our marriage is the real thing, give them time to fall in love with Mimi. And that won’t take any time atall, because they’ve got grandsons out the wazoo, but not one granddaughter. We’ll have the case triedthere, get joint custody of Mimi, then we can move back here to our respective condos. We can staymarried for the insurance benefits or get a divorce, whichever you want.”
Lily’s heart was racing. “You make it sound so easy, but this ...this goes against my wholepersonal philosophy.” She rolled up her sleeve to show her woman symbol tattoo. “When I got this tattoo,I was nineteen years old. I swore then that I’d always be true to my lesbian identity ... that I’d never closetmyself, or use vague pronouns, or —”
“That’s all very moving, hon. But is your pride worth allowing your daughter to be raised aSouthern Baptist?”
Lily collapsed with her head in her hands. “Oh god.”
“If it helps, you can think of this as a subversive act. We’ll not just be lying out of self-protection;we’ll be beating the straight people at their own game.”
Lily sat in silence for a moment. Hellish as the plan was, it was the only course of action she couldthink of that might give them a chance of success ... if they could pull it off. “I won’t have to, like, wear awhite dress or anything, will I?”
“Hell, no. We’ll just have a justice of the peace do it. You can wear jeans and a Lesbian AvengersT-shirt for all I care. The thing is, though, in front of my folks and the judge, we’ll have to make it lookreal. We’ll have to be affectionate with each other, and in order to play well in Faulkner County you’llhave to take my name —”
Lily started laughing so hard she couldn’t get her breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“What is it?” Ben asked.
“I don’t fucking believe it,” she said when she could finally speak. “My whole life I’ve swornnever to let men influence my identity, and now I’m going to be named Lily McGilly.”
CHAPTER 4
Ben’s Lexus sped along the interstate, taking Lily into a world so different it was hard for her tobelieve they’d been in Atlanta a scant fifty minutes ago. The only traveling Lily had done in the pastseveral years was for book signings. She’d drive to the Atlanta airport, board a plane, and be depositedinto another metropolitan area. A native Atlantan, Lily had seen little of the expanses of country that laybetween major metropolitan areas.
She looked behind her, where Mimi was snoozing away in her car seat. As always, Lily sawCharlotte’s face in Mimi’s. She hoped she was doing the right thing.