Those two words hit harder than anything else.
Because no one ever did.
Jonathan crouched down, bringing himself to Mason’s level.
“I see you,” he said.
And for the first time in years… Mason believed someone meant it.
Jonathan handed him a card. His personal number.
“A promise,” he said. “If you ever need anything—call me.”
Mason didn’t know how to respond.
No one had ever offered him something like that.
Three weeks later, Mason stood in a courtroom.
Not accused of anything.
But being given a choice.
Jonathan and his wife, Rachel, sat behind him, Ethan resting safely in their arms.
They had kept their word.
They wanted to adopt him.
Mason, who had moved through foster homes, who had been told again and again that he wasn’t worth keeping, now faced something unfamiliar.
“Do you agree?” the judge asked.
Mason looked at them.
At Ethan.
At the possibility of something he had never really had.
“Yes,” he said softly.
And just like that… he had a family.
It wasn’t easy after that. Trust didn’t come overnight. Feeling like he belonged took time.
But Jonathan never rushed him.
“You don’t have to figure everything out right away,” he said.
And slowly… Mason began to believe him.