His Wedding Belle [Novella] (Love Is All Around Us Book 1) Read online

  Meg MacRose

  His Wedding Belle

  Copyright © 2019 by Meg MacRose

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  First edition

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  About the Author

  Also by Meg MacRose

  Chapter 1

  “Where on earth is he?”

  Helen checked her phone for the millionth time, glanced out her hotel window and sighed. It wasn’t like her big brother to let her down like this. Unlike their childhood, when they had always hung out together, they weren’t particularly close as adults, but he’d always been reliable. Her room looked down on the sweeping pebbled driveway and she couldn’t see his black SUV anywhere, only a red sports car that had just parked up and a blue sedan.

  Her boss’ wedding would start in an hour. “Okay Helen, take a deep breath.” She spoke aloud to herself.

  Maybe something dreadful has happened to him. Helen shook away the terrible thought. No.

  She called out to her phone and summoned the virtual assistant with her voice. “Phone Aidan.” The phone rang five times before her brother answered.

  “Where are you?” Helen asked, before Aidan had a chance to even greet her.

  “Oh. So, he’s not turned up yet, then?” Helen picked up the merest hint of laughter in Aidan’s voice.

  “What do you mean? Who’s not turned up yet?”

  “Well, I probably should have told you first. But…”

  A loud thud on her heavy timeworn wooden hotel door reverberated. Helen jumped.

  “Hang on, Aidan. Someone’s here. Probably the wedding planner.”

  She held her phone in one hand as she used the other to open the door.

  The tall, sandy-haired man dressed in a formal black suit who stood with a laconic smirk at the door was definitely not the petite and energetic wedding planner.

  “What are you doing here?” She growled at him. Leaning in her doorway was the last person she wanted to see, a man she had avoided for more than twelve years, fearing the day their paths would cross again. She’d dreaded it. Dreamed of it. Avoided it. Nothing could have prepared her for Mitchell show up in her doorway, and the sudden sight of him took her straight back to the day he’d walked away from her, leaving her vulnerable to fend for herself. His look as he’d left was seared into her memory, berating and mocking all at once.

  “Long time no see Belle.” Helen cringed at her childhood nickname. She hadn’t been called that in years.

  “Sorry I’m a bit late. Traffic was a nightmare.” He continued; his voice still sounded like rich, sweet honey. His accent was less prominent, no longer clear-cut working class, but the soft refined drawl was as every bit sexy as his round, sensual mouth. Helen stared at him while he spoke. The boy she had idolised as a child had transformed into a blonde Adonis.

  “Ah. Good. So, he’s arrived, then. I’ll let you guys go!” Aidan’s voice, filtered as it was through her phone, jolted her back to reality. But before she had the chance to ask her brother what on earth was going on, he’d hung up.

  “Will you please explain to me why you are here, and my brother is not?” Helen didn’t like being on the back foot. She wasn’t used to being out of the loop.

  “May I come in?” His voice was mocking, with an edge to it she couldn’t quite figure out.

  “As you can see, I’m all dressed and ready to go. The invitation said 11am, and it’s just downstairs in the garden. We have plenty of time. Lovely day for the lucky couple. Aidan tells me it’s your boss who’s getting married?”

  Helen nodded, but didn’t move. She just needed to recover first, then she’d take control again. She’d always dreamt that when they next met, she’d be in control of the conversation. She’d show him that she had done it: she had left their impoverished childhood and succeeded without him.

  “Oh, come in. Everyone’s looking at us.” She said as a passing couple gawked curiously at their exchange, exasperation lacing her voice.

  She pushed the door closed with her foot and swung around with her hands on her hips.

  “Someone needs to fill me in.” This man truly infuriated her. She bet he enjoyed having the upper hand. Just like when they had been children. He was her big brother’s best friend and he’d patronised her then, just as he was now. In a way, it was if no time had passed at all, as if she was still the tag-along kid.

  Mitch held up his hand. “Calm down, Belle. I come waving a white flag. Can we have a truce?”

  So much for the truce. He knew how much she hated that name. “Will you stop calling me that.”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend. Force of habit really. We never called you Helen when you were young.”

  Her hands on her hips, she glowered her eyes. “And I didn’t like it then either.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be bad. Short for Hell’s Bells. You know, just a play on words.” His furrowed in surprise that she’d ever been bothered by the name.

  “I know what it was short for.” Exasperated, there was no point in wasting time arguing with him. Where was Aidan anyway?

  #

  He hadn’t seen Helen for such a long time—nearly twelve years since he’d escaped the grotty council estate where they’d been brought up. The last time they had seen each other had been very uncomfortable.

  She’d grown into quite the stunner, not at all what he’d been expecting. The light green embroidered dress showed off her long, shapely legs. And her hair—he didn’t remember her hair being masses of soft curtain of hair. She had it clasped in some diamante clip at the back, highlighting the hollows of her very lovely neck. He had a sudden vision of her naked except for the clip in her hair. Mitch blinked. This was neither the time nor the place.

  “Please, Mitch. Just tell me why you have turned up here today instead of Aidan.”

  Helen glared at him. The green in her eyes darkened. Uh-oh. A sure sign that she was angry. Mitch shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He hadn’t realised that Aidan hadn’t yet told her about the change in plans.

  “Well.” He was reluctant to tell her the truth, that he’d lost a round of poker the previous night and accompanying her was the penalty. But then, if he didn’t tell her the truth, and Aidan let it slip or she figured out he was lying, she’d never forgive him. She had always been a straight kind of girl, the kind who called a spade a spade.

  He looked her straight in the eye. Helen didn’t look away. She tapped her foot while she awaited his answer. He could tell she would see through any fabricated story.

  “I caught up with Aidan last night. A few of us lads had some rounds of poker.” She nodded, and indicated he was to go on.

  “Unfortunately, his years in the army have honed Aidan’s poker skills, and he beat me hands down. If he lost, he would have to come with me to a Wolves Football match. If I lost, I would have to take his place at your boss’
wedding. Guess who lost?” He shrugged.

  “You’re here because of a card game? Why did I even let my mother convince me to invite Aidan as my plus one? I could have invited someone who I actually liked!”

  Realising what she had said, Helen went red with embarrassment. “Sorry, Mitchell, I didn’t mean it to come out like that. But you have to admit, we don’t make a particularly good couple. I mean, we don’t hardly know each other anymore.”

  Mitch enjoyed her embarrassment. He wasn’t going anywhere. He was a man of his word. Besides, she was his best friend’s kid sister. He wasn’t going to leave her in the lurch.

  “We have less than an hour to catch up. I’m sure we can both be sensible adults about the situation. I’m here, I’m dressed for the occasion, and you’re not denying me the free food and booze that will be on offer. I’ve gotten up very early on a Saturday morning to drive here. So maybe you could show a little appreciation.” He didn’t really mean it, but the more he had the upper hand, the more her luminous eyes sparkled at the challenge he clearly presented.

  “Mitch, you don’t need to stay. I can go to the wedding by myself. I’m a big girl. I only invited Aidan as a plus one ‘cos Mum said she was worried about him, that he needed to get out more.”

  He put his hand up. “Forget it. I’m here and I will escort you if it’s the last thing I do. Never say I go back on my word.” He shouldn’t have been enchanted by the spots of red that glowed on her delicately high cheekbones, showing out her exasperation and maybe even some of that high temper she had been renowned for as a girl.

  “Where do we start?” He kept his voice even, a difficult task as there was something rather tempting about this little grown-up version of Helen. Something sizzled through him, lit him up inside. He refrained from moving for a moment longer in case he reached out to touch her. To caress her. “Why don’t you tell me about your boss?”

  Helen took a step back at the unexpected question.

  “His name is Alex, and he works hard. He is in love with one of the nicest and cleverest women I’ve ever met. Together they make a gorgeous couple.”

  “Aidan said your mum is concerned you’ll be heartbroken that he is marrying someone else.”

  “What? Oh, for goodness’ sake. That’s why I don’t bother going home much. Every time I do, Mum is obsessed with the fact that I’m not settled down with kids. You’d think she’d be thankful I left when I did. I’m sure half of the girls on the estate were teen mothers.” Helen shook her head in frustration.

  “Okay, so you’re not heartbroken. Why don’t you have your own plus one to show off?”

  “Mum begged me to bring Aidan. She reckoned since he came home from his last deployment, he’s not been himself. She wanted him to meet some new people.”

  “That doesn’t answer my second question. Where’s your own date?” This was the one question that had whirred around in his head all morning as he driven out from London. Helen had always been a good looker. Where was her boyfriend?

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but my last relationship broke up a couple of months ago. And when Mum suggested Aidan, I thought it sounded like a good idea. So much for good ideas.”

  “Okay. How long have you worked for Alex? What is your role? Where are you located?” Mitch thought he already knew the answers, but he wanted to hear them from her. He hadn’t known about the ex-boyfriend. Aidan had thought that she’d never had a steady relationship.

  “I’ve worked with Alex for 12 years. I went straight from high school to working at his office. It was a fledgling company back then, nothing like it is now. We’re located in London. The office is gorgeous, lots of glass. I work as his assistant. We’ve worked together for ages and we keep our personal lives exactly that: personal.”

  Helen cocked her head to the side. Her silky hair still clasped at the back swooped down her shoulder.

  “What about you? When Aidan left for the Army, where did you go?”

  “I managed to get a university scholarship in York. I completed my Bachelors there, then got another scholarship and completed my Masters in Newcastle. Like your boss, I worked hard and started my own company. I’m not nearly as big as Alex Hudson’s empire, I have to admit, but I’ve not done too badly.”

  “Talk about being a bit scant on the details. Where is your business? What do you do?”

  Did she really not know anything about his life since he left the estate?

  “My business is all virtual. I have a place on the coast that I use as my base. So long as I’m connected to the internet, I’m in business. I’m a graphic designer and make ads and stuff like that.”

  “A graphic designer. Very swanky.” She looked him up and down, evaluating him with a shrewd gaze. He didn’t normally care what people thought of him. But for some unknown reason he wanted to impress her. Show her the business he’d built up. The assets he’d accumulated.

  #

  “Aren’t graphic designers meant to be super mod, very cool and dressed all funky?” She responded with a silky smile.

  “What are you trying to say? Am I not funky? I’ll have you know that this is a very expensive handmade suit. We are attending a wedding, not a twenty-first! I’ve been told by many women that I am trendy. Just because you’ve been in London all this time, what makes you think us other mere mortals aren’t cool?” His voice took on a defensive edge, and, judging by the way he held himself, her comments had hit their mark.

  Helen didn’t look away. She eyed his suit as she looked down his body. It was indeed perfectly tailored for his trim form and outlined a very trim and toned torso. Oh, he was very hip. He had the whole package going on. His shoulder length hair was perfectly cut, great, she was sure, for running her hands through during explosive sex. Not that she would have sex with her brother’s best friend. Those bright blue eyes hadn’t lost any of their brilliance. He must have celebrated his thirtieth birthday already, and yet he hadn’t really aged.

  She hated that he’d brought up those old feelings of vulnerability—and there were some new feelings, too. He was a good-looking guy who she found, if she was being honest with herself, very attractive. If he wasn’t Mitch, with all the fraught history they shared, she would have laughed at the situation and flirted her way into a quick weekend fling. Instead, she grinned at him to hide how exposed she felt.

  “Should we go down, then?” She led the way, keeping her hands tightly clenched at her side, careful that their bodies did not connect in any way.

  Chapter 2

  “Why have you worked so long at one place?” Mitch’s whisper was loud enough that the people sitting in the row of chairs in front of them turned with pointed looks.

  “Shhh. This is neither the time nor the place for one hundred questions.”

  “I disagree. This is the perfect time and place. So why did you work there so long? Most people only work a few years in a place before moving to their next employer, especially so early in their career. And certainly, nobody else I know has worked for one boss and isn’t even thirty yet.”

  “Will you stop asking me all these questions?” She purposely had kept her head averted in an attempt to ignore his questions—and his presence. But he was simply impossible to ignore.

  There was a man a few aisles across from them who was waving out to Mitch. Considering the guests were all pretty much a who’s who of London’s rich and famous, why would someone be waving to Mitch.

  She turned her head to ask him. All in one motion he nodded his head to the man and focused back on Helen. “So why?”

  Oh my goodness. Why all the questions? He obviously wasn’t going to shut up until she answered.

  “Maybe I just really enjoy the work. And the money is pretty good.”

  “I can’t believe being an assistant, someone’s dogsbody, is an enjoyable job. It’s the kind of job that women in their fifties do, not in their twenties. And how much money do you call pretty good?”

  “Gee, thanks. You certain
ly know how to lay on the charm. Now you’re comparing me to some office matron in her fifties?”

  Helen avoided the money question. She’d always kept things like her salary to herself. She’d heard enough office gossip over the years to know that there was never any good in announcing your wage.

  “Believe me, you don’t look like someone in her fifties. You look great in that dress. The green brings out the colour in your eyes.”

  “Don’t try and suck up to me. But thank you. I happen to like my dress too.”

  “Then tell me: what do you enjoy about your work?”

  Helen rolled her eyes. “Will you stop it with the questions already?”

  “Maybe I’m really interested. And the bride hasn’t arrived, so how else should we spend the time waiting?”

  “Fine. But it’s the last question, okay? I want to enjoy myself today.”

  Helen was silent for a few seconds as she thought what had made her stick with her job for so long. She’d never really contemplated it before.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she thought about how to explain it to a man who clearly thought her job was lowly.

  “At the start, I think I was so thrilled that Alex employed me. At the time, he was a one-man-show. He needed an assistant who was versatile. In the interview, he had a list of skills or qualities he was looking for. I couldn’t type fast, but thanks to you and Aidan, I knew my way around technology. I told him that I’d learn to type fast. When he asked me why he should pick me over more experienced and older candidates—and there were quite a few—I was upfront. I told him what I thought: that based on the other women who sat outside the door, they were either bowled over by his looks, going to be a lapdog or keen to get their hooks into his wealth. And that I wasn’t any of those things. I wanted to work, and he’d never regret hiring me. He laughed at that, said all his money was sunk into this new business, so those women out there were already on a lost cause. I agreed and said if he was rich, he wouldn’t be doing the interviews himself. He asked, what motivated me. I told him I needed to leave school and home, so I needed a job right now. That his job would suit me, and I’d be good at it. He hired me then and there. I started the following week. He even arranged some basic digs for me.”