Sadie and Jarvis Sampson tried for years to have a baby, using every method they could think of. They eventually accepted that they might only ever be an aunt and uncle. Then, one day, they got a text that changed their lives completely.
The couple had been trying to get pregnant since they got married in January 2018, but when it didn’t happen on its own, they tried everything else.
“We used ovulation tests, took prenatal vitamins, tracked cycles with apps, and used fertility monitors,” the Houston mom told Love What Matters.
“We even tried advice from friends, family, and strangers. For 14 months, we tried, prayed, and waited. Month after month, it was always a negative pregnancy test. It seemed like we might need help to conceive, so we even talked to doctors about it.”
Doctors didn’t offer much help to the couple. They mostly told Sadie to lose weight to improve her chances of getting pregnant. With no other advice, she had gastric surgery and lost 28 pounds.
Sadie’s OBGYN was excited about the weight loss and praised her for it.
“She told me that if I wasn’t pregnant within six months, she would refer me to a fertility specialist because she couldn’t prescribe fertility medication herself,” Sadie said. “I was thrilled! We finally got a positive step forward, even if it wasn’t immediate. We were excited about the progress.”
Unfortunately, the couple didn’t get pregnant after Sadie lost the weight, and they felt like they were back where they started.
“I always felt like I was meant to be a mother,” Sadie said. “Even though my surgeon warned me that I’d be very fertile after the surgery, I still wasn’t getting pregnant. So, we gave up and accepted that we might just be aunt and uncle to our nieces and godparents to our goddaughters.”
Just when the couple had decided to stop trying to have a baby, Sadie got a text from a friend asking if they would think about fostering a baby from a couple she knew.
At first, the couple was hesitant because they were told by a caseworker to take care of the baby while the birth mom was getting treatment. They worried they might get too attached. But then, the situation changed.
“The birth mom has decided she wants you to adopt the baby instead,” the caseworker said.
Sadie remembered saying, “‘Holy crap!!’ out loud when she found out she was going to be a mom.
“We went from having no kids to possibly fostering one, to suddenly being told, ‘You’re going to be parents!’ I was still in shock as I listened to the caseworker. I hung up and called my husband, shouting, ‘Babe!! They want us to adopt the baby! We’re going to be parents!’ He said, ‘Wait! REALLY?! I thought they just wanted us to foster him!’ I told him, ‘Nope! They want us to be his mom and dad.’”
The couple spent the weekend trying to take in the shocking news and getting ready, just in case the birth mom changed her mind.
By Monday, they were not only told that the birth mom still wanted them to adopt the baby, but she also wanted to do an independent adoption and was ready to sign the papers that day.
Their baby boy was born at just 33 weeks, which is seven weeks early. He weighed 4 lbs. 5 oz. “He was so tiny, he literally fit in one of my husband’s hands,” Sadie wrote.
“He was wrapped in a white blanket with pink and blue stripes,” Sadie said. “He had a small tube coming out of his nose because he couldn’t eat on his own since he was born early. But he was so cute!!!”
The couple shared their news on social media and were encouraged to create a registry. They listed 72 items, and within just three days, 55 of them were already bought for them.
Ezra Lee’s adoption was finalized in October 2020, and the couple had adorable family photos taken, all wearing t-shirts that said, “Families don’t have to match.”
In 2021, Sadie and Jarvis became parents to twin girls, Journee and Destinee, through embryo donation. True to their family motto, “Families don’t have to match,” the Black couple now has three white children – a boy and two girls.
For anyone who might judge their beautiful family, they have just one response: their family is built on the strongest foundation ever – love.
Husband Texts He’s in a Business Meeting & Cancels Our Date—I Saw Him Leaving Work at the Same Time
Leighton, after witnessing how her parents celebrated their anniversary, is sure about one thing — when she gets married, she will do just that. But when her anniversary rolls around, her husband skips their romantic dinner and lies about a meeting. Curiosity prevails, and Leighton follows Josh, only to find him at a motel with the first person he ever loved. Is there a hidden truth, or is the story exactly what it looks like?
I grew up in a home where anniversaries were important and had to be celebrated. It was just something that my parents always paid extra attention to.
My mother would bake a cake every year on their anniversary, even if my father had dinner plans for them.
A woman and little girl decorating a cake | Source: Pexels
“It’s important to celebrate a marriage, Leighton,” my mother would say.
And she would usually be decorating the cake at this point.
“I mean, you’ll understand it one day,” she said. “But married life is difficult, and that’s why you have to celebrate making it another year.”
A little girl decorating a cake | Source: Pexels
Since then, I knew that if I ever got married, wedding anniversaries would be a big deal.
And then I met Josh, who seemed to understand the importance of it — or at least, the sentimentality of it all.
So, the other day was our sixth anniversary, and because it was the middle of the week, there just wasn’t going to be enough time to plan something intimate at home.
A newlywed couple at the beach | Source: Pexels
A dinner out was going to be our best option.
“It’s not a bad idea, Leighton,” Josh said when I told him that we had to settle on that.
“It’s much easier, anyway,” I said, thinking about the fuss of getting home and having to cook an elaborate dinner after a long day at the office.
The weekend before our anniversary, I went shopping and got Josh a new set of ties — my husband was into his tie collection and was always looking to add to it.
A couple at a restaurant | Source: Pexels
Then, on the day, I arranged to pick Josh up from work, excited for our romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant.
I left work a little earlier than usual and parked across the road from Josh’s building, waiting for him to leave work. I sat in the car, reapplying my lipstick and sorting my hair out. I sang along to the radio and waited.
Twenty minutes later, Josh still hadn’t come out. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer either.
A woman driving a car | Source: Pexels
Eventually, I sent him a text:
Hey, honey! I’m waiting outside — I’m parked across the flower shop.
Not even a minute later, my phone pinged with a text message notification.
Caught up in a meeting, don’t wait for me. I’ll see you at home.
A flower shop exterior | Source: Pexels
My heart sank. I understood the importance of work — especially because Josh loved his job, and he always brought work home, often going through spreadsheets in bed at night.
I was disappointed, I mean, it was our special day. But I knew that these things were sometimes beyond our control. I picked up my phone to reply before driving off.
A woman turning around in the driver’s seat | Source: Pexels
Sure, see you later.
Starting the car, I could only think about sinking my teeth into a sugary donut.
“You can’t keep eating your feelings,” I told myself. “But today calls for it.”
Just then, I saw Josh push open the building door, his briefcase at his side, and his phone in his hand.
A person holding a donut | Source: Pexels
He walked briskly to an unfamiliar car and slid in — not even glancing to see if I was around.
Moments ago, I could imagine eating a donut, now I could only taste confusion and betrayal thick on my tongue.
Of course, I followed him. I needed to know who was driving the car and where they were headed.
I needed to know who my husband would rather spend our anniversary with if not me.
A parked car | Source: Pexels
I followed the car for about fifteen minutes before it started to slow down — we were just outside of town now. There were fewer buildings around, and it was quieter. If anything, the air seemed lighter and fresh.
“What are you up to, Josh?” I asked the silence around me.
A person driving down a lonely road | Source: Pexels
Eventually, the car led me to a decrepit motel on the outskirts of the city. I watched, hidden by the shadows, as my husband got out of the car. Moments later, another man stepped out of the car.
He was also in a suit, holding onto a stack of paperwork. But he walked in another direction — to the motel office, it seemed.
A man in a suit | Source: Pexels
Josh, on the other hand, walked straight up to a room. He knocked once, opened the door, and disappeared into a room.
I couldn’t sit back any longer. My feet moved on their own accord across the street, and there I was, outside the door that was slightly ajar.
A murmur of voices seeped out, spilling onto the pavement.
The exterior of a motel room | Source: Pexels
Pushing the door open, my eyes landed on a scene that knocked the wind out of me.
There was Josh, sitting at a little table, surrounded by paperwork. Directly across from him was a woman. But it wasn’t just any woman, it was Sophia — Josh’s first love.
I couldn’t understand what was happening. It was our anniversary, and Josh was here, in a run-down motel with the first woman he had loved.
It made no sense, but at the same time, a story seemed to be unfolding.
A couple sitting at a table | Source: Pexels
“Happy anniversary,” I said, the words laced with bitterness.
My husband leaped up, his face full of shock and his mouth hanging open.
“Leighton,” he said. “It’s not what it looks like!”
Sophia, her face flushed with surprise, began gathering the papers.
“Then what is it?” I asked. “You skipped dinner for whatever this is.”
My voice broke, teetering on the edge of anger and sorrow.
A shocked man | Source: Pexels
“No, Leighton, listen,” Sophia interjected, her voice calm, trying to soothe the storm.
“What are those papers for?” I asked.
I couldn’t see what they were, but my mind was convinced that they were divorce papers. Why else would my husband be sitting in a motel room with another woman?
A pile of paperwork on a table | Source: Unsplash
“Darling,” Josh said, taking a step toward me. “We’re planning to buy this motel.”
“What?” I asked, genuinely surprised by the turn of events.
“We thought that it would make a perfect business venture,” Sophia said. “This isn’t about me, Leighton. I just have the contacts to help it happen. The man who drove Josh here is my husband. He’s sorting out the final paperwork with the owner, who happens to be his brother-in-law.”
My husband nodded earnestly, adding, “I wanted this to be our new start, something that you and I could build together. To create a legacy for ourselves. This was supposed to be official last week, but there was a delay with the owner.”
A smiling man | Source: Pexels
“We only had this evening to sign everything,” Sophia chirped in.
The room was thick with tension as I processed their words.
“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” my voice softened as my heart rate slowed down.
Sophia looked from Josh to me and back to the pile of paperwork. She helped herself to a piece of candy from the dish in front of her.
A bowl of candy | Source: Unsplash
“I thought keeping it a surprise until everything was set would be… I don’t know, more special?” he said.
He looked down at the dirty carpet beneath our feet.
“So, what now?” I asked, looking at my watch.
“The moment my husband gets back with the signed documents, Josh can sign, and we’ll be done here,” Sophia said, picking up her handbag.
A woman holding her handbag | Source: Pexels
“Have a seat,” Josh said, pulling out a chair for me. “The moment I sign, we can get out of here.”
Sophia excused herself, claiming that she wanted to check out the vending machine because she was starving.
“You really just wanted this to be a surprise?” I asked Josh.
“Of course,” he said. “I’ve been looking into property for a while now. I want it to be our safety net in terms of finances.”
A vending machine | Source: Pexels
We sat together and spoke for a little while longer before Sophia and her husband came in, carrying the stack of paperwork that I had seen him holding earlier.
“Almost done now,” Sophia said, handing Josh a pen.
A little while later, we were in my car, with Josh driving us home.
A person signing a document | Source: Pexels
“I know it’s late, and that we have missed our reservation,” he said. “But let’s get some dinner anyway.”
We went to a diner not too far away from our home.
“No more secrets, Josh,” I said as our food arrived.
“I promise,” he said, reaching for my hand across the table, his eyes earnest.
As we drove home, I realized that although the night had not gone as planned, perhaps it needed to have been that way. With a promise renewed and a future venture to embark on together.
The exterior of a restaurant | Source: Pexels
But as Josh showered that evening, I pulled out the anniversary cake that I had gotten the day before. As it had been my parents’ tradition, I wanted it to become ours.
I surprised Josh with the cake as he was getting into bed.
“This is better than a fancy dinner,” he said.
After seeing the motel, I know that there’s going to be a lot of time and dedication going into it. At least while we try to make it our own.
I have paint swatches and room layouts already planned in my head.
A woman holding a cake | Source: Pexels
What would you have done?
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