Chapter 20: Epilogue

Stephanie's POV

My pregnancy felt like years instead of eight months. I gave birth by c-section to my triplets at thirty-one weeks. They had to remain in the hospital for three weeks before the pediatrician released them from the neonatal ICU. I refused to leave the hospital until my babies got discharged. The nurses got used to me sleeping in the rocking chair in the room. Pierre had visited often, as did my Rangeman brothers. Marco dropped by every night for a couple of hours to help me with the babies.

Seeing my daughter, Mica, sleeping against his bare chest made my heart swell. She already loved her uncle. My other daughter, Natasha, loved her uncle Carlos. The girls may be identical twins, but I could already see they had opposite personalities. Francois, my son, would only settle for his papa or me. My son weighed one pound more than Mica, while Natasha was the lightest at four pounds. Mica weighed four pounds six ounces.

Pierre and I wouldn't be having more children. I got my tubes tied, and he got the vasectomy when I reached twenty-eight weeks. We waited to ensure my babies could survive outside of my womb. I didn't like the doctor placing me on bed rest at my twenty-fifth week of pregnancy, but I could barely walk. "Did Mica settle?" I asked Marco.

"Yes. Mica ate four ounces. The nurse said Mica has colic. Sara offered to help you at home for a few hours each day," Marco replied.

"She should be taking care of my nephew," I replied. Marco and Sara got married four months ago. Sara was four months pregnant with a boy. She was happy to be pregnant with one child, but her family doesn't have twins. I couldn't understand why she was so afraid.

"Sara's good. She's teaching Yoga classes. It won't be long before she has to reduce her movements and teach maternity yoga."

"Do we have anyone to cover?" I asked.

"Sure. Sara's sister, Arielle, completed her certificates to teach Yoga and Zumba. She'll teach the classes with Tara until you can return to work."

"We'll need to hire another girl," I said, laughing.

"Why?" Marco asked. He burped Mica before laying her in the incubator.

"Tara's pregnant," Hal said when he entered the room to visit the babies. He was wearing the paper hospital gown and gloves to keep my children safe.

Ranger passed Natasha to Hal, then kissed my forehead. "Proud of you, Babe," he whispered. I smiled at my best friend. Hal burped Natasha after she finished eating. He placed her in the incubator in front of Mica. I smiled when Mica reached out her hand to touch her sister's back.

"Pierre, can you burp Frankie?" I asked.

Tank gently lifted our son from my shoulder. Frankie looked tiny on Tank's broad shoulder. He tapped Frankie's back once to get our son to belch. Tank gently rubbed Frankie's back until the gas bubbles were gone. He kissed our son before laying him in the incubator with his sisters. Frankie was behind Mica. He reached his foot toward his sister. Once his bare toes touched Mica's leg, he closed his eyes to sleep.

"I swear they can't sleep unless they're together," I said.

"Sara and I will help with the night feedings," Marco offered.

As the months passed, my chosen brothers and sisters proved to be wonderful, caring and generous men and women. They taught classes when I couldn't and recruited others when they too needed assistance. I couldn't have asked for a better family.

Thanks to my family, Plum Dragon Fitness was profitable. Our facility was the top choice for many families in Trenton, including the Burg. It wouldn't be the success it became without my loyal staff and family. Every one of them are my hero.

Hector's POV

Angelita's triplets are four months old today. Ranger, Lester, Bobby, Emilio, and I met Angelita at the church for the christening of the triplets. Marco and I are Mica's godfathers. Valerie and Sara are her godmothers. Lester, Ranger, Arielle and Mary Lou are Natasha's godparents. Bobby, Hal, Lula and Tara are Frankie's godparents. We discussed our roles as godparents among ourselves and decided we would act as godparents to all the children, not just the ones listed with the church.

Emilio and I are living together in my home. He rented his place to my coworkers. There were enough rooms to keep the guys happy. I was surprised when Hal and Tara moved into Marco and Angelita's home.

Tank and Stephanie occupied the third level. They had built an extension over the back of the house to cover the second floor. Emilio researched construction companies for Stephanie. I loved how much he did for his honorary sister. Stephanie, in turn, ran the men and company through the Rangeman programs before hiring them to complete the renovations. I had learned how much money Stephanie earned from the mission that ended Gomez's life. It was more than she had realized.

"Are you ready?" Stephanie asked, breaking into my thoughts.

"Yes, Angelita," I replied. She kissed my cheek and grabbed my hand. Emilio winked at me from across the parking lot.

I entered the church behind the group for the christening. Ranger carried Natasha's car seat. Marco had Mica, and Tank had Frankie. Mi Hermana has beautiful children. I was surprised when the three children had Angelita's blue eyes. Their colour showed prominently from their mocha-coloured skin. The girls were slightly lighter in tone than Frankie.

"My grandchildren are gorgeous," Helen said when the men entered the sanctuary. I rolled my eyes at her tone.

"Thank you, mom," Stephanie said. She had dressed the girls in matching white gowns while Frankie wore a white tux.

I could tell something displeased Helen. Before I could figure out her angle, Helen said, "What happened to the gowns I sewed for the girls? Why me? Why can't my daughter dress the girls in the christening gowns I made?"

"Mom, stop embarrassing me," Valerie said. "The gowns were too small. Stephanie had to scramble to find matching dresses for the girls."

"Why me?" Helen repeated. Frank pulled Helen away from Stephanie, insisting she take her seat in the pew reserved for the family.

Mica stuck out her bottom lip, ready to cry. I rubbed my finger from her forehead down to her lip. After lightly pressing on her lip, she smiled. I could feel Helen's glare burning through the back of my head. Helen was not amused to learn who Angelita had assigned as her godparents.

Mary Alice's POV

I can't believe how grandma Plum is treating Aunt Stephie. She's a great mom. When we moved back to Trenton after our dad abandoned us, Aunt Stephie did everything to make Angie and me comfortable. She sacrificed her happiness to make sure we had spending money and clothes because Mom couldn't afford anything. Grandma didn't understand. Whenever I tried to tell her what Aunt Stephie did, she would say, "Be quiet. Girls should be seen, not heard." I didn't know what that meant.

Angie, Lisa, Bert, Albert and I sat with Grandpa, Grandma and GG Mazur. Aunt Stephanie sat in front of us with Uncle Tank and Uncle Marco. "Stop squirming, Mary Alice. Hasn't your mother taught you to behave like a young lady?" Grandma asked.

"But I can't help it," I whispered. Stephanie turned around in her seat to wink at me. I don't know why grandma was complaining because I wasn't pretending to be a horse anymore. Aunt Stephie got me in her Zumba class, and I burned off my energy. Aunt Arielle was really nice too. She's my Zumba instructor now.

"Val, do you mind if Mary Alice sits with us?" Aunt Stephanie asked.

"Not at all," Valerie replied. Mom smiled as she motioned for me to squeeze past everyone between me and the aisle. Grandpa got everyone to move over so mom could sit at the end. I mouthed 'thank you' to grandpa. He winked at me. I moved into the pew where Aunt Stephie sat. She made space between her and Uncle Marco for me to sit.

"I've got your back," Aunt Stephie whispered when I sat beside her. I placed my head on her shoulder. Uncle Marco squeezed my knee before facing the front of the church. I didn't enjoy attending mass, but we had to go for baptisms. "Mass is going to take longer," Aunt Stephie warned. I nodded and kept my head on her shoulder.

When Frankie cried, Uncle Hector passed him towards me. I waited for Uncle Marco to place him in my arms. Frankie stopped crying and smiled at me. Aunt Stephie put her arm around my shoulder and whispered, "You're my hero." I couldn't prevent the grin from appearing.

Mass passed faster than I expected. Frankie stayed in my arms. Aunt Stephie and Uncle Marco helped me hold him when my arms got tired. I loved sitting with them in church. They let me come to the baptismal fountain when the children got baptized. I had to give Frankie to Uncle Tank because my arms hurt too much to carry him.

Grandma sat in the pew with her mouth open. She couldn't believe I didn't fidget or squirm. "I'm proud of you, Little One," Uncle Tank whispered. I smiled at my uncle. Nobody's been proud of me before. Aunt Stephie winked at me when I caught her eye.

Mica fussed when the priest poured water over her head. Uncle Marco made a goofy face, causing her to smile. I love my new family. Natasha squirmed and squawked when her head got wet. Uncle Ranger smirked, while Uncle Lester made a silly face. Natasha giggled, making Mica giggle while Frankie grinned. Uncle Lester winked at me when he saw me smile.

Frankie squinted at the priest when his head got wet. I barely stifled a laugh. He was so cute. Aunt Stephie wrapped her arm across my shoulder, letting me know it was okay to react. She had a tear drip from her eye when the priest placed Frankie into Hal's arms. Uncle Hal looked comfortable holding Frankie. He was going to be a great dad when Aunt Tara had their son. I couldn't wait to meet my cousin.

Everyone in the congregation clapped when the priest welcomed the babies into the church. I grinned as I followed Aunt Stephie back to our seats. She placed me between her and Uncle Tank this time. I leaned my head against my uncle and smiled. Sitting with my uncles and aunts made me feel like I was at home. I wonder if mom would let me live with them.

There are all kinds of heroes in the world. My Aunt Stephanie Sherman will always be mine.

A/N: Thank you for reading my story. I appreciate all the kind words in the reviews. Thank you for being my hero. :)