Page 52 of Left Behind

She nodded.

Wiley took a deep breath. “Then let’s get them folded up and put away,” he said, then opened the lowest dresser drawer. “I’ll fold. You can put them in the drawer, okay?”

“Corina just throws everything in together,” she said.

“Well, Corina isn’t the boss of us anymore, is she?” Wiley muttered. “We’re doing stuff our way now.”

Ava leaned against Wiley’s leg. “Our way,” she whispered.

Wiley folded clothes with a knot in his gut. He had to let go of the rage he was feeling on Ava’s behalf and just be grateful that she was finally safe.

It didn’t take long to fold and put away her clothes because she only had three complete outfits, counting what she was wearing, three changes of underwear, and a couple of extra T-shirts. No jacket. No pajamas or nightgown. No other shoes but the little sandals on her feet. No hairbrush. No toothbrush. Not even a remnant of anything that a child might cuddle to sleep with. He could easily take her shopping, but he didn’t know if she was up to it. He sat down in the chair beside her bed and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

“Okay, everything is put away. When you go to bed, what do you sleep in?” he asked.

“What I wear,” she said.

He frowned. “That’s not gonna happen here. You get clothes for sleeping, and playing, and school and church.”

“What’s church?”

Wiley stifled a curse. “A place where we go on Sunday to hear Bible stories and sing songs. You’ll like it.”

Ava had no clue as to what Bubba was talking about, but she wasn’t going to make waves. “I will like it,” she echoed.

Wiley picked her up and hugged her. “I hope so, but it’s okay if you don’t. Nobody will be mad at you. There are things I don’t like, and that’s fair. People aren’t alike. Now we’re going to town to buy you stuff you need.” He slid her off his lap and patted the back of her head. “Go wash, and use the bathroom before we go, and scoot! I’ll be in the kitchen.”

She giggled. The word scoot was a new one, but she knew what it meant and hustled herself into the bathroom.

Wiley scrubbed his hands across his face, then stood. Resolve was etched on his face as he headed for the kitchen to make a grocery list. But the first thing he did was send Linette a text, along with the same picture of Ava that he’d sent to his mom.

Family crisis. Big shock. This is Ava. She’s seven years old and she’s our half sister. Her mother called her a mistake and just dumped her. Something inside of me broke when I saw her. She’s scared of everything. She’s been neglected and mistreated, and I’m keeping her. I plan to become her legal guardian, and if this isn’t in your wheelhouse, now’s the time to bail. Otherwise, she’s just been added to our plans. I won’t hold anything against you for how you feel. This came out of left field and I’m still in a bit of shock myself. But I know this is the right thing to do. Love you forever. Me.

He hit Send and then started checking out the contents of his refrigerator. He had plenty of beer and cold cuts, but no milk and no real food in sight. Life was about to get real in this house. Then his phone signaled a text. It was from Linette, and he was almost afraid to read it.

Bless her heart. As for you, I’ll pretend I’m not pissed that you doubted me. This is just part of what “for better or for worse” means, even if we aren’t really married. You already know I love children. I will help you every step of the way and hope she learns to love and trust me more than you do… You’re an ass, but you’re mine, and I will keep you anyway. Love, L.

Wiley grimaced. “Thank God,” he muttered, and a few minutes later, they were back in his car and headed uptown. First stop was for clothes. There wasn’t a real department store in Jubilee, but there were enough kids’ clothes in the tourist shops to cover immediate needs, and he’d talk to Linette about online ordering. As soon as they reached the tourist strip, he parked, then turned to look at her. She was big-eyed and staring out the window at all of the sights.

“Ava, honey, are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Will you promise to tell me if you need to go to the bathroom, or if you get hungry?”

She nodded.

“Will you promise to tell me if you get tired and want to go home?”

She nodded again.

He grinned. “Is that a yes, because I can’t hear you.”

“Yes,” she said, and then almost smiled.

“Good. Thought for a minute my ears had quit working,” he said.

She giggled, and startled herself when the sound came out of her mouth and clapped her hands over it.

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