Chapter 16 May Flowers

SPOV - Trenton

It's been two weeks since Carlos had to go down to Georgia to help out with the recruit training and the best Ranger competitions for two weeks with Tank. While he was gone, me and Julie went to painting class, learned how to bake cupcakes with Ella, and even had dinner with my family. That was an eventful evening. Grandma Mazur moved into my apartment after our last visit so even my Dad was in a good mood. Val and her family decided to attend the same night and Julie and Angie got along really well. The girls were sad they wouldn't be going to the same school in the fall so I made a note to talk to Carlos about that. At dinner Val and Albert announced that they were pregnant with their fourth child.

My mom has stopped nagging me about having children and becoming a housewife and before we left for the evening when I was helping her with the dishes she for the first time told me how proud she was of my accomplishments this year. She was amazed by how willing I was to step up and be a mom to Julie. I told her I wasn't really her mom but she said as long as I kept doing what I was I would be someday.

After two weeks of Carlos being gone I was starting to get really anxious. We talked every night on the phone but it didn't mean he was home. I couldn't imagine what I would be like if he still had to run missions and be in the wind. Both me and Julie have been in foul moods the last 2 days and the men were trying their hardest to cheer us up but nothing was working. Lester came to the apartment this morning and commanded that me and Julie were to pack an overnight bag and be ready to leave immediately. I started freaking out that something happened to Carlos so Bobby had to step in and calm me down that they just had a fun surprise for us and it wasn't anything serious.

Then 30 minutes later Lester loaded us into a Rangeman SUV and drove us to the private airstrip. When we got there Hal pulled up in an SUV and Lula got out looking just as sad as us. The boys wouldn't tell us where we were going but since the three of us were naturally curious and wouldn't stop asking questions. So Lester and Hal locked themselves in the cockpit. So we all decided to just get comfortable and take naps. Once we stepped off the plane we found ourselves in Columbus, Georgia. Two military transports were waiting for us to take us to the base. They dropped us off at a guest house on base and asked that we remain at the house for further instructions.

We explored the house which was a simple home with 5 bedrooms, a nice backyard, and a couch in the living room made for ten people. Before we were able to start theorizing why we were there we heard a knock on the door and Lester went to answer. An older looking man in green army fatigues walked into the room after shaking hands with Hal. Once he introduced himself as General Miller we all sat down in the living room.

"Ms. Plum, Miss. Manoso, and Ms. Jackson, Welcome to Fort Benning. I'm sure you are all wondering why you are here." We all nodded. "Well Captains Ricardo Manoso and Pierre Sherman are under my direct command and have been chosen as this year's inductees for the Ranger Hall of Honor. Last night after the committee voted I asked Lieutenant Santos to bring down their loved ones to be here when they are presented the honor as a surprise. The banquet is tonight after the conclusion of the Best Ranger competition. We have arranged for a transport to pick you up here at 1730 hours. Please let Corporal Wallis know if you need anything else." He gestured to a man who had followed him inside and was waiting by the doorway to the kitchen. At this point all three of us had tears in our eyes and were unable to speak many words but we thanked the General for flying us down to be part of this special moment. Lester saw them out and then returned to the room. Once I calmed down enough I spoke first.

"Lester, Thank you for making sure we could be a part of this. But, you told us to pack an overnight bag, we didn't pack anything for a banquet!"

"Beautiful do you really think Ella would accept you going on a trip without being properly prepared?" With that he motioned at Hal who brought three dress bags and three boxes of shoes into the room. We all got up and rushed to take a look at the items. For Lula she chose a sleek red wine colored floor length dress that was tight on her body but still perfectly accented her curves. It was off the shoulder and had a slit that came up to her mid thigh. Julie was given a forest green velvet dress that came down to her knees. It had a flowy skirt, long sleeves, and a beaded pattern on the top part of the dress. I opened my bag and found a floor length sky blue dress made of satin. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and an A-line silhouette. The skirt was fuller than I normally wear but there were 3D butterfly appliques that embellished it. We were each given heels and jewelry to match the dresses.

We had about 5 hours until we had to be ready so we decided to ask if the corporal could drive us to a salon to get our hair and nails done. Lester called a few spas in the area and found one that could accommodate us. A few hours later we returned to the house to do our makeup and get dressed. I helped Julie with a little blush and eye makeup. I taught her how to apply mascara and get the perfect wing to her eyeliner. She will need to practice but soon enough she'll be a Jersey girl. Exactly at 6:30 Corporal Wallis knocked on the door.

Lester and Hal were both dressed in their Army blue service uniforms. I noticed that Lester was a First Lieutenant and Hal was a Second Lieutenant. It made me curious what ranks the other men held. Lester also had a Purple Heart which I knew was from when he earned and then was honorably discharged from the army. We made our way to the banquet hall on base. The reception area had a rustic feel with wood beams that ran the ceiling, a grand staircase leading to the balcony, there were lots of round tables set up for dinner and in the main room a small stage and podium was set up at the front.

Carlos and Tank were not there yet that we could see so Lester led us to our table at the front of the room. A few minutes later I felt the tingles run up my back settling at the back of my neck and I knew they had arrived.

"Babe" Carlos whispered into my ear as he approached me and took me into his arms. It wasn't as passionate as our normal greetings would have been since we were in public but I could see the intensity and love of the greeting in his eyes. "What are you doing here? Santos, what are you all doing here?" Tank and Lula were giggling about something in their own little world and Carlos reached down to hug Julie.

"The General called and asked me to bring them down." Lester responded. Carlos looked at him skeptically but accepted the answer. Before we sat down for dinner Carlos took my face in his hands and planted a loving kiss on my lips. The General and his wife Marlene joined our table for dinner which was fun and insightful as the General told us a story about his first time meeting the fantastic four otherwise known as Ranger, Tank, Lester, and Bobby. Apparently they had tried to pull a practical joke on another unit and it backfired on them and got them all reprimanded and covered in syrup.

After dinner the General stood up and joined a few other high ranking men at the stage. They welcomed everyone and thanked everyone's family and loved ones for joining the men for the evening. The first award of the night were the results from the competitions that had taken place the last 3 days. Then they moved into a string of promotions. Finally General Miller took the mic. He talked about the history of the Rangers and the hall of fame before segwaying into the accomplishments of our guys.

"The men we have voted to induct into the hall of fame this year are some of the best Rangers this country has ever seen. First is Captain Pierre Tank Sherman who has valiantly led 42 successful missions and still holds several course records 5 years after winning the best Rangers competition. Second is Captain Ricardo Manoso who has rightfully earned the moniker of Ranger. He has led 76 successful missions and also still holds several course records after winning the best Rangers competition and is also still actively serving as a trainer for our new Ranger cohorts. We would also like to commend these men along with First Lieutenants Bobby Brown and Lester Santos on their work creating the security company Rangeman which continues the mission of the Rangers by utilizing our values to serve the general population while employing veterans and active duty men from all branches of our armed forces. Ladies and gentlemen if you would please stand and give these men a round of applause for these men this year's inductees to the Ranger Hall of Honor."

The entire room got onto their feet cheering for our guys as they made their way to the front and accepted the plaques and medals. I was practically crying from happiness so Lester made sure to keep handing me tissues while Hal did the same for Lula. The rest of the night was perfect. We danced all night and made small talk with many of the other couples and families. They also served a yummy chocolate cake. At the end of the night we thanked the General for inviting us and made our way back to the guest house. Lula and Tank took a separate transport home they would be staying at the house Carlos and Tank were staying at and then joining us in the morning for the flight home.

When we got back Lester and Hal retreated to their rooms leaving me, Julie, and Carlos in the living room. It was almost midnight so Julie didn't stay long but she caught her dad up on her school work and told him about some of the paintings we had done in class including portraits that we painted of each other, he was excited to see them when we got home. When it was just us left I caught him up on my clients, office manager duties, and my training for this month's competency exam. He was excited for this months exams. It was the first time we would be sparring with members of the core team and we were gonna have to compete against each other in an army obstacle course replacing the physical fitness test. We also wouldn't be doing the driving and B&E portions as they were being replaced with our specialties. Carlos said he arranged for a special client for my exam.

Once we went through my weeks he told me about the training and the competition as we made our way upstairs and took a long bubble bath together. A few orgasms later after hands started wandering we made it to the bed. I was exhausted from the travel day so I immediately fell asleep. I was awoken around 8 am by Carlos's kisses to my shoulder. It was wonderful to be back in the arms of my man.

TPOV - Georgia

I was so thankful that the General was kind enough to invite my Honey Bear down to see me be honored. Truthfully I was completely surprised by the honor. I knew that Ranger would one day be inducted but I always thought since I mostly acted as his SIC I wouldn't be given the same consideration. I also was honorably discharged.

I was on my way to Major just like Ranger and had just started leading more of my own teams when one of my missions went FUBAR. I sacrificed myself for my team of 8 and who helped remove some of the citizens from the area before the compound got blown up. I was then captured and spent 6 months imprisoned by our target in the middle of a South American jungle. Eventually I was able to make my escape and stop the drug and human tracking operation we were trying to take down when Ranger showed up to rescue me. I was awarded several different medals for that mission including a medal of honor, a purple heart, and a bronze star. However it also came at a cost.

I had suffered a traumatic brain injury during the events and struggled with PTSD for many months during my return. It was then that General Miller saw that I was unfit for active duty and allowed me to end my contract and retire from the military. To this day only the Core Team, the Generals, and Lula know the whole story of why I had to retire but I was still grateful for what I had accomplished even if I never made it to Major.

Lula and I said our goodbyes to the rest of the group and headed to the house I had been staying at with Ranger. It was only a street over from where they were at but it was smaller and we could have our own privacy. When we got back Lula updated me on the wedding. She had officially decided to get married over Labor Day weekend. Her and my Mom were trying to determine the location. She was going to be going wedding dress shopping soon and she had decided on three bridesmaids so I needed to pick three groomsmen, that was easy.

We stayed up all night talking and making love, we were gonna be sleep deprived in the morning but it was worth it since I hadn't been with my fiance in two weeks.

Bobby POV - Bobby and Lester's Home

"Good Morning" I placed a small kiss on the back of Lester's Shoulder. It was Saturday so we were sleeping in a little after last night's activities and the sun was just rising. Lester grunted acknowledging he was awake, he was never a morning person despite what the Army ingrained in us. We didn't have to work today since we covered for Ranger and Tank when they were in Georgia earlier this month. Lester had returned with the rest of the group last Sunday and it had been a busy week.

On Monday we had our monthly core team meeting. Hector, Stephanie, and Lester had worked on Steph's proposal for custom packages which we would be trialing with our customers for the next month. Cal updated us on a new FBI contract that would be coming in the next few days. Then Hal talked about the high bond captures that earned us 350k this month. Ram confirmed that everything was set for this month's competency exams. I gave an update on this month's open job positions. There were 2 open in Trenton and 3 at all the other branches. Finally, Ranger told us about the issues with the new bounty hunter Vinnie hired. He asked that we all dig into our contacts to determine who this Blade guy was.

The next few days included the end of month close outs and several meetings with large contracts and suppliers who needed contract renewals. We were all stretched thin so I was looking forward to the weekend off. On Friday we got to watch Stephanie, Fish, and Jace in their exams. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the obstacle course. I wanted to join them. It was a new part of the exams we were testing out after the recruits asked if there was a way we could make the exams less formal, kind of like how last month we had them play paintball. For the sparring exams Stephanie surprised everyone when she was able to take down Hector and use his own knife move on him. I wasn't looking forward to having to go up against her since I think with all the men training her she had a number of secret tricks up her sleeve.

The final portion was the specialty exams Ranger had arranged for Joe Juniak to be the special surprise for Stephanie. He needed updated security for his home. Steph passed with flying colors and was able to even get her Uncle to update the security at his office and have several of his staff members sign contracts for their homes as well. Not that we expected her to struggle with Joe as her Godfather but she really did turn her sales charm up a few notches. Overall all the recruits passed the exams and the core team voted that we would combine the last two exams into next month.

"Come on, sleepy head, we got errands to run" I pulled the sheets back as I got out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I was so excited when Lester asked me to move in with him on Valentine's Day. I was able to move everything out of the apartment in downtown Trenton I stayed in when I wasn't at Rangeman by the first of March.

Since moving in we have found a comfortable rhythm and have enjoyed getting to spend more time together. We had discussed when and how to come out to everyone many times but we still haven't told anyone.

Flashback

"I just don't want the men to hear it from anyone but us." Lester said as we cuddled before bed.

"I understand, The guys are almost as bad as the burg grapevine."

"What if they don't accept us?"

"The ones that matter, will. If they don't then we'll take them to the mats, quit, and go live the rest of our lives on a beach in Hawaii." I replied.

He sighed. "Then how do we tell everyone at the same time if we don't do it during the weekly meeting?"

"We'll think of something. What about an email?"

"You really think an email is the way to do this?" He scoffed.

I chuckled at his response. "No but it's an idea."

End Flashback

We just couldn't figure out the best way to do it. If we did it at a meeting it might be weird since that was the workplace. But that's the only time we could come up with that everyone would be all together. So After a few days of throwing out ideas that either ended up too impersonal or bordered a marriage proposal yet still came up with nothing, we asked Stephanie. It's amazing how much of an impact she has made on our lives and the other men at Rangeman. She was able to come up with an idea in 2 seconds flat.

We decided we would be telling everyone at a Memorial Day Barbeque in a few weeks that we would host at our house. We were gonna have all the normal BBQ foods, lawn games, and a movie night in the basement. We chose the movie night because the basement was mostly sound protected so we wouldn't be as affected by the fireworks scheduled to go off at the park down the street. Many of our men still suffered from PTSD around loud noises due our time in active combat so it was important to us to be able to offer them a safe space.

RPOV - Trenton

I was sitting in my office looking at the report trying to determine how to tell Stephanie the news. I picked up my phone and called her. She picked up after a few rings.

"Yo" She answered.

"Yo Yourself" I replied. "Babe, when will you be back in the office?"

"I have a few more things to pick up for today, so probably 4:45. Do you need me to come back sooner?"

"No, that is fine but I have something to discuss with you before the party. I will get Hal and Ram to take the items from you and get them set up in the conference room."

"Okay sounds good. Bye Batman." I hung up the phone and pushed the folder to the side.

I made my way down to the third floor conference room. The men were busy setting up for a party this evening. Stephanie, Julie, and Hal had come to my office earlier in the week with a pitch to throw Ella a surprise Mother's day party to celebrate her and everything she does for all of us. We decided to do it a week early so that the men could still celebrate with their real mother's if they were able to on the actual day. We arranged for Ella to have the day off and got Luis to take her to a flower show happening in Atlantic City and to be back by 5:30 for the party.

The room had been decorated in blue and purple decorations since those were her favorite colors according to Julie and Stephanie. Hal was helping Julie hang a banner that said Happy Mother's Day Ella, Ram was hanging streamers, and Hector was hanging string lights. At the table many of the men were sitting and crafting personalized cards to give Ella. I suppressed a chuckle as I watched Vince carefully placing glittery flower stickers to create a border around his card. It's amazing the influence Julie and Stephanie have had on my men. 6 months ago they would have never thought about having this party and now they were crafting. I helped Julie blow up a few balloons and then returned to my office about ten minutes before Stephanie was set to return.

I got out the folder to discuss with her and then met her in the garage with the rest of the men to help carry up the catering and flowers she had been picking up. It looked like she bought the entire florist shop with the amount of flowers she fit in the back of the SUV. While the men continued unloading with Julie telling them where to put everything I took Steph to my office.

Once I closed the door I placed a kiss on her lips before leading her to the couch picking up the folder along the way.

"Babe, I got the men to utilize their contacts to dig into who Blade, Vinnie's new bounty hunter is. Cal was able to dig up the information we needed. Blade aka Tom Smith served with Morelli when they were in the Navy. Morelli and Blade seemed to be good friends and when they got into some trouble with the daughter of one of the commanding officers on one of their nights off. It seems that they were both charged with assault but the charges were dropped and both men were discharged from the Navy."

"Wow Morelli never said he was kicked out" Was her only response as she digested the information.

"It was well hidden and never went to trial as the General's daughter was underage and didn't want to continue reliving the assault. So the General basically buried it." I explained. We discussed what this meant for us. We determined that him showing up in Trenton probably didn't have a connection to Morelli's conviction but Stephanie promised to be extra vigilant. Rangeman would also be offering to renegotiate the contract with Vinnie for the low bond skips since it was clear this guy was a loose cannon not to be trusted. The alarm on my watch went off and so I knew we needed to head back down for the Party.

Once we got to the conference room everyone took their places around the room and Julie slipped off the lights. We heard Ella and Luis talking to Lester as he explained about the light being out in the room. They opened the door and Ella entered first. She reached for the light switch to test it out. When the lights turned on we all yelled surprise. I made my way over to her and gave her a bouquet of her favorite peony flowers and another with her second favorite tulips. I brought her to the front to show her the cake which was lemon and raspberry with a butter cream frosting and said happy mothers day on it.

I got the speeches started thanking her for taking care of all the men being a mother to us all. Stephanie followed adding thanks for teaching her how to cook. Everyone else went around the room telling her a personal thanks they had. Some of the ones that stood out were Hal thanking her for helping him pick a new wardrobe outside of his Rangeman uniforms, Ram thanked her for introducing him to his Girlfriend, Vince thanked her for teaching him how to crochet, and Tank thanked her for helping him choose an engagement ring for Lula. After that we all ate the food, gave Ella the cards and presents, and mingled excited about the new tradition we started.