The Star Goddess (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter Two: Edited

I was super nervous to meet my new parents, but I honestly felt silly once I did. I liked them immediately. Their names were Cole and Tara Carmen. Cole had black hair and hazel eyes and a warm soft aura. He was such a gentle soul, and had the personality of a soft , fluffy, cartoon cloud. Just being around him was a relaxing feeling, it felt like a father was in the room which was a really nice feeling. The presence of a father was something that I had been without for a while.

Tara wasn't exactly the opposite but was at the same time. Tara was like a bright ray of sunshine, bubbly like champagne, and sweet like candy. She seemed like she was one of those rare people that is just always happy all the time. The kind of person that is allergic to being unhappy. The thought of someone being allergic to being unhappy made me giggle.

Cole and Tara were in their late thirties, but no one could ever tell that they were on the verge of their forties. They had such youthful personalities, plentiful amounts of energy, and such amazing, heart-warming smiles. The kind of smiles that make you smile without even realizing it. I loved them instantly and sincerely hoped they would feel the same about me. Even without knowing that much about them, I held hope in my heart that they would follow through with the adoption.

Ms. Jean had showed the Carmens into the living room to wait for me. Cole and Tara sat next to each other on the couch, their hands intertwined in a loving way. I stood outside the door, sort of being creepy and staring in as I tried to gather my courage. I didn't really need to be nervous but I just couldn't help it. Ms. Jean saw me from the entrance and waved me in.

"Come on in, Stella," Ms. Jean beamed at me. I took a deep breath to try and steady my nerves and walked in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carmen, this is Stella Dea. Stella, this is Cole and Tara Carmen. Your prospective parents," Ms. Jean grabbed my hand and led me to the couch across from the charming couple. "I'll leave you three alone to get to know each other a little better," Ms. Jean said before walking away, leaving me alone with these two strangers.

"Hi. I-It's nice to m-meet you," I manage to stutter out embarrassingly.

"Hi, honey. How are you doing? It's so nice to finally meet you!" Tara exclaimed cheerfully. Her bright attitude put me more at ease.

"I'm doing alright. I'm a little nervous, I suppose. How are you guys?" I asked courteously.

"We are doing pretty good. We are just so excited to meet you and to get to know you," Cole answered this time before leaning forward and whispering something to me. "Don't worry, I'm pretty nervous too," he said with a wink and a smile. I giggled a little at the gesture.

"Why would you be nervous?" I asked in between giggles.

"Well, I didn't want you to hate us or anything," Cole said with a chuckle.

Cole and Tara were both incredibly nice and easy to talk to. We delved into a deep conversation, trying to learn more about each other. We started with easy topics, like our favorite colors and favorite foods, what types of movies we like and our music tastes. We even managed to get into some more personal topics. I was able to give them the outline of my previous history with my parents and my little stay in the mental hospital. Thankfully, they didn't treat me like a freak and instead offered understanding and support.

Before any of us knew it, we had ended up talking for over two or three hours. Cole and Tara were so easy to talk to. They both just had personalities that made it easy to let your guard down and be vulnerable, which was a feeling I was surprisingly grateful for. We were all so invested in our conversation that we didn't even hear Ms. Jean come back into the living area.

"You three have been talking for a few hours. Is everything going well?" she asked us as she sat down next to me.

"Yes, Stella is truly an incredible soul," Tara said with a shining smile.

"You guys just make me feel so safe and cared for, and I've only known you for a few hours," I said with warmth in my voice, my heart swelling with the love that only a family could give.

"Awww, sweetie," Tara's eyes welled up with tears, her smile never leaving her face.

"I think we have made a decision, Ms. Jean. We would like to add Stella to our family, if you're ok with that?" Cole asked as he looked at me with a hopeful look on his face.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I'd love that!" I exclaimed as I hugged Cole and Tara tightly.

"Wonderful! I'll get the paperwork started!" Ms. Jean said as she clasped her hands together in excitement. Ms. Jean was always so happy when one of her foster children found a forever home.

"Stella, you should be able to go home with them by the end of the week, but they can still come visit you and take you out for lunch or whatever," Ms. Jean said. " If everything goes according to plan with the paperwork, you should be ready to move in on Friday."

I did a little cheer and happy dance, to which Cole and Tara laughed at and hugged me.

"Stella, would you like to come see our home?" Cole asked as he put a gentle hand on my shoulder. I nodded eagerly before asking permission from Ms. Jean.

"May I go with them, Ms. Jean?" I crossed my fingers, hoping she would say yes, even though I knew she would.

"Yeah, of course. Have fun, sweetie!" Ms. Jean said as she opened up her laptop to start filling out and printing paperwork.

"Hey, babe. Why don't you take Stella out and show her around and maybe get some ice cream or something while I finish up the paperwork here?" Tara asked Cole.

"You sure, love? I'd hate for you to feel left out," Cole said with a concerned look.

"Yea, no biggie. We can do a girls' day later. Right, Stella?" Tara smiled at me, and I laughed and nodded.

"A girls' day sounds great," I said with another little giggle.

"Alrighty, then, babe. We'll be back soon," Cole said as he scooped his wife up into his arms, hugging her tightly and twirling her around before giving her a sweet kiss. They both looked at each other with such love and adoration, it made my heart swell and tears came to my eyes at how sweet and adorable they were together.

"I love you," Tara said.

"And I love you," Cole said as he leaned his forehead against Tara's.

I noticed he didn't say "I love you too". He wasn't just replying to her exclamation of love and devotion, he was sharing his own love and devotion. It was definitely a good example of relationship goals and what a happy, healthy relationship should look like. Cole turned to me and spoke softly, his warm eyes lighting up.

"Well, sweetpea, we should get going. There's a lot of fun to be had before nightfall," Cole said with a big grin on his face as he held out his elbow for me to take. The nickname warmed my heart and made me grin just as big. These people already felt like family, and in less than a week, they would be my official new family.

"Sounds good," I said with a big smile as I loop my arm through his.