I shook my head, laughing despite myself as she handed me the test and nudged me toward the bathroom.
“Come on. Let’s go see what your husband’s been up to at night.”
And with that, Jo, my chaotic, hilarious, always prepared mother, pushed open the bathroom door and dragged me right inside.
“Is this gonna be our new thing?” I asked, my voice a little shaky as she followed me into the bathroom, the test box clutched in her hand.
“It can be,” Jo replied softly, her eyes already glossy with emotion. “I like knowing before anybody else. We never really shared private moments like this together.”
“No, don’t start,” I said, biting back a lump in my throat as tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I wasn’t ashamed. I had been Jo’s rock my whole life, and to have her here in these moments with me hit me harder than I expected.
I finished peeing on the stick, my hands trembling as I washed them, then immediately pulled Jo into my arms.
“I love you, and thank you,” I whispered, holding her tight. My chest heaved, and she rested her head against mine.
“No, Stormi thank you.” Her voice cracked with emotion as we stood there, hugging, letting the tears fall freely.
We stayed like that, swaying slightly, until a tiny beep from her phone cut through the quiet. The timer Jo had set had gone off. Two minutes. Two minutes that felt like forever. And the moment of truth was here.
Was I pregnant with our third child or not? I inhaled shakily, gripping Jo’s hands, needing her more than ever to face whatever the result would bring.
Rich handled the guest list, and he did his thing. Everybody who mattered was here. I didn’t have much family of my own, but Seth’s people always embraced me like I was theirs. I loved that feeling. I loved the fullness of it.
I slid over to the bar with RJ, Ari, and Noah doing my big sister duties, making sure none of these underage kids tried to get bold tonight.
I sniffed Noah’s cup. “I hope that’s ginger ale in there.”
RJ raised a brow. “Calm down, Stormi. You know I’m not letting him drink.”
Noah rolled his eyes. “Man, Stormi, I’m a grown ass man. If I want a drink, I can have one. This little party ain’t gon’ be my first time.”
I stood my ground. “What you do outside my presence is your business. But while you in my presence? No drinking.” I took his cup and sipped it myself, just to be sure. “Yeah… soda. Keep it that way.”
Noah sucked his teeth. “When you gon’ let me grow up?”
I pulled him into a hug before he could back away. “I know you growin’ up. I just don’t want you rushin’ to be too grown on me.” My voice cracked a little. “I miss you.”
“Stormi, don’t start,” he muttered, trying to slip out of my arms.
“You know,” I said, holding him tighter, “you can move in with us whenever you ready. Jo and I been talkin’ about sellin’ the old house… maybe tearin’ it down.”
Noah snapped his head toward me. “What? Fuck no. Why?”
“Too many bad memories. It’ll give all of us a fresh start.”
“All of us? Or just you and Jo?” he shot back, eyes sharp.
I swallowed. “Noah, we family. All of us. When one of us wins, we all win. You’ll always have a home with me, long as I got a roof over my head.”
He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, I bet. In your fancy ass mansion or that new one your husband’s building.”
“Noah, don’t be like that.” I stepped closer. “I even heard your father wants to come back in your life talkin’ about you stayin’ with him for a while.”
That sent him over the edge. “Oh, so that’s how it is? Send me off if I don’t fall in line with you and Seth’s plans?” He pushed past me.
“No, Noah! It’s not like that!” I called after him. “I just wanted you to know you had options.”
But he kept walking.
