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Chapter Forty-Five: Silas

"She won't change her mind?"

"She can't. She and the birth father have relinquished their rights."

"I would like to put on the record that after this we are done adopting, but if she has another baby for adoption we would like to have them. To keep the sibling together."

"Of course. I'll add that to your file."

"How soon till we have her."

"I'm guessing you don't want the weekend to think about it." We both shake our heads. "Later today, then."

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"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad!"

"How was school?" I always come home early on Friday, so it's no surprise that I'm here to pick them up with Nik.

"Good. I got 100% on my vocabulary test."

"How did you do Kal?"

"100%!"

"Good job, boys!" Like Nik and Jamie, these boys are in the same grade. Same teacher. They are so different, but they are hip to hip.

Ezra is all sass, where Kal is a lover boy, so sweet.

"Where are we going!" Kal asks when we don't go home.

"We have a surprise for you." Bella laughs. I told her if she keeps it a secret, I would take her to frozen yogurt after. "We are almost there. 10 minutes."

"I'm thinking of an animal the has strips." We play this game in the car a lot. You think of an animal. Then, you give a clue about that animal. And we guess with yes and no questions.

"Zebra!" Kal yells.

"Nooo."

"Tiger!"

"You're right, Bella. It's a Tiger. You're turn."

"I thinking of a...um... it's a dog."

"Honey, you can't tell us what it is, we have to guess."

"It a KIND of dog."

"Is it small?"

"Yes."

"Chihuahua?" We take turns. "Beagle?" Going around the car. "Toy Poodle?" Each taking a turn. "Shih Tzu?" Ten breeds later, and I can't think of anything else. I don't think anyone else can either. "We give up Bella. What is it?"

"It's a puppy."

"Of course, it is."

"Try again, sweetheart."

"Okay. This time I'm thinking of an animal that lives in the woods."

"Bear?" Nope. "Fox?" Wrong. "Deer?" Wrong again. As we pull in, I say again, "we give up."

"It's a dinosaur."

"Freaking heck." She's lucky she's cute. "Okay, we are here."

I start recording. I'm going to want to relive this moment. When we walk in, Becca is holding our daughter waiting for us.

"Who's the lady?" Ezra says at the same time as Kal saying, "who's the baby?"

Annika kneels in front of Kal. "Honey, you know how you were adopted, right?"

"Duh. I'm black, and you're not."

"You're right; I'm not." She picks up our daughter. Takes a moment to look at her. Tears well in her eyes as she smiles down at her. She kneels down again. "This is Zoë."

The kid's circle around her. "She's so cute!" Bella yells in her little high pitched voice.

"She looks like me," Kal says, touching her little curly black hair. She has just as much hair as he did as a newborn.

"She is your biological sister. Do you know what that means?"

"The same lady gave birth to us?"

"You're so smart, honey. So Kal, you and Zoë are brother and sister by blood. Ezra and Bella, shes your sister too because we adopted her."

"We have a new sister?" Ezra asks. I nod. "Can I hold her?"

"Yeah, have a seat." He sits on the couch here in the lobby. Nik places her in his lap. "Support her head."

"She's so small."

"She was born on September 18th. She's one week old."

"My turn!" Kal says, sitting next to him on the couch.

I end the video with Kal holding his little sister.

"Okay. It's daddies turn." I take her in my arms.

She looks around with wide eyes, taking it all in. Nik stands in front of me, resting her head on my head as we look down at Zoë. I feel Bella wrap her arms around my legs. This is one of my favorite memories. When I die I hope I can watch this. I'll hit replay over and over again.

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Zoë (as a toddler)