I felt like I had reached rock bottom as I sat in our crowded hotel room and watched my youngest daughter Sophie cry herself to sleep. We were kicked out of our rental home by my owner, Mr. Peterson, a few days ago so that his brother could move in.

There was something fishy about Mr. Peterson that I had always known, but I never thought he’d go so low. Being a single mum who had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet meant I couldn’t be picky about where we lived. But I thought our little rental house was safe enough for the length of our lease.
As I tried to calm Sophie down while she screamed for her favourite toy animal, Mr. Floppy, I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t do nothing and let Mr. Peterson beat us up. So, I made up my mind. I would go back to the house, knock on the door, and tell Mr. Peterson’s brother to give Sophie’s favourite toy back.
As I stood outside the house, my heart was racing with worry, and I got ready for a fight. Still, I was shocked when the door opened and a friendly stranger stood there instead of Mr. Peterson’s brother.
He said his name was Jack and that he was Mr. Peterson’s brother. As I told him about our departure, he became more and more angry. I saw that Jack was not at all like his brother as we talked. He was kind, caring, and truly interested in our well-being.
Over the next few weeks, Jack showed himself to be a true friend. With his help, we were able to get back to our house. He fixed our broken kitchen tap, brought us food and even helped the girls with their homework.
The more time we spent together, the more I fell in love with Jack. The girls loved him because he was funny, careful, and nice. Not long after meeting them, I knew I had found both a friend and my true love.

After a few months, Jack asked me to marry him, and I gladly said yes. We moved into a lovely new house, and Jack became a great stepfather to the girls. I knew I’d found my forever home when I looked at him across the dinner table. It wasn’t just a place, it was the love and acceptance that Jack and the girls had shown me.