by Lara Norman
They were silent for a few moments. David rose from the stool to wrap his arms around Rebecca, and Devon knew he would never forget the anguish on the chief’s face.
“I’m so sorry.”
“He was apprehended the following day, but it was too late for Leo. It wasn’t the only time he’d done such a thing, either. He was wanted in several states for kidnapping young boys.”
Fuck. “Chloe explained this was part of the reason she volunteered to help in the search for Hailey.”
“It opened something inside of me,” Rebecca said. “A floodgate, of sorts. I’d shut down all my emotions for so many years, but I could no longer come home at night and stare at these four walls.”
“We’d spent too many years working opposite shifts and basically ignoring each other and Chloe.” David reached for a paper towel and dabbed at his face. “Rebecca broke down when she told me about your daughter, and how you didn’t have a spouse to turn to for comfort.”
Rebecca nodded. “We’d had each other to lean on for years, and we took it for granted, instead. We had the chance to try harder, to make the effort. We’d treated our marriage far too casually for more than a decade.”
“It’s odd how Hailey’s disappearance brought us all together.”
Rebecca stepped away from David to pat Devon’s cheek. “It was a blessing in disguise.”
“I have to admit, I never saw it that way.” No, Devon wouldn’t call it a blessing, despite what it had brought to him.
“At any rate, Devon, we love your daughter. She’s an amazing little girl, and we hope you’ll continue to allow us to be in her life.”
He nodded. “Kathy’s parents don’t like me. They barely acknowledge Hailey exists, and she isn’t immune to their treatment. I had to be sure ahead of time that would never be the case here, and it looks like Chloe was right when she said you would welcome both of us into your lives.”
“With open arms, Devon.”
He accepted the hug Rebecca offered, and the subject changed. Devon appreciated their candor, and he was happy for them. They were giving themselves a second chance, and they deserved it. Theirs was a family he could picture being a part of, one that would allow Hailey to flourish as Chloe reconnected with her parents. He liked and respected the Hemsworths.
“Hailey asked when dinner will be ready,” Chloe said when she came into the kitchen a moment later.
“Are you sure you’re not the one who wants to know?” David teased.
“Very funny, Dad.” She leaned into his side, and Devon smiled when David wrapped an arm around her.
“It should be less than ten minutes, Chloe,” Rebecca responded.
“Let me set the table, then,” Chloe said.
“No, Hailey and I can do it if you’ll show me where everything is.”
Chloe looked long and hard at Devon. “Okay, I’ll bring out the dishes and silverware, and the two of you can set the table.”
“Okay.”
Devon went to the backyard to find Hailey and get her to wash her hands. He looked around at the privacy fence and the shade trees, spotting his daughter sitting on a tire hung from a branch.
“Are you having fun, bug?” he called on his way across the yard.
“Chloe said Grandpa David put this up just for me!”
He felt a stuttering in his chest at the name she used, but he couldn't place the origin; happiness or tension. Either way, she was happy, and that was what mattered.
“That’s great. Dinner is almost ready, and we’re in charge of setting the table.”
She hopped down. “Okay.”
It was an easy evening, something Devon could picture doing for years to come. His own family got together on occasional Saturdays, depending on Lydia’s work schedule. He had a brief flash of Christmas and other holidays, and what it would look like if both families came together.
He heard Hailey call Rebecca Grams a few times and realized his daughter already considered them family. He wondered why they had such differing titles, but Chloe explained it to him when he took her back home. Hailey was playing with Tugger on the floor, and Chloe and Devon were sitting together on the couch.
“She wants to call him Grumps, and I assured her she could. She hasn’t tested it out yet.”
Devon stifled a laugh. “She wants to call them Grams and Grumps?”
Chloe nodded, shaking with suppressed laughter. “Yep.”
Devon quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure David would go for that?”
“Oh, come on. She’s got him wrapped around her finger already.”
He kissed the side of her head. “I saw the tire swing.”
“They’re making an effort to live life on the surface, not with their heads buried in the sand.” Chloe bumped his shoulder. “Like someone else I know.”
“It’s less of an effort each day.”
“That’s good.”
“Just as loving you is now second nature.” He pushed her hair away from her neck and kissed the spot behind her ear. “When can I have you this week?”
She swallowed, watching Hailey drag a ribbon across the floor for Tugger. “I, uh, I don’t know. I can’t think with you this close.”
“I can run Hailey home and be back in twenty minutes.”
“No.” She looked up at him, saw the mischief in his eyes. “You tease.”
“I am teasing,” he admitted. “I wouldn’t, really.”
“Well, I’m on day shift Tuesday and Thursday.”
“Then I’ll be here Tuesday and Thursday.” He slipped the tips of his fingers under the hem of her shirt.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “O-okay.”
Devon eased away from Chloe. “Hailey bug, it’s a school night.”
Chloe released the breath she held and stood to walk them to the door. She hugged Hailey first. “I’m so glad you played with me today, Hailey.”
“I had fun on the tire swing. Thanks for letting me play with your sweet kitty again.” She kissed Chloe on the cheek. “You’re nice.”
“Thank you, sweetie.”
Devon leaned in to Chloe, squeezing her close to him. “Thanks for inviting me to play with your sweet kitty in a few days.”
Her face was scarlet when he released her. “Yeah, no problem. I look forward to it.”
“Oh, me too.”
He kissed her until she forgot her own name, and Hailey pulled on his hand. “Let’s go, Daddy.”
“Okay, squirt, let’s go.”
“Love you,” Chloe said to them both.
“Bye, Chloe, love you!” Hailey called as she stepped outside.
Devon’s stunned expression said it all.
“It’s a good thing, baby.”
“Yeah, yeah it is.” He kissed her one more time before following his daughter out to the car. Everything was falling into place, and he didn't want to question any of it for once. He was just going to enjoy himself.
Chapter Thirty-One
Once Devon told Chloe how he felt, everything seemed to move much more quickly. With them as a family in mind, he began looking for a house to purchase. He spent more and more time with Chloe in the afternoons when she was off work and then went home to have dinner with his parents and Hailey. On the nights Chloe was off, the three of them spent time together.
Ideas about how to propose had begun to cram his head. There were so many choices, he couldn't decide which one to do. Chloe was practical, but she loved romantic gestures. He knew it needed to be when she wasn’t expecting it, so he was careful not to speak of it. He looked forward to the time when she would agree to spend the rest of her life with him.
The one thing he wasn't looking forward to, but was coming whether or not he liked it, was Vince’s trial. He and Lori decided they would stop by the station to ask Anna about her part in Vince’s actions. She had never admitted to being complicit, but Devon and Lori both knew better. If Vince was up to something, there wasn't a chance Anna didn’t know, but the only thing she’d
admitted was being scared for her own safety, and that of her baby.
They were holding her in jail until her trial. She’d pled not guilty, unsurprisingly, but Devon wanted to ask John what she’d been charged with specifically. While Vince was charged with hit and run, kidnapping, attempted murder, concealing evidence, and obstruction of justice, they weren't quite sure where Anna fit into that.
On a warm spring day, Lori and Devon walked into the station together. John greeted them in the reception area, and they followed him down the wood-paneled halls to the scent of stale coffee.
“How are you two doing?” John asked as they all took seats in his office. Several manila files covered his desk, and the phone behind him rang a few times before it stopped.
Lori flipped her hair over her shoulder and settled her purse in her lap. “Well, I’m not feeling too friendly today, but I’m looking forward to speaking with Anna.”
Devon nodded. “I’m eager to hear what she has to say for herself.”
“Not much at this point, so don’t let her frustrate you, yeah? We won’t tape your conversation in the hopes she’ll open up enough for you to gain closure. Nothing she says will come back to bite her.”
“We appreciate that, John.”
“No problem, Devon.” He shuffled through some papers on his desk and picked one up. “I know you’ve wondered what the DA officially accused Mrs. Buckley of; Chief Hemsworth said she was charged as an accessory.”
“That means there’s proof she could have spoken up and chose not to, right?” Lori asked.
“Essentially. It has to be proven in court, but from what we can see, Mr. Buckley was never violent. There’s no proof he ever assaulted her, there were never any domestic violence calls to their home, nothing of that sort. However, Mrs. Buckley maintains the defense that her husband would have harmed her and, subsequently, the unborn fetus.”
“That’s such a load of crap.”
Devon looked at Lori. “It’s all she’s got left. She must know she’s in the wrong, but her back’s against the wall at this point.”
“Then her lawyer is a slimeball. She should just accept her guilt and plead for probation or something.”
“That isn’t looking very likely,” John spoke up. “She is trying to speed up her trial because she’s closing in on her due date. She waived a jury trial.”
Lori and Devon exchanged looks, but neither said anything. Devon couldn't decide how he felt about Anna remaining in custody during and after childbirth. Sure, she’d brought it on herself, but the baby didn’t deserve that.
Devon shifted in his seat and focused back on Sergeant Hurley. “Do you know if her parents will take custody of the baby?”
“I don’t have the answer to that question, no. Are you ready to see her?” At their nods, John stood and motioned for them to follow him.
The three of them went down the hall to a door at the back of the station, which John unlocked and led them through to another section of the building. Cells lined a narrow beige aisle which John led them down until they reached a room with a windowless door.
“Here you are.”
After unlocking it, John remained outside the door while Lori and Devon stepped inside. Anna sat at a table, her hands cuffed in front of her. Her chair was pushed back, her swollen belly confirming she was nearing her due date. She wore a gray jumpsuit, dark circles underscoring her apparent exhaustion, and her expression was one of defiance.
Lori immediately sat down across from her and leaned over the table. “So.”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “So.”
Devon wasn't sure if he wanted to begin asking questions right off the bat or if he would ease into the situation. Once upon a time, he was practically this woman’s brother-in-law, and now he felt nothing but disgust for her.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Lori spat.
Anna spread her palms. “Such as what?” The smirk on her face was ugly, matching what he’d come to learn was her spirit.
It surprised Devon that Anna was acting so belligerent. “You don’t think you owe us an explanation?”
“As I’ve already explained to the police, I felt threatened.”
Lori sighed. “Cut the crap, Anna. Vince would never have hurt you.”
“You’d have said the same about Hailey, and yet he did.”
Devon sucked in a breath. “Seriously?” So many emotions swirled through him. She didn’t care. Anna showed no remorse over her actions, much the same as Vince. After all the years they spent together as friends—family. To think neither of them felt any sort of connection after all they’d been through sent pain lancing through him.
“All through high school, you thought you and Kathy were the golden couple. You only threw crumbs to Vince because you felt sorry for him, but he was better than you and your stupid brother. Opening that business should have Vince’s ticket to make decent money, and what did you give him? A penance as a delivery boy.” Scoffing, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the wall.
There was silence for several moments until Lori stood. “Just as long as you realize we’re all happier and stronger than we were before this bullshit. Caleb and Devon gave Vince so much more than he deserved since he wasn't interested in becoming a carpenter. You and your husband’s deceitfulness didn’t break us. It’s your loss, you selfish bitch.”
She headed for the door, and Devon followed her out. Obviously, coming had been a giant waste of time. “Lori.”
“Not until we get outside, Devon.” Lori kept going, pausing only long enough to allow John to unlock the doors and lead them through the station.
Devon stopped to thank John for taking the time to help them while Lori went outside. He found her by the car, leaning against it with her head tilted to the faded denim sky.
“I don't know what I expected, but not that,” she said at his approach.
Devon heaved out a breath. “I guess I thought she would spill the truth, but I wasn't sure.”
“She seems so distant; so different from just a year ago.”
“Maybe it’s been hard for her.”
Lori dropped her head, finally looking directly at him. He saw by her reddened eyes that she’d been trying not to cry. “No, I don’t think so.”
Sighing again, he said, “Neither of them care about what they’ve done, which boggles my mind. I just don’t think I have it in me anymore to worry about her, Lori. I still have Vince to deal with, and I don’t have room for Anna in my head.”
“I won’t go to her hearing, Devon. I’ll come to Vince’s, but you’re right; Anna doesn’t deserve our time. He wouldn't deserve it either, but I need him to know he won’t get away with any of his viciousness.”
Murmuring an agreement, he hugged her before taking her home.
Devon spent the rest of the day with Hailey, needing to be in her presence and reassure himself she was whole and untouched by what had happened to her. She was incredibly well-adjusted, and it warmed his heart to see her smiling and playing. They went to the park for a little while, and when they got back home, he called Chloe and told her about the visit. She wasn’t as surprised by Anna’s attitude as Devon and Lori were.
He went house hunting again that weekend, and Chloe was able to come along; she was three weeks away from having daytime hours at work. Devon had already debated with himself a hundred times whether he should ask her to move in as soon as he closed on the house, or if he should wait until they'd made their relationship more permanent.
There weren’t many houses for sale in town. They’d gone to the next town over a few times, but it wasn’t Devon’s first choice. He was against pulling Hailey from school, and even more against being far from his parents and brother. After another month passed with nothing for them to look at, finally the realtor called with what appeared to be the perfect house.
He called Chloe first. “It’s on John and Alicia’s street, about eight houses down. It’s a 4/2 with a workshop in the fen
ced backyard.”
“Devon, that sounds perfect.”
“She’s making an appointment to look at it. Apparently, the homeowners haven’t moved out yet.”
“I have a good feeling about this one.”
He grinned. “Me, too.”
As they hung up, Devon reflected on the fact he had the rest of his life to look forward to now. He remembered feeling like his life had ended when Kathy’s had, and maybe he’d stopped truly living. But now, with Chloe and Hailey, he had so much good happening. He only had the trial to get through, which was scheduled for two weeks away. He wasn't as apprehensive as he once had been about attending, either. After speaking with Anna, he realized he couldn't harbor hurt feelings for people who had already forgotten about him. Whatever he’d put into the relationship with each of them had apparently not been enough for them to love him as a brother in return. As hard as it was to accept, it wasn’t his fault.
Therapy clearly hadn't been a waste.
One evening, he was closing up the shop after sending everyone else home when he saw Chloe pull her car into the lot. He fiddled with the program on the computer until she got out and headed to the door, then he met her there and unlocked it for her.
“Hey, what brings you here? I didn't forget plans, did I?”
She hugged him. “No, Alicia had to cancel on me. Brandon has a cold.”
He locked the door behind her and went back behind the counter. “I was just finishing up here, and then we can grab dinner if you want.”
“Okay, sure.”
Chloe leaned against the counter while Devon fooled with the computer. “It looks like we’re ahead of schedule on the wine rack we’re making, and right on time with Rebecca’s gun cabinet.”
Chloe grinned. “It’s all she can talk about lately.”
“It was a brilliant idea, Chloe.” He clicked a few more times before shutting down the computer. “All I need to do now is shut off the lights.”
She followed him to the back, watching him walk around the workshop. “Devon.”
“Yeah?” he replied without turning around.
“We’re alone.”
“Yeah.” He hit the switch on the back wall and half the room darkened.