Chapter Seventeen
Don took Hailey tospend her Christmas money, and Devon refused to sit around waiting for the Keystones to grace them all with their presence the following day. He’d always hated them, a feeling which had only built in the years since Kathy died. They blamed Devon for Kathy’s death, as though he’d done anything but drive her home from a dinner date. They rarely saw Hailey, but had no problem telling him he was a shitty father. There was nothing but arguing, the blame-game, and misery when they visited.
So, needless to say, no one was looking forward to them actually coming. It pissed Devon off that they hadn't been invested enough in their granddaughter’s well being to come when she went missing. His own parents had set their lives aside to do everything, to be there every second and give what they had to help. To him, that was a given when family was involved. That had been Kathy’s way; clearly, she didn’t inherit it from her parents.
Devon drove to his brother’s house, a little surprised to see two cars in the driveway when he pulled up. Caleb just told him to come over and not wallow at home alone. He didn't say he was having people over, something Devon wasn't in a state of mind to deal with at the moment. He didn't bother with knocking or ringing the doorbell; the McMillan family had an open-door policy, especially when they were expecting someone. What greeted him when he walked in shocked him further: feminine laughter from the direction of the living room. He immediately recognized Chloe’s laugh, and he blushed. It was deep, smoky, as if she needed to clear her throat. Pausing in the entryway, he almost bolted, but Caleb came down the stairs with Maisie in his arms and Devon knew he couldn't bail after he had caught him standing there.
“Devon!” Caleb came at him with one arm extended, hugging him from the side.
“Hey, Caleb.” Maisie looked up at her uncle when he responded, so he spoke to her next. “And hello, Princess Maisie.”
“I was just changing her and bringing her back to Lori. Come on, everyone’s in the living room.”
Devon followed his brother with reluctance. He didn't want to see anyone after his conversation with Chloe at the Hurleys’ party. It surprised him to realize Chloe hadn’t told anyone what he was planning. He hadn't had the balls to tell anyone either, but he’d expected her to alert them all of the fact he was crazy.
The other voice he’d heard when he arrived belonged to Alicia. She and Chloe sat on the couch while Lori sat on the loveseat. Devon wasn't surprised when Caleb sat with his wife, leaving him to sit alone in one of the armchairs.
“That’s much better, isn’t it, baby girl?” Lori cooed at Maisie as she took her from Caleb. She received a waving of the arms and nothing else. “Devon, when will she start smiling?”
“What?” He wasn't really paying attention, and he was surprised to hear his name.
“What month do babies smile for real? Three?”
When four pairs of eyes landed on him, he shifted in his seat. “No, she’ll give you smiles that are supposedly a reflex now. Then she’ll give you a genuine smile at about six weeks. Sometimes it’s later than that, though.”
“See?” Lori said to Caleb. “I told you that smile she gave you was relief from getting out that gas.”
“You’re just jealous she smiled at me and not you,” Caleb retorted.
Lori snorted. “You’re just proud your daughter makes so much noise when she farts.”
“This is true.”
“So, Devon,” Alicia said after a few moments of everyone staring at the baby. “I hear your in-laws are coming tomorrow.”
“If you can still call them that. Yes, they are.”
“You can call them Hailey’s grandparents,” Chloe suggested. “They aren’t related to you anymore, only her.”
He waited for the sting to come after the reminder of Kathy’s death, but nothing happened. “I think that’s more appropriate. Though they don’t even acknowledge her as much as grandparents should.”
“Yeah, John said they didn't even come to Washington. He had them on his list to question, expecting them to show up. Instead, he had to call them.”
“I didn't even know he had,” Devon said to Alicia.
“I heard Don informed them of her disappearance,” Alicia said with a shake of her head. “I doubt you want to know what sort of things they had to say to John about the case.”
“I wouldn't even be surprised at this point, Alicia. They still blame me for Kathy’s death, and we were hit by a drunk driver. There was nothing I could have done.”
“And I bet they told John to look at you as a suspect, didn't they?” Lori said bitterly. It was no secret she had never been fond of them after the way they distanced themselves from her best friend for her choice of husband. Added to that was the fact that she and Devon were practically siblings, and that equaled her hatred of them.
