Curtain Call (The Jewel Project #7)

3. No Longer Easy

Sam perfectly remembered the last time his kitchen had been filled with his entire family. Back then, there had been one baby sleeping upstairs and a very hard decision to make.

Now, they had one baby and two toddlers sleeping upstairs, seven other kids watching a show about talking monster trucks teaching basic physics, and the decision was harder to make than ever. It was no longer just about them, but about their children and how they would live out the rest of their lives.

Unlike back then, the decision was bigger than him, overwhelming and threatening to swallow his self-control. Because what they'd done over the past four years now seemed incredibly reckless. They were young. They could've waited.

Instead, they'd wanted to live because in their line of work, they never knew how much of that they could get. And they all hoped they would make it work. But everything they'd done and what they were now facing took him back to when he was eighteen and he had no idea what he was doing.

Surprisingly, not much had changed since then. Kyle and Jimmy still looked secure and unbeatable, Tom was the master of mischief, his tattoos only confirming what had always been beneath his skin. Even Jerry, looking happier than ever, still had the concerned air and seemed seconds away from going into mother hen mode.

Then there were Jessie, Kay and Angie, still looking as in love with his brothers as they'd always been, Angie sitting in Tom's lap, Jessie and Jimmy leaning against each other as they stood propped against the counters. Kyle sat on one of the counters too, Kay leaning against him, his knees squeezing her hips.

Only Sarah was a new addition to their initial group, but she fit in so well, Sam sometimes had trouble remembering that Jerry had been with Tina before.

And Christine... It was times like this that he couldn't believe he'd ended up married to her, had kids with her. But she wasn't the same girl who had been his girlfriend in high school. She'd grown so much, it was impossible not to love her. The real her, not some ideal goddess he created inside his mind.

Truth be told, none of them were the same people. Not after everything they'd been through. And yet...

"Are we getting started already?" Tom asked. "Not to burst your bubble or ruin your concentration, but that show doesn't last forever."

Yep, one important change was that they never got more than a few moments before a child came bursting in because they wanted something. And what he had to say was very important and Tom knew it.

Christine squeezed his hand, and he felt the fear in the gesture. The weight of what had to be said plunged in his stomach and he once again felt like an idiot. But holding it back would do them no good. Knowledge was power.

"Okay, I'll get straight to it then." He took in a deep breath which earned him an eye roll from Tom. "I know where the last jewel is."

There was a moment of complete silence in which Christine squeezed his hand again, this time in support.

"Excuse me?" Jerry asked. He looked to Sarah immediately and she shared his concerned gaze. After all, their baby was only two weeks old.

"When?" Jimmy asked at the same time Kyle asked, "Where?"

"Two weeks ago, actually," Sam said, shifting in his seat. He'd lost a bit of practice when it came to this fearless leader thing. "And it's in Brazil." He left his chair and picked up the rolled up maps resting against his fridge. "Do you guys need five minutes to panic or should I go into history lesson mode?"

"Get going," Jimmy said with a wave of his hand. "We can panic while we listen."

"We're not panicking, Sam," Jessie said, though Sam didn't buy it.