“Mark,” Nicholas said in his cool, authoritative tone. Mark lowered his head, deferring at once, even as his jaw stayed clenched. “What exactly is your plan?”
“I don’t have one,” Mark said. “Not beyond throwing myself at her parents’ feet. But I will spirit her away if I must. If…” For the first time, his voice wavered. “If that’s what she wishes…”
Even as her friend, I couldn’t be sure what Susie would wish for. She loved Mark, of that I was certain, but what kind of life would they live on the run? Susie wouldn’t care for herself. It’s Mark she’d worry for. His reputation. His future.
“I made a mistake,” Mark continued. “I foolishly let Susie believe that she and our unborn child aren’t the most important things in the world to me. I let her stew in her confusion and unhappiness, when
