but I was always there. At his wedding, I came early and sat quietly. But when his fiancée Melissa told me the front row was “for real moms only,” I swallowed my pain and took a seat in the back. I wouldn’t ruin his day. Then, halfway down the aisle, Nathan stopped. He turned, locked eyes with me, and said, “Walk me down the aisle,

Mom.” Mom. He’d never called me that before. Hand in hand, we walked forward—together. At the altar, he pulled a chair into the front row and told me, “You sit here. Where you belong.” Later, during his toast, he said, “To the woman who didn’t give birth to me, but gave me life anyway.” Love made me his mother. And in that moment, he let the whole world know.