"You, Mom." I leaned down, pressing my forehead against hers, breaths mingling. "You taught me what it meant to sacrifice for family. To put others first. To love without strings or scorecards."
Our noses brushed; I felt her exhale shakily against my lips. "Everything I am, everything I've built—it started with you. And now… now we get to build something together. Something new. Something that's ours in a way nothing else has ever been."
"Our baby."
"Our baby."
I kissed her.
Not the soft, gentle brush from before. This one was deeper. Longer. The kind of kiss that sealed unspoken promises, that wove souls tighter together. Her lips parted beneath mine, and I tasted salt from her tears, sweetness from her joy, the faint echo of everything she was and everything we were becoming.
Her hands slid up to cup my face, fingers trembling at first, then steadying—pulling me closer as if to say yes, always yes.
