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“How far are you?”

“I don’t know. I just found out before I came downstairs.” He looked at me with a side eye.

“You sure it’s mine?” I hit him in the arm before rolling my eyes. “I’m just saying. You was over there living with that nigga. You might be carrying around a lil mouse in your stomach.”

“Don’t play with me. I hadn’t had sex with Peanut since before he went to jail. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. You ruined me.” He smiled again.

“My pussy knows who she belongs to. Ain’t that right, baby?” Anton leaned down and kissed through my leggings, right over my coochie.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” I asked seriously.

“The first day I brought you here, you asked me if I wanted a family. I said if I could have one with you. Yes, baby. I’m okay with this. I’m more than okay.” I remembered that day. I told his ass we could get a dog. I didn’t expect him to actually go and get us one, but I understood the sentiment once he did. He was telling me even though he wanted a family with me, he would take that in whatever form I gave. He wanted me, so he didn’t care what that looked like. Anton rubbed my stomach, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

“I can’t wait to tell everybody.” Anton looked up at me.

“You better let me tell Juanita. She likes me. If you tell her, she gone give you a whole book of proverbs.” I still didn’t know what transpired between them, but I didn’t need to know. I was just glad they were getting along.

“You can tell whoever you want, baby. Do you think Lovii is going to be okay with it? Her lil ass is spoiled, and she might not like someone else getting her attention.”

“She not losing nothing. We gaining another family member. That was my first child. She ain’t got shit to worry about.”

“Anton, one last question.”

“Yeah.”

“How long you been trying to make this pizza?”

“A couple of hours. Why?”

“Yeah, I’mma gone and DoorDash me something to eat. I’m hungry as fuck, and you wanna keep playing in dough.”

“Order me something too. That shit hard as my dick.” We both fell out laughing as we headed upstairs. “I love you, Simone.”

“I love you too, Tax.”

EPILOGUE…

Anton “Tax” Hodges

“You nervous?” I looked at Key with my face turned up.

“For what? My daughter getting christened today. That’s nothing to be nervous over. I already did my wedding.”

“I still can’t believe yall went to the courthouse. We was supposed to do it up for the both of us. You know I’m never walking down that bitch.” I shook my head and laughed.

“We’re going to have a real one, so her pops can walk her down the aisle. She just didn’t want nobody thinking that I only married her because she had my baby.” Key shook his head at me while staring in disbelief.

“You a big ass dummy. That girl don’t care about nobody thinking she trapped you. This 2026. Hell, it’s niggas doing the trapping nowadays.” He gave me a look as if he was referring to me. “She tricked your gullible ass into marrying her before you changed your mind.” I shrugged my shoulders and smiled.

“So.”

“You don’t even care.”

“I got what I wanted. Why would I be mad, Key?”

“She got you hooked. Bubbles knows all she has to do is tell you what she wants, and you gone give it to her. Simp ass.”

“She can have whatever she liikkkkeeee,” I sung while laughing.