  "Mark was riding his bike down at the park they had in their garden growing up, just beside the little lake. There is a picture of it somewhere. He slid on the mud and went sliding down the grass into the lake, slit his leg open and got soaked. He came in, but I had not noticed he had cut his leg. Six stitches later at the nearest emergency room, he was back home on his bike. He didn't cry at all. He was very brave." Annabella smiles, while looking proud of him.

  "What a soldier he was," I add.