by Katie Dowe
"It's Mark, Mrs Fraser." Mark knew the answer already and told her without hesitation. "I want to be there for the baby. And I want to be there for Charli. But it's up to her if she wants me in her life, financial support and all that. I won't rush her if she's not ready to think about that." He glanced at the closed door again. "She's got a lot on her mind right now."
Atalya surveyed him for a moment. Then she nodded, her eyes showing her approval.
"You're a good man. And my daughter has said that. As long as you don't desert that little baby when it's born and leave my daughter in the lurch, you and I are going to get along just fine." A small smile touched her lips. "And you can call me Atalya."
The door to Charli's room opened and a nurse came out. Touching Mark's arm, Atalya went over to the nurse and introduced herself. Mark hung back with Stephen, watching as the nurse led Atalya into the room, closing the door behind her.
"She's a classy lady, isn't she?" Stephen commented.
Mark smiled.
"Isn't she just?"
He liked Atalya Fraser. It was easy to tell she was Charli's mother beyond their similar looks; their personalities were the same as well.
"Did you mean what you said?" Stephen asked. "That you going to be around for the kid?"
"Yes." Mark turned to his friend. He had made up his mind driving after the ambulance. "I want to support Charli through her pregnancy if she'll let me. Help out with the medical bills as well. It's the least I can do since I got her knocked up."
"Henson's not going to make it easy on you. He clearly wants her back."
"I know."
Mark also knew that he wasn't giving up on Charli that easily. Andy Henson would have to fight him to get her back. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
For Charli and their baby, he was willing to do anything.
*****
"Charli, honey?"
Charli came back to earth with a thump. She jerked her attention away from the window and looked at Atalya, who sat in the back of the car with her. Her mother was giving her a worried look. Charli smiled and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.
"I'm fine, Mom. Really," She added when Atalya looked unconvinced, "I'm just tired."
Atalya's lips pursed but she said nothing. Charli knew she was worried and she had a right to be; being in the hospital checking over her baby had been very scary. She didn't have a concussion but she did have a splitting headache. Plus a scan on the fetus showed that it wasn't in any type of distress and it was quite happy. Her only worries were her swollen and cut nose; it wasn't broken but she was going to be swollen up like a balloon for a while.
While the doctors at the hospital were happy to release her since she was showing signs that she was relatively fine, they had told her to take it easy and not stay on her own so she and the baby could be monitored. Charli had protested - she had to go to work or she was going to lose her job - but they had been firm about it. And with her mother also on their side, Charli knew she was fighting a losing battle.
Mark had hung around as well, waiting out in the hall until Charli left. He looked exhausted and Charli wanted to go to him. But she hung back, knowing that they weren't alone. If they had been alone she would have done more than hug Mark; just being in the same room as him had her belly being licked by flames and her pussy throbbing. Her breasts felt heavy just looking at him but that could have been her body changing to the hormones the baby was developing.
Mark was the complete gentleman, offering to drive them to Atalya's house, where Atalya insisted Charli stay for the weekend. Charli had weakly protested but deep down was delighted. She didn't want to admit that she wanted her mommy. Although she wouldn't complain if Mark looked after her.
They pulled up outside Atalya's suburban home and Mark helped Atalya out first before going around to her side and holding his hand out to Charli. Charli felt the tension crackling between them as she took his hand and stepped onto the sidewalk, and from the way Mark's breath caught and his pupils dilated, he had felt it as well.
There was still something between them. That gave Charli some confidence after that morning when she had dropped the sudden news that he was about to become a father on him.
Atalya let them in and directed Mark to Charli's old room, saying she would bring in the suitcase. It wasn't until they were climbing the stairs that Charli realized that she had said suitcase. When had they found time to pack a suitcase for her?
Mark opened the door to Charli's room and Charli went inside. She had been a fan of the color pink as a teenager and the major theme of her bedroom was pink. Pink walls, pink curtains, pink bedding and pink carpet. She had even painted her furniture pink. Charli winced at the amount of the single color.
"Sorry about the decor." She sat on the bed. It was still as soft as before. "I was a fan of the color when I was a kid."
"That's fine." Mark leaned against the doorframe and grinned. "It's kind of cute. Hurts the eyes a little."
Charli grinned back. Andy had spent time in this room and had moaned about the amount of pink. He hadn't teased her like Mark was doing right now.
"What's all this about a suitcase?"
"Atalya gave me the key to your apartment and told me to pack a few things for you." Mark paused. "I hope that wasn't rude of me. You were kind of busy at the time and Atalya said it was fine providing I stuck to the list she gave me."
Charli was touched. She didn't know what she had done to deserve knowing this man but she was grateful.
"Thanks." She looked around and sighed. "Although I'll have to move everything into here. My employers will let me have a few days off due to a doctor's sick note but once I go on maternity leave I won't be able to afford the rent. Childcare costs are expensive so I won't be able to go back to work afterwards and I can't ask other people to help for free."
"You don't have to worry about the apartment. I talked to the landlord and explained the situation." Mark paused. "I've paid your rent for the next twelve months. Until this time next year you don't have to worry about getting evicted."
Charli stared. Did she hear what she thought she heard? Mark had paid for her apartment? While it wasn't one of the most expensive of areas she lived in, it was still high rent. She was careful with her money and kept some aside for her rent and bills.
She swallowed.
"Thanks." She murmured. She coughed. "I'll do my best to pay you back."
"You don't need to. It's the least I could do." Mark's eyes bore into hers. "No way was I letting you go homeless."
Charli wouldn't have been homeless; she always had her mother to fall back on. But the gesture was touching.
"I appreciate the help but don't do things like that too much, please? I'm used to looking after myself and I don't like asking for help when it comes to money. Even when I was with Andy I looked after myself. I always pay my way."
"I understand." Mark nodded his approval. "But I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He smiled and shrugged. "Hey, we created a life, remember? I'm not going to walk away like that and leave you alone."
Charli's heavy heart lifted.
"Does this mean you're sticking around?"
"If you want me to."
Charli knew what her response would be. She wanted to launch herself into his arms and kiss him. But she held herself back. While Mark might be hanging around it didn't mean they were going to be intimate. She didn't want to send him running.
But he was staying. That was enough for her.
"I do."
*****
"Ready to be thrashed?"
Mark looked up and saw Henson standing over him, right in his personal space. He knew the tactics Henson was trying to use and this time he ignored them. Today was not the day to be a bully.
Besides, after committing himself to Charli and the pregnancy three weeks before he seemed to have a new found confidence in himself. It was as if Charli was his lucky charm, even if they weren't together.
And that ha
d to be making Henson furious. That made Mark pleased; Henson deserved a taste of his own medicine.
He carried on tying his shoelaces.
"It's only an exhibition match. It's not a grand slam."
"To you, yes." Henson was tapping his racket against his leg, the outside of his knee bright red. "But I'm going to make sure you regret fucking my girl."
Mark sighed. Henson really hadn't got the message. Charli had told him that the bastard kept sending her several texts messages a day and tried to call frequently but she ignored him. They had hoped after not talking to him for some time he would get the message.
Evidently not.
Mark stood up. His chest brushed against Henson's and Henson took a step back.
"For the last time, Charli is not your girl. She doesn't want to be with you."
"She will. Trust me, she will." Henson gave him a malicious smirk. "And there won't be any baby. I'll make sure of that."
Mark felt the anger rising but damped it down quickly. This was what Henson wanted; get a rise out of him and put him off his game. Even if it was meant to be a fun match he didn't want to look a fool. He spoke as calmly as he could.
"Harm her or the baby and I'll hurt you."
"Try it, old man." Henson's smirk didn't diminish but his eyes burned blue murder. "I'd like to see you try."
Chapter 6
"Ouch!"
The nurse didn't blink as Mark tried to jerk his head away, rolling her eyes with a sigh.
"Oh, don't be such a baby, Mr Hildenstern."
"He usually is when it comes to hospitals." Stephen said.
Mark glared at him.
"Very funny. I'd like to see you deal with having a needles being threaded through your skin like a piece of cloth."
The nurse tittered and carried on stitching up the cut on his head. The area where the wound was burned and his head hurt like hell.
Stephen was standing near the door, arms folded with a look of thunder on his face. Mark couldn't blame him; he was fuming himself.
He couldn't believe he had been caught out like that. After inadvertently challenging Henson to take him on, Mark had had to be on his toes during the match. Henson treated it like a grand slam final and then some, the balls going at such a speed Mark was amazed he managed to get his racket on them.
Then Henson had changed tactics and started aiming the balls at Mark himself. Mark had managed to dodge out of the way and return the ball but Henson was intent on going after him. Even the crowd were getting confused with why he was aiming at Mark instead of going for a side-line hit and winning the point.
Then Mark had completely mistimed a ball and it had hit him in the face. Pain exploded over his eye and the next thing he knew he was on his back staring at the sky while stars spun around him. The crowd had been furious at this turn of events; Mark went to this exhibition match every year and was a favorite with the crowd. As he was being taken off by the paramedics, wearing a neck brace that had been completely unnecessary, Mark had heard Henson's disqualification over the speakers. He had a feeling the younger man would be incurring a fine for harming someone during a match.
"You should press charges on him." Stephen growled. "What he did was assault."
"Much as I'd love to, what good will that do?" Mark demanded. He winced and did his best to keep still as the nurse threaded another stitch. The force of the ball had opened up the skin and the wound had been enough to get stitches. "It can be said it was an accident during a tennis match. He's being fined, as it is."
"Mark, everyone knows Henson hates your guts and this match proves it. He's been planning on getting you for a while now."
Mark did want to press charges but he was still a bleeding heart. Henson was probably furious at the fine. Whenever he ended up in a rage he turned it on Charli; while he hadn't come near her he sent her angry texts and left ranting voicemails, saying that if Mark tried anything then he was going to do something he wouldn't regret. Charli had told Mark to be careful and not do anything to make Henson even angrier.
Because he cared about her - more than he should - Mark had agreed.
"I don't think whacking me in the face with a tennis ball was the best way to go about it."
"Yeah, sure." Stephen sneered. Then he put on a poor imitation of Mark's voice "'It was a blind fluke, officer'."
"Just leave it, Stephen. If he harms me in another way off the pitch, you can go for him. But on the pitch, it can be said he got over-excited with his swing."
Stephen's mouth twisted in displeasure.
"I don't like this."
"Neither do I but what choice to we have? Just let the tennis association deal with him. That would impact him more."
Mark didn't believe it would but he could live and dream.
The door to his private room opened and Charli came in. Mark felt his body perking up when he saw her. Suddenly his headache was gone. Dressed in a pair of boot-cut jeans, sneakers and a black sweater that didn't hide the gentle swell of her belly, her hair held back by a simple white headband, she looked lovely.
She looked gorgeous pregnant. If this was what she looked like in the early stages, Mark knew he was in trouble in the later stages.
"Is it okay to come in?"
"Who are you, miss?" The nurse asked with a frown.
"She's Mark's girlfriend." Stephen said quickly.
Girlfriend. That put a warm feeling in Mark's stomach. Charli his girlfriend. That sounded like a really good idea. While his relationship with Charli had improved and they had got to know each other more, spending a lot of his spare evenings talking over a home-cooked meal at Charli's apartment or on the phone, he wasn't sure if Charli would be entirely happy with entering a relationship so soon after getting out of one.
He was doing this at Charli's pace. And, to be quite frank, the pace was too slow for him and he was getting impatient.
The nurse relaxed a little and gave her a warm smile.
"Come on in, love. We're just finishing up." She put the needle and thread to one side and put a waterproof bandage over the stitches. "That should keep them dry. You'll need to come back in a couple of weeks to have the stitches come out."
"Yes, Mom."
The nurse rolled her eyes.
"Don't start that. I get enough of that from my children. I get enough attitude from toddlers without getting it from the grown-ups." She winked at Mark and gathered her things together. "You'll be okay to go home once I've fetched the paperwork. And since you've got a suspected concussion I want you to have someone stay with you to make sure you don't fall into a coma and have a bleed on the brain."
"Thanks for the imagery." Mark shuddered.
The nurse chuckled.
"Well, you're a big boy. You should be able to handle it." She looked at Charli. "Are you going to be staying with your fella?"
Charli blushed and looked at Mark shyly.
"If Mark has no objections."
Mark knew the answer to that.
"No objections at all."
"Just be careful." Stephen warned, giving Charli a nudge. "He gets cranky when he gets woken up at the wrong moment."
The blush got even darker and Charli mumbled something about talking to the nurse, hurrying out of the room as the older woman left.
*****
The sound of the alarm rattled around Mark's head. He growled and rolled onto his side, slapping the bedside table. On the third slap he found his phone and turned off the alarm. It said it was half past ten. Then he lay back and stared at the ceiling.
He hated having a concussion, suspected or not. It meant that if he fell asleep he had to be woken up every half hour so they could be sure he wasn't suffering from any long-term injury on the brain. It also resulted in him getting incredibly cranky. He had already snapped at Charli several times for waking him up. Charli had been hurt but she hadn't complained.
The woman had been an absolute trooper. She had driven him back to his apartment and made him sit down wh
ile she pottered about making him dinner. She was a really good cook and Mark had enjoyed her homemade lasagna, not realizing until the aroma had filled his nostrils how hungry he had actually been.
He could get used to having someone cook for him. Normally he just made something simple or had takeout. But Charli preferred to make everything by hand, ushering Mark out of the kitchen and telling him that she could get things done quicker if he wasn't there.
They had talked for some time during and after the meal. Charli couldn't stop apologizing for Henson's behavior. Even though they weren't together anymore she still seemed to believe she was responsible for his attitude. Mark had had to finally tell her that he would spank her if she apologized for Henson's behavior again. It had resulted in an awkward, sexually-charged silence. Then Mark had awkwardly extracted himself, mumbling about going to bed. He had showered and fallen into bed.
Charli was a trooper to put up with his behavior. Although, he surmised, compared to Henson he was a breath of fresh air.
Charli Fraser was one woman in a million. He knew he was going to lose a good thing if he didn't do something about their relationship. What Mark wanted was to have Charli at his side but Charli's signals were mixed. She was warm and endearing but when she realized what she was doing she pulled back.
Mark knew she was still hurting after Henson's betrayal and emotional abuse. But he wouldn't rush her; he wanted her for more than sex and for the sake of the baby. He wanted her and he was willing to wait until she knew what she wanted.
Then Mark realized something and sat up. Charli always came in without fail to wake him up. But not this time. She couldn't have gone home; Mark thought she was going to stay the night on the couch. He would prefer her in his bed but she had insisted.
Slipping out of bed, he padded into the hallway and into the lounge. The pillows and duvet he had given her to use were on the couch and the TV was blaring a true crime episode. But there was no sign of Charli.
At least it meant she was in the apartment. With her efficiency, she wouldn't have left the TV on or the couch in a state of unmade.
Then he heard the sound of the shower going. Mark moved towards the bathroom and stepped inside. Through the steam he saw Charli under the spray in the bathtub, the bath curtain pulled across but not enough and her naked body was on display for Mark to see. Her chocolate-colored skin was smooth and unblemished, her limbs sinewy and toned. Her belly was showing signs of pregnancy, the sight more erotic than Mark could think possible.
