A/N: At a sleep clinic, checking for sleep apnea. When do the tests end?! Also, meant to say that Hector is speaking in Spanish, unless otherwise indicated.

The True Meaning of the Season, Part II

Hector's POV

Junior arrives the next day to begin learning what he needs to know to take over the Boston office. Mark heads to the office to meet him as the official email hits the company. Nate calls immediately.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I understand Mark's taking over as CO come January 1st?"

"Correct." I know what Nate wants to ask. "It was a joint decision of the Leadership Core. Will you have a problem following him?"

"No, sir."

"Good. You'll learn more in the coming days. Trust in the leadership. We'll make things clear very soon."

"Yes, sir. As always." Click.

—oOo—

By mutual agreement, no one ever calls me on Christmas Day. That day is for Mijo and I give it to him entirely. So now it's time for me to check in with my partner and my brothers and see how their Christmases went.

"Yo!" There's a lot of noise in the background. "Where are you?"

"Airport." Ranger sounds tired and annoyed.

"What happened?"

"Flight delay, flight cancellation, you name it, it's happened. My phone's at 15% battery and Steph's found every piece of junk food in this airport."

"Give that fight up."

"I've never cared about her diet, as long as she didn't drop from a heart attack."

I laugh at the annoyed way he says that. "Angelita's not picking up her phone."

"She and Lula are trying to talk across the security divide. I'm waiting for TSA to break it up."

"So you're headed back because?"

"Because I'm supposed to pick up Julie today. I want to see my daughter before I leave."

"Ah. Well, I passed on your letter. He was shocked."

"Really?"

"Really. I think he finally understands that you aren't an island, hermano, but you're gonna have to reinforce that."

He sighs deeply. "Gracias. Feliz Navidad. How's my favorite nephew?"

"He got everything plus some for Christmas." I laugh. "He dropped from exhaustion, that's how happy he was."

Ranger laughs, sounding much lighter. "To be three and have Christmas make all my dreams come true."

"Exactly."

"Mark and Nikki?"

"In love. I want to gag except I'm a little jealous."

"Because?"

"It's inspiring. They truly love each other."

"You OK with that?"

"I'll always be Tio."

"But Mark?"

"I'm prepared to allow Mijo to be someone else's Mijo too."

"Good, Hec. That's great to hear."

I sigh. "Mark will treat him right. Honestly, I expected to feel like a third wheel all week but I haven't."

"No?" He sounds intrigued.

"No. I've felt … I've felt like family. Like another member of the family."

"That's great to hear, Hec. I'm glad it's working out."

"Thanks."

"Manolo?"

"Sent me a gift. Hand stitched gloves I can use with touch screens."

"I heard those don't work."

"He stitched the thread in himself. These work."

"Damn. Nice gift. What did you get him?"

"iPhone lenses for his phone. He dabbled in photography at one point and now his Instagram feed is, like, ridiculous."

He laughs. "Nice gift."

"Yeah."

"My flight's boarding. Finally."

"OK." Click.

I dial the next number.

"Yo! Feliz Navidad, amigo!"

"Feliz Navidad! You and Bobby still have your pants?"

Les laughs. "We're tanning on the beach. We did the Atlanta party circuit, bought furniture for my condo, and got drunk."

"Some things don't change."

"Nah. Bobby met someone."

"Really?" Bobby met someone who meets his exacting standards? Can't wait to meet this woman. She must be something special. Bobby has the worst luck finding women who aren't attracted to his money or family name.

"Yeah. She's a beauty and he thinks I haven't noticed him texting her all the time. " I hear a scuffle and Bobby picks up.

"Yo!"

"So? What's her name?"

"Les has a big mouth." Bobby's laughing. "Paris. Her name is Paris. She owns three restaurants in Atlanta."

"Does she speak French?"

"Yup. And German and she's an Army brat. Hector, she's beautiful and she has a butt God made on Saturday because he needed Sunday to admire it!"

I laugh at the corny line. Bobby said that in a near swoon. I'm happy for him.

"She owns restaurants?"

"Three."

"So you'll be gaining weight soon, right?"

"I hope not. Want to do me a favor?"

"I'll dig into her background this afternoon. Just text me her full name and the name of one of her restaurants."

"Gracias. I owe you one."

"So what's the plan for the rest of the week?"

"Well, I have a New Year's Eve date, so we're headed back to Atlanta. Otherwise, we're decorating Les's overly shiny condo."

"Tell him to buy real furniture. Something with form, please."

He repeats that to Les, who says something rude. "Les says just for that, he's going to buy you a concept bed." I laugh. "Yo, by the way, your new condo? Keep what you want. Whatever you don't want, just let me know and I'll haul it off. I personally thought it was rude to gift someone a home and gift it empty. You'll want something to sleep on and something to eat off at some point. And some furniture to sit on."

I still can't believe my brothers all chipped in to buy Bobby's condo from him as my end of the year gift simply because I made an off-hand remark about needing to buy a place for myself in Atlanta. It's just too much, way too much for what I've done for the past year.

I checked it out online. It's a showplace, with everything I could possibly want and since it was Bobby's I know all possible upgrades are already in there.

"Thank you."

"De nada. Oh, and my taste is more traditional."

"I know. I saw your Atlanta RangeMan apartment. It was perfect for me."

"Great! That condo is decorated along those lines."

"Then I'm sure I'll like everything in there."

"Cool. How did my nephew enjoy Christmas?"

"He dropped from sheer excitement."

Bobby's laugh is a strong one. You hear him laugh and smile at his happiness. "That's great to hear. Nikki?"

"With Mark."

"How's that working out?" He turned the speakerphone on.

"They're in love and I feel nauseous." They snicker. "Mark? Stunned by Ranger's letter."

"Why?"

"He's stunned he'd do that after everything that happened last year."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how it works out," Les says. "But Nikki's happy?"

"Very."

"Great. And you? Had a good Christmas?"

"Best one in a long time."

"I think that news just put the cherry on my Christmas," Bobby says. "Les?"

"I must agree. Tell Tank."

"I'm about to call him."

"Great. Talk to you later. By the way, talked to Ric?"

"He's stuck at the airport."

"With Steph?"

"Yup."

They both laugh and hang up. I dial the next number.

"Yo!"

"Yo! Hello Hector!"

"Hello Lula. Merry Christmas!" The background is quieter. I think Lula is in a car now.

"Thanks! How is your nephew? What is your name? Mijo?" Lula's actually attempting the sentence in Spanish. She's slow, and her tenses are wrong, but I appreciate the effort.

"He's very happy."

She laughs and repeats it to Tank.

"Yo."

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too. Better than usual?"

"Best one in a long time."

"That's great to hear, Hec," Tank says softly. "I'm happy for you. How's the family?"

"Mark and Nikki are in love and disgusting with it"—he laughs—"Mijo's running at a thousand miles an hour"—he laughs harder—"and I got an unexpected Christmas present."

"What did Manolo send you?"

"Hand stitched gloves that work with touchscreens."

"Thoughtful."

"Very."

"Where's he?"

"Cali. Surfing with his family."

"And you're in Boston freezing your ass off. Something's not fair."

I laugh. "Hah-vahd had the Official Curious George Store."

"Who did you buy for, you or Mijo?"

I flip him a mental finger. Tank doesn't like to admit it, but he loves Curious George and Babar the Elephant as much as I do. He read those to Chenae when she was Mijo's age.

"We have matching jammies and the big yellow hat."

"Don't tell anyone else. Les and Bobby would never let you live that down." Tank's laughing so hard he barely got that sentence out.

"You're the only one who knows. How's the family?"

"Great. They're great. My mother is telling me to tell you hello and you're always welcome to join us here for Christmas. And I second that."

"Thank you. Tell your mother I said Merry Christmas."

"I will. Calling Steph now?"

"Yup."

"Cool." Click.

I dial and the phone goes to voicemail. I dial again. Voicemail again. I put the phone down to try on my leather gloves and it rings.

"Yo."

"Yo." She sounds tired. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas. Is everything OK?"

"Yes. I hate leaving here."

"Had a good time?"

"Had a great time. This place … I see why everyone loves coming here."

"Good for the soul?"

"Very. I really don't want to leave. How's Mijo?"

"He had a great day. I'm not sure how I'll get all his presents into my car."

"To be three and have Christmas make everything perfect."

Hmm…that sounds similar to what Ranger said. "He's a happy little boy. Frosting from the cinnamon rolls, his own personal Toys R Us, a new bicycle, Christmas is officially established as a magical time."

She laughs. "That's great." I hear the loudspeaker in the background. "They're calling my flight. Gotta go."

"You two aren't on the same flight?"

"Nope. Gotta continue the deception."

"OK. Feliz Navidad."

"Feliz Navidad to you, Hector." Click.

—oOo—

Nikki's POV

Hector hangs up from calling his partners with a huge grin on his face. I walk into the spare bedroom and hug him around the waist. "You'll always be part of my family, Hec," I whisper. "You will always be welcome where Manny and I are. Otherwise, we aren't welcome."

He turns and hugs me, squeezing tight. "Thanks." He leans back and smiles. "I didn't mean that I didn't feel welcome here. I just expected some awkwardness and there hasn't been. Not really."

"Good." I kiss his cheek. "Mark likes you. He said so, especially when you aren't attempting to intimidate him."

"I fear you," he says simply.

"That's a good healthy attitude to take," I reply, laughing. "Let's go visit RangeMan Boston, huh? I'd like to see it, since I'm here."

"Sure."

We pack Manny up and drive over. Hector scans us in and we take the elevator to the fifth floor, step off and stop.

Mark's men have hoisted him onto their shoulders and are singing 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow'. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and he's red and smiling. The Boston men are thrilled, singing like a bunch of happy drunks, but at the sight of Hector the party calms down until it's absolutely silent in the room.

Hector gazes over the room, stares at Mark, still up on the men's shoulders, and sings "Which nobody can deny!" with a fist pump to end it.

A loud cheer breaks out and the men start singing again. Mark begs to be let down and Manny runs to him.

"Yay!" He cheers. "Yay, Mark!"

Mark picks him up and puts him on his shoulders. "Thanks, Manny!"

I turn; Hector's disappeared. I walk over and take Mark's hand. "We decided to come visit you at work."

"Thanks." I'm kissed and there's a catcall in the room. We break apart and Mark's red.

"Men!" Everyone comes to attention. "Let me introduce Nikki Rivera and her son, Hector Manuel Rivera."

You could hear a pin drop in this room. Everyone stares at me and Manny and I can see them putting two and two together and getting twenty two. Eventually, one man, a tall thin black guy with a low fade, walks forward. "Are you Hector's Mijo?"

"I'm Tio's Mijo. Who are you? That's my Mommy and this is my Mark and my Tio is …" Manny looks around, looking for Hector. "Mommy, where did Tio go?"

"I'm not sure, baby." Mouths have dropped, pictures are being taken, and sly grins are being hidden all over the room. The guy in front of us looks stunned. Mark's put his blank face in place.

"Well, well, nice to finally meet you, Nikki. I'm Victor."

"Oh! Mark talks about you all the time." We shake, Victor's eyes lighting up. He grins at Mark, still looking at me and Manny speculatively.

"Not really," Mark mutters.

I roll my eyes. "Well, enough that I know a little about you. Nice to finally meet you."

"You too." He looks up at Manny. "And it's really nice to finally meet Mijo." Manny grins big. "I hear about you a lot."

"This entire company knows who Mijo is," Mark mutters.

"I'm three and I got a bike for Christmas and markers and a big yellow hat." Manny starts listing Christmas presents and I see eyebrows all over the room rise.

"Yo, Mark, you leave anything at Toys R Us?"

"Hector."

"AHHH."

"Manny, it sounds like you got everything! You must have been a very good boy for Santa to gift you so many great things." He beams and Victor stands. "We don't hear enough about you though, Nikki," Victor says. "Let's go to Mark's office and you can tell me all about him."

"Shouldn't you tell me all about him?"

"That too."

—oOo—

Mark's POV

I leave Vic and Nikki together in my office (god, I hope he stay away from the embarrassing stories) and Manny and I walk the floors. The men are back on task (with astonished looks at Manny, who loves looking at the monitors and asking questions. He has lots of questions.) and Hector's reappeared with Junior.

The knowledge that Junior is here to oversee the office wasn't going over very well until the email about my elevation came out. Then the men decided to treat Junior less like an invader and more like a possible new boss. Which, Hector told me privately, might be the case. Junior's run Trenton so many times in the past year he's basically a trained XO and, although he isn't actively looking for an office, no one can deny he's ready to be placed in one.

The only person who hasn't been won over is Mike, who is frustrated that he wasn't asked to run the office in my stead.

"Trust the leadership, Mike," I told him quietly, before Nikki and Manny arrived. "After all, a few minutes ago, everyone here thought I'd been canned."

He blew a breath. "Are you telling me something's coming down the pike, sir?"

"I'm telling you to wait and be ready."

Junior and I spent the first part of the morning reviewing the building. The men's celebration, and Nikki and Hector's arrival, interrupted our review of the office activities, but I call the Core Team together and we start slogging through.

I stop at noon and call to the only person I haven't spoken to this morning that I need to talk to.

"Yo!"

"Took you long enough!" Mari crows. "Congratulations, Mark!"

"Thanks! How's Mando taking it?"

"How am I taking it? You're my boss. Again! Fuck! You fuck up this time and I'm dumping your body in the Everglades." Mando's laughing but there's an edge to it.

"How many times am I going to hear that threat?"

His voice sobers. "Seriously, we're all happy for you—"

"Hal?"

"Hal's cautious. Trenton's pissed. Majorly pissed. FYI."

"I assumed as much." I'm sure they blame me for Stephanie leaving the company.

"Yeah. Anyway, we're all happy for you but I'm serious. We've agreed: you backslide and no one will ever find your body. We will lie our asses off to Ranger. ¿Entiendes?"

"Si." Fuck yes. Mando is not playing with this warning.

"Mando! Let him enjoy it—"

"No, Mari, I'd rather Mando tell me the truth. Mando, I know everyone's nervous. I am too and I'm waiting on my orders, but I don't intend to lose my shit this time. The concussion is still in recent memory." As is the no-confidence vote all of you gave me. I never want to feel that alone again.

"Text Hal that. I think he'll feel better if he knows that."

"You?"

He sighs. "Mari and I have been talking. Les popped up."

"Yeah? And?"

"He asked us if we want to move back. No pressure, but you know what it's like when Les starts asking questions."

"What's he really after?"

"Exactly."

I consider this for a moment. "Mando?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you ready to come home?"

A heavy sigh. If I know Mando, he and Mari are looking at each other. "Not quite yet."

"Then don't. I don't know what's going down, but if I have to carry the load, I will. Look out for you first, bro."

RangeMan brotherhood. Get your head on straight before you come back to Miami because your mamí is still the original dragon lady and she's not going anywhere soon. One member of your family disappearing is a misfortune. Two looks like carelessness.

"Thank you, Mark," Mari says quietly.

"I mean that. And Merry Christmas."

—oOo—

Nikki's giving me a shoulder massage. I start my new job in one week and I'm nervous. I have six days to move and day one was … stressful. Trying to walk Junior through everything he needs to know to take over is nerve-wracking.

I invited Junior to dinner next week, right before I leave, something I usually do with all new men to my branch. A chance to get to know them and forge a bond. Junior is taking over my branch for six months and, although I'm sure he personally hates me, I'm still going to reach out and show him the brotherhood I want, the brotherhood I need to ensure everyone shows him. Besides, he takes over and I become his boss.

Last thing I need is two Trenton XOs who hate me. Hal didn't respond to my text.

I'm packing as much stuff as I can once Nikki, Hector, and Manny leave and shipping it to Miami, traveling with enough clothes to survive for a month. I've decided I'll drive to Miami and, as soon as I've found a hangar, fly back to Boston and return to Miami in my plane. Vic will shut my house down and join me by mid-January.

But right now? Right now my muscles are tired and Nikki's giving me a great deep tissue massage.

"Ooooh, that feels soooo good."

She wrings her hands and winces. "You know, I read about this in romance novels and see it on TV, but when you have a real man to practice on, this isn't so sexy. You're pure muscle."

I laugh into the pillow. "Sorry." Did I hear a beep?

"Don't be." She kisses my shoulder blades. "All the muscles connect into one" Kiss "sexy" Kiss "man." What, no kiss? "No, if it makes you feel good, I'll keep at it."

"You are the best part of my team."

"I better be." I'm about to jump out of my skin. She's kissing me down my back, down my spine.

"I'm tense again." She groans. "We're not out of condoms yet and that's better for relaxation."

"True." She opens the nightstand and …

"Mommy!"

Manny, I love you but your Mommy just agreed to sex. Chill for thirty minutes, son. Please. Better yet, where is your Tio? Oh. Right. Out for a run.

Nikki collapses against my back laughing, as if she just heard that thought. Manny climbs in our bed and stares at us curiously. "What are you doing, Mommy?"

"Giving Mark a shoulder rub." She demonstrates and Manny slides next to me.

"Does that feel good?" He's poking my biceps.

"It does," I reply.

He stares at us before sticking his hand in his mouth. "There's a man at the door."

"Yeah?" Nikki and I exchange a glance. I reach for my Glock as Nikki grabs Manny and heads for my closet. Manny hasn't stopped talking.

"Yeah and a lady with him and he asked me if Mark was here and I said yes and he said he was Mark's Daddy and what was my name and I said Manny and the lady asked me if my Mommy's name was Nikki and I said Mommy's name is Mommy but Mommy said I can't talk to strangers so is he a stranger—"

I groan and walk into my living room, where my parents are wearing matching looks of amusement.

"Hello Marcus."

—oOo—

Nikki's POV

Cosmic payback.

My son has a voice that travels.

Mark's parents popped up unexpectedly.

And Hector walks in just as Mark begins introducing us.

The Phillipses looks amused by the entire turn of events. Hector and I exchange a look; now we have to keep up the facade of Hector not understanding English.

"We were concerned about the fact that we can never seem to drag you home. Now we understand why." Mrs. Phillips, Leanne, kisses Mark, wipes away the lipstick print, and smiles at me. "Nikki, I'm so happy to finally meet you! Mark's forced me to drag details about you out of him."

"Is that … good?"

Mark's face says he's mentally moaning.

"The more important someone is, the fewer details we get." She looks down. "For example, we knew absolutely nothing about this handsome young man. Hello, Manny!"

"Hi!" Now my son chooses to be shy and hide behind my leg.

"And you are?" Mr. Phillips asks Hector.

"Y usted es?" Mark says.

"Ah." Hector smiles. "Hector Gutierrez. Nice to meet you."

Mark takes translation duty and Hector shakes his parents' hands. "The CIO of RangeMan, correct?" Leanne Phillips is thrilled and not hiding it well.

"Si." He kisses my cheek. "I think I'll take Manny and we'll go play in the backyard." He kisses my cheek. "Have fun."

Traitor.

"Yay! Tio, can we take my bike?"

"Tio's already run a few miles today, Mijo. Let's go build a snowman."

—oOo—

"So Nikki, tell us about yourself."

Mark and I are tag teaming dinner. We have a lot of tamales, but we also made a prime rib roast for Christmas dinner that we need to finish off. So I'm rewarming the tamales, Mark's rewarming the leftovers from yesterday and we're steaming some extra vegetables. Plenty of variety for dinner.

Mark snorts and I remind myself that he handled this on his own a month ago. My parents are unsure about him but Hector was sold and that's all I needed.

My turn.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Well, how old are you, where are you from, how did you and Mark meet?" his mother asks, leaning on the table eagerly.

"Did you tell your mother anything?" I ask Mark.

"She's comparing answers."

"Marcus! I am not." She smiles big. "I'm a romantic. You can't tell a good story."

Mark's face clearly says Be careful.

I smile at him. "OK, I'm 23 and I'm from Atlanta. I'm a service delivery manager for an IT company and I met Mark at RangeMan Atlanta the day before Halloween. Manny was doing his 'Mommy can't catch me' act and he was winning. I was wearing heels." She nods eagerly. "Suddenly, this incredibly handsome guy popped up in front of him and held him until I could get to him. I looked at the man who caught my son and was tempted to thank Manny for running, but if I thanked him he'd do it every day and I'm trying to make him stop!"

Mark's blushing but his parents are smiling, his mother laughing. "See! Marcus, this is how you tell a 'how I met my girlfriend' story!" she crows, clapping her hands. "Go on."

I continue to fill in the details of the first time we met and by the time I get to 'Mark, the healer of little boys', his mother is wiping away tears.

"My son, the gallant! This is a wonderful story to tell the grandkids someday."

Grandkids? Mrs. Phillips, my son is three. Let's not make him a father quite yet.

"So why Mark?" His father asks. "I mean, my son's a workaholic obsessed with buying a partnership in a company where he won't tell us what he does, he hasn't dated in years and we barely see him, but all of a sudden he's infatuated with a sexy Latina who has a son he didn't tell us about. And he's seven years older than you. I'm wondering what you two have in common."

"Dad—"

I lay a hand on top of his and smile. "Mr. Phillips—"

"Jonathan."

"Jonathan, what Mark and I have in common is a respect for hard work, determination, and overcoming mistakes. My son isn't a mistake, but I had him too early in my life. You have a baby and you grow up quick. No clubbing for me. No parties, no being irresponsible. Someone else depends on me to get it together and provide. I'm serious about my job and making a home for Manny. Mark understands that. He has a building full of men who depend on him for advice and direction. Lots of responsibility and pressure on him every day but he shoulders it. He struck me, from the beginning, as a man who stands up for what he believes in, even if he's standing alone."

His parents look very proud. Mark groans.

"What Mark and I have in common? A need to remember that we're still young. We need to have fun and be silly and just forget about the pressure sometimes. My son? He's so silly and fun that he reminds us not to take ourselves seriously." I lean over the counter close to him. "You're nervous about your son becoming an instant father?" He nods. "I told him from the beginning we came as a pair. Love us or leave us. He loves us. If he weren't serious, I would never have allowed Manny to grow close to him." I smirk. "Then there's the fact that he's got a body to die for and a smile that makes me melt. He put that flight suit on and I suddenly got why everyone thought the guys in Top Gun were so sexy." Everyone laughs. "My own personal Iceman, come to life, and that's when he's wearing clothes!"

"Nikki," he moans as his parents hoot.

"What? You want me to say you're old and flabby and not that great—"

"Stop!"

Mark's red and his parents and I are laughing, enjoying his embarrassment.

"I know how you feel. That's how I felt when I first saw Jonathan." His mother sighs. "So incredibly handsome and sexy. His problem was that he knew it! Jonathan's ego was bigger than his head!"

"Well, Mark's the opposite. I don't think he has a clue how handsome he is, although I've heard about the fan club—"

He groans. "Victor?"

"He told all your secrets." I start plating the vegetables and transferring things to the table. "I heard about the fan club and about Brenna." He turns red. "I told you. Workaholic does not scare me."

"I know. I'm glad."

I look at Mark and smile. "He was the first man I'd met who looked at me and saw someone besides Manny's mommy. He wanted to get to know me, talk to me, tease and joke around with me and I loved it. I missed being courted and Mark makes me feel special. He looked at my son and saw a person, not someone to win over to get to me or someone to tolerate, but a real person. Someone with feelings and he didn't run from him." I look at his mother, who is smiling. "Hector is the final hurdle. I've met plenty of men who meet my cousin and run terrified from him. He and Mark had it out before Halloween was over. He stood up to my cousin for the 'right' to date me. No man had ever managed the trifecta. Mark did."

—oOo—

Hector's POV

Manny and I return for dinner and the Phillipses are talking about Mark's childhood and teenage years. Jackpot! I set my phone to record and listen. Mrs. Phillips tells story after story about Mark's childhood. I learn that Mark was scared of the dark and thunderstorms, he ate the sand in the sandbox, he had a dog named Scout who died of cancer, and he suffered from separation anxiety for years.

"Oh, and he was scared of Brutus Buckeye. Terrified. Remember Jonathan?" Mr. Phillips nods. "He screamed and screamed anytime the mascot got near him. My poor baby. Even once he started at OSU, he refused to go anywhere near the mascot." Mark groans as his mother looks at Manny. "Your child is three?" Nikki nods. "He doesn't seem to be afraid of anything."

"He's just come out of the separation anxiety phase," Nikki says. "And he's moved into the 'monsters under the bed' phase."

We all smile, even Mark. Manny's having a great little conversation with himself about the 'yummy tamales'.

"Ah!" Leanne Phillips smiles at Manny. "We were astonished when we walked in and he stopped coloring and just stared at us. No hint of fear. He just asked us who we were and repeated our names like he was committing them to memory. Then he ran off."

"To his Mommy, his touchstone," Mr. Phillips murmurs.

"It was really very sweet. He appears to be a well-adjusted child. Is he in preschool?"

"Montessori preschool. Hector and I thought it would really reinforce his independent nature and encourage him to take charge of his education. So far, it's worked out. Manny's progressing well above where the average three year old would be."

"I like school," Manny chimes in. "My teachers are fun and we play games and I get to play with everything. I can count to 100 and I know what a rectangle is." Mark puts another spoonful of peas on his plate and he digs right in.

"Trapezoid?" I ask.

"A rectangle that's not right," he replies. We all hide our smiles.

"Not right?"

"It has crooky sides, Tio." He frowns. "One of my Legos is a twapezoy."

"Oh yeah? What do you build with it?"

"Stairs."

The Phillipses are fascinated listening to my son. I'm trying to hide my grin. I'm proud of my little boy. "Three? Amazing … he has a very good grasp of spatial relationships and their uses," Mrs. Phillips murmurs.

"Yes, he's very advanced," Mr. Phillips says, leaning forward. "He has a grade-schooler's cognition and language skills. You must have read to him a lot as a baby."

"Every day," Nikki replies. "Hector read to him constantly, but we noticed that he seemed desperate to know words from an early age. He was babbling at four months."

Both sit back, stunned. "Amazing," Mrs. Phillips murmurs. "And he doesn't appear to code-switch as much as I would expect a bilingual child to."

"Code switch?"

"Switch between languages in his speech. I would expect him to speak at least half of his words in Spanish but he doesn't."

Nikki and I share a look. I've been concerned about this for the last few months, that my deception about not knowing English was coming to an end. Manny gives me away. I glance at Mark and realize that it's over.

He knows.

"How long have you known?" I ask, in English.

Nikki is shocked. Mark doesn't seem at all surprised. "I've suspected for months, but I knew Monday. Manny spoke in English and Spanish during his phone call with you and you answered his questions no matter what language he asked them in."

"Fine. You know. Danny suspects—"

"Because of Stephanie?"

"Probably. The other XOs don't know. I'd like to keep it that way."

"Understood."

"I thought you were her cousin," Mr. Phillips asks me, confused.

"I am," I reply.

"So the Spanish influence is from you?" I nod. "Oh. I assumed it was from the child's father." Nikki and I smirk at each other. No, that's all Tio. "What does Manny's father have to say about his schooling?"

"His father is deceased," Nikki says.

"My apologies," Mr. Phillips murmurs.

Nikki and Mrs. Phillips continue to talk about Manny's development as Mark, Mr. Phillips and I all sit and listen. Mr. Phillips hasn't stopped watching Manny since the moment we walked back in for dinner. Nikki and Mark are tag-teaming with Mannny and it's cute; they look like parents, but I get the feeling that Mr. Phillips is not exactly excited about his son becoming a step-father. Manny goes to sleep at the table (good. I exhausted him) and Mark pulls him from his seat and into his lap before I can, patting his back to ensure he stays asleep. Mr. Phillips definitely looks alarmed now, although he's trying to hide it. I'm … reassured. Mark takes becoming a father seriously and he has the instincts, if not the experience.

"Well, I can't wait to have more time to talk with him. He's such a cutie," Leanne Phillips says. Said cutie is now fast asleep. Lots of adult conversation bored him. "I think Mark's separation anxiety phase was the worst."

"I'm still not sure why, since Leanne rarely allowed him to separate from her," Mr. Phillips says. "But there you have it. Oh, and he was a bed wetter when we put him in boarding school here so we had to take him out. Forgot to mention that earlier." He sighs. "Shame. I wanted him to attend Andover like I did."

I share a look with Mark that says 'OK, I agree. That was over-sharing.'

"We'd just moved here from Ohio, remember Jonathan?" Jonathan nods. "Mark did not handle change well. If you didn't prep him in advance, he'd absolutely lose it. As a child, that meant bed wetting. As a teenager, he had tantrums."

Well, that hasn't changed. I take another sip of water and try not to smile.

"So Mark, any new phobias we need to know about?" His mother asks, finishing her beef.

"Well, I just developed a new phobia around parents who don't tell you they're coming to visit, arrive, don't knock, don't ring the doorbell, and simply walk into your house. What's that one called?"

"Ooooooh, someone's a little angwy," Mrs. Phillips says, poking her husband. "I guess we were a bit rude."

"Yes, it was rude," Mark says calmly. "Rude enough for me to have considered changing the locks."

Everyone is quiet. Again, I'm impressed with his balls.

"There's no need to take that attitude, Marcus," his father says stiffly. "We get the point."

But Mark's not getting an apology. Nikki and I share a look.

"Marcus? Anything else going on that we need to know?"

"Not that I can think of." I watch as Mark regresses to a sulky fifteen year old. Everyone is quiet, watching him. Nikki has a look on her face that says Is this really the man I've been sleeping with? I raise an eyebrow at her. Remember how you acted when your father attacked me? You were a banshee! She blushes.

"So are you OSU grads also?" Nikki asks. I watch as she takes Mark's hand and squeezes under the table.

"We obtained our Masters degrees from OSU," Mr. Phillips says. "My Ph.D is from Harvard, as is Leanne's."

"We still cannot convince Mark to finish his MBA," Mrs. Phillips says mournfully. "He was doing so well but he got caught up in RangeMan and stopped."

"Yes. We'd hoped, being so close to Harvard, he might finally finish. We even told colleagues of ours to look for him and he simply refuses to finish." He takes another serving of broccoli and refills his water, adding, "If you can't make it at Harvard, just tell us, son. Not everyone can. Perhaps you need a less rigorous program."

Mark's face is bright red. He graduated OSU with a 3.8. I wish mis hermanos could see this. I actually feel sorry for Mark!

"Well, that doesn't seem to have harmed him," I reply. "Mark, did you tell your parents the news?" Come on, Mark! Brag a little!

"No …" He's looking at me as if to say I wish you had not said anything!

"Marcus? What's your news?" his mother asks.

"Oh god … are you two getting married?" His father pales. "Are you … are you going to be a father?"

"NO!"

"Not yet!"

Nikki and Mark look at each other and Mark points at Manny. Nikki exhales, shakes her head, and pulls him over for a kiss. Mrs. Phillips smiles but, for the first time, I notice it's shaky. Mr. Phillips swallows hard and swigs his water as if it's hard liquor.

"Tell them," Nikki commands him, a look of horror and amusement on her face.

He sighs loudly. "I've been named RangeMan's CEO starting January 1st."

His parent's both freeze. "CEO?" his father asks cautiously.

"Yes."

"We felt it was the right choice to make," I add casually. Everyone's head swivels to me. I motion for Mijo and Mark passes him over. Time for Mijo to go to bed. "Mark's leadership of the Boston branch meant it was the leading branch these past five years and he's been trusted to lead the company multiple times. We thought it was the right choice."

"That's wonderful! Oh Marcus, honey, that's wonderful! Are you ready? Are you prepared?" Mrs. Phillips is up and smothering her grown son in kisses. Nikki and I are trying our best not to laugh and Mark is red faced. Mr. Phillips looks confused.

"But Marcus doesn't have an MBA! He isn't qualified!" He looks at his son. "This is why you need an MBA, Marcus! You've gotten the position and are wholly unqualified for what it will mean!"

"We felt he was. Qualified, that is."

Mr. Phillips looks at me. "Mr. …Hector, I'm sure as his colleague you feel he'll do a good job—"

"Actually, Hector is my boss."

Mr. Phillips stops. Mark's calmed himself and detached his mother from his head. She retakes her seat and looks at the two of us.

"The Leadership Core of RangeMan is now a five-member board. Hector is the newest member."

"So, what you're telling us is that in exchange for not rewarding your service with a partnership, they threw you the CEO role?" Mr. Phillips looks unimpressed.

"First time I've ever heard the CEO role referred to in that manner," Nikki mutters. Mr. Phillips stiffens and stares at her, but Nikki's put her 'Don't play with me' face in place. "Mark was named Chief Executive Officer and you're responding as if he was given some kind of lateral move or a demotion." She smiles. "Personally, I'm proud."

Mark and I share a glance and he nods. "My cousin is correct. The Leadership Core is getting out of the day to day running of the company and promoting Mark to the CEO role while we become a board of directors for the company. Mark is still in the partner pipeline but we're not ready to retire yet."

"So, you're still headed upwards at RangeMan?" Mrs. Phillips says, smiling brightly. I'm beginning to think that smile is her default, her mask.

"Yes."

I leave the room with Mijo, but I can still hear the conversation. I really wish Ranger had been here to see this. I finally understand this man.

Mark has problems connecting with adults because his parents treat him like a child. His mother still sees a baby for her to study, dissect and dote on and his father sees competition to destroy.

It all makes sense now. I finally see why he latched on to Ranger.

—oOo—

Nikki's POV

The Phillipses leave and I collapse against the door.

OK, they raised a wonderful man. They raised a wonderful who I love deeply. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

Hector walks out of his bedroom and we share a look. Mark disappeared into his bedroom the moment they stood to leave while I made the polite goodbyes.

"I don't know what to say," I mutter. "Help me, primo."

"Don't say anything. Just make him feel better."

"How!?"

Hec hugs me tight. "Listen." He squeezes me and walks into the guest bedroom. I walk into our bedroom and Mark's lying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"Mark?"

"Don't," he croaks. "There's no saving that. What other embarrassing childhood stage of development would you like to hear about?"

"Mark …" I close the door and strip. That gets some interest. "Do you really think that made me change my mind about you?"

He swallows hard and reaches for me. "My parents—"

"You will always be your parents' baby. They work with children. In their eyes, everyone's knee height."

I get a sad smile for my efforts. OK, so his parents are a bit … difficult. I can at least make him feel better.

Twenty minutes later, I roll over and cuddle next to him. We're both trying to catch our breath. "Yup, everything seems to be attached to a man, an incredible man whose parents cannot make him look bad in my eyes." He blushes. "No one's parents are perfect. Mine are homophobic and they called me a slut right to my face. Your mother sees a baby and your father … your father seems to be in competition with you."

"Dad enjoys flirting with younger women. It's a game to him, you know? How many women can he gather around him to hang onto his every word?" Mark stretches then pulls me closer. I nod. "Faculty scuttlebutt every semester was that Dad had some young, pretty co-ed doing more than hanging on to his words. Mom ignored it but I'll never forget the day I showed up at his faculty offices and his group of co-eds surrounded me wanting to know more about me. I was sixteen but the way my parents talked about me, they thought I must be four or five. Girls still scared me. You're a weird sex."

"We are not!" I'm laughing at the expression on his face. "So you stole your father's fan club?"

"And have been trying to get rid of them ever since, but you should have seen the look on his face that day." He sobers again. "I'm not my Dad."

"That's obvious. Now, we had a date tonight. Remember?"

"Yes …" His smile grows until he's beaming. "Yes, we do."

"So how do I need to dress for this date?"

"Sneakers. Those pants you wear that make your butt look fantastic"—That's why I love this man. He said that so matter-of-fact.—"and a t-shirt."

"What are you up to?"

"I'm not telling you. Get dressed. Let's go."

—oOo—

"Where are we going?"

Mark's been smiling for the past hour. I thought it was just because his parents finally left and Hector and Manny were asleep, but he looks nearly giddy.

"I'm kidnapping you."

Something about that just strikes me as hilarious. "Not necessary. I'd come along willingly."

"I know." The back of my hand is kissed. "But I like the idea of kidnapping you."

"And where are we going?"

"We're going dancing."

I groan. He picked the one Latina in the world with zero rhythm. "Baby, I can't dance."

"Neither can I."

"Then … this is a good idea why?"

"Because we're going to a beginner's class."

"Beginner's what?"

"Salsa."

He picked the wrong Mexican.

Hector would love this.

—oOo—

"It's important to remember, when dancing the salsa, to trust your partner. Let him lead. Let him take the lead." The instructor looks around and smiles. "I know for some of you ladies, the idea of allowing a man to lead is an absolute no, but in at least one part of your life, allow it."

Mark snorts and I can see him hiding a laugh. "Are you trying to say something, sir?" I ask, arching a brow.

"Nope. Happy to follow your lead whenever I can," he replies.

"Same here." I kiss him and take my position again. This is the last class of the evening and it's packed. Mark's doing a good job of leading and we're starting to get the hang of this. "Hector tried to teach me how to dance years ago, but I have two left feet."

"You're doing OK so far."

Liar. I've stepped on his feet and gone in the wrong direction more times than I can count. "Thanks. I can't dance with Hec."

"Why?"

"Hector's nearly a professional. He's brilliant on a dance floor. Me? I won't tell you how long it took me to learn to walk in heels."

Mark laughs. Ever since we left the house, his mood has been on an upswing and I'm glad. We dance and twirl and try to learn to step in rhythm for two hours. When the class is over, we're both drenched in sweat and exhausted.

"You don't have anything else planned, do you?"

"Nope."

"Great."

We head back to the house and decide to conserve water by showering together. That was probably a bad idea but we do manage to get squeaky clean.

"That was wonderful. Is there a part two to that class?"

"Tomorrow." He sets an alarm. "You want to go?"

"Yes." He curls around me and gets comfortable. "Mark?"

"Hmmm?"

"What made you go into the military?"

"I wanted to serve and they don't accept children."

"So?"

"Hard to imagine Manny with an M-15, isn't it?"

"I don't know what an M-15 is."

He tickles me and I leap to get away. We roll around in the bed laughing until he's on top of me, smiling down.

"Can you imagine Manny flying a plane right now?"

"No."

"That's why. In the air, it's just me. I'm away from everything that drives me crazy or stresses me. I wanted them to see me as an adult. The military did that."

—oOo—

I spend the next day checking my email from work. I'm supposed to be on vacation, but I can't help it. Mark and Hector went into the office and Manny and I are at home when I hear a key in the lock. I grab Manny from his easel, ignoring his whine of protest, and grab a chef's knife from the kitchen. When I return to the living room, both his parents are there, looking faintly alarmed.

"Nikki? What's the meaning of this?"

I exhale and allow Manny to return to his easel. He was trying to color the back of my neck. "Well, as Mark said yesterday, you didn't ring the doorbell, you didn't knock, and I had no idea who it was. Now, he's too polite to say this but I'm not: Please do not enter this house without warning." They stiffen. "This is not your home. It's Mark's."

"Well, we sold him this home—" Mr. Phillips begins.

"Which means it's no longer yours." I sit on the couch. "My cousin has keys to everything in my home but he would never be so bold as to walk into my house without a. Letting me know he was coming; and b. Announcing himself. Please show your son that same courtesy and if you can't, show me that courtesy. I'm here by myself with my son. I'm not above shooting first and asking questions second."

"Right," his mother says faintly. "We apologize. We actually came to see you. Well, you and Manny."

"Why?" I move to the chair and allow them to take the couch.

"A few reasons. One, we'd like to get to know you." Mr. Phillips glances over at Manny, who is still coloring on his easel and peeping his head out to watch us. "You're important to Marcus, you and Manny, and we'd like to get to know you. Two, Manny is a fascinating little boy."

"Fine, but if your interest in my son is academic as opposed to making him feel warm and welcome and like family, leave him alone. He's not a research subject."

Leanne puts her pad and pencil away, looking a little surprised to have been caught and called out so boldly. Sorry, Mrs. Phillips, but you won't use my son like that.

At noon, the doorbell rings. Manny runs to me and waits anxiously. Mark walks in and Manny runs to him. He's picked up and twirled around, held so close to the ceiling that his fingers scrape it. He seems to find that thrilling.

"Hi Mark!"

"Manny! Had a good day?"

"I did. Everything looks different from up here," he says, looking around. "How did you get to be so tall? Will I be this tall? Why are you so tall? What—"

"Ask my parents," Mark says, putting him down. "They have answers to those questions."

I laugh silently. Questioning me didn't go so well, so they decided to concentrate on Manny. My son decided that the two new adults were the perfect targets for his questions and he's asked them one after another. The Phillipses are starting to look overwhelmed by a child who asks more questions than they do. Hector walks in and Manny goes to hug him then tugs both of them over to his easel to admire his drawing of the doggie outside.

"Well, I think we should go," Jonathan says, checking his watch. "We did tell the Newtons we would be by at noon."

"That's true. Nikki, it was lovely to see you again." She kisses Mark and waves at Hector and they leave, pulling the door behind them. I sit back in the chair and Mark looks at me.

"Digging?"

"You bet, but Manny and his questions seemed to exhaust them."

—oOo—

"Is that your plane, Mark?"

We're at the airfield. Hector bowed out, saying this sounded like a family time activity. Mark tried to persuade him to join us, but he was adamant about finding something else to do.

I'm almost certain he's at the Curious George store.

I'm personally freaking out about this but I trust Mark. He flew for the government! He was trained by the government to fly fighter jets, por el amor de cristo! I think he could handle a small plane.

Right?

"You haven't had anything to drink today, have you?" I keep thinking about what happened to JFK, Jr. and panicking. I take one look at Mark's face and regret asking that. "Sorry. I know you wouldn't do this if it weren't safe. I'm just nervous."

"Why?"

"Mommy prerogative."

He smiles down at Manny. "No, this isn't my plane. This plane belongs to a friend of mine. My plane is over here." It's a sleek little thing and Mark looks very proud as he answers all of Manny's questions about it.

"So why are we flying in the other plane?" I ask as we walk back over to it.

"One, so Manny has a clear view of everything. My plane doesn't allow that. Two, I have a special harness for him so he can sit up in his seat and see everything."

"Oh."

We climb into the cockpit and Mark shows Manny all the controls and puts a headset on his head, to show him how to talk to him during the flight. Manny climbs into his seat (no complaints about the restraints for once) and Mark straps us both in. He does the pre-flight checks and we take off. I turn to look at Manny and I wish I'd brought a camera.

His little mouth is wide open. He's staring out of the windows at the clouds and the birds and he looks enthralled, like he can't believe he's this far up. He spots me looking at him and grins big before trying to strain out of his seat to see more.

"Sit back, Manny." Mark's voice comes in clearly in my ears and I see Manny look over. "You have to sit back or I'll have to land."

My son's spine hits the back of his seat so fast I can't help but smile.

We fly around Boston for an hour. Mark dips the plane so Manny can see things (like the Curious George store) and points out Boston landmarks to both of us. It's a wonderful trip and I don't know what to say to Mark to show how much I loved it.

"You're real, right?"

He smiles and lifts Manny, who is still speechless. I can see his brain working.

"I sometimes wonder the same thing about you."

—oOo—

Mark's POV

"Be safe."

"I will."

"You have your tickets ready?"

"Yes. Both tickets ready to go."

I'm not sure why I'm asking useless questions. Nikki's prepared. She knows what she's doing. Manny is in Hector's arms a few feet away, taking in everything he can about Logan. I crouch down and he runs into my arms.

"Are we going bye bye now, Mark?" he asks, lip trembling.

"Yes, but you'll see me soon."

"When? When is soon?"

"Mommy and I will talk about it and then she'll put it on a calendar and you'll be able to see when soon is, OK?"

"OK." I'm hugged extra tight. "Kisses are still icky."

"I won't kiss you."

"'Kay."

I stand up and Nikki pulls me close and makes me think of giving up my job and responsibilities and becoming her devoted sex slave for the rest of my days.

It's a great job to have. We used both boxes of condoms.

"Yuck!"

I reach down and pat Manny's head. Hush, son. Mommy and Daddy are saying goodbye right now.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Call me when you get home."

"I will. Call me when you get on the road."

"I will. I'll call you every night."

"Good. I'm on your team."

"The best part of my team." I look down at Manny, who is watching us with a disgusted look on his face. "The part of my team that represents real life." I look over. Hector also has a disgusted look on his face. I smile at him.

Learn to share, hombre. I'm not going anywhere.

"Exactly."

I pick Manny up and kiss him. "Yuck, Mark!"

"I love you too, son."

"OK, but kisses are icky!"