AllFreeNovel
Share Us
This is the found family I have always wanted. However unexpected, we're in this together. Creating something beautiful from scraps and fragments. Making connections that you can't put a price on. This is the image that will remain with me long after the paint has faded. A lasting imprint on my heart.
Solana's bossiness emerges as she directs the other children where to paint. "No, not there! Over here!"
She points insistently and waits until her words are turned into actions.
One boy's face falls at her tone. I'm about to intervene when Solana notices his reaction. She touches his shoulder gently, voice softening.
"I'm sorry. Will you please paint the sun right here? Your suns are always so bright and happy."
The boy beams and gets to work. Solana glances my way, as if seeking approval. I give her an encouraging nod. She's learning, taking steps from self-centeredness toward empathy.
"Lookin' good over here," Aunt Minnie says, taking a break from kneeling. "Seems like Dare is enjoying himself."
I follow her gaze to where Dare and Solana are working side-by-side. A smile tugs at my lips. "He's really embraced this. I think it's been good for him."
Minnie gives me a knowing look. "That little girl sure has stolen his heart."
"She's special. But also the first child Dare has ever really known." I sigh. "Makes me wonder what will happen when she leaves Hope House."
"She's been here for a long time. It's been longer than expected," Minnie agrees. "But her time will come."
"Yeah. I keep thinking how crushed his heart is going to be." I pull a face.
"It'll be as flat as a pumpkin run over by a semi. At least, that's what you were like the first time a kid you had bonded with graduated to a foster family."
Sadness washes through me. I wrinkle my nose. "Her name was Jacqueline Bolton. I remember her as though it was only yesterday."
Minnie pats my arm before rushing over to stop a little girl from adding a huge glob of black paint to the middle of the town skyline.
We take a snack break, and my husband Dare turns to me with a thoughtful expression.
"So, if we wanted to foster Solana... what would that entail?"
My heart cracks and warps at his kind impulse. God, he really is going to have the worst kind of heartbreak when she eventually goes to a foster home.
I take a deep breath and explain the complications.
"Well, first of all, it would require an assessment of our family dynamics. A home study process."
I go on to detail the application process, including references from friends and family, background checks, and training courses to prepare us for parenting a child in need.
"We don't have any kids, so we'd have to take a lot of parenting classes. Plus," I add, "the state has strict guidelines about who is eligible for fostering." I bit my lip, not wanting to dampen Dare's enthusiasm. "It may be more difficult than you think, especially since we don't really have a dedicated home."
Dare shoots me an odd look. "But I'm rich. I can make anything happen. The state should be falling all over itself to have me as a foster parent. And with you along for the ride, I don't see how they could say no."
I shake my head, marveling at how little Dare understands about the system. "It's not about money, Dare. It's about stability, safety, and love."
Dare leans closer to me, his eyes searching mine. "Do you think we could provide those things for Solana?"
I pause, staring at him in disbelief. Is he really considering this? The idea of Dare and I being foster parents seems so far-fetched, but the thought of having Solana in our lives forever fills me with warmth.
"I think we could definitely provide those things for her," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "But it's not an easy process. If we go through with it and get disqualified for some reason, Solana would be shattered."
He nods slowly, processing the information. "I understand," he says. He puts his arm around me and draws me close. "I just want to help her."
"I know you do." I kiss his cheek. "One step at a time."
For now, we have this moment. Paint-splattered and laughing, connected through art. And I know - everything will work out just as it should.
