“Looks just like a real campfire, huh, buddy?” Camden asked, his voice full of hope.
Nicholas nodded, smiling shyly.
“Yeah, it’s cool.”
It wasn’t flashy, and definitely not what we’d planned, but for a moment, I thought maybe it wasn’t such a disaster after all.
The next day, we tried to take him to a local arcade, hoping to have a fun time. But almost every machine there was broken.
We ended up leaving after a few rounds of air hockey and went to the park nearby instead, sitting under a tree and playing board games we’d brought from home. Camden even found a chess set and started teaching Nicholas how to play.
“Why do all the pieces look so serious?” Nicholas asked, making me laugh.
“That’s because it’s a very serious game,” Camden said, leaning in like he was sharing a big secret.
“But you know what? The real fun is in breaking the rules every now and then.”
Nicholas giggled as Camden made a rook do a silly dance across the board. It wasn’t what we’d planned, but we were making the best of it.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nicholas was comparing our simple activities to the extravagant week he’d spent with the Featheringhams.
By midweek, we decided to have a picnic. We figured it was a safe, easy plan, something that couldn’t possibly go wrong. But sure enough, as soon as we sat down and opened the basket, a swarm of ants decided to join us.
Nicholas squealed as they crawled over the sandwiches, and we had to scramble to pack everything up.
“Guess ants like peanut butter more than we do,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Nicholas grinned. “Can we eat somewhere else?”
We ended up at a little diner around the corner, sitting in a booth and sharing sandwiches and fries. Camden told Nicholas funny stories about his childhood, like the time he’d fallen into a lake trying to catch frogs.
Nicholas laughed so hard that he nearly spilled his soda.
Day after day, our plans fell apart, but something surprising happened along the way. Nicholas didn’t seem to mind. By the end of the week, he was holding our hands as we walked around the neighborhood.
He laughed with us, even when things didn’t go perfectly.
One night, during a movie, he curled up on the couch and fell asleep in my lap, his tiny hand resting on mine. It felt so natural, like he belonged there.
On the last night of our week together, Camden and I were both quiet as we watched Nicholas sleep. I could see the worry in Camden’s eyes, even though he tried to hide it.
“I don’t know, Z,” he whispered.
“What if it’s not enough? What if we’re not enough?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I think… I think we’ve shown him what really matters.”
Camden nodded, though I could tell he wasn’t convinced.
And to be honest, neither was I.
Then came the final day. The day Nicholas had to choose.
We sat in a small room at the foster home, Camden and I on one side, the Featheringhams on the other. Nicholas sat beside Mrs.
Jameson, the social worker, looking down at his hands.
Mrs. Featheringham didn’t waste any time. “Nicholas, darling,” she cooed, “we had such a wonderful time, didn’t we?
Remember the water park? The toys we bought you? Imagine living with us, having everything you could ever want.
Nicholas nodded, glancing at us.
My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest.
“And remember,” she continued, “we can take you on vacations, send you to the best schools… you’d never want for anything, sweetheart.”
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. How could we possibly compete with all of that? What could we offer him that they couldn’t?
Mrs.
Jameson turned to Nicholas. “Nicholas, it’s your decision. Take your time.”
He looked up, his little face serious.
“I had fun with them,” he said softly, referring to the Featheringhams. “The places we went to were cool. And… and they gave me lots of toys.”
I felt Camden’s grip on my hand tighten, but I kept my eyes on Nicholas, my heart sinking with each word.
“But…” Nicholas paused, looking directly at us.
“But I feel like I have a family when I’m with them.”
The room went silent.
He pointed at Camden and me. “They don’t take me to big places or give me lots of stuff… but I feel happy when I’m with them. And I feel safe.
And I like the stories they tell me. It feels like home.”
My breath caught in my throat. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Camden looked just as shocked.
Nicholas smiled at us shyly. “I want to stay with them.”
For a moment, no one spoke. Mrs.
Featheringham’s face tightened, but she didn’t say anything. Mrs. Jameson smiled warmly.
“Then that’s settled,” she said softly.
Nicholas chose us.
I blinked back tears as Camden wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close.
We had worried, doubted, and feared that we weren’t enough.
But in the end, love, trust, and the simple moments had been enough. Nicholas didn’t want a life of luxury; he wanted a family.
And he had found that with us.
Do you have any opinions on this?
Source: amomama
