United State of Love by Sue Fortin Read Free Book Online Page B

managed to get her home in one piece.
    ‘Here, let me,’ said Mark, kneeling down and gently pulling each of her boots off in turn.
    Anna put her head back into the headrest and closed her eyes. It felt like her brain was swaying all on its own to the James Blunt track
You're Beautiful
that Mark had just put on. She was aware that Mark had sat down on the sofa beside her, but she kept her eyes closed and hummed to the music. Mark began humming too, which was most unlike him. She opened one eye and glimpsed sideways at him, sitting back in the same position as her. He looked at her and a big grin spread across his face. They looked at each other for a second and then they both burst out laughing.
    ‘Stop it,’ Anna grinned. ‘If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were taking the mickey out of me.’ She gave him a playful tap on the arm.
    Mark caught her hand in his. ‘As if I'd do a thing like that.’
    There, her hand was doing it again; it wasn't paying any attention to the warnings. Her hand was certainly being defiant. Anna closed her eyes again but opened them as Mark lifted her hand to his lips.
    For a second, all the years of heartache fell away and a brief image of them on their wedding day, happy and smiling, flitted in front of her. Love and treachery went hand in hand with Mark, as immediately this image was replaced with the memory of his betrayal. This was certainly a sobering thought, in more ways than one.
    Quietly and with an apologetic smile, Anna withdrew her hand. Mark gave a resigned half smile.
    ‘You're probably right,’ he said softly.
    Anna nodded, shifting slightly in her seat to face him, resting her head on her hand.
    ‘Why
are
you back, Mark?’

Chapter Six
    Anna awoke the next morning with a thumping headache. It felt as if the whole cast of
Riverdance
were performing in her head, and her mouth tasted like it had an old sock stuck in it. It was a few seconds before she remembered the events of the previous evening. She groaned inwardly as she began to put together fragmented memories that came to mind, not necessarily in the order of events, but it didn't take her long before she got to
that
moment on the sofa with Mark.
    ‘Shit,’ she said aloud as she remembered him saying that he had come back for her. That he missed her, and could they possibly give things another try? It had poleaxed her. She hadn't known what to say, but somehow through the haze of the alcohol she had managed some clarity and had suggested they talk about it when they were both sober. Okay, she was buying time, but she needed headspace.
    She reached over for her mobile and saw a message from Luke. It had come in last night, after she had gone to bed. A simple message saying goodnight and that he loved her. Anna sent one back, asking if he was okay, and to let her know if he needed picking up later.
    Tentatively, Anna swung her feet onto the floor. She needed a cup of tea. It was then she remembered she was supposed to be taking her nephews out that morning. ‘Oh no,’ she groaned, but knew she couldn’t let Zoe down.
    Pulling on her dressing gown and making her way downstairs, Anna was relieved to find Mark had already left. She didn't want to face him yet.
    Zoe opened the front door to a rather delicate looking Anna.
    ‘Blimey, you actually look worse than me,’ Zoe croaked through her soggy tissue. She stood to one side to let Anna come in. ‘I take it whatever you ended up doing, you had a good night?’
    Anna grunted and began to shake her head but stopped abruptly. It hurt too much. Her barely intelligible response to Zoe reminded her of Luke. Hell! When did she morph into her teenage son? ‘My head is killing me,’ she groaned and looked at herself in the hall mirror. ‘God, my eyes look like burn holes in a blanket.’
    ‘I'll put the kettle on.’
    The clattering of feet on the wooden floor and the shrieking of three excited boys pierced the air.
    ‘Aunty Anna! Aunty Anna!’
    ‘Yay! We're