𝐼'𝓋𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 [ Adopted by Elizabeth Olsen ]

Chapter 38: "What if?"

⚠️TW:⚠️ just some overthinking

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Nova's pov:

-The next day-

Today was the day. I was finally (hopefully) getting adopted! It was nearing 12, and I was sitting in my room, bouncing my leg mindlessly up and down. I hadn't packed. At all.

If I were to pack, it meant that it was certain that I was getting out of here. But it wasn't. What if Lizzie and Robbie didn't show up? What if they had changed their mind?

What if yesterday had made Lizzie realize just how messed up I am?

Lizzie had sent me a message a few minutes ago, saying that they were on their way. But were they really? They might just be saying that.

Lizzie's pov:

Robbie and I were on our way to the orphanage, and I was spiralling. What if it didn't work out? What if Nova didn't want this? What if Miss Riley had changed her mind? Could I do this? Was I ready for the responsibility? What if I turned out to be a shit mom?

My leg was bouncing up and down, and my breathing started getting irregular. But before anything could escalate, Robbie was there to reassure me everything would be okay, regardless of the outcome.

Wow. I really care about this girl.

Well, we eventually made it. We were a bit late, but only by a few minutes. That's on me. I was running around, stressing, making sure everything was ready for Nova. I think I was up in her room like 10 times in the space of 30 minutes.

We did eventually make it to the orphanage though. Robbie parked the car, shot me a smile and exited the car, knowing I needed a minute to collect my thoughts. I took a few deep breaths and tried to reassure myself that everything would be all right.

Once I felt like I was calm enough, I put my sunglasses on and exited the car as well. "You okay?" Robbie asked me. "Yeah", I mumbled, taking his hand and giving it a little squeeze. He squeezed it back, and that was all I needed.

He always somehow managed to calm me down just with a look, a smile or a hand squeeze. As long as he was there, everything always turned out okay in some way or another. We made our way up the steps together, our hands interlocked. Miss Riley had said that we could just come in, so that's what we did.

I opened the door and we put our shoes and jackets by the door before stepping into the house. It was fairly quiet so I just lead the way up to Miss Riley's office. I stopped in front of the door and looked up at Robbie. He gave me a little nod and smile, and I took a deep breath before knocking.

We heard a faint "come in", so I opened the door and stepped inside. "Elizabeth and Robbie! Welcome! Come in and have a seat! Novella is just saying goodbye to all the other kids", she smiled, shooing us inside.

Robbie took the lead, showing me to one of the chairs in the room. It wasn't right in front of Miss Riley's desk, it was a little more to the side, not making me feel like a child in the principal's office.

"The adoption papers are here, so if you want to read through them before Novella comes, feel free to do so", she smiled, handing us the papers. Robbie accepted them and started reading. I tried to, but my brain just couldn't focus on the words, there was already too much going on in there.

So I just kind of gave up and decided to take a look around the room instead. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled up with rows and rows of books and binders. There weren't a ton of personal touches, except for some pictures of the kids.

Mostly group pictures, but there were a few solo ones, Nova in one of them. She was standing beside Luna, a rosette in hand. She was probably about 12 in this picture and she looked so proud of herself, so open, so carefree.

Like a kid is supposed to look like. But I knew that it wasn't the truth. Nova had never really been able to be a kid. I may not know exactly what happened to her, but I know that she was forced to grow up quicker than any kid should.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a knock on the door. Once again, Miss Riley shouted a "come in" and Nova's head appeared. Her eyes lit up when we made eye contact, and she gave me a little smile. Almost like she was surprised to see me here.

"Hi... Can I come in?" She asked. "Of course Novella honey, get yourself in here!" Miss Riley ushered her inside. She was about to go sit in a chair at the other end of the room before I stopped her.

"Come and sit here bubs", I smiled, patting the seat beside me. She came over and sat down beside me so that I was in between her and Robbie. I put my arm around her slowly, looking for any sign of discomfort, and once she didn't show any, I put it around her properly.

She didn't freeze, she didn't tense, she didn't flinch, she actually leaned into me. She put her head on my shoulder, giving me a little smile. I smiled back before gently pecking her head.

Miss Riley then went through the papers together, not that there was all that much to go through. Just the adoption papers and some insurance things.

Nova had more insurance than a typical person. It was mostly in case of a riding accident. Luna also had insurance, much to my surprise. Up till now, both insurances had been paid by the state, but now we had to start paying it.

Not that it was a problem in any way. It's not like we don't have enough money to pay for it. The most important thing for me is that Nova is happy and safe. Paying for insurance is something that you have to do, and I'd happily do so if that means Nova can be adopted by us.

Anyway, after discussing the insurance stuff, we moved on to the adoption papers. She went through them with us before we were finally allowed to sign them. All this time, Nova had been leaning against my side, with her head on my shoulder.

I had to stand up to sign the papers, but when I made any indication towards moving, Nova let out a little whine and pressed herself more against me. "I'm sorry babes, I have to get up", I told her, internally awing at her showing affection towards me.

She sighed and let me get up before getting up herself. We all signed where we were supposed to, and as soon as I put the pen down, I was engulfed in a hug by Nova. "Thank you", she mumbled, her voice cracking.

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AAAAAAHHHHH IT'S HAPPENED! THE PAPERS ARE SIGNED!!!!

What are your predictions for the future? Maybe I'll be able to incorporate some of them, we'll see :)

How are you doing?

Remember to eat and drink, especially during these heatwaves (even if you're not in the middle of one, it's still just as important). I hope you're all staying safe, I wish you all the best <3

Love, Frida xx