Chapter 22 Here Comes the Sun
SPOV
"Okay Steph you called the meeting, it's your floor." Tank said to me before taking his place to the right of the head of the table.
"Thanks Big Guy! So I'm sure you're all wondering why I called a team meeting. Well with Ranger traveling to the other branches this week with Julie for the annual reviews my time has been freed up to focus on my special project. RANGER's BIRTHDAY! Now I know what you're thinking like Ranger doesn't like birthdays, What about her new job?, or Oh great, another Stephanie plan. Well for your information my projects are going very well. We finalized the plans for Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco remote monitoring centers and this week we are starting interviews for traveling regional account managers. Me and Lester also launched the new security packages to the other branches last week so my new job is going very well. Now back to my plan as you know Ranger isn't big on birthdays but I am. I'm sure you've all heard the stories about my parents not really appreciating me and it's true but my birthdays were always the one day that they did care so we are going to do this. Anyone still have concerns?"
There were some murmurs but one look from Hector shut them all up.
"Good then let's get started." I clicked the remote for the slideshow I had prepared. "When Ranger gets home we will have one week to pull this off so I need all of your help. It's no secret that the man is a workaholic; he's been putting in 60 to 70 hour weeks since he got home. So I have arranged the schedule for him to have the entire week off. The members of the core team will be covering but I will need a few of you to volunteer for overtime to ensure that he won't feel the need to work. Any takers? And yes you will be paid handsomely."
Nine of the men volunteered and Two more of the older men also offered as long as they had the weekend off to be with their families.
"Perfect. Okay next item what will Ranger do all week. Well I have a plan with several activities that I think he will love and I need some of your special skills to help me out. I have listed them and the assignments on the board behind me." The men started getting riled up excited about the assignments. "In addition to these assignments we are going to be having a surprise party. The party will take place in New York City at Marisol's, the restaurant his sister Isabella is the head chef at. She was able to arrange for the restaurant to be closed for the private party. I have arranged for several of the men from the other branches and contract workers to come in and run the Trenton branch for the day so we can all have a wonderful day off!"
Everyone started cheering at that.
"So if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask now or stop by my office and ask! Otherwise I have prepared informational packets for all of you including instructions for New York." I dismissed the men and hung around to answer a few questions from the men about their assignments and travel plans.
RPOV
It's been three weeks without my Babe. Having Julie accompany me on this trip made them a hundred times more enjoyable than normal but I had wished Steph could have been here.
The first branch we visited was Miami. Ronaldo had everything pretty much in working order but was having an issue with a few clients who were past due on their payments. A visit from the CEO and my men changing the security codes on their properties in the middle of the night on their properties scared them straight enough to pay the balance owed on the spot. After securing the funds we unlocked their properties and the lawyers presented them with paperwork to terminate their contracts immediately. Once they signed we removed our security systems and blacklisted the companies and owners from signing any future contracts. Julie was able to visit with my Abuela and some of her old friends while we were in town.
At the end of the week we flew to Atlanta. The branch was run by one of our old troop leaders from our first tour of Afghanistan, Mateo. Him and Bobby's cousin Stitch gave me the briefing over the first two days. They have been struggling with retention over the last few months causing them to be understaffed. The client base was steady but they didn't have more than 2% growth since the beginning of the year. I proposed that we do a video call with Steph and see her presentation on the expansion satellite office project and they were on board. By the end of the visit we worked out a plan to transition the office into a satellite monitoring office instead of a full branch by the end of the year. All remaining employees would be given the option to become sales reps in the Greater Atlanta area or be transferred to another office. Before heading to our next stop we stopped in South Carolina so Julie could see her half siblings. Kim and her husband Jake were extremely nice and grateful for the donation I had made to the VA hospital Jake worked at.
This past week we were in Boston. In the last year the former manager Jon Taylors had been letting the progress of the branch falter when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and his wife learned she was pregnant at the end of last year. Tank and the other members of the core team relieved him of his duties in December but offered him a remote research position. He happily accepted, grateful that the core team recognized his struggle but offered him a way to still have a job but there for his family. The branch had turned itself around since Blaze stepped up to the branch management position in December. Blaze was formerly the SIC and had been in the Navy but we had worked with him on several missions. Overall the branch was thriving. They focused more on government contracts than bonds as the secondary service and they had signed several new ones in the last 6 months.
Now I was sitting on my private Jet watching Julie sleep in the chair across from me and thinking about the most beautiful woman in the world waiting for me back home. When we were in Boston I sat down with Julie and discussed the potential of me asking Steph to be my wife and Julie's step mom. Not even thirty seconds into the conversation she cut me off and started dancing around the room spitting out all kinds of ideas for the proposal. We hadn't come up with anything I thought Stephanie would love but I did promise to take her with me to buy a ring when we got back from our travels.
The pilot came over the intercom stating we would be landing in 15 minutes so I gently woke up Julie so that she could sit her seat up correctly. Exactly fifteen minutes later the plane touched down at Trenton-Mercer and the flight crew secured the aircraft. As I followed Julie walking down the stairs I saw my beautiful Babe standing next to Tank and and Lester standing with the dogs.
Stephanie took off running from dropping the welcome home sign she was holding and then jumping into my arms halfway across the airfield. After a long hug and passionate kiss she climbed down my body and got down on her knees to hug and kiss Julie who had been patiently waiting while tugging on Steph's pant leg. We made our way back to the SUV hand in hand like the family we all saw ourselves as. I greeted Tank and Lester with a nod and the typical man's handshake as acknowledgement and thank you for keeping Steph out of trouble and Julie was immediately engulfed by dog kisses.
Steph grabbed my hands in hers before I was able to direct us into the SUV. She turned to me and said "I know that you probably want to celebrate your homecoming." She winked. "So I hope you're not mad but I moved up the core team meeting to when we get back and everything will be explained there." I gave her a hug and assured her that I was okay with the arrangement.
I let Tank drive, Lester sit passenger, and Julie sit behind Tank. So I could cuddle up with Steph in the middle row. We arrived back at Rangeman and immediately went up to the fifth floor conference room. Julie took the dogs and went off to collect Binkie and Zero so she could catch up with her bodyguards and get them to take her to the dog park and see Angie.
Once the rest of the core team arrived and greetings had been made we all settled around the table into our usual spots. I looked at Tank to see what I should do. Normally I wasn't unsure but I didn't know if they wanted to cover the change in the meeting time first or later. He looked over at Stephanie who smirked at him and then nodded at me to continue. Oh yeah they are definitely scheming.
I called the meeting to order. I gave my updates on the annual reviews and we all voted to dissolve the current Atlanta branch into a satellite office. Then everyone else proceeded to give their updates. Everything was running smoothly in Trenton and the expansion efforts were in full force now with Hal and Hector assisting Steph and Lester. We hired two news guys Bones who's contract at the pentagon was finally over and a young guy fresh out of the Air Force. I was barely focused on the updates though because I was too busy playing footsie with Steph under the table as she flashed her bedroom eyes at me and ate her muffin. Thankfully she held back from her normal moans of delight or I would've taken her on the table since it's been so long.
Finally we had looped around the room and it was Steph's turn. She gave her normal business updates first before passing a packet to me and told me to hold off opening it.
"Ranger, Carlos. You have been working so hard since you have been back and have barely had any time to breathe or do something for yourself. So I hereby motion to mandate you to take this week off to celebrate your birthday and do all of the fun things I have planned with the help of the men, Julie, and Ella."
Before I could object Lester seconded the motion. "All in Favor? Tank asked" A chorus of ayes were said and Tank passed the motion.
"Okay now that you will officially be on vacation after this meeting you can open the packet." Steph said. I opened the packet and started to read through the schedule and details that she had put together.
"Are you sure about this Babe? Some of these don't seem like things you'd be interested in."
"Oh we're gonna do it Carlos and it's gonna be good." I gave her my full thousand watt smile and dismissed the meeting. I took Steph's hand and rushed her up to the apartment. I spent the next hour making love to her in the bathtub and shower before we got dressed to eat dinner with Julie. Normally I would be opposed to taking the week off but Steph, as always, made everything okay and I was excited for the week.
"Rise and Shine Mister!" It was 4 am and the sun wasn't even up yet. Over the course of the last few months Steph gave me an ultimatum at the beginning of summer stating I wasn't in the army anymore and nobody on the entire planet needed me before six so if I didn't stay in bed with her longer she would leave it. It worked and now I didn't get up until 5:30 most days and started my workouts between six and seven depending on her mood in the morning and if I could get her awake enough for morning sex. I groaned a little before reaching up and pulled her back down to the bed and crashed my lips onto hers. A few minutes went by before we both needed air but instead of diving back in she pulled the covers back and made a chop chop motion for me to get going.
By the time I was dressed for the day and back in the living room Steph and Julie had gotten breakfast put together and were packing up their backpacks and trading snacks to put in their packs. Next to them were Rosa and Bob who were already in their harnesses and attached to the Babe's belt that had clips for their leashes.
"Don't worry Dad Ella packed healthy snacks for you." Julie said as she pointed at my pack which was already packed and ready to go by the door. I had no doubt that Lester or Tank and Ella helped them pack it. We all grabbed our bags and headed out the door down to the garage where Tank, Hector, Cal, and Manny were waiting by three SUV's. Manny and Cal took our bags and loaded them into the already packed bins.
"Okay Carlos are you ready for your birthday camping expedition?" Steph asked, turning around to face me after handing off her backpack.
"I'm as excited as I get Babe but are absolutely sure about this you've never striked me as someone who likes being outdoors."
"I'm not but Julie wanted to experience it and the other men promised me that it wasn't as bad when you go with seasoned professionals like all of you. Plus there's a nice beach not too far from the camping area for me, Jules, and the dogs can go too while you guys are out getting some guy time in." The last part she whispered into my ear so only I could hear.
I pushed a curl that escaped her ponytail behind her ear and a light peck on the lips as I directed her into the car. We all piled into the vehicles and headed out to State Park in Pennsylvania. My men unloaded the vehicles after parking and Tank went to check in for our reserved campsites. My Babe and Tank wanted to ensure privacy so they bought out all the campsites for the days we were here.
Once we received our passes we got back in the vehicles and drove to the designated campsite. We spent a few hours eating snacks and pitching the tents. Steph had bought a multi room tent so there was a common space in the middle but Julie had a separate room from me and Steph. The dogs would be able to stay with Julie or in the common area.
After everyone was settled we decided to do a hike after lunch to complete the day. I helped Julie and Steph into their backpacks making sure the straps were adjusted for maximum comfort. I put on my own backpack and we headed out. Rosa and Bob were able to be off their leashes on the trail and were enjoying getting to run around outside of Trenton. Tank took up the lead since he drafted the plans with Stephanie. After about 3 miles we came across a beautiful waterfall with a swimming hole. Steph and Julie wanted to go swimming so we set our bags down and enjoyed the cool water for an hour or so. I was surprised by how much fun Julie and Steph seemed to be having. Neither of them complained until we were in the last mile of our six mile hike. They even picked up a bouquet of flowers to take back to the campsite.
We got a campfire going when we got back and the men dug into some MRE's they brought along. Julie and Steph said they would try the meals but would be sticking to their hotdogs and chips. After two hotdogs Tank and the others gave in and scarfed down some of the extras Stephanie had thoughtfully brought along. When it got dark out we settled around the campfire. Manny turned out to be a wonderful singer and sang some songs. Then Julie and Steph tried to beat Tank and Cal at a chubby bunny contest. I gave in and had a bite of Steph's smore. We finalized the plans for tomorrow before we all went back to our tents.
SPOV
The second day of our camping trip we woke up to the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee the men had gotten up earlier to cook. Today Julie and I were planning to take the dogs to the beach at the lake near our campsite. I had booked Carlos and the men for an ATV and kayaking trip with a local adventure guide.
I knew Carlos was anxious about me taking Julie on our own little adventure today but I wanted to make sure that he still got his guy time during his vacation. I promised that I would take a SAT phone, my panic button, and a few concealed weapons with us. I also wrote out a very detailed schedule so he would always know where we were at least supposed to be. I even included the times it would take us to drive places. We did promise to join them for some fishing on the other side of the lake we were swimming at in the afternoon.
The men had to head out early after breakfast so we said our goodbyes and then got dressed in our swimsuits. We packed up some bags of food, beach towels, drinks, and items for the dogs. Before we left we locked up anything we couldn't easily replace in the other SUV.
I drove over the public beach and there were already a few families set up so we chose a spot near the back and off to the side. I decided to read and tan for a little while and Julie got some time in the water with the dogs. Eventually she talked me into getting into the water but it wasn't a big ask since it was quite hot outside. A little while later we were sitting up drying off before we had to get to the other side of the lake when Rosa suddenly got up from her position laying down next to me and started barking and running towards the water. I quickly got up from my laying down facing the ground position and turned around to follow her when Bob got up and started chasing her too. I tracked them to the waterline where a small boy had wandered too far out and was struggling to remain above water.
I immediately bolted from my position and yelled at Julie to get to the panic button and call 911. I hit the water moments later and swam out to the boy. The area he was in dropped off quickly from about a foot deep to 7 feet so it was easy to understand his struggle. Rosa and Bob had reached the boy first and were taking turns pushing him up to keep at the surface until I reached him. I got him into my arms and turned him around on his back into a floating position and pulled him back towards the shore until I was able to stand and more physically pick him up. I placed him on my hip as I walked up to the shore looking for his parent or guardian. No one came forward.
Julie came up along with another mom who had been nearby with a towel and we checked out the boy. He seemed to be okay but we needed to get him to a doctor to check for signs of dry drowning. He was clinging to me and refused to let go. He had blue eyes like mine and appeared to me about 3 years old. I comforted the boy for his name or about his mom or dad but he didn't respond so I told him about me and comforted him in my lap. The other mom had started walking around the beach looking for his family. About fifteen minutes later a young woman, maybe 30 years old, came running over, kneeling in front of the boy.
"Oh Jamie! You can't go running off like that! The water is dangerous! What have I told you, stay by the group! You could have died!" She was ranting at the boy. "Come on now, let's go back to the group." She started to grab at him but I stopped her when he refused to let go of me. Rosa and Bob recognized the fear in his eyes as a potential threat and moved in front of us and the woman has Binkie had taught them to do.
"Hey Lady! I don't know who you are or what you were so busy doing you couldn't watch your child but he's scared and I just saved his life. So before you drag him off I'm gonna need some answers. Who are you and where have you been?"
She looked at me, pursing her lips. I gave her a go on gesture as her eyes darted around. "Look ma'am thank you for watching over Jamie but I would have handled it."
"Oh really and where were you when he walked into the water?" She looked past me at a group of eleven other children all under the age of 15. They all looked slightly scared and none of them looked like they were having any fun at this beach. Thankfully the other mom had returned with the local sheriff and a paramedic.
"We got a 911 call about a drowning boy." The officer said.
"Yes this is him, Jamie, he wandered out over there and quickly got caught up in the deep water. My dogs noticed and immediately ran to his aid as I followed and my daughter Julie called you. This woman here claims to be in charge of him."
The sheriff took a knee in front of Jamie who was still shivering with fear from the incident. Bob had laid down putting his head in the boy's lap so Jamie could pet him. "Hey Jamie. Sounds like you had a pretty eventful day. Can you tell me who is in charge of you?"
Jamie pointed at the woman but didn't say anything. The sheriff turned to the woman who was now looking fairly angry. "Ma'am what is your relationship to this boy?"
"He's my foster son. Along with those kids over there." She pointed at her herd of kids. The paramedic was now checking out the boy to ensure he was okay.
"Ma'am what were you doing when this boy wandered into the lake?"
"I was helping my daughter take some pictures of her enjoying our day at the lake."
"She also took about 15 minutes to even notice the boy was missing." I added in.
The sheriff wrote that information down in his notebook. "Ma'am I'm going to need your license and we will need to take you back to the station to review your paperwork to be in the care of all these children. Is your husband with you?"
"No, he's a busy man. I'm sorry officer but I don't see what the problem is. He's safe and everything is okay. Why can't I just take my children home?"
"Ma'am you admitted to not watching over your foster children and one of them almost died in your care. I am required to report this incident to the state."
Her eyes grew angry and she attempted to make a lunge for Jamie. I immediately stood up putting me eye to eye with her slipping her wrists into a locked position behind her back. "Listen lady, I said it once and I will say it again. You will not be taking this boy from this beach until you give this nice officer the information he needs and clears you." I forced my voice into a deeper register to get my point across.
As I was releasing her hands so the officer could continue his questions Carlos and the merry men came running over to us. "Babe! Are you okay? What's happening? Officer, is everything okay?" He looked very stressed out. It was only then that I remembered the panic button and realized how frightened he must have been to hear it was pushed. "We were packing up the kayaks when Lester called saying you had pressed your panic button. We got here as fast as we could but the roads don't really allow for speeding." Tank and the other men were busy securing the scene from the onlookers. The other children had also moved to come stand by the woman.
"Carlos! I'm okay and Julie's okay. Jamie here." I gestured to the boy who was still sitting on the ground beside me. "Accidentally walked into the deep water and started to drown Rosa and Bob noticed the situation and alerted me so I saved him. I pressed the panic button because I knew that it would increase the chances of the police getting here faster."
He gathered me into a hug whispering in my ear that he was relieved before turning to the officer. "Officer, do you have everything you need from us?" Clearly wanting to remove us from the traumatic situation but I knew we couldn't leave yet.
"Wait Carlos. We are helping this kind officer sort out some custody issues. This woman is apparently Jamie and these 10 boys and girls over here foster mom." I put on my blank face so Carlos could see the issue was more serious.
"That's right by the way you can call me Officer O'Brien." He turned back to the woman "Ma'am I'm only gonna ask one more time I need your license and for you to come with me to the station to review the paperwork for this incident."
"Fine. But what do I do with my children?"
"Can your husband come and pick them up?" O'Brien asked.
She scoffed at the suggestion "Good luck getting a hold of him."
"Officer we have some men here and a few large vehicles we can help you get the kids to the station until you clear all of this up." I offered.
"If you could, that would be great." He looked relieved. "Jolene, is the boy okay that we can take him with us?"
"Yes the boy is fine, he's not showing any signs of further distress and his lungs sound clear. I recommend a follow up with his primary doctor though within the next week and for him to be rushed to the hospital immediately if he begins to show signs of distress." We all nodded acknowledging the paramedics advice before she packed up and went back to her rig.
"Okay. Well let's get packed up." I said. Ranger and Julie took care of getting all of our beach things together as Tank and Hector helped corral the kids into the SUV's. I picked up Jamie and carried him over to sit in the sheriff's backseat next to his foster mom. Carlos wasn't crazy about me not riding with him but the officer wanted me to go with him as insurance that the Merry men would steal the children. Cal and Manny took our belongings, the dogs, and Julie in the third SUV back to the campsite to wait for our return.
About 20 minutes later we arrived at a small sheriff office on the outskirts of the forest. He led us inside. The room was small but we were all able to fit inside. There were two other Sheriffs in the office who offered us places to sit and got the children into a small conference room in the back with snacks and closed the door. Ranger was talking to Officer O'Brien and the woman who's name I still hadn't learned was directed to sit at a chair next to the officer's desk. I was still holding the boy who had fallen asleep in my arms and was offered one of the other officer's desk chairs to sit in.
"Okay here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna call CPS to come and evaluate this situation and you Ms. Scaler. My colleagues here are going to take your statement Ms. Plum so that you and your men can get out of here today."
I answered about twenty minutes of questions by one of the sheriff's partners. The other one was in the conference room with Tank and Hector entertaining the other kids. After I was done we got ready to leave. I had given the officers my contact information as well as Ranger's so they could follow up with us as needed. We were about to leave when I tried to wake up Jamie so I could say goodbye.
"Jamie. Come on sweetie, it's Stephanie from the beach. Can you open your eyes?"
"Stepie" he said as his eyes fluttered awake missing the H sound in my name.
"Sweetie I have to go now but these nice officers are going to take care of you."
"Nooo! Please stay Stepie. I don't wanna go with her, she meanie" He looked at me pleading with his sad little eyes. I looked up at Carlos.
"Carlos I can't just leave him. Not until we know that he is safe in the care of these people."
"I understand. Hector!" Hector came over from the conference room. "Get in contact with Lester and help the sheriff run a background check on this family." Hector moved to make the phone call outside.
"Officer O'Brien, may I speak to you?" Carlos asked. "This boy is clearly afraid to go home with this woman. As I told you I am a Captain in the US Army with contacts in all branches of law enforcement. I also run a national security company and one of our services is background checks. Please allow me to help you and expedite this case."
The officer quickly accepted, happy for the help. Carlos made a call and half an hour later we were meeting with a few members of the Pennsylvania FBI and CPS. Hector had gotten Lester to run a background check who forwarded it to the Sheriff's email. From the search we found that the woman and her husband were not good people. They posed as a happy couple to foster the children for the monthly paycheck from the government. The illusive father was a local businessman who owned a used car lot. The CPS and FBI agent called for backup and took the children back into custody of the state. The woman Loretta Scaler was taken into custody and a warrant was put out for her husband.
I asked the CPS agent what was going to happen to the children. "Well the kids will be placed in a children's home tonight and then those who are eligible will be placed in new foster homes starting tomorrow."
"Oh, is there any possibility that I can take custody of Jamie? I know it may seem over the top but I just can't imagine leaving him after the day he's had."
"Ms. Plum, you said that you are a resident of New Jersey?"
"Yes we are here on a family camping trip. If we need to stay at a hotel we can arrange that."
"No, it is fine, give me a minute to call my boss."
I walked over to Carlos and told him my proposal. He was understanding of my concerns and called Cal and Manny to pack up the campsite and check into the Lakewoods Resort that was on the other side of the lake from our campsite. We would meet them there when we were released. We also talked to Julie on the phone to make sure she would be okay with everything. She was excited about the prospect of having a younger brother again.
The CPS agent returned a few minutes later. "Ms. Plum and Mr. Manoso good news apparently a General Miller of the U.S. Army is the brother of my boss. Well to say he immediately approved of you two is an understatement. I will need you to sign these papers and visit my office at this address tomorrow morning to finalize everything. Because Jamie is a ward of the state and the General called in a favor once the paperwork is completed the boy is immediately eligible to remain under your care and travel with you to New Jersey if you are still willing to take custody of the child as his foster parents." I looked up at Carlos and he was immediately able to read my thoughts.
"Ma'am I can say with absolute certainty that we are willing and would love to take the boy in."
We signed the paperwork and got the directions to the woman's office for the morning. We were supposed to be heading back to Trenton tomorrow anyways so I'm glad it all worked out. I will need to call Bobby and Lester with the updates to our schedule though. We said goodbye to the sheriffs, FBI agent, and the CPS agent and allowed Jamie to say goodbye to his foster siblings. Turns out he didn't know any of them too well so there weren't any hard feelings as he had only been with the family for a few weeks.
The CPS agent gave us a car seat to put him in so we strapped him up in the backseat. Tank and Hector took the other SUV back.
"Are you really okay with this?" I asked Carlos when we started driving.
"I'm so proud of you Babe. You were amazing today. You saved the boy's life and stood up for all those kids. It will be an adjustment having a toddler in the house but we have an army of help back home. But just so you know I still want to have a child with you someday."
"Then here's to someday" I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
When we got back to the resort it was just past dinner time so we ordered to go from the hotel restaurant and took it back to the room. Cal and Manny had gotten 4 rooms for the Merry Men and then a two bedroom suite for Carlos and Me. Julie had her own room and the hotel had a crib that we could use for Jamie for the night. The kids were quite tired so we tucked them in for bed and returned to the living area to go over the day.
Hector got Lester, Bobby, Ella, and Luis on a virtual call so they could join us. Ranger directed the meeting. He explained the drowning, the mysterious woman with the many foster children, the findings from the background checks and the legal results. Lester added that the father had been picked up at a bar about 10 miles from where we were drunk as a skunk with his pants at his ankles getting serviced by a local prostitute. Ranger then asked HEctor what he had found on the background check of the young boy. His name was Jamie Olson and he was from Philadelphia. His parents died in a car crash six months ago and he had not other family willing or able to take the child in so he was put into the system. His first foster home finally got the baby he had been trying to adopt so he was moved to the Scaler's about a month ago.
I stepped in to complete the story "Thanks Hector. So I'm sure your wondering why he is with us then and not back with the CPS. Well I knew that I couldn't let him live that life any longer especially after the traumatic events of the day. So Ranger made some calls and turns out General Miller's brother is the director of CPS in this area so we got an expedited and immediate custody of Jamie. Obviously this changes the plans for the week. But I have a plan Lester please move days three and four into day five and contact those involved with day 5 that we will need to reschedule."
"Will do Beatiful! Proud of you for saving that boy today Stephanie." Lester replied
"Thanks Les. Ella and Luis can you please stop by our house and prepare one of the guest rooms for a three year old boy?"
"Yes mija. Does the boy have any favorite things?"
"Yes he likes the color blue and mentioned that he likes cars and truck while we were waiting. If you could get him some books that would be great too. Also he is a 3T." We all talked a little longer and me and Carlos thanked everyone again for their support and made plans for tomorrow.
"Thank you Carlos, really thank you for everything. I'm sorry we have to change up your week off" I said to him as we held each other in bed tonight.
"It's not a problem Babe, in fact I should be thanking you for changing my life. As long as I'm with you I don't care how I spend my days. No matter what life throws at us or how many kids we have or where we are in the world. I meant what I said earlier Steph. I want to make you my wife someday and I want to watch your belly grow bigger with my child as well. I love you Stephanie no matter what it's me and you forever and always."
"I love you too Carlos forever and always." Tears had slipped from my eyes and he wiped them away as we shared a deep kiss. This kiss was different though it was like all of our promises and love were being affirmed and I knew that everything was going to work out.