He had raised her since she was 9 years old.
Lindsey Collins’ stepfather had always played a huge role in her life and she finally wanted to make their relationship official.
The California woman, 26, said her stepdad, Mark High, had raised her since she was 9 years old and while adoption had always been a conversation, they never got around to making it official.
Read: Girl, 5, Gets Happily Ever After When Disney Princesses Surprise Her at Adoption Court Hearing
“He had always been there for me,” Collins told InsideEdition.com. “Since the beginning, he always made sure that I was involved.”
Since Collins is an only child, it was all about her and her mom, and she originally felt it would be difficult to have someone else enter her life. But High made that transition simple.
He’d take Collins to buy Pokémon cards when she was into collecting them. He took her to the skate park when she took up skateboarding and he’d watch her band play at venues when she was in high school.
“He’s always supported me and he always had my back,” Collins said. “At any point in life when I had a question, we spent a lot of time hanging out and talking.”
So recently, she made the decision to surprise him with adoption papers.
On Father’s Day, Collins wrapped up the adoption papers and gifted them to her stepdad. In an emotional video recorded of the moment, High broke down as he realized what the papers meant.
“I thought it was super sweet," Collins said. "I was crying as well. I was super nervous even though I knew he would say yes. He’s a jokester so to see him break down into tears… I thought it was really sweet and genuine.”
The pair plans to sign the adoption papers on their joint birthday, September 25.
“It’s a great feeling," Collins said. "I feel like I waited so long and it’s awesome that it’s finally happening. He’s been my dad my whole life whole, but now it’s finally confirming everything.”
Watch: Stepmom Brought to Tears When She Receives Adoption Papers From Husband's Kids
