adopted by sandra bullock (and her gf cate blanchett)

chapter 26

after breakfast everyone helped to clear the table.

sandy instructed the twins to go shower and get changed into "something nice" while she and cate washed the dishes.

once the kids left the room, sandy filled cate in on the days plans.

"so i was thinking we could sign the official adoption papers today, i had my lawyer draw them up. then i want to help the kids set up their phones and laptops, and i think that would be a good time to talk to them about being in the public eye, if they want to set up social media or anything like that..."

cate nodded along as sandy rambled a bit about what she had planned, and her worries and concerns.

"...i just don't know if i should try to shelter them, or let them decide, or what story to tell the media about how i just have two kids all of a sudden...what do you think cate?"

sandy trusted cate more than anyone in this world, and knew she would always give her an honest answer, even if it wasn't necessarily the answer sandy was hoping for.

cate thought for a moment before responding, setting the last plate from breakfast into the dishwasher and then leaning against the counter as she turned towards her girlfriend.

"i think that you should let dylan and dani decide if they want to be in the public eye or not. i mean they're going to want to cover up to some degree when they're out just because paparazzi are annoying, but if they want social media or that type of platform, let them have it. they deserve to have as normal of a childhood as they can get, and having instagram and those things are a part of that. plus, if they start racing, they could gain quite a following through that anyways."

everything that cate said made sense to sandy, as much as she despised social media, this was a decision the kids needed to make.

cate continued, "as for what you should tell the media, i think you can go with the truth, or at least some version of it. 'I gave birth to two children at 18, during the beginning of my career, but chose to give them up due to the unplanned nature of the pregnancy and my financial/career instability at the time. now that i am at a strong point with my career, support system, and mental health, i have been able to welcome my kids back into my life for good.' or some shit like that."

sandy was amazed at cates ability to so eloquently address the situation.

"i'm gonna need to write that down."

cate laughed.

"so do i fit in to the bullock family plans today?" cate asked.

sandy responded, "absolutely, i think the kids would love to have you here. you won't be much help when we deal with the technology though!"

cate swatted her with a dish towel.

"as if you're much better."

"i hope i am, otherwise we might need to call paulson."

"you're saying you think paulson is better than me!?"

while the two women continued talking about the day, upstairs dylan and dani were getting ready.

dani was almost bursting with joy and excitement as she got ready for the day just like she had always hoped she would be able to, with a nice warm shower, a skincare routine the store lady at the mall had explained to her, picking out an outfit and doing some light makeup.

her and dylan met briefly in the hallway in their bathrobes to coordinate outfits, something they enjoyed and always tried to do.

she ended up wearing black jeans that had some intentional small rips, with a white thrasher t-shirt and a green oversized cardigan. she wore white socks with the vans logo and some black high top vans. her jewlery was silver, with small silver hoop earrings and a small silver necklace with stars on it. her makeup was light, just some mascara and highlighter with tinted chapstick.