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 Etowah, 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.

"Oh, this one time, Mark came home from school all excited to tell me what he had learned. They had been to a farm on a trip. He was so happy that he couldn't wait to tell me the animals he had seen, like goats, chickens, horses, all the normal farm animals. He also saw a pig and a cow… 'a pink cow', so he said."

"He must have been so excited."

"He went on about it for days. He drew pictures and everything." I can't help but smile.

The next half an hour seemed to fly by so quickly. Annabella tells me even more stories about Mark, him running around the garden naked and fighting with his brother over who gets the bread crusts. I have so many things I can use now. Annabella is so nice and so easy to talk to.  I can see why Mark likes her so much.

"Megan, remember one thing.” Annabella takes hold of my hand, looking directly at me. “Everything happens for a reason. You must believe in it and trust that it will work out."

"Thank you, Annabella, I think Mark has gotten lost."

"Mark normally takes Jessie for a run when he is here. I can’t go as far with her as he can.”

"We're back." Mark comes into the room with Jessie who flops down in front of the fire.

"Did you have a nice time with Jessie?" I enquire, looking directly into his eyes.

"We had a fantastic time! We best be off, Annabella. I need to pop by the office," he says, taking out his phone from his pocket.

"It was great to meet you, Megan," Annabella says, smiling at me.

"And you, too. Thank you, Annabella, I hope to see you again."

We say our goodbyes and head off to the car.

As we head to the car, Mark points out a greenhouse at the side of the building, a simple little brick building with multiple glass windows. Only the frame is not glass.  I can see flowers growing in it.

"I remember spending numerous hours in there when I was younger.  I would go in there to escape."

"Aww, escape from what?" I ask.

"I shall tell you at some point. I want to get you back where it is warm." I get into the car, not asking any questions. Maybe I shouldn't ask questions yet.

"Don't you be planning on using any of what Annabella said against me, Megan!"

I giggle. "Would I do such a thing?"