Time was starting to fly New Years had past and the Ace's were still together fixing their broken family. The two hadn't been having as much sex as they did when Raven was pregnant with the twins but Stephen was always but under her. Popping up at the shop, taking her to work with him, random date nights. Raven loved every moment of it.

They were finally rekindling the love they once had. Tonight they had stayed in, Stephen cooked, and they binge watched scary movies until they fell asleep.

The sound of children spitting raspberries pulled Raven from her peaceful slumber. Rolling over to peek at the clock the time read 3:47 am. Her children were up and making as much noise as possible. Raven pulled herself out of Stephens grip and made her way into the nursery to tend to the twins.

Walking in she realized Elijah had made his way back to sleep leaving Robyn up by herself. Robyn stood holding the rails on the crib blowing raspberries at her mother. Raven pulled her from the crib and sat in the rocking chair to attempt to put her back to sleep.

"Sometimes these walls seem to cave in on me

When I look in your eyes, I feel alive

Some days we say words that don't mean a thing. But when you holding me tight, I feel alive. Make it last forever. Come one baby won't you hold on to me, hold on to me. You and I together. Come one baby won't you hold on to me, hold on to me"

Raven sat singing Blue by Beyoncé until her child began to close her little eyes again. Everything about Robyn made her heart flutter and skip a beat. Her children were perfect no matter how much they got into.

Stephen stood in the doorway watching and listening to his wife. Her voice was everything. How could he not get things right this go round?

"Oh hey. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

He grabs Robyn from her and she gets comfortable on his shoulder. She was his world. I mean both of his kids were his everything but he felt as though Robyn loved him the most. Elijah always wined and wanted his mother every time he was around.

Feeling his phone began to vibrate he grabbed it from his sweats and tossed it to Raven. Looking at the number she didn't recognize she answered and put it on speaker thinking it was just a scam caller.

"Hey um. I know you told me not to call but umm. Can you come over?"

The room was silent while the couple stared between each other. Raven shooting daggers into his soul. She tossed his phone into the rocking chair and grabbed Robyn from him before retreating back into the room making sure to slam the door.

"Yo if I tell you not to call why the fuck would you still call?"

"Come on Duce we both know the baby's your's why do you keep trying to play me?"

"I'm not doing this shit with you Dreama. I told you lemme do a DNA test. If the kid mine then so be it but that shit not mine and you know it. That's why you won't let me get the test done."

"So you saying you don't miss what we had?"

"What the fuck did we have other than sex? Yo you trippin calling my shit at 4 in the morning. We getting that test done this week even if I gotta get the court to make you do it we getting it done. Now get the fuck off my phone."

He hung up making his way into the room trying to cuddle up with Raven and Robyn but she wasn't having it.

"I thought you were done. You said that problem was fixed."

"I thought so too. But imma get it handled by the end of the week."

She rolled her eyes before rolling over. She prayed that her husband wasn't stupid enough to tell these women what he actually did for a living. They would eventually become a problem and want a payout if they knew how much he made.

His hands wrapped around her waist pulling her closer to him.

"Stop being mad at daddy."

"You're making me look stupid yet again. Do these bitches even know what you do?"

She sat up placing her daughter in the bedside crib.

"No, why does that matter tho?"

"No bitch is going to pin a baby on a broke nigga. What did you tell her you do?"

"I work for my dad."

"I'm not finna play twenty one fuckin questions with you Stephen."

"I told her I flip houses with him in the Cumberland area."

"The bitch thinks you have money. Cumberland is boujee as hell. You think flipping them houses and selling them is cheap ?"

If she'd rolled her eyes any harder they would fall out of her head. He wasn't going to stress her out tho.

She stuck her hand into his sweats grabbing his phone and redialing the number. This shit was ending now. Not tomorrow morning, not Friday, not next week, right now. She wasn't being as lady like as she had began to develop herself as. He was bringing the hood rat back out of her and that wouldn't end well.

Raven was never the type to confront a female she would just leave. No explanation. One wasn't needed.

The phone rang four times before the girl finally answered. Raven took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm not taking that test you stupid ass nigga it's yours."

"Hey love, this isn't Duce. This is his wife."

"His wife?"

"So he didn't tell you either great. But um I'm going to say this as simple and civilized as I can so that you understand it ok? Im setting an appointment up for the test tomorrow I just need you to meet me there because I'm taking one too to make sure my baby's his."

He looked surprised. He knew the child was his. He was the one that made love to her and left her filled with his seamen. He was the one that had planted his seed. But now she was making him think.

What if David left because Raven was already pregnant? What if the divorce papers were a coverup for their affair? What if he had just given half of his company to a woman that was carrying the child of his once childhood friend? What if they had planned the whole falling out and Raven having sex with him just to cover up their sneaking around?

The girl sounded hesitant for a moment before finally agreeing to meet up with Raven.

"Ok sure just send me the location and other info and I'll meet you there."

"Ok cool. And if the baby's his I'll sign the divorce papers on the spot and you can have him."

After hanging up Stephen sat there dumbfounded while his wife got back comfortable. He could feel the anger and betrayal igniting inside of him.

She wouldn't.

The baby was his.

Why would she lie?

"Babe?"

"Goodnight Steph."

He could feel his nose heating as his nostrils flared and his heartbeat began to increase. She was going to make him snap. After all the hard work he had done in rehab this would be the stick that broke the camels back.

"Get the fuck up."

"No."

"Raven. Sit up. Now!"

She sat up frantically wondering what she had said or done to piss him off. Then she remembered.

"It was a joke, I was just trying to get her to take the test which she is. Me and David hadn't had sex since you caught us."

"We'll see tomorrow."

"Are you serious?"

He nodded his head and laid back down making himself comfortable.

"You're so full of shit. You make thirty thousand fuckin mistakes and I have to instantly forgive you and trust you again. But I make one fuckin mistake and you won't even drop it. After you tried to kill him and you beat the shit out of me."

"That shits done with."

"And the rest of your mistakes aren't. If it's your baby when the results come back I'm taking the kids. You can have my fifty percent of the company back and I'll sell my stocks. The stores you're trying to open up for me. Don't even bother. And I won't be putting you on child support but you'll have limited visitation and it'll be monitored."

"So you just gone take my kids and leave? Where y'all going ? I own the house, the car, all the money in the bank account. Where could you possibly go?"

She looked at him surprised. That was his favorite thing to do still. List all his possessions but this time Raven wasn't on that list.

"With a different man." And with that she walked out of the room slamming the door.

Robyn erupted in tears frightened from her sleep. Her father picking her up effortlessly and tossing her over his shoulder to calm her.

He lie back on the bed his daughter in his chest sucking away at her fingers while she sleep.

The two hadn't had a bad day in a while but this had to be the worst. She was upset he was trying to keep calm but he hated her keeping her distance. Stephen wanted to talk things out. He was a man now and men talked instead of blowing things off.

More hours went by the situation got worse. Raven has left the house this morning without warning and still hadn't come home. Elijah was throwing fits every now and then but Stephen was finally learning how to deal with them.

As the night grow longer she still wasn't home, wasn't picking up her phone, wasn't at her shop. It was like she had just vanished into thin air. Until a picture popped up on his phone.

Raven has taken a trip to Dreama's house to meet her before the appointment tomorrow and had taken pictures with her and the baby. Stephens phone became flooded with plenty photos and the more he got the more he could tell he was right. Dreamas' baby wasn't his. The little boy looked nothing like him and Stephen had strong genes. Even the twins looked more like him than Raven they just had her features.

He replied asking her to come home. Just to hear her phone buzz in the kitchen. What was he going to do with this woman?

She walked through the door shoving French fries in her face while trying to shut the door.

"I got it baby."

Stephen got up making sure the door was locked and secured and the alarm was set.

"How'd it go with the twins today?"

"It was alright."

She nodded her head and proceeded to stuff her face with waffle fries. She missed her children all day and the one growing inside of her was causing her to eat so unhealthy and gain so much unwanted weight. But she had also missed eating Chick-fil-a.

She stood in the kitchen scrolling through her phone. Marketing her products. Making sure her shipments and inventory were all running smoothly. She was working harder than ever and money was rolling in faster than she could ship.

Stephen mad his way behind her caressing her belly. He loved the shape she was getting. Her hips were wider and her breast had grown. She was gaining a little extra weight and he liked it. Not that he didn't like her before but she was starting to look the way she had always wanted to look. The way that she described herself to him all those nights in college.

"Stop touching my fat."

"Don't start. You know you're beautiful just the way you are. Andddddd after this baby I'm done putting kids in you."

She pulled away to look back at him. What happened to the whole wanting more and filling the house?

"What? why?"

"Your dads right. I want you to go back to school. I'm gonna go back too. We'll finish our degrees and be the people we want our kids to be in the future. Ok? And I want you to travel, see the world, expand your business and your "

"Why now ? Why not before all of this?"

He knew he had been selfish and couldn't help the fact that he had made her put her life on hold. But Stephen needed to know that Raven would be his forever.

"How do you expect me to finish school with three kids Steph? You're never home, we're definitely not getting a nanny, and our kids aren't even one yet."

"Look the spring semester hasn't even started yet. You're a little behind but we're going to fix this. Come on Ray I'm going to work with you. I've already signed us both up for spring classes. All online."

"Whatever."

"Stop being mean."

"Fuck you."

He picked her up placing her on the kitchen counter. She looked over his face his raised eyebrow made her giggle a little. Stephen kept his eyes closed as his wife ran her small fingers over his face. He loved this woman more than anything in the world.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

And he believed her every time. He planted small kisses on the fabric covering her belly. As excited as he was he prayed she was having another boy. They would all be so close in age and he knew he couldn't handle having two teenage girls in the long run.

He didn't want to deal with the boys and drama that came along with it. And he definitely didn't want them in any situations like the one he put their mother in. He wanted his kids to be well rounded and respect themselves.

Although he and Raven weren't saints he wanted them to wait until they got married to have sex and have kids. Everything he wasn't able to do he wanted them to do. Respect their partner, love themselves.

"You're a great mother.... and a damn good wife. I don't know what I'd do without you."