Enjoy!
Chapter 30
Found
Mercedes looked at herself letting out a shaky breath, a lot has happened in the short months since Sam proposed and she told him that she was expecting. They hadn't told her parents they weren't having a real wedding and they hadn't told them that they planned to elope, in fact they had been pretty tight lipped about everything and luckily they just contributed it all to her being pregnant. Sam was exactly how she thought he would be about her being pregnant, he held her hair while she cradled the toilet due to her morning sickness, made sure that Samantha was entertained when she was too tired to play with her and he talked to her stomach every night before bed.
"Mommy?"
"Yeah baby?" Mercedes answered, turning around and smiling at their daughter, she had on the cutest dress for their small ceremony.
"Daddy asked if he could come in here." She replied and Mercedes rolled her eyes.
"Well you tell your daddy I said no and that I will see him when it's time." She responded with a light laugh.
"When is my brother coming?" Samantha asked, placing her hand on her mother's stomach making her smile.
"Are you sure it's a brother and not a sister?" Mercedes teased, they decided to not learn the gender until it was time because either way it was going to be new for them both.
"Mhm, my brother is in there." Samantha answered with a smile.
"Well he or she needs a little longer to cook." Mercedes said right as there was a knock on the door. "Come in."
"Are you ladies decent?" Sam asked before freezing when he saw them both looking beautiful.
"Daddy! You're supposed to wait to see mommy!" Samantha said furrowing her brows at him, making him chuckle.
"I know but I couldn't wait any longer." Sam said blushing when Mercedes smiled at him and for the first time in a while he felt like that same guy who was secretly planning a future with the woman standing in front of him.
"Well shall we?" Mercedes asked and Sam nodded, reaching for both of their hands.
Sam, Mercedes and Samantha all walked into the local courthouse and signed in for the next available slot to get married in front of the judge. They were told it would be a twenty minute wait and sat down with Samantha sitting in between them smiling brightly.
"Mommy when you marry daddy what will that make me?"
"What do you mean?" Mercedes asked, confused by her question.
"Will I be marrying daddy too?" She asked and Sam chuckled a little.
"No baby… it's more like mommy finally gets to be a part of the family because your last name is Evans and so is daddy's so after we get married my last name will be Evans too." Mercedes explained to the best of her abilities.
"So you're marrying us then?"
"Well kinda, yes."
"Evans?" They heard and saw the bailiff waiting, they all stood up and walked into the courtroom and were greeted by the judge who smiled at them.
"WAIT!" They heard and turned around seeing her parents, brother and his wife, along with Tina and Mike and to Sam's surprise his siblings were there as well.
"Did you tell them?" Mercedes whispered and Sam shook his head then they both looked at Samantha who just smiled before running over to her grandparents.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Sam asked and Diane narrowed her eyes at the both of them.
"You tried to get married without us here?" Diane scolded and they both immediately looked guilty.
"We didn't see it as that, we just-" Mercedes started before stopping when her mother shot her a knowing look.
"We are your family and we want to be here for this." Her father said and Mercedes and Sam understood.
"Evans?" The bailiff said again and Mercedes shot Sam a look before he threw his head back.
"We're sorry, we won't be doing this today." Sam informed and Samantha clapped her hands excitedly.
"Now we can show mommy the surprise!" Samantha said and Mercedes looked at her confused before her grandmother pinched her.
"What is going on?" Mercedes asked, letting out a sigh.
"Oh my God are you really telling this story again?"
"What? It's a good story."
"Please, the incredibly long and drawn out story about how mom and dad finally got it together? Besides, you two weren't even there, not until after the fact." Samantha said to her younger brother Justin and younger sister Lila.
"Wait so you were really kidnapped by dad's girlfriend!" Blake, her youngest brother asked.
Samantha sighed and looked at her watching, figuring she had just a little time to spare. "Yes and mom doesn't particularly like that I told you that so Blake, don't go repeating it." She answered.
"So did they get married? In the courthouse?" Lila asked.
"Nah, you know grandma she wasn't having any of that and neither was dad honestly. I can't say I remember the whole thing but I do remember how pretty mom looked." Samantha replied before looking down at her watch again. "Shoot."
"SAMANTHA MARIE EVANS, WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!"
"Do you really have to go?" Blake asked sadly.
Samantha smiled and picked him and hugged him tightly. "I'll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas, remember?"
Blake nodded but she could tell he really didn't understand that she wasn't leaving forever. "Are you going to be here for din din too?" He asked.
"Not for a while but I promise to call okay?" Samantha reassured him.
"Hey, what's going on up here? Your mother is about to start unpacking the car if you don't come on." Sam said to his oldest daughter.
Samantha looked at him teary eyed. "How am I supposed to leave them with you and mom?"
Sam chuckled and shook his head before grabbing Blake from her. "You do know we are the parents right? These aren't your little dolls anymore."
Mercedes walked into the room looking at her oldest daughter confused before seeing everyone all sharing the same expression. "Oh Lord, don't do this to me now. I've cried enough and I refuse to cry again. She is only going to be two hours away." She said looking at everyone else before turning to catch a stray tear.
Lila and Justin snickered. "She's always crying…" Justin muttered.
Lila nodded. "I saw her walking around with an old blanket crying the other day, I think mom's broken." She added looking at their dad.
"She can hear you and she has every right to cry. My baby's going off to college and starting her own life… without us." Mercedes said, looking at Samantha.
For a long time it was just the two of them then that whirlwind of a year happened and now thirteen years later she was leaving to start her own adventure. Sam and Mercedes had four more kids after they finally got married… their marriage. Mercedes smirked when she thought about that day because Sam and her parents had something else in mind.
Instead of being married in the court house, Sam and her parents completely decorated the BnB and surprised her with her dream wedding. It was an intimate ceremony with only close friends and family. She could still remember how beautiful everything looked but what stood out the most was how genuinely happy she was that they'd done it for her.
She knew for a fact if she wasn't already pregnant she would've been that night after the ceremony ended because even with her pregnant Sam was still insatiable. She found herself giggling when she thought about his exact words.
"Gotta make sure you get all the loving you can while you can."
"Moma don't be so dramatic, like you said I'll only be two hours away." Samantha said, interrupting her thoughts.
Mercedes walked over to her daughter seeing so much of herself in her features now that she was older. Much to Sam's disdain their daughter inherited the Jones women's physique and there had been plenty of young boys coming after her and Sam kept his promise of greeting them all at the door in an intimidating fashion.
She cupped her face and smiled at her sadly. "I'm so very proud of you." Mercedes said.
"I know moma and I'm going to be just fine." Samantha said before hugging her mother. "Besides I know dad's gonna show up to all my classes until he thinks I'm safe." She added shooting Sam a knowing look.
"You damn straight." He said getting choked up.
"Okay enough of that! Let's get you on the road and free." Mercedes said, wiping another fallen tear. Everyone piled out of Lila's room and headed downstairs to see Samantha off.
"Okay, call as soon as you make it and don't text or drive." Mercedes said.
"If the car feels shaky, pull over immediately and call me." Sam added, giving her a warm smile.
"I will and if anything happens I will call you both. You guys seriously worry too much besides dad you checked the car ten times yesterday. I think I'm good." Samantha assured before getting into her car and smiling at her parents.
"We love you baby girl." Mercedes said, wrapping her arms around Sam trying not to cry. "Just be safe okay?"
"I promise. Bye!" She said before pulling out and giving one final wave before she started driving away.
"Well… there goes our baby girl." Sam said, holding onto Mercedes tightly.
"You do realize you have three other kids right?" Lila asked, making both her parents laugh.
"She gets that from you." Sam muttered as they walked back inside.
"Mommy?" Blake asked climbing onto his parents bed where his mother was sitting.
"Mhm?"
"What happened when grandma stopped your wedding?" He asked and Mercedes sighed.
"I see your siblings have been telling you that story." She assessed and he nodded.
"Well we got married at the BnB, I was pregnant with your brother so we didn't have a honeymoon. We just stayed there and spent as much time as we could with each other before it was time to bring him home." She answered.
"What happened after that?"
Mercedes heard giggling then the sound of shuffling and more giggling.
"I don't think that's right, daddy."
"Sure it is… it's how your moma does it." Sam said looking at their daughter before looking back at their three month old son Justin. He was the spitting image of Mercedes and apparently had it out for Sam.
"He's gonna start crying." Samantha warned.
Sam picked up Justin and shook his head. "Nah, he's gonna be chill and we're gonna let your moma sleep in, isn't that right little guy?"
Sam smiled at his son and he just looked at him before scrunching his tiny little face up and poking his lip out.
"Oh don't do this to me little guy, I'm trying." Sam pleaded and started gently bouncing the infant up and down to help sooth him.
"Mommy doesn't do it that way…"
Sam looked at his daughter and sighed. "You're not helping."
"Am too, mommy rubs his tummy first then pats him on the back." Samantha replied with a smile.
"Ahem."
They both turned around and saw Mercedes standing there looking amused and slightly concerned.
"Who woke him up?" She asked, looking at the both of them suspiciously.
"Daddy!" Samantha blurted and Sam looked at her like she'd betrayed him.
"No more late night ice cream for you, traitor." Sam muttered.
Mercedes shook her head before reaching for their son but Sam took a step and turned away from her.
"No, you go back to bed and I've got this." He said waving her off.
Mercedes shot him a knowing look. "You sure? He looks like he's about to spit up."
Sam held their son up and looked at him before shaking his head. "He looks fine." He replied right before Blake spit up all over his face, making him gag and hand him over to a laughing Mercedes.
"Told you, mommy does it differently." Samantha said, shaking her head and walking out of the room.
"Daddy's still learning, you gotta be a nice little guy." Mercedes said cooing at their son who was all smiles now. "Did you burp him in between his feeding?"
Sam wiped his face and sniffed the milk. "I don't understand how fresh milk can smell like that after it comes back up."
"Well throw up usually doesn't smell great so." She teased, while changing Blake into a new onesie. She smiled looking at him, he looked a lot like her but a little like Sam too. "I wouldn't mind another one."
Sam looked over at his wife with a wide smile. "I thought you said you're never doing that again before hitting me." He responded, walking over to her and hugging her from behind.
"I did but another one wouldn't actually hurt…right?"
"I want as many as you will give me and we can start working on the next now if you want." He replied, kissing her on her neck.
She giggled before nudging him away. "Not in front of the baby." She said picking Blake up and handing him back to Sam. "Besides, I have to go pump. You get to make sure Sammi's ready for school."
Sam smirked before grabbing her hand with his free hand, pulling her into him. "I love you." He said kissing her and she smiled, kissing him back.
"I love you too baby."
Diane shook her head looking at her daughter and Sam. "Blake isn't even nine months and you're what?" She asked and they both smiled.
"We're expecting." Sam said excitedly and Matthew snickered at the look on his wife's face.
"Expecting what exactly?" Diane asked, needing clarification.
Mercedes covered her mouth trying not to laugh. "A baby mommy." She answered and Diane shook her head again.
"Two babies and y'all haven't even married a whole year…" She said. "I'm happy about this but goodness, give your marriage a chance to blossom too."
"What about me?" Blake interrupted and she smiled.
"You came much later and you were a very big surprise." Mercedes answered.
Blake smiled. "I was?" He asked happily.
"Mhm, because mommy didn't know you were in here." She said pointing at her stomach and Blake touched her stomach.
"Is there another me in there?" Mercedes heard Sam snickering and grabbed a pillow then threw it in his direction.
"Maybe…" She answered and Blake took a moment before asking another question.
"Is Gaga happy about it?"
Mercedes sighed and Sam laughed harder. "Well baby, we haven't told your grandmother yet."
"When are they coming back over?"
"Tomorrow, remember? We're all going to help Samantha get the rest of her things moved into her dorm." She answered and Blake nodded right as his other siblings came and sat down next to their mother.
Mercedes made room for her other kids so that they were all snuggled up on the couch and she smiled at them before looking over at Sam who was in his office, he looked up from what he was doing and smiled at her before mouthing I love you to her.
"Will Sammie come back?" Justin asked and Mercedes felt tears forming. She still couldn't believe her baby was off to college, she thought back on all the crazy ups and downs and looked at her family feeling full.
"When is uncle Stevie and Auntie Stacey coming back?" Lila asked.
"They'll all be here tomorrow along with grandma Mary." Mercedes answered.
Sam smiled listening to Mercedes and their kids talking as he finally finished the last page of his graphic novel, she was right they had lost a lot of time but managed to get it back and then some. He looked down at his work before placing it in its sleeve and putting it away to retouch later, he promised Mercedes that he would take a break and figured this was the best time.
Right as he sat down the front door flung open and they all looked seeing Samantha standing there teary eyed.
"Oh baby girl, what's wrong?" Mercedes asked as Samantha walked over to them.
"I knew something was wrong with you car." Sam said furrowing his eyebrows.
Samantha laughed. "There's nothing wrong with my car, dad." She said getting choked up.
"Then what's wrong?" Mercedes asked, watching her carefully wiggle her way in between Justin and Sam.
"I… just figured one more day wouldn't hurt besides you were all coming up tomorrow right?" She replied and Mercedes smiled, holding her hand out for Samantha to grab.
"Right, there's always tomorrow." She repeated happily that her baby decided to stay an extra day.
"Mom's never gonna stop crying." Justin said, making Lila giggle. Mercedes rolled her eyes and hit him with a pillow.
"Wait, you never finished telling me what happened." Blake said.
Mercedes smiled at her youngest child before wrapping him up in her arms. "Life happened baby."
Blake shot her a confused look and she laughed. "Me and your dad lost a lot of time because of things we couldn't control." She clarified and Sam nodded.
"And this is the result of us finally realizing that… You, your brother and sisters." Sam chimed in and Blake seemed to accept that answer.
"Well now that that's over, I say we have an old fashioned Evans movie night!" Samantha said and her siblings all cheered.
"Well go grab the blankets and pillows. Me and your dad will order the pizzas." Mercedes said, smiling as their kids ran off to do just that.
Sam moved closer and wrapped an arm around her. "We did pretty good huh?"
"I think so." She said resting her head on his shoulder. "But you're getting a vasectomy, damn near forty having another baby."
Sam chuckled. "I think I'm okay with that besides if memory serves me you weren't complaining when this little surprise was being made." He teased.
"Well I am now." She joked back. "Were you able to get your novel done?"
Sam nodded, nudging her up before running back into his office to grab it. "I did." He said, handing it to her.
Mercedes looked at the cover smiling reading the title.
"A Love Lost Then Found. I like that." She said, getting teary-eyed. Sam sat next to her and for the briefest moment it was like they'd just moved into the place, quiet and the two of them just being before they heard their kids running down the stairs laughing and throwing pillows over the banister.
"A love lost then found." Sam repeated before they both sprung into action to get movie night going.
The End. I hope it doesn't feel rushed.
