Second Chances (Dreams Come True #2) (17 page)

“Let’s go pack, sunshine, although I have no idea where to put it once we get it out of here.” I chuckled in an effort to hide my fear.

“You’re going to come live with Mattie and me, silly man. I couldn’t just have some guy spend the night, but my husband will always be welcome.” She hugged me tight one last time before grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the stairs. We hadn’t made it two feet when she noticed the movers hadn’t budged from their position near the door. “Come on. You too. Let’s go. We have a new life to begin and a new place to do it in.”

The movers exchanged grins and followed us. All I could do was marvel at my wife. This wasn’t just a brave face she put up. This was who she was. “You’re amazing.”

Marisa glanced up at me with a twinkle in her eye. “Hey, I’m just glad I only parked a toothbrush here.” Then she giggled.

After only two hours, we’d managed to clear out the condo. I didn’t keep clutter around or knick-knacks. Before now, nothing held any sentimental value. Somehow, I could see this would be changing with Marisa around. We took one final look around the gallery before leaving.

“Your pictures!” Marisa rushed to the back gallery. By the time I reached her, she was removing them from the walls and stacking them on the table where the buffet had been.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot them. I’ll grab the movers.” I started toward the front, only to see the truck drive away. “Never mind. We’ll put them in my trunk.”

Together we carried the photos out and popped the trunk. “Damn, I forgot this was in here,” I commented as I moved the Japanese puzzle box to the side.

“We’ve been a little busy,” Marisa noted.

Suddenly, while I finished loading the pictures in, I felt a presence at my side. Uncle Luc had followed us out. His eyes were locked on the box. With one hand, I slammed the trunk. “What do you want, Uncle Luc?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I wanted to give you one last chance to reconsider my offer. I doubt your wife wants to stay in that dingy shop.” He nodded toward Marisa.

“Actually, I love it there. I feel more at home than I ever did in the condo.” She shrugged. “So you can leave me out of it.”

“What about you? No job. No salary.” His eyes narrowed.

“I can start a new gallery. I have the connections. I’m not broke. I’m just not as wealthy as I was yesterday.” I forced a smile. “I told you before. I’ll never work for you. My days under your thumb are over.” I walked to the passenger side of my vehicle and opened the door for Marisa before moving around to open my own. “Goodbye, uncle.”

Then I sat inside, closed the door and buckled myself in before starting the vehicle. Marisa sat beside me, the picture of calm. I reached out to hold her hand as we drove away. “That felt good,” I admitted.

“I bet it did. It was a long time coming.” She smiled warmly at me.

“You know what else is a long time coming?” I asked as she frowned and shook her head. “Meeting Mattie. Did you let her know yet?”

“I did. I told her we’d be there after we helped the movers organize the storage unit. Mr. Lefevre was a genius for suggesting it.” Marisa leaned back in her seat and heaved a sigh of relief.

“Well, it would never fit in your place, I’m sure. Right now, I’m wondering how much room is in the storage space. My parents rented it years ago and the estate has been paying for it ever since.” Though the drive took only another ten minutes, I was completely lost in thought as I considered the possibilities.

In the end, I was almost disappointed. There were only a few boxes. We placed them in the trunk of the car, after removing the pictures and storing them safely in a spare box the movers had in the truck. After we loaded my luggage and toiletries in the car, we drove to the shop.

We parked, then each of us grabbed a suitcase on the way through the back door of the shop. We barely shut the door behind us when a voice called down the stairs.

“Risa, is that you?”

The hair on the back of my neck stood up and goose bumps spread across my skin. I’m pretty sure all the color drained out of my face. It couldn’t be.

Marisa looked at me and laughed. “Don’t worry. She won’t shoot you. This is kinda our thing,” she explained to me. Then she responded loudly, “Yes, Mattie. It’s me.”

Though I knew I should wait for my wife to lead the way, I dropped my bag and rushed past her up the stairs. When I reached the top, there she was, sitting at the table, the woman who had always been a second mother to me. “Mathilde?” My voice came out slightly louder than a squeak.

Slowly, she glanced up from stirring her tea. When our eyes met, tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. Mathilde covered her mouth with a trembling hand as she rose to her feet to greet me. “Sweet Sebastian,” she murmured while she hugged me against her chest with unexpected strength. When she finally released me, Mathilde held my hands and looked me up and down. “My boy has grown into a fine young man.” She nodded.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Marisa had joined us. She had tears in her eyes as well.

“Oh, Mathilde, I’m not so fine a man.” For a moment I stared at her and marveled. Then Marisa leaned against my shoulder and shook me from my reverie.

“So my Mattie is your Mathilde?” She wiped at her eyes. “You’re the boy she’s been missing all these years?” Marisa shook her head.

“Risa,” Mathilde began, “thank you for bringing my boy home.” She glanced back and forth between us, shaking her head in wonder. “Now let’s finish getting him moved in. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Chapter Sixteen

Sebastian

Less than an hour later, we all met up in the kitchen. Despite my protests, Mathilde had insisted on helping us unload the vehicle. Obviously, she had found the Japanese puzzle box because it was sitting in the center of the table when we joined her. Frowning, Mathilde pushed it towards me. “Where did you find this? I thought it was lost forever.”

“Well, Mathilde…” I began, but stopped when she shook her head.

“I’m just Mattie now, boy.” She smiled warmly at me. “When I stopped working in the mansion, I may have lost my home and my family, but I found myself. Lord knows I’m not fancy enough to be called Mathilde.” She winked and patted my hand. “Now get on about the box.”

Taking in a deep breath, I ran a hand over the wood. “I found it in Uncle Luc’s closet, tucked away in the back, hidden really. I’ve had it since we picked up the furniture for Marisa.”

Mattie seemed deep in thought as she twisted a ring on her index finger. “Does that man know you have the box?”

“Uncle Luc?” My eyebrows furrowed. “Yes. I’m pretty sure he saw Marisa holding it in the car. We crossed paths when we were leaving.” I reached over and grabbed Marisa’s hand, hoping she didn’t feel too left out, but from her gaze, I could see she was taking it all in.

Mattie grumbled, “He’s not your uncle.”

“What was that?” My head whipped around as I stared at her in shock. “Why would you say that?”

“I knew your uncle. Your father and Luc had a falling out when he went into the military. Your father didn’t want to lose him in some foreign war. It was out of love and concern for his younger brother, but Luc took it all wrong and left for the Persian Gulf angry.” Mattie scowled. “Your father watched and worried over him, but never heard from Luc again for many years. When he popped back into their life, he was completely changed. I tried to keep my mouth shut, but I didn’t believe it was the same man.” She sighed. “I even worried he might have been involved in their deaths, an act of greed.” Mattie stared sadly into my eyes. “I accused him of it one night. He’d been particularly cruel to you that day and I let him have it.” Her jaw tensed. “So he fired me, and that’s why I disappeared while you slept. I’m so sorry I couldn’t hold my tongue. I’m so sorry I left you all alone with that man. Can you ever forgive me?” Her lips trembled and tears filled her eyes.

I moved from my seat to squat beside her. “Mattie, there’s nothing to forgive. I knew you didn’t abandon me. I knew he fired you.” I shrugged. “At least now I know why. You were standing up for me. I love you for it.” Then I stood and hugged her close.

“It still doesn’t explain how he managed to acquire the box.” Mattie scowled. “Unless he really did have something to do with their deaths. They took it with them that day for their trip to Saratoga.”

I nodded. “Yes. I remember.” Slowly, I moved back to the seat and ran my hands over the wood feeling for the pieces which worked to secure the box.

“Do you remember how to open it?” Mattie questioned.

“It has been a long time. I’m not sure.” Slowly, my finger found one of the squares and I pushed.

“That’s not the first move. Try again.” Mattie leaned on the table.

Pushing the box toward her, I asked, “Do you know? Can you get it started?”

She shook her head. “Ten moves. Only one correct combination. This old mind can’t recall them all. Just this.” With a fingernail, she reached out and moved a corner piece. “Now you. Think.”

For a moment, I stared at it. Then I fiddled with another piece. Slowly, it seemed to be coming back to me. I had seven steps down when I groaned. “Crap. That’s wrong. I need to reset it. There’s one step in the middle there.” Exhaling slowly to calm my nerves, I began again, sliding this piece here, pushing that piece back. Bit by bit, I counted the steps until finally after twenty tense minutes, the box top opened.

Marisa gasped while Mattie chuckled and clapped her hands together. “What’s inside?” Marisa nearly bounced in her seat.

Standing, I leaned over and laughed. “As I predicted.” I pulled out and held up a horseshoe.

“Oh, look! It has the date and location painted on it.” Marisa smiled.

“Yes. Now I have a lucky horseshoe.” I grinned.

“That’s not all. There was a lot moving around in there when I carried it up. Look again.” Mattie crossed her arms over her chest and waited patiently.

Sure enough, she was right. When I peeked back inside, my mouth hung open for a minute. There were my parents’ wedding rings. Reaching in, I grabbed them and held them in my palm for a moment. They were cold from having been in my trunk during the worst of our winter. “Why would these be in here?” I held them out for Mattie to inspect. “They never took them off. My mother hated even having them cleaned because she had to remove them to do so.”

Her eyes narrowed, Mattie inspected the rings. “These are their rings. You may not remember this because you were so young, but your father used to call your mother ‘mon tout.’ It’s French for…”

My cheeks burned. “My everything.” I swallowed hard. “Maybe I did remember and I didn’t know it.”

“He calls me ‘sunshine,’ but Sebastian tells me I’m his everything all the time,” Marisa explained. “I love it.” She gazed up at me with such love I thought I might cry.

My heart hurt and swelled at the same time. So many conflicting emotions ran through me. I lifted my father’s wedding ring, a platinum band with one big diamond in it and stared at it for a moment while I tried to get my emotions under control.

“Your mother picked it out for him. He thought it was too fancy, but she told him he was her diamond in the rough.” Mattie leaned back in her chair. “These are such happy memories I had tucked away for so long.” She shook her head while grinning. “Sebastian, I need you to understand how much your parents loved each other and you. The day they brought you home, they announced you were the culmination of all their hopes and dreams, their love story come to life. They never wanted another child because to them, you were perfect.”

Marisa wrapped her arms around my waist. “He still is, as far as I’m concerned.” Then she released me and slammed back in her chair. “Oh my Lord. What have I done? If I keep gushing all over you like this, I’ll create a monster.” She winked at me.

I knew she only meant to tease me, but I couldn’t help but recall all the years of abuse from my uncle. My chin and shoulders drooped until Marisa stood once more and turned me to face her.

“You stop that kind of thinking right now, Sebastian Boucher. Let go of all that hurtful past so we can start building our amazingly beautiful future.” Marisa laid her head on my chest and waited for me to wrap her in my arms. When I didn’t, she hefted my arms around her body all on her own. “Much better.” She giggled.

Once again, all the bad began to melt away. “I love you,” I whispered into her hair, not caring we weren’t alone.

“Love you back.” Marisa gazed up at me. “That’s why I married you.”

I squeezed the rings in my hand and knew what to do. “How do you feel about second hand rings?”

“The same way I feel about second chances.” She smiled. “Love them! Why do you ask?”

“Well, there’s this.” I held my mother’s engagement ring up to her face. “I never bought you a proper ring, but I hope this one will do.” I carefully pushed the huge cushion cut diamond onto her ring finger. To my surprise, it was nearly a perfect fit.

“Now you.” Marisa reached for my father’s band. “This is beautiful.” Taking her time, she worked the ring past my knuckle until it finally rested in place. “Not bad.”

It felt strange, the weight of it on my finger, and seeing my father’s ring on my hand. Still, I liked it. Wearing it made me feel more married, if that made any sense. Finally, the only ring left in my hand was the band. I was about to slide it onto her finger when I realized there was something engraved inside it. Tilting it toward the light, I read the inscription aloud. “Toujours mon tout.”

“Always my everything,” Mattie translated.

Marisa’s right hand shot up to cover her mouth while she blinked back tears. “I can’t believe it.”

“I know. It’s like it was made for you, just like you were made for me.” Without hesitation, I pushed the ring into place and smiled. “There.”

“There,” she echoed with a playful shrug.

Mattie cleared her throat and we both turned to give her our attention. “Can we finish checking out the box now?”

Peering inside once more, I shrugged. “It’s empty, Mattie.”

“No, it isn’t. Don’t you remember?” She reached over and started pushing around the bottom. Nothing happened, but it all came rushing back to me.

“Yes!” I snatched the box and pushed at the back. A drawer slid out. Both women stood and leaned over the table. I pulled out the manila envelope and poured the contents onto the table. There was a debit card for a Swiss bank along with paperwork showing an account had been opened in my name when my father first went to Switzerland when I was twelve years old. It looked like he’d been making regular deposits right up until his death.

For a moment, I stared at the total. There were millions of dollars in there. Tens of millions. Reaching behind me, I felt for my seat.

“I take it you didn’t know about this?” Marisa’s brow furrowed.

I shook my head and tried to digest everything I’d learned. It didn’t make sense. Mr. Lefevre didn’t even know about this money. If he did, he’d never mentioned it. “I had no idea.”

“I did.” Mattie grinned. “It was one of the reasons that man fired me. He knew there were more assets somewhere and I refused to tell him where. You caught your father putting that envelope in there before they went to Saratoga. He explained it was something for you and he needed to keep it safe.” She frowned. “I think your parents may have started to suspect that man.”

“Why do you keep calling him ‘that man’?” Marisa asked with her head cocked to the side.

“I have no idea who he is. I just know who he isn’t.” Her chin jutted out when she finished.

“Can I look at the box a moment?” Marisa reached for it even as she asked.

I started to push it toward her, but she grabbed the lid instead and it shifted. “Shit. I broke it. Dammit it. I suck. I’m sorry, Sebastian.” She moved the lid back in place looking contrite.

“Wait. Do it again.” I studied the box as she tentatively reached over and grabbed inner lip. Sure enough it shifted and exposed one last secret. Tilting the lid, I was able to get another envelope to slide out. Written on the outside were the words ‘My Greatest Treasure’ written in my mother’s beautiful penmanship.

I flipped the envelope over, opened it, and dumped the contents on the table. Pictures scattered everywhere. “Whoa.” Excitedly, I began picking them up, and reading the inscriptions on the back.

“More like ‘wow’!” Marisa leaned over my shoulder to study the photographs with me.

There were old ones of all my ancestors dating back to the 1800s. There were newer ones of my parents growing up. So many people I’d never met. Finally, there was a picture of my father and his brother, Luc, before he went off to war. Given what Mattie said, I stared at it longer than the rest.

“Uncle Luc’s eyes were green,” I mumbled.

“Lord, yes! The girls used to love those eyes of his.” Mattie moaned while remembering it.

“The war may change people, but it shouldn’t change their eye color.” In this picture Uncle Luc’s eyes are brown.

Marisa frowned. “His eyes were green today.”

“That could easily be achieved by colored contacts.” I pushed the picture towards Mattie. “In this picture, which my mother labeled ‘reunited,’ his eyes are brown.”

“It’s not going to be enough.” Mattie clenched her hands in worry.

I nodded in agreement. “I know, but it’s a start.”

Marisa nudged me. “Let’s call Gabriel’s detective.”

***

Marisa

Determined I not feel left out, Sebastian was quick to make the phone call on speaker. “This is Michel,” the man answered.

“Hello, this is Sebastian, I’m a friend of Gabriel Charmant.”

“Yes, he told me to expect your call. How can I help?” We could hear the creak of a chair and the sound of wheels scraping the floor.

With a sigh, Sebastian began. “I don’t think the man who claims to be my uncle is really my uncle.”

“Okay, and what would be his reason for deception.” I could hear him taking notes in the background.

“Oh, millions of dollars.” Sebastian rolled his eyes.

“That’s a pretty good motivation. Now what makes you think so?”

“Well, little things, but I think I have photographic proof to begin with.” I watched as Sebastian moved the two pictures in question directly in front of him on the table.

“That’s a start. Do you have anything I could use for DNA analysis or maybe even fingerprints?”

We both stared at the box, the one we’d all had our hands over for the past hour. “Maybe. It’s a bit of a long shot though.”

Michel chuckled. “My business is long shots. Bring it over, along with anyone else who touched the object in question. We’ll need to eliminate prints and DNA. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Maybe we’ll find something we can actually run through a police database.”