Mike’s chest felt tight as he listened, his hands clenching at his sides. “Why didn’t you talk to me? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I was scared,” Angela admitted.
“But I made a promise to myself that I’d work hard, get a job, and save enough to take care of you. I’ve been working as a waitress, saving every penny I could. And now… I’m here to take you home.”
Mike stared at her, his emotions swirling.
“I thought I was alone. When I found out my parents were gone, I thought I didn’t have anyone.”
“You were never alone,” Angela choked out. “Every day, every single day, I was there.
Watching. Waiting. Hoping I could be good enough for you.”
Mike took a step forward, then another.
“You… you really want me?”
“More than anything in the world,” Angela sobbed. “You’re my little brother, Mike. You’re my family.”
Mike burst into tears and ran into her arms.
Angela pulled him into a hug, both of them crying as years of grief and loneliness poured out of them.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered into his hair. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t come sooner.”
“You’re here now,” Mike mumbled against her shoulder. “You’re here now.”
Angela got custody of Mike a few months later.
The process wasn’t easy, but she somehow convinced the Smiths and fought for Mike’s custody with everything she had.
The first night in their small and cozy apartment, Mike looked around at the modest space adorned with a worn couch, a small kitchen, and a secondhand bed. He smiled.
“It’s perfect,” he said.
“Are you sure?” Angela asked nervously. “It’s not much.
Nothing like what the Smiths could give you…”
Mike turned to her, his eyes serious. “But it’s ours, right?”
“Yes,” Angela’s voice cracked. “It’s ours.”
She sat beside him, brushing his hair back.
“We don’t have much, but we have each other. That’s enough, right?”
Mike nodded, clutching his stuffed elephant — the last reminder of his old life. “It’s more than enough.”
“I promise you, Mike,” Angela whispered, pulling him close.
“From now on, you’ll never have to wonder if someone’s coming back for you. I’m here. And I’m staying.
Always.”
Mike snuggled into her side, finally feeling complete. “I know,” he said softly. “I can feel it.”
That night, for the first time in years, Mike didn’t sit by the window waiting for someone to come.
He didn’t need to anymore. His family was already there. Beside him.
Source: amomama
