Lester and I tried for two years to get pregnant again. My hormone levels got messed up after taking the injectable contraceptive for nearly three years. It didn't help that Lester got called upon to resume an undercover role. I knew it was possible, but did it have to happen close to my due date? Ranger and Ram deployed with my husband to assist with his task.
How strange was it for us to conceive before he volunteered for a six-week mercenary deployment to assist his cousin? I shook my head. It seemed to be the way with our two boys. My husband was always away when I discovered the pregnancy. He had jokingly said he was expecting to come home and hear me vomiting from morning sickness. I didn't find it amusing.
My husband was home for most of my appointments with Celia. During my checkup at thirty weeks, Lester got the call to reprise an undercover role from his last tour before joining the special ops program. He had two days to select two teammates, then report for duty. I knew the Army would call him. Dad warned me about the possibility. It was the last year the military could ask Lester to serve.
After I had Frankie, Lester wanted to give up military life. His handler, General Tony Rogers, talked him into signing for three years or five missions. The caveat was reprising any previous undercover role during his Army career. Lester didn't participate in the Rangers' covert operatives, at least not in the same capacity as his cousin. He got included in the missions to distract the opposing militia by exploding things so his comrades could escape. I couldn't believe the Army called on Lester to serve when he had one month left on the contract. It was their last chance to pull him back into the hellish jungles of Brazil.
Lester left seven weeks ago for his final mission; we didn't know how long he'd be gone. The deployment could be as short as eight weeks or as long as four months. I was worried he wouldn't be home in time for our daughter's delivery.
Dad was unable to gather intel for the length of Lester's mission because he was busy training the recruits for the Rangers. My dad would leave for nine weeks in the spring and fall to complete his training requirements. He loved the job since it didn't impact his lifestyle much. Most of the planning could be done from home.
Vince and Hector moved into the house to help me with the boys. I loved watching them chase after the little hellions. Mateo was a calm child, but Frankie was wild like me. The memory of Frankie "tagging" Mateo with a toy stun gun made me smile. Why the heck did the toy manufacturers make ridiculous toys? Thank goodness it didn't shock anyone. The edge turned red when it touched bare skin.
I felt the strength of a contraction build and continued thinking about the toy stun gun someone bought for Mateo and Frankie. It was the memory I chose to get me through the contractions. Lester and Ranger were hilarious when Mateo stunned them. I loved how they pretended to get shocked and drop to the floor. Frankie's laughter was infectious. Mateo enjoyed making his brother laugh.
"Momma, are you okay?" Mateo asked when my grin turned to a grimace. Mattie turned six a few weeks earlier. Frankie turned five a few weeks before Mattie's birthday. My little girl was due in three weeks. Apparently, she didn't read the memo.
Turning my head, I looked into my son's eyes and calmly asked, "Can you call Tia Celia?" I had gone into labour the previous afternoon. My contractions were twenty minutes apart for the longest time. They suddenly dropped to five minutes apart. Maybe I wasn't tracking them accurately.
"Are you having the baby?" Mateo wondered, his eyes wide with shock and excitement. Frankie peeked around the kitchen doorway, waiting for my answer. He moved closer to help if needed.
I stroked Mateo's face as I smiled at my oldest son. "It seems that way. I'm not travelling to the clinic. Tell Tia Celia to bring everything here," I replied.
Having heard the conversation from his hiding spot in the dining room, Frankie yelled for his uncles, Vince and Hector. Vince was in the kitchen cooking dinner while Hector was in the basement doing laundry. Or maybe Hector was using the gym. It was hard to keep track of everyone in the house.
Mateo called his Tia Celia, who was visiting Cassidy a few doors down. "Tia is coming, Momma," Mateo announced. He ended the call with his aunt, then contacted Tio Tank. I listened as he explained the situation to Tank and said I couldn't go to work.
"Thank you, Mattie. You're a good helper," I said.
"Am I a good helper?" Frankie asked, not wanting to be left out.
"Always." Frankie and Mateo went to the kitchen to get something to eat. They always seemed to be hungry.
I listened to Vince instructing the boys to wash their hands and sit at the table for dinner. He would keep them from interfering when Celia, Cassidy and Taylor arrived. Celia brought the other women to assist with the delivery. I heard them talking outside.
The doorbell rang. Since I always locked my door, I rolled off the couch to answer it. Hector got there first. I bent over at my waist as a contraction hit. Why did they have to come on so strong? Wasn't every delivery supposed to be different? I refrained from using Mom's favourite saying, "Why me?"
Speaking of Mom, she was at Valerie's house helping with the children. Valerie was a baby-making machine. She had six kids. Or was it seven? I had to run the names through my mind. Angie, Mary Alice, Alan, Sara, Vince, Spencer and Ellie. Right… seven. Ellie was born a few weeks ago. Cal got snipped after Ellie was born. He is intelligent but should have had the vasectomy two or three kids earlier. Valerie retired from Rangeman to spend time with the children. I didn't mind since Jeanne Ellen replaced her as my right-hand gal.
Jeanne and Ranger stopped hooking up. It seemed Jeanne wanted a commitment with the man whose life didn't lend itself to relationships. He ended their arrangement with no hard feelings. She started dating Manny Ramos. Ranger seemed happier not having to answer to a woman.
Mateo ran into the room as my water broke. He screamed, then ran back into the kitchen, shouting, "Momma's hurt." Frankie soundlessly followed his brother, willing to offer support or comfort. My middle child was gentle and loving like his father but wild and adventurous like me, a perfect blend of our personalities.
"Matt, sit at the table. Stay there, and don't leave," Vince ordered. I heard the chairs scrape across the tiles, followed by Mateo crying. Frankie murmured to his older brother, attempting to comfort him from being scared something was happening to me.
Celia got Hector to arrange the living room furniture to help deliver my daughter. Cassidy grabbed towels and other supplies Celia needed while I lay on the coffee table. Hector sat behind me to hold my legs into position. Taylor kneeled beside Celia while Cassidy wiped my face with a cool, damp cloth. My daughter took two hours to deliver. She was a little stubborn.
Her hair was white-blond like Frankie's. I was disappointed she didn't resemble me. Hector held me as I embraced my newborn daughter. Lester wanted to name our girl Andrea Charlotte. I couldn't wait until my husband came home to see our little Andy. She was gorgeous.
I expected to see Lester walking through the front door. He missed watching his daughter's birth. Instead of focusing on his absence, I searched Andy's face for any feature resembling mine. Andy had my chin and nose. She was too young to determine who she'd look like.
After Celia and Taylor cleaned me, Hector carried me upstairs to my bedroom, leaving Vince to put Andy in her crib. Cassidy took the towels and blanket from the coffee table to launder.
Mateo and Frankie crawled into my bed to cuddle. "Thank you for listening to Tio Vince," I said, kissing my sons' heads.
"Does having babies hurt?" Frankie asked. I smiled lovingly at my son.
"Only for a little while," I replied honestly. I didn't want my sons to think it was painless to give birth. I also didn't want them to think labour was so painful that women wouldn't want another child. "It's worth it when I get wonderful, loving children like you and Mateo."
"Are you having another baby after Andy?" Mateo asked.
"I don't know. That's a decision for your Dad and me," I replied.
"I'm sad Daddy missed being home for Andy," Mateo said.
"Me too, Mattie. He got home when you and Frankie were born," I reminded him. I was sad Lester didn't get home this time. The possibility of him missing Andy's birth was low, but our daughter had to be born early. Though, we couldn't predict when he would get home.
I was exhausted from chasing after two boys and working full-time while pregnant. It completely zapped my energy. I prayed Andy would resemble me enough that Lester would agree to stop having children. My boys cuddled with me until I fell asleep, with Rangeman and my kids weighing on my mind.
We invested too much money into Rangeman to burn out by raising children. I understood why Ranger didn't want the distractions. Children have appointments with doctors and dentists. Then there were school and parent-teacher meetings. I loved that my friends helped with my kids. Lester and I couldn't have done it without them.
Valerie joined the PTA, which I refused to attend. I had too many responsibilities with Rangeman. Our business was expanding despite selling our Atlanta branch. It wasn't performing to our expectations. Cutting the branch loose was a difficult but necessary decision. It was draining our profits. Rangeman repaid the debt owed to me for the building. We used that money to expand.
The following morning, Bobby arrived to check on me while Vince cooked breakfast for the boys. Bobby distracted me from the overwhelming thoughts inside my head. "A buddy of mine said the men are supposed to head home. It would take a few weeks for them to hike from the jungle," Bobby said. I interpreted Bobby's intel as the men had nobody helping to extract them. Lester, Ranger and Ram were on their own.
Celia entered my bedroom. Sitting on the edge of my bed, she gently rubbed my right calf. "They have help," Celia announced. Bobby raised and eyebrow. I probably wore a goofy expression. "I wasn't eavesdropping. Your voice carries, Bobby."
"What do you know about the mission?" Bobby asked.
"Not much," Celia confessed. "Hal, Binkie and Erik left a few hours ago. They're heading on a rescue mission. Ranger called Hal for assistance. I don't know the details."
It must be bad if Ranger called the Calvary. "God, it's me, Stephanie. Please bring Lester and the others home safely," I prayed.
Three weeks later, while changing Andy's diaper, I heard my favourite voice shout, "Honey, I'm home."
Mateo and Frankie's footfalls sounded from the kitchen at the back of the house to the living room at the front. Squeals from the boys got me smiling.
"Hey, Andy. Daddy's home. I can't wait for him to see you," I whispered. Andy stared at me. Her legs kicked as I tried to wrangle her into the black onesie with "Daddy's princess" written in pink across the chest.
I carried our daughter downstairs to meet her Dad. Lester ran up the stairs, stopping when he saw the wrapped bundle in my arms. "I missed it," Lester said. He sounded devastated to miss his daughter's birth.
"She was born twenty-three days ago," I replied.
"We named her Andy, right?"
"Yes. Andrea Charlotte," I answered. Lester's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He removed our daughter from my arms and descended the stairs. Lester sat on the sofa and stared at his daughter. "Boys, can you find Hector or Vince?"
"Why?" Frankie asked.
"Because Daddy and I need to talk." Mateo and Frankie hugged their Dad before searching for Tio Hector and Tio Vince.
I patiently waited until they ran down the basement stairs. The muffled "Walk, don't run" made me smile.
"Are your missions done?" I asked, getting to the first point—my question regarding procreation needed to wait.
"Yes. I received my honourable discharge papers. The Army can't call me back," Lester replied. "Steph, I've been thinking a lot lately. I love our sons and our daughter, but I don't want more children."
"Thank God," I muttered. "Why the change of heart?"
"We have a daughter," Lester replied. I giggled, then examined my husband for injuries. The stern expression in his eyes concerned me.
"Did something happen during your mission?" I quietly asked. Suddenly, I was afraid Lester cheated on me.
Lester stroked Andy's cheek. He noticed the swing beside the coffee table, then placed Andy inside. Lester buckled Andy in the seat, then wound the lever to make it swing from side to side. There was no danger of our daughter hitting the table.
"Steph, my beautiful wife. I never compromised our vows or my morals. The situation was despicable. Ranger took one for the team. He seduced the woman into disclosing her uncle's location. Ram and I pretended to be lovers to keep her away from me."
"Did you have to kiss him?" I asked. My lip twitched as I anticipated his answer.
"Thankfully, no. I never kissed anyone during the mission," Lester replied. He kissed me while pulling me onto his lap. I straddled his hips. We couldn't have sex for a few weeks, but my husband knew how to get around the restrictions.
I whispered. My lips brushed against his as I asked, "Then what's the problem?"
"Beautiful, I missed you and our children. I want to be here with my family. Watching that asshole drug lord killing his wife and daughters sickened me. He did despicable things to them before he put a bullet in their brains. The niece, the woman Ranger seduced, took her frustration out on Ram. He's in the hospital, healing from his injuries. It put everything into perspective for me. I want a life filled with love. Taking risks isn't attractive. I'm stepping back from Rangeman to spend quality time with our children and you," Lester explained.
"Oh. I told Tank that I was working from home indefinitely. Most of my duties got dispersed among the Merry Men. I still approve or deny requests, but Ranger would handle most of the CEO's responsibilities. Jeanne Ellen, Binkie and Vince are managing the client meetings," I said.
Lester and I discussed our expectations. Sure, Lester was taking a step back, but he was still part of the core team. We would manage our departments, offering suggestions to our assistants to maintain the quality of Rangeman's services. Lester and I planned to travel to the other offices during the children's school breaks.
Rangeman Atlanta went into the crapper because we didn't closely monitor their activities. We got too focused on expanding the company and not maintaining the active branches. The Atlanta management team thought they set the standards. They couldn't have been more wrong with their faulty logic.
Ranger looked murderous. He flew to Rangeman Atlanta, attempting to beat them into shape. His efforts were fruitless. The manager bucked orders, forcing our hand. Out of spite, we sold the Atlanta branch to the competition, who replaced the entire staff. I had solid proof of their work ethics and the contracts they signed to uphold the Rangeman protocols and procedures.
"What's on your mind?" Lester asked when I seemed to be distracted.
"I was thinking about the time we closed Rangeman Atlanta. Most of the guys were innocent. We didn't realize there was an issue until the workers emailed me," I replied. Lester shook his head, then tipped up my chin to kiss me. Andy chose that moment to wake up, screaming.
Mateo and Frankie returned to the living room, realizing their father and I won't continue our discussion if Andy needed me to feed and change her.
I stopped the swing's momentum, unbuckled the strap, and pulled Andy from the seat. She cried as I carried her upstairs to change her diaper.
When I returned, Vince passed Lester the bottle Vince warmed for Andy. Mateo was telling his Dad a story. "I almost wet my parents from fright."
Lester replied, "What would you wet them with? Water from the garden hose or your piss?"
Mateo retorted, "Dad, I didn't say parents; I said pants. Right, Mom?"
"No, sweetie, you said parents."
My son shrugged it off and continued with his story. God knows how much I loved my family. All of my happiness began with loving a Santos.
