“You heard her,” Dev’s voice was ominous. I could see the ticking in his jaw and knew that he and Andy must have had words. The only time Dev let his anger show was when it was something to do with me. He was jealous, and as much as that flattered me, I just wanted Andy to go. I didn’t want to be with him. Dev knew this.
“Please?” I turned my head to stare at Andy. “If you care about me at all, you’ll leave.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow so we can talk… alone,” he eyed Dev before sauntering over to the door. He paused a moment before looking back at me, “Nothing’s changed for me either, Samantha. I still love you, and I love our little girl. I plan on taking you both back to Vegas with me. You’ll see; it’s the right thing to do.” He turned back around and slipped through the door leaving me speechless.
I glanced up to see Dev glowering at Andy’s retreating form. “I’m not going with him and neither is Mara. Don’t worry; I want to be with you,” I reached for his hand and waited for him to acknowledge me. “Do you hear what I’m saying? I want you, not him.”
Dev sighed and sank down onto the edge of the bed, “You have to tell her—today. She introduced me to her ‘daddy’ this morning. I can’t keep acting like she’s not mine.” His eyes held pain, and he was almost begging me. “The doctors are going to let her go home today. They’re bringing her up here after her surgery. I want to take her with me. Your mom said she’d come get her, but I want to take her with me. Please tell me you’re ok with that?”
“She’s not going to understand, and she’ll probably be mad when I tell her. I don’t know if she’ll go willingly,” I mumbled. “We can see how things go and then decide.”
“I can live with that,” Dev leaned over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You need to rest. I’m not going anywhere until you’re better. So, close your eyes and get some rest. I’ll wake you as soon as Mara’s out of surgery. Okay?”
I shifted and winced in the bed before trying to find a comfortable position. “Can you ask the nurse for something for the pain? I can’t sleep like this,” I grimaced.
“Sure thing,” he smiled at me as he stood and leaned out the door.
Within seconds, a nurse was coming in and squeezing something into one of the plastic tubes attached to me. She smiled softly at Dev as she left. I knew that look. I saw him get them all the time. Hell, I wore that smile when I looked at him. As thoughts of a future with him, and finally being able to tell my daughter about him settled into my brain, I began to drift off. The quiet beeping of the machines lulled me into a deep drug- filled sleep.
ooooooooo
“Mommy?” I could hear the voice, but my eyes didn’t open as fast as I’d have liked. “Mommy?” she nudged me on the shoulder.
“Mommy’s tired,” Dev whispered. “Let’s let her sleep. You can sit here with me. Wanna read a story?”
When she agreed, I let myself be dragged back into a deep sleep.
A few hours later, I’m not sure how long; I began to wake again. I turned my head just in time to see Dev seated in a rocking chair by the window. Mara was curled in his lap, her arm wrapped in a bright pink cast, and her head resting on his chest. One arm was holding her against his chest while the other softly brushed her hair across her forehead. He was murmuring something so quietly I couldn’t make it out, but the scene before me made my chest tighten. I’d waited years for this.
Mara stirred slightly as her eyes blinked. “Mommy!” she cheered as she scrambled to climb out of his lap. Her face twisted in pain and she whimpered.
“Easy there,” Dev soothed. “You’re arm’s gonna be sore for a while.”
“It hurts,” she whined. “Make it stop.”
“We need to get your medicine from the store,” he grimaced. He then directed his gaze at me, “She wanted to wait until she got to see you before leaving.”
“Come here, baby,” I patted a spot beside me. “I need to talk to you.”
Mara shuffled over to the bed, and Dev helped her climb up. She was going to have to learn to do things with one arm, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t take her long to master it. Kids were always bouncing back from things like this.
“Where’s Daddy?” She watched me and tears began to gather in her eyes. “You made him leave, didn’t you?” she scowled.
“Mara,” I took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something, and I want you to listen carefully, ok?” She nodded slowly as her forehead creased. “You know how we talked about families back when we lived in Nevada. You wanted to know why Mommy and Daddy weren’t married.” I waited as she slowly nodded in understanding. “I told you that all families were different… that some only had a mommy and others only had a daddy?”
“You said that mommies and daddies don’t make a family, love does,” she lifted her hand and began nibbling on her index finger.
“And I said that sometimes when a mommy or a daddy can’t take care of the baby that someone else helps out?” I kept watching her hoping that she’d forgive me one day for doing this to her.
“Uh huh,” her eyes dropped to her lap before she looked back up at me. A single tear trickled down her cheek before she looked over at Dev and then back at me.
“Andy’s not your daddy, baby,” I reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as the tears in her eyes spilled out onto her cheeks. “Dev’s your daddy,” I nodded to where he was now leaning forward from the chair by the bed. Mara sat unmoving as her little brain tried to process the bomb I’d just dropped on her.
She turned to look at Dev, tears streaming down her face as her voice came out in choked sobs. “Didn’t you want me?”
“Oh sweetheart, I didn’t know about you,” he opened his arms to her as she shuffled toward him, and finally fell into his arms. “I could never not want you. I love you.”
Mara sniffled as she used her good hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Are we gonna live with you now?”
“I hope so… one day,” Dev pressed a kiss to the top of her head. My mouth dried instantly as I sucked in a breath. I’d dreamed, hoped, and prayed for this. I’d never thought it would actually happen though. I’d convinced myself that the man I’d met all those years ago was a figment of my imagination.
When we reconnected, he’d changed. He’d gone from the sweet boy I knew in high school, to a dominating man who knew exactly what he wanted in life. When I had to leave him four years ago, I’d hoped that one day we would get back what we had, but I never thought it would be a reality. Now, as I watched him with our daughter, I realized that all the good I’d seen over the years is still there. Beneath the strong, tough exterior was a gentle, loving father.
“Mara,” I hated to break the moment, but I wanted to make sure she was ok with going home with Dev or if I needed to call my mother. She looked up at me, but kept her iron grip on him. “I have to stay here tonight,” I winced. The pain meds were wearing off, but I’d refused the meds when I woke up because I knew I needed a clear head for this discussion. “Would you like Dev to stay with you tonight or do you want me to call Grandma to take you home with her? If Dev takes you home, you can sleep in your own bed and be comfortable.”
She looked from me to him several times before she put her head on his chest. Without looking up, she mumbled, “Can I call you Daddy?”
I watched the strong man who I’d never seen cry, shed tears for the second time in less than twelve hours. His shoulders shook as he fought to hold himself together. “Yes baby, you can call me Daddy.”
She turned her head as she nuzzled deeper into his embrace before looking back at me, “I wanna stay with Daddy.”
I smiled as I too began to cry. My hand flew to my mouth as I tried to control myself. It hurt when I breathed deeply, and my emotions had taken about all they could stand. “My keys are in my purse, wherever that is.”
I watched Dev whisper something into her ear before she climbed out of his arms and took a seat in one of the chairs by the window. He slowly rose and
stood beside the bed. He leaned down, and pressed a kiss against my forehead as he uttered, “Thank you. I promise,” he swallowed, “I’ll never hurt her. I’ll always be here… for both of you.”
“I know,” I mumbled as my eyes connected with his. “I’ll deal with Andy. You take our daughter home, and let her get some rest.”
“I’ll come back tomorrow morning,” he whispered. “You get some rest, too.”
He turned, leaned down, and opened his arms once again. Mara ran to him this time and giggled when he lifted her into the air. “Tell Mommy you’ll see her in the morning,” he kissed her cheek.
“Bye, Mommy,” Mara cooed as she leaned her head down on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. It was awkward with the cast, but neither one seemed to mind.
As I shifted once again, I watched two of the most important people in my life slip out the door leaving me in silence. I knew Andy wasn’t going to accept my decision, but he wasn’t Mara’s father. He had done a great job helping me and Mara loved him, but he could never replace Dev. Dev had always been there—in the back of mind. He’d written his name on my heart when we were seventeen. Now that we were back together, he’d branded it.
Chapter 17
When I awoke the next morning, the reality that I’d been dreading hit me full force right in the face. Sitting in a chair in the corner, sipping his coffee, was Andy. He placed the paper cup on the windowsill and smiled at me, “Good morning.”
“Morning,” I groaned.
“How are you feeling?” He stood and wiped his palms down the front of his jeans.
“Like I got hit by a truck,” I grumbled as I reached to prop the bed up. Andy stood there watching as I struggled to sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. I’d been given permission the night before to get out of bed, and now that nature was calling, I was fighting against the pain. “Don’t help me or anything,” I rolled my eyes and my muscles shook as I tried to stand.
Andy shook his head and muttered, “Too damn independent,” as he wrapped an arm around my back and guided me into the bathroom.
“You can go now,” I grumbled as I pulled away from him.
“Samantha,” he sighed as he let his head drop back and stared at the ceiling.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes on him. “I want privacy.”
“We slept together for almost four years; you’re being ridiculous,” he shook his head at me.
“Maybe,” I reached for the door and began closing it, “but I want you out,” I shut it in his face.
“You have to talk to me,” he yelled through the door. “I’m not going away until you do.”
After relieving myself and washing my hands, I stood there staring in the mirror at my reflection. I had a bruise on my neck where my seatbelt had held me in. My eyes were puffy, and I had burn marks on my arms from the air bag. I lifted the gown I was wearing to see a bandage on my side where the doctors had removed my spleen. The gauze over the incision was surrounded by bruises. I was a mess. There was no way I was going to be going back to work anytime soon.
Work. Just thinking about it put me in panic mode. Who was taking care of the bar? Was it even open? Did they know what had happened to me? Dev hadn’t mentioned it, and with the weather and the accident, I wasn’t sure what was going on. My thoughts had been so consumed with Mara, Dev, and Andy that The Rusty Nail had taken a backseat in my thoughts.
I released a deep breath and cringed. I ached, and I’d told the nurse I didn’t want the pain meds today. They’d told me this morning that if the doctor agreed, I could go home tomorrow, but I’d have to rest. No work or heavy lifting for at least a week.
I turned and pushed the door open just as Andy was lifting his hand to knock on it. “Thought you might have fallen in or something,” he chuckled.
I glared at him as I refused his help and shuffled over to the bed. After climbing in and tugging the covers up, I took a deep breath to prepare myself to deal with him. “You need to go back to Vegas.”
“I told you I will. I’m waiting for you to be healed enough to travel. You and Mara are coming with me. I took time off to stay until you can travel,” he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, challenging me.
“I’m going to make this as clear as I can. I’m not going with you, and neither is Mara. I live here now. Mara has friends, her grandmother, and school. More importantly, she has her father,” I leaned back on the pillows behind me and squeezed my eyes shut against the pain.
“About that,” Andy shifted, and I heard his footsteps right before I felt the bed dip. “He can’t give you what I can.”
“And what’s that,” I kept my eyes closed and waited.
“Stability,” he sighed. “I can be there… for whatever you need. I’m not going to just disappear and leave you. Mara needs a father she can count on, one that can be there for all the important moments in her life. He can’t.”
My eyes opened, and I bit down on the inside of my cheek as his words sunk in. “That’s not his fault,” I argued. I understood what Andy was saying. I knew that Dev’s job prevented him from being there all the time, but I also knew that I loved him and he loved both Mara and me. He would do everything in his power to be there for us, and if he couldn’t, it wouldn’t be from lack of trying.
I had a feeling that Andy just wanted to win whatever battle he thought this was. He hadn’t mentioned Mara at all today except for talking about her going back to Vegas with him. For all I knew, he didn’t even know that Mara had gone home with Dev. “I told her,” I whispered and watched his back stiffen. I didn’t want to be cruel about any of this, but Andy just wasn’t getting it. “Yesterday… I told her Dev was her father.”
“And how did that go?” he growled.
“She was confused at first, but then happy. I think she always knew something was different between us. She probably didn’t even know that she knew it, but children are very perceptive.”
“I’ll bet he looooved that,” Andy huffed. “Where is he anyway? If he loves you so much, why isn’t he here? Isn’t he man enough to talk to me himself?”
“He was taking care of his daughter, you jackass,” Dev’s voice came in a low growl as he leaned against the doorjamb.
Andy rose from the bed and turned to face Dev. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and puffed his chest out. “You lost your chance at this family when you walked away from her. Why don’t you go back to wherever you were and leave us alone.”
“Andy!” I gasped. My eyes welled with tears as I watched Dev. I knew the truth. He loved me. He loved Mara, and I was not going to let Andy try to beat him into an emotional submission.
“I think I’ll stay,” Dev’s lips curved up on one side. “I’ll leave when she asks me to,” he pointed at me as he pushed off the jamb and strutted over to the bed. His eyes stared daggers into Andy as he leaned over and brushed his lips across mine. It was a soft sweet kiss, but soon turned into something that shouldn’t have been on display.
When I didn’t pull away, he pressed his mouth more firmly to mine, and cupped my jaw. I opened up to him letting him in to mark me. His tongue ran along my bottom lip as his teeth took small nips. I sighed as I let him sink further into my mouth, devouring me more by the minute. He groaned as I broke the kiss and smiled at him. His eyes had darkened, and he shifted on his feet trying to hide what I’d just done to him. “She’s not interested in you anymore,” Dev’s voice held amusement as he pecked my forehead before standing back up and turning to glare at Andy.
“I’m sorry,” I watched the emotions pass over his face before he finally began to accept the inevitable. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I…” I swallowed and watched as his head slowly shook.
He held up a hand to silence me as his gaze dropped to the floor, “I get it. I love you, but I guess it’s not enough. I hope you’re happy with him.”
“I am very happy,” I smiled as I turned to look up at Dev.
; “Thank you,” Dev nodded at Andy, “for taking care of my girls. I really mean that.”
Andy’s head bobbed slowly as he turned away from us and moved toward to the door. He paused for a moment with his hand on the knob. “Take care of them,” he whispered before opening to door and slipping into the hallway. I knew by the sound of his voice that he’d finally let me go. He was moving on and accepting the fact that I was happy— I hoped.
ooooooooo
Devlin
“Mara, you ready yet?” I called as I shuffled the mail around on the kitchen table. I’d tossed Sam’s keys down when I’d come home earlier in the morning. Georgia, Mara’s grandmother, had come to stay with her while I went to the hospital, but now we needed to go back and pick up Sam. She’d finally convinced that dick, Andy, to leave, and now they were letting her come home. It’d been three days, and it was the longest three days of my life. I’d spent them taking care of my daughter, and even though I’d never seen myself as a dad, I was quickly learning the ropes.
“In a minute,” Mara’s voice rang out from somewhere down the hall.
“We need to go so we can bring Mommy home,” I called back as I sighed in relief when my fingertips brushed across the key ring under the mail. When Mara emerged, it took everything in me not to laugh. She stood there in a pair of pink shorts, a bright blue sweatshirt that looked to be two sizes too big, and a pair of rain boots.
“I’m done,” she lifted her arms before letting them drop to her sides in a dramatic sigh.
“It’s twenty degrees outside, baby. You can’t wear shorts,” I chuckled.
“But I wanna,” she whined as her lip popped out in a pout.
“Would Mommy let you wear shorts in the snow?” I tried to reason with her, and the fact that she was three didn’t even register in my mind.
“Uh huh,” she nodded as she tried to cross her arms. The cast on her right one made it difficult though.
Being a dad was still so new that I wasn’t really sure how to deal with this situation, so rather than argue with her, I tried to compromise. I twisted my mouth in concentration before walking over to the coat rack. I’d left a winter coat here when I came to stay the night with her, and I was now wearing my police coat. “How about you keep this warm for me?” I shrugged out of the heavy police jacket as I wrapped it around her tiny shoulders. It dwarfed her, coming all the way down to her knees and past her fingertips.
Becoming Somebody Page 12
