All familiar characters are Janet's. The mistakes and new Rangeguys are mine.
"Shiv is requesting a meeting with you," Launcher explained. "If he is denied, he's threatening to revert back to being un connard."
"Did you just swear in French?" Steph asked, always on the lookout for new curse words.
"You don't speak the language, you say?" He replied.
"Nope."
"Then no ... I did not swear."
"Who wants to see you, Dad?" Julie asked, making me further question coming here and subjecting my children to my other life.
"A man who you could say is a Rangeman ally," I told them. "When I need to know something happening in Miami, and in the surrounding states, he's one of the first sources I tap for information."
"So he's harmless?" Steph asked.
"Harmless? No. A threat to me personally? Also no. He's alive because of me, and I can reverse my decision to keep him that way at any time."
She hiked Olive higher up on her hip and turned their beautiful faces more fully in my direction for this particular 'inquisition'.
"Why is he asking to see you?" My wife asked me.
"For information, or a guarantee that I'll back him on whatever move he's about to make, to ask how our vacation was ..."
"Olive ... let Mama have your flower for a sec," she said, with a glint in her eyes that let me know the flower wouldn't be used in the innocent way our baby has been playing with it.
Lucky for me, Olivia wasn't handing it over. "Shiv will ask how my family is, Steph, but it'll be at the tail end of our conversation."
"So you're going?"
"If you'll be alright here?"
"We aren't the issue," she said, noting more men arriving on scene to meet the woman and baby ... not behind the man, but the ones who stand right beside me. "The Girls and I can worm our way into the hearts of anyone."
She was smiling, thinking she'd made a joke. She still doesn't fully understand the effect she has on those around her.
"Héctor dice Stephanie puede formar una familia," one of my veteran RangeMen informed the group.
Julie smiled at Álvaro, knowing him and Spanish well, but Steph looked to me for a translation.
"Essentially, Hector told Álvaro that you can form a family. And you have among my men."
"And with us, Dad," Julie added.
"I'd better call Uncle Bobby," Steph said in a conversational tone to Olive, bending her head to our baby's dark, orange-scented one.
"Why?" I asked.
"That's two accents in a ten minute span, and one was saying something really sweet ... which Julie just sweetened. I'm a total goner here."
"I felt okay leaving you and our girls in the building while I see what Shiv wants, but now I'm concerned."
"I'm only kidding ... mostly. I have decided though, that we need to visit Miami and these guys far more often."
"I second that," Julie told us.
"Consider it done."
"Don't get shot," Stephanie ordered me, as I lowered my head to get a kiss from her and to give one to Olive.
"Don't make the men crazy," I replied.
"Hey ... aren't you supposed to be telling me not to go crazy?" She asked.
"I don't have to worry about that anymore. You stay strong for me, for our daughters, and thankfully ... now for yourself."
"And I'll continue to. Julie, Olive, and I, will take a tour, check out our apartment, and annoy the control room, while you're gone ... just like back home."
"Be careful," I instructed.
She shook her head. "Sorry, that's my line here. Be careful and get your cute butt back to us quickly."
"Ewww, Steph ... don't say stuff like that about Dad. It's gross."
"Oops. I'll say sorry to you this time. I meant ... please get your pleasing personality," she deadpanned to me, "calming presence, and highly-functioning mind, home in one piece and as quickly as possible."
"I don't know why ... but for some reason that sounded way worse," my daughter admitted.
"I'll be fine and back before you miss me," I assured them.
"Too late for that one, right Olive? We already miss Daddy ... and he hasn't even left yet."
Olivia blew me a kiss and then made a lunge for me.
"Run, Dad!" Julie mock-shouted. "It's clearly a trap Steph and Olive came up with to keep you from going somewhere when they're worried."
"Very funny," my wife told her, keeping her hold on Olive and dipping her dramatically to distract her, "but I'm agreeing with Julie. If you pick up our baby, you won't be able to leave. We'll be okay, and you can make up the time you're gone to your girls when you're safely back. They'll both be sick of me by then."
"We will not, Steph," Julie told her stepmother.
I ended the discussion by picking up Olive. I lifted her high above me until she laughed and started air-swimming, touching my nose with the petal-end of her carnation. I brought her in close for a kiss and then passed her to Julie, dropping a kiss on the top of my oldest daughter's head.
"Take care of my ladies," I ordered my men.
I don't have to say more. They know I'll tear them apart if they don't.
