adopted by sandra bullock (and her gf cate blanchett)

chapter 33

at 6:30 the next morning, sandy was downstairs making breakfast.

dani left for her run at 6, and would return at 7.

dylan would wake up around 7, and join the two women for breakfast.

sandy had to leave for set at 7:30 to get there at 8.

sandy had left a small list of things for the twins to do around the house, more because she wanted them to be comfortable in their surroundings than that there were actual chores to be done.

things like watering the plants, changing the sheets on their beds, and sweeping the porch and back deck, nothing that would take more than an hour if they did it together.

the twins had agreed they would do these things in the morning after sandy left but before school started at 9, so they would have the afternoons free, hence why dylan was waking up so early.

after sandy had set the last plate on the already full table - which consisted of blueberry pancakes, bacon and potatoes, juice, and fruit salad - she went upstairs to change into her work clothes.

for the first day on set, sandy decided to wear a blue sweater with black skinny jeans, keeping it simple and comfortable for the table read.

she had mixed emotions, on one hand it felt good to be a part of an all female cast and she didn't have the usual nerves about if the guy she was cast opposite was a creep, but on the other hand she'd never worked with an all female cast before, and it was very intimidating.

especially because women in her field are used to having to be very competitive, sandy was worried it would be a toxic environment.

knowing that she would be with cate and sarah eased her nerves a little bit, but she she still had first day jitters.

at least gary was a nice guy and a good director.

she did some light makeup and put on her standard jewelry which consisted of her mothers wedding ring, a ring from clooney, her watch, and a necklace from cate.

she put her hair up in a ponytail and packed her black louis vuitton tote bag with her laptop, script, phone charger, water bottle, and sunglasses.

right when she was about to go downstairs she heard dani come inside, which was her cue to lightly knock on dylan's door to wake him up before going downstairs herself.

she greeted dani with a kiss on the head, opting not to hug the sweaty young girl in her fresh clothes.

she set her bag by the garage door along with her wallet, keys, and black boots, so she wouldn't forget anything.

dylan came downstairs and made his presence known with a loud yawn and big stretch of his arms.

the trio sat down at the breakfast table, in the spots that had become natural to them over the last week.

sandy ran through the details one last time while they ate.

"i'm leaving here after breakfast. you have an hour of chores, then three hours of school, then lunch, then do your homework first before doing anything else, got it?"

both kids nodded in response, their mouths full with food.

"then milo is picking you up for karting at 4:30, and i'll meet you here for dinner at 7:30."

dylan spoke for the first time that morning, his voice scratchy, "don't you think it's dumb that we need someone to drive us to go driving?"

sandy lifted her eyebrows in amusement, "when you two start driving on the road that's when i stop."

dani laughed, almost spitting out a bit of her pancake.

the conversation turned casual as they continued breakfast, mainly talking about who sandys coworkers might be and when the twins will see cate again.

after breakfast sandy made them set up their laptops in the library, their designated space for school, and triple checked that the wifi was good and that they knew when and how to log on to their classes.

at last it came time for sandy to say goodbye, and she was embarrassed at the fact that her eyes were watering.

"oh stop crying, you're not gonna miss us that much." dylan said, although he had to wipe his own eyes.

dani added on "yeah, you're such a baby."

sandy laughed, pulling them in for a hug.

"i'm gonna miss you, even when you're making fun of me."

"awww, we'll miss you too mom."

freeze.

sandys face was still pressed to the top of dylan's head so she couldn't see the look on his face, but the look of fear and embarrassment was evident to dani who was next to him.

when sandy had imagined this scenario in her head, she thought that she'd play it cool, act like nothing happened, maybe a wink to let them know she was okay with it.

this took her by surprise, however, and now too much time had passed to play it off without seeming like it upset her.

sandy already had tears in her eyes, but she was on the verge of really crying now.

she pulled away from the kids, leaving one hand on each of their shoulders.

all she could do was smile.

thankfully dani understood how sandy was feeling, as she picked up sandys bag and handed it to her.

"you have to go now, you're gonna be late for work mom."

dani smiled at dylan as she said that, letting him know it was okay.

he played along, "yeah mom don't let us be the reason you're late on your first day!"

sandy threw her head back and laughed, amazed that she had been blessed with such wonderful kids.

she over exaggeratedly rolled her eyes as she pushed them both away playfully.

she turned and opened the door, looking back to say "i love you!" one more time before leaving.

as she got in her car the twins leaned out of the door to yell to her as she backed out, "love you too mom!"

sandy drove away with a wide smile on her face.

-

1022 words