Filler Chapter 🤗.

"Rich hold her head up, you got my baby out here looking half dead." I frowned, as I leaned in to adjust a sleeping Bunni. She was taking a nap on his lap while he watched the game with Jay and the rest of the guys.

"Don't tell me how to raise my baby Quanni." He rolled his eyes and fanned my hand away. Everyone else in the room was humored while Rich mocked us and picked Bunni up and laid her on his chest.

As he leaned back in his recliner, I lowered myself to where we would be eye length with one another. He playfully rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Love you daddy!" I whispered and pecked his cheek a few times.

He quickly turned to gripped my lips. I could feel the warmth of his love as his lips caressed mine. When I felt him slip a little tongue in, I backed away. He winked and I turned to leave the den.

"What?" I shrugged my shoulders at Jay who smirked at me and shook his head.

"Aight you gone fuck around and have some more twins on the way Rich." I threw my dish towel straight at his forehead and Rich just shrugged his shoulders. I'm not sure if it's because he didn't mind that I was bullying his best friend or him being okay with the thought of us making another baby.

Quickly shrugging off the thought, I went back to folding tacos for the counter spread. Today was Family Sunday FunDay and this was mine and Rich's week to host. Of course the last thing I should be doing right now is socializing, when I have finals around the corner AGAIN, but honestly I wouldn't have Sunday any other way. Family is so important to Rich and I, and I want to ensure that it means the same to Skye, Rich Jr., and Rima as well.

No we weren't all blood, and some of us have only known each other for just a few short months, but we've endured so much together that I wouldn't dare rob them of that title.

Right now all the men are watching the game, and we were preparing lunch while the kids were upstairs being supervised by the teenagers. Only God knows what my guest room is going to look like when all these people are gone.

"So Quanni, how does it feel?"

"HowDoesWhatFeel?" I asked with my words running together. I was going in on a bowl of brownies with French vanilla ice cream, and hadn't paid much attention to anything that was going on around me.

Leah shook her head at me and chuckled to herself. I was honestly clueless as to what she was really trying to ask me.

"Your new status." She grinned. Still, I had no idea.

"Dang Quanni, what you doin? She's talking about Rich." Tierany said with a blank face.

No matter what this girl says or does, her face is always the same. She wears absolutely no emotion at all but I swear she's so cool.

"Look, I promise I'm not trying to play dumb, but I have no idea what y'all are talking about."

The room fell completely silent. I'm almost certain that even the refrigerator stopped.

Leah placed the knife that she was using to chop lemons, on the counter. She wiped her hands and came to stand directly across from me at the island.

"The promotion Q, don't you know what this means?"

"Leah, Rich owns his own firm. What the hell did he do? Promote himself?" I giggled. But clearly she didn't find anything funny.

With my face scrunched up, I took time to make eye contact with Rhea. She was just as close to Rich as I was as far as his business, so maybe she knew what everyone else was talking about

"What are they talking about, Rhea?"

"Umm.. Rich was offered the new position as County Judge by the mayor. It was in the paper yesterday." She said lowly.

I looked from her, to everyone else in the room. I seemed to have been the only one who was surprised.

"What? He didn't talk to me about any of this. I didn't even know he had gone through training, or that he was even interested in being one for that matter." I was so confused but more hurt than anything, that Rich hadn't confided in me about his plans. As a team, we're supposed to discuss all of our affairs, especially the ones that affect the family.

"That's the thing. He doesn't know if he wants to yet. He didn't know about the article either."

Slightly annoyed, I walked back into the den to Rich.

"Can I talk to you in private?" I asked as nicely as I possibly could.

"Sweets can it wait? We're just about to go into overtime." His focus was completely on the game so he hadn't even noticed how livid I really was.

For a few seconds, I just stood there imagining how good it would feel to kick him head first out of his recliner. But I remembered Bunni and quickly trashed that thought.

"No. It can't. We need to talk, now." I was still calm but I was hoping that he could tell in my voice how serious I was.

Shaking his head, he sighed and rose carefully from the chair so that he wouldn't disturb Bunni.

"You can hand her to her god father, I don't wanna wake her." I motioned toward Jay's nosy ass, who was completely zeroed in on us.

He smacked his lips while instinctively reaching out for Bunni.

"Why every time you're mad at him you involve me?"

Ignoring him, I point toward the direction of Rich's office. He led the way. I should've tripped his big ass.

We were in the office and after the door was shut completely, the annoyance between both of us was quite obvious.

"Now, what's so important that you interrupted the most important game of the season, Steph?" He quickly inquired.

I suppose he thought that this conversation would be over in time enough for him to catch the last few minutes of the game, but that's dead.

"This."

Throwing the newspaper on the desk in front of him, I waited for him to respond. He picked up the paper and regret overshadowed his demeanor instantly.

"Sweets, I swear I was gonna talk to you about this before it hit the locals. It caught me by surprise too." He pleaded with his hands in the air.

"Rich, how long have you known about this though?"

"Couple weeks." He scratched his head with that dumb ass, I know I'm caught up facial expression.

Before I could even think about it, I backhanded him in his chest.

"Girl." His face and tone warned me that I had better not try it again. I still didn't care.

"And not once did you think to consult me first? What's wrong with you?" I whined, looking up in his face.

He took a long breath and set back at the edge of his desk. Grabbing my hands, he pulled me in closer to his face.

"I'm sorry Steph. We were both so busy with our own schedules and the kids... not to mention we've just gotten back on speaking terms. That's still not an excuse-"

"Rich you know I don't like to be caught off guard. It's the same thing you did with choosing a school for Skye." I reminded him, still annoyed.

"I know sweets, I know. I'm trying to apologize. I'm sorry for my lack of communication. I'll try my best not to let it happen again." He smiled and kissed my hands.

"It better not."

"It won't Sweets, now gimme kiss." Grabbing my waist, he attempted to connect with my lips. But I mushed his forehead and turned away to leave.

"AnaMae... So you gone run out on me like all them other mothaf-" my laugh quickly filled the room before he could finish.

"Boy, bring your goofy ass out of here." I smiled.

***

"Uh-uh fat man. You're sleeping in your own bed tonight." Rich was shaking his head intently when came out of the bathroom and realized that Deuce was still sound asleep on my chest.

I swatted his hands away when he tried reaching for my baby. I knew as soon as he discovered that he was no longer asleep on me, he would would have a fit and it would be nearly impossible to get him back to sleep.

"Sweets, you can't be spoiling my son like that. He'll be a grown ass man always crying for his mama."

"And his grown ass will always know that mommy has it covered. Isn't that right Deuceyyyy." I gently squeezed his cheek, causing him to form a soft smile in his sleep.

I looked to Rich in amazement, but he was just standing there looking at me like I was crazy. Smacking my lips, I said hold on tightly to Deuce so that I could be better situated in bed.

"I'm not playing though Sweets, he's sleeping in his own bed tonight. I wanna spend time with my own fiancé." I watched him huff and puff like a big kid and couldn't help but laugh.

"My nigga, you just want some cuddy." I smirked and gave him the side eye.

"So." He laughed, taking Deuce out of my arms.

He came back into our room with a grin on his face. I'll give it 10 minutes before Deuce realizes he's not in our room anymore.

"As soon as he wakes up, which he will.. he's all yours." I warned. 

"Yea whatever.. come onnnnn big baby."

I shook my head at how corny he was. He was dancing and snapping his fingers, waiting for me to lay into his arms.

"Can you believe that they'll be six months old in just a couple of days?" I asked, thinking about my babies.

"Mm.. time. Goes. By. Fast." He said in between kisses.

"I'm gonna blink my eyes and they'll be 5." The thought kind of made me sad. I wanted- no needed them to slow down.

"It's okay sweets... we can always make more." Finally he climbed on top of me and practically snatched my undergarments off.

He was deep into his kisses, and just about to pay some attention down below, when a god-awful cry filled the speakers of the room. I smirked as he reluctantly got up from the bed.

"As soon as that little nigga turns five, I'm whipping his ass." He fussed as he shifted himself in his pajama pants.

"Don't call my baby out of his name."

"He does that on purpose." He said, mumbling as he walked to the door.

Giggling I roll over onto my body pillow and close my eyes. I knew it was coming.

"Good night daddy!"

"