Epilogue 2-Benji
Three months later
Summer’s winding down.
You can feel it in the air.
Not cold yet—but softer. Slower. Like the world’s catching its breath before fall rolls in and changes everything again.
Funny thing is?
I’m not waiting for the next hit anymore.
Not bracing.
Not expecting shit to fall apart.
Because for the first time in my life?
Everything I’ve got… I built it right.
And I didn’t build it alone.
I built it with her.
I lean back against the porch railing, eyes tracking across the land that’s ours—wide open fields, cattle grazing, the sun dipping low enough to paint everything gold.
Jersey Iron Ranch.
It’s real now.
Solid.
Untouchable.
Just like we planned.
Just like we dreamed about in whispered conversations that feel like a lifetime ago.
Back when I didn’t know if I deserved her.
Back when I damn near lost her.
My jaw tightens for half a second at that thought—but it passes.
Because she’s here.
She stayed.
And I’ll spend the rest of my life making damn sure she never regrets that choice.
A laugh drifts across the yard, pulling my attention to the side of the house.
Esme.
My wife.
Camera in hand, talking animatedly to it like she always does, her whole face lit up with that fire she’s got inside her.
“—and that’s a wrap on Driving Round Jersey With Esme!” she says, spinning once for the camera, her smile so bright it hits me straight in the chest.
God.
I fucking love her.
More now than I ever did before.
Which is saying something.
Because I’ve been gone for her since day one.
She’s done it.
Built something from nothing.
Again.
This new series?
Blew up.
Local businesses, women-owned spots, hidden gems—she turned it into something bigger than just a vlog.
She turned it into a damn movement.
And watching her?
Watching her stand there, confident, strong, completely in her element—
Yeah.
I’ve never been prouder of anything in my life.
Not the ranch.
Not the money.
Not the work.
Her.
Always her.
Because she did this.
On her own.
And knowing that?
Knowing she never needed me—
That she chooses me anyway?
That hits deeper than anything else ever could.
She catches me watching her.
Of course she does.
She always does.
Her smile softens, just a little, just for me.
Then she shuts off the camera and heads my way.
“You’ve been staring,” she says when she reaches me, slipping into my space like she belongs there.
Because she does.
“Can’t help it,” I mutter, dragging her closer, my hand settling on her hip like it’s always been meant to be there. “You’re somethin’ else, Ezzy.”
She laughs, ducking her head, but I catch her chin and tilt it back up.
“No,” I tell her, serious now. “I mean it. I’m proud of you.”
Her eyes soften.
That look again.
The one that still gets me every damn time.
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
I press a kiss to her forehead.
“Don’t thank me for telling the truth.”
She hums, leaning into me for a second longer before pulling back.
“We gotta go,” she says. “Appointment.”
Right.
The appointment.
My chest tightens just a little.
Not fear.
Something else.
Something bigger.
“Yeah,” I nod. “Let’s go.”
—
The doctor’s office smells like antiseptic and something faintly floral.
Clean.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Esme’s hand is in mine the second we sit down, and I don’t let go.
Not for a second.
Not when the nurse comes in.
Not when they run the tests.
Not when they bring in the machine.
Because something in me knows—
This matters.
This moment?
It’s going to change everything.
“Are you sure?” Esme asks, her voice soft but full of something I can’t quite name as she looks at the screen.
Her eyes are shining.
Hopeful.
Nervous.
All at once.
The doctor smiles.
“Yep,” she says easily. “About thirteen weeks, based on the ultrasound.”
Time stops.
Just—
Stops.
Thirteen weeks.
My grip tightens around Esme’s hand without me even realizing it.
Thirteen weeks.
Jesus Christ.
“Benji?” she whispers.
I look at her.
Really look at her.
And suddenly everything clicks into place.
Every choice.
Every mistake.
Every second chance.
Every goddamn moment that led us here.
Her.
My wife.
Carrying our child.
Something in my chest cracks wide open.
I lift her hand to my mouth, pressing a kiss to her palm.
Once.
Twice.
But it’s not enough.
Not even close.
So I stand.
Pull her up with me.
Wrap my arms around her like I’m never letting go again.
“A baby?” My voice comes out rough, thick with everything I’m trying—and failing—to hold back. “Sweetheart, you’re giving me a baby?”
Her breath catches.
Her arms come around me.
“Yes,” she whispers.
And that’s it.
That’s all it takes.
A laugh rips out of me—half disbelief, half pure, unfiltered joy—as I bury my face in her neck.
“Fuck,” I breathe. “Ezzy, we’re havin’ a baby.”
A family.
Mine.
Ours.
The house flashes in my mind.
The one I built.
The one we dreamed about.
It felt big before.
Too big, maybe.
Too empty.
Not anymore.
Not with her in it.
Not with what’s coming.
Not with everything we’re about to build together.
I pull back just enough to look at her, my hands framing her face.
“You hear me?” I tell her, my voice steady now. Certain. “You’re not doin’ this alone. Never again. I love you, Esme.”
Her eyes shine brighter.
“I know,” she says.
Damn right she does.
“Never again,” I add.
Because I mean that shit.
With everything I am.
“I love you too, Benji.”
Then, she smiles.
Soft.
Happy.
Safe.
And I realize something right then.
Something simple.
Something real.
I didn’t just get my second chance.
I earned it.
And now?
I’m gonna spend the rest of my life making damn sure I don’t waste it.
Not with her.
Not with our kid.
Not with the family we’re building.
Because this?
This right here?
This is everything I ever wanted.
And I’m never letting it go.
The end.