Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
STORMI
Today was the day. The grand opening and my day one weren’t standing beside me.
“Well not physically,” I whispered to myself, fingers brushing the necklace Jo gave me years ago. “I know you here though.”
I felt her in the quiet moments, the way the air felt full instead of empty. As if she’d been walking with me these past few months, making sure I healed the parts of me I tried to ignore back when she was still here. Losing Jo broke me but it also rebuilt me in ways I never expected.
I walked through the recovery home slowly, checking every room, every corner. Straightening pillows, adjusting chairs, making sure everything felt warm and safe. This place wasn’t just a building. It was a second chance waiting to happen.
“You did this,” I said softly, standing in the doorway of one of the bedrooms. “For them and for you.”
Soon, my family and friends would fill these halls, celebrating this milestone with me before we officially opened the doors to the women who would come here searching for healing.
Women who needed hope the same way I once did.
I stood still for a moment, hand resting on my stomach.
My heart was full. A wife. A mother. A businesswoman, all wrapped into one woman who survived.
And for the first time, I didn’t feel like I was chasing peace. I was standing right in it.
“Boss Lady,” RJ called out from behind me, his voice full of pride.
I turned around with a raised brow. “So that’s what we calling me now?”
He shrugged, grinning. “I mean, you are my boss, right?”
Before I could clap back, Ari slid in beside me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “The baddest boss I know,” she said, planting a kiss on my cheek.
I laughed, holding her tight. Ari had come into my life and fit like she always belonged there.
Best friend status was instant. Me, her, and RJ was Inseparable.
A real unit. I handled the business, they handled the medical side, and together we were dangerous in the best way.
This was just the first of many moves we’d make together. I could feel it.
RJ rocked back on his heels. “You ready for this grand opening?”
“I am,” I said honestly. Then my smile faded just a little. I glanced around the space, my heart tugging. “I just wish Jo was here to see how everything turned out.”
Ari stepped closer, placing her hand over my heart. Her eyes softened. “She is,” she said gently. “Right here.”
I swallowed hard, nodding as I returned her smile, pushing the grief back where it belonged for now. Today was bigger than sadness. Today was purpose.
“Alright,” RJ said, clapping his hands. “Let’s head outside so you can cut this ribbon and smile pretty for the cameras.”
“The cameras?” I asked, stopping mid step. “Plural?”
RJ laughed. “You know your husband. He made sure every news reporter and camera crew in the city showed up for your big day.”
I shook my head, smiling as we headed out back and locked up. A small crowd had already gathered, voices buzzing with excitement. I scanned the area, my heart searching. No sign of Seth or the boys yet.
“I’m gonna go talk to a few reporters, give ’em a little preview of what we got coming,” RJ said, already backing away.
“They’ll be here,” Ari said softly, squeezing my hand before jogging off to join him. “Trust me.”
I stood there for a moment, breathing it all in. Surrounded by love and stepping into the future stronger than ever.
I kept scanning the crowd, telling myself I had to have missed them. But every time my eyes swept the area, my heart sank a little more. No Seth. No boys.
Just as I spotted Rich and Southside and started to head their way, a deep voice stopped me cold from behind.
“I need to speak to the owner.”
I smiled to myself before turning around. “I’m her.”
The words barely left my mouth before my eyes locked with his.
Seth and the boys.
“Yes, you are,” he said, his voice low and full of that familiar warmth before he pulled me into a kiss that made the noise around us fade out.
Before I could even breathe, Shiloh saw his opening and launched himself into my arms.
“Heyyy, Mommy’s handsome face.” I laughed, catching him easily. I smothered him in kisses, his little giggles melting straight into my chest. Moments like this right here made everything worth it. When he finally settled against me, I bent down, eyes meeting S3’s.
“There’s my big guy,” I said softly, giving him my full attention, my heart overflowing.
He’d been with us consistently ever since Imani vanished like she never existed. I asked Seth about it once, maybe twice, and he swore he didn’t know what happened to her. I believed him. Truly. So, I let it go and never pressed the issue again.
Still, I noticed the quiet moments. The way S3 would ask about her sometimes. Not often but enough to have my mind wonder. On those days, and even on the days he didn’t say a word, I made sure to love him a little harder. Wrap him up a little tighter. Just in case.
“Hey, my big boy,” I said softly, crouching down to his level. “Everything okay?”
Those innocent eyes, the same copy and paste face he shared with Seth, looked up at me before he spoke.
“Daddy wouldn’t wait while I found my Hulk,” S3 snitched...
I bit back a smile and looked up at Seth. He just shook his head. “I told him we were gonna be late.”
“Well,” I said, straightening up, “guess who got a Hulk and a Spider-Man sitting in her truck?”
S3’s whole face lit up like Christmas morning. “You do?” he asked, excitement bubbling over now.
“I do.” I smiled. “Come on. Let’s go get ’em.”
I grabbed his hand, and before we could take more than two steps, Seth spoke up.
“Stormi, they waiting on you,” he said, nodding toward RJ, who was already waving me over.
I didn’t even slow down. “Let ’em wait,” I said firmly. “My son wants his action figures.”
I headed toward the back parking lot, S3’s hand in mine, Shiloh resting comfortably in my arms, my heart full in a way only moments like this could make it. Business could wait; family always came first. We left Seth standing there, looking a little lost.
I didn’t care about the cameras, the reporters, or the family and friends waiting out front.
Let them wait. The grand opening wasn’t going anywhere.
But if my boys needed me for anything, I showed up every time.
That was a promise I made to myself. I wanted the businesses, I wanted a career, but I also wanted my family.
I wanted to be a wife. Balance was the only way this life worked.
Grabbing S3 his action figures would take less than five minutes. Five minutes now was better than dealing with a pouting attitude throughout the entire grand opening.
As we got closer to my truck, my steps slowed. Someone was standing by the driver’s door wearing an all-black hoodie pulled low. Body turned just enough to block their face while they leaned against the window, leaving something behind.
My instincts kicked in instantly. I pulled my boys closer, my heart slamming, and started backing up.
“Come here,” I whispered sharply.
Before I could react, S3 yanked his hand free and took off running.
“Noah!” he screamed, full speed toward the truck.
Everything in me froze. Then I saw him straighten up. I exhaled the breath I’d been holding once I recognized my brother.
“Dammit, Noah,” I muttered, my body finally unlocking as I walked closer, still cautious, still alert. Because out here, even family could show up wrapped in evil shadows.
“What are you doing back here?” I asked immediately, my voice low.
Noah glanced at me before peeling an envelope off my driver’s side window and holding it out. “Wanted to leave you something.”
I took it, eyes narrowing. “What’s this?”
“Just read it tonight,” he said. “After your grand opening.”
I studied his face. He looked different.
“You not coming inside?” I asked softly.
Noah and I hadn’t really been on speaking terms. I was still pissed about a lot of the choices he’d made, but he was my brother. I loved him. I missed him. Having him inside, celebrating with us would’ve made the day feel complete.
Instead of answering, he shifted his attention to Shiloh.
“Can I hold him?” he asked, arms already reaching.
To my surprise, Shiloh went without a fuss. I smoothed my baby’s curls while Noah held him, something tender crossing his face. S3 grabbed my keys, unlocked the truck, and climbed right into the back seat. Seconds later, I heard him rummaging for his action figures.
“You know you always welcome around here, Noah,” I said, trying to lighten the moment.
“I know,” he replied quietly. “I just need to stay away for a bit. Figure my shit out.”
“I can help you,” I said, reaching for his hand.
He finally looked at me, then really looked. “Stormi, if I don’t remember nothing else about this fucked up world, I know one thing. You always gon’ be there for me.”
My chest tightened.
“Seth genes don’t play,” he added with a small smile, nodding toward Shiloh, clearly changing the subject.
I huffed. “Yeah, it’s like I only carried him.”
He laughed softly, then placed his free hand on my belly. “Hopefully, this one come out looking like you.”
I was eight months, and I was ready to have my baby boy..
“Yeah,” I said with a smile, though my eyes stayed on his. Trying to read what he wasn’t saying.
“Mommy Stormi! I found ’em!” S3 announced, climbing out the truck with three action figures clutched to his chest.
I smiled. A basket full of toys was a small price to pay if it meant he stayed happy if he got to stay a kid just a little longer.
Noah handed Shiloh back to me. “I know you got everybody waiting on you,” he said. “I just wanted to give you that and tell you to enjoy everything life got for you.”
He kissed Shiloh, then S3, pulled me into a tight hug, and kissed my cheek before stepping away.