Adopted by Sophiam ||l.t

Chapter 40

As soon as I walk into the lounge area for the boys, my name is shouted and I'm attacked in a hug and lifted off the ground. I laugh as Harry spins me around and sets me on the ground with a bright smile.

"I missed you how was your week?" He asks excitedly, dragging me over to the couch.

"I missed you," I laugh as he pulls me onto his lap. "It was wonderful. Nan and Papa are so sweet! I saw all these baby pictures of my dad, he was so adorable."

I look over at Liam to see him smiling at me and I grin. Suddenly I'm pulled off of Harry's lap to find myself on Niall's. "Dont I get a hug?"

"Absolutely Ni-bear," I giggle and wrap my arms around his neck. "I missed you."

"Oh I missed you love," he mumbles, hugging me tight.

We stay cuddled for a while until they are called to sound check. I spend the time playing with Lux while Sophia and Lou chat. By the time they come back from soundcheck, I'm pretty hungry.

"Mom, can we go get something to eat?" I ask, looking up from where I'm lying on the ground coloring with Lux. She smiles at me brightly before answering.

"Yeah sis, let's go see if dad is hungry."

I nod, a smile growing on my lips. That's the first time I've heard her call him dad. It's nice. I stand and stretch big as the boys walk back in from sound check.

"What's that on your hip?" Sophia asks and I stop stretching and pull down my shirt, looking to see them all staring at me.

"Nothing," I say, my heart pounding. I make eye contact with Josh to see him smirking.

"It didn't look like nothing," she says looking over at Louis then back at me with narrowed eyes.

I suddenly realize she thinks it's like a bruise or something and I gulp as my heart races. "Um ... can I talk to you?"

She nods and I walk past the boys and into the hall. When I turn, I see Sohpia and Liam looking at me expectantly. I take a breath and begin.

"I wanted to wait til later to tell you this, but when we were in Philadelphia, I got my name changed," they look at me with wide eyes and I pull out my phone to show them the email confirmation I received the other day. "Dad and I had talked about it and I really wanted to do it because I like being in your family and it makes me feel like I'm a part of something.

Josh reminded me it would be hard to do that from London, so I just did it and that's why I needed your Signature dad."

"Venice Marie Payne," he reads from the email, a smile growing on his lips. He finally looks at me with a shit eating grin. "I'm chuffed. That's so incredible."

I smile, trying to decide what chuffed means, while he pulls me into a hug, grabbing Sophia and pulling her in as well. After a minute we pull away and I continue my story.

"So after I changed my name, Josh wanted to get a tattoo and I decided that I wanted one as well. So," I pause and lift my shirt to show them the tattoo I have on my hip. "I got this. I know I already changed it, but having it on me forever is different. It makes me feel like I belong somewhere. No one had ever given me the time of day before and you both just came in and didn't want to talk to anyone else. It truly means a lot. I'm so grateful from the bottom of my heart. I never would have made anything of myself if you hadn't shown up."

"Its lovely Venice," Liam says, watching as Sophia runs her finger over the tattoo word. "We are so happy you are with us."

"We have something for you," Sohpia says, looking up at me with a twinkle in her eye.