Chapter 29

"I'll give you one," Carlos quickly replied.

"You would? Wow. I was not expecting that answer at all. I'm only 28. It means we have a few more years before my biological clock starts ticking," she stated as she winked at Carlos.

"Do you even want a child?" he asked with all joking aside.

"Not at the moment, but I've always dreamed of having only one child. For now, I'll borrow Jace if I'm desperate for a baby fix," she replied. "May I please hold him?" I nodded as Carlos placed my son into her arms. She lifted the baby to smell his hair. "I love the new baby smell."

"I do too, but not the new baby dirty diaper smell," I joked.

"Speaking of dirty diapers," Tenessa wrinkled her nose as she passed Jace back to Carlos. "He'll all yours. I have to get back to work. See y'all later."

I noticed Carlos watching her ass sway as she left the room. "Well? How is your relationship going?" I asked, not wanting to pry. Ya, right. I want to hear the details.

"Stable. Easy. Healthy," he replied.

"You mean she didn't text and call over one hundred times while you were away?" I asked.

"She sent one text and left one voice mail. Both were telling me to stay safe and come back home," he replied.

"Tenessa's the one," I singsonged. He smiled and laid Jace in my arms so he could climb out of bed. "She didn't balk when she saw you in my bed."

"Jealousy never looks good on a woman," he stated. "Where's Ram?"

"Picking up the children from the airport. Celia's bringing Julie after 0800 hours," I answered.

"Ram isn't jealous either," he observed.

"Not at all. Michael trusts me just like Tenessa trusts you," I said.

"You're a lucky woman. Not many men would be so understanding."

"It may be different if we had an intimate relationship. Michael understands we're best friends and respects the relationship we share. I've never given him a reason to doubt my loyalty. Tenessa, however, barely knows you," I reminded him.

"I will never cheat on Tenessa. She's the best thing to happen to me since the day I met you," he confessed.

"Have you told her that?" I asked.

"She knows," he replied. "I'm more open with her."

"I'm proud of you, Batman. Tenessa is an amazing woman," I stated.

"Thank you, Babe. I agree." He changed Jace's diaper before laying him in his bed. Ranger sat in the chair to continue our conversation.

"Tenessa visited while you were away. She spent time getting to know Julie," I informed him.

"Does Julie like her?" he wondered.

"Based on everything I witnessed, I believe she does. You should ask Julie," I suggested.

"Babe," he groaned.

"Does Julie know you're home?"

"I left her a voice message telling her she could find me here," he answered.

"She loved her birthday gift."

"What did I give her?" he asked while smiling.

"Pierced ears. Julie loves the aquamarine studs," I replied. "After all, it's what you agreed to give her."

"Her birthstone."

"I may have bought a few more earrings. By the way, thank you for these diamond studs," I joked as I rolled an earring. Dad and Tabitha gave them to me for Christmas, but it was still fun jerking his chain.

His head fell back as he laughed. "Babe, I know Frank and Tabitha gave those to you at Christmas."

"Meh, it was worth a try," I shrugged.

"Are you decent?" Lory asked as she opened the door.

"Mostly," I replied.

Mallory launched herself into Ranger's arms. "You're home," she whispered. "Have you lost weight, Tio Carlos?"

"It's part of the military life," he replied honestly. Curtis hugged him before hugging me. I could have been offended, but I knew they were worried when they extended his mission.

"Are we allowed to hold Jace?" Lory asked.

"Absolutely. Michael, can you show them how to lift and hold Jace?"

Michael showed Lory and Curt how to carefully lift Jace from his bed and hold him in their arms or on their shoulder. "Protect his neck. Great job Lory," Michael praised. Lory wasn't looking for accolades, but I knew hearing his praise made her happy.

"Hi, Jace, I'm your oldest sister, Mallory. Everybody calls me Lory. You look like daddy right now, but I bet you'll look like mommy soon." She talked to her baby brother for a few minutes before she added, "Next year, we'll be welcoming our baby sister." Jace opened his eyes for Lory. "You're a handsome little man, aren't you? You know you are. I love you, baby," she said before kissing his forehead.

After holding Jace for a few minutes, Lory slipped her hand under Jace's head to support his neck. She shifted Jace to place him in Curt's arms. "He's lighter than I expected," Curt commented. Curtis introduced himself to his baby brother too.

"If you hold him long enough, you'd be saying something completely different," Julie stated when she entered the room. Like her dad, she climbed into my bed to lay beside me.

"Lory and I promise to video chat mom at least twice a week so we could talk to you. I love you. Promise me you'll behave for mom and dad," Curt added.

"How long can you stay?" I asked my twins.

"We take the red-eye flight back to California on Monday," Lory replied. "I wish we could stay longer, but I have a lab that I can't miss."

"Ditto," Curt replied.

Julie climbed out of bed to wrap her arms around Ranger. I heard her thank him for the birthday gifts. It didn't surprise me when she stated, "I know mama bought them, but you told her what to buy." Busted. He nodded, confirming her suspicion. "It's all good. You were away for a long time."

She sat in his lap until it was her turn to hold the baby. I knew she would insist on helping me with Jace, but she's still a child. Besides, Jace is my responsibility. Julie can help once in a while, but not as much as she helped Rachel.

When Curt's arms became too tired to hold Jace, he passed Jace to Julie after kissing his forehead. Julie blushed when Curt's fingers brushed her arm. A lock of hair fell into her eyes. Curt pushed it back behind her ear. His fingers trailed down her face. I'll have to talk to him later.

I was watching Carlos as he watched his daughter hold Jace. There was a familiar expression on his face. I've only seen it a few times while he was pursuing me. He loves the image before his eyes. I knew Ranger was longing for a son of his own.

"Oh boy, I think my ovaries are on fire," Tenessa whispered as she sat beside me on the bed.

Ranger quickly shifted his attention to Tenessa. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she wants to have a baby. Tenessa nodded. His 100-watt smile lit the room. Lory, Curt, and Julie chuckled when they watched Ranger and Tenessa's silent exchange.

Jace and I went home before dinner time. I didn't want to stay in the hospital while the hospital needed the bed. Curt and I had our conversation at home while Michael and Lory tended to Jace. "You're playing a very long game," I told Curt.

"That's fine with me. I have a lot to accomplish before I start dating Julie," he stated. "Julie is different from the girls I met in college. She's more real."

"The girls in college aren't real?" I wondered.

"Most of them are looking for the next doctor or lawyer. They don't care about you as a person. I'm not interested in pretentious, money-grabbing women," he replied. "Thankfully, they don't know how much money Lory and I have."

"Ah, the crux of the issue. The women in college are looking for the easy way. Julie doesn't care about money. She has more substance," I attempted to understand his logic.

"Exactly. Not to mention Julie is gorgeous," he said dreamily.

My son has a crush on my best friend's daughter. I wonder how Ranger would feel about this. After talking to Ranger, I knew he didn't mind.

The next few months passed in a blur. Curt and Lory called nearly every day to talk to Jace. I loved seeing Jace smile at his older siblings. Jace is looking more like me every day. His dark hair fell out and started growing back lighter than Curt's hair.

Ranger was visiting me today as I tended to Jace's needs. "I told you," Ranger said as he stared into Jace's eyes. "Your eye colour."

"Ya, ya, ya, I know. I think his hair would be Michael's shade of brown."

"He has your curly hair," he continued.

"With Michael's calm disposition," I added.

"Have you dreamed of Jeremy lately?" Ranger randomly asked.

"Not since Michael and I married," I confessed. "Do you think his soul settled?" I asked.

"Babe, I think his soul returned to you," he said while pointing to Jace.

"I'm not too sure. I think Jeremy's soul is at peace for now. If an imminent threat arises, I'm sure he'll contact me again," I explained. "Everything seems to have quieted down."

"You shouldn't have said that," Tenessa said as she joined our conversation. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by."

"Not at all, it's the reason I gave you a key. You've been helping me with Jace," I stated.

"How is our little man today?" she asked.

"Great. Jace is enjoying time with his godfather," I replied. "When are you officially moving in?" I pried. "According to Julie, you've already moved in."

"I still have my apartment, but I'm rarely there," she admitted.

"Jace needs his diaper changed," Ranger announced before carrying Jace to his bedroom. He was giving us time for a private conversation.

"What's going on?" I asked her.

She reached into her purse to remove the item from a ziplock bag. I smiled before pulling her towards my washroom. "Really?" she asked.

"Yup. Michael doesn't know yet," I replied. "Does Carlos know?"

"I think he suspects. It's not like we weren't actively trying," she answered.

"Did you get carried away and forget birth control? Or did you two mutually agree to forgo birth control to let the chips fall where they fall?"

"The latter. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon," she admitted. "What about you?"

"Michael and I were actively trying. If my calculations are correct, I'm due around Jace's birthday," I replied.

"I don't know when I'm due," Tenessa confessed. "I'm more worried about Julie's reaction."

"You have nothing to worry about her. Julie will be happy," I reassured her.

"Her opinion matters to me the most," Tenessa admitted. "I don't want to take away from her relationship with you and Jace."

"I doubt that's even possible. Julie loves you. Most importantly, Julie loves the relationship you have with her dad. It's easy and comfortable," I stated. I opened the pregnancy app on my phone. "When was your last period?"

"Um, June 12th," she replied. I showed her the due date. "Huh, same as Jace's birthday. We are due on the same day," she excitedly said. "We're twelve weeks pregnant."

"Yup. Let's go to Rangeman to make a joint announcement," I suggested.

"What are we announcing?" Carlos asked. "Jace is asleep in his crib. I already gave him a bottle and changed his diaper."

I kept motioning for Tenessa to give Carlos the baggie. She hesitated too long. Carlos snatched the item from her hands. "Our baby?" he asked.

"Yes, Carlos. Our baby," she replied. Tears streamed down their faces as Carlos swung her around. "Are you happy?"

"Very. Thank you, mi Amor," he answered.

"Steph's pregnant too," she stage whispered.

"Ah. The Rangeman announcement. Does Ram know?"

"Not yet," I confessed.

"Tell him," he said as Michael entered the house.

I greeted my husband and accepted his lunch offering. "There's a gift in the washroom for you," I quietly told him.

"Up or down?" he asked.

"Down." I waited a few minutes. He whooped with joy.

"When?" he asked, wanting to know the due date.

"Jace's birthday," I answered.

"We need to make a Rangeman announcement," he said as he swung me around. Tenessa and Ranger were laughing. His response was the same as Ranger's response.

Ness ran up the stairs to collect Jace. I already had Jace's bag packed. Michael grabbed a few bottles while Ranger added extra diapers and wet-ones to Jace's diaper bag. We worked together like a well-oiled machine.

Ranger drove us to Rangeman. He parked in his assigned spot near the elevators. Michael grabbed our son while Ranger grabbed the diaper bag.

Our Rangeman family was excited to hear our news. Hector hugged me before rubbing my small baby bump. "I'm her godfather," he whispered.

"Definitely," I responded. "Manny is her other godfather."

"I am?" Manny asked, startling me.

"If that's what you want," I replied.

"It's an honour," he said before hugging me. "What are we having?"

"Hector thinks it's a girl," I replied.

Each man took turns hugging Tenessa and me. Lester was excited we'll have two Rangebabies next year. He attempted to appoint himself as godfather, but Ranger and Ness shot him down. Michael and I would be their child's godparents. It was a little unexpected, but I wasn't entirely surprised. The four of us are very close friends.

Ness and I started planning a birthday party for Michael, Carlos, and my twins. It was easier than trying to schedule separate celebrations. I was hoping Leon would attend too. Michael and I want to give him a Saint Michael medallion. He's allowed to wear it with his dog tags.

It's now the day of the party. Lory and Curt arrived late last night. I let them sleep in as I fed and changed Jace. He's been a very relaxed baby.

Jace slept through the night starting a few weeks too. Michael has been an amazing father. He always handled the morning feeding and diaper change. It was nice to have my husband help with diaper duty.

I smiled as Jace played with my long hair as he drank his bottle. His tiny fingers tugged on my hair as he stared into my eyes. "Hey, handsome. You're hungry this morning." Jace smiled as he continued to drink. "I love your smile."

Tenessa and Ranger decided against marriage. Neither of them felt it necessary to exchange vows. Ranger was married before. She didn't need a piece of paper to confirm their commitment to each other.

They're living together in the basement apartment. It took time convincing Ness and Carlos that Michael and I loved having them close.