Chapter 11

Ava's delight in wearing something new lasted all the way to opening the drawer. All of the brightly colored T-shirts were folded and stacked so neatly, and her little shorts in the same colors in another stack beside them were so perfect that she hesitated. She picked up a pair of new panties and rubbed the silky feel against her cheek before putting them on, and then took off her nightgown and laid it across the foot of her bed. As she did, she wondered what had happened to her old clothes that came from Conway. Everything she had now was so pretty and perfect, but she didn't know how to be this little girl, because inside, she was still the child hiding in the corner, wearing clothes from "the army" and eating Corina's leftovers.

Bubba was her brother. She needed to believe he meant what he said, but Corina was her mother, and she'd lied to her all the time. She was so scared of doing something wrong and winding up back in Conway that she started to shake, and by the time Wiley found her, she was in tears.

***

Wiley's heart skipped a beat when he saw her standing in the middle of the room in nothing but panties, crying as if her world had ended. She was so tiny and so thin he was almost afraid to pick her up for fear of hurting her, but he couldn't bear the tears. He wrapped her up in the blanket from her bed and then sat down in the rocker beside her bed with her in his lap.

"Ava, sweetheart! What's wrong?"

Tears were rolling. "Corina always lied."

He didn't know where this was going, or what had triggered it.

"Okay, but she's gone, baby. She can't hurt you or lie to you anymore."

She looked up at him then, tears shimmering, her body shaking, but studying every aspect of his face for so long Wiley became uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say and still didn't know what was wrong until she asked him a question.

"Do brothers lie, too?"

He sighed, pulled her close, and started rocking.

"Some people lie. Some people don't. Your brothers don't lie. Not to each other, not to you, not to anyone. What made you scared?"

Her cheek was against his chest, and the rumble of his soft, deep voice vibrated in her ear.

"I don't want to do the wrong thing and make you mad. I don't want you to give me away," she said.

Wiley wanted to cry with her. "Well, that's never gonna happen. We're family. We hold on tight to family and love them forever, and we don't quit the people we love. Today, you and I are going to go to Aaron and Dani's house here in town. You'll never be alone in the world, baby girl. You'll never be left behind again. But the most important thing you need to remember is that I chose you. I wanted you. You are not a mistake. You are a gift. I asked to be your official guardian, which is like being a parent, because I'm older, right?"

She nodded.

"Now, no more tears. Bubba's got you! Want help getting dressed?" he asked.

"Yes," she said and slid out of his lap, then watched as he took out a pair of shorts and a new T-shirt from the drawer.

"This feels like a pink day to me!" Wiley said, and took heart when she smiled.

Within a couple of minutes, she was decked out in pink shorts and shirt and wearing her sandals.

"I messed up your hair," he said, and gave it a quick brush, then held out his hand.

"Bacon and eggs waiting," he said.

"And toast?" she asked.

"And toast!"

When she walked out holding his hand, Wiley glanced down at the top of her curly head and smiled. The fact that she'd initiated the contact was a small victory, and he would take it gladly. He pointed at the table as they entered the kitchen.

"I'll make our plates. Sit wherever you want," he said.

"I sit here," she said, claiming the same chair she'd sat at last night.

"Oh, right! You sure do. What was I thinking?" Wiley said, then grabbed a clean dishcloth and tied it around her neck. "Just to keep the crumbs off your clean shirt, okay?"

"Okay," she said as she climbed up into the chair and plopped down on the stack of books that he'd put there for a booster seat. It was hard to sit still, knowing that the food going on the plate was hers to eat. This was a good place to be.

Wiley knew she was still in starvation mode, so when he gave her the plate, he cautioned her, too.

"Take your time. We don't have to hurry. And quit when you're full. There will always be more."

Ava nodded.

"Want butter and jelly on your toast?" he asked.

Her eyes widened again. "I can have…?" She stopped, then took a breath. "Yes, please."

She's catching on , he thought, as he buttered the toast and then lightly layered some strawberry preserves.

He ate with her and, when she wasn't looking, watched. She was still alternating between cramming everything good into her mouth at once, and then remembering and slacking off, chewing one thing at a time until the meal was over.

"I'm full," Ava said, wistfully eyeing part of her jelly toast that she couldn't eat.

"Me too," Wiley said as he untied the dishcloth from around her neck. "You go wash your face and hands while I clean up the table, and then we'll go see Dani, okay?"

"Will Aaron be there?" Ava asked.

"I doubt it. He's already at work, but it won't matter. You'll see him another time. Dani is a schoolteacher. You will go to school where she teaches."

"Will she be my teacher?" Ava asked.

"No, she teaches first grade."

"I'll be in second grade," Ava said.

"Right. We'll get you enrolled when it's time. Right now, this is your summer vacation time. Time to do fun things."

She frowned.

"What?" Wiley asked.

"Corina hates summer vacation. That's when she has to put up with me."

"Well, she's gone and I'm not, and we don't care what Corina thinks, right?"

Ava nodded. "We don't care."

"Right. Now go wash the jelly off yourself. We have things to do and people to see. This is gonna be a good day! And see if Pinky wants to go, too."

She beamed. "I'll ask her," and ran out of the room.

"Corina is still an ass," Wiley muttered as he cleared the table and loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

By the time he was finished, Ava was back with Pinky.

"She wants to go!" she announced.

"Awesome," Wiley said. "Let's do this!"

***

Dani didn't know when Wiley and Ava would arrive, but she was ready for them when they did. She'd dug through her office for crayons and paper, used her copy machine to print out some pages to color, and laid out some books from her personal children's library.

She and Aaron had moved things around in their spare bedroom to make it little-girl friendly so that when Ava was here, she would feel comfortable and welcome. Ava's transition wouldn't be easy for her, but every child rescued was a child who'd been given a second chance, and Wiley was dedicated to this. The text he'd sent her last night was proof. Now, it was up to all of the family to back him up one hundred percent. Ava was Aaron's sister, and Sean's sister, and B.J.'s sister, too. And after talking to Shirley, she knew it was a done deal.

Ava Dalton was on a fast track to happiness. She just didn't know it yet, so when Dani saw them pulling up into her driveway, she went out on the porch to meet them.

One look at the tiny blond holding tight to Wiley's hand and Dani was hooked. She loved children anyway, but having this one as part of their family was going to be so special.

"Good morning!" Dani said as they came up the steps. "I'm so happy you're here." She led the way into the house and then the living room and sat down so they would, too.

"Dani, this is Ava Dalton, our sister. Ava, this is Dani. She's Aaron's wife, so that makes her your sister-in-law. That's the same thing as a sister."

Dani held out her hand. "I'm so happy to meet you, Ava. I always wanted a sister."

Ava almost smiled. "Really?"

Dani nodded. "Yes, really!"

Wiley kept a hand on Ava's back, just as a reminder that he was there, and let the two of them chatter. During a lull in their conversation, Wiley spoke up again.

"Guess what, Ava? When I have to go back to work, you won't be going to day care. Dani has invited you to stay with her during the day, and then I'll pick you up and we'll go home together every evening. Does that sound like a plan?"

Ava's heart skipped a beat. She already knew she'd have to be somewhere when Wiley went to work, and she was used to being dumped. But this felt different.

"I am invited?" Ava asked.

"Yes, please," Dani said. "I would be so happy for the company, and I have so many fun things already planned for us to do."

Ava's eyes widened. "You would do things with me?"

"Yes. Like crafts and coloring books, and making cookies together, and so many fun things like that," Dani said.

"I don't have to be quiet in the corner?" Ava asked.

Dani gave Wiley a look and then shook her head. "Never, unless you feel like being quiet, like when we sometimes want to take a nap."

"Do you see cartoons on your TV?" Ava asked.

Wiley grinned. "Disney Plus."

"We'll have Disney Plus," Dani said, "and on Aaron's days off, he'll be home with us, and you'll get to spend time with him, too. He's ever so nice and sweet, like Wiley."

"So, baby girl, what do you think?" Wiley asked.

"I think it's a good idea, Bubba," Ava said.

Dani clapped her hands. "Then it's settled. Wiley is going to be off work for a few more days, but we'll see each other in between. Would you like to see the whole house before you leave? Our spare bedroom will be for you when you want to nap, and there's even a TV in it, too."

Ava's eyes lit up. "I will have two bedrooms!"

Wiley could only imagine what Ava was thinking. She'd gone from nothing to everything in less than twenty-four hours. "You two take your house tour. I have some calls to make."

Dani held out her hand. "Come on, sugar. I'll show you the house and then the backyard, too. We have a porch swing out back and two really pretty shade trees."

Ava was immediately at ease with Dani. She thought she was pretty and had a kind voice, and she was a teacher, which was the gold standard for Ava.

"This will be your spot," Dani said, when she took her to their spare bedroom. "This bed is where you can come to nap, and this room is where you can play if you just want quiet time. Do you like quiet time?"

Ava nodded. "That's how I make myself go away."

Dani was startled by the phrasing. "What do you mean, go away?"

Ava lowered her voice, as if imparting a secret. "When you don't want people to see you, if you'll be really still and really quiet, they forget you're there, and then you're safe."

The poignancy of this child's life broke Dani's heart.

"Oh, sugar," she said, and sat down on the side of the bed and pulled Ava into her arms. "You'll always be safe with us. We're so happy to have you in our family."

Ava wanted to believe, but words meant little to her. She was waiting for proof. After they left the bedroom, she saw the rest of the house and decided she liked the idea of having two beds and two pillows. And then Dani took her outside, and the moment Ava saw the two huge shade trees and the bird feeders between them, she was entranced.

"Do those birds live here?" she asked.

Dani nodded. "Some of them live in the trees, and some are just visiting, but they all know they have food here. You'll have to help me fill bird feeders, too, when you're here."

Ava's voice slid back into that whisper, "I never fed birds before!"

Dani leaned down and hugged her. "Then I'm happy to be the one to teach you how to do it. You can walk all the way to the trees. They'll fly away for a moment, but then they'll fly right back. They know we won't hurt them."

"I know how to be quiet," Ava whispered, and moved into the shade, then stood motionless, watching.

Wiley came outside to get them, saw what was happening, and stopped. A huge wave of relief washed over him when he saw the delight on Dani's face and the awe on Ava's.

But it was Ava who saw him first and came running to him from across the yard, talking as she went. He caught her in midleap, still talking.

"Bubba! Dani has birds! They live in the trees, and they visit. I'm going to help feed them!"

"That's awesome! So, you think it's okay to be here when I'm at work?" he asked.

"Yes, I think it's good," Ava said.

Dani was smiling when she caught up. "Little sister is smart," she said.

Wiley put Ava down and watched her run back to the porch and settle herself in the porch swing before responding.

"How so?" he asked.

"She saw some of the books I laid out in the extra bedroom for her. They're children's books, and she can read them. As in, read. Not sounding out words. Not stumbling over some of them. She read two aloud and asked if this school had a library, because her other school did and her teacher let her read lots of books there, because Corina didn't have anything for her to read at home."

"Corina is a disaster. That woman can't even read the writing on the wall," Wiley muttered. "Thank you for this. It means the world to me, and it will mean the world to Ava, knowing there are people who have her best interests at heart."

"You're welcome, Wiley. She's so lost. When she told me how she makes herself disappear, I nearly lost it. The tragedy of a child feeling the need to be invisible just to feel safe breaks my heart."

"All she kept saying when we first met was, ‘Corina says I'm a mistake.' Can you imagine being told that every day of your life?"

"Who's Corina?" Dani asked.

"Her mother, but Ava never once referred to her as Mother. She just calls her Corina, and right now, her biggest fear is that I'll give her back."

Dani sighed. "Bless her heart. Well, she has us now, and maybe those awful memories will fade with time. Thank you for bringing her by. I'm looking forward to having her here."

"Thank you for jumping into the gap for us. I'm planning a party for this evening so all of you can come meet her in her house. You can let Aaron know, but I'm calling the other brothers and Mom," he said, then went up the back steps to get Ava. "Tell Dani goodbye, sugar. We're leaving now."

Ava slid out of the porch swing and grabbed Wiley's hand.

"Bye, Dani."

Dani grinned. "Bye, honey," she said, then walked them through the house and waved goodbye from her front porch as they drove away.

"Are we going home now?" Ava asked as she settled Pinky in her lap.

"No, we're going to Granny Annie's Bakery first. We're having a party at our house tonight."

Ava gasped. "A party? What kind of a party?"

"A come-meet-Ava party, and all of your brothers and their wives, and your grandma, Shirley, are coming to meet you."

Ava's voice was trembling. "A party for me?"

"It's a welcome-to-the-family party."

"What do I do?" she asked.

"You don't have to do anything but be Ava. You can show them your new room, and they will talk to you, and you will talk to them, and you'll know just how many people want you."

Ava went silent and tightened her hold on Pinky as they drove through Jubilee.

Wiley glanced at her in the rearview mirror and thought he saw tears in her eyes. "Are you okay, Ava?"

She nodded.

"Are you sad?" he asked.

"No."

"But you're crying," he said.

"I never had a party. Will there be cake?"

Shock rolled through him.

"What about your birthday?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"Do you know your birthday?" Wiley asked.

"June fourth," she said.

He was absorbing her truth all over again. A child without comfort or clothes, or toys, or even a real place to call home. Acknowledged only as "a mistake."

"And nobody ever made you a cake or gave you gifts?"

She thought a few moments then shrugged again. "Miss Mattie gave me chewing gum sometimes if she had any in her purse. And pudding cups. We had pudding cups."

"I'm sorry that happened, but you'll never be ignored again. I promise."

"Okay," she said.

He sighed. Words meant nothing to her. It would be actions that would change her world, so he shifted the conversation as he pulled up to the curb in front of the bakery.

"We're here, sugar. Let's go pick out some yummy stuff for the party, okay?"

Ava nodded. She liked Bubba's idea of yummy stuff, and she was excited about having a party. She latched onto Bubba's hand as they walked into the bakery, and then stopped, stunned by scents of sweets and baking bread.

"What do I smell?" she whispered.

Wiley grinned. "Yummy stuff, sister. Yummy stuff. See that lady at the counter with the pretty white hair? That's our aunt Annie. She owns the bakery and makes all this good stuff to eat." They moved to the display case so Ava could see, but when he realized she was too small, he picked her up for a better view. "Now you can see better. Do we want a cake, or do we want cupcakes and cookies?"

"Cake," Ava said.

"Done," Wiley said. "Now, do we want chocolate or vanilla cake?"

"What is vanilla?" Ava asked.

"The white kind."

"Yes, that. Will it have my name on it?" she asked.

He saw hope and expectation. "Why, I think it should, since the party is for you, right?"

She nodded, then hid her face against his neck.

Like a little turtle, Ava had retreated into her shell, and Wiley let her be. Annie Cauley was all smiles when they approached the register.

"Wiley, it's a joy to see you," she said. "And who is your pretty little friend?"

Ava came up for air, eyeing the lady with white hair as intently as Annie was eyeing her.

"This is our little sister, Ava. We found each other yesterday, and she's going to be living with me now."

Annie's eyes widened and then softened. "There you go, being the hero all over again," she said softly.

Wiley shook his head. "No, ma'am. Just taking care of family. We're having a party at the house tonight so she can meet her brothers and sisters-in-law and her grandma all at once, and we need a cake."

"I never had a cake before," Ava said.

Annie blinked. "Well, I declare," she said. "How old are you, Ava?"

"I'm seven."

"And a pretty little thing you are," Annie said, trying to hide her shock.

Wiley quickly ended the personal inquisition. "This is just another in a long line of firsts for Ava. We have decided we want a white cake with white buttercream icing. Maybe half a sheet-cake size? And could we have writing on it that says, Ava, welcome to the family'?"

Annie's hands were shaking. "You can have whatever you like on it. Is there a color preference for the writing?"

He nodded. "Pink is the color du jour. Would it be possible to have this delivered to my house around five today? I know this is short notice but…"

"If this is her first cake ever, it's not short notice. It's long overdue," Annie said. "Let me write down your address for the delivery."

He handed her a credit card, but Annie waved it away.

"This cake is a gift from me and her uncle John. Ava, honey, from now on, you just call me Aunt Annie, like your brothers do, okay?"

Ava looked at Wiley for approval, and when he winked, she knew it was okay.

"I think you probably need a couple of cookies to take with you," Annie said. "Ava, honey, you pick," she said, and pointed to the sheet pan in the display case. "Sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, cherry drop cookies."

"I like peanut butter," Ava said.

Annie scooped two peanut butter cookies from the tray into a little sack and handed them to her.

"I think we need to thank Annie for the cookies," Wiley said.

"Thank you for the cookies," Ava echoed.

"Enjoy, and come see me again soon, okay?"

"We will," Wiley said, and put Ava down.

Ava had the sack of cookies in one hand, and latched on to Wiley with the other as they walked out the door.

"Lord, have mercy," Annie muttered, then grabbed the order and headed to the back room. "Laurel, this needs to be ready and delivered to Wiley's house by five."

Annie's daughter, Laurel, glanced at the order, and nodded. "Simple enough, but who's Ava? Is Wiley finally settling down?"

"All I know is Wiley introduced her as his little sister, and he's taken her to raise. That's about as settled as a single man can get."

"Wow," Laurel said. "So, Clyde Wallace fooled around on Shirley?"

"Obviously," Annie said.

"Do you think Shirley knew?"

"Oh, I know Shirley knew he wasn't faithful, but I don't think any of them knew about this child. I don't know how this came about, but she looks half-starved and neglected, so she's right where she belongs, with people who want her."

***

But back in Jubilee, Wiley and Ava were still making waves. When he pulled into the gas station to refuel before going back to their house, he left Ava sitting in the back seat with Pinky and rolled down the windows so she wouldn't get too hot. He didn't notice the driver of the truck on the other side of the pumps, until he heard someone call his name and turned to look, then frowned.

Keith Priddy. He used to work security with him at the Bullard music venue. He hadn't liked him then, and he didn't like him now.

"Hey, big shot! I haven't seen you in a while. I see you've recovered from the bank robbery."

Wiley nodded, but didn't respond. He was keeping an eye on the pump and on Ava.

Keith moved between the pumps and then leaned against Wiley's SUV. That's when he saw Ava sitting in the back seat.

"Well, who do we have here?" he drawled. "This your kid, Pope? I always figured you'd have a woods colt or two out there."

Wiley turned on him so fast Keith gasped, then choked on his own spit.

"Priddy, if you plan on waking up tomorrow, then shut your mouth."

"Oh hell, come on, Wiley. Don't be such an uptight asshole. I didn't mean nothin' by it," Keith muttered.

Wiley was in his face, speaking in a low, quiet tone of voice, but Keith knew that if looks could kill, he would already be dead.

"She's our sister," Wiley said. "Mine, and Aaron, and Sean, and B.J. She's living with us now, so if you want to talk about us, make sure it's the truth."

"Yeah, sure, I didn't—"

"And apologize to Ava for the language you used in front of her."

Keith swallowed past the knot in his throat and looked down at the little wide-eyed blond staring up at him.

"Say, kid, I'm real sorry I said some bad words. Okay?"

Ava looked at Wiley.

"She heard you," Wiley said. "Now get on your side of the pumps and stay there."

"Yeah, sure thing," Keith said. "Sorry."

Wiley glanced in the car at Ava again, but she had gone back to playing with Pinky as if none of that had just happened. Only he knew better. Ava had gone quiet. She was hiding from the grown-ups again, and he didn't blame her.

As soon as he got back in the car, he turned on the air-conditioning and rolled the windows back up.

"Ava, honey. Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I'm sorry that man was rude."

She looked up. "What's rude?"

"When someone says something mean on purpose."

"Why do they do that?" Ava asked.

"Because, when God was handing out manners, they were picking their nose instead, that's why."

She giggled.

Wiley grinned, then winked. "That's my girl."

"Are we going home now?" she asked.

"Yes, we are," Wiley said. "You're gonna play, and I'm going to straighten up the house and get ready for the party."

They were leaving the station and about to turn left when he saw Linette coming out of an office building. He honked and waved, and she waved back, then blew him a kiss. Wiley had the strongest urge to stop the car, get out, and kiss her senseless in front of God and everybody, but since that couldn't happen, he just kept driving. He was, however, still smiling when he pulled into their driveway.

He opened the garage door with the remote, drove inside, then lowered the door before getting Ava out of the back seat and into the house.

"You can go play now. And if you want to watch TV, come tell me and I'll find your cartoons for you."

"Okay, Bubba. Can I take off my shoes and play barefoot?" she asked.

"Absolutely," he said.

She nodded and skipped off down the hall with Pinky under her arm.