Page 120 of A Kingpin's Weakness
“Now it’s your turn,” Seth said, voice thick with emotion.
“I want a baby brother,” S3 added quickly, then looked at me. “Then a baby sister.”
Seth grinned. “I can make that happen.”
They hugged, arms around each other tight, and I swear I saw a glimmer in Seth’s eyes. Then S3 ran over and wrapped his arms around me, his little head resting against my chest.
“I’ll be right back,” Seth said, voice low, walking off before either of us could ask why.
S3 looked up at me. “Stormi, I’m gonna be the best big brother ever.”
“I know you will, baby.”
“Can the baby sleep in my room?”
I laughed. “We’ll see how you feel about that when they’re crying at 3 a.m., waking you up every night.”
“I can stay up all night,” he said confidently, like he’d trained for this.
“I know you can.”
He leaned his head back against me, and for a moment, we just sat there, quiet in the middle of the noise and magic of Disney. The sound of families, laughter, music… but this moment? It was ours.
I was still catching my breath from laughing at S3 when I glanced up and saw Ms. Serena, Rich, and Southside walking toward us.
“Hey! I didn’t know y’all were coming.”
“Yeah,” Rich said, smirking like he knew something I didn’t. “We just stopped by for a little.”
“Ma! Stormi’s having a baby,” S3 shouted proudly, running up to Ms. Serena like he couldn’t hold it in another second.
“I know, baby,” she said, bending down to scoop him into a hug. She pulled me into one too, soft and warm like only a mama can. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“Seth went to the bathroom, he should be right back,” I said casually, brushing some hair out of my face. I looked around and that’s when I saw Noah, Dre, and Jo. My heart swelled just seeing all the people I loved slowly finding their way to me.
“Jo?” My voice cracked, shock punching the air from my lungs.
She was supposed to be in rehab. But there she was fresh face, bright eyes, walking like she had finally let some weight go. She ran toward me, arms wide and open like I’d waited my whole life for that exact moment. She hugged me so tight, I felt something break loose inside me and then she peppered my face with kisses like I was her baby girl.
“Hey Prego,” she grinned, rubbing my barely-there bump. “Look at you glowing. Pregnancy looks good on you.”
“Jo, how why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“We wanted to surprise you,” Noah chimed in, towering over Jo and me like the baby brother who blinked and grew into a man overnight.
I pulled him into a hug too, heart still pounding with emotion. It felt like my family was showing up, one by one. That familiar ache I used to carry in my chest? Gone for the moment.
“Seth should be coming back soon,” I said, still recovering from seeing Jo. “Maybe we all can go have dinner after this?”
I turned around casually, expecting to see Seth with food or a water bottle. But what I saw stole all the air from my lungs. My breath hitched. My heart damn near stopped. I couldn’t see clearly as the tears were already clouding my vision.Breathe, I told myself.Breathe, Stormi.
Seth was walking toward me slowly and just like that, down on one knee. In his hand, a black velvet box opened wide, showing the biggest diamond I had ever seen in my life. And in his eyes, love. Raw, unfiltered, forever kind of love.
“We created a union,” he started, voice strong but shaky. “We’re creating life. And now our own little family. There’s no one else I want to share my life, my kids, or my last name with but you. Stormi.” His voice cracked, and my tears spilled over. “There’s no more running. I want to do this thing called foreverwith you.” He took a breath, eyes locked on mine. “Stormi, will you marry me?”
The park got quiet… at least it felt that way. The noise faded, like God hit pause just for us. A small crowd gathered, but all I could see was him.
I thought back to that first moment I met Seth standing outside the hospital doors, holding mine open like he was meant to. Since then, he’d held more than just doors he’d held my fears, my heart, my body, and now he was offering me forever.
