Marcus stopped just as they were about to ascend the steps in front of the big house. In the soft light from the lamp posts on either side of the stairs, she could see his tension had returned when he turned her to face him. For seconds he only studied her face, and then he said huskily, “If we want people to believe we have a normal, loving relationship, we have to behave like that.”
Annie frowned, “What do you mean?”
Marcus stood closer to her, so close that a piece of paper couldn’t fit between them. Annie’s heartbeat accelerated when he slid his hand under her hair and whispered, “This, Annie,” just before his mouth closed over hers. The kiss was soft, tender yet Annie could feel the effect in her toes. If she had not been wearing boots, they would’ve curled in pleasure, as the farmworkers often said.
She sighed when he lifted his mouth, but she didn’t open her eyes or move away. She heard Marcus groan then his other arm slid around her shoulders, pulling her still closer to him. When his lips touched hers again, it was as if something awoke in Annie. Her mouth opened underneath his, allowing his tongue to slip in and explore the deepest recesses of her mouth.
This kind of kiss was what Annie had been dreaming about all these years.
It was not a dream, however, although it felt like one until a sudden cursing behind Marcus rudely interrupted it.
Marcus lifted his mouth and Annie opened her eyes. They stared at each for a minute or two and then Marcus smiled, and Annie’s legs almost turned into jelly again. He turned them both to face Luke who scowled at them, “What the hell is this?”
Marcus smiled down at Annie before he teased his brother, “I believe it is what we call ‘kissing’. You should try it, Bro’.”
Luke grunted aggressively, “I know what kissing is. I mean, what the hell does this mean, you kissing Anne-Marie—like that. It’s wrong. We’re family.”
Marcus chuckled, “I can assure you, we’re not family, but we will be soon. You can be the first to congratulate us. Annie had agreed to marry me, so be here Sunday at lunchtime.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open when he stared from one to the other. “What the…,” he cursed. “When had this happened?” he asked, shocked.
“It had been coming for a while,” Marcus said. He stuck to the story he and Annie had agreed on only a short while ago. “At Christmas, we accepted that there was more than just friendship, more than being stepbrother and –sister, between us. When Kent attacked Annie, I didn’t want to wait anymore. I wanted to tell Annie how I felt, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her and our children. It took me a week to find the courage to do so. I’m just happy that Annie had accepted.”
Luke stared at Marcus and then turned to Annie, “Is this true?”
Annie glanced up at Marcus, noticing his almost tender expression when he smiled down at her. Wow, he was good, but if he could do it, she could do it too. She didn’t have to lie too much to Luke anyway. She wouldn’t lie to Luke. It’s Marcus that didn’t know the truth. She returned Marcus’ smile, and he pulled her even tighter against him. Leaning into Marcus, Annie pulled her gaze from him to face Luke. “It’s true. We see no reason to wait any longer. We’ve waited long enough.”
“Are you happy?” Luke demanded. “Really happy, Anne-Marie?”
Marcus’ hand rubbed over her arm, giving her more than comfort. Being with Marcus like this, feeling safe, Annie was happy. She didn’t lie when she replied, “Yes, I am. As Marcus said, this had been coming for a long time.”
Since she was fourteen, at least, she added silently. She had waited for Marcus for a long time, and now the wait was finally over.
Luke still shook his head. “I can’t believe it. I never saw this coming.”
“Probably because you had been gallivanting across the globe. And when you are here, you’re chasing skirts,” Annie teased.
Luke looked proud of that last fact and grinned, “Probably. So, what are the plans?”
Annie was grateful when Marcus took the lead. “It’s only Monday. We would like to have the ceremony before lunch on Sunday with only family, Meghan and Jennifer and a few other friends to be present. We hope Matthew can make it. Will you be here?”
“Yes, of course. I need to witness this before I can believe it’s happening,” Luke chuckled. He turned serious again, “What did Mum and Dad say?”
“We were on our way to tell them. We hope Dad and Anna won’t have any objections,” Marcus said.
Annie didn’t look forward to this part because they had agreed to tell their parents the truth. They deserved it. It was just the other people they didn’t want to let into the secret, not even their siblings. The fewer people knew the real reason for their marriage, the better. Kent couldn’t find out that theirs was only a marriage of convenience.
Luke nodded and said, “Okay. I need to congratulate you then. And good luck with the parents,” he added before he ran down the stairs.
Marcus grinned down to Annie, “That worked out better than planned. After the kiss Luke had witnessed, Luke couldn’t doubt it anymore.”
Annie flushed. Marcus was right. That kiss had a lot to do in convincing Luke that they were in love. She noticed Marcus’ eyes drop to her mouth as if he remembered it too. She felt the thrill of anticipation, wondering if he would kiss her again, but then he stepped back, taking her hand to lead her to the front door.
It was time to face the music. Annie would have preferred to stay out here with Marcus and continue with the kiss that Luke had so rudely interrupted.
Their parents were sitting in front of the fireplace, reading. Marcus could hear the television in the room next door, so he didn’t have to wonder where the children were. It was quiet, though, and it wouldn’t surprise Marcus if Maddie and Cody were asleep. The only one that might still be awake was Samuel.
Both their parents looked up when Marcus and Annie stopped in the doorway. Marcus squeezed Annie’s hand. He needed to get it over with, but he was not sure how it would go.
He discussed it with Marc yesterday, so his father knew about his feelings for Annie and his intentions. His father promised his blessings, but what about Anna? Did Marc confide in her? How did she feel about it? Marcus now wished he had spoken to Anna too, but now it was too late.
Marcus cleared his throat and announced, “It’s good we find you alone. Annie and I would like to talk to you,” as he steered Annie towards the couch. He waited for her to take a seat before he sat next to her, close enough so he could feel the comfort of her warmth next to him. They were in this together, and Marcus needed to know that she was close.
When Marc and Anna put down their newspaper and magazine, Marcus didn’t hesitate, “I spoke to you yesterday, Dad so this might not come as a big surprise. I’ve spoken to Annie tonight, and she had agreed to marry me. Do you, or you Mum, have any objection?”
Anna’s eyes widened. She turned to look at Marc. If Marcus hadn’t studied them, he might’ve missed his father’s almost imperceptible nod. Anna turned back towards them, studying their faces before she asked, “Why?”
Marcus stuck to the story he concocted, or as close to it as he dared to, “First, we’ll appreciate it if you could keep this conversation between us. We only want you and Dad to know why we’re getting married. We don’t want the family to know the real reason, nor the rest of the world. To them, we’ll be a normal, loving family.”
Marcus did not miss his father’s scowl. His father was still dead set against Marcus’ decision not to tell Annie how he felt, but Marcus worried that it would have the opposite effect. If Kent hadn’t arrived back in the country, Marcus might have, but he had seen what her ex-husband’s arrival did to her confidence. No, Annie needed time.
Anna studied him, then Annie and then her gaze settled on Marcus, “And what is the truth, Marcus?”
Marcus swallowed before he admitted, “Annie and I are getting married to help each other. We’re both single parents. Our children could enjoy having another parent in their lives. When we’re married, I can protect her and Maddie from Kent.”
“So, what would this marriage entail?” Anna probed.
Marcus flushed. He didn’t need to look at Annie to know that she had turned bright red. He might be close to forty, but he sometimes still felt like a little boy when Anna looked at him so sternly. He remembered their discussion from years ago and wondered if Anna could see through his ruse.
Marcus took a deep breath and exhaled, “We’ll have a normal marriage when Annie is ready.”
Anna studied Marcus’ face for a long time. Her eyes flitted to her daughter, who had said nothing yet and then she again turned to Marcus and demanded, “What if you meet someone else, someone you fall in love with and would rather want to marry?”
Yeah, Anna had seen through his ruse. He had become adept in phrasing it when he said, “If Annie meets someone else she’d rather want to be with, I will give her back her freedom.”
Nope, that didn’t satisfy his stepmother because she still insisted, “And what about you, Marcus? What if you meet someone else?”
This time, however, Marcus did not have to lie when he met Anna’s eyes. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve only ever loved one woman in my life. I need no one else.”
Anna stayed quiet for a long time, her eyes resting on Marcus. He almost squirmed but, she turned to Annie and asked, “Are you happy with this arrangement?”
Annie nodded, but her mother was persistent, “Annie, tell me the truth. Are you happy?”
Marcus looked down at Annie. His heart clenched when Annie looked up at him. Her eyes looked suddenly so sad. Why? What had caused that? Marcus couldn’t help it. He squeezed her hand, asking, “Annie, do you have doubts?”
She shook her head. Marcus still didn’t feel comfortable, and he persisted, “You can tell me if you want to change your mind, you know that?”
Hell, he hoped that she didn’t want to do that, but he didn’t want to force her into another unhappy marriage. No, he might need to work harder then, coming up with another plan. He exhaled when she took a deep breath before she said, “I don’t want to change my mind, Marcus. I want to marry you.”
She turned to her mother and said, “As you’ve heard, I am happy with the arrangements. You need not worry about me, Mum. This time I know what I’m doing, and I won’t change my mind. I want to marry Marcus.”
Her answer seemed to satisfy her mother because a small smile curled around the corners of Anna’s mouth when she nodded, “Then I’m happy to give you my blessing.”
As he exhaled, Marcus heard Annie doing the same. For the first time since they walked into the room, Marcus smiled when his father added, “You have my blessing too. I wish you all the happiness in the world. You both deserve it.”
Marcus wondered if everyone could see his relief and happiness when Annie looked up to him and smiled. Could Annie see it? She might, because for long moments they just looked at each other and smiled like the lovesick teenagers they once were.
Marcus had no doubt there will be moments in future that would surpass this one, but at that moment he accepted that he loved Annie, even more than ever before.
Both were oblivious to the knowing look their parents had shared.