Epilogue
Six Months Later
The sun was setting behind the trees of Samir’s backyard, painting the sky in gold and lavender streaks. The soft hum of music floated through the yard—“So Beautiful” by Musiq Soulchild, one of my favorites from him.
Most of the guests had gone home by now, leaving behind the faint scent of barbecue, half-empty glasses of punch, and a mountain of pink and blue balloons that hung throughout the yard.
My baby shower had been a dream with laughter, love, and family at the center.
It was everything I never thought I’d ever have.
God has blessed me tremendously. Not only did He give me the baby I prayed for, but He gave me double the blessing.
I stood near the middle of the yard, barefoot on the grass, my belly stretching the front of my white satin dress.
Eight months pregnant, and every part of me felt full.
I didn’t even hear Samir come up behind me until I felt his hands slide over my belly, strong and sure, pulling me gently against him.
“What are you over here thinking about, love?” he whispered against my ear, his voice low and warm. “My strong woman.”
I smiled, leaning back into him. His chest was solid against my back, his heartbeat calm and steady. “Barely. These two are wearing me out. I think they’re practicing karate in there.”
He chuckled, his breath tickling my neck as his thumbs brushed lazy circles over the sides of my stomach. “They just tryna get out and meet their daddy.”
“Hmm. They only go crazy when you’re around, and I’m the one doing all the work.” I rolled my eyes. Already, I could tell Samir was going to spoil our kids.
He laughed again, and for a moment, everything around us just stopped. The lights hanging from the pergola glowed soft and golden, wrapping the whole yard in this hazy, peaceful warmth. The pain of my past felt a million miles away.
We started to sway, slow and unhurried, his arms still around me, his lips brushing the side of my neck. My hands rested over his, our fingers lacing together across the curve of my stomach.
“I can’t believe this is our life,” I whispered. “After everything I’ve been through. Then God sent you to me, and these amazing twins. I feel so blessed. I still can’t believe all of this. It feels like a dream.”
He kissed the side of my neck, smiling. “It’s real, baby. You earned every piece of this life, including that ring on your finger.”
I smiled through the tears blurring my vision, my eyes catching the sparkle of the twenty-four-carat emerald-cut diamond on my left hand.
The reality of it still hit me in waves.
I was now Mrs. Zanova Carter. Samir and I had eloped two weeks ago, just the two of us—no big crowd, no cameras, no stress.
He said he didn’t want his kids being born before their mama had his last name, and honestly, I couldn’t argue with that.
I froze when a sharp pain hit me. A warm gush rushed down my legs after, puddling at my feet. I blinked before gasping. “Oh my God…” I yelled, holding my stomach.
Samir stilled behind me. “What’s wrong?”
Before I could answer, Nyala came rushing over to us, holding her phone in her hand. Her eyes went wide when she saw the puddle at my feet.
“Ohhh hell, Nova!” she shouted, jumping up and down. “We about to have the baby! No, babies! Her water broke!”
Samir’s eyes went wide. “Wait, now? Like right now?”
“Yes! Right now!” Nyala shrieked, tossing the drink to the ground. “Somebody grab the hospital bag!”
“Ayo, Ny… Stop all that jumping before you shake my baby out,” Ryan said, coming behind Nyala, warning her.
My bestie was indeed pregnant too! She finally stopped running from her man and gave him a chance. She was still dealing with the hurt of her past, but with the help of Ryan, she was getting through it one day at a time.
Nyala sassed back. “Boy, be quiet! I’m only two minutes pregnant.”
I started laughing and crying all at once as Samir scooped me up in his arms, yelling for his keys while Nyala ran circles around us like a headless chicken. Samir’s mom and my parents followed us outside as Samir placed me in the passenger seat of his truck.
“Breathe, baby! I’m going to get you to the hospital!” Samir said, his voice laced with panic.
“We will meet y’all there!” My mother leaned into the truck and kissed my cheek. “You got this, sweetheart.”
I nodded, rubbing circles around my belly, trying to sort the pain. Nyala barely made it in the backseat before Samir sped out of the driveway.
By the time we reached the hospital, everything was a blur.
I was quickly registered and rolled into the labor and delivery unit.
Nurses rushing in, the sound of monitors beeping, and Samir’s voice in my ear telling me to breathe all skated by.
Hours passed in flashes of pain, tears, and prayers, and then, after what felt like forever, I heard it.
Not one, but two cries that split the room wide open.
Twin heartbeats. Twin blessings. Twin miracles. I couldn’t stop crying. Samir stood beside me, eyes glassy, looking down at our babies like he’d just seen heaven.
“We did it, baby,” he whispered, kissing my forehead. “You did it.”
“Yes, we did,” I responded through tears that seemed to never stop.
When they wheeled me upstairs later, I realized Samir had arranged everything.
I had my own private suite that looked more like a luxury hotel than a hospital room.
My favorite flowers sat on the windowsill, and there was even a little “Welcome into the world” sign above both bassinets with our babies’ names: Samir Jr. and Zoriyah Carter.
I turned my head to look at him as he rocked Zoriyah, completely in awe, while I breastfed Jr. The softest smile curved his lips, and that same smile hit me deep in my chest. Our family had just left an hour ago, leaving us to bond with our babies.
“Thanks, Nova baby,” he said, breaking the comfortable silence. “Not for just giving a nigga a chance to love you, but for giving me everything I didn’t even know I was missing.”
I smiled, wiping at my eyes. “You didn’t miss it, Samir. You were just waiting on the right person to build it with.”
He looked at me then like he was seeing his whole world right there in front of him. Zoriyah let out a little yawn, her tiny fingers curling around one of his. I swear I’d never seen that man so soft before.
Samir came and sat next to me on the bed, still holding his princess.
Zoriyah already had her daddy wrapped around her finger.
“You know, I used to think the sweetest temptation was success, money, and the grind. But nah, it’s this right here, love.
You are the sweetest temptation I’ve ever tasted. ” He pecked my lips.
In this hospital suite, surrounded by our twins and a love that had been tested, in every way, I knew we were finally living our own version of a happily ever after.
Not the fairy-tale kind, but the kind you fight for…
the kind you choose every day. Samir stood beside me, eyes soft, pride written all over his face as he held our little princess like she was the most fragile, sacred piece of his soul.
And in that moment, looking at the man who once terrified me with how deeply he loved, I realized something undeniable, Samir wasn’t just my partner.
He wasn’t just the father of my children.
Samir was my peace, my fire, my second chance at everything I never thought I deserved.
My sweetest temptation, and the greatest blessing I ever gave in to.
THE END.