Hey, hey, guys! Here is an update for you! For those asking, Kesh and I are working on the Epilogue of Protected and the newest chapter of BFB. So look for those. I am also working on a new story and updates for Villiage, Husband, Her Christmas Wish, and Magic Waters. Thank you for still loving my writing; it means everything to me.

Mercedes glanced at herself in the mirror, turning her head to take in her subtle makeup and high ponytail hair in spiral curls. Her hands smoothed down her blush pink, trumpet-off-the-shoulder maternity dress, which clung to her in the best ways. She smiled as she took in Unque's work.

"Girl, you have outdone yourself. I am sorry, Tina, but all eyes are definitely going to be on me tonight."

Tina smiled, smoothing down her pink sundress, which flared at the hips. "Eh, I don't mind sharing the spotlight this one time."

"Since when!" Quinn and Santana said together with a laugh.

Someone knocked on the door, and she moved to open it and froze to a tall man with salt and pepper hair dressed in a suit. "Ms. Jones?"

"Who's asking?" She asked, confused.

"I am Winston, your driver for today. Mr. Evans sent me."

Mercedes was about to protest when her phone beeped.

SE: Did my surprise get there?

MJ: What did you do?

SE: I know you don't like a fuss being made, but you deserve the star treatment.

MJ: I really wanna say this is too much!

SE: Just don't say anything…or just say you love me.

MJ: Of course I love you. Kinda hard not to

SE: Good girl. Now, don't give him a hard time.

MJ: Or what? Are you gonna spank me?

SE: Don't tempt me. Have fun

MJ: We will, you are so awesome for this, thank you, Sam.

SE: You're Welcome. Love you."

MJ: Love you too.

Mercedes smiled at Winston. "We are just about ready."

Winston smiled. "Yes, Ma'am."

After a few more moments, they grabbed their things and headed to the limo. As they all piled in, Tina smiled, leaning back.

"Now I know I am famous…but damn, dating a rich man has so many benefits."

Mercedes shrugged. "I don't need any of this; I just need Sam."

"And that's why he loves you," Kitty said, sitting back.

Quinn looked at Mercedes. "You know, you never did tell us how you two admitted you loved each other. Sam seems like the type to say it first."

Kitty laughed. "I doubt that. Ten bucks says Mercedes dropped it first."

Tina opened her purse. "Oh, I'm gonna take that bet. I know it was Sam!"

The girls pulled out ten dollars, and Mercedes smiled. "Okay, well, it was a few weeks back, the night we…"

"Made love," Quinn said dreamily, making fun of her.

Mercedes laughed, shaking her head. "Yes."

A few Weeks Ago

Mercedes walked into the kitchen, saw Sam cooking eggs in his boxers, and smiled. "Well, now, this is a sight I quite enjoy."

Sam looked up, beaming. "You are supposed to be in bed, and I was supposed to hand deliver this to you."

"Your children were beating me up, so I figured a walk would calm them."

Sam nodded. "And?"

"And they are still kicking my ass." She laughed, moving to sit at the table. Grabbing the plans for the B&B, she ran her hands through her hair. "Whatever you are doing over there, keep it up cause that bacon smells heavenly."

"Good, it's just about done, and then we can eat. What time is Cody coming home?" Sam asked, plating the food.

"At four, they are going to see the new Paw Patrol movie."

"What?! No, I wanted to see that with him! What's the point of having kids if you can't watch really cool movies and pretend they're just for the kids?"

Mercedes's eyes widened. "I knew it! Next, you are going to tell me that Bluey is for you and not Cody!" she teased.

"Fine, yes! I love Paw Patrol, and Cody does too!" Sam said, and Mercedes burst into a fit of giggles, shaking her head. "I will tell Quinn to take him to see something else."

"No, don't. He's five, and he's not going to pay enough attention anyway, so I will take him again after school on Friday," Sam said, walking to the table. He placed the in front of her and kissed her forehead as he looked over her plans.

"Oh, when did you add that?" Sam asked, looking at the added room in the kitchen on her plans.

"Yep, it's a secret pantry. I also have the Chef's office next to it. I don't want anyone to have to make orders and staff in the open. And doing it in their space off campus may be too hard."

Sam loved seeing the love and care she was putting into this place. "I love that! So where will the staff be staying? I am assuming they have a home on the property?"

Mercedes nodded. "So if you look over here," she pointed to the top of the building plans. This old barn is going to be knocked down, and I am going to build a mini complex. That way, people can live on land if they want. There's going to be golf carts that can take them from their home to the main house. And if they don't want to live on-site, they can just come park in the parking lot."

"Okay, so if they stay, will they pay rent?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yes, but at a low rate; that way, it's more than affordable."

"That sounds great. Now eat!"

Mercedes smiled, grabbed her fork, and groaned, taking a bite. "This is so good. Who knew men with money could cook?" she teased.

"Hey, don't lump me in with them! I am a man of mystery."

"Uh-huh." She giggled. "International man of Mystery…"

"Yeah, baby." He said in his Austin Powers voice.

Mercedes burst out laughing, holding her stomach. "Perfect Austin Powers!"

Sam beamed. "See! That's why I love you; you just get me."

Mercedes stopped with the fork at her lips. "What?"

"What? Sam asked, looking at her.

"You said you loved me."

Sam exhaled. "I did?"

She took a bite and smiled. "You did."

Sam pulled a chair next to her. "How does that make you feel?"

She picked up a piece of bacon. "How does what make me feel?"

Sam smirked. "That I love you?"

She shrugged. "You never really said if it was a mistake or not."

Sam reached over and bit the bacon in her hand. "It wasn't a mistake. I am in love with you, Mercedes."

She ate the rest of her bacon and nodded. "Good, because I love you too."

Sam bit his bottom lip in a smile as he did a small fist bump. "Ahem, that is, um, really good to know."

Mercedes chuckled. "Wanna go…celebrate?"

Sam didn't hesitate to grab her hand and pull her up to him as he crashed his lips to hers.

Present

"Yeah, so it was just a cute moment that I…" She sighed. That meant a lot."

Kitty sighed deamingly. "Look, that man loved you from the moment he laid eyes on you."

"You keep saying that!" Quinn laughed.

"It's true," Kitty defended. I called him the night he met Mercedes, and he told me what happened. I was shocked because, okay, I like to make out with anyone. But Sam never did. So when I asked him, he told me that he met this girl, they flirted, and then they made out. Then he said that he was tempted."

Mercedes chewed her bottom lip, thinking about that night. "Yeah, that was my fault, but to be fair, when I was seducing him, I didn't know he had a girl."

"You seduced him?" She smiled. "Tell me what you did."

"Oh, see, our girl got on the stage and shook it until Sam was weak in the damn knees." Santana beamed. "I was so proud."

The girls all laughed and continued talking as the limo stopped before Mercedes's parent's house.

"Ummm, What are we doing here?" Mercedes asked, looking out the window.

Tina smiled. "I don't know."

Before Mercedes could ask any more questions, the door opened, and Sam smiled, taking Mercedes' hand. "Well, now, Ms. Jones, you look ravishing. Please come with me."

Mercedes looked him up and down. He wore dress slacks and an unbuttoned baby blue dress shirt at the top.

"Sam, what is going on?"

Sam pulled Mercedes closer to her, nodding for the rest of the girls to proceed. "You better be lucky we have to go inside, or I will sneak you back into the limo…" Sam said.

"And you are up to something," she said, eyeing him. "What's going on?"

"Patience, my love. Come on."

Sam led her to the back gate, and as he opened it, everyone yelled, "Surprise!"

Cody ran up to her, smiling and wearing a matching outfit with Sam's. "Momma! Look, we made you a party!"

Mercedes pulled him close and hugged him. "Thank you. It looks amazing."

Sam linked their hands, walking her further into the party. Seeing her family and friends gather to celebrate her moved her to tears. Thankfully, Unique hooked her up with waterproof, no-smudge makeup.

"There's my beautiful little girl," Percy said, pulling her towards him and kissing her forehead. "You are glowing, my dear."

"You were in on this too?" Mercedes asked her father with a smile.

"I was. It's not every day your daughter has triplets, so we need to celebrate this! Now, tell me what you're having before we get this party started."

"Percy Jones! Don't you dare think you are getting that information before me!" Amelia said, walking up to Mercedes with Mary.

"Or me!" Mary added.

Amelia held up a crown, and Mary showed Mercedes a sash that said, 'Mommy to Be.' As they placed it over her, Micah, PJ, and Aiden walked over to her and Sam.

"Well, considering Mercedes here didn't get knocked up by immaculate conception, this is for you." Aiden said, putting a sash on Sam that read 'Baby Daddy.' "We were gonna go sperm donor but didn't want Mercedes to kill us."

Micah bent down to Cody. "And we didn't forget about you, lil man." He placed a sash on Cody, and he beamed. "It says big…bro…ther!" Cody said, reading it with a smile. "Look, momma, I am just like you, and da-oh, I'm sorry…!" He said softly.

Sam's heart skipped a beat as he heard the word dad. He and Cody had been so close that he wished he could be his dad.

Mercedes took Cody's hand. "What's going on Cody…"

Cody sighed. "Momma, are the babies going to call Sam, Daddy?"

Sam bent down. "Yes, they will."

"And I am their big brother, right?"

"Right," Mercedes said with a nod.

"So does that mean I can call Sam daddy too?"

Everyone looked on as Sam and Mercedes stared at each other. Mercedes ran her hands through Cody's hair and smiled. "I think I will let Sam decide that."

Sam swallowed hard and smiled. "Well, I think your momma would need to answer me in order to answer that." He reached into his back pocket. He was already on his knees, so he might as well do the one thing he had been dying to do.

"Sam?" Mercedes questioned.

"Mercedes…when we met in that club, I couldn't fight the fact that I was so very much attracted to you, and I thought I would never see you again. But then we were brought together by nothing else but Fate. You are beautiful, smart, talented, helpful, kind, and perfect for me. I never thought I would want kids, and now you have given me three beautiful babies." He looked down to Cody, pulling him closer. "And one child already here who I love with all of my heart."

Mercedes felt tears come to her eyes as Sam continued to speak. "Mercedes, I was content in my life; I had a great girl and all the money I could ever want. But the moment I met you, I knew I wanted more. And if you will be my wife and allow me to adopt Cody, I will finally know what it means to have everything I could ever want."

There were a few gasps as Sam opened the box, revealing the stunning ring. "Marry me…"

Cody jumped up and down, "Marry him, momma!"

Mercedes beamed as she nodded. "Yes…yes, Sam, I will."

At that moment, it was just them as Sam pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. They could hear clapping and cheers as they pulled away, but Mercedes only saw Sam.

"I can't believe you just did that." She whispered against his lips.

"I can't believe you said yes."

Cody tugged on Sam's leg, and Sam bent back down to him. "I would be honored to be your dad, Cody."

Cody wrapped his arms around Sam, who hugged him tightly. "I love you, lil man."

"I love you too."

Mercedes looked away, wiping her eyes. Her mother moved to hug her, using tissues to dab her eyes. "Can we know now, please?"

Mercedes looked at Sam and smiled. "They are not gonna give up. I bet they only threw this party so that we would tell them."

Percy shrugged. "I am not able to confirm nor deny any allegations at this time. But inquiring minds want to know, dear."

Quinn smiled. "Your dad isn't wrong! I heard he called Shelby.."

"Tell you what?" Came from behind them. Sam turned, and a wide grin spread across his face.

"Stevie! Stacey! What are you doing here?"

Stevie hugged Sam tightly. "Well, Mom said this was a big occasion, so I drove four hours to pick the brat up, and here we are."

Stacey shoved Stevie to the side, hugging Sam. "Call me a brat one more time, you asshat!"

"You are the only asshat here!" Stevie said, giving her the finger.

"Ooooo, daddy, they said ass!" Cody said, causing Stevie and Stacey both to stop in their tracks.

"Daddy?!" They said in unison. A Mindblowing

"You two are embarrassing me already," Sam said, shaking his head. "Now, come here so I can introduce you to everyone."

Mercedes stepped up, and Stevie's eyes widened, taking her in. "No. No! I thought it was a joke. Is this really a baby shower?"

Mercedes placed her hand on her stomach as Sam pulled her close before taking Cody's hand.

"Mercedes, these are the bratty twins Mom keeps going on about. Stevie and Stacey, this is Mercedes, my fiancee, and Cody, one of my sons."

"Sons! You heard it. They have all boys!" Dwight said, high-fiving Percy.

"He didn't say that." Mercedes laughed as she turned back to Stevie and Stacey.

"It's nice to put faces to the names finally."

Stevie looked around and laughed. "Nope. I call cap. There is no way in hell this is true. I mean, I might have believed it if it hadn't been for Kitty standing back there. Nice touch with the little kid."

Stacey side-eyed him. "What in the he-H. E. double hockey sticks are you talking about?"

"This is a prank show, right? Where are the cameras?"

Mercedes blinked, shaking her head. "This isn't a show. And I need to go to the bathroom," she said, quickly turning away from him.

Sam reached for her. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, she's on my bladder."

"SHE! You hear that, Mary! We have at least one girl!"

Sam laughed, shaking his head. "Please come back quick so that you can save me from our parents because there is no getting out of this now."

Mercedes nodded, kissing him softly. Sam picked Cody up as she walked away, and Cody looked at Stevie.

"Daddy, he looks like you."

"Well, that is because he is my brother."

Stevie smiled. "I am the cooler brother."

"Ok, Cooler brother, come hug your mother and me. You too, sweetpea."

Sam watched as Stacey and Stevie hugged their parents, and then he introduced them to everyone at the party.

Ten minutes later, Mercedes left the house, grabbing a seat. "I swear I spend more time in the bathroom than anywhere else."

Mary laughed. "Oh, the joys of motherhood, and with our little princesses no less."

"Princes." Dwight corrected.

Sam sighed. "Merce."

He didn't even need to say anything else; she knew he was tired of guessing. Nodding, she reached out her hand for Sam to help her up.

"Excuse me, everyone. On behalf of Sam, Cody, and myself, I would like to thank you for being here. Thank you for this party and for sharing in our joy when we welcome Tristian Parker, Liam Gabriel, and…Isabella Sophia."

Everyone gasped as they all began to congratulate them. Stevie shook his head as he walked over to Sam.

"Being rich must have its benefits for sure."

Sam frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you and Kitty had been hot and heavy, and now you have a pregnant fiancee, and your ex and her are just hugging and partying like it was nothing," Stevie said, staring at Kitty, rubbing Mercedes' stomach.

"It's called being grown-ass adults. Now, what do you think about Mercedes?"

Stevie sighed, looking at her as she started talking to Stacey. "I think she's beautiful and fun, and the fact that Stacey is over there gushing over her is a good sign."

"But…" Sam said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Stevie sighed, scratching at his chin. "She's not really in your league. I haven't even been away for a year, and yet I return to you, leaving your super hot model, influencer girl, for this ready-made family."

Sam sighed. He knew that his brother had questions, and he knew he had to tell the truth. "I met Mercedes at the club one night, and even though Kitty and I were in an open type relationship, I had never been tempted, you know? But damn, she was gorgeous, and her lips…"

"So you got her pregnant?"

Sam laughed. "That would have been easier. "

"You lost me."

Sam sighed. "I can't tell you much more than I never cheated on Kitty by getting some other woman pregnant. There was a mix-up with a sperm bank, and that's all you get."

Stevie stared at him momentarily, trying to understand. "Well, I guess my only question is, are you only marrying her because she has your kids?"

"No," Sam said without hesitation. I love her, I love Cody, and I just want to be with her."

"Damn," Stevie said, shaking his head.

"What? It's the truth. I love her; she gets me in a way no one ever has, and it's not for my money or status. And she loves my impressions. It's more than just the babies; it's everything."

"Sammy!" Stacey said, running up to him. "I love her! She is so funny and sweet! And she said I can be the Chef at her B&B as soon as I finish culinary school!."

"Well, you have always been an amazing cook. I just maybe told her that a few times."

Stevie raised an eyebrow. "B&B?"

Sam nodded. "She owns this property about ten miles from here, and she's turning it into a B&B. She already has a staff, as Kitty is going to manage it. Her sister-in-law is going to handle the cleaning staff. She even has a News Anchor friend who has been promoting it."

"Okay, please tell me she has a flaw because I can't," Stevie said.

"She does; she snores, and her feet are always cold."

Stevie laughed as Mercedes walked over to him. "I can't believe you threw this for me!"

Sam pulled her closer and kissed her soundly. "Don't you know I would do anything for you by now?"

She beamed. "I am starting to see that." Turning towards Stevie, she leaned into Sam. "So, how long are you staying?"

Stevie shrugged. "It's just the weekend, but I will be back soon. So, are you and Sammy here getting married soon? Or are you going to wait until you pop out those babies?"

Sam slapped the back of Stevie's head, and Mercedes smiled. "I don't know; we haven't spoken about it. But I'll marry your brother any day, any time."

"Same…" Sam said, smiling.