All familiar characters belong to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.
"Surprise!" The entire second floor yelled as soon as Stephanie, Olivia, and I stepped off the elevator.
Collectively, we moved to the side to put Aubrey and Raphael, who we made sure shared an elevator with us, in the spotlight. Stephanie being the woman she is, and knowing we have everything our kids need, decided to turn her baby shower into a surprise one for Aubrey and Raphael without either knowing they're the guests of honor.
"Surprise, Aubrey … Raphael," my wife said. "Welcome to your baby's party."
"But we were here for you."
"And Ranger and I appreciate that, but we already have whatever Julie, Olive, and impending baby boy Manoso require. We're only interested in spending time with our family. And we're going to do that today. But this specific get together is to celebrate you, Raphael, and your baby that we're all excited to meet."
"You'll notice the lack of blue or baby boy congrats with the decorations since your guests don't know if you're having a boy or a girl," I pointed out.
That isn't a lie since I'm not a guest ... though I do know the sex of their baby. Raphael shared it in complete confidence, and I kept my word to him even if it resulted in a lot of yellow, green, and plain white baby clothes and non-descriptive décor choices for today's party.
"We just ask that you don't have him or her during the party," my wife added.
Aubrey crossed her arms over her stomach when she laughed. "I'll do what I can, but as that snack suggests …" she then pointed to one food table, "I am beyond ready to pop. That's why I went with a jumpsuit today. I'm hoping to keep our baby tucked and tied snugly in here."
My wife looked down at herself and the sleeveless, floor-length dress she put on about ten minutes before coming downstairs. "Shoot. I should've thought of that. I just wanted to be comfortable."
While we were talking, Olivia's brown eyes were scoping out the place. She now tugged on her Mama's hand.
"Dear da bears," she said, pointing to one of the tables that had folded washcloth teddy bears surrounding a bassinet constructed solely from diapers.
"That's right, Olive. We've got all kinds of backyard animals here today. Can you find a bunny?"
Every man attending prayed to whatever God would listen that this is the only game being played today.
"You ready to be a daddy?" Kane asked Raphael.
"Yes and no. I'm excited … but scared like I've never been before in my life."
Kane slapped him hard on the back. "That's the right blend. You'll be fine."
"I still feel like that," Cal admitted to Raphael, his eyes tracking Kenzie who has been unconsciously rocking a sleeping Remy.
"If Angel wasn't so perfect," Kane said, "I'd still be worried."
"We've done a good job with them," I heard my wife whisper overly loud to Harper, Aubrey, and Kenzie. "They're not only attending a baby shower without complaining, they're bonding over baby experiences."
"Be careful," Kane replied. "We can disappear at any moment and go shoot stuff up."
"Kane, sweetie, you promised right along with Angelique, to play nice today," Harp reminded him.
He folded his arms over his chest before immediately opening them back up to pick up a tottering but still upright Angel. "Stephanie started it."
My wife smiled. "You have no idea how many defenses start that way. I should have a complex, but I don't."
"I gots da bundy," Olivia announced, running back to us holding a gender-neutral brown bunny cookie. "It gots da buttfly on id nose."
"A 'butt-fly' is one insect I hope to never see," Kane noted, earning a 'we talked about this' look from Harper.
Why they don't already have a second baby in the works is pretty evident. Kane requires too much supervision of his own.
"The bunny does have a butterfly on its nose. Good catch," Steph told our daughter, not paying any attention to Kane. "You got two creatures in one cookie."
"Do you think you can find me one of those owl cookies?" Frank asked her. "You're better at picking out animals than I am."
Like an expelled bullet, Olivia shot across the room and went on the hunt for Frank's choice. "I could've got you somethin' to eat, Frank," Edna told him.
"I think he was just giving Olive something to do, Grandma," Steph said. "Aideen was already offering to fix him a plate."
"And I've told all of you that I am perfectly capable of feeding myself. Little Olive just seemed so excited to have found the animal she was looking for."
"If preschool has a Zoology 101 class, our baby is going to have an entire wall full of gold stars within a week."
"Or she'll be in constant 'time out' because she can't sit still like someone she's related to," Atlas replied.
My wife shook her head. "No chance. Unlike you, she knows when to stop and just listen."
Amari did her best not to encourage the teasing of her boyfriend, but Lester had no problem laughing at length at One Shot's expense. "Dude, you walked right into that one."
"Coming from the guy who walked right into a bullet."
"Lester getting shot led to a second intruder being arrested," Ayanna said, coming to Santos' defense.
"Have we met?" Atlas asked her.
Santos dropped his good arm around Ayanna's shoulders and steered her away from him. "Nope," he said over his injured shoulder. "And I'm hopin' to keep it that way."
"I never get tired of coming to visit you here," Valerie told Stephanie. "The food's amazing, but the entertainment is even better."
"We are a fun group," Steph answered. "As much as we scare the criminal element of Trenton, we amuse the rest."
"I foud da owl," our daughter said. "It god biiig wins."
"High five for finding the flying one," Mary Alice told her, holding up a hand.
Before I could warn her that Olivia doesn't hold back, my baby smacked her cousin's hand with audible force.
"Wow," M.A. said, shaking the sting out of her hand.
"I know a girl who used to do the same thing," Steph responded. "You would Patty Cake so energetically, my palms were tingly for days afterward."
Our niece grinned. "I like to do everything with a solid purpose behind it."
"Which is why I never refused to play with you. I appreciated your commitment to the game."
There are times when how much I love this woman catches me off guard … and this is another one of those 'How fucking lucky am I?' moments.
"You're weird, Aunt Steph."
"I am. And you're welcome. Not many aunts are my level of cool."
"Weirdly cool. Okay, got it."
My wife nodded to me, and I got an arm around Mary Alice and held her still so my wife could inflict a gentle noogie on her niece's head.
"Hey!" M.A. said.
"It was a love rub," my wife assured her.
"Let my daughter go," Val said. "She was just telling the truth like we want her to do. You are weirdly cool, Steph."
My wife rolled her eyes, but we turned our hold on Mary Alice into an affectionate hug. This niece shows serious potential to take over my company if Julie has no interest in carrying on the family business.
"I have to be weird to offset my perfect sister," my wife told Val.
Val did an imperfect snort. "Perfect my behind, but I am at least working my way towards being better than I was."
"That's all we can do, Val. The wanting to grow is as valuable as the change itself at times."
Val gave us a small smile before her eyes shifted to where Albert was choosing an animal cookie for Lisa. "Some things are worth working for."
We left that comment alone. My wife and I know our relationship staying tight is vital to how good our kids are feeling and how well they'll grow up. My children will always be protected but knowing how much they're loved individually and collectively by us is what's going to propel them through a world that isn't always fair or kind.
As an example of how well my children are cared for, Ella and Louis' too-generous gift for our son - as well as Olivia - is a treehouse with a slide and small swing set attached to it. At this time of the year, Jersey's weather can fluctuate between eighty-degree days dropping down to thirty in a twenty-four-hour span of time, so the Guzmans' gift decided today's theme … a backyard party but one that's being held indoors. A handy decision when the sex of Aubrey and Raphael's baby is still a fifty-fifty guess to today's partygoers.
Louis worked after hours to put the swing set together inside and on the second floor which provided endless amusement for Olivia, Lisa, Angel, our suddenly active cat, and my mother plus a number of my sisters. Seeing my wife dart glances my way, I'm planning how to say 'It ain't happening' when she works up enough enthusiasm to ask if we can leave it where it is instead of Louis taking it apart and rebuilding it in our backyard.
Who we now refer to as our core decorating crew … Ella, Aideen, Edna, my mother, Mabyn plus her mother sometimes, and Steph when she can help, transformed the space into more of a jungle than just your typical residential backyard. Ivy hung from the walls with white lights woven in-between the strands. The men helped the ladies hang sound reactive clouds from the ceiling that are hooked up to Bluetooth speakers to play soft music in the background and also change colors to further amuse Remy and Angel.
The food was Steph's way of getting every snack she likes eating outdoors into the building under the guise of a backyard barbecue theme. A S'more station was set up away from where the kids would be playing which Santos offered to man just so he could torch something. Ayanna did take up Stephanie's invitation to come, but after speaking up for him to Kane ... she's stuck mostly to just casting glances his way to see how he interacts with everyone. She stayed with the group of women she first met at the restaurant for the majority of the time.
My wife and Ella managed to get every cookout favorite miniaturized and altered to fit a casual grab-and-go style of catering that's also kid friendly. Hamburgers got reduced to sliders. Hot dogs were turned into portable pigs in a blanket. Pasta salad was served in small Fillo cups. Macaroni and cheese had been cubed up and oven fried. Canape bread baked in a star shaped mold and sliced was then turned into grilled cheese for the kids and Hal. And vegetable kebabs offset the steak and potato skewers and boneless chicken wings that filled the tables. Corn, garden, and pasta salads were mixed into the fray.
Dessert consisted of the Santos S'mores, cupcakes made to look like mini charcoal grills, and the cookies decorated to resemble backyard animals that kept Olivia busy as she asked nearly everyone which animal they wanted her to get them. A massive 'Baby Animal/Welcome Baby' cake was also available to avoid mutiny started by Stephanie. Grilled fruit was provided to avoid similar actions from me.
Stephanie got Ella to agree to work with the owners of the restaurant where Ayanna works to help cater this on top of letting my mother choose the bakery and the tiered cake design. Only saying the boost to Ayanna's career standing and pay grade along with her potential relationship with Santos prevented Elle from trying to work herself to death to get everything done herself.
I felt my wife nearby before she slipped her arms around me. "This is a pretty big turnout."
I slid my arm across her shoulders and hugged her to me. "You're surprised?"
"Yes and no. This is a baby shower. I was expecting the guys to make an appearance and then leave, but everyone who has time off stuck around. I know you had something along these lines in mind when you started Rangeman, but I never would've thought your company would become our community."
Even on the good days when my thoughts remain optimist, I wouldn't have pictured this either. I knew my men would be respected and cared for, but to see them not only survive but look forward to every day they're given is an added bonus. Aside from the married couples attending, Zero was keeping an eye on Farren and her daughter Halina. Gene was showing Jax how to do pull-ups on the bar between the swings with Simone smiling at both while talking to Mabyn and my mother.
Even though Bobby and Mireya have been nearly inseparable since we took care of that problem with her ex, they remained respectful of the crowd and each other, holding hands only. Bobby consistently used those joined hands to point out anything or anybody he thought Mireya should see. As always, Atlas is less of a pain in the ass when Amari is with him, much like Kane is with Harper visiting us with him.
Even Frank appeared to be living an alternate version of his married years, now seeing how it could've been if he'd married Aideen instead of Helen all those years ago. He's relaxed, smiling at everything his granddaughters did and said, and initiating conversations with the men. Not seeming to even hold a grudge against Arlen for the role he played in his divorce.
To say this is a perfect community for our children to grow up in, would be a gross understatement. Even outside our building, we're making a difference. My once addiction-prone snitch, Manden, went to rehab, hasn't fucked up the job I set up for him, and is currently loving the hell out of being a husband and a father to an adorable baby girl named Sage. Even more shocking is Shiv down in Miami is finally starting to grow up.
"I had hopes," I finally said in response to my wife's comment. "But this surpasses every one of them."
Julie will be here shortly. Rachel and Ron offered to fly up with her for the day and drop her off so I won't have to leave Trenton. And she's all that is missing to complete the festivities. Stephanie sensed how I was feeling and turned so she'd be in my arms. Even with our son between us, she managed to plaster herself against me. My response was automatic, my arms snaked around her as my head descended.
"Ahem," we heard a beat later.
I wasn't surprised that my mother said something, but every person in the room stopped to stare at us.
"Awww, Mom and Dad still have the hots for each other," Santos said next.
"Ewww," was Mary Alice and Angie's joint reply.
"Seriously," my wife said to the crowd, "there is a literal circus happening on this floor and you all want to pause it to point out that me and my hubby like each other? You're all forgetting that this is actually Raphael and Aubrey's baby shower. How about you focus your kiss-count on them?"
The couple in question exchanged a long look, talking to each other without saying a word, and I sensed what was coming.
"We really appreciate you all being here, for Stephanie and Ranger and I guess for us too," Aubrey began, but she stopped to glance up at Raphael.
He took over. "We came believing we were supporting the Boss and the Boss Lady. Since we were tricked in the nicest possible way, the least we can do is give you all something back. We were going to let it be a surprise until our baby joined the family, but Aubrey and I would like to share that we are having a little girl. I'm gonna be a Girl Dad. Can you believe it?"
"I can believe it," Steph told him after a beat. "Our guys make the best daddies to little girls. Look how Angel has civilized Kane."
"That was Harp," Kane argued. "Angel just polished me up."
He isn't wrong. Though Kane doesn't give himself nearly enough credit. He's helped Harper heal as much as she's filed down his sharper edges.
"It's not just baby girls that change you," Cal pointed out.
"True. Mary Lou and Eddie will be the first ones to agree with you on that. But don't worry," my wife said to Cal and Kenzie. "Pretty soon, Ranger and I will be parents to girls and a boy. We'll act as everyone's liaison so you won't miss out on anything happening in the girls' group and they won't be left out of what we do with the boys."
