Epilogue #2
We were surrounded by Marines and their families. He didn’t take me to a Marine base, I thought. Did he buy me a Marine base? I immediately shook the thought away. Wait, can you even do that?
“Wait a minute,” Seth said gently.
Before I could ask anything else, he slipped a blindfold over my eyes.
“Seth what?” I laughed nervously.
“Just hold my hand,” he whispered. “I got you. Have I ever led you wrong?”
And just like that, I went still. Because one thing about Seth, he never led me wrong. He was the kind of husband you submitted to because you trusted him. He led with partnership, with protection, with purpose. Home always comes first. I always came first. And our boys never lacked a thing.
We walked for what felt like two minutes before stopping. I heard S3 gasp, then went quiet.
I felt Seth step behind me, his hands gentle as he removed the blindfold.
“Keep your eyes closed,” he whispered against my ear.
I did, even though every part of me was screaming to open them, my heart pounding, breath shaky, knowing wondering what was in front of me.
“Open them,” he whispered, and I immediately heard soft cries and laughter all around us.
I hesitated, heart racing, then slowly opened my eyes.
And there he was… Noah standing right in front of me.
All grown up, more facial hair and wearing a uniform.
It had been two years since I’d last seen my little brother at my grand opening.
That night, I had read his letter, clinging to every word.
After that silence. My calls went straight to voicemail, and eventually his number was disconnected. I hadn’t imagined seeing him today.
“Noah.” The word caught in my throat. My face was already wet with tears.
“Stormi.” He pulled me into a hug, holding me like he was never letting go.
“Noah’s back!” S3’s voice echoed from somewhere behind us, full of awe and excitement.
“You’re a Marine?” I whispered into his ear, still stunned.
“I told you I was gonna get my shit together and make you proud,” he said softly, and all I could do was cry harder, clinging to him, holding him tighter than I’d ever held anyone.
“I love you so much, Noah. I’ve missed you,” I choked out, unwilling to let him go.
“Same, Stormi. I love you too. But I had to get away and do this for myself,” he replied.
“I’m so proud of you,” I said, my tears spilling freely.
“I know and I’m so proud of you too. Jo’s kids: we really made it,” he said as we pulled back slightly, looking into each other’s eyes.
“Oh my God, Noah” I whispered, taking him in, brushing my tears away, trying to memorize every detail of him in that moment.
“Look at these little dudes,” Noah said, eyes scanning the boys with a mixture of awe and disbelief. “Shiloh, last time I saw you I could barely get you off your mommy’s hip. And Savior, you were still in your mommy’s tummy.”
He scooped up both boys effortlessly, holding them like they were weightless.
“How did—” I started, but Noah cut me off before I could finish.
“Seth and I stayed in touch,” he said. “Your husband helped me get my shit together.”
“Shit!” Shiloh shouted, clearly proud of himself.
“Shiloh!” I scolded him, though I couldn’t help laughing. He knew exactly which words were bad words and it was all he ever repeated.
“Congrats, Noah,” Seth said, dapping him up before they pulled each other into a solid, brotherly hug.
“Sorry, I’m late. Couldn’t miss seeing this nigga finally on the right track,” Rich said as he approached.
“Rich,” Noah greeted him, grinning, and they exchanged a few more dap shakes.
“Congrats, lil nigga. We are proud of you. Whatever you need, you know we here.” Rich pulled Noah in for another hug and, without missing a beat, grabbed Shiloh and held him upside down. Shiloh erupted in uncontrollable laughter.
“That’s why he acts like that,” I muttered, shaking my head but smiling.
“Happy birthday, sis,” Rich said next, pulling me into a hug while setting Shiloh upright again.
“Alright, family, friends, and Marines,” the woman on the stage announced, her voice commanding but warm. “The ceremony is about to begin. Everyone, please find your seats.”
The room buzzed with energy, laughter, and quiet anticipation. I looked around at my husband, my boys, and my brother, and felt the weight of this moment.
“I’ll see you all right after,” Noah said, giving me one last hug before turning toward the other Marines.
“Noah!” I shouted, my voice breaking as I ran after him.
“Yeah?” he said, pausing and looking back at me.
I wrapped him in another tight hug, holding him like I never wanted to let go. “I love you, and I’m so proud of you,” I whispered, letting my words sink into him before releasing him.
He started walking toward the group of Marines. “I’m back, Stormi. It won’t be another two years, I promise,” he called, disappearing into the crowd.
The thought of not seeing him for another two years had already crossed my mind the moment he let go, and my chest tightened. He must’ve already known he always seemed to know what I was thinking.
“Come on, bae, let’s find our seats,” Seth said, taking my hand and pulling me to his side.
We walked hand in hand, the boys following closely behind with Rich keeping them calm.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked quietly, and my voice still shaky.
“He wanted to surprise you. Wanted to do this on his own, as a man. So, I let him,” Seth said softly as we took our seats, his hand resting over mine.
“I was so worried about him,” I admitted, my eyes already glistening.
“I knew he’d find his way,” Seth murmured, leaning in as the ceremony began.
And then it started. Every moment of the ceremony was a flood of emotions.
Pride, relief, and joy. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, my heart swelling with love for the brother I’d missed and the feeling of I didn’t fail him.
I couldn’t wait for it to end, just so I could wrap Noah in my arms again, remind him I’d never stop being here for him, no matter what.
“What we eating?” Noah asked the moment he met us in the parking lot.
“What you two got a taste for? We celebrating you and Stormi,” Seth said with a grin.
“LeRoy’s!” we both said at the same time, laughing.
LeRoy’s had always been Jo’s favorite spot; the place we went anytime she got a new boyfriend.
On the ride there, Noah filled me in on everything he’d experienced and accomplished over the last two years. I hung on every word, thrilled to see how much he’d grown, yet careful to hold back questions about his relationship with his dad, waiting for him to bring it up.
Seth pulled into Leroy’s with Rich right behind us.
The boys had ridden with him which was no surprise.
Anytime they saw their godfather, nobody else seemed to exist. As soon as we stepped out of the trucks, we were greeted by Southside, RJ, Ari, and Josh, all ready to celebrate and congratulate Noah.
“My boy, you did it!” Southside said, dapping Noah up with pride.
“Noah the Marine!” RJ shouted, grinning ear to ear.
“All grown up now,” Josh added, shaking his head in disbelief.
“You made us all proud,” Ari said, hugging him tight.
Hugs and laughter were passed around, and everyone handed me my gifts as we made our way inside. Once seated, I felt the warmth of family and friends all around us, the room buzzing with joy and celebration. For the first time in years, I truly felt complete.
Today couldn’t have been any better. Noah was back in my life safe, healthy, and thriving in the world. My husband was by my side, our three boys were laughing and playing, and we were surrounded by the kind of family and friends you could never replace.
“Okay, Stormi, open my gift first!” Ari said excitedly, handing me a small jewelry box.
I opened it carefully and froze. Inside was a charm bracelet with all three boys’ names, their baby pictures, and their birthstones.
“Oh my God, Ari! I love it!” I said, reaching over to pull her into a tight hug.
I continued opening gifts consisting of jewelry and purses. Then, just as I was settling back into my chair, a man approached our table, his eyes locking on mine. Something about him made the room feel a little quieter, like all the chaos faded for a moment.
“Guess you saved the best gift for last,” the stranger said, sliding a note across the table toward me.
“Nigga, we know you!” Josh shouted immediately, springing up from his seat.
“He cool,” Seth said, calmly raising a hand and nodding for Josh to sit back down.
I glanced at Seth, confused. He had this strange, serious look on his face.
He then nodded subtly toward the note, signaling for me to open it.
The stranger didn’t say another word, just stood there, watching the table, his gaze drifting –mostly between Noah and me.
My hands shook slightly as I unfolded the note.
I cleared my throat and began to read it aloud:
Dear Jackson,
I never thought the day would come when I would be reaching out to you.
I had made up my mind a long time ago that you were better off without me.
Your dad always thought differently, but he respected my decision.
I got updates about you over the years until I didn’t.
I guess it was better that way. You were growing older, becoming a man, and the truth would only hinder your path.
Plus, your father married an amazing woman who raised you as her own.
I ran into your father the day I was checking myself into recovery. His exact words were, “You finish the program, I’ll give you all your son’s contact information.” I promised him I would, and just like that, we both stuck to our words. And here I am, reaching out to you.
You have an older sister, Stormi. She’s the boss of the family, the one who tells everyone what to do. Then you have a younger brother, Noah. He’s a wild card, just like me. The only difference is, I know he won’t take as long as I did to figure things out.
I don’t have an excuse for giving you up, besides that I was a child myself.
I had Stormi, who was three, and I was barely figuring things out with her.
Your father and I weren’t together, but he was an amazing man who always looked out for me, so I knew he would be an amazing father to you.
My drug and alcohol addiction was bad, and yeah, I kept Stormi and Noah, but I was all that they had. Their fathers weren’t like yours.
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you, and I pray we will be able to grow our relationship soon. I completely understand if you need time or don’t want to but just know I’m ready to show up for you like I should’ve in the past. Take your time, baby boy. I know this is a lot.
Love always,
Jo
I paused, my voice catching in my throat as tears burned behind my eyes.
Seth leaned over, gently wiping my tears away before pressing a soft kiss to my temple. I looked up at the man who had just dropped this bombshell into our lives. Another baby boy, and he looked just like Jo, but in a male version.
“Always wanted a bossy big sister,” he said, arms wide open, waiting for a hug.
I froze for a moment, stunned, before springing out of my seat and wrapping myself around him. I might have been the big sister, but he towered over me in both height and strength.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered, my face buried in his chest as tears slipped freely.
“Stormi is the crybaby, as you can see,” Noah teased, walking over and dapping Jackson up. He didn’t let go of me, his presence steady and protective.
“My little brother, the Marine,” Jackson said, and he and Noah sized each other up like warriors meeting for the first time.
“Leave it up to Jo,” I muttered with a laugh, finally pulling back to wipe my eyes.
“So, Stormi, all these boys yours? You almost got yourself a starting five,” Jackson joked, and the table erupted in laughter, even my husband, who couldn’t stop smirking and sneaking kisses at me.
“Yeah,” I said, pointing to each of my boys. “This is S3, the oldest. He’s nine. Shiloh, he’s two. And Savior, he’s one.” I looked over at Seth. “This is my husband.”
Seth stood and dapped Jackson up, and from their quick interaction, I could tell this wasn’t their first time meeting.
“That’s big brother Rich and Southside, also the boys’ godfathers. RJ and Ari, my two best friends and the boys’ god parents. And guys, this is my little brother,” I said, still looking up at him, amazed and overwhelmed.
“Nice to meet everyone,” he said, smiling warmly. Then, his hand hovered near my belly. “Is this one also a boy?”
“Huh? Ummm, no, I’m not pregnant,” I stammered, secretly checking if this sundress made me look bigger than usual.
“You’re not fat. You just have that glow,” he replied, catching on to my self-conscious glance.
“That’s still to be determined,” Seth said, pulling me closer and planting a playful kiss on my neck.
“That’s why it’s still to be determined,” RJ added, and the table burst into laughter again.
“Alright, have a seat. Let’s eat, and tell us all about yourself,” Noah said as we finally settled in.
We dug into our meal, laughter and conversation filling the table. In that moment, surrounded by family, friends, and the unexpected reunion of my little brother, everything felt complete. My heart was full and this, right here, was exactly what home was supposed to feel like.
The End!