Hey guys! This is Kait (rentislife0619) and I'm going to help write this story from now on! I wrote this chapter so I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading! ; )

CHAPTER FOUR
(Title- I Should Tell You)

Images of our family flashed on the screen, ending with a picture of the eight of us right before Angel passed away. The picture slowly faded away, signaling the end of the documentary.

Tears were streaming down everyone's faces and sniffling could be heard throughout the room.

"That was wonderful, Mark," I said, squeezing his hand and smiling. The rest of our group congratulated him on a job well done.

"Thanks, guys. Really, it means a lot to me," Mark said with a smile. He wiped the tears out of my eyes and kissed my forehead.

With that, Joanne stood up and announced that she and Maureen had to go home; she had a big court case the next morning and needed to get her rest. Maureen, of course, pouted but finally agreed to leave. "Goodbye, guys!" they said simultaneously. Roger, Mimi, Collins, Mark, and I each said goodbye to the pair.

"Well, I'd better get going, too." Collins said, stretching as he stood up from the couch. "I have class tomorrow, bright and early," he told us with a sigh. "Great documentary, Mark. Angel would have been proud," he said with a grin.

"Thanks, Col," Mark said. I got up to hug Collins goodbye while everyone Roger, Mimi, and Mark said their goodbyes from the couch.

As I sat down, Mark put his arm around my shoulder and hugged me tightly. I smiled and glanced over my shoulder, only to see Mimi's sleeping form lying on Roger's lap. "I'd better get her to bed. Goodnight, guys," Roger stated, smiling down at Mimi. He gently stood up, trying not to wake his girlfriend up. He slid his hands underneath her knees and her neck, picking her up and bringing her to the bedroom.

"And then there were two," Mark joked. I smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. When we pulled apart, he rested his forehead on mine. "I love you, Mary," he said, his piercing blue eyes staring straight into mine. He waited for my reaction. All I could do was shake my head. Did he just say he loved me?

"What?" I asked him, my voice weak and timid.

"I said I love you," he told me again. "You don't have to say it back; I just thought I should tell you now before I chickened out. I know it's fast and all, but I can't help it, Mary. I'm falling in love with you. I told you I loved you when my documentary began but…" I cut him off with a kiss.

"Shut up, Marky," I said, smiling against his lips. "I love you, too. And I don't care how fast this is going, I'm up for anything," I confessed. "I never thought that I'd find someone who cares so much about me, but I have. I know I have." I paused to kiss him again. "I actually started to think that no one would ever love me, but ever since I met you I knew you'd be someone who would see me for who I really was. None of the boys back home could see past my problems. I never thought that my first boyfriend would turn into someone I could see myself spending the rest of my life with," I smiled. I looked straight into his striking blue eyes, the same eyes that made me melt the first time I saw him, and awaited his reaction.

He kissed me again, with more passion than I thought he could muster. "I love you Mary Marie Sheppard."

"I love you, too," I said in-between kisses.

When I woke up the next morning, I found myself lying in Mark's arms. My eyes fluttered open and I turned onto my side, waking Mark up in the process. "Good morning, Marky," I said in a sweet voice. I bent over to kiss him.

"'Morning, Mar," he said, sounding extremely tired.

"Hey, what're we doing today?" I questioned.

"I dunno. Nothing, I guess. Today's my day off and you start working at the bookshop on Monday," he told me.

I smiled. "Good, because I don't think I want to get up. I could lie here all day."

He smiled, laughed, and proceeded to call me lazy. I acted offended and pouted until he kissed me.

"Mary?"

"Mark?"

"I have a question," he told me.

"Okay, I have an answer," I said, joking around with him.

He laughed. "Okay, you don't have to answer this, but something you said last night has been bothering me. You told me that all the boys back home couldn't see past your problems. Well, what problems are you talking about exactly?" he asked, refusing to look me in the eyes. He occupied his time by fiddling with the hem of the plaid comforter.

I sighed. I knew something like this would come up sooner or later. But it's better sooner than later, right? When he asked that question, the one question I dreaded answering, memories of the past raced through my mind. I had to be honest with him, I just had to. I racked my mind for any possible way to get out of answering his question, but my search for an excuse came up empty. Here goes, I thought.

"Okay, I'll tell you. Just promise me that you'll let me finish the whole story before you start judging me," I said, looking him straight in the eyes. My expression was serious; my voice, full of fear.

He shook his head and took my hands into his, squeezing them as he awaited the story of my past.

A/N- questions or comments about the story! you can review/PM me or Kait (rentislife0619). Hope you liked it!