Till Death Do Us Part by Lurlene McDaniel

Author:Lurlene McDaniel [McDaniel, Lurlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780307548092
Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
Published: 1997-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

April's heart pounded and her mouth went dry. Mark loved her. Other boys had whispered those words to her, but always in the heat of passion, when they wanted to go further physically than she'd allow them. But Mark had said “I love you” in the cool light of reason. “I—I don't know what to say.”

“Tell me how you feel.”

“I feel like I need to sit down.”

He searched her face. “Come to the roof with me. I've got something special up there for you.”

They rode an elevator to the top floor, then trudged up a stairwell, their footfalls echoing behind them. April's head spun with the bombshell Mark had delivered. He loved her. How did she feel? She knew she cared about him. But love? She wasn't sure.

He led her out onto the flat blacktopped roof above the city. Up there the air was cooler and the sound of the streets muffled. In the center of the roof, resting on a remnant of carpet, stood a table and two chairs. The table was draped with a cloth, and on top sat two candles, which Mark quickly lit. A small package wrapped in foil caught the candlelight and sparkled. Mark pulled out a chair for her.

A vase filled with roses scented the night air and stars twinkled overhead in a black velvet sky, like tiny jewels. A bouquet of balloons, all imprinted with the same message as the one Mark had given her earlier, was tied to her chair.

“You did all this for me?”

He just smiled.

She pointed to the balloons. “You didn't blow up all those, did you?”

“My uncle has a helium tank.” Mark's grin was quick. “But thanks for thinking I could.”

“Everything's perfect, Mark. Thank you.”

“How can you say that? You haven't even opened your gift yet.”

She fingered the small box. “You went to so much trouble.”

“You're worth it.”

With trembling fingers, she tore off the paper and lifted the lid of the box. Inside, on soft white cotton, lay a gold chain and a heart-shaped pendant—or rather half of a heart. The edges were jagged, as if the goldsmith had snapped it in two. Her name was engraved on the broken piece, the i in April dotted with a diamond chip.

Pulling his chair next to hers, Mark fished his key chain from his pocket. “Here's the other half,” he said. On the chain, along with keys to his car, apartment, and garage, she saw the second half of the pendant, engraved with his name. Slowly he slid the two pieces together so that they fit neatly to form a complete golden heart. “Now it's perfect,” he said. “Two halves equal one heart. That's how I feel about us. I was just half a person until you came along.”

Too moved to speak, afraid her voice would break, April stared at the glittering jewelry. She had no words to tell Mark how much his gesture meant. He'd made her feel more special than any person had ever made her feel. Mark took the chain, drew it around her neck, and clasped it firmly in place.

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