“You really need to find a better excuse, Mark.”
“I’m serious! Just open the door.”
“Why? So you can tell me another story about how you’re not ready for marriage?”
He flinched.
The girl lowered the jacket she was holding.
“Maybe I should leave,” she said quietly.
“No,” Mark replied. “Please stay.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You have got to be kidding me. You’re standing outside my house with the woman you were buying a ring for, and you’re asking her to stay?”
“She’s not—”
“Not what? Not your girlfriend?”
Mark dragged a hand over his face.
“Allison, I know how this looks, but you have to give me five minutes.”
“I gave you six years!”
My voice broke on the last word.
“I gave you six years to decide whether I was the woman you wanted to marry. I defended you when people asked why we weren’t engaged. I made excuses for you because I believed you loved me. And now I find you in a jewelry store buying a ring for someone young enough to be your daughter!”
