Epilogue #2
“The kid had driven his parents’ car to a party when he was told no.
On the way home, he crashed and totaled it.
Instead of callin’ his parents for help, he walked to a bridge and was ready to jump when the two of us happened to find him.
Bhodi didn’t hesitate to walk up to him and join him on the railin’.
I was ready to grab them both, but gave your uncle a few minutes to assess the situation.
He listened to the kid and managed to talk him down before callin’ the kid’s dad to come get him.
When his dad showed up, he wasn’t angry at all.
He was in tears because his son didn’t have enough belief in their relationship that he’d go to them instead of tryin’ to end things permanently.
After that incident, Bhodi kept checkin’ on the kid and he started to thrive.
His parents and him talked more and he started seein’ a counselor.
Gave your uncle all the credit because it changed his life,” I say while looking down at my son with tears rolling down my face as I relive some of the best memories of my best friend.
“You’ll see your mom ridin’ a bike and it’s your uncle’s.
She couldn’t stand to see it go to anyone else so she begged her parents to let her keep it.
My girl does all of her own maintenance on the bike and will teach you what to do when it’s time for you to get your own.
I’ll be right there with ya, but your mom loves doin’ that kind of stuff more than I do.
“Do me a favor, Bhodi. When you get older and your mom won’t let you do what you want, or worries about you, cut her some slack.
She’s had a rough life in certain aspects and doesn’t want to see you repeat patterns that took the most important person from her.
See, when she was still in high school, some jerk thought he would take advantage of her at a party.
I wasn’t there that night. Your uncle Bhodi fought to protect her and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
She watched her brother die right in front of her and couldn’t do anythin’ to save him.
We’ve all tried to teach her to swim, but she can’t do it.
Still, she was willin’ to jump into the deep end of a pool in order to save his life.
Auntie held her back with a few others so she could live.
We both lost the most important person in our life that night and haven’t been the same since.
“The very next night, I shattered her heart into a million pieces. So, if she’s upset about you doin’ somethin’, don’t do it.
She’ll only be that way when you’re doin’ somethin’ dangerous.
I promise you that your mom will be your biggest cheerleader and let you live your life how you choose because that’s the freedom your uncle gave her when she was younger.
I thank everyone up above every day your mom gave me a second chance and now we have you.
You’re the best part of us, Bhodi,” I say to my son as I hear the front door open.
“The next time we’re out here, I’ll tell you all about my grandma.
She’s where your middle name comes from. ”
Looking over, Taleah steps into view and I take in her disheveled appearance. She just woke up and still has the lines on her face from the pillow and my chest.
“Mornin’, Doll,” I say as she walks over to us and leans over to press a kiss to the top of Bhodi’s head.
“Morning,” she responds, her voice still full of sleep as she sits in the rocking chair next to me. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s been sleeping for a while. I’m sure he’ll be up soon to nurse again,” I answer her as Bhodi starts to stir in my arms and we both laugh lightly. “He heard your voice and knows his mama is here.”
I hand Bhodi over to Taleah and watch as she moves the blanket to cover them so she can nurse our son.
Looking at my world next to me, I know this is the perfect moment to ask my girl the one question I’ve been waiting on.
I ordered her a custom ring and had to wait for it to come in.
Now, with the two of us sitting on the front porch as Taleah nurses our son, it’s time to ask her to be my wife.
Standing from the chair, I get down on one knee in front of Taleah.
She looks at me with tears in her eyes, already knowing what I’m about to do.
I went to her dad and asked for his blessing and talked to Elara before I even ordered the ring.
This is important and I wanted to make sure I did everything right.
“Doll, you know you’re the most important person in my world.
I’ve loved you forever and cherish every single memory we make.
I will always be thankful you are givin’ me a second chance despite how much I hurt you in the past. I want to spend the rest of our days together, raisin’ Bhodi and watchin’ as he becomes an independent man, livin’ his own life.
You make every day better and I love goin’ to sleep next to you each night.
But, my favorite time of day is when you wake up and I see you lookin’ all sleepy and a complete mess.
That’s when I find you the most beautiful because it’s truly who you are and you don’t care about anythin’.
You’re completely free. You’ve given me the best gift in the world in our son and I want to have as many more kids with you as you’ll give me.
Taleah, will you marry me?” I ask her as I pull out the ring box from the pocket of my sweats and open it to show her the ring.
It’s got a platinum band with a small diamond in the center. The diamond is surrounded by sapphires because it was her brother’s birthstone. I’ve engraved the date we originally got together on the inside of the ring as well.
“Yes, Rex. I’ll marry you anytime you want,” she finally responds, holding out her hand as I remove the ring from the box and slide it on her finger. Leaning forward, I kiss her, being careful not to disturb our son as he nurses between us.
We remain out on the porch watching the sun rise and the world around us wake up.
Birds start chirping and squirrels start to run from one location to the next.
A few butterflies fly by the house as we simply enjoy time with our son.
These are the moments I live for now. There’s no chaos and I can be here with my family.
Looking up at the sky, I whisper to my best friend.
“Bhodi, I promise you I will always take care of your sister. I’ll love her for the rest of my life and ensure our family is protected at all costs.
I hope you look down on us and watch as we create memories and live to honor you every single day we have left to live.
I miss ya, Bhodi and will always love ya as my brother.
Thank you for all you taught me before you were ripped from our lives. ”
I take my family inside and we spend the rest of the day hanging out without the weight of the world on our shoulders.
Our parents visit for a while and Annistyn brings Ridge and Camden over in the afternoon.
The day is filled with love and laughter.
I couldn’t ask for a better life and I know the only reason I have it is because of the woman who will become my wife as soon as I can get her down the aisle.