A Girl by Any Other Name (77 page)

“Hey, I needed to tell you something else.”

“What’s that?”

“Joe said your new name is ready. You can use it if you want, although you don’t need to. I was

wondering if you picked that name so I would find you again.”

I thought about it for a second, realizing in all the rush I’d never told him. “It might have been

subconscious.”

“Well, I love it.” He took my hand in his, shaking it slightly, “It’s nice to meet you, Lenore Poe.

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Caleb Tanner, the man who plans to love you for the rest of his

life.”

I smiled at the sound of that. It was the most comforting thing he could have said. “So you want

me to keep it?”

“Actually, like I said before, I love the girl, not the name. I don’t care what you choose, at least

not your first name. It’s your last name I’m interested in.”

“My last name?”

“Yes, I want it to match mine.”

I backed away from him so I could study his face. He was smiling hopefully. “Caleb James

Tanner, are you asking me to marry you?”

“Not yet, but I will. I’m going to do it right when you’re healthy and I can kneel before your feet

and present you with a rock that’s worthy of gracing your hand.”

“I don’t need a rock. Ask me.”

I could see the relief in his eyes, because we both knew two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been

able to say this, but everything was different now.

“Patience, Sylvie.”

“Then I’ll ask you.”

“Hell, no. I’m kind of old-fashioned about these things. I will ask you when the time is right and

when I do, it will be the best proposal you ever had. Will you let me ask you the right way?”

“As long as you don’t make me wait two years,” I replied with a pout.

He chuckled. “I promise I won’t.”

“’Kay.”

“Why don’t you go to sleep, sweetheart.”

“I’ve been asleep for two weeks.”

“Yes, but I know you’re tired.” He rubbed my arm. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

It seemed ridiculous that a conversation and a trip to the bathroom could be so exhausting, but I

was ready to sleep again. I closed my eyes, leaning my head against his chest. “Thank you for

coming,” I murmured.

“Girl, they must be giving you some really good stuff because it sounds like you’re smoking

crack. You’re thanking me for coming to the hospital? They couldn’t keep me away.”

“No, I’m thanking you for coming to Portland. I’m thanking you for finding me.”

He trailed kisses along my forehead. “You found me. Besides, I had to come. I was missing

something and I had to find it.”

“What?”

“My heart. A man can’t function without his heart.”

Epilogue

My wife was laughing at me. I guess I deserved it for all the times I made fun of her when we

were shopping and she’d insist on studying every label at the store as I was doing now. “Tex, I think

you can just pick one. They’re all the same.”

“No, baby, I don’t think they are. We want to get an accurate result here.”

She sighed. “You know I have to go to my gynecologist to have an official test, right?”

I took her arm and pulled her against my chest. “I know, but your appointment’s not until next

week and I can’t wait that long. I want to know tonight.”

I looked down at her, tracing the small white line on her cheek, the last semblance of the ugly

scar he’d left. After a great deal of arguing, she’d finally agreed to the surgery, but only when Momma

had talked her into it. I was glad, because I saw the melancholy in her beautiful face when she looked

in the mirror and I couldn’t stand it.

They had found six more bodies under the floorboards of that cottage—all missing girls in their

mid-twenties with long brown curly hair. My muscles tightened every time I thought she could have

ended up there. Joe had corroborated my story that I killed that bastard in self-defense and no one had

questioned it. After all, Eddie wouldn’t be missed.

She took my hand in hers. “I don’t know if this is the right time, but I want to tell you something

that I’ve been thinking of for a long time.”

“You can tell me anything anytime.”

“No matter what this test says, I want to go back home.”

I stared at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I want to go back to Prairie Marsh. We both know you came to Portland only to find me, but it’s

time for us to go home.”

“Will you be happy there?” I knew all the other issues were done now. She was safe and we

were never letting each other go again. Hell, even economically we were doing very well. She

painted full-time and her work was in demand as was mine. We both had jobs that would allow us to

live anywhere.

“Yes, my family lives there.”

I took her in my arms and embraced her tightly. “Sounds good to me.”

“I want our children to be baptized at that church, I want you to teach them how to fish at our

lake and I want them to play football too.”

“What if we have a girl?”

“Then you’ll have to teach her not to throw like a girl.”

I laughed, placing my hand on her waist. I’d been doing that a lot since she’d told me she was

late. I knew we were both getting a little too excited about this, but either way it felt good just to

know we were together without any hindrances. She was mine in every way and I was hers.

“Just pick one already so we can go. We’re making a scene.”

I laughed at her shyness. Some things never changed. “I know what we’ll do. We’ll get three

different ones. That way we’ll be sure not to get a false positive.”

I picked out three different brands and threw them into the basket in her hand. She stared at me

dubiously, shaking her head. “I don’t even think I can pee that much.”

I grinned. “We’ll stagger the tests. You don’t have to do them at the same time.” I took the basket

from her arm and started walking toward the register.

“Cal, wait,” she said, motioning me back to her.

“What? I thought you wanted to get out of here.”

She waited until I was close, and she said the words quietly so we wouldn’t be overheard. “We

can’t leave the store with three pregnancy tests.”

“Why not?”

“It’s weird.”

I laughed, cupping her chin. “Baby, we’ve been married for six months. I don’t think this is

weird at all.”

“I know, but I just think it would be good if we got some other stuff.”

I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to win this argument. “Fine, you go get something and I’ll get

something. We’ll meet back here, okay?”

“’Kay.”

As I found what I was looking for, I was glad she had suggested this. Every day with her was

like a precious gift and I treated it that way. We’d returned to Prairie Marsh to spend the holidays

with my family and to say our vows in front of the people we loved in the very church there where

we’d forged a friendship on the swing set. She was Sylvie Tanner now.

It was a beautiful wedding where Matt and Mandy stood up for us. Momma cried a great deal,

but they were tears of joy. I even managed to bite my tongue when Mona Simms boasted how she’d

known Sylvie was always alive. I wanted to slap that woman, but my gracious wife just smiled and

thanked her for her prayers. So I kept my comments to myself.

I walked over to her, smiling with each step that brought me closer to my wife, my best friend,

my fishing buddy and the only girl I would ever love. She stood by the display of books, with a

mischievous smile, hands behind her back. “What did you get?” she asked me.

I held up the two items in my hand—a bottle of wine and a pint of ice cream. She arched her

brow at me. “I’m not sure if we’ll be commiserating or celebrating,” I said.

“So the wine’s if we’re commiserating and the ice cream’s if we’re celebrating? It’s usually the

opposite for me.”

“Either way you’re going to have the ice cream and I’m going to have the wine, at least until we

know for sure, but I thought I’d get something for each of us. What’s behind your back?”

She looked coyly away. I placed my items in the basket at her feet and rubbed her arms. “Show

me.”

She held out what I’d expected to see. The novel had a picture of a raven against a blue-gray

backdrop. The scroll writing on the front embellished the words.
Raven’s Return,
by Caleb James

Tanner, cover art by Sylvie Tanner
. It wasn’t exactly our story, but there was a truth in the fiction of

it all. Besides, who would have believed our story anyway?

I took it out of her hand. “Baby, we’ve talked about this.” I placed it back on the bestseller rack,

unable to hide my smile, as it sat next to its prequel,
Raven Girl
, which was receiving a second life

thanks to the popularity of my newest book.

“I can’t pass it by without buying it.”

“We have a hundred copies at home. You’re seriously cutting into our profit margin here.

Besides, how do you expect me to support a family if you keep buying things we don’t need?”

“Fine, but at least read the dedication to me.”

“I’ve read it to you a hundred times.”

“Then a hundred and one. I will never get tired of hearing it.”

I couldn’t deny her anything, least of all this. “Come here.”

She leaned against my chest and I grabbed the book, placing it in front of us so she could read

along with me.

I bent down low so I could whisper in her ear.

“‘To all the girls I’ve loved before,

To Sylvie, Sophie, Gabrielle and Lenore,

The raven may tap and crow upon my door,

But regardless of any plans of fate, or enticing lures,

I promise to love you forevermore.’”

Coming Soon from Totally Bound Publishing:

Lucky Fall

MK Schiller

Released 7th February 2014

Excerpt

Chapter One

“I can do this,” I kept repeating like a silly, silent mantra, trying to give myself a much-needed

boost of courage. I chewed my bottom lip anxiously, hoping I could pull off the six-inch stilettos I’d

purchased on a whim. I couldn’t remember the last time such dangerous heels graced my feet. As it

was, the clicking sounds they emanated against the Carrara marble floors echoed throughout the lavish

Excalibur Hotel lobby, grating on my nerves. Why I was here again? I hadn’t celebrated my birthday

in three years, not since that horrible fortieth that would go down in history as the worst day of my

life.

Libby had insisted, though. She was the only friend I’d kept after the divorce, and that was

because John couldn’t stand her. She was too blunt and honest, even for me at times, but I loved that I

always knew where I stood with her. My other friends had all made a show of it, until I’d heard

snippets of conversations that included my ex-husband, John, and the sugary arm candy who’d taken

up residence in the house I’d painstakingly redecorated. Who was I kidding? She wasn’t just sleeping

on my sheets and using my jetted tub—she was living my life, and I had to accept that. I had a new life

now and it was high time I started enjoying it, beginning with this dinner.

Libby had definitely gone all out. The swanky hotel was right off Broadway and everyone in

New York from the Bohemian-chic Greenwich crowd to the power-hungry Wall Street types were

dying to get in. We’d been able to snag a reservation in the five-star restaurant because Libby’s

brother was a food critic at the
The Times
and had connections.

“Julie, darling, over here,” Libby greeted from the plush settee in the hotel lobby. She motioned

to me, showing off her interesting French-style manicure, done in two shades of lime green. She was

definitely a personality.

I walked over with slow, steady steps, telling myself to take in the sumptuous surroundings, but

really it was because my heels scared me to death and Libby seemed miles away. Although I was

nervous, I had to admit that I felt sexy for the first time in a long time. The fancy chignon actually

worked well with my long brown hair, making every wayward wisp appear accidental, when in fact

they’d been planned with painstaking precision. The low cut black evening dress I’d almost taken

back because it was too daring clung to my curves just enough to be seductive without giving away

the goods. What the hell—I looked hot for once and needed to hold my head up high.

I squared my shoulders, increasing my gait, and returned the smile of a beautiful young man who

stood with his hands on his hips. He was wearing an expensive black suit and a silver diamond-

pattern tie that was modern, but also seemed reminiscent of an earlier era. There was something

suggestive in his sexy grin and as I neared him, my anxiety increased exponentially with each step.

His intense gaze swept over my body in a stimulating way, pausing on my come-fuck-me heels.

Then my foot faltered. I went hurtling, my feet rolling on a collision course I had no control over.

I crashed into a muscled wall of impenetrable black suit. He must have shifted to catch me. Shit!

He pulled me away by my arms. “Are you all right, miss?” he asked in a sexy British accent.