"You want to adopt me?!"

"You're gonna adopt her?!"

Annie and Molly were overjoyed by the news. Once it was out, Oliver and Grace had a difficult time getting another word in. They ran through the house telling the staff and the other girls who were still staying with them. They didn't bother to chase after them, choosing to remain behind and bask in the joy themselves. Soon enough the girls circled back around to them. From there, Oliver decided Molly deserved a similar night on the town as Annie had her first night in the house.

Watching Molly's eyes light up in Times Square and seeing her first Broadway show with even more youthful wonderment than Annie had, Oliver was even more certain they'd made the right decision. A part of him had wondered if having Molly around would change things too much, not confident in his own ability to be a father. Annie was older and more forgiving. What about a six-year-old? Thankfully, he had Grace to guide him through it. When Molly tripped and scraped her knee, Grace had been able to get her smiling again within two minutes while his initial reaction had been to panic.

He noticed something new in Annie, too. When Grace took over, her shoulders relaxed. Annie had mentioned life at the orphanage quite a bit, Molly being a frequent character in her stories. She was her caretaker – a labor of love that she'd taken on herself. Now, she didn't need to play mother. Her relief was evident at the realization she had an adult to turn to or allow to step forward in her place. She was free to be a kid as well.

Walking over to her, Oliver put his arm around his soon-to-be eldest daughter, Grace and Molly joining them soon after.

My family, he thought in awe as they all started walking again. Almost.