THE L WORD

"Are you going to be okay, kiddo?" Nina asked, chuckling. She was dropping me off for my first official overnight at Rick and Drew's. I hesitated for one moment, and she caught on.

"I'm fine," I told her. Sure, I was a little nervous, but nothing compared to the mess I was before. Things were moving forward, and assuming my overnight and Bri's recovery went well, Brianna would be released in a few days, and we would live here permanently. This was my home now, and I was okay with that.

"It's okay to be nervous. You've had a lot of change in your life recently. Just think, though, you'll be able to go back to the same school in the fall, and you can continue to work at the dance studio. This is a good thing, sweetie. As good as it gets."

"I know, it could have been way worse," I recognized. There was no way Brianna and I would have been adopted if it weren't for Drew and Rick. She was too sick and I was too old. Hell, if Drew hadn't connected so well with Bri in the first place, I might have lost another sister entirely. We absolutely lucked out.

"They're watching by the window. I bet they're even more nervous then you are," she smiled, nudging me. I nodded.

"They probably have Brianna on Skype, too," I smiled. There was no way Brianna was going to miss this.

"They might, but remember, this is about you. With any luck, you could very well be their daughter soon. You need to make sure that is what you want," Nina warned.

"I absolutely want this," I promised her. "Thank you, I know you've been working hard to make this go faster."

"I work with a lot of kids who have gone through tragedy," Nina answered. "When I see an opportunity to make two of those kids have a happy ending, I run with it."

"I think I'm ready to go inside now," I smiled, so did Nina.

"Lead the way, Livvy," she gestured.

I had been to Drew and Rick's house before, but they were working on the bedroom situation. It was a three bedroom house, so they had plenty of room for us, but they were redesigning the rooms as a surprise for us. Despite my begging, Drew and Rick stood firm in their decision to wait and not show us the room until our first overnight.

"Are you ready?" Rick asked excitedly, despite rubbing his hands together nervously. I nodded, smirking. I was excited myself to see how they designed it. I was hoping it was better than the in and out foster room I got at Laura and Gregory's. It sufficed, but I wanted something more personal.

The bedroom was a good size. It had more than enough space for me and what little belongings I had. The walls were the same purple as my backpack – a dull lavender. In one corner was my new bed, fitted with sheets that brought out a little more life than my walls. The bed had drawers underneath where I could store some of my clothes. Above my bed were the words "Fly with the angels, dance amongst the stars," painted in elegant black lettering. Beside the bed, tucked in beneath one of the windows was a small desk for me to do homework at. It was a simple, white desk, but there was already a laptop, desk lamp, and school supplies sitting there waiting for me. I recognized some of the supplies as things Rick and I picked up on one of our outings.

I walked farther into the room, and saw the part that must have taken the longest, and touched me the most. The opposite wall to my bed and desk was all mirrors. There was a short bar covering some of them, but the rest remained untouched. The floor immediately in front of the mirrors was hardwood, just like a dance studio.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Drew noticed my tears before I did. "If there's anything you want to change, or if it's too much-" I cut him off, shaking my head.

"This is more than I've ever had," my voice shook. Even when both of my parents were alive, Avery and I had to share a cramped room. Between supporting three girls and Brianna's medical bills, we just didn't have the money.

"Well, we hope it's everything you've always wanted," Rick smiled, pulling me into a hug. I wiped some of the tears away, a little embarrassed that I couldn't hold myself together.

"The mirrors without the bar on them open for your closet," Drew explained. "We can fit some more drawers in there if you need them. Also, Nina gave us your clothing size so we could pick some new clothes up for you." I must have looked horrified at the thought of Drew and Rick picking out clothes for me, because he quickly added, "Don't worry, I was on skype with Brianna the entire time. She approved everything, so yell at her." We all laughed at that.

"Can I see her room?" I asked shyly.

"Yeah, in a few days, when Bri comes home," Rick smiled. I rolled my eyes.

"You're no fun," I complained. I was sure they put as much effort into Bri's room as they did mine, and that alone made my heart smile. After struggling for so long, she was finally getting the life she deserved.

"Bri, I can't believe you picked out so many dresses," I complained. Drew helped me set up Skype on my laptop, and gave me Bri's account information. They went downstairs to give me some time to move myself in, and I called her almost immediately.

"You look cute in dresses," she defended. "You can always wear leggings with them."

"True," I smirked. "What do you think about this outfit?" I showed her. I had on a pair of skinny jeans with one of the nicer tops Bri picked out. It was a little florally for my taste, but with a pair of boots I could spice it up.

"Sexy," she chuckled as Jocelyn walked in to check her vitals. I couldn't help but laugh at Jocelyn's facial expression.

"I don't even want to know what you two are talking about," she shook her head.

"Just clothing options," I smiled, and winked at Brianna who had the thermometer in her mouth.

"How do you like your new home?" Jocelyn asked, still poking at Brianna.

"It's amazing. Drew and Rick must have worked really hard on our bedrooms," I acknowledged. Jocelyn smiled.

"They watched a little too much HGTV in preparation, I think," Jocelyn teased. Brianna nodded. "I hope you two know how much you have those boys wrapped around your finger," Jocelyn turned serious. "They really love you."

"I know," I smiled. I loved them too.