It’s all or nothing: either you babysit every one, or you don’t babysit at all.

Jamal began calling me simply to chat, sharing his school day or a funny story. “I know you weren’t there when I was little,” he said one night, “but I’m glad you’re here now.”

This isn’t the family I expected, nor the one I had planned. But it’s richer, deeper, and more beautiful than any dream I could have imagined. I once drew clear lines between “mine” and “theirs,” but now, looking at Mason, Ellie, Jamal, and Ava, I can no longer see that line. They are all mine, and I am theirs.

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