Lies Read online

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  “That’s good thinking. You go right ahead and ask her to marry you.”

  Mark smiled and shook hands with David. “Thank you, sir. I’ll take good care of her.” He would devote his whole life to making Susie happy. He had a purpose now. No one could take that purpose away from him.

  “I know you will.”

  “Would you ask her to come outside now? I’d like to ask her to marry me.” Mark took a deep breath to steady himself, but found he wasn’t nervous at all. Susie was his soul mate. He didn’t need to be nervous. They were meant to be together.

  David Long walked into the house and sent his daughter out. He and his wife had stood watching the two kids out the front window.

  Susie came running outside with her usual happy smile. “Hi, Mark!” Susie smiled at her friend. She loved to play with Mark. She hadn’t been expecting him today, but she didn’t mind. If Mark was here, then she was happy.

  Mark smiled. “I have an important question to ask you.”

  She looked at him and matched his serious tone. “Okay. Ask me.” Maybe he wanted to ask her to his birthday party. His birthday was next month. Of course, his mom never threw him birthday parties. Her mom did, though. Yeah, that was probably it. He wanted to ask her to his birthday party.

  Mark had dropped down to one knee on the driveway and pulled the ring from his pocket. “Susie Long, I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the honor of being my wife someday when we’re old enough?” He’d practiced those words over and over. He’d seen someone propose on TV once, so he knew exactly how it was supposed to be done.

  Susie squealed when she saw the ring and clapped her hands. “I would love to marry you!”

  Mark stood and slowly pushed the ring onto her finger. “I’ll love you until the day I die,” he’d vowed. There was no way he could stop loving her even if he tried.

  Susie hugged him. “I’ll love you for even longer.”

  He smiled at her. She was a little taller than him at their stage in their lives, but that would change and they both knew it. He pulled her close to him and gave her a peck on the lips. “I know kissing is gross, but you have to kiss to seal an engagement,” Mark said wisely. Secretly he didn’t think kissing was gross, but you were supposed to think that when you were eight.

  Susie nodded. She didn’t think kissing was gross. Not when it was Mark kissing her. She pressed her fingers to her lips and stared at him with wide eyes. She was engaged and he’d kissed her. She was the first girl in the whole third grade to get engaged. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends.

  Mark smiled as he thought of it. He rolled to his side and the memories kept coming. On their prom night, all of their friends had been planning on having sex for the first time, if they hadn’t already. He and Susie had talked about it, but had decided that they wanted to wait until after they were married. Already they knew that Susie was going to UNT for college after graduation, and he would stay in Arlington and work for his father’s construction business.

  She’d looked so beautiful that night. When he’d said goodnight at her door, he’d pulled her close and kissed her. He’d wanted so badly to give in and just have sex. Of course, he knew it wasn’t what Susie wanted, so he wouldn’t even try to get her to do it with him. He’d wait. He’d do anything for Susie.

  Then came the nightmare of her first year at school. They’d planned to talk on the phone every single night. She’d live in the dorm, and he’d be living with his parents still. For the first couple of months, everything had worked out just like it was supposed to. He’d called at seven every evening. They’d talk of his day at work. Her classes. Anything. They couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving break so they’d be together.

  It had been awkward at Thanksgiving, but it had been okay. So was Christmas. He’d loved the longer break they had together. Then the second semester started. She wasn’t in her room for his nightly call. Her roommate kept taking the calls. She finally, after a month of not reaching Susie, told him that Susie had another boyfriend.

  He’d driven up there to find out for himself. Susie hadn’t been in their room. He didn’t know where she was. Her roommate, Jennifer, had been there though. They had talked. Jennifer had hugged him just as Susie walked in the door.

  Susie had turned red. “What are you doing here?” she’d demanded. She’d wanted to see him so badly, but he never called anymore. Now he was here, and he was hugging Jennifer.

  “I came to meet your boyfriend,” he’d yelled back. How dare she make accusations when she was the one running around on him?

  “What are you talking about?” Boyfriend? She’d had one boyfriend since the day she was born, and he was standing in her dorm room yelling at her.

  “You haven’t been in your room for my calls. I’ve talked to Jennifer every day.”

  She had turned her back on him then and left the room. That was the last real conversation they’d had. Jennifer had taken to calling him every evening, and they’d formed a friendship. He knew now that he’d hooked up with Jennifer just because he thought it would hurt Susie. And he’d wanted to hurt Susie. Very badly.

  They’d gotten married that summer. What was the point in waiting?

  Susie finished school and moved away. She’d avoided him on every single visit home.

  Jennifer had confessed on her deathbed that Susie had asked that he start calling her at nine every night, but that she had never passed the message along. Susie had such a heavy load that semester that she’d been putting in extra hours in the library. Jennifer had told Susie that he’d just quit calling. She’d done everything she could to keep the two of them apart. It had worked.

  It hadn’t taken him long to realize what a jealous vindictive witch Jennifer was. He had just decided that he couldn’t stay with her another day when she’d announced she was pregnant. The twins had been the only good thing ever to come out of their marriage. He’d wanted to find Susie as soon as Jennifer died, but Beth had advised against it. She’d known that Susie wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. He’d seen on her face tonight that she still wasn’t ready. Of course, Susie was the most loving giving woman he’d ever met. She’d be taking care of his boys, and he’d get to see her. Maybe he could convince her of how their past had been manipulated. Of course, he never should have fallen for any of it. He should have stuck by her.

  He rolled over again staring at the clock. He’d never get any sleep.

  *****

  Susie paced the waiting room as she waited for her mother’s surgery to be over. It was only a knee replacement, but she’d heard too many horror stories about things that could go wrong. She tried to blank her mind to her worries about her mother. But every time she did, Mark slipped in.

  She could still see him kneeling on her driveway with the bubble gum machine ring he’d used to propose. She could see his face as he kissed her for real for the first time when they were fourteen.

  She saw his sadness as she’d driven away for her first semester of school. She saw the rage on his face when he’d demanded to know who her boyfriend was. Boyfriend? Where had he gotten that? She hadn’t had time for a boyfriend. She was trying to do all of her schooling as fast as she could. She and Mark were planning to marry after her freshman year, but if she could knock out extra classes during that year, then she’d finish sooner and get on with her life sooner.

  Then she found out that he was talking to Jennifer on the phone every night. Jennifer, who she’d thought was her friend. She remembered showing Jennifer Mark’s picture on the first day of school as she’d put it on her desk. “We’re going to be married as soon as I graduate. He’s the most wonderful boyfriend in the world.”

  She’d talked for hours on end about Mark. Jennifer had listened as if she’d really cared. And she had. She’d married him, hadn’t she?

  She shook her head, refusing to think about Mark’s betrayal. She still couldn’t figure it out. Sure, Jennifer had been pretty, but her personality was horrible. She’d had no friends a
t school. The only reason Susie had been friends with her was they were roommates and she felt sorry for her. She remembered halfway through their first semester, when she’d asked Jennifer to go to the cafeteria with her and her friends again.

  Jennifer had looked at her with wide eyes and said, “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

  Susie had felt so ashamed of herself. She was barely able to tolerate Jennifer. From that moment on she’d determined to be a true friend to her. And she had been. Until the night she’d walked in on Jennifer and Mark hugging. Why?

  “Miss Long?”

  Susie turned at the sound of the doctor’s voice. “Yes?”

  “Everything went beautifully. She’ll be taken to her room in a few minutes.”

  Susie sighed with relief. She hadn’t expected anything to go wrong, but you just never knew. “When can I see her?” She knew that until she actually talked to her mother, she wouldn’t fully believe that she’d be okay.

  The doctor smiled. “I’ll send one of the nurses in as soon as she’s settled in her room.”

  “Thank you.” The wait was almost over.

  She sat down to wait her mind once again going to Mark.

  Why were his kids so close to her mother? She knew that Mark’s mother had been very cold to him, and probably wasn’t close to her grandkids, but what about Jennifer’s parents? Jennifer had always talked as if she had the best parents in the world. Of course, Susie never recalled them calling, but she’d spent so many hours in the library trying to keep up with her studies.

  She sighed. She’d probably never understand the whole situation, and really wasn’t sure that she wanted to. She’d spent the past twelve years trying to forget Mark and Jennifer. Why did she suddenly care now?

  The door to the waiting room opened, and she looked up expectantly for a nurse. She wanted to scream when she saw it was Mark coming in. Why did he think he still had a right to her mother?

  “Is there any news yet?” he asked, a concerned look on his face. He knew Susie didn’t want him there, but he loved her mother as if she were his own. He needed to know she was okay. Seeing Susie alone was just a bonus.

  She nodded. “The doctor came in a few minutes ago and said she did well. They’re moving her to a room now.” A look of relief crossed his face. Maybe he was worried about losing his free babysitter. She was instantly ashamed as soon as she thought that. She knew Mark better than that. He would never use someone.

  He smiled. “I’m glad. She’s all I’ve thought about all day.” He sat in the chair to her right. “I wanted to take off, but with all the rain we had this spring, we’re behind on this project.”

  Susie shrugged. “It’s not like she’s your mother. It’s fine that you weren’t here.” She knew she was being rude, but she really didn’t care. Mark didn’t deserve anything from her. He really didn’t deserve to have her talk to him, but she didn’t seem to have a choice.

  “She’s been a lot more of a mother to me than my own ever was,” he said softly. “Since my mom died five years ago, I’ve felt like she was the only family I had left.”

  “You had Jennifer,” she reminded him. How could he forget his sweet perfect wife?

  He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, I’ve had Jennifer.” He didn’t expand on that statement.

  “What about her family? Aren’t you close to them?” She couldn’t imagine the parents that Jennifer had described not being a huge part of their grandsons’ lives.

  He gave her a weird look. “Jennifer grew up in foster homes.” He recalled Jennifer telling him that Susie had made fun of her for not having real parents like she did. He’d always found that hard to believe, though. Susie had been more than willing to share her mother since they were small. Jennifer had said Susie was really mean to other girls, though, and only nice to guys. Of course, it hadn’t taken him long to realize Jennifer was projecting her own personality traits onto Susie.

  Susie gave a half laugh. “She told me her parents doted on her. She said her daddy freaked out when she wanted to live in the dorm. He wasn’t ready to let go.” Of course, it had been a lie. Jennifer had been the queen of lies.

  Mark shook his head. “I’m not surprised. She was a habitual liar. I don’t think she even knew when she was lying. It was like it was so ingrained she was incapable of doing anything else.” He didn’t mention the havoc her lies had unleashed on their marriage. He wasn’t trying to get sympathy from Susie. That’s not what he wanted from her at all.

  “She was a real piece of work,” Susie agreed. “Your marriage must have been fun.”

  Mark laughed. “Yeah. Fun. She got pregnant right away. Did you know? I found out when she was pregnant with the boys. She aborted the baby. Want to know why?”

  Susie looked at him in disbelief. “Why?”

  “She was afraid it would mess up her body.” He shook his head. “She killed our child to keep from getting fat. I never would have even known she was pregnant the second time, but she knew I was thinking about getting a divorce.”

  “A divorce? Seriously? Why?” She was shocked. Her mother had always made it sound like Mark and Jennifer were happy together. Had they really hidden their problems that well?

  He shrugged. “She wasn’t the woman that I thought I’d married. And honestly? I was still in love with you.” He hadn’t meant to say that to her, but once the words were out, he couldn’t regret them.

  Susie jerked. “If you were in love with me, you never would have hooked up with her in the first place. I’m sorry, but I don’t buy that.” Why would he even try to convince her of that? She felt the anger building up until it was about to bubble over.

  “Susie, you have to listen to me,” he began. He had to be able to convince her how wrong he’d been. He needed her to be part of his life again. He felt like he was missing half of himself.

  A nurse stepped into the waiting room. “She’s in her room now. I’ll take you there.”

  Susie immediately stood and followed the nurse. She couldn’t listen to another minute of Mark’s lies. He may have married the queen of all lies, but he’d obviously learned quickly and become the king. He’d dumped her for her lying college roommate. He didn’t deserve the time of day from her.

  Chapter 3

  Four days later, Susie made certain her mother was sleeping, before heading off to take a shower. She had managed to avoid Mark since their talk in the waiting room. She really didn’t want to hear anymore. She didn’t care how badly Jennifer had treated Mark. She didn’t care that Mark still loved her. She’d given up on him years ago.

  She showered quickly and then made some lunch for her and her mom. She’d have Mark’s boys starting next week, and she really wasn’t looking forward to it. They reminded her so much of Mark at their age.

  She helped her mom get up and walk for a while, and then gave her the pain pills the doctor had prescribed. Once she was asleep, she took the list they’d made together and headed to the grocery store.

  She was unloading the groceries from her jeep when Michael and Matthew came over. “We’ll help,” one of them told her. She hadn’t figured out how to tell them apart yet, so she smiled and thanked them. She’d have insisted on doing it herself, but she didn’t want to be rude to two young boys simply because their father had treated her badly.

  Since the boys were helping, she stayed in the kitchen putting everything away. When the last bag was carried in, she continued putting things away, asking, “Did you remember to close the back of the jeep?” She didn’t turn, just assumed it was one of the boys.

  “Yes. I did.” Mark’s deep voice startled her.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned around. “Thanks for the help.” She forced her voice to be pleasant. She wanted him gone. How could she tell him that without being rude?

  He was leaning against the counter watching her. “You’re welcome.”

  She spun back around continuing to put things away, trying to pretend his presence in the kitchen didn’t distu
rb her. It did, though. It bothered her a lot.

  He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’ve been avoiding me,” he whispered. He shouldn’t touch her, he knew. He just couldn’t help himself. He’d dreamed about her for so long, and she was here. She was close enough to touch and he had to do it.

  She felt a quick spark run through her body at his touch, and hated herself for it. She braced her hands against the counter, determined not to show him how he affected her. How could her body still react to his nearness the way it always had when her mind knew that he’d treated her like garbage. “I’ve been avoiding you for twelve years, Mark. Are you just now noticing?” Her voice was sharper than it should have been. She didn’t want to talk to him.

  He sighed. “I was hoping we’d reached an understanding of sorts.” He knew they hadn’t, but he had to have an excuse to keep touching her.

  She struggled to keep her voice calm and free of bitterness. “Why did you think that? Because you told me that you were in love with me when you were married to Jennifer? You’re kidding, right? I’m putting up with you now because I know it would hurt Mom if I didn’t. That’s the only reason. I don’t want you in my life.”

  He stroked a hand down her arm. “I’m sorry. I’ve been in love with you since I was in kindergarten. I’ve dreamed about getting a second chance with you for years.” That much was true. He needed her in his life, and he wasn’t afraid to humble himself to make it happen.

  “Tit for tat, right? You crushed my dreams, and now I get to crush yours.” She knew what she was saying was harsh, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She needed to get away from him before she changed her mind. His touch could make her do crazy things. She couldn’t let him touch her anymore.

  He turned her from the counter to face him, leaning down and looking straight into her eyes. “Can you honestly say that you have no feelings for me?”

  “No, I can’t,” she whispered.

  His face lit up and he swooped down and kissed her passionately. For a second, she gave into the kiss, sinking into his body and opening her mouth for his tongue. Then she pushed away. “You didn’t let me finish. I feel loathing for you. That’s all.” Loathing and a whole lot of lust. She wouldn’t say that aloud, though.