The day had come that Stephen had been waiting on. He had finished his program and would be flying out to see his lady in a few. He missed her face, her big brown eyes, her small ears, her slightly dark lips with just a hint of pink, her glasses that made her look like a little cat lady.
The more he thought about her the more anxious he was to get close to her. But he had promised himself and his parole officer that this would be his last child and that he wouldn't have sex with her until they were married. The correct way.
Rolling his bags to the door he looked over the house one more time. They would be back in Virginia soon but not too soon. He cut all the lights and set the house alarm. Terrance would be staying here until the family came back.
Walking out towards his car his phone rang. He had changed his number and only had work numbers, raven, and Terrances' numbers locked in.
Looking at the unknown number he signed in relief.
His father.
He hadn't talked to him since that day at the precinct and now he didn't know what to say to him.
"Hello" Stephen could hear children giggling in the background.
"Hey... hey son."
"Wussup pops?"
"Same ol' same ol'. Congratulations on finishing. But the real question is what's your next move?"
Stephen drove towards the airport as he spoke.
"I'm on my way to Ray now... I um... I.. I need to see her."
"Does she know you're coming?"
"Um no.. no. But I ju-"
"Just nothing Stephen isn't this what got you in the situation in the first place? Just needing to see her. What if she doesn't wanna see you?"
He could hear the disappointment in his fathers voice and he was right. What if raven didn't want to see him? What if she had moved on again?
The children playing in the background were throwing off his concentration.
"Who's kids do you have ?"
"Ericas niece and nephew."
"How are y'all doing ?"
"Good. She's pregnant."
"Swear?"
"Yeah she's due a month after Ray."
"Congrats I know you're happy. A kid to replace me and someone for Jah to play with."
"I could never replace you. Am I disappointed in you ? Yes, very. But I'd never want to replace my son."
The two talked a little while longer. Stephen asking his dad for advice and Him giving him all possible options. Their conversation lasted almost the whole flight. Catching up and mending broken bridges.
"Ight pops I'm pulling up now I'll tell you how it goes."
"Ok."
Stephen hangs up and knocks on the door to the place he once called home a long time ago.
Terrance opens the door sighing in relief.
"Good. She having mood swings and im about to lock her ass in the room."
He chuckles and follows behind him to the pool.
"T who was at the door?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm going upstairs to take a nap." He yells from the stairs.
She looks behind her and spots Stephen. So many emotions ran thru her body but the one that overpowered everything was fear. She was scared that he'd pressured Terrance into letting him in.
"Terrance!!!"
"Chill. No hey baby no nothing."
Raven moved slowly before placing herself at a comfortable distance from him.
"Ray I've really changed. I wanna try this shit again. Please ?"
"How am I supposed to know you changed?"
"Just give me half a chance. I'll sleep in the guest room. We don't have to talk. Just let me show you that I've changed."
"You have two weeks."
He nodded and took his things to the guest room to unpack. Once he was finished he peeked his head into the twins room.
They had gotten so big and he had missed them so much. He planted light kisses on each of their cheeks and headed back downstairs to raven.
"Baby... baby can we talk?"
"About?"
Nothing she did would make him go back to his old ways. He had worked so hard to fix his attitude and anger and a little eye roll from her wasn't gonna fuck it up.
But he knew that if she kept it up she would end up pregnant again.
"Us..."
"There is no us until you prove to me that you're the man I fell in love with. The sweet guy that wanted to take his time with me, grow old with me, start a family with me. The guy that loved me even tho I was fat and not the prettiest on campus. When you show me that you're that guy again then we can talk about us."
"But..."
"But Nothing Stephen. You want me back. That's all I'm asking for. And until then no touching. No kisses no hugs maybe a handshake I don't know yet."
"You still scared of me..?"
She looks down at her white toes then continues to look at everything around them avoiding eye contact.
"Baby I don't want you to be scared of me. I wanna be able to rub your stomach and talk to my kid. I wanna be able to kiss your chubby cheeks and grab yo ass when hug you. I'm never gonna hurt you again. And I put that shit on my life."
She walked towards him cautiously before getting scared by Terrance coming down the stairs.
"Stop being a pussy and hug that nigga already. You know you missed him. I'm tired of hearing yo lonely ass moans at night."
They all laugh and Stephen side eyes her.
"You missed daddy?"
"I missed your dick. I might need to set up an appointment with him later."
"Oh we always available for you baby."
Terrance screws his face as he eats his pop tart and scrolls down his timeline. He was happy Stephen was back but he was gonna stay a while to make sure nothing happened in the next few days.
"I'll cook y'all go catch up. Not too loud tho please."
The two laughed and Stephen followed raven to the couch where he sat on the opposite side of the couch. She turned it on going straight to Netflix and turning on criminal minds.
She wanted nothing more than for him to scoot closer and hold her. She missed his touch but she was still a little terrified.
Raven wasn't sure what came over her when she brought up having sex with him later. But she didn't know if she wanted to go thru with it.
As if almost on instinct Stephen scoots closer to her pulling her legs onto his. He rubs her belly with his left hand and rubs her legs with his right. Her skin was still smooth as ever. But what really surprised him was that raven was wearing such little clothes and it wasn't bothering him that another guy had seen her like that.
"You know the gender yet?"
"No but T does. I wanted it to be a surprise."
"I wanna know. I hope it's a girl, can I ask him?"
"That's up to you." She shrugs her shoulder and continues to watch her show.
Stephen was glad that nothing she was doing bothered him anymore. He really was changing but there was one more person he needed to talk to before he could really say that things with him were changing.
He pats Ravens legs for her to move and he slips from the couch and upstairs to the guest room. He pulls his phone from his shorts and scrolls through his phone looking for a number he never thought he'd use again. His phone rang for a while before the person finally answered.
"He- Hello"
"I'm Surprised you still got my number, especially after you tried to kill me."
"Bro I'm sorry...... I.. I was crazy over Raven and that made me do a lot of crazy shit. But I wanna put that shit behind us. You my brother since the sand box. And shit I don't blame you for fuckin her, I was fuckin up and she look good."
"Iono man I'm not jut gone wake up and forget I almost lost my life because of a bitch."
"I understand and I'm sorry. But stop calling my wife a bitch bro."
"Fuck that bitch on god."
Stephen hangs up the phone before he gets irritated by the ignorancy of his old friend. Shortly after Terrance walks in.
"You good bro?"
"Yeah. But I gotta question."
"Wussup?"
"Ray didn't try to fuck you at all while I was gone?"
"Nah. Why would she when she was always asking and venting about you. She just want the you she thought she knew."
Stephen shakes his head. Raven would get the best version of him that she wanted and he made it his mission to do so.
He daps Terrance up and makes his way back downstairs to Raven. Sitting beside her he pulls her into his lap and rubs her stomach and places light kisses on it.
"I love y'all and imma do everything to prove it to you."