All recognizable characters or scenes are Janet's. Thanks for sticking with this story and for continuing to read and review it.
Chapter 28
Christmas continued ...
I was sitting on a stool in the kitchen, leaning against Ranger's body as he drank his coffee the morning of Christmas Eve. For the last hour, he and I were trying to move around as silently as we could so we wouldn't wake Matthew up. Over the last few nights sleep has been a hit or miss deal. Either Matty was up or I couldn't fall asleep as I ran through the things I still have left to do. So when he decided to finally go back to sleep at four, we didn't want to disturb him when we got up an hour later.
This reminds me of the nap sign Woody had made for my office so everyone will know to keep the noise down to a low rumble when passing by. I forgot to take it down one day before a client meeting and got a funny look from the guy I'd hoped would be Rangeman's next happy customer.
In true RangeGuy fashion, it didn't say something simple like 'Shhh ... baby sleeping'. No, my guys went the threat route. It looks like a standard issue security sign, but there's no hint of protection for the person who may wake my kid up. I couldn't help but notice it didn't have the word 'please' anywhere on it. Mine and Matty's sign says "Warning: RangeBaby sleeping. Disturbers will be shot on sight ... no exceptions". I'm guessing they'd have silencers on their guns if they decided to shoot a too-loud person, since a gunshot would be more apt to wake Matty up than a knock on my door would.
After a quiet breakfast for us, Matty was up again. Once he'd been changed and had his own morning meal, I got him dressed and we ventured downstairs to say Happy Almost Christmas to everyone. Ramon quickly confiscated my kid and sat him down on his lap behind the desk he'd been sitting at.
"I've got a spelling lesson for you," he told my kid, "if you're interested."
"Even if he's not ... I am," I said. "Whatcha got?"
He picked through the pile of wooden blocks that Vince had just dumped there, holding up the one with the letter he wanted so Matty could see it before placing it on the desk.
"C is for the crap you'll have to put up with from us," he started. "H is for the hell you'll catch if you tick off your mom."
"Hey!" I said, gently shoving his shoulder.
"It's true, Babe. There's nothing worse than a pissed off Plum."
"How about a vengeful one?" I said sweetly.
"Seeing your attempts at getting even is always enjoyable."
"I'm not done here," Ramon told us.
"Sorry."
"No problem." He grabbed the 'R' block and kept going. "R is for how right your dad thinks he is."
"I am right. All of the time."
"So you think," I added.
"I got you to agree to get married."
"Okay, I'll give you that one. You were right that marriage is more a pro than a con."
Ramon persevered. "I is for the interruptions you'll have to put up with if you work here. S ...
"No swearing," I warned him. "I slipped up the other day and Matty was trying to 'F' his way through all the vowels he knows."
"I love this kid," Ram said to us, being the first of the guys who weren't already in the control room to trickle in.
The rest of the men who could join us weren't far behind. Information spreads faster than the flu in this building.
"We all do, even if he pisses or drools on everything," Lester said, a little peevishly in my opinion.
"Still holding a grudge about getting a faceful of both?" I asked him.
"No, just stating the facts."
"S is for the stuff we'll help you learn," Ramon continued, raising his voice to be heard over us, which seemed to give Matty the idea that he should also raise his. "T is for the takedowns you won't be doing if your parents have a say in the matter."
"We do," I said, sitting my ass on the corner of the desk so I could straighten the letters as Ramon set them down.
"You hope we do," Ranger told me.
"You know, maybe I should think about heading back to church."
"You're beyond God's help, Steph," Bobby said, earning him a glare.
"Bite me," I told him.
"Later," he said back.
That was the wrong response in Ranger's opinion. "I'll see you in the gym ... later."
"Shit."
"No swearing," I reminded him, but it was too late.
"Shhh," Matthew started to say.
Since I have a pretty good idea of what Ramon is spelling, I picked up the 'M' block and waved it in front of Matty.
"What's M?" I asked Ramon, to hopefully get my kid's mind off cursing.
"M" is for the mess of gifts you'll be getting."
"There's a ban in place on too many gifts," Ranger said.
"Yeah," Woody said, "but we didn't think you meant it."
"It is Matthew's first Christmas," Ella pointed out as she walked through the control room. "It's impossible not to spoil him."
"She's right. We went overboard ourselves," I told him.
"Two people leaning towards excess is one thing. Fifty people shopping in bulk means I'll have to buy another building just to store his toys."
"Should I start looking?" Tank asked, coming up behind us.
"I think he was only trying to make a point," I said to him, but I was looking at Ranger. "Weren't you?"
"Partially."
Ramon cleared his throat. "A is for the attitude you'll need to survive."
"We have that," Vince joked. "In excess, too."
"Can I finish?" Ramon asked, handing Matty a second 'S' block.
"Yep. Do you have another S word that's not something Lester will laugh at?"
"The last S is for the security we'll always provide you and your family."
"That's so sweet," I told him. "Either you guys have become nicer or I'm more hormonal."
"Because you're pregnant again?" Lester asked. "I'd be surprised if you're not ... the way you and Bossman go at it when you think no one's around. If you are, I'll bet more than manual labor that we'll be having a baby girl this time."
"Keep dreaming. You're wrong more often than you're right when it comes to my reproductive system. I'm hormonal because I'm not pregnant again."
It took them a second to read between the lines, but the collective groan of disgust that followed was impressive.
"Gross," Woody said.
"Try having to deal with it yourself. That's what's actually gross. Men are weird. I overheard a comparison conversation last month between Lester and Vince when they'd gone on separate captures ..."
"I know which one you're talking about. I got sliced hauling Veracrul in before I ground his face into the street," Lester interrupted. "Vince had a busted-up lip if I remember correctly."
"That was a fun day," Vince told me. "There's nothing like a good bar fight on a slow day."
"You guys were trying to decide who was in more pain, which one shed more blood, and who made the skip suffer more. So why are men so disgusted by anything related to periods? They involve blood, pain, and making the people around you miserable. Seems like the type of 'condition' guys would love ... not one that will make grown men squirm like you all are doing now."
"That's different," Woody said.
"No it's not."
Ramon tried to end the conversation. "I have more if you're done talking about girl stuff."
"Lester brought it up. I was just setting him straight."
"Can you stop?" Tank asked.
"Matty's little, but I think you guys are the actual babies."
"M," Ramon said, with more force than the moment required, "is for the mom you have that we all love."
"You said that on purpose so I'd leave you alone, didn't you?"
"Just stating the facts like Lester said.
"You're running out of block space," Ranger said, but I think he's finding this amusing as well.
Ella heard that when she was leaving the kitchen. She squeezed between me and Ramon's chair and moved the blocks over for him. I'd been busy picking on the guys so I was behind on block duty.
"There ... you're all set to continue," she told Ramon.
"Thanks," he said, wheeling the chair closer so Matty could reach them better. "O is for the obstacles you'll overcome with our help. R is for the Rangedaddy you're lucky enough to have. N is for the nursery we painted for you."
"You're only spelling Christmas Morning, right?" Woody asked. "Or we could be here all day."
"Like you have something better to do?" Ram told him.
"Why are you spelling 'morning' instead of 'eve'?" Vince asked. "Last I checked, the calendar says today's the 24th."
"Kids always remember Christmas morning, not so much the day before. Now can I finish?" He didn't wait for their answer, he just powered through the remaining letters. "I is for the influence you've had on us. N is for the nicknames you've been given. And G is for the gift you've been to all of us."
"You're a friggin' sap, you know that?" Bobby said to him. "If you have a 'P' block handy ... I can start on a name for you."
"No!" I said quickly. "Don't you dare pick up that 'P', Woody."
"That's not what you told Santos when M.J. tagged him?" Tank told me.
"Be a dillhole all you want, Brown. M.J. liked it," Ramon said to him.
He did. He was slapping and waving his hands along the desk's top, sending blocks flying.
"I know Thanksgiving was last month, but I really am thankful for you guys in case I haven't said so recently," I told them, pressing my lips to Matty's hand.
I picked him up when he ran out of blocks to scatter and reached out to me. When he or Ranger want to be held, I'm their girl.
"I never pegged you for sappy until you got knocked up," Lester told me.
He was dumb enough to move within striking distance, so I kicked him in the leg.
"Did I forget to mention that you aren't included in my 'Thankful For' group?"
He slung an arm across my shoulders and pulled me close to kiss the top of my head. The friendly gesture reminded me of what Ranger used to do to me before he decided my tongue in his mouth and his hand on my breast was a way better greeting.
"You love me and you know it."
"I tolerate you and you know it," I replied.
He laughed ... not at all insulted.
The relaxed atmosphere Ramon had started instantly died when one of the alarms sounded at the monitoring station.
"An alarm was just tripped at the Devon estate," Bones reported.
"We're on it," Bobby said, nodding towards Lester.
They both high-fived Matty on their way out. Everyone in the control room had gone immediately back to business mode so Matty and I went to keep Ella company for a little while. When she headed back to six, we were about to go in search of Ranger but I heard Tank's phone buzz before we found him. Christmas Eve is almost a holiday so the only people who should be calling are family. But I learned a long time ago that in this line of work calls seldom involve something as simple as a wish for them to have a Merry Christmas.
As Tank listened, his eyes went to Ranger who was walking back into the control room. He likely disappeared into his office to check on something business-related while he had a minute. I'm guessing he would've been the one buzzing if he hadn't put Tank in charge until the twenty-sixth.
"What?" He asked when Tank disconnected.
"That was Brown. According to Dumb and Dumber, Mr. Devon is 'freaking'. Brown's calling it a smash and grab. The door between the living room and patio was tampered with. Looks like the Christmas presents were what the guy was after."
"Was anything taken?"
"No. The alarm sounded and he took off. Santos is running the feed from the security cameras to get a still of the a-hole."
"So you're looking at me why?"
"He and his wife want their hands held through the police report process. They've requested your presence."
"What kind of jerk would try to steal presents on Christmas Eve?" I asked.
"One who needs quick cash for their next fix. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"We'll be here." This is one job I don't mind not being part of. "It's supposed to start snowing soon so be careful."
"Always," he said into my mouth before he kissed me.
I felt better seeing Tank follow Ranger out without even asking if backup is needed.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Matty," I said, tucking my face into his warm little neck.
There's nothing like the smell of a clean baby. Well ... a fresh from the shower Ranger smells pretty incredible, too.
My words produced a loud throat clear. I looked around and noticed how many of the guys were still hanging around the control room. Obviously Bobby and Lester are on duty, and Bones and Zero are stuck in monitor hell, but the guys who have apartments on four could be inside them right now, but they chose to hang out here with us.
"I meant that it's just the two of us left to annoy all of you," I said, correcting myself.
It didn't take long for the fifth-floor toy chest to be raided and Matthew to be back in the middle of all the fun.
"It's nice to see them enjoying themselves," Ella whispered to me, during one of her pass-throughs.
"It is," I agreed, as Ram played 'fighter pilot' with Matty, using my kid to shoot fake missiles at Vince. "I think they get just as much from Matty as he gets from them."
Ella smiled and watched in silence as Matty 'landed' and the guys tried to get him involved in a game of demolition derby with his toy cars. I sometimes forget that these are the men trained to wipe out a small country if given the order. Ella squeezed my arm before leaving to get started on lunch for the guys working today. Matty and I were still on five when Ranger and Tank returned from the scene of the crime.
"Snow's starting to come down," he told me.
I could smell the faint hint of woodsmoke on his jacket and felt the slight chill coming from his skin.
"Do you think it's too cold for Matty to go outside for a few minutes?" I asked.
"If he's dressed warm, he should be fine."
"How's the homeowner?"
"Still shaken, but nothing was taken and no one got hurt. I made sure he understood that he'd been extremely lucky."
Unfortunately, we've seen the results of someone intent on causing damage to someone or something. He had in fact been very lucky. Not only does Mr. Devon still have his gifts, he and his wife still have their lives.
As for our own gifts, we'll be doing a quick present drop off this afternoon. Valerie is feeling domestic and invited us and my parents to her house for Christmas Eve. I decided and also pointed out to Ranger that if we go, we can unload the presents we have, Matty can see my family for a little while, and I won't have to feel at all bad for going to Newark for Christmas again.
"We still have an hour before we have to head to Valerie's," I said to Ranger. "We could bundle Matthew up and see what he thinks of having snowflakes pelt his face."
His navy blue snowsuit's cute and suited for temps below zero, but he can't move around very much in it. His eyes, nose, and mouth will be the only things able to experience the weather, so he may not be as thrilled with my plan as I am.
"You ready now?" Ranger asked me.
He just came back from what likely wasn't a fun call and is still choosing to spend time with us instead of wanting a moment of silence before we're surrounded by my family. I thought back on all the 'driving zones' he'd channeled in the past and realized just how much we've both changed while still growing closer.
"I wasn't expecting to be going out until we leave for Val's, our stuff is still upstairs."
Ranger probably figured he'd be faster so he went up to seven instead of me. I was annoyed to see that he made it up and back down two flights of stairs in less time than it took me to get Matty all zipped up. He even carried our kid when I was done, since he's probably five pounds heavier with his snowsuit and little boots on. Ranger never forgets my jacket and I slid it on as we walked to the door leading to the stairs.
"Where you headed?" Bobby asked, when we ran into him and Lester in the third-floor stairwell.
"Outside for a few minutes."
"It's snowing," Lester added.
"I know, that's what I want Matty to see."
He shrugged. "Could be fun."
"Were you invited?" Ranger asked him.
I shot him a 'be nice' look. "You're invited now."
"We've got paper crap to fill out." He turned to Ranger. "We lucked out and got a face and an immediate ID. The cops have the f-er now."
"I know."
"Of course you know," I said. "You're psychic."
"Or I got a call while I was upstairs," he suggested.
"Nope. I'm going with supernatural abilities." I looked at Bobby and Lester again. "We'll be at the swings if you don't get a paper cut from the paperwork and bleed out before we come back in."
They grinned, nodded, and continued up to the fifth floor. We went out the back door of the building and into the play area the guys had built. We now have the building equivalent of a mullet. The front of Rangeman is all business, looking like the stealth security firm it is. The playground, though, is a full-blown Christmas party ready to happen.
I seriously thought Diego was joking just to bug his brother when he'd suggested we deck the outdoors, too, after we'd added some holiday cheer and a few Santas and Christmas trees to the inside. But he hadn't been kidding at all. He and their dad wrapped Matty's swing set entirely up in multi-colored Christmas lights.
Understanding this family more and more the longer I get to hang out with them, I wasn't really surprised to see their innocent holiday project fuel Marie's competitive streak. Pretty soon, the fence surrounding the area had twinkling lights attached to almost every inch of it. It turned into a boys versus girls holiday grudge match with no clear winner because none of the men were willing to vote against either of Ranger's parents. The end result was actually really pretty in a 'Where's my sunglasses?' kind of way.
My mom had my dad wrap garland and Christmas lights around the front porch when Valerie and I were young, but that's nothing like what the Manosos do from the day before Thanksgiving until January fifth. They celebrate as hard - and for as long - as they can.
Ranger brushed the snow off one of the swings for me and I sat down, reaching for Matty. He sat our kid on me and stood at our side as we waited to see what he'd do with actual snow, not the light up variety. He tipped his head way back against me and opened his mouth and his eyes wide as the cold flakes touched his face.
"Aaaaeee," he said.
"This is what we call the S-word, Matty. Snow," I told him. "It can be fun if you don't have to shovel it."
I glanced at Ranger and then paused when I noticed that the snow isn't sticking to him. My uncovered curls already have a solid dusting on them. I'm guessing Batman is so hot, snow melts before it even reaches him.
"Why are you staring?" He asked.
"It's nothing." I moved us and the swing back and forth with my foot. "Do you want to try crawling?" I asked Matty. "I'm not sure your knees will bend in this thing, but you can try."
I stopped the swing and leaned forward. I stood Matty up first and then I supported his middle when he bent to put his mittened hands on the snowy ground. He did his best to get himself moving, but he mostly just sat there and hit the ground with his hands ... when he wasn't trying to tug his hand and head covers off.
"Shut up," we heard murmured by the door of the building.
"Looks like we've got company," I said, watching Bobby walk towards us, only to turn sharply and nail Lester directly in the face with the smallest snowball I've ever seen.
It hasn't been snowing long, but what has fallen is wet enough to form something the size of Frosty's balls rather than his entire body.
"You're gonna pay for that," Lester warned, and lobbed another snowbullet.
"That was payback," he said, ducking in time to avoid getting hit.
"I must have been drinking when I agreed to hire them," Ranger said to me.
"You don't drink. And they're just blowing off a little steam. There was a real chance they could've had to face an armed intruder or possibly pursue one. Hitting each other with snow is probably the safest release they can choose." I hunkered down beside Matty. "We're going to have a great time when Julie gets here."
"JuuuJuuu," Matty said.
"Julie will be back soon," Ranger promised him.
"But not for a few days," I added. "You're stuck with us for now."
"Maaaa ..."
"Yep ... and your daddy, too. For another hour anyway, and then we'll be seeing your Great-Grandma Mazur. Tomorrow we get to spend Christmas with your Manoso family. That'll be fun."
"For him or for you?" Ranger asked.
"Both."
The guys made it over to us and Bobby squatted down next to us. "You liking the snow, M.J.? It's like sand but colder."
"And snow doesn't get stuck in places you really don't want it to get stuck," I pointed out.
"What were you doing to get sand someplace other than your feet?" Lester asked, a suggestive smile tugging at his mouth.
"She was helping me dispose of a body," Ranger answered for me. "Yours will be next if you ask something like that again."
"Got it. Sorry, Steph."
"No problem. But to answer your question ... I was hauling a body up onto the beach, not burying one beneath it."
"You joke about it, Steph, but that could've been bad," Bobby said, no hint of teasing in his tone.
"I know, but it wasn't. And even better, I wasn't the cause of it."
"Maybe you should consider taking one or two of us with you guys when you go out there ... as a precaution."
"You just want to hang out on the beach and ogle bikini-wearing women."
"Yeah, but we'd keep an eye on you, too."
"Especially if you're one of the bikini-wearing women," Lester said, clearly trying to poke the bear.
It worked. In two steps, Ranger had the collar and back of Lester's Rangeman jacket in both of his hands. He half helped/half threw Lester towards the door that leads back into the building. Lester isn't a small man, but Ranger's bigger, stronger, and clearly had a purpose.
"I'll head in, too," Bobby told us.
I cut my eyes to him. "You're only going in now so you can tell everyone in the control room that Lester landed on his keister in the snow."
Bobby's teeth flashed white as he smiled. "What are friends for?"
It's times like these that really make me wonder why men think they should be in charge of anything. I'm in total agreement with Julie ... boys big and small can be immature, loud, and gross.
Ranger, Matty, and I stayed outside for another ten minutes and then we went to change before we ventured out into the unstable weather and visited with an even more unstable family.
The visit went as well as it could, but despite the holiday atmosphere and all of Valerie's efforts, Marie has ruined me for other family gatherings ... much like her son has ruined me for other men. My mom was nice and polite ... asking how the roads are and what we're having for Christmas dinner. The problem with that is ... growing up with her, I've heard her make the same type of small talk with the dry cleaner and the checkout girl at the grocery store. She kept herself busy with food and the cleanup it produced the rest of the time, even with it being Valerie's house.
My dad was my dad, distractedly ruffling Matty's hair as he said hello and asked when my car had been serviced last. The good thing about being married to Ranger, and him being my car provider, I get to pass off any car maintenance questions to him.
After that, Ranger and I spent the majority of the time talking to Grandma, Valerie, and our kid, while trying to avoid Albert and my mother's obvious discomfort. If she isn't in charge of something, she seems almost lost. I could tell she was happy to see us, but couldn't show it beyond asking if we want more coffee or another bowl of chocolate pudding poke cake. I'd take it. I'd asked for a truce and I got one. What we have now is better than the past bickering we did and the more recent hostility-laced discussions we suffered through. Polite I can do even though part of me always shows up hoping for something different ... something more personal.
Christmas morning for Ranger and I was weird ... in a good way. I've seen all the movies where either Christmas is completely ruined or perfect enough to qualify as science-fiction, but ours was just right for us ... somewhere in the middle of both. Matty was awake most of Christmas Eve leading into the hours of Christmas morning. If he wasn't so grumpy, and we hadn't been expecting more teeth to be coming in, I might have thought he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa after Lisa had built the guy up to mythical proportions when we'd been at Valerie's.
As usual, both Ranger and I were up with him.
"I can take the first shift," I told him, while trying to soothe Matty with sympathetic noises. "There's no reason why we both should be awake."
"There was no reason for you to offer yourself as bait to save my daughter ..."
"Hey ... Julie's mine now, too."
Those already sexy eyes darkened at me wanting to claim his daughter as my own. She, Ranger, and I were all trying to save each other when Scrog entered our lives. That situation created such a solid bond between us, even if I didn't end up her step-mother, she'd still be part of my life.
"She is ours, but my point is that Matthew's my son and if he's upset, I want to deal with it."
I sighed. I know the feeling. I never thought one of the hardest parts of being a mom would be inaction. I want to make Matty feel better but I don't know how beyond what we're already doing.
"Your superpowers weren't designed with this kind of thing in mind," I told him. "We can only try to make him as comfortable as possible."
"Cool washcloth or the toy?" He asked.
"We need to bring in the big guns," I said, wishing I'd worn more than just one of his dress shirts and panties to bed, since we weren't able to spend much time in it. Lucky it's long and big enough to cover everything. "I think we need the toy. It's probably in his diaper bag by the door. We'll meet you in the living room."
Ranger found the toy and sat down next to us on the couch. He had on low-slung black sweats and nothing else. Even in my sleepy and stressed state of mind, I fully appreciated the sight. He took Matty, gave him the vibrating teething toy to bite down on, and then urged me closer. Matty seems to calm down faster when Ranger is the one holding him. Apparently I do, too, because I woke up with a tiny hand squeezing my nose.
I blinked a few times and then realized that I'm still on the couch and Ranger and Matty are still awake.
"I fell asleep," I said, pointing out the obvious.
"You did."
"Sorry. I offer to let you sleep and then I turn around and conk out."
"You were tired."
"Yeah, well so were you."
"I've learned during my time in the service that sleep is overrated."
I sat up and then hugged my kid to me. "You need sleep almost as much as he does."
"One of us got two hours."
"I'm betting that was you," I said to Matty. "Now that we're all up, and you seem to be in a better mood, I guess we can start Christmas a little early."
I scooted off the couch with him and sat by the tree, tugging over one of many brightly-wrapped gifts for him. I tried to show him how to unwrap it, but he wanted to just sit with it in front of him and tear apart the bow. I'm fine with letting him do things his way. As long as he isn't crying or looking like he's in pain, I'm happy. We have until three to get his stuff unwrapped, but we should probably leave the apartment no later than one-thirty so we can give everyone here their gifts before we take off again.
Matty had abandoned his present and crawled closer to the tree. His "First Christmas" Santa-faced pj's got a good workout as he tried to tug off another ornament from one of the lower branches on the tree.
"You're not supposed to eat it," Ranger told him.
Matty looked at him while his mouth was still trying to locate a chew-hold on the completely round ornament. It was too big for his hands to hold securely, and when he got a little enthusiastic with his biting attempts, the silver ornament flew right out of his hands and landed near my hip.
I laughed, Ranger contemplated smiling, and Matty went from happily sitting to purposely crawling to get it back. Once again, it shot out from his hand when he made a one-handed grab for it. The level of joy I got from watching how determined he was to get his 'toy' - and have it do what he wants - was off the charts.
"And I thought you were relentless," I said to Ranger. "I wonder if we should start worrying about whoever might find themselves in his path."
"He takes after you."
"I'm resilient, not relentless."
"You're both. Do you want to get a bottle ready or protect the tree?"
"You're the security expert so I guess I'll get him some breakfast and you some coffee. Ella won't be up for at least another hour."
I headed to the kitchen after a quick bathroom pit stop for pants and a quick visit with my tooth and hair brush. I felt a little more human by the time I reached the kitchen. I put on a pot of coffee, toasted two bagels, and fixed Matty a bottle while everything else was being made or heated up.
When I got back to my guys with our makeshift breakfast, Matty had de-bowed two presents and was crushing the hell out of the bows with both hands, making crinkling noises that he apparently found riveting. I put the stuff down on the table by the couch and sat on the floor near them. If this is any indication, it's going to be a busy day, but I'm looking forward to every minute of it. Ranger and I decided to save our gifts for each other until we get back tonight. Since the period-thing is no longer an issue, I think we're both hoping to do a little present and person unwrapping if Matty has a good night.
The morning was spent helping Matty undo the presents we bought and Santa left him. We got about halfway through his stocking before he got bored with that and became fussy again. It seemed like a good time to take a break. Ranger slid an arm around the little body and carried him to the couch. Matty was ready to chill out a little and since Ranger had that covered, I went to get ready. He takes five minutes to shower and three to get dressed. As long as I'm done before noon so I can get Matty out of his pajamas and into his Christmas clothes ... we're good timewise.
By eleven-thirty, I was showered and dressed for our Newark Christmas. I left off my FMPs, since it's harder to chase down a FTSS - Failure To Stay Still - baby in them. The short red and black dress I put on is sexy in a comfortable way. I sprayed my hair one last time in a futile attempt to keep it where I'd put it even though a few curls will come loose before I even leave the bathroom, and then I went in search of my man and mini-man.
I found them still in the living room. Ranger was stretched out on the couch, his chest and feet still bare, and Matty was sound asleep on top of that chest. The morning had started out cloudy and the threat of more snow kept the clouds hanging around, so the room was mostly lit by our tree and all the lights in and around it.
Matty's little face was turned to the side, as if he'd fallen asleep staring at the tree, and both of his arms are stretched out, completely relaxed, on each side of his dad's torso. Ranger had one arm behind his own head which made his bicep bulge, and his left arm was curled around Matty. If it was at all possible to get pregnant just from looking at something, I'd be carrying quadruplets right now.