Ava’s POV
I was anxiously waiting for news from Mom when Caroline’s disappearance had everyone in chaos and panic mode. My phone buzzed with a text that made my heart skip.
"The child has been found. He’s safe."
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Thank Moon Goddess.
Suddenly, Eleanor and Kyle burst out of the main office, both talking at once. "Teresa, Nate’s mom, found Liam at an abandoned farm in Maplewood! The rescue teams are already on their way!"
I felt tears of relief spring to my eyes. This was incredible news.
"Now we just need to find Caroline," Nina said, her voice heavy with worry.
Everyone nodded grimly. We all knew Caroline was still out there sowhere.
Kyle clapped her hands together, trying to lift our spirits. "We’re gonna get through this crisis. Let’s keep working hard, everyone."
The pack house buzzed back to life as everyone returned to their tasks. Everyone was working in intense bursts, then taking short breaks while waiting for updates from the field teams. I threw myself into coordinating supply runs and communication between search teams, trying to stay busy so I wouldn’t spiral into worry about Caroline.
During one of these brief lulls, I was completely absorbed in updating the search grid maps when a large glass of juice and a plate of snacks appeared in front of . I looked up to see Joseph standing there.
"You haven’t eaten anything," he said simply. "It’s been hours, Ava."
"Joseph..." I started to protest.
"Ava, don’t stop from taking care of you. I’ll always worry about you." Joseph knelt beside my chair, gently brushing his thumb across my cheek. "You’re precious to , Ava. Like a nightingale."
He continued stroking my face softly, his eyes eting mine.
"A nightingale?" Being compared to a bird struck as funny.
"They say nightingales are symbols of connection to the divine, representing beauty, harmony, and joy of the soul," he began to explain. "Ava, there’s nothing more beautiful in this world than you, and I’m not just talking about how you look. You’re the joy of my soul. You’ve given hope and comfort. You’ve helped find aning in my life, made want to build a family with you. In so way, you connect to sothing divine."
Joseph’s eyes looked sad, his voice thick with emotion. Despite everything, I felt my defenses starting to crumble.
We stared at each other for what felt like forever. Then a little girl in a ballet tutu stopped at my desk, breaking our intense mont.
"I don’t care, Uncle. You’re gonna keep your promise to ," Louise said, hands on her hips in the most adorable way that made burst out laughing.
"Joseph, in all this chaos, you actually rembered this?" I said, still giggling.
"You’re too important to . How could I forget you, my nightingale?" Joseph winked at and stood up. "Louise, once Uncle Draven gets his situation sorted out, we’ll hit the mall. Don’t worry."
"You better make up with her!" Louise said seriously. "Aunt Ava, have you forgiven this silly man yet? You should keep him in tiout a little longer."
"Nope, Louise. He’s still in the doghouse," I told the little girl with a grin. "Want so snacks? There are caral donuts here that your uncle told you love."
Her little eyes lit up like Christmas morning.
She handed a red rose, along with a card and a teddy bear holding a red heart-shaped balloon. Joseph sat on the edge of my desk, watching everything unfold. I opened the card and read it out loud,"Forgiving the past gives the future a chance."
I smiled, thinking about how to respond. He sat there watching while our little ssenger got sugar all over her fingers and mouth.
"Auntie, don’t forget you have to write back," Louise said between bites of donut.
"Oh, do I?" She nodded, and I smiled at her, suddenly getting an idea. "Alright, I’ll write back, but you can’t deliver my response here. Only outside the building."
Joseph rolled his eyes, and I had to bite back a laugh. I grabbed a card and wrote my reply. "Opportunities don’t reappear just because you regret losing them."
"Here you go, Louise." I handed her the card after she finished eating. Just like before, she read it and smiled with satisfaction.
"You’re the best, Auntie," Louise said, standing up.
"I’ll walk with you, Louise," Joseph said, picking up a bag of snacks. "Here, give these to Alfonso."
"You just wanna see that note, don’t you?" Louise accused him.
"Yep!" he laughed, then walked with her toward the elevator.
Half an hour later, Joseph ca back. Without saying a word, he placed an envelope on my desk and headed straight to Draven’s office. I picked up the envelope and pulled out a card with exactly what he wanted to say,"I’m asking for your forgiveness. I don’t want an opportunity, opportunities can be created. I want a fresh start, a chance to begin again and prove to you that I’ll never make the sa mistakes."
Damn it! He was good with words. He almost had convinced. I needed advice, but looking around at everyone frantically coordinating search efforts, I felt selfish even thinking about my relationship drama when Caroline was still missing.
Ruby approached my desk, having obviously witnessed the whole Joseph situation.
"Everything okay? I saw all the note passing," she said quietly, glancing around to make sure we weren’t disturbing anyone.
"Yeah, just Joseph being Joseph," I replied, but I could feel myself smiling despite everything.
"And how’s that making you feel?" Ruby asked, genuinely curious.
"Honestly? Pretty good," I admitted. "But I feel terrible even thinking about this stuff when Caroline’s still out there sowhere."
Ruby nodded understandingly. "I get it. But Ava, taking care of yourself and figuring out your feelings doesn’t make you selfish. We all need sothing to keep us grounded during tis like this."
Before I could respond, my phone rang with another update from the search teams. After I hung up, I grabbed a card and wrote sothing for Joseph. When he passed by the front desk, I called him over and handed it to him, but told him not to open it until he was away from .
He opened the card as he stepped into the elevator, and I could still see that brilliant smile spreading across his face.
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