All familiar characters belong to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.

"Who would've thought the big, tough, scary Ranger I know would offer paternity leave to his employees," my wife said, standing just out of reach so I couldn't immediately retaliate.

"It must be a good business decision since the father I gave paid leave to can't stay away from work."

"Don't blame Cal for being happy and wanting to spread it around. Everyone here, including me, knows that if you hadn't fought for us … we'd be living a very different life right now. Let Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson visit us with Remy without reminding him that they don't need to be here."

"I wasn't going to say anything, Babe. My observation was for your ears alone."

"Lucky me."

"I guarantee you'll be feeling very lucky when we get home tonight and Olivia and Julie are asleep."

"Julie is not anywhere close to being asleep right now, Dad, so please don't traumatize me further with any more comments like that one," my eldest pleaded.

"I don't say this enough, Jules, but I really, really like you," Steph told her.

"You tell me that a lot, in-between saying you love me. I'm a teenager so I should find that really, really embarrassing …"

"But you don't," my wife finished, "because me and your Dad are cool parents."

"You are, but let's keep the cringy stuff to just an at-home thing. And absolutely NO more after our bedtime flirting. I've had a hard enough time trying to convince myself that me and my brothers and sisters are all the product of immaculate conceptions."

I nodded. "I don't mind you believing that. Just remember that it goes both ways. No children for you unless they're created in the same manner."

"Jeez, Dad."

"You should know by now, Jules. There's no one-upping him. It's almost pointless to try."

"I do know that. And it's annoying."

"I agree, but it's a lot like rain … even when you know it's coming, there's no way to stop it. Do you want to risk more disturbing parent-visuals by coming downstairs with us to see baby Remy?"

"Uncle Cal brought him to work?"

"Technically, he's not working, but yes he and Kenzie are parking now. I spoke to Cal yesterday and he said Remy's first well-check appointment outside of the hospital is today. I'm guessing they're coming back from it."

"When have you ever guessed?" My daughter asked. "You always know everything."

"A fact I hope you continue to remember."

She rolled her eyes simultaneously with Stephanie. "Do you want to go track Olive down or should I?" Steph asked her.

"Like you don't already know Olive is in her room trying to put a bow barrette on Mado?"

"She's the only one brave enough to try," my wife replied. "Mado seems eerily patient with her."

"She's definitely partial to babies," I pointed out. "She began sleeping on your lap or around your stomach ever since a baby started growing."

"I still think that's more creepy than sweet … like I'm giving off different vibes now."

"There goes your 'cool parent' label," our eldest teased. "No one says 'vibes' anymore, Steph."

"That just makes me 'retro', which is another way of saying cool these days."

Julie's eyes narrowed and then flicked back and forth between us. "Dad has rubbed off on you too much. You're as bad as he is."

Steph tugged on one of the two strands of hair Julie had purposely left out of her ponytail. "Thank you for noticing."

"I'm going to go get Olive," she said, as she was already leaving us and the living room.

"Our little girl is officially a teenager," Stephanie said, frowning towards the doorway. "That was three eye rolls with accompanying sighs almost in a row. I was hoping we'd skip these years and go from a loving child … straight to understanding adult."

I stepped between Mo and Gunny to wrap my arms around my wife, resting my chin on the top of her head. "She's both, which is its own kind of heartbreak."

"She'll love you regardless of how old she is. Being a Daddy's girl gives you a pass on a lot of things."

"I hope so," I said into her ear, and then quickly stepped back so her elbow would find air instead of my rib cage.

"We're ready!" Julie called, as she speed-walked past us. "And we're heading out the front door if Olive gets her way!"

"That explains the thigh-high streak that looked like a blur in front of her. I'm thinking track star is in our baby's future."

"That works for me. She can outrun trouble and boys that way."

"Unlike her Mama who couldn't outrun a combination of those two things."

"We're leaving!" Was shouted from the entryway.

"Looks like her patience has run out," my wife said.

"Or her hold on Olivia is weakening."

"Could be. Either way, we have to go after them."

Like Kane did every time he and Harper brought Angel to visit during her first months, Cal had one hand wrapped around the handle of a baby carrier and the other hand low on Kenzie's back as if she needs assistance.

That urge is amusing from a biological standpoint. Kenzie's body, like Stephanie's, has single-handedly grown and nourished another human being for close to a year, and then expelled it out into the world, yet we assume they require our help just to walk in the door.

"Uncle Cal!" Julie called, before immediately rushing forward towards him. "You brought Remy! I wanna meet him."

"Why don't we wait until we get to the fifth floor for formal introductions," I suggested. "That way Kenzie can sit down and let twenty other people fuss over their baby for a few minutes."

"That sounds good," Kenzie said to us. "We know you have a wedding rehearsal to get ready for, but we thought we'd stop in on the way home from Remy's first date with his doctor at her office."

"You're now days into the whole parent-thing now, how are you holding up?" Steph asked Kenzie.

"When I was changing Rem's diaper way-too-early this morning, I asked Cal to Google the definition of 'sleep' because I forgot what it is."

"Yeah, I remember - and barely remember - those nights, and the extra-long days following them."

Kenzie smiled up at Cal. "No matter how tired I get, I still wouldn't trade this experience for anything."

"Baby ol?" Olive asked, going up on the toes of the replacement pair of Panda sneakers her Aunt Harper had given her.

She outgrew the gift, but wasn't willing to part with them until we bought her the exact pair in a bigger size.

"This isn't a doll, Olive," Steph said, sitting our baby on her knee so she could see the newborn's face. "This is Uncle Cal and Aunt Kenzie's new baby … your cousin Remy."

"Muffin me," she said back.

"Kaa-zin," Julie tried to teach her, "Remmm Eee."

"Catsin me."

Julie glanced over at me. "Olive really likes to add 'me' to everything. Should we be worried?"

"Kane and Atlas think so. Stephanie believes Olivia is one 'scary bug' away from mastering the stand alone 'E' sound with an inherited eek reaction."

Kenzie laughed and then winced.

"Let's get you off your feet," Cal told his wife, before addressing us. "She won't admit that she's still hurting. Instead, she calls them Remy's growing pains."

"He has grown in the last couple of days."

"Growing pains aren't transferable, Kenze."

"Listen to Cal on this," Steph advised. "Let him take care of you as well as you take care of Remy. What I've learned from being with Ranger and friends with the guys here, they need to know their family is alright all the time. How they function is in direct relation to how you are."

"Hey! You gotz my fingor!" Olivia said, ending the conversation. "Gib back."

Remy did in fact catch Olivia's tiny one in his even smaller fist. She shook it, but Remy's grip held.

"Looks like Daddy will be escorting Aunt Kenzie upstairs and we'll be attached to Uncle Cal," Steph noted.

"Why'd da baby do dat?"

"I think he likes you, Olive," Julie answered.

"It's hard not to," Steph added. "Add Remy to the list of people wrapped around her little finger. This time literally."

"Like we have a choice in not doing whatever the girls want," Gene said from behind the front desk. "Congrats again … Cal, Kenzie."

"Thank you, Gene," Kenzie told him.

"From what I could see from the garage cam, he's a cute kid."

"Hey thanks, man," Cal added. "Lucky for him, he favors his Mama in looks."

"But his Daddy in not-sleeping patterns."

"You should have Remy call Ranger then. He's up a lot too. It was really helpful before Olive was sleeping through the night. But he also has a no-spoiling rule in place, Gene," my wife pointed out. "You can't blame his orders or threats for how quick you guys are at trying to make Jules and Olive happy. Simone too if the Rangeman rumor mill can be taken seriously."

He shut up hearing that, which would prove that the talk circulating is accurate. He and the young mother have been in contact.

"I always love coming here," Kenzie noted.

"And we love having you," Steph assured her. "Be warned though, the men are real life tough guys … but they turn into little kids themselves whenever one visits."

"Cal already warned me about that. Plus, I've seen firsthand how they are with Olive and Angel. That's half the reason I wanted to stop in and see all of you. I'd feel better knowing both my Cals have a building full of protectors like you have here. The world is really terrifying sometimes."

"More like ninety-percent of the time," Steph agreed. "But to get myself through the fears I can't do anything about, I remind myself that our kids are going to be the ones to change things for the better. I know Jules gives me hope on a daily basis."

"We just talked about this, Steph. That kind of stuff isn't supposed to be said in public."

"We're still inside our building. And it's the truth, so deal with me and your Dad being really proud of who you are."

Her cheeks took on a pinkish glow, but she smiled when she felt my eyes on her. "Thank you," she told us both.

"You're more than welcome," I told her, dropping an arm across her shoulders to propel her towards the elevator.

Remy did let go of Olivia on our way up to five, but the brief connection appeared to have piqued her interest in the newborn.

"He gots a no teef," she had to mention, smiling wide just so she could point to her complete set of baby teeth.

"Neither did you when you were little like he is," Steph informed her. "They'll grow in when he's much bigger."

"Iz is big."

"You are bigger than Remy," Julie said, "but I'm bigger than you."

"Equally as beautiful too," I told her just to watch her blush deepen.

She can say all she wants that we embarrass her, but I know for a fact she enjoys knowing how we feel about her.

"You're hogging the kiddos," Raphael said when the elevator opened to the fifth floor.

"Two are ours to hog," I reminded him. "You could've been polite and also met the new parents in the lobby, but you chose to wait. Now you have to wait even longer so you can bring over two chairs for Steph and Kenzie."

"Or one for Kenzie. Nothing of mine hurts except for my thighs because I crouched down to act as a seat for Olive," my wife shared. "Guess I need to add squats to my workout eventually."

I raised an eyebrow at that, while I kept my eyes on Raphael. "Two chairs," I repeated, before addressing Stephanie. "You sit or I punch him."

"No, you won't, but thank you in advance for that chair, Raphael."

I saw him mouth a 'Thank You' to her before getting a hand on the backs of two desk chairs and rolling them our way. Steph just managed to seat herself before Olivia was climbing up into her lap. My wife's face became framed between the two buns Julie had made in her sister's hair that are secured with two orange fabric-flower clips.

"You gonna free the kid?" Woody asked Cal.

"Maybe."

"Cal," Kenzie warned.

"I'm just messing with him."

He held the carrier in front of Kenzie and let her unbuckle Remy. She couldn't resist talking to, smiling at, and kissing him throughout the entire two-minute process.

"Can I hold him, Aunt Kenzie?" Julie asked. "I promise I'm really good at it."

"Of course, you can."

Despite being an expert by having only younger siblings, I can tell Julie was holding her breath until she had both arms safely curled around the small body.

"What do you think of baby Remy?" Steph asked Olivia.

Our baby leaned over and got an inch closer to Julie just to study Cal's baby's face.

"It gots Mama eyes!" She noticed when Remy's eyes and mouth opened wide with a yawn.

Most babies close their eyes when yawning. Cal's son was remaining alert.

"He does have blue eyes," Steph said, shaking Olivia slightly with her excited hug. "Good job noticing the difference. What color are yours?"

"Mines eyes is boun."

"Yep. You, Julie, and Daddy are members of the Brown Eyes club."

"All the best people are," Raphael added, exchanging an exploding fist bump with Bobby.

"All colors should be equal. This is the craziness I was trying to prepare you for, Remy," my wife said to the baby, clearly melting a little seeing the hooded blue and white striped onesie that's at least half Olive's size.

His blond head is covered once again, this time by the pajama's attached hood with bear ears affixed to it.

"We're fun, not crazy, Steph. You know that," Ramon clarified.

"You know what they say, there's a fine line between fun and crazy," Steph teased. "I should know, I've been tight roping that particular line since the day I was born."