Page 76 of Pulled By the Tail
Georgia hugged the book to her chest and launched herself at Talen, smashing into him with the book. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”
Talen
Brother,
I have given your mate several good suggestions for naming the kit and she refuses to take me seriously. Correction is a wonderful name. I can see how Unwanted is not fashionable, but it is traditional. Well, we just have the one great-great-and-so-forth called Unwanted, and by all accounts, he was a bastard, so perhaps that was not my best suggestion. Be that as it may, Correction remains a wonderful name.
-Quil
“How far to the hotel?”She turned up the collar on her coat. The air held a brisk, muddy smell from the river. Having lived her entire life never more than an hour from the ocean, the water smelled wrong. Sounded wrong. The gentle lapping of the river against the embankment had its charms, though. Her hand trailed along the top of the railing, all that separated the pavement from the water’s edge. Lights from the city reflected on the dark water. Further upriver, commercial shipping continued no matter the late hour.
“Tired?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Fortunately, it is nearby.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She leaned her back against the railing. Her feet ached, and she knew that she’d pay tomorrow for the day of constant walking. “We should get married. Yes. I accept.”
Talen swung her into an embrace, lifting her right off her feet. The scent of warm citrus and spice, undeniably his scent, surrounded her. The bag of books fell to the pavement, momentarily forgotten. “It was the book, wasn’t it? I knew the right courting gift would open your heart.”
The book sealed the deal but wasn’t nearly all of it. “I can’t believe you remembered me talking about that book. I don’t even think I told you the title,” she said.
“I didn’t do the legwork. I just described what you told me. Maxis did the rest.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to give you an answer. I already knew, really. There was never any doubt, but I was scared. Everyone leaves. Everyone. My father. My mom. My stupid ex-boyfriend.” She huffed, torn between the urge to laugh and sob. Speaking her fears made them seem so small, trivial even. “Quil left before he even had a chance to meet me. It’s like something innate in me.”
“You are wrong.” His arms tightened around her.
“If I used the baby to bind you to me, you’d end up hating me. When you left anyway, it would hurt too much. I couldn’t bear it.” Ah, the truth at last. “I love you. I think I have since the bookstall in the market.”
“You carry my heart,” he said, and she wanted to believe.
“But only because of the baby.” He loved her now, but the excitement would fade and then what would they have?
“I think since that first morning when you yelled at Quil.”
“Oh God,” she groaned. “Not my finest moment.”
“I disagree. I was fully prepared to clean up my brother’s mess and tend to a broken-hearted female. To be her champion. Instead, I found a female who was her own champion, saying everything I wanted to say and saying it so much better. My very own Persistence come to life.”
Her heart thumped. He was talking books and it was the sexiest thing she ever heard. “I don’t recall Persistence having a temper.”
“She gets riled up. It is one of her challenges.” He tucked her head under his chin. “Now you see how serious this is for me.”
“Comparing me to the main character in your favorite book? Yeah, I see.”
“I can never leave you, for you carry my heart. I will be at your side until the light leaves me and I will keep repeating this until you believe me.”
“Thank you. I love you more than I can say.” She intended to show him.
Chapter 18
Georgia
“We will marry today,” Talen announced the moment her eyes cracked open.
“Okay? I mean, sure, let’s get a license.” She yawned, stretching and rotating her feet. “I don’t particularly want a big fuss. We can get a justice of the peace. Do they do that here?”
