I never planned to become the person standing between a mother and her child, but that is exactly where my life ended up. I took in my friend’s little boy for what was supposed to be a few days, and when she vanished, I became the one waking up for nightmares, school forms, fevers, and tears. Then she came back polished, successful, and furious, and suddenly I had to prove that love, stability, and showing up mattered more than a paycheck.