Epilogue
FOUR MONTHS LATER
I never thought that I would get to this day.
Sevyn and I had both gone through a lot of pain and so had others.
My heart had mostly healed from losing Lena, but I still ached for her mother and siblings, and I definitely ached for the unborn child I would never know.
Paul had finally been sentenced, and while that wouldn’t bring Joanna’s daughter back, there was some justice to be had.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
With continual therapy and support from me, Sevyn had finally started driving again all the time, and she was comfortable with driving. She felt whole and independent again.
“God! It hurts!” Sevyn screamed.
I felt useless and helpless. On the one hand, this was a happy occasion that we had been looking forward to for some time. But on the other hand, I didn’t like seeing my wife going through this type of pain.
I had been here with her during some of the toughest challenges of her life, but this one was ripping quarters out of my ass. Sevyn and I opted to have a home birth, with my mother, Fatima, as the midwife since that was her specialty, and Dr. Jillian Carter on standby in the event she was needed.
Although she had been going to the women’s center for the duration of her pregnancy, my mother had been an essential part of her pregnancy journey.
I was honored when she asked my thoughts about having my mother deliver our first child.
My mother was floored and had actually cried when we asked her.
She had a close relationship with Sevyn and considered her the second daughter she had been blessed with. My mother often took her out to lunch or shopping, or the two of them along with Amani had girls’ days out. I loved that although she had lost her family, she was able to find a family in mine.
It was a very different experience than the one she had with Ethan’s family.
They had rented out that condo that they kicked Sevyn out of.
The renters had eventually left after a few months, skipping out on paying three months’ worth of rent that they were behind on.
Micah Simmons had been called out to the scene, and he had told me all about it.
Not only had the tenants skipped out, but they had trashed the place first.
It saddened Sevyn to hear that, but I pointed out to her that you shouldn’t do people dirty.
It would only come back around to bite you in the ass.
That was what happened to the Shields. That wasn’t the only incident either.
We learned that Pandora was suing Mrs. Shields for harassment and Liam for assault.
When they learned the baby wasn’t their grandson and nephew, they had both broken down.
They had hoped to keep a piece of Ethan on the Earth in some form, but everything was taken away.
Apparently, Mrs. Shields had been calling Pandora, constantly pleading with her to take the test again because something had to be wrong.
Liam had confronted her one evening when she was leaving work, and the two had got into an argument.
He thought there was a chance that the child might be his too.
He had been messing with her behind his brother’s back.
When she denied that the child was his and showed him the test results on her phone, he had snatched the phone, threw it to the ground and shattered it, and shoved her around a bit.
The family was cracking up, and I was thankful that Sevyn had no parts of it. The younger brother who was a drug addict had been found in an alley where he had died of an overdose. Their father was being brought up on money laundering charges.
“Deuce!” Sevyn screamed.
“Yes, baby?” I asked as she crushed my hand in hers. Sevyn had unbelievable strength.
“Why do you hate me so badly?” She cried as she stared into my eyes. “This should be you in here, not me.”
“You want me to get in the birthing pool, baby?” I asked.
I had been uncertain what to do. Nothing I had done all day was good enough. It seemed that my presence upset her, but my absence upset her even more.
“No, Deuce. She’s getting ready to have this baby now.
Sevyn, baby, I need you to breathe and try to relax through the pain.
Your son is about to make his grand entrance into this world.
You have created a beautiful, soothing environment for him to come into, and we’re going to make sure that he has that, and you enjoy the experience. Okay?” my mama asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Okay, breathe, because we’re about to start pushing.”
Amani walked back and forth behind us, praying quietly. Although my wife was closest to Autumn, Wynter and Amani had been a great support system throughout her pregnancy as well. My mother pulled on a fresh pair of disposable gloves and became focused like I had never seen her before.
“Here’s what I need you to do, Sevyn. Take deep, slow breaths through the nose, and slowly exhale out of your mouth.
This breathing technique will help the oxygen circulate throughout your body, and it will assist your muscles in relaxing.
Do you feel that tension in your body and in your belly right now, baby? ”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, when you do those deep breathing exercises, it will reduce the tension in those parts of your body and any other discomfort you are feeling. Now, it’s not going to take everything away, so set your expectations, but it will reduce it. Okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I watched as my wife did exactly as my mother instructed and relaxed her grip on my hand.
The large TV on the wall behind us changed from our backyard to a more relaxing garden scene. Jazz played in the background of the scene. As she blew out her breath, Sevyn’s eyes met mine. “Is that my grandmother’s old garden at the home?” she asked.
“Yes, baby. I thought that might be something that would help ground you and soothe you. I wanted you to feel her presence with you today. Ms. Miriam allowed us to set up a camera back there for you today. She made me promise that we’ll bring our son by when he’s old enough.
That camera is showing everything in real time,” I explained as we watched a butterfly descend on one of the zinnias in the garden.
The camera zoomed in to the bench where Sevyn always sat with her grandmother.
There was a little silver plaque affixed to the back of the bench.
It read “In memory of Helena Farmer, loving grandmother and friend. For all the beautiful memories you and Sevyn created here. You will be missed, but your presence will always be felt in this place.”
“Did you do that, baby?” she asked.
“Yes, baby. With Ms. Miriam’s help.”
“Thank you, Deuce,” she whispered and then resumed her breathing exercises.
“Deuce, move here and massage her hips and back while Amani holds her hand,” my mother instructed.
I moved to where my mother instructed me and massaged Sevyn’s hips and back so that she could feel some relief during her contractions.
Fresh aromatherapy scents enveloped the room.
We had chosen lavender to help her relax, orange to lift her energy, and clary sage to help with strong contractions.
When Sevyn mentioned wanting to have a home birth, I had been terrified at the idea.
But in time, it had become ingrained in me, and I wanted it also.
Our entire living room had been turned into a birthing room for her, and it was a beautiful space to welcome our son into, with hanging plants everywhere, pillows strategically placed around the room, and soft, comfortable chairs for everyone to sit in.
My mother instructed Sevyn to push, and every part of me wished it was me dealing with that pain rather than my wife. I knew that she was strong enough to do it, but she had already endured so much in this world. I wanted to spare her any more pain.
When our little boy finally came into the world, Sevyn cried and smiled at the same time. I wrapped my arms around Sevyn and kissed her as my mother pulled the baby free, and Amani worked to clean our son while my mother attended to Sevyn.
“What are you naming him?” my mother asked when they finally brought the baby back to Sevyn to hold him.
“Naeem Tyree Fullwood the third,” Sevyn professed softly.
My mother smiled at me and then at Sevyn.
“Ace is going to love that,” my mother declared happily, referencing my dad.
“I know,” Sevyn replied softly before she kissed our son’s head again.
“Are you giving him a nickname, Deuce?” my mother asked with a knowing smile.
I nodded. “You already know. Mama, say hello to your grandson, Tre.”
“I love that,” Mama replied, laughing.
My sister and mother took turns holding the baby and taking pictures with him. It wasn’t long before my father, Asad, and his wife, Varasia, arrived.
“Old man, you finally became a daddy,” Asad greeted upon walking through the door.
I rolled my eyes. “You just hating because I preserved my time to become a father until I was mature enough to give this prince everything that he needs.”
Asad laughed. “Okay. Is that what you’re telling yourself?”
“Yeah. I didn’t have to rush all mine while I was young, because I was having a brood.”
“Hey, lay up off the Significant Seven,” Asad warned lightheartedly.
I laughed. “I’m just saying.”
“Who knows? You two might have a lot of kids like Asad and I did,” Varasia chimed in.
“Asia,” Sevyn called out in a raspy tone, calling our sister by her nickname. “I love you, honey, and I love my man. But there’s no way on God’s green earth that I’m about to give this man seven kids. After this little boy, we need to discuss whether we’re even having another one.”
I glanced at her and pulled a face. “At least one more, babe.”
She pulled a face back at me and rolled her eyes. “You go and have your uterus snatched out of your body, your spine contorted into a pretzel, and your entire pelvis twisted inside out, then come back and talk to me.”
Everyone laughed.
“How about we just enjoy this precious little boy before we rush into discussions about another one,” my father suggested, taking him from Asad’s arms.
“Look at him. He’s already got Granddaddy wrapped around his little fingers,” Amani declared.
“That he does. Looks just like me,” my father boasted, causing everyone to laugh.
“But he can’t help it. Tre’s perfect. Look at him,” my mother declared when she leaned in and grasped Tre’s fingers before she kissed his little cheek.
They all cooed and cuddled our son for the next hour as they talked to us and gave parenting advice.
Finally, my mother announced that everyone needed to leave and give us our privacy. She attended to Sevyn before she left, and then it was just the three of us, our small family.
I held our baby in my arms. “Thank You, Holy Father, for this gift of life that You have sent to Sevyn and me. Thank You that you considered us worthy to bear, protect, and nurture this gift from above. Teach us how to love him as You would, raise him in righteousness, and live in the light of Your glory. Amen.”
“That was beautiful, Deuce,” Sevyn whispered. “I love you even more now than I did when I first realized that I loved you.”
“Baby, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen in love with you just a little deeper.
Remember our wedding day when I said that you were even more beautiful walking down the aisle than when you announced your pregnancy, and you were even more beautiful when I was about to make love to you that night? ”
“Yes.”
“You’re especially beautiful today with the glow of giving birth to our first child.”
“That’s because Almighty God has blessed us in spite of our suffering.”
“I love you, Sevyn, and I love you, Tre.”
“I love you more, Deuce—and I love you, little munchkin.” She cooed as she kissed Tre’s head.
The three of us were cuddled in our bed together, and my heart could not have been happier.
I had loved and lost, been on the verge of a breakdown, and almost messed up my second chance at love.
But through it all, this woman had stood strong.
God had been good to me, and now this handsome little boy was looking up at me with eyes like his mother’s.
All I could see was curiosity and love in his little eyes, like he knew who I was already.
And when I turned to look at his mother, the exact same look shone from Sevyn’s eyes.
“I love you, Mrs. Fullwood.”
“I love you, too, my husband.”
THE END