Chapter 28

Steph POV:

I sat on the edge of the bed looking into Julie's crib. I felt Carlos stir behind me.

"Babe?" he asked softly.

"Mhmm?"

"What're you doing?"

"Watching Julie," I told him. He sat up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I've done the same thing," he admitted. "I've missed her."

"Me, too."

We fell into a silence, watching the rise and fall of her chest. Eventually, Carlos pulled me back into bed with him, kissing my forehead. "We need to get some sleep before she wakes up," he said. I nodded, cuddling into him.

We ate breakfast together, and Carlos walked Mag while I dressed Julie. She smiled and cooed as I nuzzled her neck. Carlos was standing in the doorway when I looked up. He smiled, walking in and kissing her forehead and my lips.

"I'm going to take Julie into the office with me," he said. "The guys are wanting to spend some time with her."

I nodded. "Works for me. I'm interviewing Elena and Rosa's replacements."

"You're firing them?" he asked, alarmed.

I laughed. "No, I'm hoping they will take the promotion I'm going to offer them."

"I think Tank would have killed the both of us if you fired Elena." Carlos chuckled. I kissed him softly.

"See you later?"

"Lunch?" he asked. I nodded.

"I'll call you around eleven thirty," I told him. I watched him leave before going into the office and gathering my things. I drove to the Miami store and made my way into the office after saying hi to the girls.

Right now, there were four people in each store. Two for the morning shift, two for the afternoon shift. I acted as manager for all the stores and took on the responsibilities for almost all the departments.

I was hoping Elena would become my production manager. I knew her get things done attitude would be a good fit. She didn't let anyone walk all over her, and she was quick and efficient. Rosa would hopefully become my marketing manager; she helped me keep track of the trends in each store and across the world.

I put out feelers looking for new employees, along with a few designers. I needed to stop working in the back room of one of the shops and get an office building, a small one at that. I was still putting that off until there were more employees.

I didn't want to push everything too fast and have it go up in flames. Elena knocked on my office door and I waved her in. "You wanted to see me, Steph," she said, settling into one of the chairs.

"I do." I told her, closing my laptop. "I have an offer for you, but I want you to understand that in no way would I be upset if you refused it. I just think you deserve it."

She nodded. "I was wondering what this was going to be about." She grinned.

"I'm expanding the company, and I wanted to offer my most valued employees the chance to move up. There are a lot of benefits that come with this job. I want you to become my Production Manager. You'll report to me, handle anything that comes with production and distribution. When I have overseas trips, some of them you might have to attend. It comes with a pay raise, your own office, you employee discount doubles, and the option to buy into our private stocks. Since we are a private company, you would be part owner; depending on how much stock you had, you would have to sit in on the shareholder's meetings.

"I just bought out the last private investor a little while ago. I'm offering anyone in a managerial position the chance to buy in. Stocks can only be traded inside of the company to other investors. Your new contract will state that if you leave Sin&Lace, you can retain your stocks, but the CEO gets first right to buy them back." I told her.

"Would you mind if I had a lawyer go over the contract?" she asked.

"I would be upset if you didn't." I smiled at her.

"Thank you, Steph. Really." She smiled.

"Business aside, how's everything with Tank?"

She grinned, and I watched as her face softened slightly and her eyes lit up. "He's different," she told me.

"You're in love." I accused.

She grinned and blushed.

"Have you told him?"

I couldn't believe I got her to blush. In all of the years I've known her, she never has. It was ingrained in her from her family; growing up in Texas with a Russian grandmother would do that to you.

"Not yet, but we're moving in together," she said,

"You're what?" I grinned. "That's a big step."

She shrugged. "We've been together for a few months. Besides, you were ready to move Ric into your condo when you were only dating a few weeks."

I rolled my eyes but laughed. "True, very true."

She soon went back to work. By the time eleven thirty rolled around, I had most of my business concluded. I called Carlos and he picked up.

"Hey, Babe."

"Carlos, are you ready for lunch?"

"I've been ready," he grumbled. I laughed softly.

"Where do you want to meet?"

"There's a little Cuban restaurant down the street from Rangeman I've been wanting to try." he said.

"I'll meet you at Rangeman." I told him.

XXXXXX

After lunch with Carlos and Julie, I decided to take Julie home with me and work from there. Carlos left us both with kisses and a promise to be home at five.

I drove us home. Julie was asleep for now. When we got to the building, I left the car running as I walked around to lift her seat out. "Stephanie Michelle Plum!" A shrill voice I recognized rang out.

I lifted her seat up and nodded for Carl to take the car. I turned to look at my mother. "How can I help you?" I asked her.

"I can't believe what you did!" she screamed.

I glanced down at Julie to make sure she was still asleep. "You need to lower your voice. This is not a place to have this discussion. When you can get your temper under control contact me and we can sit down like adults and have an adult conversation. Until then, I request that you leave, or I will have no choice but to call security."

Julie let out a wail then. Michael came out of the building with Paul following. "Mrs. Manoso, do you need help?"

"Michael, could you hold her seat while I unstrap Julie?" I asked. He nodded. I lifted Julie from the car seat and put her on my shoulder, rubbing her back as she calmed down.

"Is this woman bothering you?" Paul asked.

"Woman?!" she yelled. "I'm her mother!"

"I've asked you to leave," I told her shortly. "Paul, I have asked her to leave, and she hasn't."

"I will handle it. Allow Michael to help you upstairs," he said. I nodded. Michael carried the car seat as we walked into the building, my mother left yelling outside.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that," I told him as the elevator doors closed.

"Would you believe me if I told you I would rather deal with this than my old job?" he asked with a chuckle.

"You're an ex-cop, right?" I asked, digging that up from memory.

"Yes, I am." He nodded.

"Well at least your job is a little calmer now." I grinned. He smiled back.

"How is Julie doing?" he asked. I smiled and turned her in my arms. She cooed up at him and he smiled.

"She's fine. Just woke up from her nap abruptly and she didn't like that." I smiled.

We stopped on my floor, the door opening to the condo. He followed me in, Mag sniffing him as we walked. I motioned for him to set the seat down. "Thank you."

"Would you like for us to let you know once she is off the premises?" he asked.

"Yes, I'll be calling Carlos in a few minutes; but I would like to warn him. Hopefully she won't try to ambush him, too."

"We'll try and keep it from happening."

"Thank you," I told him. He nodded and I watched him leave.

I put Carlos on speaker as I checked Julie's diaper. I laid her on her play mat, Mag laying on the floor next to her watching her.

"Babe." Carlos answered with a smile on his voice. I sat on the couch and watched as Julie tried to reach for the toys on the arch above her.

"I figured I'd call and tell you," I started. "My mother has decided to pay us a visit."

"Over the wedding video?" He chuckled.

"I would assume," I answered. "I figured there would be a phone call, not a visit."

"Do I need to come home?"

"No, I'm just sitting here watching Julie play and Mag watch her. She's been escorted off the property."

"Five o'clock babe."

"I'll see you when you get home. Might even cook dinner tonight." I laughed softly.

"My domestic Goddess." He grinned.

I laughed again. "Love you."

"Love you, too, Babe."

I pulled out my computer, keeping an eye on Julie as I looked over expense reports. I ended up ordering food when Carlos texted me that he was on his way. When he came up, he had it in his hands, so I assumed he had met the delivery guy in the lobby. He leaned down to place a kiss on my lips as I finished feeding Julie her bottle.

Setting the pizza down on the table, he picked her up from my arms and placed her against his shoulder as he burped her. I went into the kitchen to get us plates and heard her burp. I smiled at him, and he grinned. The sight of Carlos holding Julie always made me swoon. I loved seeing him hold her and it made me picture him holding a little boy in his arms that looked just like him, a five-year-old Julie tugging on his shirt to get his attention.

"You okay babe?" Carlos asked.

"I'm fine." I smiled.

Julie fell asleep and Carlos put her in her crib in her room. I smiled at him as he came back into the living room. My legs were tucked up beside me and I was in the middle of taking a bite. He chuckled and settled in next to me, snatching a piece of pizza.

"I missed you," he said, nuzzling the top of my head. I smiled.

"It's only been a few hours." I rolled my eyes.

"A few hours too long," he said.

I laughed softly. "So are we going to talk about it?" I asked tentatively.

"About you standing in the kitchen, moaning over me holding Julie?" he asked with a smile.

I smacked his arm. "No!" I laughed.

"You sure? You were making heart eyes," he said waggling his eyebrows at me.

I groaned. "You're already turning into a corny dad! What's next, dad bod?" I shivered.

He snatched my hand and ran it along his hard stomach over his shirt. "Does that feel like it's going to have a dad bod any time soon?"

I snatched my hand back and sent him a glare. "Carlos!"

"Does that mean you're not going to love me when I'm old and have a beer gut?" he asked, smirking.

I rolled my eyes. "The day you let yourself go is the day I stop eating Boston cremes."

He laughed and pulled me onto his lap. Once I was settled, I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I guess you want to talk about your mom."

I nodded.

"I don't know Steph. How do you want to handle her?"

"I told her I would meet her somewhere else when she felt like she could have an adult conversation."

He chuckled. "Sounds just like you."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Do you think she's going to try and come back?"

"I don't know." I shrugged.

"Well has she tried to call you?"

"No."

"Hmmm," he said. "I'll have one of the guys pull up some info on her. When she got here and where she's staying."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"You want to really thank me?" he asked with a suggestive grin.

I laughed. "Come on lover boy."

"Lover boy?" He mocked me as I pulled him up. I rolled my eyes and drug him up the stairs. He might not have liked his new name, but he didn't offer any resistance.

Oh, look who came for a visit...