Page 77 of Left Behind

She nodded and ran ahead to his bedroom.

The simple sight of her curls bouncing and the fact that she felt comfortable enough to lead the way gave him hope that she was happy, or at least trusting that he wasn’t going to give her back.

“Do you have pink shirts?” Ava asked, when he pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it in the laundry.

He grinned. “No. Pink’s not my best color.” He opened a dresser drawer. “These are my good T-shirts. I’ll wear any color you choose.”

She leaned over, eyeing the array, then picked a pale-blue one. “I like this, Bubba. It’s the color of the sky.”

“Good choice,” he said, took it out of the stack, shook it out, and pulled it over his head. “How’s that?”

She studied his appearance seriously, then nodded. “You look pretty.”

“Girls are pretty. Boys are handsome,” he said.

“My Bubba is pretty,” she stated, and crawled up on his bed to watch as he went to the bathroom to comb his hair. “Are you gonna wear the good smelly stuff, too?”

He laughed. She paid more attention to what was going on than he realized.

“A little, okay?” then he sprayed a little cologne into the air and walked through the mist and picked her up. “Do I smell good now?” he asked, and kissed her cheek.

She giggled. “You smell pretty.”

He grinned. “You’re something else, Miss Ava. So, pretty it is.” He swooped her off his bed, carried her across the hall and into her bedroom, and plopped her down on her bed. “Now you need to put on your shoes.”

“For the party,” Ava said.

“Yes, baby. For the party,” and he picked up her sandals. He was fastening the last Velcro strap when their doorbell rang.

She gasped. “Is that company?”

“I think so. Let’s go see.”

She slid off her bed and grabbed his hand, but as they were going down the hall, she went quiet.

“Don’t be scared, baby,” Wiley said.

“If they don’t like me, will you still keep me?” she whispered.

“Nobody can take you away from me, so stop worrying. Besides, I know my brothers. I know my mother. They will love you, like I do.”

She looked up at him, but said nothing, and then they were at the door. Wiley swung it open to see his entire family standing on the porch.

Ava took one look at the giant people before her and froze. This was where she usually made herself disappear, but Wiley was here, and so she silently moved behind Wiley’s leg instead.

Wiley didn’t react other than to welcome in their guests. “Come in, everyone. Let’s sit for introductions. Ava thinks I’m a giant. Four of us is probably a little intimidating. Right, sugar?” he said, then scooped her up in his arms and held her while everyone walked in carrying gifts.

Ava felt safer in Bubba’s grasp, but she was silently staring at all of the bows and colorful wrapping, almost in a state of disbelief that they could be for her, but everybody who walked past said hello and said her name.

As soon as they were seated, Wiley shut the door and headed for the spot they’d left for him on the sofa. He sat, still holding her, then put her down. She backed up between his knees, still watching.

But it was Shirley who broke the ice. She was looking at a beautiful little girl who was half the size of what she should be, obviously in a state of fear and flight. In that moment, she felt the bond every mother feels when they look upon their child’s face for the very first time. Ava Dalton might not belong to them by blood, but she already belonged in Shirley’s heart.

“Ava, I’m Wiley’s mother, and I brought a present for you, but I have a cast on my foot that makes walking a little difficult.”

Ava eyed the soft cast.

“I can walk,” she whispered.

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