Thirty-Nine

Carlos

Steph and I spent the majority of the evening coming up with names for the babies, but choosing names, wasn't the only thing that occupied our time. We enjoyed devouring one another. Our evenings are never dull in our bedroom.

We narrowed it down to six names for our boys and six for our girl. Our plan is to pick up the girls from school and spend the long weekend at the beach house. Together, as a family, we will choose the best names for our children.

Our first thought was to give the boys our father's names, but Steph wanted to carry on the Manoso tradition by having Carlos as their middle name. She makes me proud that she wants to keep my Cuban traditions.

"Babe, didn't you have traditions in your family?"

"Nope, if there were Hungarian traditions, my grandparents didn't continue them and I'm not sure about the Italian side. My dad's parents changed their last name to Plum from Plumeria. So, apparently names weren't an important factor."

"Thank you for keeping the Cuban traditions in our own family. It means a lot to me."

"Honey, I love that your family has traditions and I'm excited to start our own."

"Come on Babe, let's get some sleep, we have an early meeting at the office and a parent teacher meeting before we pick up the girls." I kissed my best girl on the forehead. "Night Steph, I love you."

"Goodnight Batman, I love you, too."

I woke up to soft snoring in my ear, it's a beautiful sound. "Good morning vixen, did you sleep well?" I said pulling her closer to me.

"Umm, I sure did. After a night in bed with you, I always sleep well." She stretched like a kitten and kissed me. I slapped her butt and got out of bed.

"Join me in the shower?" My wife was too worn out from our activities last night to do anything else but shower. Stephanie got our girls out of bed and helped them get ready for the day while I headed downstairs to get breakfast ready.

"Good morning daddy." Julie said, kissing me.

"Good morning sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"

"Sure did. What's for breakfast?" She asked as Steph came down with our girls.

"Papi." Emma and Anna ran to me and hugged me. "What smells so good?" they asked.

"Tia Ella made a breakfast pizza. It's in the oven." I kissed my girls. "Your mom and I have a meeting this morning, so Lily Cap will pick you up here."

"Are you meeting with our teacher's today?" Julie asked.

"Yes, we'll meet you at school after the meeting." Steph replied. "We have a surprise for you."

"Do we get presents?" Anna asked with excitement.

"Nope, this surprise is even better. We're going to spend the weekend at the beach house."

"Yay, that's awesome, we love the beach house." My three girls answered. The alarm alerted us of an in-coming car.

"Girls, Lily Cap is here. Don't scarf down your food, take your time. We'll see you at school."

We hugged and kissed our girls just as Lily knocked on the door. Stephanie let her in. "Hi Lily, if you haven't eaten, help yourself to breakfast pizza."

"Thank you, ma'am. Hi girls, breakfast smells yummy," Lily said as she headed towards the kitchen.

Steph and I spent the thirty minute drive to the office going over our meeting notes. We have a few promotional announcements to make. My amazing wife and business partner has become a huge asset to Rangeman. More and more of her hidden talents have been surfacing and I couldn't be more pleased. It saddens me that everyone in her life squashed her dreams and made her feel she would never be good for anything other than a Burg wife who cooks, cleans, and pumps out babies. How wrong they all were and those hypocrites who did nothing but ridicule her are now suddenly impressed with her. Thankfully, she is too smart and can see right through their shit.

"Babe, I think your choices in promotions are perfect. I couldn't have done better myself and I'm the master of recognizing exceptional employees."

"Well, who do you think I learned it from?"

"You've kept all your talents to yourself for years. You certainly did not learn them from me. Don't sell yourself short."

"Thank you, boss-man, I appreciate it."

"Stephanie, when will you learn to stop calling me that. You and I are equal."

"You are and will always be boss-man as far as I'm concerned. You've worked your fingers to the bone starting Rangeman from the ground up. You've put your life in danger so many times working the missions and these hands right here tell me every day of your hard work. All the bumps, scars, and calluses have their own story." She held my hand and squeezed tightly. "So, when I call you boss-man, indulge me will you?"

"Yes dear." She giggles when I say that.

We arrived at the office and headed straight to the employee rec room, the only place where all of our employees are able to fit. I grabbed coffee for Stephanie, while she was looking at the choices of donuts and other items that I used to ban from the building. Somehow my sneaky wife managed to change all that, but I love her anyway.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, grab your coffee and food, then take your seats. The meeting will begin in a few minutes," Tank announced in his booming voice.

"This meeting won't be too lengthy. I'm sure you've all noticed that Stephanie has been shadowing each department the last several weeks. She came up with the idea of getting a better sense of seeing each department in action to look for employees who do an amazing job yet go unnoticed. Stephanie finds things in people that the rest of us may miss at times, which means we overlook potential and the opportunity for employees to be promoted." I looked over at my business partner who had a slight blush. "The executive and core teams both felt this was a great idea and one that will benefit each and every one of you. Having said that, I'll turn the meeting over to Stephanie."

"Thanks, Ranger. I know I've been a pain in the ass hovering over you and watching everything you do on a day-to-day basis. This idea came to me when we were going over reviews and some names that I felt should have been on the promotion list were missing. It dawned on me that those particular employees are typically behind the scenes and go unrecognized. So today we'd like to change that."

She took a sip of her coffee and I noticed she began to pick at her donut out of nervousness, but she changed her mind.

"As you all know, our very own Bobby Brown is now officially a Doctor. He worked hard to earn his title. Dr. Brown will now oversee Rangeman's medical department at all locations. He will spend time at each station to ensure everything is running smoothly and the appropriate personnel are hired."

The room erupted in cheers and applause, celebrating the accomplishment of their friend.

"Next on the promotion list is our assistant medic. Billy has been busy going to school to further his education in the medical field. I am proud to announce that Billy has earned his Master's Degree and is now a Physician's assistant. He will work under Bobby and will be based here in Trenton." Again, the room erupted in applause. "I know we're all excited about the promotions, but there are more to come so how about we hold the applause and cheering after all individuals have been recognized."

Good thinking on her part. We would have been here all day.

"Billy's new role will keep him busy, therefore our awesome Nurse Darlena is now officially a Nurse Practitioner. Darlena will be with us on a full-time basis and is our official company medic. The biggest difference between NPs and RNs is the level of autonomy granted to nurse practitioners. Darlena will see patients on her own or refer to a physician or specialist as a case requires. Unlike RNs, nurse practitioners can diagnose and treat acute illnesses, and can prescribe medications. And in case you're wondering, the only reason I know the difference is because I researched it and grilled Darlena." Stephanie's laugh led to the staff laughing with her. "Having said that, we have hired two male RN's, Francesco and Antonio for those of you men who are too shy with having a beautiful nurse checking out your body."

The room was filled with laughter again. When Stephanie runs the meeting, it's not as boring as when Tank and I hold meetings. She continued with her list of names being promoted and she was so right in stating that some go unnoticed. The employees that were being promoted were part of the service & installation team, research department and security detail. Although I know of the particular employees, they are relatively unknown to me.

"Moving on, the next three promotions are very near and dear to my heart. Two of the three are what Ranger and Tank call 'Stephanie's find'. I am proud of that."

As many of you know Hank Tyson and I met under strange circumstances and as I like to remind him, I saved his life." She giggled. "That's been a standing joke between us. Hank wasn't too impressed with what I offered him but thankfully for us he accepted the job. I'm happy to announce that Hank Tyson is now Manager of the research department, and will oversee the departments at each Rangeman location. I'd also like to recognize Tommy Williams. He's being promoted to Assistant Manager and will assist Hank in training and operations. The final promotions are going to Andrew Martin and Alex Hernandez who will become supervisors."

Stephanie was beaming with pride because she is the executive director of the research department and she's done an amazing job.

"My next find came at a very low part in my life, health wise. As I was going through my cancer scare and after my surgery, I met an amazing little boy who looked like he was on his last leg of life. I instantly fell in love with Marcus and we met his wonderful parents. Michael lost his job due to taking time off work to be with Marcus who was continually in the hospital. I saw something in Michael and suggested that Ranger talk to him about coming to work for Rangeman. Carlos checked him out and his former boss couldn't stop speaking highly of Michael. We hired him and told him a job would be waiting for him in the service and installation department once Marcus was well and out of the hospital. And as they say the rest is history. I'm happy to announce that Michael is being promoted as Director of service & installation effective immediately. Also, Johnny and Arnold are being promoted to supervisors."

"Last but not least, one of the scariest men I've ever met in my life. Although he no longer scares me, I am proud to call him one of my best friends. Hector Sanchez, as you all know, is a tech genius. There is nothing he can't do with a gadget or technology. We are proud to announce Hector is being promoted to Vice President of technology and cyber security."

I looked around at the smiling faces of those who were just promoted.

"Thank you to each and every one of you for all that you do for Rangeman. We've got the best team in the industry and because of you, Rangeman is now 'Great Place to Work' certified. That certification makes us stand out even more so within the security industry. Congratulations to all the employees promoted and to the rest of the staff. You are freaking awesome. Now you can applaud and congratulate your colleagues."

Without hesitation the room erupted in cheers, applause, and slaps on the backs of the men being promoted. I looked around, smiling. Stephanie has turned Rangeman into an amazing place. We've become a family and our employees are happy. It proves the old adage 'take care of your employees and they'll take care of your business' a quote by Richard Branson. Stephanie had posters made. They are framed and posted on each floor of the building.

"Take care of your employees and they'll take care of your business. Rangeman Inc., is committed to staff well-being. A successful business doesn't run by itself; without you, our dedicated employees, our business won't function." I fully credit my beautiful business partner and wife for the positive morale and loyalty in our employees.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe Stephanie has called the meeting to adjourn, and you may now proceed with your day." I announced and with that the room was empty. "I'd like the executive and core teams to remain for a brief meeting."

Stephanie

The executive and core team covered a number of topics during our meeting. Basically, we looked at the yearly profits to decide how much should be transferred into the employee bonus account for next year. We were excited to see that due to the increase of business, employee bonuses will be increased by fifteen percent over last year. I know they'll be very happy about that.

"That's perfect guys, everyone will be really excited." I said after we ran through the numbers. Ella came into the rec room to clean and prepare the room for lunch.

"Good meeting, there's nothing further, I'll close the meeting," Ranger announced. "Steph and I have a teacher/parent meeting this afternoon, so we'll be leaving early and heading to the beach house for a long weekend since school is out tomorrow."

We all headed to our respective offices. "I have a few things to finish up, let me know when you're done so we can change clothes before we head to the school," I said, kissing my gorgeous boss.

"Works for me Babe." I received a quick, luscious kiss and headed to my office.

I was busy answering emails when my phone rang. "Hey girl, how are you?" Lula said

"I'm good, how about you?"

"Excited. I've spoken to the girls and everyone is looking forward to our Vegas trip. We'll work with the dates you sent me. Now the only thing left is where are we going to stay?"

"That's great news, glad those dates worked for everyone. I'll take care of hotels and flights. Since you're the only one that's outside of Trenton why don't you drive up here a day early. You can stay at our house."

"That's a good idea Steph. I'm so excited I can't wait."

"Me too. We all need a girl's getaway." Lula and I finished our conversation and I went back to my emails and returned phone calls.

I was in deep concentration looking over a system upgrade of one of our customers when thankfully I was interrupted by the tingling on the back of my neck. I looked up to see my sexy Cuban leaning against the door frame with his muscular arms crossed at his beautiful chest.

"Ready Babe?" He said with a slight smile.

"Yep. Thanks for taking me away from this upgrade."

"Do you need to finish it up?"

"No, no. It's not due for three weeks. Just wanted to get a step ahead."

"That's why our customers love you. You always think ahead about their needs and have the answers before they even have to ask."

"I learned from the best."

"Come on, Mrs. Manoso."

He took my hand and we walked to the control room letting everyone know we were heading upstairs to change and then heading out. "We'll both be off-line for the next few days. Tank is in charge. He'll contact us in case of emergency."

"Yes sir. Enjoy your weekend," Lester and Hal replied. They were covering the monitors while a couple of the guys were on break. We went upstairs to our apartment on seven and the second we walked inside, my insatiable husband began kissing me and getting a little frisky. "Carlos, no. I don't want to meet the teachers with that just fucked look."

"I can never get enough of you Babe." He gave me a toe-curling kiss and slapped my butt. We changed into something that was business casual and headed out the door.

"What do you think the teachers want to talk to us about? I hope it's not serious."

"I doubt it. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." We arrived at the school and noticed our security detail driving around the campus. I don't know the amount of blocks this school sits on but to house pre-k through high school no doubt takes up a vast amount of square footage.

We checked in at the office. "Mr. and Mrs. Manoso, you'll be meeting with all the teachers rather than going from room to room," Mrs. Kirk said as we were given our badges and she escorted us to the principals' conference room. "Can I offer you something to drink? We have soft drinks, water, and coffee." Mr. Healthy requested water while I asked for a coke.

Mr. Whittaker, the principal, along with Mr. McCoy, the vice principal, walked into the room with each of our girls' teachers.

"Mr. & Mrs. Manoso, thank you for coming today. We realize you have a thriving business to run," Mr. Whittaker said as he started the meeting. "First, on behalf of the entire education department and students, we'd like to thank you for your generous donations to our school. The off-site security offices and your teams are very much appreciated and needed. It's a scary world for our schools."

"That it is, Mr. Whittaker. We'll do anything we can to help, especially where our daughters are concerned," Carlos replied.

"So, Mr. Whittaker, why did you want to meet with us? Is there a problem with our girls?" I asked trying to get this thing started.

"Oh, absolutely not, Mrs. Manoso. We find that it's much easier to hold a conference style meeting when there are multiple kids in one family. We are also aware that privacy and security is an important factor in your lives. We want to respect that."

"Oh, thank goodness." I said with a sigh of relief.

"Let's start off with Emma and Anna's teachers and we'll work our way up to Julie. Miss. Rylander, please proceed."

"Let me start off by saying how adorable Anna Grace is. She's so funny and smart as a whip. She's adjusted extremely well, considering the circumstance, and you are doing a fantastic job parenting her." Carlos and I looked at each other with pride. "She is one of my kindest students. When another student is having a hard time in class no matter what it is, she's right there to help them. Last week a student came back to class after being away for a week to attend the funeral of her grandmother. Anna Grace comforted her and was right by her side helping her through it."

I felt my eyes start to get a little watery. I was filled with pride hearing the sweet words Miss. Rylander was saying.

"Anna Grace is my most dramatic student. I definitely see acting in her future. She does well in all subjects, but excelling in reading and writing." Miss. Rylander hesitated and seemed a little nervous to continue. She's been teaching for two years, but a good teacher. Anna loves her. "Please don't take offense but Anna Grace needs a little help in the communication department."

Carlos smiled, but I was puzzled. I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about. "Communication?" I asked.

"She tends to chat too much."

"Oh, yeah, she is our most communicative one. Does she interrupt you while you're teaching?" I asked.

"No, nothing like that at all. It's when she starts….."

"She doesn't stop." Carlos interrupted. "She's like that at home, it's something we've been working on."

"Other than that, she truly is a wonderful student. She's maintaining A's and B's." She smiled and pushed the report card in front of us to look over and sign. "Do you have any questions for me?" She asked.

I shook my head no and looked at Carlos to see if he had any comments.

"Miss. Rylander, thank you. Anna Grace talks about you regularly and tells us how much she likes having you as her teacher. Stephanie and I will have a talk with her regarding her communication skills."

"Mrs. Madison,"

"Thank you, Principal Whittaker" Mrs. Madison said and turned her attention to us. "Emma Belle is an absolute sweetheart with a kind soul. I am surprised at her ability to see things in people the rest of us miss, especially at her age. Was her mother like that? I'm so sorry Mrs. Manoso, I didn't mean that you're not her mother."

"No need to apologize, I understand."

Carlos held my hand. "Mrs. Madison, Emma is like Stephanie. From the curls to her sass. I'm proud to say she gets that insight into people from Stephanie. Where my wife always sees the good in people, I tend to be the opposite. It's the nature of our business and a trait we unfortunately pick up in the military."

"Emma Belle also enjoys reading, she can't get enough of it. Her penmanship could use a little work but other than that, she is leading the class in Math and maintaining A's and B's. I enjoy having her in my class. She tells me that you read together as a family every night." I nodded in agreement.

I decided to make a few comments, I didn't want them thinking I'm a mousy wife or that Carlos is controlling. "Thank you both for your kind words. The girls love having you as their teacher. They have gone through something so traumatic that no one their age should ever have to experience. Carlos and I love the girls as if they were our very own, and as parents, I'm sure we do things the wrong way but we're all learning as we go along. We're thankful that Julie is living with us because she's an amazing big sister to the girls."

"Mrs. Manoso, no one ever said parenting was easy. You two are doing a good job, the girls are very well balanced, and it's clear that you spend time with them helping with homework and being supportive. All parents learn as we go along. Believe me, you're doing all the right things." Mr. Whittaker added.

"I oversee the high school kids, so we're going to hear from Julie's teachers." Mr. McCoy said.

Mr. Barton, Julie's business teacher was next. "Julie is carrying an A+ in business. She has a great understanding of the subject and seems to enjoy Business law. She is one heck of a smart kid. I'm sure you're proud of her."

"We are indeed," Carlos and I both said. We listened as he spoke in more detail about Julie.

Miss. Marlene, Julie's performing arts teacher took her turn.

"Mr. & Mrs. Manoso, Julie is a bright and talented young lady. Her singing is close to professional level. Her range is impressive. She mentioned that a good friend of the family is a well-known award-winning recording artist, is that true?" She asked, looking at us.

"Yes, that's correct. They have weekly skype sessions and when our friend is in town, they continue with the lessons. We're very fortunate that our friend is willing to coach Julie," I replied.

"Well, it certainly pays off. Besides her impressive voice, she is very graceful and enjoys dance and drama. She excels in performing arts and I'm happy to say she's currently maintaining a grade level of A+. I'd also like to note that Julie is always willing to help other students with their choreography. I'm proud to have a student of her caliber in my class."

I was beaming as I listened to the rest of Julie's teachers talk about her character and how well she is doing in each of her classes. I must say it doesn't surprise me. I was one proud mom. I'm sure that Carlos was equally proud.

We signed the report cards and took our copies and gave the teachers theirs. "Thank you for accommodating our schedules for this meeting. Also, Stephanie and I appreciate the kind words in reference to our daughters," Carlos said.

"Before you leave, I'd like to invite you to our annual parents of the year banquet in two weeks. Invitations will be sent in a few days. Please plan on attending. It's a family event so we encourage grandparents to attend also. I'll need to know the number of guests in your party by the end of business, Tuesday," Mr. Whittaker added.

"We'll let you know. Lily will meet us here with the girls." Just as I said that the bell rang, and we waited for our girls. A few minutes later we saw our sweet girls coming toward us.

"Papi, Mama," Anna and Emma both said excitedly. Carlos picked each girl up and kissed them. After hugs and kisses we were ready to head home.

Teachers

"What a wonderful family. They have blended so well." Principal Whittaker stated.

"They are a good looking couple, especially Mr. Manoso, he's not too hard on the eyeballs." Miss. Rylander commented.

"I like them both a lot, they're so in tune with one another and it's evident that they are hands on parents. I like that." Mr. Barton added.

"I've met with many parents throughout my educational career and I've found that wealthy parents are not very genuine and they do and say what we want to hear and show us how perfect they are. Mr. and Mrs. Manoso are genuine, they don't hide their struggles as parents. It's clear their business and busy schedules do not take time away from their daughters. I like that." Mr. McCoy said as they all left the conference room.

Stephanie

The ride home was filled with questions about the meeting from our three girls. "Each of your teachers said good things about all of you. Daddy and I are very proud of you. We'll go over your report cards once we get to the beach house."

"Okay Mama," Anna replied on behalf of her sisters.

We arrived home and immediately went upstairs.

"Girls, you don't need to pack much because you have clothes at the house already. Julie, you go pack what you need and I'll help your sisters. I've put the things you'll need on your dressers." I said to my younger daughters as I escorted them to their rooms.

"I have one rule. No electronics allowed. Your mom and I will be taking our work laptops just in case of any urgent needs."

"Got it Papi."

Ella and Luis pulled up in the driveway just as we finished packing our bags. "Hi guys, thank you for taking care of the house while we're out of town," I said as I ushered them inside.

"You're very welcome dear. We feel like we're on a weekend getaway while we're here. Now go and enjoy yourselves. Everything here will be fine."

"And on that note, we'll say goodbye and head out," I said as we walked to the garage.

"Can we stop off and get something to eat?" Julie asked.

"We can get something small; we'll go to dinner when we get to the house," Carlos answered. "Why is it that even a fifty-minute trip can manage to take us over one hour?"

Julie and I laughed, and our two little ones joined in. I'm pretty sure they had no idea what they were giggling at. We stopped off at McDonalds to get nuggets and drinks.

We arrived at the beach house, took our things to our rooms, and went back to the family room. "Girls, let's go over your report cards."

"Okay Mama."

Carlos and I went over the report cards one by one. "Anna sweetheart, your teacher is very proud of your hard work. Your grades are high. Miss. Rylander is happy with you. There is one thing she did mention that needs work." Anna Grace looked at her dad with worry.

"Annie, sweetheart, you don't need to be worried. It's not really bad," I said trying to reassure her. "Miss. Rylander said that your communication skills are...um...shall we say better than the others in your class."

"Is that good mama?" She asked.

'Well, sweetheart. She said that when you talk you tend to go on and on. You know just like you do at home." I felt so bad, my sweet baby girl looked so sad. "Honey, listen, it's okay to talk a lot with us but in class it's distracting to the other kids. That's all."

"Are you mad at me for talking?" she asked, ready to cry. Carlos lifted her onto his lap.

"Sweetheart, we're not mad at you…."

"Promise Papi."

"I promise you. It's important to know you're in a classroom, just remember to say what you need and don't drag it too long."

"Okay Papi. I will try my bestest."

"Good girl." Carlos answered, hugging Anna and he went on to discuss Emma and Julie's report card.

"Emma your teacher also said you're doing a fantastic job."

"Jules, your teachers are also pleased with your work. Your high grades are very impressive."

We went over the report cards with each of our daughters and made sure they understood how well they are doing in their classes.

"Girls, your mom and I are very proud of you. You're doing a great job in school, so keep up the good work. There is one thing I want to make sure each of you understands." Carlos drew a picture of a typical school room clock. "You see these two hands? Well this black dot is a camera; your mom and I can dial into your school rooms at any given moment to see what you're up too."

"You can?" Emma asked.

"Remember, our eyes are always on you. Now, how about we all go out to dinner?"

"Let's go family," our oldest replied. Julie whispered in my ear as we headed to the garage. "Mom, dad wasn't serious about the camera in the clock, was he?"

"No sweetie, there are cameras in the rooms but not in the clock." I laughed. "You have to admit, it's pretty funny."

"Yeah it is," She replied.

As we drove to the restaurant, I couldn't help but smile as I listened to the girls talking about their report cards. We decided on a new restaurant called Jake's Crab House. We looked over the menu posted outside, and it looked pretty good. We were taken to a large table, one in the back specifically chosen by my very protective husband.

We talked about the upcoming parent banquet while we waited for our drinks. "Are we going to the parent of the year banquet?" Julie asked.

"I don't see why not," Carlos answered.

"Yay, Papi. It's gonna be so fun," Anna replied excitedly.

"Girls, your dad and I spent the night going over names for your sister and brothers. We've narrowed it down to six each."

"What did you come up with?" Julie asked.

"For the boys we chose Matteo, Cristian, Antonio, Sergio, Enrique, and Marco. We decided on each of them having Carlos as their middle name," I replied.

"How about our sister?" Emma asked.

"Carina, Amelia, Lucia, Catalina, Sierra, and Angelina," I answered.

"What about her middle name?" Anna asked.

"We thought Rose would be a good middle name," Carlos replied.

"So, here's how we're gonna do this, each of you write down the boy and girl name that you like, and we'll see who wins. Start with the boy's names first. I instructed my girls.

"Okay mama," They replied.

Carlos and I watched as they concentrated on choosing a name for their sister and brothers. I laughed when Anna stuck her tongue out as she was writing a name. "She's just like you Babe."

They passed their pieces of paper to us.

"Okay, baby boy number 1, one for Marcos, one for Matteo, and one for Cristian. Well that didn't quite work out as planned. How about we try again."

Carlos and I had already chosen our names, and we were hoping the girls would come up with the same choice.

We took the pieces of paper again. "Round two here we go," Carlos announced. "Baby boy 1, Matteo, another Matteo, and the last one is….drum roll." My funny husband drummed on the table. Matteo."

I took our piece of paper. "Your dad and I chose Matteo as well, so baby boy number 1 will be Matteo Carlos Manoso." Our dinner arrived so we put the rest of the name selections on hold until after dinner.

It makes my heart happy watching my three girls enjoying their food. Julie likes to eat but is more like her father. But my two younger girls, well let's just say they have picked up my eating habits. Emma has some of her dad's healthy eating tendencies but she's more like me. Anna is all me, she's definitely a mini me when it comes to her food. She comments on each morsel. She's so funny. Lester continually asks, "how long before she starts making the same noises you do Steph?" Carlos shakes with fear at the thought.

"Mama, we're gonna have dessert, right?" Anna asked.

"Of course, what's the point in having dinner without delicious goodies?"

"Goody." Emma and Anna clapped. "Sissy, what are you gonna have?"

"Babe, why don't you select the dessert."

"Can I get you anything else?" Our server asked.

"Yes, we'll have Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake for three please."

"Mama, how come only three pieces, aren't you and Papi having any?" Emma asked.

"Yes, your dad and I will share, you and Annie will share, and Julie will have her own." Technically you can't call Carlos and I sharing. He'll take two bites and I'll manage to polish off the rest.

Our server brought our dessert. "Anything to drink?"

"Yes, coffee for two and milk for the younger girls. Jules, what about you?"

"I think I'll have milk too."

"Okay girls, do you want to write down names for baby boy 2?" Carlos asked after he took his second bite.

They took their pencils and wrote names down between each bite. While they wrote, Anna's tongue was sticking out of the side of her mouth, Emma tapped her pencil on her nose, and Julie twirled her pencil like a baton.

Each girl slipped their piece of paper to us and Carlos unfolded the papers to reveal the name. One for Cristian, two for Cristian, and the last is Cristian."

"Mom, what did you and dad choose?" Julie asked.

"We also picked Cristian."

"Well, baby boy 2 will be named Cristian Carlos Manoso." Carlos announced.

"It's our little sister's turn," Emma and Anna said excitedly. They took their paper and pencils and began concentrating again. Carlos and I watched, smiling.

"Do you believe that we're even having this type of conversation?" Carlos asked softly and kissed my cheek.

"Never in a million years did I imagine any of this." I smiled as I watched my daughters slip the papers to us. I unfolded the first piece of paper. "This one says Carina. Another for Carina and last but not least." Carlos did his drum roll thing again. "Carina. Daddy and I also chose Carina. It's official our baby daughter will be named Carina Rose Manoso."

The girls clapped and were excited beyond belief. "Our sister and brother have names now, that's so wowie, wow, wow." Emma announced. People sitting around us watched and smiled at our celebration.

All in all, it was a great evening with my amazing family. Now that we officially have names for our babies, I pulled out the ultrasound photos and wrote the names down on each one before holding them up for the girls to see. "Here are the pictures of your brothers and sister."

"Well my beautiful girls, are you ready to head back to the house?" Carlos asked.

"Yes Papi, we are."

"How about we play scrabble when we get back home?"

"Yay, Mama, that's a good idea."

We were getting our things together when one of the ladies at the table next to us made a comment that filled me with pride and made my heart really happy,

"Ma'am, you have a beautiful family. The love that you have for one another is sweet to watch. Be proud of the job you're doing as parents to these wonderful girls."

"Aww, thank you so much. My husband and I appreciate the kind words." Anna Grace chimed in with her two cents.

"Our mommy is in heaven. Papi and Mama are our new mommy and daddy." We really need to have the TMI talk with her.

"Well sweetheart, you and your parents are lucky to have each other. Julie began to walk away with her sisters. "I would have never known you didn't give birth to those three beautiful girls."

"Thank you," Carlos answered, and we followed our girls to the door. "Babe, I think the TMI talk needs to happen sooner than later."'

"I totally agree with you."

As soon as we arrived at the house, I began to throw out instructions. "Girls, go take showers and put your pj's on. Daddy and I will get the scrabble game set up"

"Got it." They all replied and ran upstairs to their rooms.

"Honey, how about you take Anna and Emma out for breakfast and have the TMI talk with both of them. Even though Emma doesn't really blurt things out, I don't want Anna to think we're singling her out, especially after we talked to her about communication skills. It could make her feel bad."

"I agree Babe. I'll take them out and you can have some alone time with Julie."

"Girls, the game is set up and ready." We played a couple of rounds of team scrabble and Anna ran upstairs to choose a book.

"Come on family, I have the book." We jumped on our massive bed and snuggled with each other as Anna handed the book to her dad. "I Love you to the Moon and Back is what I picked."

"I love you to the moon and back. The sun rises, and a bear and cub begin their day together. They splash in the water, climb mountains, and watch the shimmering sky. They show their love by touching noses, playing chase and of course, hugging. A sweet, gentle rhyme, perfect for sharing with a special little one!"

The girls fell asleep shortly after Carlos finished the first two chapters. He reads with a soft, melodic voice which relaxes the girls and they drift off to sleep. He picked up Emma and carried her to her bed and I did the same with Anna. After goodnight kisses, we went downstairs and hung out with Julie.

"Are you happy with the names we all chose?" I asked snuggling next to her.

"Yeah, I can't wait until our babies are here." We watched a Netflix movie and it was time for bed. "Goodnight mom and dad. See you in the morning," She said, kissing us.

"Your dad is taking the girls out to breakfast tomorrow to have the TMI talk. So tomorrow it's you and me." I kissed her and Carlos did the same.

We all made our way upstairs to our rooms and I was in a frisky mood. "Come on Batman, I want to have some fun with you.," I said, as I pulled him towards me and received a toe-curling, panty-melting kiss.

"Good morning, sunshine. Are you ready to get out of bed yet?"

"Must I?"

"Not really, you can stay in bed, I'll take the girls for breakfast."

"Thanks." I rolled on my side. I dozed off and was awakened by sweet giggles and kisses. "Good morning babies. You both look pretty for your date with daddy."

"Thanks Mama, we'll miss you. We'll be back after our tummies are full." Emma said, giving me a few more kisses before they left the room. I managed to fall back to sleep.

Carlos

"What would you like for breakfast, girls?"

"I want pancakes, eggs, and sausages daddy," Emma replied.

"Daddy, can I have waffles, sausages, eggs, and bacon?" Mini Stephanie replied.

"You can." I ordered their breakfast, including milk, and my omelette with fruit and coffee for myself.

"Daddy, how come Mama and sissy didn't come with us?" Anna asked.

"I wanted to talk to you alone."

"Are we in trouble?" Emma asked. They both had worried looks on their faces.

"No, you are not in trouble." I assured them. "I want to talk to you about TMI."

"What's that Papi?" They both asked.

"TMI is short for too much information. I'll try to explain as best I can so you both understand. When I was in the military I had to do things to keep our country and people safe. When I did that it meant bad people didn't like what I did. I try to keep my family and my life a secret from these bad people around the world."

"Daddy, you mean people didn't like you? That's not right."

"Sweetheart, that is a part of life for all of us. Yesterday, when we were having dinner, you told that nice lady about your mom being in Heaven and that Stephanie and I are your new parents."

"Did we do bad?" Anna asked.

"No, no. But you can't tell strangers about our life. Our lives are private and not to be shared with people we don't know. Sadly, there are a lot of bad people in the world and we don't know who is pretending to be nice just to find out about us."

I paused for a bit to see if they were understanding.

"So, if we TMI to strangers, they might be bad and want to hurt us?" Emma asked. I smiled at her and watched the look on Anna's face as she tried to absorb how her sister explained it.

"Yes, exactly sweetheart. So, when we meet strangers, you must always be polite when talking to them but don't talk about our lives, or where we live. Do you understand?"

"Yes Papi." They nodded enthusiastically.

"I would prefer you not to talk to strangers, but I know that's not possible. It's my priority and responsibility as your father to keep you safe at all times. My heart would be broken if anything happened to you."

"You love us that much, Papi?" Anna asked, staring at me wide-eyed.

"Of course, I do, you're my girls. I love the two of you and Julie with all my heart. Don't you know that by now?"

"Yeah, but we thought since we came after Mommy went to Heaven…." I quickly interrupted Emma.

"Listen, it doesn't matter how you came to us. Mama and I are your parents and we both love you very very much, and nothing will change that. Your mom and I will always love you. The two of you, Julie, and your new brothers and sister are very important to us and we will never stop loving you."

"We love you too Papi, to the moon and back, and we will never stop loving you and Mama either," Emma replied for her and Anna.

We finished our breakfast and talked about school. As if testing the girls to see if they understood our conversation, a lady walked by our table and stopped to talk to the girls. "Well, aren't you the cutest little things, what are your names?"

"Thank you, ma'am, but we don't tell our names to people we don't know." Emma answered politely, but matter of fact.

And then Anna chimed in. "Yeah. We can't talk TMI."

I had to clamp my jaw shut to keep from laughing out loud . She is something else.

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A/N: As always the obvious characters belong to JE, I'm just borrowing them. All other characters, story-line and mistakes are all mine. I take creative licensing.

Thank you to Cindy Cox and Ruth Turner for your time and editing talents. I greatly appreciate it.
Thank you all for the reviews, messages and comments, I greatly appreciate it.

Hope you enjoyed Blue Orchid.

The Manoso Gang will be back soon.