Page 58 of Runaway
Megan glanced at me with a sly smile, saving me from a sudden, breathless spiral. “You must be a saint, Stella, to stay here with Mark.”
There was a teasing note in her tone, but it set my teeth on edge all the same. The urge to rise to his defense overcame me in a flash.
“Not at all,” I replied quietly. “Mark is . . .”
Only a moment of hesitation lay in my broken response, but in it, I comprehended that I had a choice. Throw myself into a clear path with him, or hold back. Despite Megan's obvious love for her brother, I couldn't help but wonder if it was comments likeyou must be a saint to stay with Markthat had Mark bracing himself whenever he felt like he was too much. Whenever he wanted to be himself but wasn'tquitesure what the response would be.
I tilted my chin up.
“Mark is amazing and I'm incredibly grateful that he's putting up with me.”
An inscrutable expression crossed her face. In the space of a few seconds, she rotated through several emotions. Surprise. Annoyance. Then a sort of clarity. Justin cleared his throat and squeezed her shoulder. She blinked, pulled out of it, and opened her mouth to say something, but Mark thudding down the ladder stopped her.
“Sorry!” he cried, snatching his coat off a peg on the wall. He stepped into boots and didn't bother lacing them, but did stop to press a hasty kiss to my cheek before he grabbed his car keys and yanked the door open. “I'll be back in three hours!”
The slamming door escorted him out.
All of us stared at each other, stunned in the wake of his quick disappearance. Seconds later, the Zombie Mobile roared to life.
Megan leaned forward. “You're right, Stella,” she said. “He is amazing. Thank you for reminding me.”
“I—”
She held up a hand to stop me. “You did the right thing. Sometimes I need to be put in my place.”
Chastising his sister. What a great first impression. Despite my concern, I could tell I'd earned Megan's respect. And maybe that wasn't an easy thing to earn.
“He's crazy about you, you know,” she said. “I can tell. I haven't seen Mark like this . . . ever.”
“Like what?” I asked, my voice raspy.
“Like himself,” Justin said with a laugh.
“Normally when Mark has a date or a girlfriend, he's different. Subdued. Quiet, even. And yes, such a thingispossible.” She frowned. “Just . . . different. This idiot is the same idiot that I grew up with, and that is very telling. I mean he just up and left in the middle of breakfast without explanation and no one here batted an eye.”
Justin laughed again. “Definitely being himself.”
My heart registered an emotion deeper than I'd ever expected to feel. It thudded around my chest for a while, like it wasn't sure where to go. I didn't know what to do with it, so I just let it flail for a few minutes until I could wrangle it back under wraps.
“Thanks.” I swallowed and managed a wry smile. “I think.”
Megan studied me without reservation. “Just don't break his heart? He's had it broken so many times. He's . . . the divorce wasn't easy, and although he'll lie to me until the day he dies, I can see his face when Lizbeth is around.”
My eyes widened.
Megan smiled. “Yeah, I know how he feels about Lizbeth. Mark thinks he's so suave and mysterious, but the man wears his heart on his face.”
“Does JJ know?” I asked.
Both of them shook their heads simultaneously and my lips twitched with a smile. Had they already reached that point in their relationship where they thought the same thing? Was that a phase?
“Doubtful,” Megan murmured, “although JJ does know Mark better than anyone else on this planet, so maybe.”
She looked to Justin with a questioning expression and he just shook his head and said, “Nah. JJ doesn't see it.”
“If he does,” Megan continued with a shrug, “it certainly hasn't concerned him at all. Mark takes on a lot. He's always been the glue between us siblings and it's weighed on him. Even though he wouldn't admit it. Just like JJ leaving has been hard.”
“I won't break his heart,” I whispered.
