A Thousand Lies (44 page)

“And will I live happily ever after?” Brendan asked.

Mama Lou smiled. “If you so choose.”

Claudette stood. “Are you ready to leave now?”

“Yes. I have done all that was needed for now. She knows I will be there for her in the future as well.”

They were gone as abruptly as they’d come, leaving Brendan a little uneasy. He didn’t know what to do or say to Linny now.

“Is there anything you want to tell me?”

She frowned. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. All this talk about being someone different made me wonder, that’s all.”

“I’m not different, Brendan. I just quit pretending to be something I’m not. When Mama goes home, it’ll be okay this time. Sam loves Wisteria Hill so much. He’ll make it a good place again. You’ll see.”

“You are one brave girl,” Brendan said.

Linny crawled over the back of the sofa and onto the cushion beside him, then glanced up, her eyes narrowing as she studied his face.

“People can look alike without being alike,” she said softly.

“You are right about that,” he said.

He knew how much he looked like Anson, and what it must cost her to have feared one, loved the other, and had the strength of heart to know the difference.

“You know what, Bren? One lie is as bad as a thousand lies, but I think the lies in our family died with Daddy. I promise to never tell a lie as long as I live.”

Brendan swallowed past the lump in his throat as he put his arm around her. She’d come so close to being lost to them forever, and he couldn’t forget it.

“Do you know what a touchstone is?” he asked.

“No.”

“It’s the way someone might measure what is best in life, like the thing that keeps them focused and on the right path.”

“Oh.”

He pulled her closer. “So you, Belinda Poe, are my touchstone. You are the best of the Poes who have ever lived. You are everything God meant you to be, and will be. I am proud to share your name.”

She leaned against him. “One day when you and Julie are married and have babies, I’ll be the best auntie ever to them.”

He laughed from the joy of knowing there was actually a “one day” on the horizon.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” he said.

Her brow furrowed. “No, Bren. We should always say ‘from our lips to God’s heart,’ because that’s where the love comes… from His heart.”

Epilogue

Months later—Christmas Eve

Juliette Poe was pregnant and, according to the doctor, about five weeks along. She came home from the appointment, went straight to the bedroom and stripped, and was now standing in front of her full-length mirror, turning first one way and then the other, eyeing her naked self.

Unless you knew where to look, the lash marks from her abduction were barely visible, all except for one on her upper thigh that left a long, thin scar. She didn’t mind that scar so much anymore, mostly because Brendan called it her badge of honor and because he often traced the length of it with his fingertip as they made love.

It was because of all that love-making that she was in this condition, and she was not only elated by the timing, but talk about the perfect Christmas gift for hubby, way better than a tool set from Sears.

But it wasn’t just the joy of becoming parents that was so important. It was also because of what it was going to mean to them, personally. This child was going to be the final piece needed to end the lingering cold war between her mother and the Poes.

Julie’s mother was polite to Brendan’s family, but she wasn’t friendly. She almost hated her mother for that faux pas, but she was trying to follow Brendan’s path and take the high road in all of it. He’d reminded her only yesterday when he kissed her good-bye before going to work.

“They’re our families, but they’re not us. Whatever hitches they carry in their steps does not cripple you or me.”

She’d put her hand on his chest so she could feel his heartbeat. “You’re right, as always. Be safe, be smart, and come home to me.”

It was something she’d said his first day on the job as a cop at the New Orleans P.D, and she’d said it every day since as her own kind of talisman.

She moved back a step from the mirror and turned to the right to check her belly. It was still flat, although not for long. But it wasn’t just about the changes to her body that mattered. It was the changes within the families.

Out of all that had happened, LaDelle Poe had probably changed the most, not only outwardly, but from within. She’d gone home from the hospital with a shaven head, and when the hair began to grow back, it came in snow white. Trauma-based stress everyone said. But her daughter said different. She said it was because her mama was an angel on earth, and that God had changed her hair so that everyone could know.

No charges were ever filed against Delle or her sons. Wesley Riordan was in a federal prison and would most likely die there. Delle’s relief that they’d escaped prison was boundless, and her joy in family continued to grow.

As Linny predicted, Sam moved home to take care of the family and the family business of bamboo. Under his care, both were thriving.

Chance joined the Louisiana National Guard. He still had something more he needed to prove to himself, and when he came home, got his job back at the auto supply. He was a regular guy through the weekdays, but two weekends a month, he turned into a warrior, confident he was finally doing something right with his life.

Once Anson was gone, Claudette regained her sister, for good this time. And now, with this baby, even more changes were to come.

Julie turned to face herself in the mirror and put a hand on her belly.

“You, my sweet baby, are going to have
the
best aunties ever. One is Claudette. The other is Belinda, and they will know your heart long before you know yourself.”

She heard a door slam and her heart skipped a beat. Brendan was home.

She heard another door open and close and knew he’d just removed and stored his weapon.

Before she could get her clothes back on, he was standing in the doorway, still wearing the blue shirt and dark pants of the New Orleans P.D.

He grinned when he saw her naked.

“Now this is what I call a great welcome home.”

She lifted her arms and did a neat pirouette. “Take a good look because this trim little body isn’t going to last long. This isn’t exactly how I planned to tell you, but Merry Christmas, Brendan Poe. You’re going to be a father.”

His smile slipped, his lips parted, and then he opened his arms and was at her side in three steps. He touched her face, her breast, then dropped to his knees and laid his cheek against her belly.

Julie laughed as she dug her fingers through his hair, but it wasn’t until she felt his teardrops that she realized he was crying.

“Brendan! Honey?”

Unashamed of the tears, he stood up, taking her with him. Her feet were dangling against his knees as he started kissing her cheeks, her forehead, on both eyes and then the tip of her nose. By the time his mouth finally centered on her lips, they were both in tears. When he sat down on the side of the bed, she was in his arms.

She caressed his cheek and then ran the tip of her finger along his lower lip. “I take it you’re okay with this?”

“Beyond okay,” he said, then wrapped his arms around her. “You have no idea what this means to me. For twenty-six years, I’ve fought my way through life, mostly because of the social disgrace of my last name. This baby will be the beginning of a new generation to bring dignity and honor back to the family. I am so happy for us, but to you personally, I am grateful beyond words for making this possible.”

“No, Bren. This baby isn’t the beginning of a new generation. That honor goes to you. You were a hero twice over before you ever put on a badge, and wearing this uniform just makes it better. I was always proud
of
you, but being your wife adds a whole other level to my pride.”

He kissed the palm of her hand and then pressed it against his heart. “I swear to you, I’ll never do anything to make you ashamed of me. I would die for you, Julie, without thinking.”

The steady thump of his heartbeat was strong against her palm.

“I don’t want you to die for me. I need you, and this baby and all the babies to come will need you. Stay strong for us. Stay safe for us. That’s all I ask.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen.”

“You swear?”

He leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart. “You know me better than anyone. Would I lie to you?

She saw her reflection in his eyes and shook her head. “Never in a million years.”

The End