About a week before the lunch, Carmon got word about it through Raina. Troy was so excited to see his grandparents, uncles, and aunt that he let the word out to Raina and she announced how excited she was about it to Carmon.

Damn, Carmon was sexy when she was mad but, when she was pissed off, it was over for me. You can tell the difference from when she was pissed off and just mad. When she's mad, she'll sigh and just cross her arms. When she's pissed off, she gave that evil eye that sent you straight to hell. No amount or quality of sex was going to bring her out. It was like the devil had taken over her body and her soul was gone.

Then her jaw will stiffen and her teeth will bite on her bottom lip, and will shake her head slowly. As if she was disappointed in you and you better watch the fuck out. Inside, she wanted to beat your ass but the angels above were telling her to sit back and let God deal with this.

"Mom, what happened to my grandma and grandpa? We don't ever see them," Raina asked as Carmon and I were having a staring contest in a sense. Except she was winning because she was pissed the hell off.

Watching Carmon's face fall to a blank face and her chest rise and fall was difficult, especially across the table from her. There was already tension at the dinner table and Raina asking that question probably added more. Carmon's eyes blinked faster and she finally looked away from me. That worried me.

What got me to stand up from my chair was Carmon just playing with her food like she just lost her appetite. She just looked down at her steak and kept poking it with her fork. Seeing Carmon switch emotions like this scared me more than her being pissed off did. I couldn't really say anything because she had yet to tell me everything about her parents. All I knew was that they weren't in her life after she turned 14.

Eyelids fluttering at this point and tears streaming down her face in an instant. With each sniffle that came from Carmon's nose, it sent my heart lower and lower while she explained what happened. "Well, Raina, your grandparents aren't here anymore. You didn't get to meet them because...well, they're gone. They died three years before you were born. Aunt Tiff and I barely got to grow with them. I'm sorry."

And there it is. Why haven't we talked about this yet? It's been a good minute since we first started dating.

Those teardrops raced down her thick cheeks as she probably thought about her parents. Rushing over to the other side of the table, I watched as Candy held her mother's face and wiped the tears away.

I sat down in a chair beside her just to hold her and give her some kind of comfort, remembering our fifth date when Carmon and I talked about our families. She was surprised that my dad was Travis Carter, the guy that owned a popular internet company. When asked about her family, she dodged the question. She just kept talking about her aunt since her parents went missing at 14. Since then, she'd just ignore the topic.

"That's okay, Mom! Maybe that's a good thing about us being siblings. I can share my grandpa and grandma with you, Raina! They're really good people and they give you a lot of stuff. If you think Dad spoils you, just wait until you meet Grandpa!" Troy went on as he hugged Raina before she began to cry.

He went on about how awesome it would be to have two sets of grandparents and one of them able to watch our every move from Heaven. That's my boy. Here I was worried that he'd be raised with a bad mindset but he's showing me different.

After Carmon and Raina came into our lives, I figured that Troy would have a problem getting used to the change but he surely did make them feel welcomed in the house. With Raina being his best friend, it came easy for him to warm up to Carmon. He began calling her his mom out of nowhere. We had a serious talk about him having another mom and he seemed proud to have two moms. We'll talk about Kirsten another day.

"This is why I wish you told me sooner so I could talk to Raina about this. You know how your mother is around me. There's no telling how she'll treat Raina and she didn't know anything about mom and papa until now."

Taking her hand in mine as she leaned on my shoulder and sobbed, I sighed at the thought of my mother and explained "To be honest, I got a little scared to tell you at first but Raina is still a child. My mom knows that and wouldn't do anything she shouldn't. There's no reason why she should feel the way she does because neither you nor Raina did anything to her. If she acts out though, you know Dad and I are stepping in. Why do you think I married you against my mom's wishes? I got your back no matter what. Everything will be okay."

Sometimes, I wonder what Carmon's parents would've been like if they met me. Something's telling me that they were very good people. That's probably why Carmon was so upset when Raina mentioned them.

Kissing her on the forehead, I watched Carmon sit up after and start grabbing plates to clean them, tears still sliding down her cheeks as she went on. My conscious wanted to talk to her before putting the kids to bed but it seemed like that was a bad idea. Carmon had to come to me with subjects like that because pushing her wouldn't give me an answer.

After putting Candy to bed, Raina called me to her room and I stopped by to see if she was okay. She sat up on her bed in her Tinkerbell pajamas with her grey eyes on me, filled with sadness to me.

"Can I talk to you, Dad?"

"Sure. Let's talk. What's going on?" I walked in and made myself comfortable on her bed while just watching her look just like her mom did downstairs.

"I never told Mom this but I wanted to running away from home when we lived with my aunts. She always kept me alone with one of my aunts while she saw...him. She kept telling me that he was still my father but I hated him so much. Sometimes, I think that Mom still thinks about him and it scares me. What if he comes here and takes me like he did years ago? What if he hurts my mom again? I have bad dreams about him sometimes and cry at night. I don't want those anymore."

Unbelievable. We really thought that this Heath situation was over and done with when Carmon saw him at the jail. Apparently, he can't ever go away if he's the father to this sweet child. Her fear was justified. She had a right to feel the way she did but I hated how her past is coming back to haunt her.

Sitting criss-crossed on her bed and holding her hands, I tried to come up with the words for this situation. "Well, Raina, you have every right to feel this way. Mom was trying hard to make him do the right thing and he wouldn't do it. This doesn't mean that she didn't care about you. She just felt that she couldn't raise you on her own, not realizing that you had four amazing aunts in your life to help. She felt like you needed a dad in your life."

"Now, I'm sure she probably does think about him because he can't just leave her mind like that. It takes a lot of time but I don't think that she thinks about him much anymore because she has a good man in her life with great kids now. He's too scared to step in this house because he won't even make it past the threshold. You have a brother and another dad to protect you, Candy, and Mom."

Looking over at the scrapbook sitting on her dresser, I smiled and had a good idea. "You know that scrapbook that Rena made for you? Maybe crack open that and hold it close to your heart. It has all of the good memories we, as a family, have shared together. That should help you have good dreams."

A smile showed up on her face and made my heart feel better. Raina hugged me before saying "Thank you, Dad. You're the greatest dad in the world. I love you."

"And don't you forget it. I got everybody's back in here. I love you so much, sweet girl."

As she picked up the scrapbook, I walked into our bedroom and found Carmon looking in the mirror, looking so upset. Her robe slowly fell off her arms, revealing a purple silk night gown. She wiped the tears from her face and turned around to find me taking my shirt off. Looking surprised and embarrassed.

The room stayed silent as we both pulled the covers back and got into bed. She laid on her side again with her back turned to me as my hands rested behind my head. So, this how it is? We're not talking to each other before bed like we usually do. We're just going to-

Loud sniffling and sobs flowed through my ear as the bed shook a bit and I realized it was Carmon crying even harder. Nope, this is not how we're going to bed tonight. After Raina's confession, we're not doing this.

I had to grab her and pull her into me, feeling the warmth of her body on mine. It made me feel more at home. We were both officially home.

She turned to me as her face pressed into my chest and she cried even harder, tears falling against my bare chest. She muffled "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just don't want to relive that anymore."

"Babe, sometimes, it's a good thing to tell somebody so it's out there and not stuck in your mind forever, messing around with your feelings. Maybe that's what you need to do now."

As she moved her cheek against my chest, she sighed with "After my parents' funeral, my uncle pulled me aside and told me to never settle. He told me to find a man just like my dad. My dad loved my mom so much that he died with her while they were on their way to New York. My uncle told me that Papa didn't jump out or leave her while she had a panic attack behind the wheel. He stayed in the car and died with her."

"He loved Tiff and I so much but Mom was his everything. He wrote so many love songs for her and took her all around the country with him. When we were born, Papa let Mom sleep as he sang to us in the middle of the night. Papa and Mom loved each other so much and the reason why I didn't want to tell you that is because I'm scared."

"I never grew up with rich parents or anything. Just parents that cared until I was 14 and I felt like you would judge me since my parents weren't rich like yours."

"Carmon-"

"But when I see you read Candy a bedtime story at night, when you play a round of ping pong with Troy, or even when you put Raina on your feet and dance with her, I see my dad. He did that with Tiffany and I. I cry because I see Papa in you everyday and it's scary sometimes because the last thing I'd ever want is to see you leave me in any way. You don't know how much I love you. How much I need you-"

My lips connected with hers in an instant after that. Her hand fell on my heart and mine came over it with all these emotions flowing between us. We were sharing each other. I love when she opens up to me about anything because that's my wife and listening to her grows me closer to her every time.

As our lips separated, our foreheads touched as I looked into those sweet dark brown eyes. Looking into them really good so she could feel me say "We are a family. We are one and that will never change. Never be afraid to tell me something that's bothering you, even if it's your past. I don't give two shits about how much money your family has. This heart here is what I care about. This heart here is just as much mine as mine is yours. Never ever forget that. I love you, baby."

****

Family lunch day came by so fast and all of us just stood outside of the restaurant, preparing our minds for this. Candy just clapping in my arms, Troy smiling while watching these fancy millionaires walk around the place, Raina with a weak smile and breathing heavily, and Carmon...

My sweet lady had her eyes closed and bit her lip back, trying to hold her tears back and looking stressed as hell. My hand grabbed her left hand, I brought it to my lips and moved its softness across my cheek.

"Babe, no matter what happens in this place, we will always be a family. You and I are partners, in this together. I couldn't be any happier with anyone else. Let's shut it down."

Her eyes moved to me and opened with those few tears escaping. A smile shaped itself with her precious thick pink lips. Assurance looked so good on her and made me feel really good.

As we all walked in, eyes of all different colors watched our family. Impression was everything around these people so they were checking out everything. When we walked together, we walked in with confidence because we were comfortable with who we were and didn't care what others thought about us.

My hand gripped to the lifelong partner's hand as we reached my parents' appointed long dining table with a white tablecloth and candles decorating it. My siblings and their partners were sitting at the table with anticipation, my dad smiling sincerely, and Mom's smile fell at the sight of my hand in Carmon's.

"Is that grandson, standing all tall and looking as suave as his grandpa?! Come here, boy!"

You can see the difference between Mom and Dad. Dad is loud and always in a good mood. Mom is the complete opposite, telling him to stop embarrassing her. If it's not her way, it's the highway.

Dad stood up and greeted us to kill the tension in the room. As Troy hugged him, he took Candy from me and introduced his new sisters to their new grandpa. Pulling a chair out with a smile on my face, I made sure my leading lady's perfect ass got into that chair nicely but it could be somewhere else if she wanted.

"Well, well, well...I figured you would've already divorced her but no. Still hand-in-hand. You've always been the stubborn one, huh, Trent?" Mom addressed as she chuckled with a cocktail in her hand. She may have been drunk already.

"Always stubborn for the ones I love, Ma," I shot back while sitting down. Carmon gave me a look of disapproval before speaking to my mother.

"Nice to see you again too, Mrs. Carter." Carmon shouldn't have worn that pink dress today. It hugged every bit of her curves and put some very naughty thoughts in my head. Those white pearls almost hitting the crack of her breasts-

Let me stop.

"Oh, you're not calling me Tracy yet? I'm surprised you haven't let her call me Tracy yet. She still has some kind of manners." Carmon just smiled at Mom's comment and took in a deep breath as she made herself comfortable. That's my baby. Looking all sexy and shit. Didn't even have to say a word and I wanted to get her in the bathroom.

"Daughter-in-law! It's so good-"

"Travis, if you don't sit your ass down, we're going to have problems. You did NOT just call her the D word. You've had too much to drink."

Rolling his eyes, Dad ignored Ma and made conversation with Carmon as he kissed her hand politely. I caught up with my brothers and sister while watching Carmon make conversation with Dad.

What made me feel good was Dad holding Candy with a smile on his face and talking to Raina like an actual human being and his granddaughter, enjoying his conversation with my beautiful girls.

And that's what stopped me from entertaining so many women. When I got to a certain age, Dad would ask me when I'd settle down and find someone special. He'd tell me that my special girl was somewhere near me. It got annoying eventually and used to push me into more girls. Then the love of my life happened.

Dad respected Ma and still does, but he also knows when she's going too far. That's what I wanted to be like if not better. Tried until I got my heart broken then playing with the cat seemed like a great idea...until I played in Carmon's.

Now, we're bound together forever. Reminiscing on the night we went on our first date, a goofy smile printed across my face, not realizing that Ma was right beside me.

"Honestly, I really can't believe you. Do you not realize how bad this is making us look? Look at you, drooling all over a slut you found on the street-"

"Ma, that's enough. Didn't Dad remind you to that today was a day for family?"

She scoffed and stood in front of me while I took a sip of my champagne. "Yeah, he surely did and he meant family. Real family. Excluding that thing and her terrible kids. She probably has yet to tell you about the other children she has with like eight other men. You give her all that money just so she can use. Gold-digging bitch that-"

"Watch your mouth, Ma-"

"No, YOU should've watched who you chose to make your wife. You really know nothing about her and I thought you were smarter than this-"

"Ma, YOU know nothing about her. Who I marry is not something you should be worried about. That's my wife and forever will be. As far as anybody making you look bad, it's your other sons' wives. You should check the family bank account."

Her jaw dropped at my words before she said "She's got you wrapped around her little finger. Don't worry about what their wives. They know how to obey and give their pussies to only their husbands. She's really brainwashed you. Don't worry though. I got a few things up my sleeve, son. If this doesn't get fixed, Mom will fix it for you."

My eyes shot at her with an angered face while looking at the seriousness in her eyes. She never had a problem with who my brothers dated and could care less about who my sister dated. Why? Because they weren't running the family company.

Once again, it's all about her precious little Trent and the image to her. Since the company was mine, she thought she had control over every aspect of my life. Because 'she wanted us to look good' and I had to make a good impression on everyone else.

Little do they know that Carmon's the one making the rest of us look good. My brothers can even tell her that. Speaking of that fine woman...

"Trent, your dad is a trip. He's got Raina a bit excited. She told him about how she used to do ballet and he's coming up with ideas in his head."

Her smile changed my entire mood and seeing that made me glad that I never turned my back on her. Seeing those dark chocolate eyes had me sprung all over again.

"Aw, she wants to be a dancer just like her mommy...except without a pole and doing it the right way. She probably had to hear about her mommy dancing on the streets for a piece of meat through one of your pimps, huh? It's a shame what you whores do to get what you want."

My eyes widened at Ma, begging for her to stop until "Well, Mrs. Carter, this 'whore' danced in the back of a bar and in your son's private office. Somehow, I got way more than just a piece of meat even though that's all I was looking for. Not only did I get a ring but I got the man of my dreams and so much more. I don't know about you but, if dancing in the streets lands a woman like me a man like your son, I say women should go for it."

You don't know how much I wanted to take my boo up out of here and get inside her in the car. I stood in amazement of my baby's boldness and grinned from ear to ear. When that devilish smirk curled up on her face, I knew it was time to go. Carmon didn't want to leave but my dick spoke otherwise.

The nasty in my girl was waiting to be unleashed and I planned on feeding off that shit as soon as we got back home. She better hope and pray I don't slip a finger under that dress of hers and touch something slick while we're in the car.

Dad begged to keep the kids at his house for the weekend and, though Carmon was pretty hesitant on the idea, I thought it was a nice idea for the girls to get to know their second grandpa.

After a long talk and a bit of 'persuading' her, Carmon finally agreed to it and Dad spoiled my babies with so much stuff. He took them out for ice cream, showered them with so much shit, and even paid for Raina to go back to doing ballet. However...

This gave me some time to shower and spoil my lover another way.

****
What's up, folks?!

Sooooo what did you think?

There's so much going on within the Carter family and, hopefully, nothing will get in the way. Right?

I won't ask about everyone else yet because of Carmon's chapter coming on Saturday BUT there's more drama coming. Just know that.

See you guys in two days! Love ya!