They don't belong to me. I am just borrowing them for a while. A sequel to Christmas Eve Visitor and Starting Our Life Together. This story is fiction, any people, places or events that happen are not actually real or factual. Enjoy and please review. The more reviews, the faster the chapters will be posted. There are a lot more chapters to go.

Holy Matrimony, Batman!
By JayCee08

Chapter 7
Julie Comes To Visit

We were waiting at the airport for Julie's plane to land. Can't believe it was spring break already. Seemed like it was just Christmas and Ranger came home. Now it was almost Easter.

We heard the squeals before we could actually see her as she made her way up to where we were waiting.

"Ranger! Steph!" She yelled. We finally spotted her as she ran around some people. She made her way to Ranger first and threw her arms around him. "Oh it is so good to see you again. Thanks for inviting me."

"It's good to see you again too, Julie. I missed you." It had been over a year and a half that Ranger had seen Julie. They kept in touch by email and phone but hadn't seen each other since before he left on his last mission. "I think you've grown quite a bit since I saw you last."

"Yeah, I guess I have. I am almost as tall as mom now." She pulled away and turned to Steph.

"Oh my God, Steph. It really has been a long time since I saw you." She hugged me. "And this is my little half brother. Thank you for sending me pictures and updates of Ricky. Can I hold him?"

I handed Ricky to her. "Hi Ricky. I'm your big sister, Julie."

"Here, I'll take your carry-on and you can carry Ricky." I said. We turned and headed for the baggage claim area to get the rest of her luggage.

________________

Julie sat in back with Ricky. She had him laughing and giggling. She made faces at him and played peek-a-boo with him. We stopped at Ranger's parent's house for a late lunch so they could see Julie.

"Abuela! Abuelo!" Julie shouted as she got out of the car.

"Hello, my dear. How are you? It is good to see you." Maria said as she hugged her granddaughter.

"I am fine, Abuela. It is good to see you too." She turned to Ricardo and gave him a hug.

"Hola, querida. Did you have a good flight?" Ricardo asked.

"It was O.K. Going through security is a pain. You have to take your shoes off. You can only have so much liquid in your carry-on. They search your bag and then you have to go through the metal detectors. It is just a pain."

Ranger and I had made our way up to the door after getting Ricky out of the car and grabbing the diaper bag.

"There's my little guy." Maria said as she took Ricky in his carrier. "Did you meet your big sister?"

"He is so cute. I can't believe that he is this big already. Steph sent me pictures. But it can't compare to seeing him in person."

"We wanted you to come for the baptism, but we didn't want you to miss any school. We knew that being here for just the weekend wouldn't be long enough." I said to her.

"I know. But I am going to be here for the wedding. Regardless of school."

"Well, lunch is ready. We can sit down and eat." Maria said.

"No one else is coming?" Julie asked.

"No, Carlos made it perfectly clear the last time everyone got together for dinner that he would prefer not to have everyone here." Maria answered.

"Was there a problem?"

"Let's just say that not everyone is happy about Ricky and Carlos and me getting married." I threw in.

"Oh." Julie said.

"Your aunts and uncle were not too kind to Stephanie. Some not nice things were said to her and Carlos and behind their backs. I don't want to repeat what was said."

"How can anyone not like Steph? Especially when she helped me when I was kidnapped. And how can anyone not love this little guy?" Julie said tickling Ricky.

"I don't know Jules. But let's not dwell on it and just eat." I said.

"So how are the wedding plans coming? Do I get to see the dresses?" Julie asked me.

"The wedding plans are going well. We have the church, the hall; the flowers and the cake are picked out. Next we have to pick a photographer and a videotographer. Carlos and I need to finalize the dinner menu and decide on type of vows we want. Whether to go with traditional or write our own." I said. "I made an appointment with the bridal shop for you to get measured and to see the dresses. Is tomorrow O.K. with you?"

"Great. I can't wait. You said that you are going with a black and white theme. That is so cool"

"You are about the only one who thinks so. I've gotten a lot of flak from others about our color choice."

"It's your wedding. You should be able to choose what you want."

"Yeah, you would think. But everyone has to let their opinions be known. And several have tried to change my mind. But I have stood fast and told them that this is Carlos and my decision."

Ranger had been very quiet throughout lunch. I looked over at him to see if I could tell what was bothering him. As usual he had his blank face on.

After lunch, I went to a spare bedroom to feed Ricky. Ranger came into the bedroom. Julie was helping clear the table and talking to Maria.

"Hey Babe." He said as he settled against the headboard. I scooted over to him and he put his arm around me as I held Ricky while he nursed.

"You want to tell me what is bothering you?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Carlos, I know something is bothering you. You hardly spoke at lunch, although you are a man of a few words. To Julie it is probably normal. But I know something is bothering you."

"It's just odd to see my teenage daughter and my infant son together. There is such an age difference. She could be his mother when you think about it."

"Bite your tongue. You don't want to become a grandfather yet."

"I am still trying to come to terms with being a father. A real father. I didn't have the hands on experience with her. I missed so much of her life. She is still pretty much a stranger. I guess I feel guilty that I wasn't there for her."

"I understand. But you've grown closer to her these past couple of years. You're getting to know her. It's not like she was deprived of a happy family growing up. She still had two loving parents. Even though one of her parents wasn't her biological father. She still got to know your family from what your mom has told me. She maybe is even luckier than most because she has three families that love and care for her."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Don't go beating yourself up. You did what you thought was the right thing to do at the time. Your life was not your own. Even if you and Rachel had stayed married, you would not have been around while Julie was growing up. You were in the military. If anything it probably would have been worse for her. Moving to different bases. Having to make new friends every couple of years. Having to say goodbye to old friends. Going to different schools. This way she had a stable home life. She went to the same school. Had the same friends."

"I know. But it is still weird to have a teenage daughter and an infant son."

"Well I am sure we aren't the first couple to have that happen. I am sure we won't be the last. It's what happens when you have children so young. It's not that we are too old to become parents. We aren't in our fifties and having a child and looking at retirement."

There was a knock on the door. "Steph? Ranger?" Julie called.

"Just a minute." I called.

"Babe. Ricky is still nursing."

"Actually he is done." I handed Ricky to Ranger. I quickly put myself back together. "Come in."

Julie entered the room. "I'm sorry, were you breast feeding?"

"Yeah. I won't be doing it too much longer. He is getting bigger and I am not producing enough."

"Wow. That is so cool. I didn't think women breast fed anymore. You know with working and all."

"Well it helps when you work at a place that allows you to bring your baby to work." I looked at Ranger. "And it is better for the baby to get breast milk as opposed to formula. But some women can't breast feed and some don't want to. It shouldn't reflect as to whether they are a good mother or not. Everyone should do with what they are comfortable with. I didn't know if I wanted to breast feed or not. It wasn't until I tried it that I found that I liked the bonding that it gave me to Ricky. I will miss it."

"I think I will take Ricky and go see his Abuela." Ranger said. He quickly left the room. He seemed to be uncomfortable with the discussion that was going on.

"Sit down Julie." I said to her.

"Did you want to have a baby?" Julie asked.

"Oh God, no. I always said I didn't want kids. Ricky just happened. He wasn't planned."

"Were you scared?"

"Yes, very much so. Carlos was gone. We had just moved in together. We had only been together for about six months. I was afraid of what he would say and do. Both of us had said in the past we didn't want kids. But that was before we were a couple. Everything was new for us but we hadn't discussed the future. Were we going to get married and have a family? We were more or less taking it one day at a time. Partly, I think, because your dad still had his obligation to the government. I thought about an abortion. But then I thought, what if Carlos doesn't come back? I would still have a part of him with having his child. So I decided to go ahead with the pregnancy."

"I take it he wasn't too upset about Ricky."

"No, he was stunned. He was gone for over a year. He missed out on the pregnancy part. He wished he could have been there to see me get fat and to feel our child moving inside. He wasn't too thrilled that I named the baby after him, but he understood why I did it."

"Are you planning on have any more kids?"

"We hadn't talked about it. I think we are going to wait until after we are married see what happens. We already have one child together. And he has you. He may not want any more."

"What about you?"

"I don't know. I am still scared at times. Am I doing things right? Is he getting the attention he needs? I panic at the first sign of a sniffle. I am sure it is all due to being a first time mom."

"Do you regret it?"

"Sometimes. It has definitely changed my life. But I can't imagine my life without him now. But I don't want you to go out and get pregnant just so you can experience that. You have plenty of time. I'm in my thirties. There are so many other things to experience first before becoming a mother. Remember, that once you have a baby, that baby is with you for a long time."

"I know. Mom lectures me all the time about that."

"Well Julie, you are of that age where kids want to try things, like sex and drugs. They can get into a lot of trouble because of it. We don't want to see you ruin your plans for school and college because you got pregnant or addicted to drugs."

There was a knock on the door. Ranger poked his head in. "Hey, I think we should be going home."

"O.K. Ranger. Let me say goodbye to Abuela."

I joined them in the living room.

"Goodbye, querida." Ricardo said as he hugged Julie goodbye. "We will see you soon."

"Bye, Abuelo. Bye Abuela." She said as she walked out the door.

"Bye Mama. Bye Papa" Ranger said.

"Will you come for dinner before Julie leaves?" Maria asked.

"We'll see. I can't make any promises." Ranger replied.

"If Carlos can't make it, I can make sure that we stop off on our way to the airport." I said.

Ranger just gave me a look. We walked out the door. He stopped me.

"What was that?" He asked.

"What was what?"

"Why did you say 'if Carlos can't make it'? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what it means. If you can't make it."

"Babe, did it ever occur to you that my parents have seen Julie a lot more than I have. And that maybe I would like to spend as much time with my daughter as I can. I know I can't make up the time I lost with her, but while she is here, I would like it to be just us. You, me, Julie and Ricky. I don't want to share her with the rest of the family."

"I'm sorry, Carlos. I didn't realize you felt like this. Does that mean you are going to take time off from work?"

"I thought I would work part-time. I know you are taking Julie for dress measurements and such but then I thought we could do something as a family. Maybe spend some time in New York for a couple of days. I know it is too cold for the beach or any water parks but maybe go to a museum or to a movie or a show or something."

"I think that is a wonderful idea."

"Hey! Are you two coming?" Julie yelled from the car.

I snapped Ricky in the base and got in and buckled up. Ranger started the car and we headed for home. Our little family.

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Early the next morning, Ranger and I were sharing some quiet time. We woke up at the same time now. Ranger to go for his run and me to tend to Ricky. We usually spent the time before Ricky wakes up just to hold each other. We would talk about things, like the wedding, or what our schedule for the day is going to be. Sometimes we would use the time for a quick romp. But too often we would be interrupted in the middle of it. So we saved the love making for the nights. I knew Ricky would be waking up soon.

"Julie asked if we were planning on having any more kids." I told him.

"What did you say?"

"I told her I didn't know. That you and I hadn't discussed it."

"What do you want? Do you want to have another baby?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

"I thought Julie was going to be it. Then you surprised me with Ricky. I would be happy if that is all we had."

"So, you don't want to have any more."

"I didn't say that. I said I would be happy with just two. If you want to have another baby that would be O.K. with me. I missed out on the births of both my children. I would like to witness that at least once in my lifetime."

"So you do want to have another one."

"Babe, I want what you want. If you want one or three or six more then I would love to have them with you."

"Oh God, six? I could possibly handle one or two more. But six? If you want six you can have them yourself."

"Babe, I am not exactly equipped for that." He gave me a kiss. The kiss progressed and soon hands were caressing. Then a wail came from the baby monitor.

"You do realize that with more kids our time for each other is going to be limited even more." I said with a sigh.

"We will just have to sneak off at work and head up the seventh floor apartment at lunch time."

"I don't know which will be worse. Trying to sneak around the kids or the Merry Men."

"You have a point." The wail grew louder.

"I need to get him before he wakes Julie and you should go for your run."

"Let him wake up Julie. Then she can watch him while we take a shower together." He said with a hopeful and lustful grin.

"Go for your run. Hopefully she will be awake when you get back. I really could use a shower when you get back." I said trying to tamp down the hormones. I grabbed my robe from the foot of the bed and went across the hall to Ricky's room.

________________

Julie came into the kitchen as I was getting Ricky's cereal ready.

"I'm sorry, did Ricky wake you?"

"No, actually I was awake waiting until I heard everyone else moving around." She said.

"Ranger went for a run. What would you like for breakfast? I can make scrambled eggs and bacon. There is some cereal in the cupboard. That is about all I can offer you until Miranda gets here."

"Who's Miranda?" Julie asked.

"She is our housekeeper. She doesn't live here. We usually do our own thing for breakfast. She comes right before we leave for work. She does the cleaning and she cooks us our dinner. She sometimes has something pre-made for us in the morning but because we didn't eat here last night she got to leave early."

"Oh, well scrambled eggs and bacon sound good."

"You want to feed Ricky while I start getting our breakfast made?"

"Uh, I don't think. . ."

"Ricky gets cereal and fruit in the morning. Today it's bananas."

"Oh, I thought. . ."

"I told you that I don't breast feed him that much anymore. He is eating more solids now. He breast feeds maybe once a day. I sometimes use the pump. I have some breast milk stored in the freezer. I mix his cereal with it and then he gets the rest of it in a bottle. And I use formula when I have to."

"Yeah, I'd like to feed him."

I handed her the bowl of cereal and the bowl of mashed up bananas and a baby spoon.

"Don't worry if he doesn't eat it all. Some days he can be a piggy. And other days he acts like he is stuffed."

She started to feed him and he was really hungry. I got started on the bacon. Ranger got back. He saw Julie was feeding Ricky. He looked at me. I know what he was asking. "I just started breakfast. Why don't we eat first?" He seemed to accept that. We sat down and ate as soon as it was ready. Ricky had finished his breakfast and was content just to sit in the highchair while we ate playing with his spoon. As soon as the dishes were put in the dishwasher, Ranger headed for the stairs.

"Julie, do you think you can watch Ricky while Ranger and I get ready? Then when we're done you can shower while I give Ricky his bath."

"Sure Steph."

"He has toys in the toy box in the family room. There are books in the bookcase if you want to read to him."

"O.K. I think I can entertain him while you get ready." She looked at me with a knowing smile.

I headed upstairs. Ranger was waiting for me with the shower running. Soon we were both in frenzy. I hoped the shower was drowning out the moaning.

TBC Chapter 8 - Lunch At Pino's