Chapter 24

Carlos POV:

I sat in the chair watching as the nurse pulled my blood. Steph sat next to me. Earlier this morning they had pulled a blood sample from Julie to test against mine. I didn't have any doubts, she looked just like me, but I had still insisted that we get confirmation. I wanted it before I signed the birth certificate.

Once the nurse was done, Steph kissed the back of my hand. "I hate that we have to do this." I told her. She nodded.

"But it needs to be done. We might have confirmation already but it's better to have a second source," she said.

I nodded with a sigh. I stood and took her hand. She joined me as we walked down the hall in the hospital. "Let's go see Julie in the nursery." She smiled at me and nodded.

XXXXXX

Steph POV:

I held Julie, gently bouncing her. She cooed at me softly and I smiled. Rachel had checked out of the hospital today and asked Carlos and me to take Julie because she wanted time to herself without the baby. Carlos had been happy to take Julie but hadn't been happy about the fact Rachel didn't want anything to do with her.

She had hardly been with her while we were at the hospital, never wanting to change her diapers or feed her. Carlos and I took over most of it because she kept trying to send Julie back to the Nursery. After she had been released, she told Carlos she wanted a few days alone without her.

So now, Julie and I are in her nursery in our condo. Carlos was bringing in her warmed-up bottle. He smiled at us before handing me the bottle and I settled into the rocking chair and fed her. Carlos leaned against the wall, watching us. I heard him sigh and I raised an eyebrow moving Julie to my shoulder to burp her.

"Why is Rachel acting so cold towards her? She's her own flesh and blood."

"She didn't want her in the first place," I said softly, "She used the opening Jeanne Ellen gave her, but she didn't want Julie. I think the only reason she didn't terminate was so that she could make you come to her. She's realizing that her plan has backfired."

He ran a hand over his face. Julie let out a burp before settling against my neck. I stroked a hand over the back of her head, before standing. Carlos opened his arms and took the swaddled baby holding her to his chest. He smiled softly at her as he bounced her. She tried to fight sleep but finally succumbed. I smiled and ran my fingers through her short black hair.

"Let's get her upstairs." I told him. I was working from home and so was Carlos, as much as we could at least. We spent our days downstairs in the offices, Julie slept in her nursery, so we weren't far. At night she slept in our room.

Once she was settled into the bassanite, Carlos joined me in the bathroom. I ran a bath, stripped and climbed in. Carlos joined me and sighed as he settled into the water.

"How are the new hires working out?" I asked , I now had a controlling share of Rangeman not only due to my original investment, but also the fact that Carlos and I were now married.

"So far, so good. Made it through training fine. Now they have to finish the probationary period." He said settling in across from me. He laid his head back against the edge of the tub and sighed again. "How is the store in Orlando doing?"

"Thriving." I smiled softly, watching the movement of his chest and the minor twitches in his face. I smiled again when I remembered that he was all mine.

"Business overseas?" He hummed.

"Ahhh, that is something I did need to talk to you about," I answered, my foot moving under the water, running along the inside of his calf.

"Hmm?" he asked, cracking open an eye. "Do I need to maim someone?"

I laughed softly. "No, but you might find this much worse," I smiled. I watched his shoulders stiffen.

"It's not that bad." I rolled my eyes. "I have to travel to Russia to do some negotiations on some fabric and sales in the country. Then I'll have to bounce over to Paris to do the same. I'll have to meet a supplier in Egypt before coming home."

He frowned. "In all of the time we have been together you've never had to leave the country."

"I usually condense most of my visits into one trip or a very short time frame. I'm also going to have to go to China, Germany, and Croatia."

"Why?"

"To meet about sales. I sell our products in those countries and with the new line releasing, we have to renegotiate and evaluate sales to figure out which styles sell the best in those countries, so we can continue to supply similar things for a profit." I shrugged.

"How long will you be gone?"

"For this trip, about 2 weeks to a month. I'm going to hire myself an assistant because lord knows I need one and the two of us will travel to sort these out. When I get back, I'm planning to do an overhaul on Sin and Lace; one where I can sit back and enjoy more," I said. "When I started the company, it was the only thing I had, so it wasn't a big deal to spend every day, all day at work, but now it's becoming tiring. I have you now, and Julie is here. I would like to be able to spend more time with the both of you, not to mention Magnum."

In the entrance of the bathroom the mentioned dog's ears perked up. I smiled again. "I won't be gone forever," I told him.

"I still don't like it. Maybe I've grown clingy," He grumbled. "I'm used to being with you most of the day, and every night. What will you do about your work at Rangeman?"

"I've already spoken with Lester, he said it's not too much to add onto his duties, anyway."

"You told Les you were leaving before you told me?" he asked, his eyebrow raised, and his voice tense.

I sighed. "Not on purpose, it slipped out. Like I said it's not really that big of a deal. I do it yearly or when contracts are up. It's part of what I have to do. I started the company when I was 23 years old, and I've been running this ship by myself for the last five years. If I had more people to pass the work along to, it would be different.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just used to you being around all the time."

"How do you think I felt whenever you went on missions?" I asked softly. "Even though our relationship was still new, it hurt to watch you leave, especially knowing that you were walking into a dangerous situation."

He sighed and took my hand, tugging me into his lap. He nuzzled my neck and kissed me softly. "I know and I'm sorry. I'm just going to have to get used to the idea of you having to travel."

I kissed him again softly. "Let's get washed so we can get in bed."

Les POV:

I groaned and pushed my sunglasses higher on my face. I pushed the door open to the coffee shop and stepped in line. I was behind a woman; she stood at probably five foot six, with straight black hair and a curvy body. She wore a light pink blouse, a pair of grey slacks, and a pair of ballet flats. She ordered her coffee quickly and my eyes followed her across the room as she sat down.

She was gorgeous. Her skin tone was a shade lighter than mine, her lips full and pink, her eyes a gorgeous hazel color, her cheekbones high and sharp. She was just gorgeous.

I ordered my coffee distractedly as I watched her. I walked over to her table in the crowded Cafe, "Do you mind if I steal this seat?" I asked her, motioning to the empty chair in front of her.

"Go ahead," she said, only glancing up at me. Her eyes locked with mine and she raised her eyebrow but that was her only acknowledgement of me. To be honest, it kind of knocked me back, as this was the first time a woman has never looked at me like she wanted to jump into bed with me right then and there.

I settled into the chair and watched her from the corner of my eye as I pulled out my phone. "Do you come here often?" I asked her, wanting to smack myself.

She locked eyes with me. "What's it matter?"

"It's my first time here," I told her. "Trying to see if I should keep coming back." I smiled at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Coffee is good." She let her gaze linger on me. "Scenery is okay."

She went back to the papers on the table in front of her. They looked like lesson plans for a young child. "Are you a teacher?"

"Yeah."

"What's it like?"

She snorted. "Kids are the best and worst part about it," she answered. "I love teaching them, but they like to get into all kinds of trouble."

I grinned. "Sounds like fun."

"It can be," she said, with a small smile.

"Luciana," the barista called. She stood gathering her papers. She smiled at me softly before walking to the counter.

I found myself watching her leave. I knew I would be coming back tomorrow to see if I could get another look at the shy but strong-willed school teacher.

XXXXXX

Carlos POV:

I woke up to Steph bringing Julie into the bed with us. I smiled and sat up slightly as she laid her on my chest. Julie cooed up at me and I smiled.

"I already fed and changed her," she said, kissing my temple and running her hand over Julie's head. "I'm going to make breakfast. Do you want anything particular?"

I shook my head and brought Julie up to look at me. I rubbed my nose against hers and she gurgled. I smiled and Steph grinned. She laid a kiss on Julie's head before walking back downstairs. I sat up with Julie laying on my chest, her dark brown eyes on mine.

"Tu madre es buena, ¿no es así? Ella nos cuida a los dos." I told Julie with a smile. (Your mother is a good one, is she not? She takes care of the both of us.)

Yes, Steph would be Julie's mother. A discussion we hadn't broached yet, but I wanted Julie to understand that Steph was going to be a mother to her, probably a better one than Rachel. I made sure to hold her securely and climbed from the bed.

I made my way downstairs and put her in the baby bouncer in the living room. I turned on the noise, and attached the mobile and left her to it as Mag settled at the foot of it to watch her.

I made my way into the kitchen and peered into the living room, with a clear sight of Julie. I kissed Steph as she stood at the stove, cooking and poured myself a cup of coffee. I made my way into the living room and sat down in front of Julie, nudging Magnum out of the way. I helped Julie gently bounce and she cooed, causing me to smile at her.

Steph called to me from the kitchen, "Breakfast is done, I'll bring you a plate."

I grinned. "Thanks babe."

She brought me a plate before bringing hers and her computer into the living room. She settled in next to me with the plate and computer. It looked like she was viewing expense reports.

"So..." I started. "I've been looking for houses to buy."

She sent me a look with a raised eyebrow. "Is that right?"

"Yep." I said popping the p, suddenly slightly nervous. My Babe was the only woman besides my Abuela that could make me nervous. "I wanted to get your opinions on them. I know we talked about doing it later on, but I would like to get ahead of the game."

"Ahead of the game?" She smirked.

"Market is good right now." I shrugged. "And if we decided to have a baby of our own, we would have a house ready."

"A baby of our own?" she asked suddenly, with an edge to her voice.

"If we decided to have children. A child that's just as much mine as yours. A baby that you carried for nine months, gave birth to and raised," I clarified.

She shut her computer and turned to look at me. "A child that's just as much mine as yours?" she said, ``Carlos, do you realize that we have a baby? Julie may not be my own flesh and blood but she's just as much of my child as one I would give birth to."

"That's not what I meant Steph," I said, backpedaling.

"I don't like that you insinuated that just because I didn't birth Julie that she isn't my child. I wouldn't be here if I didn't love you, if I didn't care for you. She might be from another woman, but she still is a part of you. I believe I've made that clear. I might not have carried Julie for nine months, I didn't give birth to her, but I am helping raise her. Doesn't that make her mine?" She paused, locking eyes with me. I could see that I hurt her. "Just because Rachel is biologically her mother doesn't make her her mom. She sent her baby at only two days old home with her father and his wife, not even bothering to try and bond with her."

Steph stood gathering her plate and laptop. She carried the plate to the kitchen, and I heard the clang as she tossed her plate into the sink. "Babe..."

"Carlos," she said, shooting me a look. "I need a while to gather my thoughts. That comment, it wasn't right, and you know it. I've already spent more time with Julie than her own mother."

I watched her walk up the stairs. Damnit! Me and my big mouth. I pushed my plate away, no longer hungry. I made sure Julie was okay before standing, but Steph was already coming down the stairs.

"I'm going into the office. I'll be back later," she said, walking to the elevator.

"Steph..."

"No, Carlos." She sighed. I watched the elevator door close, and I laid my forehead against the cold metal. I heard Julie coo in the living room and let out a breath before going to pick her up.

Steph POV:

I pulled into the backlot of Sin and Lace, walked inside, and settled behind my desk. I shut the door behind me and tried to get some work done, but I couldn't.

I was upset about what Carlos had said. I might not be Julie's real mother, but I would and did treat her as if she was mine. She might not have come from the best circumstances, but she was innocent in this whole ordeal. I rubbed a hand over my face. It was hard to stay mad at Carlos; I know he probably didn't word what he meant to say right but it still upset me.

I went through the applicants for my Assistant's position. No one stuck out to me, most of them I couldn't see working out for a period of time. I emailed all of them back, telling them that while their resumes were impressive I didn't believe they would be right for the position. I ran a hand through my hair, it looked like I would be going on the trips myself. Setting that aside I decided to get to work on other things that need to be done.

I put in a few hours at the office before driving over to Rangeman. Carlos had texted a few times telling me he was sorry and didn't mean it the way he said it. I pulled into the garage at Rangeman and took the elevator up. I went into my office and picked up the paperwork I needed, but before I could leave, Tank stopped me.

"Hey, I have a question for you."

"Yeah?"

"Where do you think I should take Elena to eat?"

"She loves to dress up, but she also loves to keep it simple. You could go either way, but she hates seafood," I told him. "Loves Blue Irises."

He nodded. "Thanks Steph."

I nodded and locked my office door again. Walking back to my car, I drove home. It was time for dinner. I debated on picking something up, but I figured we could order in. What I walked in on was not what I expected.

I decided to give everyone an extra chapter. This story will finish off at 35 chapters. My longest one yet. I've got many other projects in the works (insert evil chuckle) and my first every high angst story. I know your probably like this was angsty but not like some of the ones I have planned.