Authors: Bettye Griffin
“
Now that you mention it, yes, I was curious about that. A piece of the puzzle seemed to be missing.”
“
Now you know what it is. Too many people in Augusta knew who I was. I don’t think Janelle knew at first, but when she found out everything changed. That was the main reason I decided to move someplace else. I felt that if I was lucky enough to fall in love I should make sure the woman I wanted had no ulterior motives.” He smiled at her warmly. “I’m about as sure as I can be that she doesn’t, but she might be a little upset that I kept something so important secret from her.” He straightened his posture and reached for her hand. “Do you forgive me?”
She
squeezed his hand. “There’s nothing to forgive. I understand perfectly. If our positions were reversed, I wouldn’t be going around telling everyone I met that I was rich, either.”
“
I adore you,” he said fervently.
“
I do love you, Hilton. I never thought I’d ever feel this way again. I can’t tell you how much you’ve changed my life, made it so much better.” They sat facing each other in a deeply intense moment. Facing him as she professed her feelings with her hand in his was oddly reminiscent of taking wedding vows; it felt that serious to her.
He slid over and gathered her in his arms.
They held each other tightly, their emotions too deep for kisses.
“All I want,” Hilton said, “is to make a home with, and for, my son and
for the woman I love. And as you already know, I’m very open to having more kids around.”
Ava
closed her eyes and savored the moment. He’d all but said he wanted to marry her. She’d never been happier in her personal life, but she still worried about what the future held for Marcus’s sister and cousins. “I do hope it all works out with Gabby and Shane…and Monet.”
“
They all seem to be sweet kids. Neil and Linda certainly have a lot of love to give. And as for Monet, as much as I love my two dudes, I’m looking forward to having a little dudette around to spoil.”
The familiar feelings of inadequacy washed over her
, and she reluctantly pulled out of his embrace. “You won’t get one from me.”
“
It’s probably best that I don’t get a daughter from
anyone.”
She looked at him curiously.
“What do you mean?”
“
Ava, my grandmother died of ovarian cancer at forty-two. My mother died of the same disease at thirty-seven. I don’t think medical science has a full understanding of just how disease genes work, but I do believe that some conditions do run in families.”
“But just because one of your parents had a particular disease, it doesn’t mean you’ll get it, too.”
“I agree that it’s more of a propensity, not an absolute given. All the same, I’m glad I have a brother instead of a sister, and a son instead of a daughter. Even when my sister-in-law was pregnant we were all scared to death she would have a girl who’d be doomed to the same fate. Fortunately, she had twin boys, but years later she and my brother decided they wanted a daughter as well. Of course, it might have been fine because the tragedy of my mother and grandmother’s early deaths only makes up an eighth or less of this generation’s family history, but because no one really knows how these things work it was a frightening prospect for them, and that’s why they adopted.”
“Oh. I didn’t know.
”
“It’s not what you
can’t
do, Ava. It’s what you
can
do. Always remember that.”
She nodded. That was possibly the best advice anyone had ever given her, and she knew she’d never forget it.
She touched her fingertips to his cheek. “You miss your mother terribly, don’t you, Hilton?”
“Every day. I
wasn’t much older than Marcus is now when she died.” He took her hand by the wrist and tenderly kissed the back of it. “I wish I could tell her that at the rather advanced age of forty-one and after making a couple of near-mistakes, I think I finally met The One.” His arm tightened around her, and eventually their sitting so close stirred their passions. When they finally did kiss it was a brief touch of lips, for they both knew intimacy was not an option for them so soon after Ava’s surgery.
“
Hi!”
They pulled back from each other just enough so they could look up
. Marcus and Max stood in the arched doorway, giggling.
“I
told
ya they’re all lovey-dovey,” Marcus said to Max.
“
Are you gonna get married?” Max asked Hilton.
Hilton looked at Ava, then at his son
. “Do you think we should?”
Neither boy hesitated
. “Yeah!”
“
They think we should,” he said to Ava, cocking his head in their direction. “So how about it?”
Chapter
26
I
n the master bedroom, Ava smoothed down the soft sleeves of Monet’s navy satin and velvet dress with white trim. “You look just precious, sweetie.”
“
Thank you.” The six-year-old looked at her face in the lit mirror of Ava’s vanity table. “I’ve never been in a flower girl before. It’s fun. I like getting all pretty.”
She was everything Ava had ever dreamed of in a little girl.
“Can you put some lipstick on me?” she asked.
“Well…just a little.” Ava applied some dark pink
color to Monet’s lips. She shared Marcus’s large, expressive eyes. One day she would be a knockout.
“
Can I go downstairs and see if Gabby’s here yet, Aunt Ava?”
“
All right, go on. But don’t get dirty.”
Ava
turned her attention to her own appearance. It took her less than five minutes to apply her makeup, after which she walked to her bed, where a red gown lay, waiting to adorn her body.
She
had just stepped into it when someone knocked on the closed door. “It’s us, Ava.”
“
Good,” she said as she opened the door for Vicky and Kendall. “You can help me button this up.”
“
Ooh, aren’t you lovely!” Vicky exclaimed, taking in the form-fitting gown with a modestly cut cowl neckline in the front and a deep drape in the back. “This is one Thanksgiving weekend no one will ever forget.”
“It’ll take all weekend just to get these buttons done
,” Kendall grumbled. “Ava, there must be fifteen buttons on this dress!”
“But it’s beautiful,” Vicky added with a scowl Kendall’s way. The dress had small silk buttons going from Ava’s
mid-back to her hips.
“That it is.”
Ava laughed at Kendall’s awkward recovery from her trademark bluntness. “I’ve been working out for months to make sure this dress would look good on me. Hilton didn’t even want to wait this long to get married, but he knew how symbolic the holiday season is for me, so he agreed to it.”
“
What a guy,” Vicky said, her voice ringing with admiration.
“
Are you nervous, Ava?” Kendall asked.
“
No, not at all.” It was the truth. She hadn’t the slightest doubt. Ava knew that marrying Hilton was the right thing to do.
“
I can’t believe you’re getting married in a red dress,” Kendall added. “The whole town is going to be scandalized. Catherine Moore will probably pass out. You know how she believes in protocol.”
“
I gave her a little forewarning, along with my mother. Everyone else will just have to be surprised, maybe even shocked. But I’m thirty-six years old and the mother of two…sort of.” Mr. and Mrs. Hudson had spoken to their incarcerated daughter about granting legal guardianship of Marcus and Monet to Ava with the plan for subsequent adoption once she and Hilton were married, but while Glenda Hudson had granted the guardianship, unlike her sister Sandra, she staunchly refused to consent for adoption.
The thought that she and Hilton would be unable to formalize th
e situation with Marcus and Money cast a pall over her mood that her friends quickly sought to alleviate.
“
Try not to worry about it, Ava,” Vicky said. “It’s hard to ask a woman to give up her children. But from what you’ve told me, she’s going to be in prison for quite some time yet. Those kids are yours in every sense but the legal one, while they’re hers only in the legal sense but not in any other way.”
“She’s a vindictive witch,” Kendall muttered.
“By the time she gets sprung they won’t even remember her.”
“Monet doesn’t remember her now,” Ava remarked. “She was just two when Glenda went to prison.”
“Marcus and Monet already consider you and Hilton to be their parents. Besides, how much time did she really spend with them before she got locked up?”
Ava sighed. “I fe
lt the same way, Kendall, but since Vicky knows more about how mothers feel than you and I do, I’m willing to at least try to understand Glenda’s reasoning.”
“You’re a better
woman than me,” Kendall replied as her fingers continued to deftly button the back of Ava’s dress.
“Not really, it’s just that while it would be nice for Marcus and
Monet to legally be my children, I have to concentrate my energy on the fact that I have custody of them…not that I might not ever be able to officially adopt them.” She smiled. “It’s a matter of not focusing on what I want, but what I’ve already got.”
“Good for you,” Vicky said.
“Is everyone here?” Ava asked.
“
Everybody,” Kendall replied. “Marcus’s cousins look so happy with Neil and Linda.”
“I can’t wait to see them. They don’t come up as often as they used to. Once Mr. and Mrs. Hudson were satisfied that they were adjusting well in a good home, they gave Neil and Linda a break from making that long drive
up here every other weekend. Sometimes the Hudsons take the bus down to West Palm and spend a few days.”
Kendall stepped back. “Okay, I’m done with my half of the buttons.”
“I just have a few more to go,” Vicky said. “You know, Ava, I don’t think Hilton is going to be very patient in undoing all these buttons later.”
“Yes, he will. This dress cost me plenty. I do plan on wearing it again.”
“Can I help with anything else?” Kendall offered.
Ava thought for a moment.
“Would you send Monet up and tell Marcus I’m almost ready? He’s supposed to tell the musicians.”
“
Sure.”
“Wait, I’m done. I’ll go with you,” Vicky said, picking up her purse from the bed.
Monet returned within minutes, accompanied by Linda Carson, who embraced Ava warmly. “Ava, you’ve done so much around here. It looks like a completely different house.”
“It’s amazing what a little wallpaper and
wainscoting can do, isn’t it?” Ava said with a laugh. “That and getting Hilton to move all his carpentry supplies to the carriage house. This is really a beautiful house, and best of all, it’s big enough for all of us.”
Linda looked around the master bedroom, decorated in a lovely sea green with tan rattan bureaus and accent pieces. “Did you decorate this room, too?”
“Yes. I told Hilton that if I’m going to be living here he’d have to make some changes. Honestly, you’d never believe he’s a skilled carpenter and handyman to see the way he was living, with just the basics and nothing decorated.”
“And I love the
family pictures.” Linda moved to the mosaic of five-by-seven photos arranged on an open area of wall of all three of the children, surrounding a larger studio portrait that included Ava and Hilton. “But this is my favorite,” she said, pointing to an informal photo of Hilton and Marcus taken at the beach.
Ava walked to stand next to her friend. “I’ll tell you a secret, Linda,” she said softly so
Monet wouldn’t hear. “That’s my favorite, too.” She looked at the picture of the man and boy who had changed her life, and happy tears filled her eyes.
The two friends embraced. “I’d better get back downstairs so you can get this wedding off the ground,” Linda said. “And just remember…
this may not be your first marriage, but it’s your
last.”
*****
Together, Ava and Monet waited for the flutist to begin the hymn Ava had chosen to make her appearance to. Monet went first, dropping rose petals on the stairs from her wicker basket; and Ava followed.
When Ava saw Hilton standing in front of the fireplace with Max and Marcus at his side
, all three of them dapper in black tuxedos, she broke into a broad grin that she was unable to control, even after they took their vows and shared their first kiss as husband and wife.
Woody shepherded the guests outdoors into the walled tent that
in addition to the chairs and cloth-covered tables, was furnished with space heaters to guard against the November chill. Hilton, Ava and the children remained inside, where they posed for pictures. They remained inside after the photographer finished. “So now that you guys are married,” Marcus said, “we’re all gonna live together?”
“That’s right, Sport,” Hilton said. “Right here. You and Max are gonna share a room. I hope that’s okay.”
Both boys pretended to be displeased by this, but their happy grins said otherwise.
“
Monet’s going to have her own room,” Ava added, pinching the child’s cheek, “because she’s the only girl. We’ll make it pink, like strawberry ice cream.”
Monet
’s face lit up.
“What about the bedroom by the kitchen?” Marcus asked.
“The one where Aunt Ava stayed when she got out of the hospital?”
“That’ll be our guest room,” Hilton replied.
“That’s where your grandparents will sleep while they’re taking care of you during our honeymoon.” He winked at Ava. They had privately agreed that they would invite Wilburn and Eva Mae Hudson to stay with them if or when it became too difficult for the disabled couple to continue to live independently. Hilton said he could make the detached carriage house into a studio apartment for them to give everyone some privacy. “But I was thinking it might be nice if we made that big room on the third floor into a playroom for you guys,” Hilton said casually.
“Yay!”
“I’m gonna need some help from you, though, to fix it up,” Hilton said.
“I’m your helper anyway,” Marcus said proudly.
“I’ll help, too,” Max chimed in.
Marcus’s small face twisted, as it often did when he had a concern.
“So if we’re a family now, and Monet and me are gonna live with you from now on, does that mean you’re our parents?”
Ava cast Hilton a panicked look.
Hilton calmly put his arm around Marcus. “Well, you see, Sport, it’s like this.” Something caught his eye, and Ava followed his gaze to see the Hudsons approaching. “Hello, Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Hudson.”
Ava welcomed the interruption, for it would give her and Hilton a few more minutes to think of how best to answer Marcus’s question. It would be painful telling Marcus and
Monet that they
wanted
to adopt them but couldn’t because of their mother’s refusal to allow it.
“We’re sorry to intrude upon what looks like a private moment,” Wilburn Hudson
began. “But we have a wedding gift for you.”
A beaming Eva Mae Hudson handed Ava a white envelope.
“Thank you,” she said graciously. It wasn’t a card, but a white envelope of the size that bills came in. She pulled a piece of paper from the unsealed envelope and unfolded it. As she read the simple block print, her heart leapt into her throat.
‘
I, Glenda Louse Hudson (incarcerated), hereby grant permission to Ava Maxwell and Hilton White to legally adopt my minor children, Marcus Jerome Hudson and Monet Simone Hudson, at any time after Ava and Hilton become a married couple.’
The signature below
the print had been notarized. She joyfully handed the document to Hilton and gathered Marcus and Simone into a tearful embrace while a baffled Max looked on.
Hilton read it, then stared at the senior Hudsons. “But I thought she—”
“She was against it at first, but we kept on her,” Eva Mae replied. “We told her she was being selfish. It hurt, but we reminded her of how little she’s done for Marcus and Monet, that you two willingly took them into your home and gave them not only love, but that you took over their financial support. We told them the children deserve to be in a home where they’re loved and cared for.”
Wilburn nodded agreement.
“We also pointed out to her that they’d be practically grown by the time she’s released from prison, and that if she refused it would mean they wouldn’t get to grow up with parents.”
“
Maybe she was worried that we’ll try to keep her from seeing the kids after she’s released,” Hilton suggested.
“
She said as much,” Wilburn confirmed. “I told her I didn’t think you would prevent the kids from seeing her any more than you would keep them from us, and that the best thing she could do for them would be to let you adopt them and give them a real childhood.” He beamed at his grandchildren. “We finally got her to agree just three weeks ago.”
“And since it was almost time for the wedding, we decided to let this be our wedding gift to you,” Eva Mae concluded.
Ava sniffled. “And I can’t think of a better gift. Thank you both, from the bottom of my heart.” She hugged both of them and tried to blink away her tears. “This is the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me, and it’s definitely the most meaningful wedding gift Hilton and I will receive.”
“I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made us,” Hilton said simply. He turned to the children
as the elderly couple looked on happily. “Well, kids, we’ve got an answer for you. “It may take a little time to make everything nice and legal, but your mother has just consented to let Ava and I take over raising you two.” He gave Ava a lingering glance. “Now, your mother will always be the one who gave you life, but she won’t be able to see you for a long time, and nothing would please us more than if you thought of us as your parents.”