They said thank you.

They laughed from the gut.

They held your hand without being asked.

And in that one moment, it all made sense.

The court dates.

The sleepless nights.

The pain and second-guessing.

It was all leading to this.

Because you saw it —

A spark.

A softness.

A glimpse of who they’re becoming.

And it made the cost feel small.

Because this is what love does:

It gives.

It stays.

It hopes — even on the hardest days.

And every now and then…

It gets to see the harvest.