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I could not keep the smile off of my face even if I tried. I was happy. They were home. They were back in our arms. They were back home where they belonged.

"Daddy?"

I squatted down in front of Aiden. He has recently taken back up calling me 'Daddy' much like his twin sister and their mama. I won't tell them that though. At least not yet, no need to scar them young. I'll save that for a rainy day in the future.

"Yes, figlio?", I asked.

"Can I stay with you for a while?", he asked.

"Of course, baby boy. I would love nothing more", I responded earning a smile from my son.

I booped his nose causing him to let out a whine. I chuckled standing upright to my full height. Everyone was here celebrating our union as a family again. Our parents, friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, and those that are left of our grandparents were all present. Everyone wore smiles on their faces as they shared this moment with us.

"I missed you, Papa", Aiden muttered shyly.

I smiled softly pulling him into my side. "I missed you too, kid. You never told me how it was like when you two were away from us? You do-"

"It's okay, dad. I want to", he said cutting me off.

I fell silent allowing him the floor. Although there were so many people around, him and so were not in earshot of the others. We had a bit of privacy despite being in view of everyone.

He took a deep breath before he began to speak. I listened intently as he told me of the month, nearly two months spent away from us. He was treated fairly, but he had missed us a great deal. They had missed us. He told me that they were afraid that they would never see us again. I became choked up a bit as I listened to him speak.

"We know that you and mama not our real parents because they told us, but to us you are. You take care of us and make us feel safe. You and mama feel like home, papa", he whispered so no-one else would hear.

A tear escaped my eye. We did not want to have this conversation with them being so young. We wanted to tell them at an older age where they could easier articulate their questions and understand the gravity of the conversation. We have told them once before already, but they had only one question in their young minds. 'Are you two our mommy and daddy now?'

Just a reassurance that our bond has not changed. That our bond is still the same. Father to son. Father to daughter, and the same with their mother. They already knew, but we did not speak of it again. They are our children.

"You guys feel like home for us too, figlio", I muttered pulling him onto my lap embracing him.

His little arms went around my neck while my arms went around his small midsection. I held him tight, a few of my tears falling onto his shirt wetting it.

"Don't cry, Papa. You make me cry too", he said softly, his voice wobbling indicating that he too was about to cry as well.

I felt his little arms tighten around my neck.

"I love you, Aiden. I missed you both so much. Don't ever go, please?", I plead hugging him tighter, placing kisses to his head as more tears spilled from my eyes.

"Papa", he whispered, small tears falling onto my shoulder wetting my shirt.

That is how my baby and Aryan found us. Huddled together, embracing one another tightly.

"My babies", Omi's familiar voice cooed before two more sets of arms joined our embrace.

I finally felt whole again. I could rest more easily knowing that they are home again. Naomi had not been the only one to suffer substantially. I lost sleep too. I did not eat as much either. I worried just as much as she did, all the while trying to reassure my wife that they would be back home with us soon.

We had one another, but it had not been the same. We could not go back to life as we knew it. We could not back to life before them. They had become a part of us. Without them, we felt incomplete. Our bond with our children had been stretched thin, but it would never be broken.

"This shit so cute! Look, Lucky! They huggin'!"

"The angst my heart feels looking at this shit."

"Stop got damn cursing. There's kids around, fool."

Smack!

"Ow! But you did it first so hit your own got damn fu-"

Smack!

"Dammit, Lelita!"

Smack!

"Stop, cursing!"

"I didn't sign up for this bullstuff. I'm takin' my ass away from you, you abusive billy goat."

"If I'm a bully goat what does that make you, bastard?"

"A farmer, meeeh!"

Swoosh!

"Ha, you missed. You gotta be quicker than that!"

I could not hold it any longer. Burying my face into my baby's neck I burst out laughing. My shoulders shook violently as I tried to keep in my laughter. I failed and a boisterous laughter burst past my lips. Naomi was right behind me giggling as I laughed into her neck. The twins giggling away between us in our embrace.

We may have looked crazy to those who saw us just standing in a huddle laughing seemingly at nothing. I was not even sure what we were laughing at anymore after a while. Eventually we moved on from the madness after realizing how off our rocker we looked.

"Baby, can you bring me another beer?", I called Omi who was headed inside the back door of the house.

Mostly everyone had gone home. No-one was left aside for our closest friends and their significant others.

"Get off your bum ass and get your own", Antonio retorted for her.

"What he said", my baby called in agreement.

I frowned sitting my empty bottle on the table. I adjusted my grip on our sleeping baby girl cradling her as I rose to my feet to carry her inside to bed. I have taken upon myself to be the one to tend to our children's needs for the day to give my baby a well deserved break. We work together, but I just wanted my baby to be as carefree as possible for as long as she could. It is the least I could do as a husband and father that is absent at times.

"Stop all of that pouting, boy. It's so ugly", called Tristian.

There were some snickers but I ignored them. I was in a good mood. None of them could ruin my mood.

"My baby thinks it's cute", I argued.

"I think what?", Omi called rejoining us with a beer in her hand.

"That Nathaniel's pouting is cute", drawled Christian sipping on his beer.

"Oh, that's atrocious", commented my baby betraying our vowels as she took a seat on the bench I had been sitting on.

"B-But, baby?", I whined incredulously.

"Butts are for sitting, babe. How may I help you?", Omi chided opening the beer.

"Omi, do you still love me?", I asked.

"Of course", she said with no hesitation.

"Then why is my pouting atrocious?", I asked.

"Because it is. It's only cute when babies and kids do it. Anyone else is just being ugly in my mind", she responded.

I accepted her feedback.

"I will definitely be stealing that", I murmured.

"Look at the white man striking again. We can't ever have shit with y'all around", to my utter surprise, Lucky commented vehemently causing the rest of us to stare at him like he has two heads, especially Markel.

"I mean, he's not wrong", commented Kel in agreement.

There were hums in agreement circulating our friend group.

"True, but flour demon you are nearly as white as they come", I deadpan before walking inside carrying Anya to her crib upstairs in her bedroom.

After lying her down to sleep in her crib I stood silently watching as she peacefully slept hugging her favorite blanket. It was nothing overly special to look at, but it was special to my daughter. The blanket had been a gift from Markel. It was black with white lace around the edges with a white teddy bear sown in the center holding a red heart. Simple, yet highly effective. Anya adored the blanket her Godfather had gifted her.

"Neil, stop being a creep and come back outside with the rest of us", Omi called softly startling me.

Placing my hand over my heart I let out a sigh. With a kiss to my sleeping youngest daughter's head, I left the room turning on her baby monitor. Omi had already checked on the twins that had been tucked in by their grandmother, Mrs. Grier, so we made our way back downstairs to rejoin our friends.

"What'd we miss?", I asked retaking my seat on the bench with Omi at my side.

"Nothing much. We were just reminiscing is all", responded Christian lazily.

"About?", asked my baby.

"Pre-kids and responsibilities days", LaLa responded.

"That was", I paused searching my mind for the right words to say. "Something", I added after a few seconds.

Lucky scoffed. "We were all a bunch of shits", he commented.

"Speak for yourself, bro. I was always a godsend", Markel lies through his teeth.

We all turned to stare at him blandly. Amanda who had been perched on his lap turned with one of the most sourest faces eyeing her boyfriend.

"Godsend? From where, the heavens to be forever casted to the depths of hell?", drawled Amanda.

Omi snickered burying her face into the crook of my neck.

"I was not", denied Markel with a face just as sour as his girlfriend's.

"Shit if you weren't. You were probably the worse of us guys", I commented adding my two-cents.

"I know that you ain't talking", countered Kel.

I tsked. I was the most tamed of these idiots.

"Was a whole hoe, baby. Had a new girl every other day seemed like. It's a wonder your body count isn't higher", Tristian chided.

I blanched. The fuck kind of fuckery is this?

"First of all, that's a damn lie. Secondly, I know that you ain't talking. Did you forget your thot streak? You've sucked more dick than seasoned prostitutes", I argued exposing his ass.

"Ah shit", I heard Chris murmured.

"These chips are delicious. Le, you want some? I know that baby driving you up the wall over there", my baby said offering LaLa some chips from the bag she mysteriously obtained from seemingly nowhere.

I almost laughed, but I had more important shit to handle. Like the angry Elvin Prince and the rest of them.

"You son of a bitch!", Tristian sneered.

"Hey, if you're going to call my mom a bitch, put bad in front of it. It's not like you can beat my ass though", I snidely retorted.

A devious smirk appeared on his face. "Wanna fucking bet, Natey?", he cooed.

I glowered are him. I hate that fucking name. It was all because of him that I even got that dreadful ass name. To pretty much sum it up, when the three of us, Tristian, Christian, and I, were kids we were goofing around. By then, Tristian had fabulously so exited his closet and had this grand idea of us pretending to be Destiny's Child. I was like fuck it and went along with it.

Tristian was a complete bitch and took his role as Beyoncé way too damn serious. I was Kelly and Christian was Michelle because he was a lazy ass. Side note, I carried the fucking group. I was literally Kelly and was fucking it up to 'Bootylicious'. We made a video and that was the last fucking time I ever did drag. I was a bad bitch but never a bitch.

"Bet, fucker!", I growled.

"HELP! HE'S CRAZY!"

"TAPOUT, BITCH!"

"I'd rather die then tap out!"

He beat my ass. The guy is a freaking psychopath. I'm low-key afraid of what he is fully capable of. I feel bad for Antonio. He is pretty cool dude and he is stuck with my cousin. On the upside, no-one has to ever worry about Tristian being abused.

He'd probably be the abuser honestly, but because he's cute everyone would look the other way. I think not. We'd never allow it. He wouldn't allow it. We were raised far better than that. Also, our parents would throttle any of us for even flicking our partners.

"You feeling any better, babe?", my baby cooed loving a kiss to my forehead.

I groaned. I was sore. As I said, I got my ass beat. I put up one helluva fight though. I almost won too, but of course I could never hurt my family intentionally like that. Tristian, gave zero fucks as he speared me in the gut and proceeded to choke me out with a headlock.

This is random, but does any other men like it when their partner gives them forehead kisses? I absolutely love the shit. Kiss me baby. Anywhere that you like, kiss me and I will happily accept it. When my baby give me forehead kisses I be like:

I love that shit. Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled program.

"Yeah, I'm fine, baby. How are you feeling? Did you enjoy today?", I murmured letting out a sigh of content as she began carding her fingers through my hair, her nails gently grazing my scalp.

"I did. Thank you for taking on the kids solo today so I could enjoy myself fully", she said appreciatively.

I shook my head. "There's nothing to thank me for. They're our children. We do this all together. We're a team. You deserve some time to just being yourself. We're still young, but we have responsibilities. You're more than just my wife, a mom, and a student, baby. Having a family and responsibilities does not mean that your life is nonexistent. It just means that you have to compromise and accommodate more for bigger things", I retorted.

She hummed leaning down placing a kiss to my forehead once again before placing a chaste kiss to my lips. Fuck, my wife is perfect.

"I love you, Neil", she whispered with a smile on her beautiful face.

"I love you more, Omi. Always", I said lowly returning her smile.

"An eternity", she added.

"An eternity", I agreed.