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Chapter 10

"So, why are we walking a different way to everyone else? What's going on?" Sophie asked.

"You are an extremely smart girl miss hunter!" Maura commented sitting on the bench next to them.

"Thank you Maura." She sat next to her. Frankie pulled the pram up next to the bench and put the brakes on. He watched as Sophie climbed into Maura's lap. Maura scooted closer to Frankie so he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"We need to talk to you baby girl. So, you know mommy can't look after you anymore. Well, it means you need to find someone else to live with. Normally you would go to your next closest relatives. This means that you would go and live with grandma and grandad but they can't look after you. This means that you and Bethany go up for adoption." Frankie looked down at the child to see if she had taken in any of what she had just said. "Understand so far?"

"I think so. What is anopshon?"

Maura laughed."Adoption is when you guys go and stay in a house with lots of other children until someone wants to be your new mommy and daddy. Then they take you home with them and look after you."

"Oh, that sounds scary." Sophie sniffed.

"We know, which is why Maura and I wanted to ask you if you want to live with us?"

"So you guys are gonna be Bethany and mys new mommy and daddy?"

"If you want." Frankie looked down at her.

"I want to stay with you and Maura. It sounds less scary. You guys are nice and I want you to be my mommy and daddy." Both adults had tears in their eyes. "I have to ask Beth though." She climbed over Frankie and lent on the pram. "She says it's okay." Sophie vigorously nodded. The adults laughed.

"Right shall we go shopping then?" Maura asked Frankie who was texting.

"Yeah, that was their new case worker given the circumstances, their happy to let us adopt the girls. We both have to go for an interview with the girls to check we all get on and to go other some final details but their happy with us adopting them overall."

Frankie said to Maura whilst watching Sophie play in the park.

"If you had told me three days ago we would be together and adopting two children I would likely have laughed in your face. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I love you 'mommy'" Frankie beamed at her.

"I love you too 'daddy'" Maura's face mirroring her boyfriends.