When they returned home, Amy barely managed to hold back her sarcastic jabs. The only reason she forced herself to restrain was Lily — whom, sometimes it even seemed to Lily herself, she loved just a little more than her own son.
Happening to see the box of pregnancy tests Lily had bought on the way home, Amy just smiled.
When two weeks later a joyful cry — "We're having a baby!" — rang through the house, a happy girl ran out of the bathroom with a test in her hand. Forgetting about Ray's limp, she ran full speed into him and knocked him off his feet. Everyone was genuinely happy about the news.
Ray's family began moving — they wanted to surprise Violet. Receiving an invitation to move into the new house, Rosie had doubts but eventually agreed. She had a wealth of life experience and could clearly see how warmly and sincerely Ray and Amy treated them.
Today, Amy, Ray, Lily, and Rosie were preparing a grand celebration. Today was the day Violet was discharged from the hospital — one of the few pieces of good news lately, so everyone was very happy.
The whole house was decorated with balloons, and above the entrance to the living room hung a beautiful sign: "Welcome Home."
The large table in the living room was laden with various foods.
The first guest was Micky. Seeing him, Rosie hugged the old man and said in a voice full of gratitude:
"Thank you so much."
Such sincerity made Micky embarrassed. He replied:
"No need for thanks. I just wanted to do the right thing."
The guests continued to arrive. The new house of Ray's family was large enough for everyone to fit comfortably.
All of Ray and Lily's friends were present, except Tony and Michelle.
The last to appear was the guest of honor. Seeing the beautifully decorated house, the girl was very nervous. And when she ran into the living room and saw so many people looking at her with tender smiles, Violet became shy — her cute little face turned bright red, making the little one even more adorable.
"Welcome home, princess," Ray said, smiling at the girl.
When everyone was settled, the girl ended up on Ray's lap. Everyone who knew Ray well also knew that this guy didn't enjoy interacting with his peers. He didn't have a single acquaintance his own age. But he was very loved by children, and he got along great with the elderly.
Rosie was the first to stand and make a toast:
"I don't know all of you personally, but I want to say a sincere thank you to each of you for coming into Lily's life and becoming a support for her. You've all become proof to me that family isn't always bound by blood ties."
The evening passed in a very warm atmosphere.
"Young lady, have you thought about what you want to do when you grow up?" Joe asked with interest. His voice was very soft.
When the girl heard this question, her eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically:
"I want to become a doctor when I grow up. The doctors who looked after me were very kind and caring. I want to help other people just like they did."
The child's tender words moved everyone. Not only the girls shed tears — even Frank sobbed. But no one laughed at the big man.
"Since you've done so well, we've all prepared gifts for you," Amy said. "I don't think you'll mind if I go first?"
She handed Violet three tickets.
"I know you've always wanted to go to an amusement park, but with your injury, that's not a good idea. So here — tickets to the zoo. And if you follow all the doctors' recommendations and everything goes well, one day we can go to the park too."
"This might seem unusual, but I think you'll find this useful," Micky said, handing Violet a pair of boxing gloves and a punching bag.
Frank and Jill gave Violet a kitten, which instantly won her heart.
Old Joe's gift was the book "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane."
Receiving her gifts, the girl hugged each person and sincerely thanked them all.
Tyler's gift was the most unusual — he gave everyone a Nokia 3310 phone.
When it was Tyler's turn, the girl looked at him with a doubtful gaze and politely said:
"Thank you."
After that, she left him without a hug.
Seeing this, Tyler asked sadly:
"Princess, am I not worthy of your hug?"
Hearing his question, Violet replied:
"Brother Ray says I'm too pretty and shouldn't trust handsome guys."
This made the whole house fill with laughter.
Hearing that Micky refused to accept the gift, Tyler said calmly:
"I know this might seem strange to you, since we don't know each other. But Ray and the other cafe colleagues showed me what family is. With their help, I was able to reconcile with my father. Ray said you're like a father to him, and that guy is like a brother to me. One way or another, we'll all go our separate ways soon, and I want us to have a way to stay in touch."
Ray and Lily gave a German Shepherd puppy, which they named Katara.
When the evening was coming to an end and the guests began to leave, Ray brought out several envelopes and handed one to each person. To their puzzled looks, he just smiled:
"These are my last words and a few pieces of advice for each of you. If you want, you can read them anytime."