Devin's Daddy - Chapter 4
Matt and Devin walked up the beach towards Matt's car.
Matt looked at Devin, wishing he could be more like him right about now, happy and carefree. All he could think about was Mandy's cruelty and lies. He just wanted to scream his rage and frustration to the world, but he knew that would upset the trusting little boy that held his hand.
The boy who was his son.
He looked down at Devin and smiled. Devin was skipping happily beside him, not a worry in the world.
"You better hope I never find you," Matt vowed. "What kind of mother would abandon her child like this?"
Matt noticed Devin was having a hard time keeping up with him, so he picked him up and carried him on his shoulders. Devin crowed in innocent joy.
"Well, one thing's for sure," Matt mused. "I'll make damn certain she never gets her hands on Devin again."
Matt swung Devin to the ground, and helped him into the front seat of the car. He started back towards town.
"So Devin, how old are you?" Matt asked.
"Almost four," Devin said, playing with the seatbelt.
"Did your mom tell you why you had to wait on the beach?"
"Mommy said my daddy was coming for me," Devin said. "Are you my daddy?"
"Yes Devin, I'm your dad," Matt said softly.
Matt drove in silence for a few moments and then asked, "Your mom didn't bring any of your clothes or toys?"
"No," Devin said so quietly that Matt had to strain to hear him.
"Great," Matt thought. "Not only does she leave this innocent kid alone on the beach, but she doesn't bring any clothes for him. Well, you were right about one thing, Mandy. You definitely haven't got a clue about how to take care of this child."
Matt looked at Devin and was rewarded with that heartbreaking smile.
He forced himself to smile back, and thought, "For that matter, neither do I, but at least I'll give it my best shot. Devin...my son deserves only the best."
With new determination, Matt took Devin shopping, and proceeded to wipe out every store in town. By the time they got back to the house, the car was stuffed with packages, and Devin was sleeping peacefully in the front seat.
Matt gently picked Devin up and started walking towards the house.
Matt got a little uptight when he saw Jeff's motorcycle and Amy's car.
"How am I going to explain this?" Matt thought, wincing as he heard the loud strains of music coming from the house.
Jeff looked at Matt as he walked in the house, and his mouth dropped open.
"Holy shit!" Jeff yelled. "What are you doing with a kid?"
"Turn the music down before you wake him up," Matt frowned.
Matt carried Devin to his bedroom and laid him on the bed. Devin whimpered in his sleep, and Matt gently brushed his hair with his hand, watching over Devin until he settled back into a peaceful slumber.
Jeff came in the bedroom and said quietly, "Amy said to tell you she'd talk to you later. I'm kinda confused here, bro. I thought you were going to meet Mandy. Who's the kid?"
Matt put a finger over his lips, pointing at the sleeping child, and walked out to the living room, Jeff following right behind him.
Matt flopped on the couch.
"I did go to meet Mandy," Matt said. "She wasn't there. She left the boy with this note." Matt pulled the note out of his pocket and handed it to Jeff.
Jeff read the note, looked in shock at Matt, and said, "You've got to be kidding me. Tell me this is a joke or something."
"No Jeff, this is definitely not a joke," Matt said. "She left that poor kid all by himself on the beach, with that note as the only explanation. Somebody could have come along before I got there and hurt him or something."
Jeff handed the note back to Matt.
"You planning on telling dad?" Jeff asked.
"Yeah, but not today. I'm really beat and so is Devin," Matt said. "She didn't even leave any clothes for him, Jeff. I had to drag that poor kid all over town to get stuff for him."
Matt shook his head and climbed wearily to his feet.
"Could you give me a hand unloading the car real quick?" Matt asked.
"Sure, no problem," Jeff said.
Working together, it didn't take them long to unload Matt's car.
"Did you buy out every store in town?" Jeff complained.
"If I didn't, it sure felt like I did," Matt said.
"Look, Jeff, I know you're probably dying to hear all the details, but I'm dead tired. Could we maybe table this til tomorrow?"
"Of course. I hate to say I told you so, but I tried to warn you she was nothing but trouble," Jeff said.
"Well, you were right," Matt said shortly.
"So what are you going to do now?" Jeff asked.
"First, I'm going to get some sleep," Matt said.
His eyes flashed and his mouth tightened.
"When I wake up, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure she'll never hurt Devin or me again."