This one's a little longer because there was no other natural break. Enjoy.

Stephanie's POV

I was taking my time getting ready. Carlos' surprise was making me nervous and I wanted to look my best. I decided to wear the same dress that I wore to my parents' place and in D.C. I knew Carlos liked the dress and it didn't look too bad with my cast and crutches.

The kids and Carlos were down at the beach. They walked down the steps with Binkie and Zip and Carlos drove down. He didn't want to strain his back and he also didn't want to lose too much time on the climb back up. He promised that they would be back at the house by 10. It was now 9:30 and I was putting the finishing touches on my hair and makeup. When I was done, I went through the closet and pulled out some things for Carlos to wear.

I went into the rooms where the kids were sleeping and found each one tidy with a bag in the corner and clothes laid out on their beds. They were very tidy kids. I smiled as I saw the dress that Emma wanted to wear. It was very bright and suited her perfectly. Diego was just going to wear a smart pair of dress pants and a white shirt with a clip on tie. It was plain and simple and I'm sure he'd look great in it. Julie was going to wear her new dress. She was getting a lot of use out of it and I was glad. It suited her a lot and she looked great when she wore it.

At 9:45, the kids and Carlos came rushing in. They all ran for the shower and I stayed in the lounge with Binkie and Zip. Neither of them went in the water so they didn't feel the need for a shower. Zip looked at me and asked, "When we get to Pino's, we've been asked to wait outside and keep watch to make sure there are no suspicious people lurking around."

"Thanks guys. I'll make sure to send some pizza out to you. You shouldn't go hungry because of your security detail."

Binkie smiled, showing his adorable dimples and thanked me for thinking of them while we were inside having pizza. Zip also smiled and nodded his head, indicating his thanks as well. I smiled at them as Carlos came in the room. He was wearing the clothes I had left out for him and motioned for me to follow him into the other room. I smiled at the guys and hobbled into the kitchen.

"Babe." Carlos pulled me to him and kissed me. I moulded myself to him and returned the kiss. When we pulled apart, we were both grinning. "It's almost time to go. I'll go hurry the kids up Babe."

I smiled at Carlos and watched him as he walked out of the room. Hey, what can I say, he looks good, even when he's walking away from me. I checked my handbag to make sure I had everything I needed. When I was happy that I had what I needed, I went back into the lounge. I talked to Zip and Binkie until everyone came into the lounge.

We all jumped into two cars and headed to Pino's. We arrived at the restaurant at 11:50. We went in and asked for a few tables to be pushed together and then Carlos went to talk to the bartender. A few minutes later, the waiter returned with a tray of drinks. He handed the kids each a wine glass filled with fizzy fruit juice. He then opened a bottle of champagne and handed Carlos and me a glass and then left us alone.

Carlos picked up the bottle of champagne and poured liquid into both our glasses. When he was done, he picked up his glass, looked at the kids and then at me and said, "I'm very happy that we all got to spend some time together. A lot of people who are involved in the wedding will be joining us soon, so I want to take this opportunity when things are quiet to tell you all how happy I am that you are in my life. Babe, I love you and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Julie, having you nearby has brought so much joy to my life. Diego, you are a brave little dude whom I'm grateful to know. Emma, you're a delight and I look forward to spending more time with you all in the future."

Each of us raised our glasses and Emma said, "To Papi Carlos."

We all smiled, repeated her toast and took a sip of our drink. Julie looked at us and said, "While it's still quiet and it's still just us, I'd like to wish you two all the best. I know you'll be happy and I look forward to spending time with you both."

This time, Diego was the one who said, "To Mama Steffie."

Everyone repeated the toast and we drank once more. We looked at the menus and everyone decided what they wanted to eat, but we wanted to wait a bit to see who would join us for lunch. Lula and Tank arrived, then Lester and Fiona. Bobby and Hal came next, followed by Connie and then Val showed up looking a little dishevelled. She saw me and rushed over and hugged me. "I'm sorry I'm late Steph. Albert was being a bit of a baby and didn't think he could handle the whole day alone with all 3 girls. I had to call Grandma Mazur to come and help. Mom and Dad were out so I had to run over there and pick her up."

"That's OK Val, we haven't ordered food yet, so you're not really late."

"Oh good. I'm starving. I got lunch for the kids before I left, but didn't eat anything."

I handed Val a menu and then waved the waitress over so could take our orders. Once the orders went in, everyone started discussing the mystery guest who would arrive later. Since Ron and Mary Lou were the only two not here, they wondered if either of them could be brining the guest. I thought I'd clarify things and said, "Mary Lou couldn't come for lunch because Lenny is working today. She'll be here by 2. Ron is flying back from Boston and should be here soon. I doubt the mystery guest is accompanying either of them."

We ate and talked about nothing in particular. A few of the guys made bets about the identity of our guest. They made bets on whether or not the guest would arrive with Ron or Mary Lou. I watched money exchange hands when Mary Lou walked in around 1:45. I saw more money exchange hands when Ron walked in alone a few minutes later.

Ron looked glad to see his kids. As soon as they saw him, they ran to him and hugged him. He came back to the table and took Emma's seat. She climbed up on his lap. He greeted everyone and the waitress was called over to take Ron and Mary Lou's order. Mary Lou ordered only a drink but Ron ordered food. He didn't get a chance to eat at the airport.

Ron looked over at Carlos and said, "I can't believe how well they're getting on in Boston. The steel framework for the building is already up. The glass is expected to go in tomorrow or the next day and the internal electrics are well under way. They'll have the roof on by the end of next week at this rate."

Carlos looked shocked at this news. He smiled and said, "That's great news Ron. I'm sure the guys in Boston will be happy to get into their new building. I know our temporary offices here are quite the squeeze."

Ron nodded and said, "The site for the building here should be cleared by the end of the month. We have planning permission for a two tower building on site of the old building so we can start on the plans as soon as you're ready."

Carlos nodded and turned his attention to the door. Bobby had looked over and stood. He recognised somebody that had just walked into Pino's. Carlos also stood and walked over to the woman and introduced himself. I saw them have a short conversation and then they walked over to our table. Bobby smiled and waved. The woman waved back but remained silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you all to Brigitte Travis. She is my special guest."

I stood there looking at this woman. I had no idea who she was or why she was here. Her name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. I looked around the room and saw that both Connie and Mary Lou had their mouths open wide. Connie went so far as to cover her mouth with her hand to stop her from gasping. I looked at Carlos and he grinned at me and said, "Babe, Brigitte is a famous fashion designer and she has agreed to design and make the dresses for the ladies and the accessories for the men."

As soon as he said that, it hit me. She designed my favourite dress from the Oscars last year. I stood up and walked over to Brigitte and introduced myself. "Hi Brigitte. I'm Stephanie. It's an honour and a pleasure to meet someone as talented as you. I can't wait to hear what you suggest for the wedding."

Brigitte smiled at me and said, "RangeMan did me a great service last week. I can't think of a better way to repay the debt than do this for you. I've been itching to get my hands back to fashion design. I've been focusing far too much on interior design and neglecting my passion in favour of a paycheque."

"Wow. What did RangeMan do for you?"

"Well, Bobby and his partner rescued me from a stalker who was trying to kill me. They arrested him and when they brought him to the police station, it turned out that there were three outstanding arrest warrants for him. Two were for murder and the 3rd was for attempted murder. I was ever so grateful."

"I can imagine that. Would you like some champagne or something else to drink?"

Brigitte accepted the glass of champagne that I held out for her and she came and sat down beside me. She looked around at the group assembled there and said, "Carlos has sent me a few photos of you all and I've come up with some basic drawings based on the colour scheme that he and Stephanie have selected. This is just a preliminary meeting to discuss what you want. Once I have a better idea about fabric, colour and shape, I can go ahead and take measurements and then make a mock-up dress in a less expensive fabric so you can try it on and see how it looks.

Brigitte looked at me and continued. "Carlos has told me that you want a dusty lilac colour for your bridesmaids dresses. I have several fabric swatches here. Let me know if any of them are what you're after."

She handed me a book that was filled with different coloured fabrics open to a page with purple hues. Each was a different shade of purple in varying fabrics. I looked through the book and selected the one that Julie pointed at. I smiled and nodded. I handed the book to Brigitte, who then pulled out additional swatches and handed them to Val, Mary Lou, Connie, Lula and Julie. Once everyone had one, she asked them to hold them up to their chin. The only person that the colour didn't suit was Val. It made her look a bit washed out with her blonde hair.

Brigitte riffled through her bag and pulled out a lighter shade of purple. It was the same colour, only a few shades lighter. She handed it to Val and it looked much better. She looked at me and said, "Would it be OK with you Steph if your Matron of Honour had a slightly different shade dress?"

I looked at Val who said, "It's your wedding Steph. If you want the same colour, I'll wear it. You were willing to wear that eggplant dress I picked out."

I laughed and said, "I like the lighter colour on you Val. It will look great with the rest of the dresses and it will suit you better." I turned to Carlos and asked, "What do you think Carlos?"

He smiled at me and said, "I agree with Steph, Val. The lighter shade suits you more than the darker one. They match perfectly though, so it's still on theme."

Brigitte smiled and then turned to Carlos. "I know that you guys are planning on wearing charcoal coloured suits, and I think that's a great idea. That will match the purple brilliantly. I found this fabric and I think it would make the perfect waistcoat for you Carlos. We can get similar fabric for the rest of the guys."

She handed Carlos a silver bit of fabric. It was damask with silver with on an off-white pattern. Carlos looked at the fabric, showed it to me and then said, "I like this. What do you think Babe?"

I nodded and said, "Do you have the same fabric with the two purples as the background colour? The Best Man could match Val and the others can match the rest."

Brigitte looked in her bag and pulled out the darker purple in the same fabric. She said, "I definitely have it in the darker colour. I will see if I can find it in the lighter colour. If I can't find it ready-made, I'll contact the manufacturer and see if he can make a bolt for me. We're friends and he's done that before with similar fabric"

I looked around and none of the guys looked worried to have to wear a purple waistcoat. I guess that's because the purple wasn't the dominant colour. Silver was and the purple was less prominent. Brigitte turned back to Carlos and said, "What about the tie. I can definitely find silk in these colours. What colour do you want your tie?"

Carlos thought for a moment and then said, "I'd like a silver tie." I looked at Carlos and said, "Since silver is the less dominant colour on your vest, that would probably look nice. I'm not sure about the other guys though."

Brigitte smiled and said, "I can probably source some weaved silk that is silver and purple, or both colours of purple. Silk can be easily dyed and I have a friend who makes customised ties for Ralph Lauren. I can get a few mock ups for our next meeting if you'd like."

Both Carlos and I nodded and Brigitte took some notes and then pulled out a notepad. She looked around and said, "Why don't you ladies join me over there at that table by the window. It will be easier to see from there."

The 6 of us moved over to the table near the window and Brigitte laid her book down in front of me. Before she opened it she said, "Carlos sent me a few pictures of you ladies. Based on those photos, I've come up with a few drawings for your dresses that should suit each of you ladies. I don't know whether you want the same dress for all ladies or not Stephanie. That is really up to you to decide, but take a look at the bridesmaid dresses I've come up with."

I opened the book with rather shaky hands. The first dress I saw was a typical sleeveless A-line gown with a runched bodice and a flowing long skirt. I made sure that all of the ladies had a good look before turning the page. The second dress was a little more complex. It was also sleeveless, but this one had a criss-cross pattern across the front. Other than that, it was the exact same as the first.

Both Connie and Lula expressed interest in that dress. That is until they saw the 3rd page. This one was similar to the 2nd, but there was beading and what looked like jewels mixed in along the bodice and flowing up across the left shoulder. It was beautiful. It looked like jewellery was weaved into the dress along with the fabric of the bodice.

The next dress had a halter neck and an integrated sliver and purple beaded chocker at the neck. I looked around and saw Val's eyes pop out when she saw it. I guessed that meant that she liked it. So far, everyone but Julie and Mary Lou has expressed their opinions. The last dress for the bridesmaids was shorter with straps and a fitted bodice and runched waist. Julie smiled when she saw it, so I knew that she liked it. I turned and looked at Mary Lou. She was in awe. I smiled at her and said, "Was there a dress in there that you liked?"

Mary Lou smiled and said, "They were all gorgeous. If I'm honest, I liked the one with the single-shoulder jewellery the most."

I looked around and saw both Connie and Lula nod in agreement. I looked at Val and said, "You liked the Halter neck one didn't you?"

Val nodded and smiled. I then turned to Julie and asked, "Which was your favourite?"

"I liked the shorter one."

I turned to Brigitte and said, "That was easier than I thought. Val will wear a lighter coloured halter neck dress with the choker. My junior bridesmaid will wear the shorter dress and the other three will wear the one with the single shoulder jewels."

The ladies all nodded in agreement and Brigitte smiled. "I think those are great choices ladies. The styles will suit you all." Brigitte made a few notes in her notebook and then handed me another book. She looked at me and said, "It's been a long time since I've designed a wedding dress for anyone, and your figure will make this easier than it usually is. You are tall, thin and you actually have hips. I have come up with a few basic drawings for shape. Once you decide on a shape of the overall dress, we can narrow it down to a specific style and fabric."

I nodded and took the book she handed me. I opened it and gasped when I saw the first dress. It was without detail, but it was so beautiful. It had long sleeves and was extremely fitted right down to my hips, where the dress flared out into a full skirt with a short train.

I flipped the page and the next dress had shorter sleeves and was a little less fitted. The third dress was sleeveless and A-line and the 4th dress was strapless and fitted in a sort of hourglass shape. I looked up at Brigitte and said, "I like the first shape best. I even like the long sleeves."

Lula smiled and said, "That would look great on you. It would be killer if the dress was lace and had a cut out back."

Brigitte looked at Lula and then back at me and said, "I could do that easily enough if that's what you want."

I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted, so I said, "Is there any way for you to draw something with a bit more detail? I'm not sure if I want lace or not. I do like the idea of a cut out back though."

"Sure Steph. I can make a miniature version as well as a few other fabric options. There is also beadwork and embroidery."

"I like the idea of beadwork as well."

Brigitte smiled and said, "I think I'm going to have fun with this. I have a picture in my mind right now and if you are OK with it, I will make a few drawings and a small to-scale mock-up for you to look at."

"That would be wonderful Brigitte. Has Carlos told you that we only have 3 months before the wedding? This is a lot of work. Will you be able to do this in time?"

Brigitte smiled and replied, "Of course I can. I might need to rope in some help to source some of the fabric for the men, but I have no doubt that I can do this in the time available."

I breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Great. What's the next step?"

"Well, if I could get measurements from you ladies today, I should be able to have a practice dress for each of the bridesmaids ready in a week or so. If you could come to my studio in New York a week from Thursday, I can have your dress mock ups ready as well as a template for the final dress. This will probably take a while, so I'd suggest that you plan on being at my studio for the whole afternoon."

I looked at Val and Mary Lou. They were the two that would have the most trouble being out of town for a day. Val smiled and said, "I'm sure Mom can watch the girls."

Mary Lou nodded and said, "I can get Lenny's parents to keep the boys."

Connie grinned and said, "I can't wait to tell Vinnie that I am not going to work that day. He's going to have to answer his own damn phone for once."

We all grinned and I agreed to Brigitte's proposed date and time. I was smiling and then it hit me. I turned and looked at Brigitte and asked, "You wouldn't mind if a couple of the guys joined us? Because of the bombings, we're on high alert and we don't tend to go anywhere unprotected."

Brigitte smiled and said, "Of course not. If you bring the two big ones, I can get them to try on their waist coats while they're there."

We laughed as we looked over and saw her staring at Hal and Tank. They were larger than life. Over the next 15 minutes, each of the girls went into the bathroom with Brigitte. When it was Julie's turn, I joined her and we both had our measurements taken. When we came out, we joined the men again and Brigitte said, "Gentlemen, in order for me to ensure that I order enough of the various fabrics that I need to make your garments, I need to take your upper body measurements. We can do this here or we can go into the back hall for a bit of privacy if you'd like."

Carlos was the first to stand. He looked over at Pino and said, "Give me a moment. I'll be right back."

Carlos walked over and talked to Pino for a minute. When he returned, he was grinning and said, "We can use the office at the back. I'll go first."

I watched as Carlos followed Brigitte into the back office and sat down with a sigh. "What's wrong Bomber?" I looked up to see Tank staring at me.

I smiled and said, "My leg hurts a bit, that's all. I have some pain killers in my purse if you'll hand it over.

Tank reached beside him and handed me my purse. I pulled out the bottle of pills, grabbed a glass of water from the pitcher and took two pills. By the time I was finished, Carlos was back and sending Lester to get measured. Carlos took the pill bottle from me and took one a dose as well. He stole my water to swallow the pill and handed it back to me.

Lester returned and sent Bobby back. Bobby returned a few minutes later and sent Hal. Tank followed Hal and Ron went last.

Ron's POV

I walked back into the office and smiled at Brigitte. She introduced herself and explained that she needed me to take off all but my dress shirt above the waist and that she'd be measuring my waist, chest, neck, shoulder circumference and the distance between my collar bone and my waist.

I took off my jacket and stood there a little awkwardly. It has been a long time since a woman other than Rachel has put her hands on me. Brigitte moved closer and held up a measuring tape. To distract me while she measured my waist, she asked "How do you know Carlos."

I didn't want to delve into our complicated history so I just said, "Carlos and I have been friends for a while now. I just recently started to work for him."

Brigitte moved on to my arm and asked, "What do you do at RangeMan?"

"I'm designing the office buildings for RangeMan. The ones in Boston and here in Trenton were destroyed in the attacks, so we're trying to get things back up and running as soon as possible."

"That's really great. I offered to do the interior decorating for free but Carlos refused. He hired me for this instead though, so it wasn't a total loss."

I smiled at Brigitte and said, "I'm sure Carlos' aversion to your suggestion was based on the work for free aspect and not your skills as an interior designer. Carlos asked me to design and help build a house for him and Steph, and when I offered to do it for free, he refused. He wanted to pay me with my own house that I could design and build however I wanted. He's not a man to accept anything without compensation to the other party. I'd say it's a flaw, but it really isn't."

"Wow. That explains things a little more. I explained what it would cost for me to design a wedding dress for Stephanie and he followed that by asking about the rest of the wedding party. I gave him a lower price than I'd normally charge and now I know why he laughed and told me to try again."

"He's a good man. Because of his job and his past, a lot of people underestimate him. That actually works to his advantage in his line of work."

Brigitte nodded and said, "You're all done. It was nice to meet you Ron."

"Same here. It was nice to have a conversation with another adult that was not dominated on some of the more complicated aspects of my life and my new role as a single father."

"It was a pleasure. Let's go back out to the others. I still have a flower girl and a ring bearer to meet."

"Ah, those would be 2 of my kids."

Brigitte looked at me oddly and asked, "Is Julie yours as well? I thought she was Carlos' daughter?"

I smiled and nodded. I looked down at my hands and said, "Julie is Carlos' biological daughter. I married her mother when she was just a baby and adopted her. Until recently, I was legally her father. When I filed for divorce, those rights ended, but Carlos would never take her away from me. I love her as much as my own children and he knows it."

"I'm sorry if I brought up some bad memories and thoughts Ron. Julie is a wonderful kid and that's down to you. You said that Carlos is a good man, so I'm sure that things will work out with all of you."

I smiled at Brigitte and we walked out to others. I looked at Julie and she gave me a funny look. She didn't come over and talk to me, but I could tell something was on her mind. I was distracted away from Julie when I heard Emma say, "I don't want to wear a purple dress."

I looked over to my youngest child and almost laughed at the indignant look on her face. Stephanie was standing beside her and said, "You don't have to wear a purple dress sweetie. I was actually hoping that you'd wear a cream coloured dress. Would you be OK with that?"

Emma looked up at Stephanie and said, "It's better than purple. Could I wear a green dress? I like green."

Stephanie's POV

I didn't want to say no to Emma's request so I looked up at Brigitte who said, "Why don't you and Steph come over here by the light where we are better able to see. I can show you some colours that would match the dresses that are already going to be made. This way, you can choose your colour."

Emma agreed and she, Steph and I returned to the table by the window. Emma sat beside me and Steph was across from us. I pulled out a fabric swatch book and started flipping through the pages. I pointed out a silvery grey satin. Emma touched it and said, "That might be OK. What are the other colours?"

I flipped through the book a bit more until I came to a pale apple green that was so close to cream that it would be hard to tell in anything other than direct sunlight. Emma took one look at the fabric and said, "That's green. I can wear green?"

I looked up at Steph who nodded. I made note of the fabric number and said, "If you like this colour, then you can wear green. Can I put a purple ribbon on the dress? It would only be one, but it would help it match the other dresses and the flowers."

Emma's little face scrunched up and then she smiled. "I think that would be OK. I don't hate purple, but I don't like it enough to want a whole dress in that colour."

"Great. I just need to measure you so I can make the perfect dress for you. Will you come with me for a few minute? Stephanie will join us so you know you are safe."

Emma nodded and the three of us went back into the office. As Brigitte was measuring Emma, I looked at Emma and said, "Let's hope you don't have a growth spurt just before the wedding eh Emma?"

Brigitte laughed and said, "If she does, it will only be in height. I can make the dress longer and only put the hem in after the final fittings. It won't be a problem."

When Brigitte was finished, we returned to the group and I looked over at Diego. "It's your turn now Dude. You can match the men and everything if you want."

Diego's face lit up and he asked, "Can I even wear a waistcoat and tie?"

"Of course you can. Let's go talk to Brigitte and get you measured up."

"While we were in the back office, Brigitte looked at me and asked, "What about a lighter grey suit for Diego here? It would match the guys and he can still wear it afterward for other events."

I looked down at Diego and asked, "What do you think? Do you want to wear a suit that is a little lighter than the rest of the men? Or do you want to match them exactly?"

Diego thought about it and then he said, "I think a slightly lighter suit would be fine. I would like my waistcoat to match the silver and cream one that Carlos gets to wear. Would that be possible with the lighter coloured suit?"

Brigitte nodded and said, "It sure would. I will show you the two fabric colours so you can see the difference."

We followed Brigitte back out to her bag where she pulled out another book. She flipped through the pages and found two grey woollen fabrics that were only a few shades different. I pulled out the two purple swatches from the dresses and laid them over the greys. They matched very well. Diego nodded and said, "I could even wear that suit again after the wedding if there was something I needed a suit for."

Brigitte smiled and Diego went back to join his Dad. I looked at the 4 colours and said, "I was wondering about the wedding dress Brigitte. Since I've been married before, white doesn't really seem appropriate. Would off-white or cream colour match these?"

Brigitte flipped through her second book and pulled open a page of varying white shades. She held up the crisp white and held it against the 4 colours we had already chosen. It looked great. She then held up a few other colours. The further she got away from the white, the less appealing the match. She looked up at me and I sighed. "I guess I'll need to stick with white eh?"

Brigitte smiled and pulled out a second page of white fabrics. These were not white, but they were not cream either. She saw the surprised look on my face and said, "These are the off-white lace fabrics I have. Because they vary in texture, they look crisper and cleaner."

I reached out and touched one of the laces and said, "Wow, I really like that one."

Brigitte smiled and said, "I thought you might. I will make a mini mock up using this fabric. It has natural scalloped shapes so they will look beautiful along the open back."

I grinned and said, "I can't believe that we have the wedding clothing pretty much sorted already. You have been absolutely wonderful Brigitte."

"It was and will be my pleasure. I love doing this sort of work."

Brigitte and I walked back over to the group. As soon as we arrived, Carlos stood and handed both Brigitte and me a glass of champagne. "Thank you all for coming and being a part of this special occasion for Steph and me. I'd also like to thank Brigitte for agreeing to do all this in such a short timeframe."

I raised my glass and said, "To Brigitte."

Everyone followed suit and we talked and drank a bit more until the open champagne ran out. I made one final speech. I raised my voice and said, "Thanks for coming today everyone. I would like to make one request. Please keep what we talked about today to yourself. I don't want all of our wedding plans spreading around the Burg. If anyone asks you about your dress or what you'll be wearing, simply tell them that they'll have to wait and see like the rest of the world."

Everyone agreed to keep things under wraps and finished up their food and drinks. Since it was a Saturday, everyone had plans, so they started to file out. Brigitte was the first to leave because she had a train to catch. Bobby offered to drive her to the train station and once they left, Mary Lou made a break for it, quickly followed by Val. They both had kids under less than ideal supervision, so I could understand their hasty retreat.

Lester and Fiona were the next to leave. They had appointments to look at apartments and wanted to get started early. That reminded me of our need to move closer to Trenton. I would talk to Carlos about it a little later. Tank and Lula left and then Ron invited us to their place for dinner. I figured Ron wanted to hear the news on Rachel, so when Carlos turned Ron's offer down, I took the kids outside with their bodyguards so Carlos and Ron could talk.

Carlos' POV

"Ron, there is still no word from Agent Saunders. He said that the tests could take up to 5 days depending on the backlog? It is high priority so I expect we'll hear something soon. I know it's hard, but try not to think about it. Spend time with your kids and go and do something fun. There's a zoo not too far from here in West Orange."

Ron nodded and said, "That's a great idea. I'll look it up online when I get home and let you know if we leave town tomorrow. "

"Thanks Ron. I'll call you if I hear anything from Agent Saunders or my guys in Miami. Call if you need anything, even if it's just to talk."

Ron smiled at me and then we walked out to meet the kids. They were all standing around being teased by Stephanie, Woody and Hal. I guess the shift changed while we were in the restaurant. We said goodbye to the kids and Ron. I wrapped my arms around my Babe and we waved as they drove away. As soon as they were out of sight, my Babe turned in my arms and said, "I guess we should head home. It's a long drive and it's been an exciting day."

I smiled and kissed my Babe gently on the lips and asked, "Do you think you have the energy to stop and look at a house? While you and the girls were talking to Brigitte, my real estate agent called to tell me about a house. She's currently busy showing Lester and Fiona around a bunch of apartments, but she did say that the owner of the house is home and she'd be willing to show us around."

"Do we know anything about this house?"

"Not a thing. I gave the real estate agent a list of things I wanted and this is the only one she has found so far."

"What sort of things do you want in a temporary house?"

I smiled at my Babe and said, "A two-car garage, privacy from neighbours, 4 bedrooms so the kids and other friends or family can come and visit, a study or an office, a large basement that could be used as an at-home gym, no trees or woods within a 100 yard radius, a pool, a patio or balcony."

"Wow that sounds like some house."

"It was a wish list. The only 2 that are mandatory are the tree line and the garage."

My Babe smiled and said, "OK. Do we need to call the owner to let her know that we are interested in seeing her house?"

I nodded and made a quick call. After talking to the owner, I turned to my Babe and said, "If we go now, she will meet us there show us around. She no longer lives there and has to go out later this evening, so we need to hurry."

We jumped in the car and drove to the north side of Trenton, not too far away from the plot of land I own. I pulled into the driveway and looked at the outside of the house. It was beautiful. I could tell by the size of the house and the attached garage that it would definitely be large enough.

We climbed out of the car and were greeted at the door by the owner.

"Hello Mr. Manoso. Please call me Olivia. I hope you guys have good imaginations because there is no furniture in the house to get an idea of size."

I smiled at the woman and said, "Thanks Olivia, this is my fiancée Stephanie. We don't currently have any furniture, so it will be a great opportunity to start from scratch."

She shook hands with my Babe and then showed us around the house. There were only three bedrooms because the 4th had been converted into a study, but that didn't put me off. The house felt lived in and that was what mattered. There were three bathrooms in the house. One was in the master bedroom, one was on the ground floor and the third was for guests. All three bedrooms were generous sizes with adequate storage.

The kitchen was state-of-the art and the study had a spectacular view over the back of the house. It even had its own private little patio and sliding doors. There was a large patio off the living room. There was no pool, but there was a perfectly manicured garden instead. It was obvious that Olivia liked to spend time in the garden.

After we had been through the house, my Babe looked at Olivia and asked, "May I ask why you're selling? It is obvious that you love this house."

Olivia smiled sadly and said, "My husband and I built this house 35 years ago and it's just become too much for me take care of myself. My Walter died 5 years ago and my kids have finally convinced me to move closer to them in Newark."

Stephanie took Olivia's hands and said, "I'm so sorry for your loss. My Grandmother lives with my parents and it's been really nice to have her nearby. I'm sure your kids and grandkids will love having you closer."

Olivia smiled at my Babe and said, "I also love seeing them more often. I was a bit isolated up here on my own. I'm going to miss this house, but I'm also looking forward to spending more time with my grandkids."

I looked at my Babe and raised my eyebrow. She knew what I was asking and she nodded her head. I then looked at Olivia and asked, "We really like this place Olivia. I will contact my real estate agent and ask her to put in an offer for your asking price."

Olivia seemed happy with that and said, "I'll gladly accept your offer Mr. Manoso. I hope you and your lovely fiancée will be as happy here as Walter and I were."

We thanked Olivia and drove back to the beach house. My Babe was silent for a few minutes, but then she looked at me and said, "I thought we were just going to rent a place Carlos. I had no idea that you were going to buy a house. What are you going to do once we build our dream house?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We can sell the house or use it as a safe house or find some other use for it. We need to live somewhere and it was a lovely house. I could tell that you also liked it."

My Babe nodded and smiled. "It's a beautiful house. I can picture living there. A few things need updated, but that's just cosmetic work. It won't take long at all."

I smiled and asked, "What cosmetic changes do you want to make?"

"The first thing would be to lift up that carpet in the living room. It's seen better days and I bet it's hardwood under there. The rest is just painting and furnishing."

"I agree Babe. I'll call the real estate agent when we get to the house."

We settled into the drive and spent the rest in silence. I looked over at one point and saw that my Babe had fallen asleep. I smiled and looked forward to spending less time driving back and forth and more time with my Babe in my arms.

If anyone is interested, I do have links to everything I tried to describe here. I can put them in my profile as you can't trick the story editor into accepting links. I can also wait until the wedding actually happens and then add the links then. Your choice.

Let me know what you think. :)