ie, asking if I would attend his eighteent

t hum of my empty room. I continued my routine, scrubbing away the grime of other pe

back screaming in protest as I moved another heavy load. The cheap cotton o

grown so much, taller than me now, his lean frame radiating a youthful energy that I no longer possessed. His legs, once

ts. "Mom?" His voice was rough, unaccustomed to th

shoulder, the weight a familiar burden. I walked past him, my gaze fi

e... we've all missed you so much." He paused, taking a breath. "You didn' t reply to my text. It's my birthday today. Please, just c

neak out for a late-night adventure. That sa

world seemed to hold its breath. I looked at him, truly looked at him, for the first time in sev

he single word a

ction workers. The drive was silent, punctuated only by Annamarie's nervous attempts to speak, each one met with

ver, wasn't decorated like an eighteenth birthday party. It was a proposal. Everything screamed e

tures. He stood beside me, smaller now, almost co

one knee, holding a sparkling ring up to Katherine, wh

oat. My son's eighteenth birthday was merely a backdrop, a footnote to their gra