Chapter 23 - A Jolly Good Fellow

LPOV - On the Road

The week had passed quickly. Me and Bobby updated the rest of the men the following morning on the changes to the week and assigned several of them to help Ella and Luis with preparations for getting the house ready for their return.

A little after 1400 on wednesday the travelers returned. I was amazed by Jamie when I looked into the same blue eyes as Stephanie but his hair was a lighter brown than hers. Either way he definitely looked like he could be her son. He was a little shy but Ella had given us all different toys that we could offer him so we wouldn't be so scary. When he arrived he had surprisingly already warmed up to Hector and Manny despite them being our scariest men. After stopping by the office Ranger and Steph took their family back to their house.

The next day the core team visited the happy family to find they were settling in nicely and had adjusted to family life quickly. They knew that it would change again next week when everyone went back to work but Steph and Ranger were committed to ensuring the kids were comfortable first. Today is Friday and Steph had asked me to rearrange her original plans so that the past two days' activities would take place today. Me and Bobby were currently on our way over to their house to pick Ranger up.

"Hey look over there" Bobby said as we passed a brick home on a large plot of land. "That house is for sale."

"Wow it's great but what do you think Ranger would say if we bought the house next to his?"

"I don't know but it would be fun wouldn't it?" We both laughed at the idea as we pulled up to the gate of Ranger's house and then up the long driveway. Stephanie, Julie, and Jamie were standing on the porch still in their PJ's but they waved goodbye to all of us as Ranger got into the passenger seat and Bobby moved back.

"So how is Captain Ricardo Carlos Manoso the All American family man?" I teased.

"You know a year ago I would have never pictured this life or even thought it was possible but I can honestly say this is the happiest I have ever been. Julie, well she's my superstar. I see so much of myself in her. Jamie we've only had him for two days but he's got spirit like Stephanie's and despite the traumatic life he's had seems to be adjusting well. And Stephanie, well let's just say don't be surprised if we're all married by the end of the year."

"We wanted to talk to you about that man. Ask you if you've given any thought into joining us in the married men club?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, every second of every day. I talked to Julie about it on our trip and she's on board so now I gotta start shopping for a ring."

"Have you made any plans for a proposal?" I asked.

"No, I was gonna try and see if Lula, Mary Lou, or her sister could help me get intel on what she would want. All I know is Julie asked to be there to be the first to congratulate us."

"That's cool. Well let us know if you need any help." I pulled into the lot of the airport hangar.

"Okay so as a birthday gift to you from us we are taking you skydiving! Steph was gonna join us but obviously circumstances have changed but she wanted to ensure that you still got to do this. Don't worry though if she still wants to go on a later date we will take her."

I looked between us, relaxing his blank face. "Thanks Guys. Look, don't think I'm getting all sentimental now cause I will still kick your ass but seriously thanks for looking out for me and my family."

"Your our family too Primo, not just cause Lester really is your cousin but because it's the family we choose, we will always be there for you." Bobby said.

"Yeah Cuz, Plus we're gay so now you don't have to worry about one of us stealing Beautiful from you although we could be neighbors soon!" I added in.

"What?!" Ranger eyes darted between me and Bobby as he tried to determine if we were being serious.

"Relax cuz we're not serious. At least for now." I winked at Bobby.

Ranger slammed his blank face back in place staring us down but he didn't say anything before angling out of the truck.

SPOV - The Batcave

I was sitting in the living room on the couch with Julie on one side and Jamie on the other watching Finding Nemo. The doorbell rang so I got up to get the door. I knew it was Hector and Manny since I had used my phone to let them into the gate a minute ago.

"Hey guys! Thank you so much for jumping in to help!" Tank and Lula were supposed to help but Sarah, their foster daughter, fell down while riding her bike earlier today and broke her wrist so she needed to go to the hospital and Samuel, her brother, didn't want to be separated so I had to call in the back ups.

"No problem Hermana. We love your little munchkins." Hector said.

"Well they're pretty tired, they had a long day. They haven't eaten dinner yet but they've spent almost all their time in the pool. I ordered some pizzas from Pino's for all of you Cal is picking them up on his way over." I led them back to the living room and paused the movie. I walked around to move around to kneel in front of the two little ones that I had quickly come to see as my children.

"Julie, Jamie. Uncle Hector and Manny are here to spend the night with you and Uncle Cal is on his way. Remember what we talked about earlier. This is just temporary me and Carlos will be back in the morning and we are going to spend a super fun day in New York together!"

"Okay Stepie. As long as you come back. Last lady was mean but mommy and daddy never came home." He looked up at me with sad eyes so I scooped Jamie up and put him in my lap. "Of course Jamie and we are only one phone call away and can be here in fifteen minutes if you need us. Although you're gonna have so much fun with Julie and your uncles that by the time you remember we're gone we will already be home. Isn't that right Julie?" I told my little boy. Julie affirmed my statement.

"Okay Stepie but I want ice cream!" Everyone started laughing as Jamie gave us a toothy grin. I set him down on the couch and took Hector and Manny to the kitchen to show them where the ice cream was for after dinner. I didn't have to worry about the safety protocols since Carlos had all the Core Team members go through training on our house and Hector was the one who set it all up.

I gathered my bag from my room and then said my goodbyes after Cal had arrived. Getting into my Cayenne I headed over to Rangeman. I took the elevator to the sixth floor to check in with Ella and ensure that everything had been set up before heading up to seven. I jumped into the shower and prepped my body for the night. I skipped any styling of my hair and only put on some lipstick since we would be staying in tonight. I got the food out of the oven and set the table for dinner. I was going to cook for him but with the new additions I had Ella prepare the food instead. I checked my watch and Carlos should be home in a few minutes so I slipped on my outfit and waited for him to arrive.

RPOV

This day had been exactly what I needed to destress from all the hours I have been working lately. I had hoped that adding the additional team members would cause less of a work load on me but the business was rapidly growing with Stephanie's guidance. I was super proud but we will need to hire some more men soon.

Normally my relief came from spending time with my family but sometimes I just needed a day to do guy things with my men and I was so happy that my Babe understood that and planned these activities for me. I was curious what events she had canceled to accommodate Jamie coming into our lives and I was looking forward to spending the day in New York with my family tomorrow.

We spent the morning going over the protocols with the company they found. We did two jumps and they were exhilarating. But after the second jump, instead of thinking about when I'd get to go again, I thought about my family back home and what they were doing today. I loved being an army man and I had every intention to make it a lifelong commitment but now my priority has changed.

The second jump had us landing in a field that was right next to a paintball course where several of my men including Ram, Zero, Zip, Woody, Binkie, and a few of the newer guys met up with us to play a few rounds. We split up into teams and played a capture the flag style game. I was captain of one and Lester the other. My team took the overall prize but Lester's team won a few rounds too. Afterwards we took SUV's back to Rangeman. Apparently the guys had picked up the one at the hangar while we were jumping.

When we got back I went to get into my 911 to drive home. When I sat down there was a note taped to the steering wheel.

Carlos,

Seven. Right now.

Love, Stephanie

A huge grin spread across my face as I got out of the car and made my way to the elevator. I stepped off the elevator and then into the apartment. I set my keys and weapons down on the table in the foyer like always and made my way to the kitchen calling out for my Babe. She didn't answer but when I turned the corner the dining room table was set up with candles, rose petals, and a dinner made up of all my favorite Cuban dishes. I was so busy admiring the set up I hadn't noticed Steph had come out from the bedroom and was leaning against the door in a red teddy looking absolutely delectable.

"Babe" I quickly closed the distance between us planting a heavy kiss on her lips.

"Hey Batman" She said when we came up for air. "Shall we have dinner?"

I nodded at a loss for words as we moved over to the table. Dinner was amazing and me and Steph were able to catch up on the past few weeks and discuss the new additions to our family. We both agreed that we needed to cut back on work and promised each other to ensure we spend time together as a family doing a fun activity at least once a week. We finished up with dessert including a personal sized flan for me and a slice of chocolate cake for Steph.

"I have something for you." She got up to get a large gift bag and brought it over to me. "Happy Birthday Carlos"

I opened the bag and pulled out three packages. I opened the smaller one first. Inside the box was a beautiful leather shoulder harness to replace my other one that was starting to fall apart from years of use. On the inside she had it engraved to say Don't Get Shot. Forever and Always, Babe.

I picked up the second package, they were both the same size. Peeling back the paper I revealed a painted portrait of Julie. Steph had signed her name in the bottom so I knew she had done it.

"This is amazing Babe. It's so realistic. How long did it take you?" I asked tracing my fingers around the frame admiring the detail she had put into it.

"Well I've been working on them for about two months. We did portraits at my painting class earlier this year and I fell in love with it." I reached over to open the final package to find a self portrait of Stephanie with Rosa and Bob.

"Babe these, I, They're perfect I love it. Thank you so much. For these paintings, for this evening, for this whole week." Her face flushed pink from the compliments.

"Your welcome Carlos. I love you."

"I love you too Stephanie. But you gotta promise me one thing."

She started chewing on her lip. "Okay"

"It's not bad Babe." I moved to put my hand over her cheek. "I just want you to promise that you'll paint one of Jamie too."

She jumped up and straddled me on the chair. "Of course Batman! Now presents out of the way let's take this back to the bedroom" I put my arms around her leaning into a kiss as I carried her back to the bed where I spent the entire night making love to the woman I loved.

I woke up the next morning to Steph draped across my body so I placed some soft kisses to her neck slowly bringing her from her sleep.

"Good morning Carlos." She said into my chest.

"Good morning Babe." I started kissing down her body making sure to hit all of her sensitive spots before making myself comfortable between her legs. I worked her up using my tongue before switching to my fingers. She started grinding against me before completely exploding in passion. I let her calm before pushing myself into her and bringing her to another orgasm and allowing myself to go with her.

"Really Good Morning" she beamed up at me before flipping me over and taking control. It was the best sex I've ever had. Stephanie has truly ruined me for all other women. Steph had just finished riding me into bliss when our alarm went off and we knew we had to get ready to return home for today's activities. We took a joint shower before getting ready for the day and heading home to our children. It was the perfect night. Stephanie sure has made this a birthday week to remember.

We arrived home 15 minutes later. I heard the pitter patter of little feet running towards us as we walked through the garage door into the house.

"Daddy!" Julie yelled as she jumped into my arms.

"Stepie!" Jamie yelled as he jumped into Stephanies.

We said good morning to the children in our arms before switching and saying good morning to the other.

"Carlos you're home!" Jamie said as Steph transferred him into my arms.

"I am, little man. Did you have fun with your uncles?"

"Yes we eat pizza and ice cream and read hungry caterpillar and goodnight moon!"

"That's great!" We walked into the kitchen where my men were prepping breakfast. They had prepared pancakes with chocolate chips, bacon, and fruit. I let them finish before prepping an egg white omelet for myself and joining everyone at the table. After breakfast we said goodbye to the men and then headed upstairs to get ready to head out to New York City.

SPOV - NYC

We pulled up to the JW Marriott Hotel where we would be staying for the evening. I had booked the Presidential Suite for us. Carlos's parents and grandma were in one of the Terrace suites and Tank and Lula were in another suite. The rest of the hotel was booked out by the merry men and a few friends of Ranger's from other branches and his former missions that the core team said would be nice to include. They were instructed to arrive later in the day but I got us an early check in so Carlos wouldn't catch on to the surprise by running into someone he knew before the party.

After getting our luggage settled into the room we headed out for a full day of embracing the New York tourism circuit. We made stops at Times square, the Empire State building, and walked up the highline. We got sandwiches from a deli Julie had picked out and had a picnic in central park and a walk through the park. We ended the afternoon exploring the Central Park Zoo. Jamie loved the sea lions so we got him some souvenirs from the gift shop. Before heading back to the hotel we stopped at one of those New York gift shops and got all of us I Heart NY shirts and hats. Carlos was a good sport and wore the hat but he refused to put on the shirt.

As we were walking back to the hotel I sent a quick message to Lester to make sure the lobby was clear. We got back to the hotel and got ready for the party. Carlos thought we were just going to his sister's restaurant. Julie picked out a maroon dress for the evening so I set it out on the bed for her after her shower. Carlos was helping Jamie in the bath so I put on a long black dress and an open back with thin straps. As I was putting on some jewelry Jamie ran out of the bathroom butt naked. I caught him in my arms swinging him around into the towel Carlos was holding out.

After wrapping him up in the towel Carlos stood taking my outfit in. "Babe you look beautiful." He gave me his full thousand watter as he made his way back to the bathroom to finish getting them ready. I helped Julie put on a little makeup for the evening before we met the men in the living room area. Ranger was in one of his Armani suits and Jamie was in a tiny little suit Ella had picked up for me. He looked adorable.

After we loaded ourselves into the towncar I texted Lester that we were on our way. The driver pulled up to Marisol's where we went on our first official date. We entered the foyer of the restaurant and towards the double doors where the hostess stand normally was. I noticed Carlos start to put together something was up when there was barely any noise coming from the dining room. I held back Julie so Carlos who was carrying Jamie could cross the threshold in front of us.

"Surprise!" Everyone cheered when we entered the restaurant. Carlos whipped around to look at me a thousand watt smile.

"Babe. Did you plan all of this?"

"Yes Sir" I gave him a kiss on the cheek and took Jamie from his arms before turning him back around to greet his guests.

We said hello to Bobby and Lester who made some comments about buying a house that seemed to get Carlos worried. Then we made our way over to Tank and Lula with their twins who were a year younger than Jamie. Ronaldo, head of Miami and Carlos's cousin, and his wife April were also at their table with their son Matthew.

We moved to the next table and said hello to Ram and Zero and their girlfriends Jessica and Katie. To our surprise Vince had brought Hal's Sister Hannah as his date. Apparently the had gotten to know each other when him and Hal were recovering at the hospital and now she was planning to move to Trenton. Hal, Cal, Hector, and Manny were also at their table but they didn't have dates.

The next few tables consisted of one for men from Miami, one from Atlanta, one from Boston, and three tables of the single Trenton men. Then there were three tables full of Rangeman lawyers and accountants and their families including Val and Albert and the girls. They were extremely excited to meet Jamie and I could tell that him and Lisa were gonna be best buddies when she reached over to hand him one of the toys she was playing with and high fived him. The next table were some of the Colonels and Generals from Ranger's time in the army and their wives. I spent some time talking to General Miller thanking him for getting the red tape removed so we could adopt Jamie so quickly.

We finally made it to the front of the room where all of Ranger's siblings, their children, Ella and Luis, his mom and Dad and Abuelo Rosa welcomed us into their arms. We finally were able to sit down and I took the metaphorical stage at the front of the room when the house manager handed me the microphone. I welcomed everyone to the party and thanked them for taking the time to travel to New York. I finished off the speech but thanking Carlos for being such a great mentor, friend, boss, father, and most importantly the love of my life. I then handed off the microphone to Tank.

Dinner was served as the microphone was passed around the tables and many of the men taking time to say a few words of gratitude to my man. The waiters then rolled out a giant cake for Carlos with lots of candles to blow out after a rousing happy birthday which was a blend of english and spanish followed by a round of He's a Jolly Good Fellow. I also presented Carlos a check for five thousand dollars that would be donated to the charity of his choice since I knew he wouldn't want gifts. He gave a speech thanking everyone for the wonderful evening and said he would be donating the money plus another hundred thousand once he researches a good charity but he wanted to give back to an organization that helps children like Jamie find homes. The evening was finished off with dancing and mingling with the guests before we all took the shuttle buses I had hired back to the hotel.

"Thanks Babe. Not just for tonight but for everything this week was perfect even with the unexpected additions." Carlos told me after we tucked our children into bed. "And Just so you know I plan to even the playing field in october." He winked as he backed me into our bedroom.