After years of struggling to conceive, my doctor delivered heartbreaking news that made me wonder if my marriage could even survive the weight of it. “You are infertile.” My world shattered and my dreams burst like a soap bubble. But my husband was there for me, restoring all my hopes when he mentioned the option of adopting.

Camden and I dreamed of becoming parents from the moment we tied the knot, but that didn’t come naturally to us.

Sadly, I learned I couldn’t be a mom. As much as I felt sorry for myself, my heart ached for my husband who deserved to be a father. “Don’t worry, Zelda,” he said at the doctor’s office after I head the news that broke my heart into a million pieces.

“Adopting a child in need of a family doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he said smilingly, trying to cheer me up.

The thought of adopting found its roots in my head. It didn’t take long before we met with social workers and started foster care visits. The process was extremely slow, and the paperwork was endless, but we knew it would be worth it.

And then, one day, we met Nicholas, a five-year-old boy with the most beautiful brown eyes. I knew he belonged to us the moment I fist saw him.

We started the process of adopting him, but then, another family, a very wealthy one, came into the picture.

They were as interested in adopting Nicholas as Camden and I were.

Mrs. Jameson said they had the right to apply as well. Nicholas was about to spend a week with each family before making a decision. At that point, it was up to him to choose his family.

When the Featheringhams, the family interested in adopting Nicholas, entered the foster home, they acted as they owned the place. Mrs. Featheringhams wore a diamond necklace and looked at me and Camden from above, as though we weren’t worthy as a competition.

“You see, we can provide Nicholas with the best schools there are. He’ll live a life of luxury. Why don’t you make the kid a favor and quit trying for him?” she told us.

Turning to her husband, who was equally polished as she was, she said, “Honey, they are just a plain, middle class family. What do they have to offer? A tiny house in the suburb?”

The two started laughing, their words cutting deeper than I though they could.

The Featheringhams got a week with Nicholas first.

When he came to our home, he couldn’t stop talking of the amusement parks they took him to, the toys they bought him, and the fancy food he had.

Whenever he would mention his adventures with them, my heart sank. “Did we have any chance?” I kept wondering, with the hope fading away.

We couldn’t afford expensive things, but we had a lot of love for that boy.

On the first day of his stay at our place, we took him to the zoo, but it started raining and we were forced to get back home where Camden built a fortress of blankets and used a flashlight as a pretended fire.

Nicholas seemed to like it.

The following day, we visited the local arcade, but most of the machine there was broken. Instead, we went to the park and played the board games we had with us.

Camden even taught Nicholas how to play chess.

We ate at the local diner, took long walks, and shared stories of our childhoods with Nicholas.

One evening, as we were watching a film, he fell asleep in my lap, his hand holding mine tightly.

After the week passed, it was time Nicholas to make a decision.

Camden and I were at the office of Mrs. Jameson. Nicholas was sitting next to her, and the Featheringhams were opposite us.

“Nicholas, darling, don’t forget about all the toys. You can have everything you want with us,” Mrs. Featheringhams reminded him, certain he would choose them, because as she said, love doesn’t pay for college, and they had all the money in the world.

When Mrs. Jameson asked Nicholas about the family he wanted to live with, he was a bit hesitant, or maybe he was afraid to make the choice, not wanting to offend any of the four people eagerly waiting for his answer.

After minutes of silence, which felt like eternity, he said, “I want to live with them,” pointing at me and Camden, “they are so fun.”

Tears started rolling down my face. The boy I knew belonged to me all along chose me to be his mommy.

The Featheringhams didn’t say a word. They just excused themselves and left the room, and Camden and I felt like the proudest parents ever.

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