He had a box like mine, only his was bigger. My past lives fit in a shoe box, just a couple of driver’s licenses. I’d been doing this three times longer than he had, and mine fit in one small box. He had at least a dozen lives packed away in here, and the more I read, the more worried I became about the future. Dev had never shared any of this with me, and as I read over the name Brian Sellers, I gasped. With trembling hands, I lifted the box. I held it in my lap and traced the letters with my index finger. Did I want to know what was inside? I did, but I was scared at the same time. This was the one person in this whole box that I knew.
I lifted the lid and peered in. On top was the license that Dev had shown that very first time he came into The Rusty Nail. A credit card was next; I’d seen that, too. The name of the tattoo parlor down the street was scribbled on a scrap of paper, that must have been where he got inked, but what I found tucked near the bottom took my breath away.
Photos… tons of them… all of me. Some were from after we’d met at the bar, those I expected, but there were so many more. Pictures from when I was younger, some not even from Chicago. I gasped when I ran across one that was of my entire family having a picnic in the park. My hand shook as I turned it over to read the writing on the back. There scrolled in handwriting that I didn’t recognize were the words “Target and Family”.
I turned the photo back over and let my fingers run across the image of my father as he sat on a blanket smiling at me. I could remember the day this was taken; we’d left California that night. The Feds determined that we’d been found once again. George had been relentless, and I was holding the proof. Why did Dev have this and how had he gotten it? More importantly, why he hadn’t told me was baffling.
A singled tear slipped down my face as I shuffled through the photos examining each one. I was angry that he had these and hadn’t bothered to tell me, but I think I might have been more hurt than anything.
I didn’t hear the door open when Dev and the guys came back. I didn’t hear anything; I was lost in my memories until he stumbled to a stop in front of me. “Shit!” he hissed when he saw what I was holding.
“Why?” I tipped my chin up so I could look him in the eyes. “Why do you have pictures of my family?”
He glanced over where the two of his buddies were standing and they exchanged silent nods before disappearing outside, then he turned back to me, “It was part of the job.”
“You knew they were after me? Why didn’t you tell me that you knew who I was when we met?” I sniffed as a feeling of betrayal settled in.
“Sam,” he sighed. “I didn’t know you were her,” he pointed at the picture “not at first, anyway.” He shifted and sat down beside me as he reached for the box in my hand, “When I went under with George’s group, I knew they were after a family. He gave me those photos. His goons had being doing surveillance on your family for years. He wanted me know who I was after. I kept them in case I ever found that girl, but honestly, I’d forgotten that I had them. When I met you in the bar that night, I didn’t know that was you. You looked like her, but I wasn’t sure. The more pictures George gave me, the more I put the pieces together.”
“When did you know?” I wiped at my eyes and chewed my lip.
“When he gave me this one,” Dev dug around in the pile until he found what he was looking for and handed it to me.
When I saw what it was, I gasped, “Oh my god!” There, sitting in my lap, was a photo of Dev and me walking home from school when we were dating in New York. I was Emily then, and he was my boyfriend. “This is you!” I looked up wide-eyed.
“Yes,” he nodded.
“No one figured out who you were?” I wrinkled my forehead as I stared at it. We looked so happy and young.
“No,” he sighed. “My hair was longer there, and I always kept a slight beard when I was working for George. They handed me that photo the night I left your place right after I found your box of IDs. I knew then that I had to get you out and fast.”
I watched him for a minute, not really sure what to do. “Are you mad?” he stared at me. “About all that?” he motioned toward the box.
I looked from the pile of stuff to him only pausing for a second before launching myself into his arms, “Thank you,” I cried, as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“For what?” he mumbled.
“For saving me,” I buried my face in his tee shirt clad chest. “I don’t think I’d be where I am if you hadn’t taken him down.”
“It wasn’t just me,” he chuckled. “We had an entire team.”
“I know, but they could have killed you. They showed you photos of yourself, and you held it together. I don’t know how to tell you how that makes me feel.” I hugged him tighter.
He paused for a minute before pushing against me to break our connection. I loosened my grip as I tipped my chin to stare into his eyes, confusion written all over my face. “Marry me!” he grinned.
“What?” I gasped as I shook my head trying to make sure I heard him right.
“Marry me. We already practically live together. I’m moving in. We have a child together. We love each other. Hell, look at what we’ve gone through to be together. What are we waiting for?” He lifted me off his lap and held his hand up as he shuffled on his knees over to the chest of drawers against the wall. He pulled open the bottom drawer and dug around for a second before smiling and shuffling back to stop in front of me. He opened his palm to reveal a small velvet box.
“Ohmygod!” It came out in a rush as my hands flew to my mouth.
“I’ve had this since right after you left the last time,” he smirked. “Samantha Elizabeth Connolly, will you marry me?” he lifted the lid on the box to reveal a beautiful sparkling diamond. It looked to be about a three quarter carat square cut with several smaller diamonds nestled around it.
“Dev,” the tears that I’d been holding on to were streaming down my face as I darted my eyes between the ring and his face. “I don’t know what to say,” I murmured.
“Yes would be a good start,” he chuckled.
I began to laugh though the tears before I threw myself into his arms once again, “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”
He joined in on my laughter as he plucked the ring from its satin confines and slid it on my finger before attacking my mouth in a blistering kiss. We were just about to take things further when a clearing of a throat behind us caused us to jump apart.
“You two can do that later,” Jase called as he moved closer, “and congratulations!”
“Thanks,” I giggled before turning to face Dev. “We’ll pick up where we left off tonight,” I whispered as I leaned in next to his ear. “I promise.”
He grumbled before standing to follow Jase. I, on the other hand, sat grinning like a fool as I admired my new jewelry. No way did I picture today taking this turn, but I wasn’t going to complain. I’d found over the years that the best things were always unplanned.
Chapter 21
Thanksgiving morning was anything but normal. The turkey I’d been defrosting in the fridge for the last two days was still frozen, Dev had been called into work the night before, had yet to get back home, and Mara had been whining about playing in the snow since the minute she got up. I’d called my mother in a panic begging for help, and thankfully, she rushed over.
“Thank god!” I threw open the door anxiously, the minute my mother knocked on it.
“Calm down!” she laughed as she shook her head at me. “Everyone has at least one year like this in their life. It’ll be ok.”
“No it won’t,” I whined. “I wanted this year to be perfect. I closed the bar so I could concentrate on this and looked what happened.”
“Sam,” she laughed again as she maneuvered her way into the condo. She was carrying a large container in her hands, and she struggled as she moved to place it in my kitchen.
“What’s that?” I pointed as I closed the door behind her.
“A turkey,” my mother sighed before
turning to face me, “and before you say anything, no, I did not plan for you to fail.”
“How did you happen to have one then?” I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled.
“It’s not cooked,” she pushed a few buttons on my stove. “I was planning to have some friends over tomorrow and this was for that. I’ll switch with you, and we can eat this one today,” she moved around my kitchen with ease as she began searching the cabinets. She turned and smiled at me, “Are you going to help, or stand there?”
I blew out a breath before throwing my head back in laughter, “Let’s do this.”
Mom and I spent the next several hours mixing, chopping, sautéing, boiling, and baking all of the dishes I’d so carefully planned. When we finished and stepped back to admire our work I was pleasantly surprised.
“That turned out better than I thought,” I grinned at her.
“Better go get cleaned up before your man gets home,” my mom smiled at me as she lifted a piece of flour-covered hair from my eyes. I laughed as I glanced down at myself and noticed it was practically covering my clothes.
“Good idea,” I untied the apron from my waist and tossed it on the counter. “Keep an eye on her?” I motioned to where Mara was watching a parade on TV. My mother smiled and nodded as I turned and headed for the bathroom.
After cleaning up, dressing, and drying my hair, I made my way back toward the living room. I could hear laughter coming down the hall, and my heart soared. Dev was home. I was surprised that he hadn’t come looking for me.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” he grinned when I stepped around the corner.
“You, too,” I chirped as I twisted my hands in front of me. We hadn’t told my mom about our engagement yet, and I had removed my ring before I started cooking. With all the chaos this morning, I’d completely forgotten about telling her. We hadn’t told Mara yet either because we wanted to wait and tell her together. With Dev at work last night, we hadn’t gotten a chance yet. I knew they’d both be happy, but my nerves were getting the best of me.
“So?” he tilted his head to the side as he stood and rounded the corner. I watched him amble closer and took in his appearance. He looked utterly exhausted. His eyes had dark circles under them, and he was still dressed in his clothes from yesterday. The twinkle that was normally in his eyes was dimmer than usual, and he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“You ok?” I murmured when he was close enough to hear me. He nodded, but it didn’t seem very convincing. “You sure about that?”
“It was long night,” he mumbled. “We’ve got a big case that I thought we were close to closing, but apparently I was wrong.”
“Mmm, are you going to have to go back tonight?” I reached up to cup his jaw not even thinking about my ring.
He leaned in to me and closed his eyes, “I can’t talk about work with you, baby. You know this.”
“Sam?” my mother’s voice broke me out of my thoughts of Dev. She stood slowly from where she was perched on the couch, and her hand lifted to her mouth as her eyes widened. “Are you? Does this mean?” her words were caught in her throat as she pointed to the two of us and moved closer.
I looked from Dev to her before I figured out what she was talking about. Once I made the connection, I yanked my hand away as I sunk my teeth into my lip. Dev turned, so he was beside me instead of in front me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me flush to his side.
“Are you two?” My mother had finally reached us, and she grabbed at my hand to stare at the sparkling diamond that sat on my third finger.
“Getting married?” Dev finished for her. She nodded her head vigorously before quickly glancing behind her to see if the smallest ears in the room had heard her. “Yes,” Dev smiled as he turned his face and pressed his lips to the top of my head.
“When did this happen?” My mom smiled at the two us.
“Yesterday,” I grinned now, happy that she was happy for us.
“And you kept it a secret for that long?” she smirked.
“She’s good at keeping secrets,” Dev nudged me. I couldn’t tell if that statement upset him or not. He was so tired and worn down that I wasn’t sure what he was feeling.
“Why don’t we eat while it’s still hot,” I tilted my head toward the table. “I’m sure a certain someone wants some turkey.” As soon as the words fell from my lips, Mara bounced up off the couch, “Can we eat now? I’m hungry.”
I laughed as I nodded at her and watched her rush to the table. We spent the next few hours talking and laughing as we devoured all the delicious food Mom and I had prepared. Plans to tell Mara about our big news fell to the wayside, as talks of building a snowman were her top priority.
“Can we?” she bounced on the balls of her feet and tugged at Dev’s wrist. “Please, Daddy!”
I watched the struggle on his face. He wanted to go with her; I knew he did. The way she had settled into calling him Daddy and asking him for things had come so natural. He was exhausted though. I was honestly surprised that Dev was still awake. I knew with his job that this was nothing new. I’m sure over his career, he’d spent many nights awake and many shifts with no sleep, but I he’d never had a three year old wanting to push his energy to the limits when he did make it home.
“Sweetie,” I reached for Mara. “Daddy’s really tired. Maybe we can do something in here tonight and build a snowman tomorrow?” I tried to capture her attention, but she wasn’t having it.
“It’s no fair!” she stomped her little foot and awkwardly crossed her arms. “You’re never here!”
“Mara!” I scolded. I hadn’t seen her act like this in a while, but it wasn’t unheard of. Her world had been flipped on its side over the last few months, and she’d been rolling with the punches pretty well. I knew that it wouldn’t last forever, and I’d been silently wondering when the typical three-year-old behavior that I had known back in Vegas would make an appearance.
“It’s ok,” Dev sighed as a yawn escaped him.
“No, it’s not,” I shook my head. “She knows better.”
“Sam,” he reached across the table and placed his hand over mine. “Really, it’s ok.” I watched him slowly drag himself to an upright position and shuffle over to the door. He lifted the coat that he’d tossed on the back of a chair and began tugging it on.
“What are you doing?” I gasped.
“Building a snowman with my daughter,” he offered a weak, tired smile.
“Dev, no. She needs to learn that she can’t always get what she wants,” I shook my head as I watched him tie his boots.
“Not today she doesn’t,” he slipped his gloves on and then reached for Mara’s hand. She’d been pouting while she was half-dressed. All that had remained left to do was slip on her boots. “We’ll be back shortly,” he called as he opened the door and slipped into the hallway.
“You’ve got a good man there,” my mother smiled at me as she stood and began taking dirty dishes into the kitchen.
“Yeah,” I agreed as I blew out a breath. “He’s gonna spoil her though.”
“He’s missed a lot,” my mom called as she disappeared into the kitchen. “Don’t be too hard on him.”
When Dev and Mara finally came back inside, my mother said her goodbyes and headed home with the turkey that I hadn’t cooked. I thanked her for all her help and promised to update her as soon as we had set a date for the wedding. I knew we didn’t want to wait, but we hadn’t really thought much further than that.
After Mara stripped out of her snowy clothes, I gave her a bath and tucked her in. I had left Dev on the couch watching football and had little hope that he’d be awake when I returned. Sure enough, when I rounded the corner he was stretched out on the couch. Half his body was hanging off like he’d literally just flopped down. His shoes and coat were all he’d managed to get off. His face looked so peaceful as he lay there snoring softly. His hair was in disarray from the snow hat he’d been wearing most of the day.
His cheeks were red from the winter wind, and his lips were pursed as if he was deep in thought.
“Hey,” I nudged him slightly. I didn’t want to wake him, but I knew that he’d be more comfortable in bed. “Hey,” I tried again, and this time his eyes blinked rapidly like he was trying to clear the sleep from them. “Let’s go to bed,” I swung my head toward the bedroom door.
Without speaking, he nodded, yawned, and pushed himself up. I watched as he brushed his teeth before stripping down to his boxers and climbing into bed. Something was off today. It was like he had been putting on a show while my mother was here, and now the burden of whatever happened at work was finally catching up and taking its toll.
“Are you ok?” I whispered as I clicked off the light and snuggled under the covers next to him.
“I’m fine,” he mumbled.
“You don’t seem fine,” I reached up and laid my palm on his bare shoulder.
“I’ve got a lot going on,” he sighed.
“Wanna talk about it?” I pushed.
“I can’t,” anger seeped into his voice as he rolled to his side. “Please stop asking me to.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I just… never mind,” I grumbled as I laid there staring at the ceiling in the dark.
Becoming Somebody Page 15