Chapter 18-2

I hand the glass of water to Lisa. "Thank you," she whispers. That's when Ava looks at me. I give her a soft smile and kneel. There's no expectation of a hug, but I try my best to make conversation to keep her comfortable. "So, how surprised were you, on a scale of one to ten?" I ask jokingly. "A million!" Ava laughs. "Lisa didn't tell me we were visiting Miss Adams and Miss Sam!" That's when Charlie apprehensively approaches Ava and sniffs her legs. Ava isn't scared, which is good. "Hold out your hand," I say to Ava. "This is Charlie, and she's just trying to get to know you." Ava does as I say, which allows Charlie to get a better introduction. When she feels comfortable, her tail wags excitedly. Ava looks at me and I nod. "She loves scratches and pets," I inform. "If you give her good ones, she'll never let you stop." Ava smiles and rubs Charlie's head lovingly. Charlie allows Ava to pet her for awhile before inevitably disappearing and reappearing with her favorite ball. I know what that means, so I stand and tune in to Megan and Amy's conversation. "I think Charlie wants to play with Ava," I say. "We're gonna go to the backyard and play catch." "Okay." Megan is wearing the brightest smile. "We'll meet you out there in a few." Me and Ava head to the backyard with Charlie and I instruct Ava to throw the ball. "Okay, lets see what you got," I say. Ava winds back and lets the ball fly, which goes pretty far and leaves me impressed. Charlie is a beam of fur heading for the ball, which she effortlessly scoops up into her mouth and runs back to us. Ava accepts the ball and looks up at me. "That was a really good throw," I compliment. "Thank you." She throws the ball again, farther this time. "Do you play any sports?" I ask. "No, ma'am." "Would you want to?" She looks at me and shrugs. There's a glimmer of intrigue in her eyes that I can't ignore. Charlie runs up excitedly when Megan and Lisa join us outside. I look around for Amy and see her checking out the house. Megan nods in her direction, indicating I should go and introduce myself. When I make it back inside, she is inspecting a picture frame we had recently put up for display. "I'm assuming these people are your family?" she wonders. I look at the picture that had been taken the night after Megan and me had gotten married and smile. My head nods in agreement as I point to Shawn and Casey. "That's my older brother and his wife," I say. "And this is Blair, my best friend and her long-term boyfriend, Tony, and this is Dane and his spouse, J.C., and their son, Andre." "Oh okay, so more friends than family," she observes. "We consider them family." Amy sets the picture frame back down and faces me. She holds out her hand and I take it willingly. "Nice to meet you, Sam," she says. "You know, Lisa wrote a wonderful recommendation letter for you and Megan. I have to say, I'm very impressed." I nod my head. "Thank you. That means a lot." "Ava is a special case." She looks out the backdoor and watches Ava throw Charlie the ball. "And she's grown on me and Lisa over the years..." "I understand." I take in a deep breath, shoving my hands into my pockets. "She's grown on Megan a lot as well." "And what about you?" she wonders. "How has she grown on you?" I watch Megan and Ava exchange some words and then all three of them are laughing as Charlie jumps around excitedly. To say my expectations were met would be a lie, because today had already exceeded them. I refocus back on Amy and try to form an answer. "Well, during the little time Ava and I spent together..." I pause. "She was able to teach me a lot about myself. She also reminds me a lot of my younger self, who was so full of life and creativity and potential..." My eyes switch back to Amy, who is watching me intently. "Meeting Ava made me want to give back and help someone who truly needs it, and I know that probably sounds crazy but... it's true." "I've been Ava's social worker since she got homed with Lisa and I can tell you..." She nods to herself. "I've never seen her light up the way she did when you opened that door." Hearing this makes me understand this is it. Ava would become our daughter soon after today, and I found myself excited. Amy and I continue this conversation just a bit longer before everyone outside returns to the comfort of our cool home, and eventually, the meeting is over. "But I don't wanna leave yet," Ava expresses. "You'll be back soon." Amy places a hand on Ava's small shoulder. "Don't worry." Ava nods sadly, but Megan is comforting her once more. "We're very excited for you to come back," Megan says, which makes Ava smile. "Will I get to stay?" Ava asks. Megan smiles and looks up at me, which causes a hopeful smile to stretch across my own face. I nod as Megan rubs her shoulders. "I hope so. I really do." That's when Ava's mood shifts and her body relaxes. A hopeful smile replaces her cautious pout, and eventually they're leaving. Before Lisa can make it out the door, I call out to her. "Lisa," I say. "Thank you." "You and Megan deserve the opportunity to make Ava's life as full as it can possibly be." She smiles sadly. "This was the least I could do." The three of them leave, but not before Ava turns back and gives us a final wave goodbye. I hug Megan to my side and feel her body relax into mine. Today couldn't have gone better, and soon Ava would move in and start the life she truly deserved. And we couldn't wait to be a part of that.