Thanksgiving day had arrive and Stephen was more excited than ever. He had woken up earlier than everyone in the house. Made his way to his study and was wrapping Ravens gift as her and the children slept.

He had been waiting for this day for over a month now and it had finally come. Changes were finally being made in their relationship. And the surprise he had planned for tonight's dinner would bring many more.

Hours had passed and Stephen had lost track of time while completing paperwork for the office. He knew he shouldn't have been working but money never sleeps. Looking at the large wall clock above his 65" television he was shocked at how long he had actually worked.

It was now a quarter to three and everyone had began to arrived or had arrived already and been there for hours now. Everything was moving so fast.

Raven finally made her way into the room breaking his concentration. She wore her hair down and the low cut V-neck romper she was wearing fit her well. The longer he stared at her the more antsy she became.

"Stop looking at me like that, your making me self conscious." She finally blurred out breaking his trance.

"My fault. Nobody told you to look that good."

Her smile always seemed to brighten his day, even with the large gap she sported.

"Im huge and your child is making things a lot worse than the twins did. Look at hips and my boobs. They were never this wide or this swollen with the twins and now.... shaking my head never again E."

He chuckled while closing his workbook. He could never focus when Raven was around. Everything about her made him loose his train of thought and become uneasy. His palms got sweaty, he could feel himself become tongue tied. But he hid it well.

"Nahhhhh you told daddy you would have more so I'll give you a year between this one and the next one."

She shook her head not wanting to argue with him. But she knew he was right. Their family would expand probably larger than what Stephen asked.

Making their way through the house the two stopped and conversed with different family members who passed their children around. Around six everyone had finally arrived and it was time to eat.

Each person made their plate and made their way to a seat. they all gathered around the dinner table plates full and stomaches empty.

"Nobody touches their food until we say grace."

The faint sound of smacking lips and laughs filled the dinning area.

"Come on now son. You know black folks starve them selves all day on thanksgiving. Hurry it up."

"Ok ok."

Stephen pulled a chair for Raven letting her sit first a child on each side of them.

"Pops say prayer."

Everyone bowed their heads and joined heads.

"Dear lord I just want to thank you for allowing us all to be here today as a family and allowing this meal we're about to receive to bring the nourishment that our body needs oh lord. I want to thank you for allowing us all to wake up this morning, happy and healthy and willing. In your holy name we pray amen."

"Amen" they all repeat in somewhat of a unison.

They all began to eat and Stephen stands holding the box.

"I want to start a new tradition for our a family. Something I didn't do growing up. Let's all share something we're thankful for. I'll start."

He looked to Raven then looked between his two children before speaking again.

"I'm thankful for my wife and everything she's ever done for me, sticking by me, loving me even when I made it hard. My family, my business. Which is now our business. I'm giving Raven fifty percent and stock in the company. She'll have two shops opening up soon to start her brand expansion. One in her home town and another in New York. We'll also be expanding our family soon." He says smiling down at her.

But her father wasn't smiling. His daughter had just turned twenty and was on her third child already.

"What do you mean soon? Are y'all planning for one? Stephen I'd hate to have to kill you before Christmas son." Her father said unamused.

Raven rolled her eyes knowing that her father would take it too far. Richard could be out of hand when it came to his children Raven especially.

"I wanted to keep it a secret until the baby was born but ... surprise ... I'm pregnant."

Congratulations exploded through the room as they all finished eating and began to work on their second and third plates.

"Ray can I talk to you?"

She made her way into the corridor with her father and kept her eyes trained on her black moccasins. As much as she wanted to be an adult her father still intimidated her.

"What the fuck are you thinking?"

"Daddy I know I'm making mistakes but it'll all work out I promise."

He shook his head. Disappointment spread across his face rapidly. The more she talked the more upset he became. Stephen was making her a baby machine.

"I want you back at home with me."

"Daddy I can't just leave."

"I also didn't give you permission to leave."

"I didn't really have a choice. I was pregnant and didn't want you guys to know."

Raven was getting close to getting snatched up and dragged from the house. She was pissing her father off and he hated Stephen more than ever at this point.

"Ok and now you're pregnant again Raven. Do you know how old you are? You have almost as many kids as me and i didn't have my first one until I was twenty four."

Raven rolled her eyes. Tired of the conversation before it had even begun. Richard didn't even know the half of it. And Raven wasn't exactly in a position to tell him everything.

"If you love me you'll leave this situation alone. I'm fine Father. Me and Stephen have discussed this already. If I was in danger I wou..."

Mid sentence Stephen joins the two in the corridor.

"Hey baby. Everything ok?"

"Nah everything not ok, you keep putting kids in my daughter."

Stephen snickers a little. Richard was going to piss him off. This conversation didn't need to be had especially not at this moment. Not while their whole family was around. The whole conversation would lead to the two of them yelling and Raven crying.

"I'm not doing anything that she doesn't like."

"I'll kill you son."

"Daddy, it's fine he's right. We planned for this and were planning for three more. This ones on me."

"Ray do you hear yourself? You not even the same girl I dropped off at college a year ago. What happened to no kids until you've traveled and did everything thing you wanted to do?"

"Ray he's not doing anything but trying to make you feel bad. We're good you got your business. You own half of mine. We can travel whenever we want to baby with or without the kids. Just walk away from this conversation."

Stephen grabbed her hand hoping she would walk away following behind him. Because let's face it her father was right, Victoria was right, her therapist was. Every one was right about the situation but it had all happened so fast that Raven had settled.

Standing there tears began to fall and she pulled her hand away. Richard made his way to her rubbing the tears away with his thumbs. But as soon as he engulfed her in a hug the waterworks began. Raven wanted out at least for a while.

By the time she was finished Stephen had walked away and reunited with the family. Everyone was worried about Ray. Maybe it was her hormones, maybe it was her father, maybe it was her common sense finally kicking in. But she had finally made her decision. When Stephen went away for business she would go travel seeing as tho she wasn't that far along in her pregnancy.

"Daddy I'll fix it. I'm not getting rid of the kid and I'll probably still have three more but I'm going to do everything that I told you I would."

He nodded not wanting to talk anymore and walked back into the living room with everyone else.

Raven made her way upstairs excusing herself from family because the baby was "tiring her out". Getting into bed her room door opens back up.

"Hey beautiful can I talk to you?"

"Yeah V."

Victoria slipped out of her shoes and next to her best friend in bed.

"Find something good. I'm staying with you tonight."

They both laughed as Raven selected All American on Netflix and pulled a bowl full of snacks from her bedside table.

"Wussup, what happened with Rich?"

"Same thing that happened with you. He's upset with the fact that I'm on my third child already."

"Yeah what's all that about?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. But what I do wanna talk about is you staying and traveling with me with this summer. All on me."

"You serious?"

"Dead ass. You, me, the twins. Twelve weeks worth of traveling the world. You pick six places you wanna go and I'll pick six."

"I'm in. But what about Steph?"

"E has his own life. And he has a business trip for conferences and meetings in Cancun alllllll summer. We're good sis."