“So, she wants to be a princess, huh?”
Augusts huffs a soft laugh. “It is all that little girl cares about.”
“That room in my house. It’s a bedroom, but not for a princess.”
August nods her head. “We have to do a little shopping tonight after you sign the papers.”
“I guess we need to make the room look like a palace, huh?”
“We need princess dresses, crowns, and everything else she deserves,” August says.
I realize I know very little about raising a girl, but I’ve been researching and stalking parent forums, taking notes, making sure I am suitable and ready to take care of a child of any age, give him or her whatever they need. The stuff is just stuff, though. The only part I can imagine right now is when I get to tell her she can officially become a princess. “I can’t wait to spoil her,” I tell August.
“The best part is once she’s living with you, we can start talking about the adoption process so you can become her forever.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
August
Three Days Later
It isn’t alwaysa big deal when a child finds a foster home because it can be a temporary situation depending on the type of foster care, but when we match a child up with a person looking to adopt, the foster set-up is a bigger deal.
Chance is coming to pick Zooey up at the group home today. He was pacing his living room last night, so I told him to take the night and clear his head before today. I figured he might want a little alone time before making this huge adjustment. I could have been wrong, but I was trying to do the right thing.
I was going to bring him breakfast this morning, so I got up early, and the second I opened my front door, the buzzer chimed.
Chance showed up an hour before work with coffee and breakfast. I guess we think alike.
He was more nervous this morning than he was last night, the poor guy. I’m glad I’m here to help when he picks up Zooey.
I’ve been watching her in the front room for the past half hour. We told her she could keep the Cinderella dress-up costume, so she pleaded with us to wear it this morning when Chance picks her up. She even let Leena do her hair for a change.
Zooey is spinning in circles with her magic wand, bopping the little dolls heads, turning them into princesses. “You’re a printhess, and you’re a printhess. Now we’re all printhesses.”
We’ve separated the other kids this morning and brought them upstairs for a movie and popcorn event. I can’t handle the thought of any child watching another child chosen or become lucky. The older ones have fewer chances of finding a forever home, and it breaks my heart.
“Zooey, are you excited?”
“Yes!” she shrieks. “The king will be here soon.”
“He sure will be, kiddo.”
Chance is always on time. I can count on him for that. It’s ten o'clock on the dot, and the doorbell just rang. “The king must be here, Zooey!”
I unlock the front door, then the storm door, and find Chance standing before me. He’s dressed up like a king in red, suede pants, and a Prince Charming jacket with gold trim. He must have rented the outfit from a costume shop. I place my hand over my face and laugh softly.
“You—”
“I’m something else too,” he says. He lifts a box that was behind him and hands it to me. “These for the other kids. Tell them it's a donation.”
“Chance, you didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to,” he says, firmly. “I got toys suitable for ages five to fifteen, so hopefully, they all find something they like.”
“You’re incredible,” I tell him.
I step to the side and invite him in. Zooey is waiting a few feet behind me with eyes as wide as the sky. “Are you a real king?” she asks.
