A Girl by Any Other Name (33 page)

you think it wasn’t hard for me? That I didn’t think about you every single day? I wondered where you

were, what you were doing, how your leg was feeling.” She was full-on crying now. She leaned

against the wall, and slid down to the floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees, hiding her tears

from me. I sat next to her, putting my arm around her shoulder, rubbing it gently. She buried her face

in my chest. We sat in silence for a while, except for her muffled cries.

“I know it was hard on you. Harder, in fact, because you had lost your father and I know how

much you loved him. I just wish I could have helped you through that. I’m so sorry, baby.”

She cried for what seemed like an eternity. I held her tightly, wishing to God I had held my anger

in check. I just wanted to keep her safe, and all I had done was hurt her. When she was spent of tears,

she whispered so softly I had to strain to hear her. “My father was killed that night, but I think his soul

died with my mother. I mourned his loss a long time before he died.”

“I’ve never approved of the way he treated you, but I was always amazed at your capacity to

love him regardless of it.”

She pulled her head up. I took her face in my hands, wiping her tears with my thumbs. “I never

told you this, but your father knew who I was. He knew my family’s history and that we were in

hiding.”

I sucked in a deep breath, shaking my head. “He would have told me.”

“He couldn’t. They always inform the local law, at least a high official. That’s the reason we

moved next door to you. It was fate that we were neighbors.”

“Why didn’t he do something about your dad?” I asked. For the first time in my life, I was

disappointed in my own father.

“He did, Cal. He knew my dad was an alcoholic who ignored me. He set up a meeting with him

when I was twelve. He told my father he wanted to contact the US Marshal’s office about getting me

moved to another home.”

“Why would he ask your dad? Why didn’t he just do it?”

“Our situation was unique and he couldn’t exactly call Child Protective Services. But that’s the

funny thing, you’d think my dad would be outraged. Or at least feel ashamed that another man was

asking him to give up his child.”

“What was his response?” I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

“He agreed. It was like he’d asked my dad to donate some of his old clothes to charity. No big

deal. I would have ended up in a different city with some long-distance relative I didn’t know, or,

worse, in foster care. He’d never see me again, and that was fine with him. I decided it was fine by

me too. I even looked up places where I might live.”

“I’m sorry, baby. You have such a good heart, despite what you’ve been through or maybe it’s

because of it. I’m not sure, but being loved by you is not something I will ever take for granted.”

“I feel the same way about you.” She twisted a strand of her hair around her fingers. “Tex, I

loved my father, but I also started to resent him that day.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you didn’t leave Prairie Marsh, but why didn’t you?”

“I begged your father not to go to our case worker. I told him my father ignored me, but I could

take care of myself. I asked him not to take away the only family I had.”

“So he just agreed?”

“It took some convincing, but he did eventually. He checked up on me a lot. You didn’t know

that, did you?”

I shook my head. The idea that my father knew all of Sylvie’s secrets brought me some comfort.

“So you stayed because you wanted to be with your father?”

She shifted, sitting on my lap, burying her face against my neck. “When I asked your dad not to

take away the only family I had, like you, he thought I was talking about my father, but I wasn’t. I was

referring to you and Mandy and your mother. I was thinking of the boy who told me I was pretty. The

one who taught me to fish, and sat with me outside of church. The boy who prayed for me and held me

at night. The one who slept on my floor when I was twelve and asked me not to move.”

“God, I didn’t think I could love you anymore. You stayed for me?”

“I stayed for me, because I knew without your friendship I could never be strong.”

I kissed her head.

“I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I know. I’ll be more careful. I promise.”

I tilted her face so I could look into it. I wiped all the tears away. “Thank you, Sophie.”

She arched her eyebrow. “You’re calling me Sophie now?”

I nodded, deciding in that moment that I was making too many mistakes, as she’d implied I

would. “I decided it doesn’t matter. A girl by any other name still smells as sweet, and, baby, you

sure do smell good.” I kissed her temple, inhaling her vanilla scent.

Her smile instantly relieved the tension in my body. “Paraphrasing Shakespeare, huh?”

“Yeah, a really smart girl quoted Shakespeare to me when I was ten, and I’ve never forgotten.” I

went to kiss her, but she backed away.

“Speaking of smells, do you want to tell me why you have another woman’s scent on you?”

Fuck.

“I can explain that. Hell, that makes me sound guilty as sin. I don’t want you to get any angrier at

me, but I’m not sure how to tell you this.”

“Just tell me. I ain’t got all day.”

I laughed, because although she wanted an explanation, I knew from her expression she was

amused. “I used to date this girl, Molly. She’s a very nice girl, and we stayed friends afterwards. It

was probably a mistake to do that, but we both needed a friend. I met her and another friend, Tony, at

the bar tonight. We meet for drinks every weekend, although I’ve been skipping out since I met you.

When you said you needed to work, I figured I’d just go meet them not thinking about it. As soon as I

got there, though, I knew it was a pretty dickhead move to meet up with my ex. I’m sorry.”

“Why do you smell like her?”

“She got pretty wasted fast and there was a guy there who I didn’t trust. I wanted to make sure

she made it home so I drove her. I swear to you on my life that nothing happened. I have no problems

telling her we can’t be friends anymore. I know it was very disrespectful to you. I never want to

jeopardize what we have.”

She was contemplative for a moment, biting her lower lip. She surprised me with a kiss on my

cheek. She was wearing sleeping shorts and one of my T-shirts. I caressed her bare legs as she got

comfortable against my chest. “Don’t do that, Cal. You’re a very good friend and I wouldn’t take that

away from anybody.”

“Really? You’re not mad?”

“I trust you. Besides, I’d be a hypocrite if I told you not to see her again.”

“How so?” I asked, feeling all the relaxed muscles tense again.

“My number one, as you like to call him, is still in my life. He lives in another state, but I talk to

him on the phone, and we see each other once in a while.”

“I see,” I replied as evenly as I could, gnashing my teeth together.

She put a hand on each side of my face, looking up at me. “I love you. Any intimacy between him

and I was over a long a time ago. I just wanted you to know.”

“Well, you’ve put me in a position where arguing would only make me look like a damn fool.”

“So let’s not argue about it.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to talk about other people anymore. Just let me love you tonight.” I

trailed kisses down her jaw line, but she backed away before I could descend any further.

“We can’t. I got my period.”

I bent down so I could whisper in her ear. “I don’t mind.”

She laughed, pushing herself off me. “Ewweee, I do.”

I sighed in exasperation. I wasn’t getting makeup sex.

“Fine,” I grumbled.

“Don’t be that way. It’s good news.”

“How in the hell is it good news?”

“Because I’m not pregnant, silly.”

“Oh, yeah, I suppose it is. Let’s go to bed, Sophie. At least I can hold you tonight.”

She shook her head and I opened my mouth to protest. I was tired as hell and I just wanted to fall

asleep with her in my arms. “Cal, I can accept that you’re friends with her, but I will never be all

right with you coming to my bed with another woman’s scent. Take a shower, buster.” She pointed to

the tiny shower in her apartment. I hated that shower. I swear it was built for midgets.

She stood up, “Hurry up, cowboy.”

“Why?” I grumbled.

She gave me a sexy smile, licking her lips. Her words were whispered promises, jerking my

dick to full awareness. “My body may be off limits, but yours isn’t. I’ll be waiting.”

I think that was the fastest shower I ever took.

Chapter Nineteen

My unease was at an all-time high. It was five minutes past when class had started and Sylvie

wasn’t here yet. She still sat in the back, but we always smiled at each other when she walked in. It

wasn’t like her not to show up. She knew how much I worried. I texted her before starting the lecture.

Twenty minutes later, I checked my cell—something I told my students never to do—but there

was no response. I texted again.

Where the hell are you?

I checked ten minutes later and still no response. “Jessica, please take over,” I said quietly in the

middle of Melanie Adams reciting her paper on
The Iliad
.

I stepped out into the hallway, hitting the button for Sylvie’s phone, trying to control the rampant

thoughts in my head. The phone rang so I prepared for the heated voicemail I’d leave her, but she

finally answered.

“Cal,” she said in a raspy voice as if she’d been crying. All my anger instantly dissipated.

“Where are you?”

“At home,” she choked.

“What’s wrong?”

“He found me.”

“Are you hurt?” My fingers tightened around the phone so hard I was afraid it would pop right

out of my hand.

“No, I’m okay.”

I exhaled a long breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in. “Are you safe right now?” I asked,

heading back to the classroom to retrieve my jacket and keys.

“Yes, he’s gone. The police are here. It was the alarm. The sound made him run off.”

“I’ll be there as fast as I can.” I propped open the door. “Jessica, I need you to take over.”

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“It’s a family emergency.”

Jessica looked at me, perplexed, but nodded. As far as I was concerned, that was the most

truthful response I could give. Sylvie was my family and always had been.

* * * *

I reached her place in record time, breaking all speed limits and running every yellow light in

my path. I charged up the stairs, but halted in my tracks when I saw the door, busted off the jamb with

the broken chain swinging in mock victory. I pushed it open and walked in. There were several police

officers and men in suits, but I ignored them all looking for her.

She sat on her bed folding clothes into a suitcase. I walked up to her and took her in my arms.

She melted into them.

“Baby, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m fine. He busted through the door, but as soon as the alarm went off, he ran away. I

was in the bathroom getting ready to head out. You were right about the alarm.”

I held her face in my hand, kissing it all over, not caring how many other people were in the

room. “Sophie, we need to get moving,” a gruff voice said from behind me.

I turned and looked at him, trying not to give him the benefit of my shock. “Well, well, hello,

Uncle Joe.”

“Hello, Caleb. As I said the last time we met, do not call me that.”

“He’s not my uncle. Joe is the US Marshal assigned to me,” she explained.

“Yeah, I figured that one out on my own. What’s going on? Are you leaving?”

She nodded. “I’m getting another identity.”

“Were you just going to leave me…again?”

She widened her eyes, backing away from me. “I was going to tell you.”

“When? When it was too late for me to do anything about it? Were you going to send me an

anonymous postcard?”

“I think we have other things to worry about right now, Caleb. You need to leave.”

“Shut up, Joe. Get out. I need to talk to Sophie.”

“Excuse me?” Joe grabbed my shoulder, but I moved out of his reach. I didn’t want to take my

eyes off her.

“Joe, can you please have everyone wait outside? I need to talk to Cal privately.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Soph.” Soph? He had a nickname for her?

“She didn’t ask your permission,
Uncle
Joe.”

“I just need a few minutes…please,” she pleaded with him.

I was looking at her, looking at him over my shoulder. The expression she offered him was one

of familiarity…possibly intimacy, as if I was the interloper in this situation. “Are you done with

forensics?” Joe asked someone.

“Yes, all set,” said the one woman in the room who had been dusting for fingerprints and

gathering items. “Everyone, let’s go outside and figure out the game plan. Haynes, you’re with me.”

They all shuffled out in an orderly fashion.

“I can only give you ten minutes, Soph. Then we need to leave.”

“Thanks, Joe.”

When we were alone, she sat down on the bed, wringing her hands against her lap. I sat next to