Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

"That was before I left work."
"True." She gripped his shirt and clung to him tighter than
before. "We weren't talking about a lot of things back then."
"Well ...1 think it's time." He brushed his thumb along the side
of her arm. "What names do you like?"
"The same ones we talked about before, I guess. The names
we would have called our last little girl."
Tanner worked the muscles in his jaw. "How old would she
be now?"
Jade did not hesitate. "Seven months."
"You always know, don't you?" A pang of guilt struck him and
he paused a moment. "I miss her, too. I just ...1 don't know What
am I supposed to say about her? `She would have been beautiful?
Precious? She still lives in my heart? We'll see her one day in
heaven?' Anything I say won't bring her back." He leaned to the
side and met jade's eyes. "You know?"
"I know But Tanner, do me a favor." Her eyes traveled a path
deep into his heart. "When you're feeling those things, say them.
It's all right to talk about her."
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"Okay" He looked into her soul. ,you know what I think?" "What?"
"I think we should name her, before we name this little girl.
So we're not always talking about her like she was only an idea." Tears filled jade's eyes as a smile filled
her face. "Okay."
"So let's name her."
They thought for a moment and jade wiped at a single tear. "I have an idea." She tilted her head and her
eyes grew cloudy, as though she was remembering something from a long time ago.
"Back when I was a girl, after we left Virginia and I thought I'd never see you again, everything about my
life was lonely. My mother was gone forever, Dad drank every night, and, well... You know the things he
said to me when he was drunk. He forbade me to go out or have friends in, not that I would've brought
anyone home." She hesitated. "Know how I survived that time in my life?"
Tanner hadn't heard this part of her story before. "How?"
"I had an imaginary friend." Jade's smile softened. "She would sit with me on the front porch and read
with me in my bedroom. I could tell her my secrets and she would laugh at my silly stories. Best of all,
she looked just like me."
An understanding dawned in Tanner's mind. "What was her name?"
Jade lowered her chin. "Jenna."
"Jenna..." Tanner let the word play on his tongue for a moment. "I like it. So that's what you want to name
her?"
Jade nodded. "Jenna Eastman."
"Our first daughter. The daughter who lives in heaven." Jade's eyes grew wet again. "Let's not tell anyone
about her name. Let's make it our secret, just the two of us." Her words were slower, and Tanner knew
she was getting tired.
He looked at her, curious. "Why?"
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