The Sinful 7 of Delite, Texas 7: Her Double Delite Angels (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

“Thank you so much. That makes me feel so much better,” Ava said as tears filled her eyes.

“Me, too. I’m going to be sure to tell all the other women to do those tests. It’s easy and not the least bit inconvenient,” Susanna added, and the doctor smiled.

“Okay, now on to the important follow-up care. For the next week or two, no lifting, working, exercising, nothing strenuous that could cause upset to the surgical area. I’ll have the nurse go over how to change the bandage and apply some ointment to the stitching. Keep an eye out for any redness or irritation or anything seeping from that area. Get plenty of rest. Your body needs to recover and so do you. I know this has been a very emotional and upsetting time for you, Ava. Let’s move on to the next step and be confident that it will be uphill from here, okay?”

“Yes, Dr. Nickles. Thank you again.”

Ava looked up at Susanna as the doctor left the room.

“That’s good news, Ava. Really good news. I’m certain the tissue testing will come out clear. Like he said, you got here fast to check that lump out.”

“I know. Hey, is that your phone that keeps buzzing?”

“Yeah, it’s been going off for the last thirty minutes, but out there in the waiting room, you’re not allowed to use your cell phone. They want you to go all the way downstairs. I wasn’t taking a chance to leave. I couldn’t even text because there was a cranky old lady in charge of the waiting area.”

Ava smiled.

“Well, look now, before the nurse comes back in.”

Susanna pulled out her cell phone and saw the messages from BJ, Monte, and the girls.

“Oh my goodness, Sally went into labor. She’s having the babies.”

“Oh, how wonderful. Are they at the hospital now?” Ava asked as Susanna went over the texts.

“They rushed there an hour ago when Sally’s water broke. Monte says that Mason texted BJ to tell him, and the others are on their way to the hospital. The last text says everyone is waiting there.”

“Oh, this is great news. Sally, Mason, and Steven are having their babies. I want to go there.”

Susanna looked up from her phone and stared at Ava.

“What?” Ava asked.

“You just had surgery. The doctor said straight home and bed rest.”

“The hospital is on the way back home to Delite. It’s fifteen minutes from here. Come on, Susanna, Sally will know something is up if I don’t show.” It would have been great if she was in the same hospital as Sally, but Ava was in a specialized surgical care center specializing in this type of procedure.

“No she won’t, because now that the babies are born, there’s no need to worry about upsetting her. You can tell her.”

“No. Today is a day of celebration for her. I can handle a few minutes of visitation. They won’t allow all of us in there anyway.”

“Okay. Let’s see how you feel when the painkillers wear off and you get out of that bed.”

“No bit of pain will stop me from seeing my two new nephews.”

“Nephews? They don’t even know what they’re having.”

“Oh, Sally is having twin boys. You’ll see,” Ava said as the nurse reentered the room. Susanna quickly placed her cell phone back into her pocket.

“Who’s ready to go home?” the nurse asked. Ava raised her hand and smiled.

* * * *

It had taken Ava and Susanna two hours to get discharged from the hospital. Susanna texted Monte to tell him they were on their way, which earned her a phone call and some reprimanding. Monte and the others were very concerned over Ava. Ava leaned back and rested as they drove to the hospital to see Sally. By the time they arrived, everyone had gone in to see the new mommy and she was asking for Susanna and Ava.

“My God, baby, you should have gone straight home to rest,” Monte said as he gently hugged Ava.

“I’m fine. You know I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Ava said and Monte smiled.

“You have a few minutes and then they want Sally to rest. The babies are doing fine, but Sally is exhausted.”

“Okay, Monte, we’ll go right now,” Susanna said as she walked with Ava.

As Ava passed her friends, they each gave her a kiss and had tears in their eyes.

As Ava and Susanna walked down the maternity ward, they saw Steven first. His eyes widened, and then they crinkled as he closed the space between them.

“You should be home in bed,” he reprimanded, sounding like such a doctor, and she felt a tinge of worry. She hadn’t wanted Sally to know about this, and she hoped that her friends hadn’t broken that promise.

“Sally doesn’t know, does she?” Ava asked and Steven shook his head.

“BJ told Mason and me when Sally was asking for you both. We lied and said that you had gone into Dallas to go shopping.”

Susanna smiled and so did Ava.

Ava reached out and touched Steven’s hand.

“Thank you and congratulations.”

Steven smiled wide.

“Thank you. Mason and I still can’t believe it. Baby boys,” he said as he shook his head, and Susanna laughed as she looked at Ava.

“Come on, Sally is about to pass out.”

“I bet. We’ll only be a minute,” Susanna said.

“That’s right and then you better get Ava home to rest,” Steven added firmly.

Then he pushed opened the door and there was Sally, holding a bundle in her arms as six-foot-three muscleman Mason held another small bundle. Both were smiling down at the babies.

“Look who I found after their hours of shopping in Dallas,” Steven interrupted and Sally smiled wide.

“Come in, come in. They’re here. Two baby boys,” Sally whispered excitedly. Ava couldn’t help but smile as she approached. The moment she laid eyes on their angelic faces, her heart soared with appreciation for life and love. A tear rolled down her cheek.

“Congratulations. They’re so precious, Sally. How are you feeling?”

“I feel great. A bit tired, but I am so excited.”

“Do you want to hold him?” Mason asked as he turned toward Ava and winked knowingly.

She swallowed hard as he passed the tiny bundle to her.

“That’s Jackson, and Sally is holding Jake,” Mason told them as he stood there smiling wide as any new, proud father would be.

Ava held baby Jackson and stared down at his tiny, little fingers and rosy cheeks. She didn’t care that the painkillers were wearing off and her breast was aching. She felt the gift of life in her arms and running through her veins. Somehow, Ava knew that she was cancer-free. Life was a miracle, just like these babies. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she looked up at Susanna, seeing the tears in her eyes as well.

“This is the best day ever. Happy birthday, Jackson and Jake,” Ava whispered as she rocked the baby in her arms and released a sigh of relief she had been holding inside for far too long.

Colton was brushing down one of the horses as Evan was adding piles of hay to the stalls. “I don’t get why she won’t answer her cell phone, and the fact that she left town for a week doesn’t sit right with me either. Sally had the babies. There’s no way Ava would leave now.” Evan lifted a pitchfork of hay and began to fill in the area for the horses.

“Maybe she was scared. I don’t know, Evan. It took a lot for me to even go on that first date, and by the second, I was fixin’ to make her ours, but she’s young and women aren’t always who they seem. You know that firsthand.”

“Something isn’t right,” Evan said as Everett entered the barn. They said hello then continued to work.

“What if we drove by there or called Chad and Michael to find out where the hell Ava went to and when she’ll be back?” Evan suggested.

“Are you two talking about Ava, from Dixie Chix?” Everett asked.

“Yeah. We took her out on a couple of dates, and then she disappeared Thursday. Her friends from Dixie Chix said that she went away for a week. But she doesn’t have any family, and she was excited about seeing Sally’s babies get born,” Evan said as he lifted another pitchfork full of hay and tossed it onto the ground.

“Well, she should be back to work by next week. When my Sheila had that procedure done, she had to stay in bed or at least take it easy for a week. No lifting, exercise, or any strenuous activities. Depending on whether Ava has regular stitches or dissolvable ones, she probably will have to go back to get those removed,” Everett offered the information and both Colton and Evan stopped what they were doing.

“What are you talking about?” Colton asked.

“Ava. She’s friends with my Sheila, and Ava was diagnosed with breast cancer over a week ago. She went in on Thursday to have surgery. Sheila’s been on edge since last week, hoping that Dr. Nickles got all the cancer out when he removed the lump in Ava’s breast. You know, Ava was married for only a couple of months when her husband passed from cancer. She was also pregnant with his child and that poor girl had a miscarriage. It’s terrible that this had to happen to her, too. Ava’s been helping people around Delite, since she arrived in town. She’s an angel, and we’ve been praying for her.”

Colton clenched his teeth. Evan stopped what he was doing and stared in shock.

“My God. Why didn’t she tell us, Colton?”

“Oh hell. You mean she didn’t let you know what was happening?” Everett asked.

“No, she didn’t,” Colton added.

“We only went on two dates, but the attraction is there,” Evan said.

“Knowing Ava, she probably didn’t want you two to worry. You know, I was at Dixie Chix last night and heard that Ava wouldn’t let anyone tell Sally. She didn’t want her upset before the babies were born. That young woman always seems to be sacrificing herself to help others. She was so thoughtful when Sheila was going through chemo that she cooked a bunch of meals for us and came to visit Sheila. She’s a good woman. If she didn’t tell you, it was probably because she didn’t want you to worry.”

“Shit, Colton, we told her about mom.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Well, I say we get cleaned up and head over to her place.”

“And do what?” Evan asked.

“Let that woman know that there are two men willing and able to take care of her. The self-sacrificing shit ends here.”

Colton tossed the horse brush into the bucket and caressed the horse with his hands before grabbing the reins and leading him toward one of the stalls with the new hay.

“We’ll make her see, together we’re better.”

* * * *

Ava was never the kind of woman to stay lying around in bed. Two days and she was up and lounging on the couch after Steven stopped by to reprimand her and then BJ, Monte, Tyler, Vic, and even Matt and Tyler. It was funny how all the other women’s men felt compelled to take care of Ava and look out for her since she was the last single Dixie Chix. Little did they know that things had gone wonderfully with her, Evan, and Colton, but the timing wasn’t right.

The last few days had brought some anxiety on despite the fact that she longed for them to be with her. She wondered what she had to offer two amazing men like Colton and Evan. This went beyond insecurities about herself. It was amazing how just thinking about them gave her hope. Like two angels, they showed up out of nowhere and snagged her heart and pulled her negative thoughts to determination for happiness and a future. She felt guilty for not calling them and for having Susanna lie about her being away for a week. She just didn’t want to be a burden, especially after Evan’s comment about never wanting to go through again what he had experienced with his mother.

She swallowed hard as she pulled the blanket over her shoulders and snuggled against the couch. In a few days she was going to the doctor’s office to get the stitches out. Susanna and the girls had been taking great care of her. Ava also got to talk to Sally. Sally wasn’t too happy that Ava kept the secret from her, but her friend understood. Ava promised to stop by and see Sally and the babies as soon as she felt up to going out.

“Hey, how are you doing? Excited about getting the stitches out?” Alexa asked as she entered the living room with Chad.

“I guess so. A few more days and then my next worry will be having a scar.”

“Vitamin E is supposed to be good for that. You should ask Doctor Nickles,” Chad added.

“I will. So what are you two up to?” Ava asked them.

“Going out for a while,” Alexa said and then they heard the sound of the doorbell.

“Probably some more flowers for you. Didn’t know you had so many people who cared about you, did ya, Ava?” Alexa asked as she got up and went to go answer the door, but before she got into the hallway, Ava saw Susanna approaching and she looked a bit worried.

“Who is it?” Chad asked when Evan and Colton entered the room.

Ava felt the tears reach her eyes.

“Why, Ava? Why didn’t you tell us?” Colton asked. Evan walked into the room and stared at her.

“We’ll give you guys some privacy,” Chad said then ushered Alexa and Susanna out of the room.

“Wait, Chad, she may not want them here,” Alexa began to say.

“Those are her men, you mind your business and let them handle her,” Chad stated firmly. Ava saw the stunned expression on Alexa’s face.