A groom couldn’t stop sobbing tears of happiness when his stepdaughters surprised him and their mom with a heartwarming adoption request on the couple’s wedding day. Since Jacob Tallman, from Kirksville, Missouri, came into the lives of Cadence 14, Carah, 10, and Carlee, nine, two years ago, he’s shared a special bond with his now-wife Challis' three children. Jacob, 33, who goes by Jake, met single mom Challis, 34, via TikTok in August 2023, and the pair started talking regularly via the app's Live feature before moving to other messaging apps. Having seen their bond grow, Challis took the big step of moving her family from their home in Houston, Texas, to Missouri where Jake lived with his daughters, Emma, 12, and Kennedie, 10. The blended families hit it off right away, with Jake's skills as a girl dad making Cadence, Carah and Carlee immediately warm to him. Jake also encouraged Challis to follow dreams she had not been able to follow as a busy single mom, and in January 2025, opened her own dance studio near her new home. These growing connections saw Challis and Jake get engaged and plan a wedding for July 20, ahead of which Cadence asked if she could give a speech. Challis encouraged the teenager to include her younger siblings, too, and approved the request as long as Cadence ran the speech past her maid of honor first. On the day itself, at Thousand Hills State Park Shelter, Cadence stood up during the reception and spoke about her past and the happiness at Jake coming into her and her siblings' lives – a moment that caught Challis by surprise, as she said her daughter never usually likes to talk about such emotions. Then, joined by Carah and Carlee, Cadence and her two siblings asked Jake if he would adopt them, in a moment that immediately brought the 33-year-old stepdad to tears of happiness.
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