It took too many months, but Matty helped me get through them and finally get this posted. The food and the gifts mentioned in it, I've seen online. The place they visit is based on what 'Ice Castles, LLC' builds. Everyone familiar belongs to Janet. The site is acting up again so I apologize in advance if there are more typos than usual.

Chapter 57

Ranger's POV

"Can you believe it's Christmas again?" Steph said to me. "It feels like my birthday just ended, yet we're already almost through the holiday season. I can still remember Julie laughing at Matty playing with all the wrapping paper more than his toys on our last Christmas."

"You'll say something similar when his birthday rolls around."

"It does seem like he turned one just yesterday. Hopefully, he'll enjoy his second birthday as much as he liked going through 'boot camp' on his first."

I watched our son, with a Cal-assist, 'drive' his child-sized Range Rover that is currently carrying a tabletop version of a Christmas tree for his Uncle to put on his desk. I've seen a lot in my life, but never did I picture Paracord being used to secure a holiday decoration to my son's toy. Steph's bewildered expression seemed to agree with this being something she herself couldn't have imagined before Matthew.

"As long as he has his people there, he'll be happy with just a balloon and a cake," I told her.

"I'm not a party planner, but I think we can do slightly better than that."

"We can and we will," I promised her. "Matty, you may need to help your Uncle Cal unload the tree. He may not be strong enough to handle it alone."

"I's bes stwong," he says, flexing more than even Santos could. "I elbs wiff da twee."

"Not only are you strong, you're a really, really good boy," his Mama told him.

His chin hit his chest as he nodded his agreement. "Mes and Pup-Pups dos it."

"I think I'm capable of helping," Cal assured us. "The tree is only a foot tall. My boots are bigger."

"How about you, the dog, and the Matty, untie it and then decorate it? You three will have it done in no time if Pup-Pup doesn't try to play with everything," my wife commented.

"I have to get ornaments for it, Steph. I wasn't expecting to have a tree this year, so one for my desk is a bit of a surprise."

"I know, I know ... we just sprung this on you. So you really shouldn't be shocked that there are already some ornaments on your desk."

He glanced at me, but I just pointed in the direction of his desk.

"Comes on, Unca Cal," Matty said, reaching up to take his Uncle's hand and tug him to the 'trunk' of his car. "Wes needs da twee."

"Yep, you definitely do," Steph said, bending down to give Matty a hug and head-kiss. "Daddy and I are going to help you guys so we'll be ready to go when GodUncleTank gets here."

"He'll wait," I said, but I was already following them to Cal's semi-personal space.

His eyes widened and then closed as the emotions hit him.

"Don't be mad at me," Steph told him, "but I knew Christmas would be tough for you, so we wanted to remind you that Owen is still here with you. When we went Christmas shopping, some motorcycle ornaments accidentally ended up in our cart."

"And the monogrammed silver 'O' ornament?" He asked.

"Okay, that was an on-purpose. We consider you our family, but we wanted to acknowledge yours too."

His fingers gestured her close for a hug. "Thank you, Steph," he whispered into her hair.

"Hey, Owen's technically family too because he's your cousin and you love him. We had to have him here for Christmas."

Luckily, Tank's arrival cut off what could've been an uncomfortable moment for Cal. It's one thing to appreciate someone's thoughtfulness, it's another to have to mentally battle every feeling that consideration stirs up.

After another hug for Cal, Steph stepped back and looked Tank up and down. "Maybe we should take a smaller Rangeguy with us. I'm not sure man-made ice castles cater to Tank-sized people."

"Funny," he replied. "I'm going. Someone needs to hold M.J. when you get too cold to feel him."

She sidled up to me and pressed a kiss to my jaw. "That's why I'm taking Ranger. Plus, he warms me up faster than anyone or anything else could."

I grinned down into her eyes. "It's my superpower, Babe."

"One of many. Right, Matty? Daddy is good at everything, isn't he?"

"Dada's owr hewo."

"He is," Steph agreed.

I cut her a look, but hearing those words - usually unprompted - from our son gets me every time.

"The highest point in the ice-place is twenty-five feet off the ground," Tank said, keeping the conversation on track. "I'll be fine."

My wife wound her arms like ivy around me. "Alright, it looks like our only concern then is Ranger - with his superhuman hotness -melting the 4,000 hours of work people put into the one-acre ice village."

If she believes I have that kind of appeal, who am I to argue? Tank felt the opposite way.

"The only way he'd melt the place, is with a friggin' flamethrower," my best friend replied, always ready to keep me humble.

"So we're safe and also ready to go once we get Matty's snowsuit and our 'we're outta here' bag," Steph said, giving me a flirty glance that said she stands by her earlier statement about my ability to turn the place from ice to water. "I don't want to subject my little man to his complete Winter-garb until we get there, so that takes ten minutes off our pack-up time."

"Wes decorwates gain," Matty told us.

"We do," Steph answered. "Daddy and Uncle Cal can handle the lights. I think our job should be to find the perfect spot for the letter."

Matthew took his mother's words extremely serious. While I strung the lights as Cal unwound the miniature multicolored strand, Matty and Steph looked the small pine over, trying to find the right place for the 'O'.

"What do you think, Matty?" Steph asked him, as Cal and I stepped back and left the tree to the experts. "Uncle Owen's 'O' should go at the top in place of an angel, shouldn't it?"

"Mes puts it dare," our son said, asking to be picked up just by holding out his arms to me.

I bent down and lifted him off his feet, and then Steph helped him wrap the ribbon around the tip of Cal's little Christmas tree.

"That's perfect," Steph told our baby. "Good job, Matty. Now let's get the motorcycles on. Uncle Cal, do you wanna help?"

He didn't have much of a choice. Matthew took the Harley ornament Steph held out to him and he turned to his Uncle with it outstretched in his little hand.

"Thanks, M.J. That's just the one I was eyeing."

"Yous elcome. I's dos more."

"You heard the man," I said to Cal.

"Did you change your mind about coming with us today?" Steph asked Cal. "We'll make room. Tank was already planning on taking his own truck."

"I don't want to ..."

"Do Not say you don't want to intrude. You could never do that. You want to come, you know you do," she said, cutting of his objections. "There can never be enough Merry Men with us."

"You sure? I was due to head home today for a quick visit before the holiday ..."

"But you're not in any hurry to," I finished for him. "No one can blame you. It's going to hurt no matter when you go back. Come with us today, and I'll get you on a plane tomorrow and back again whenever you need or want to leave. Time with Matty and Steph has a way of getting you through a rough patch."

"I don't know how true what Ranger says is," Steph told him, "but I do know we'd love to have you with us today and hopefully on Christmas ... for at least part of the holiday."

"Thanks. I might just do that."

"High five, Matty!" My wife exclaimed. "We've recruited Uncle Cal. I knew we'd have fun with Daddy and GodUncleTank, but now it's guaranteed. Let's get this tree decked out and then we can hit the road." She turned to me. "Ella promised hot chocolate for the trip, right?"

"Yes. Both white chocolate cocoa and the regular overly-sugared kind," I assured her.

She picked up another motorcycle ornament and gestured towards the tree. "Everyone grab a bike and let's do this. What?" She asked, when she noticed Cal's eyes darting away.

"Owen said that exact thing more than once."

"See? That's proof that he's with us ... and not just in your tattoo," Steph pointed out. "You can't see him ... but he's here."

A smile threatened. "He is. And he'd get a kick out of you."

She gave him a playful elbow-nudge. "Who wouldn't?"

She had beaten back his pain and didn't even need a weapon beyond her natural charm. We got busy, and within ten minutes, we were stepping back and letting Matty bask in the glow of his accomplishment. The tree is ... something, and something Matty and his Mama are extremely proud of. Like the tree in our apartment, this one is full-of-lights-bright, uniquely designed, and appreciated by all.

Steph's face reflected the happiness the different lights gave off. I bent my head and kissed the spot on her cheek highlighted by the pink glow of one bulb.

"Good work, Babe. You got this one done in three-quarters of the time as it took ours upstairs."

"I had help and this one is more than three-quarters of the size. Plus, we have a date I'm looking forward to getting started."

I'm also looking forward to Matty's reaction to the place. We found out thirty minutes later as Tank and Cal parked behind us in the lot reserved for the man-made village while we got Matthew into the rest of his snowsuit.

As we got our tickets scanned via phone, Steph and Matty were equally interested in what was happening all around us.

"You know," Steph said to us, "I had my doubts about this place, but it is pretty cool. Cold but cool."

"Had this been around when Owen and I were young," Cal added, "we would've placed bets on who'd destroy it first."

"Well, try to control yourself," Steph said, turning maternal on him. "Matty and I want to play a bit before you annihilate the place."

He held up his hand in a Scout's Honor gesture. "I'll be good. Can't vouch for Tank, though."

"I can," Steph answered. "After all, he is a heavily-trained peacekeeper. Since Val and Mare were busy, maybe I should've asked Eddie if he and his little monsters wanted to come so Matty can have more than just us to play with."

"Hell, Steph," Cal said, "if you were worried about me misbehaving, those Gazarra kids would've taken out the car long before they made it here."

"True. So that makes me a 'concerned citizen' not a 'bad friend'. I guess it's up to us to keep our Matty amused."

"You'll have no problems there, Babe. He enjoys whatever he's doing with you."

"That was my goal once I made it through the pregnancy." She crouched down to Matty's height and saw the massive ice sculptures and structures from his vantage point. "Which way should we go first?"

Matthew took his time contemplating the question considering his new position as point. After thirty seconds, he took mine and Steph's hands and headed towards the water fountain made out of solid ice. We tried to time this trip to fit between a finished nap and bedtime so he wouldn't be too tired or cranky to have fun, yet still be able to be here when the sun starts fading so he and Steph can see the lights embedded in the ice come on, which will likely give the place an even more North Pole feel. Matty kept hold of his Mama and I ... and I'm glad. The crushed ice paths are a concern even though he's geared head-to-toe in his Winter-wear.

Tank cleared the ten-foot entrance tunnel with room to spare and being one who's interested in how things work or are built, I found myself scanning the massive walls and ice towers, appreciating how much time, effort, and money, it took to make a literal frozen fortress from the ground up.

I didn't feel the cold, and I can tell Tank and Cal are just watching for dangers, not registering the temperature at all. Steph has her own radar where our kids and I are concerned that never shuts off, and she decided to pick Matty up as we walked to the fountain ... one so he wouldn't slip or fall, and two ... so he could look down into the water feature.

"Look, Matty," she told him, "I guess not all water freezes in Winter. Do you think it's special water?"

"Iz majicks," he answered.

"I think you're right ... it is magic. I know Pup-Pup's bowl freezes solid if I forgot to bring it in with us."

"It's harder to freeze when it's continuously moving water," Tank pointed out.

Steph shot him a look. "Magic it is," she declared. "We should all make a wish, just to see if the magic fountain helps them come true."

"And if you already have everything you could have wished for?" I asked my wife.

"Then you just ask for more of it," she answered, kissing our son and then me.

I did as suggested and was curious what her wish was. I've tried to provide everything she could want, but with the separation that has stayed steady between her parents and our family, I feel as though I failed her in not getting Helen to act like a loving parent ... or at the very least to stop acting period.

"Hope you don't mind," she said, turning herself to face me, "I stole your wish. But that ups the odds, right? If it comes true for one of us, we both win."

"We already have," I told her.

"Daddy's being sweet again," she said to Matty. "You remember how we handle that, don't you?"

He puckered up immediately and I met his kiss before Steph put his bundled-up body down on his snow boots. Steph is right, he does look like a Winter doll. Every part of his body, aside from the child-version of my own face, is covered in blue and black Thinsulated/insulated, water and windproof fabric. Maybe my wife is onto something, that little face ... with his bright blue eyes, always-present dimples, and enthusiastic smile that produces them, can not only melt the coldest hearts, but likely the 25,000,000 pounds of ice that creates this castle.

Tank, Cal, and I, all watched Steph and Matty disappear up one seven-foot-tall mountain and then reappear at the bottom of the ice slide. Both were clapping at having enjoyed the experience.

"Who said snow isn't fun?" My wife asked us, hugging Matty to her while he chose to stay sitting on her for a few seconds.

"That would be you, Babe," I reminded her.

"Yeah, Steph, you've cursed out Winter for as long as I've known you," Cal noted.

"I've changed my mind. Having an underground garage to keep my car snow-free, and Louis being obsessed with removing every snowflake that falls in the Rangeman lot, makes me actually not hate ice and snow and crap so much."

She helped Matty off her lap after a kiss, and she stood up with a hand-assist from our son. Even though he's still so young, he's learned from watching me and his Uncles that his Mama and Julie are always to be looked after.

I believed I was doing a good job of taking care of my wife until she stumbled as she went to take a step away from the base of the slide.

Tank and Cal reached for her, but I was faster. I caught Steph's eyes as she apologized.

"I'm sorry," she said to us. "I just tripped on a chunk of ice. I'm clumsy, we all know that. I may have to take back what I just said about cold weather. Clearly it's not my friend, even in a controlled environment."

Tank and Cal relaxed minimally, but I kept her in my sights.

"I'm okay," she assured me. "I promise, cross my heart. Matty, do you need a snack? We just got here and I already can go for one."

I dug out an Ella-made/Ella-grade granola bar from the bag we'd packed for the trip and I passed it to her. I then pulled out an organic applesauce pouch that Matty can hold onto even with his gloves on. There are snacks available here, but I'd prefer they both eat food I know - and can pronounce - the ingredients of.

"Give me some credit here," she told us, when eight pairs of eyes stayed on her. "I actually caught myself this time. Back in my Lula days, I would've face-planted for sure."

Tank cringed, likely at a traumatic memory involving that poison-green error in judgment. Cal was fighting a small grin at how true Steph's comment is. I slipped an arm around her and didn't let go as the five of us went through every tunnel, up every ice-hill, and thoroughly inspected every blue, green, pink, and purple-tinge room. When I felt a shiver run through my wife, I wrapped up the visit.

I'd call it a successful outing. Not only did all the outdoor activity have Matty falling asleep for the entire night as soon as we got back to Rangeman, but the Winter village put both Steph and Matthew - I'd say Cal and Tank too - in the mood to celebrate Christmas even more. The next day, my parents came over and helped Steph, Ella, and Matty, decorate what hadn't already been transformed in our apartment.

Our doors are all now wrapped as presents. Ella helped Steph and Matty make candy cane-heart wreaths to hang in the lobby, fourth and sixth floors, plus the control room got some 'sweetening' up. Our tree is still the focal point. It's even bigger than last year's and our son had input into what went on it. His love of cars rivaled his overall love for the 'Santa-season', so we have a seven-foot-tall, multicolored tribute to transportation. Julie was/is into more traditional decor ... Santa, snowmen, elves, candy canes. So cars being hung as ornaments is a new one for our family, but Steph made it work. Even Julie approves of the finished product.

She was FaceTiming me when Lester was walking around with Matty sitting on his shoulders, providing a human-ladder so Matthew could hang red shatterproof ornaments from the faux Holly garlands strung throughout the place. My wife kept the Mistletoe contained to interesting places in our bedroom. Imagine my surprise one morning when I discovered a sprig attached to the shower head in our bathroom. Steph appeared by the glass door seconds later. Our shower lasted longer than the greenery.

"Seeing Uncle Lester with Matty reminds me of when I was little," Julie told me, catching the decorating twosome as they passed where I was standing.

"You're still little," I told her.

"To you."

"My opinion is all that matters."

Steph paused with a dozen more ornaments in her hands to offer a translation. "Hey, Jules. Your Dad means he loves you so much, he has a hard time thinking of you eventually leaving our nests to reach the full potential we all know you have."

"Hi Steph. Thanks for the Dad-decoding, but I knew that's what he was saying."

"Since you're so good at reading people, did you know I meant we'd also be happy to have you eventually make our nest permanent and help us run Rangeman?"

"Yes ... mainly because you told me something like that on my last visit."

My wife cut her eyes to me. "She's a smart one. We shouldn't let her get away."

"You won't," our daughter answered.

"You should be here so your Uncle Lester can get a break," Steph told her. "Your brother is really making him work today."

"I'm glad. You still promise not to change anything until I get there to see what Matty did this year?"

"Not only do we promise, Steph has suggested we leave everything up until July," I shared with her.

"I get why she'd want to do that. And from what I can see behind you, it looks great. Very festive."

"You can thank Ella, your grandparents, and these guys," Steph said, giving Santos the ornaments before taking Matty back. "Do you want to give your sister a kiss before she says bye-bye?"

Matthew doesn't shy away from any affection, knowing nothing other than receiving a lot of it. He didn't just blow Julie a kiss, he leaned forward and gave her an interactive one that involved my cell's screen.

Julie laughed when he pulled back. "I want a repeat of that one when I get there," she told her little brother. "I'll let you go so you can clean the screen. I love you guys."

"Love you, too."

The quick dart of pain and loss I feel whenever she hangs up, Matty helped dissipate by throwing himself towards me and hugging my neck.

"Tag, you're it," Santos said, giving Matty's head a gentle knuckle-rub. "You can tag me back in when Ella delivers her gingerbread Range-men cookies."

Steph wrapped her arms around our son and me and turned her head so it could rest against my bicep. "You know those only come out on Christmas Eve," she reminded him. "And they are gingerbread men."

"I know she saves them for then, but they are Range-men. You can clearly tell they're bigger than normal gingerbread dudes, and all the men can see that Ella adds extra dough to give the cookies muscles," he told her on his way to the door. "M.J.'s thinking that you need a tree in the kitchen and one for his room too. Some of us don't have Santa's helpers."

"But we do have more Matty-Uncles," she replied, cutting her eyes to me. "Your brother's planning on coming by this week, we should save some Matty-time for him."

Santos did an about-face. "Diego will be the one crying 'Uncle!' five minutes in. Come on, M.J.," he said, holding out his arms. "We'll get this place ready for Kris Kringle like no one else can."

He kept his word and our apartment gained about 2,000 more lights. Matty got his extra trees, the kitchen one being covered in gingerbread men, his bedroom tree in airplanes. And Santos got a preview of Ella's cookies when Steph shared with her how great he's been with our son.

Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning turned, not surprisingly these days, into incredible ones. After we returned from my parents' house on Christmas Eve while Matty was still awake, he wanted to put his combined Plum curiosity and Manoso determination to good use.

"I's wants to sees Sana."

"You did see him," Steph told him. "When we went to the mall with Auntie Woo."

He shook his head at the Quaker Bridge-imposter. "Nos ... the Sana wiff the wain deer."

"Oh ... that Mr. Claus. He'll be here tonight, reindeers and elves too."

"Can I's meet 'em?"

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you, but you'll be asleep by the time he gets here," I reminded him. "He comes long after your and Pup-Pup's bedtime."

I picked him up to soften that blow.

"I no sleepies," he said, though his head automatically landing on my shoulder told a different story.

"Tell you what," I said to him, "what if we all camp out in the living room so you can sleep but also meet Santa if you happen to catch him putting out your presents?"

"Ohhh, that sounds like fun," Steph said. "We can have a holiday sleepover."

"Or embark on a Santa-sighting endeavor," I added.

"That too," she said. "We should clear a spot by the tree."

"You fix the space and I'll go get a mattress to fill it."

"Supply closet ... or should I say supply warehouse?"

"Yes. My company is more prepared than any Boy Scout."

"For some reason ... I'm not at all surprised."

"Because you know I leave nothing to chance."

"You don't. And tonight especially ... Matty and I are happy about it."

"I'll be back in a minute."

"With you, we know you aren't kidding, even when you'll be jogging down multiple flights of stairs. I'll get our pillows and 'Daddy Bear', those things with a few blankets should be enough to make us comfortable. I call dibs on you or Matty if I get cold."

"Too late, I've already called dibs on you if you get chilled."

A smile and appreciative kiss is what I left with. Our perro and I went down to the supply room on two and got a full-size air mattress to make 'camping' more pleasant for my wife and son. Having a building full of men to keep employed, sane, and with an always open door policy in place, makes having emergency sleeping equipment and arrangements a requirement.

"Would you like me to get something else?" Louis asked me, not minding Pup-Pup jumping up on him for his canine-version of a family 'Hello'.

"No. I have what I need. Matty wants to try to catch Mr. Claus doing a B&E, so we're camping out in front of the tree tonight."

"That boy of yours really is something."

"That he is. Why aren't you enjoying the evening with Ella? Because she's currently on seven?"

"Yes. You know how she is ... she's even more focused on holidays. She was in the control room restocking the kitchen when you three returned. So she wanted to drop off tomorrow's breakfast."

"Stephanie told her to relax and just enjoy the holiday because we'll be fine. I heard the conversation myself."

"You've known my wife for years ... she doesn't relax. She's just developed a way to stay peacefully productive. She wanted your Christmas morning to be spent with Matty, not making breakfast. But just between the two of us, I think she also wanted to try out some new recipes. So a breakfast lasagna with sheets of baked egg acting as noodles, and a pan of pancake French toast, are awaiting a quick stint in the oven."

"I know Steph and Matty will have thanked her accordingly, but please pass along my appreciation as well."

"I will."

With a handshake from me and a happy bark and lick from Pup-Pup, we left Louis to his night as we went back to begin ours.

"Ella was just here," Steph told me, when the dog and I entered the apartment.

"I know. I ran into Louis downstairs."

"I don't know where and how you found them, but I'm so glad they live here."

"I, and they, are too."

"Do you need help inflating that thing?" She asked me.

"No. If you want to get Matty changed and ready for bed, I'll take care of this."

"I can do that. Matty, it's pj-time. I guess it's a no-brainer to use the 'Santa's Helper' pajamas your BiBi bought you."

"I's gunna elb Sana," our son declared, pointing his thumb towards his puffed-up chest.

"Well ... you have to catch him for that to happen," I pointed out. "And the first rule of bounty hunting is to be prepared for the job."

"In your case, little man, that means you need to be well-rested in order to say 'Hi' to the jolly guy. I'll race you to your room."

She gave him and Pup-Pup a headstart by lagging behind to kiss me and wrap me up in a happy hug. "Tonight is going to be fun," she told me.

"No doubt."

It was more than fun. It was a memory-in-progress. Steph fell asleep with Matty's already sound asleep-body tucked into hers and mine curled spoon-fashion behind her. Pup-Pup literally had Matty's back. He flopped himself down on the other side of our baby, keeping one paw resting on Matthew's leg.

I can't describe the look on our son's face when he woke up and saw that Santa had delivered his gifts, even placed them neatly under the tree only three feet away from him, and he never heard him.

Steph glanced over at me. "That 'Santa' moves like smoke."

I grinned at her, remembering our shared Midnight moments.

"Where'd he gowed?" Matty asked us.

"Santa's back at the North Pole, likely having a breakfast like the one Ella prepared for us. Don't worry, I didn't see Santa either. The guy's good."

His lip was debating a pout at having not completed his mission, but his Mama's words and Pup-Pup's excitement when our dog sniffed out his own stocking, took his mind off the disappointment.

Although Julie can't be here until after the holiday, she managed to find a way to share Christmas morning with us. And that present had Steph calling her as soon as I opened what our daughter sent. At first glance, it appeared to be a table lamp in a contemporary design, but because I need to know everything there is to know about everything in my space at all times, Steph and I learned that the lamp is actually a high tech way for Julie to keep in touch ... with just a touch.

Thanks to WiFi, all she has to do to let us know she's thinking about us, is to touch her matching lamp in Miami, and ours here in Trenton will light up ... and vice versa. We tap ours and Julie's will automatically glow to remind her that she's always with us in thought if not in person.

"I understand now why you must've convinced your parents to keep you in Florida," Steph said when Julie answered her call, "you were scared of death-by-hug."

"You caught me, Steph-Mom. I had a feeling you'd like the lamp."

"We do. Your Dad already synced it. Did yours just light up?"

"Yup. It's glowing pink as we speak."

"So we have different colors to look forward to?"

"Yup."

The lamp switched to green as we looked at it, which drew Matty's attention.

"Uh-oh, your little brother just found a new toy," my wife told her.

"The firetruck I got him?"

"Nope, your lamp. Your Dad wants time with you, so I'll reluctantly let you go and explain to Matty what the color means. We'll try for a blue glow next, so keep your eyes on yours. We love you. Merry Christmas ... and get your butt here soon."

"Love you back, Steph."

"How has your morning been?" I asked my daughter, when I took over the speaker call.

"Loud, a bit chaotic, yet fun."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"I wish I could be there too."

"You will be. And you and your brother will be able to have Christmas all over again."

"How did he react to missing Santa?"

She knew from last night's goodnight call what Matthew's plan was.

"With a puzzled and slightly disappointed expression, then Pup-Pup distracted him when our dog got a toy/treat-filled stocking to open."

"That must've been interesting. Pup-Pup starts at enthusiastic."

"He already has a new favorite squeaker toy," I told her.

"I know. I can hear it in the background. Is it the toy that looks like a dumbbell? Steph was really impressed with that one."

"Apparently, so is the dog."

"Did you open my other gift?" My daughter asked.

"I have it beside me. We've only just moved onto human gifts. Which, coincidentally, is what you are to me."

"Thanks, Dad. You're great to have around yourself. Open it while I'm still on the phone."

"We could wait until you're here," I suggested.

"No we can't," Steph said, sitting down with Matty next to me on the couch. "There's no way my curiosity will hold out even until lunch, never mind two days."

"Go ahead, Dad, we'll have more than enough to talk about and do when I get there."

"Wez open da prezan," Matty added. "Pweeeeze."

"That's three against one," Julie pointed out.

"You've always been good at math," I told her.

"Yep ... like father like daughter. Plus, I know you can't hold out for long when Matty and I gang up on you."

"I can't," I admitted, not ashamed of the weakness.

Matty helped me remove the paper and we discovered that the 'sign-giver' struck again. Inside the box was a four-post sign, reminiscent of an old directional one that listed the names Grandma and Grandpa, Julie, Tank, and Ocean City, and next to each one ... the correct number of miles it takes us to reach our family's lifelines from this building.

"This is going in the backyard 'amusement park' we have going," Steph told our daughter. "Where/how did you come up with the perfect gifts for us?"

"A professional never reveals her secrets or her sources."

"That's my girl," I said, not hiding the pride I feel.

She smiled at me through the phone. "I will be in 48-hours. Steph, you may wanna rest up like Matty had to do in order to try to surprise Santa."

"I don't need to prepare for you, Jules. We're ready right now," Steph assured her. "Come anytime. And thank you for the gifts. I hope you'll like yours as much. You can open them now if you want."

"Nice try. But I can wait until I'm with you guys."

"Yep, you are definitely your Dad's girl. Willpower to spare."

"Send me a picture of the sign when you can get through the snow to get it into the ground. I already talked to 'Grampie Louie', and he said he'd have a post ready."

"We promise that too," I said to her. "You'll get the picture, and the apartment will stay untouched until Matty and Pup-Pup can give you a personal tour of it themselves."

With Matty's help, Pup-Pup had switched out his toy for a small gift by the time I'd disconnected.

"Gives Mama her prezan, Pup-Pup," Matty told his dog.

"What did you guys sneak off and do now?" She asked, only barely grimacing at the slobber coating the Christmas gift.

"Matty said our dog wanted to do this for you."

"Pup-Pup wanted to?"

"Our son seemed to really approve of the idea."

"I'm sure he did," she said, giving his and Pup-Pup's heads a kiss before tackling the damp 'It's Christmas Time'-printed paper. "Is this what I think it is?"

Matty laughed so hard at the expression on his Mama's face, he leaned back from her and landed on his own back on the couch cushion with his hands gripping his belly as he continued to giggle at her while she examined the jewelry.

"Iz Pup-Pup's noze," he informed her, when he finally caught his breath.

"That's what I was guessing, and it's just what I was wanting in my life, twice the dog nose."

"We took a cast of his nose and then sent the print out to be set in silver and made into a necklace if you choose to wear it as one."

"You know what?" She said to our baby. "I'm going to wind this around the mirror in my car, so even when I can't take Pup-Pup with me, he'll be there to remind me to keep my eyes on - and my nose in - everything."

I mentally applauded her way of showing Matty that his gift is a special one despite not many people wanting a snout-print for an accessory.

"I love it, my little man. Thank you. If I didn't already have you, Julie, and your Daddy, I'd say it's the best thing I've been given."

Matty gave her a complete two-armed, face-pressed-into-her-neck, hug. "I wuvs yous, Mama."

"And I love you ... and being your Mama. Yes, Pup-Pup, the feeling includes you too."

She got double-teamed by Matty and our dog, and I almost lost sight of her as she was buried under them on the couch. Despite being lucky enough to witness it, it still surprises me that the woman who lacked affection in her life and avoided admitting her love, has since taught herself how to give both love and affection freely.

"Uncle!" Steph cried.

"Speaking of your Uncles," I said to Matthew, "we should probably eat, get dressed, and go give them our present."

"I's gets it!" He shouted.

"Food first," Steph said, letting him go to stand up herself. "If I know them, we'll be there until at least noon."

"It'll likely be a lot longer as their shifts change and a new round of men come in," I confirmed. "We can exchange our gifts ..."

"I want those to be the cherry on top of our day. I'll meet you in bed at 2100 hours."

"It's a date."

I already know how she'll react to a Harley to enjoy whether alone or curled around me as I take her for a ride on the backstreets during the dog days of a Jersey summer. And secrets are hard to keep from me, more so when it's been discussed with one of my men, Cal in this case. So I know a tattoo addition to Steph's Matty-Ms/upside down Wonder Woman-Ws is being considered ... a small heart made up of mine and her index finger prints that will be touching to form the heartfelt symbol. To keep me from possibly arguing about it, she was thinking of keeping infinitesimal hearts within them uninked so no one could 'fingerprint' her and find me.

That is at least part of her surprise. Round two of her present includes a family trip for her, our kids and I, plus my parents and grandparents, to Cuba ... the Manoso Motherland. If retracing our roots to introduce Matthew to them is the goal, I should add visits to Italy and Hungary to the roster.

We all headed into the kitchen after Matty opened the rest of his books, toys, and trucks ... even his own child-friendly weight bench to put in the gym near his tent-tunnels so he can 'work out' with a weightless foam version of our equipment. We discovered a down side to Pup-Pup's new toy and Matty's, since the entire time it took to bake Ella's culinary gifts, Matty and Steph took turns chasing down our dog to get one of Matty's faux-dumbbells back. They look too similar to Pup-Pup's chew toy, just softer and without the squeak.

Once we were fed and then put on the dressier clothes we'll be going to my parents' house in, we headed down to five. When the elevator opened, we let Matty take the lead. He ran straight to the largest gathering of men in control central while waving to the Uncles stuck manning the monitors.

"Hey, M.J.," Bobby told him. "Happy Santa Day."

"Sana bwoughts me prezans."

"No kid deserves them more. I'm surprised to see you four down here so early," Tank said to us. "I was just going to wait an hour and then go up for a minute."

"You're welcome anytime," Steph told him. "You don't need a formal invite."

As Steph turned to the men who'd gathered to hug Matthew and scratch or throw a toy for Pup-Pup, I gave Tank a 'Call first' look. He answered with a corresponding nod.

"Matty has your present," my wife told the room.

"We thought aside from the bonuses I've given you for keeping Rangeman the best in the business, and the little personal presents Steph found for each of you ..." I said to the room.

"We figured you might appreciate this gift more than the monetary/commercial-kind," Steph added.

They appeared confused, because Matthew had come down the hall holding only one thing in both of his little hands. Even to an untrained eye, it appears to be strictly a kid's toy ... a large, polyfilled fabric book almost the size of a standard pillow.

"I don't mind a good book once in awhile," Santos said, "but I'd take straight-up cash over a kid one."

"Since you feel that way," Steph replied, "Matty, why don't you give GodUncleTank the book. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

I could tell Tank was feeling the same shot of adrenaline we'd experience during firefights we didn't think we'd walk away from.

He read the cover out loud. "'My Life Story Begins ...' What does that mean?"

"It's not Twas The Night Before Christmas," Stephanie teased, "but keep on reading to the crowd. I promise you'll like the ending."

He paused to study our faces, but he did flip the soft-filled cover open. I saw the second it registered. To his credit, and likely to torture Santos and Brown, he continued to read after a few more beats of silence ... slowly drawing out the suspense.

"'Introducing ... Tyler Lorenzo Manoso. Due to arrive July 5th'," he finished, staring at the book for a long moment before closing it and passing it to Bobby.

"We're nothing if not consistent," Steph said to our stunned audience. "The doc guessed Matty's conception date was July 4th ..."

"Guess the firework-avoidance is good for something after all," Santos said, interrupting as usual.

"I will not confirm nor deny that statement. But our Matty-Man knows our little Ty-Guy will be here on - or close to - the holiday. I hope you guys aren't busy doing something away from the city that you may have to cancel if Ty's more punctual than Matty was. We really want you with us, like you took over the hospital when Matty was born."

"Congratulations," I told the control room. "You're going to be Uncles three times over."

"So you really are pregnant?" Bobby asked Steph.

"Yep. We wanted to strike while the iron's hot."

"Babe."

"I didn't mean your 'iron'. I was referring to me thinking if we have another baby so close to having Matty, we'll get another little one who'll be just like him. Plus, when you updated my birthstone necklace for my birthday, I did mention there's a spot for another person's stone. Consider my Mother's Day gift already checked off. DO NOT do the baby-math, Santos," she ordered Lester.

"I bet it was your birthday that sealed this deal," he teased. "You looked different when you came home."

"I did not. I was just happy."

"You did look happy and different. So you were full of shit when you said that 'slip' at the ice place was a trip. You knew it had nothing to do with ice, didn't you?" Tank asked, glancing at me.

I'll pay for not telling anyone except Julie until we had a picture and a gender.

"I can tell by that look you're shooting Ranger, that you were at least a little suspicious that his arms or eyes didn't come off me after that little lightheaded moment."

"That's not uncommon for The Boss," Cal said, in defense of their not picking up on anything unusual. "We always know where you are even without trackers, because that's where The Boss or his eyes are."

"Okay ... that's true," my wife stated. "Ranger has a hard time keeping his hands off me."

"Clearly ... if you're pregnant again," Bobby said, reaching to hug her after a 'Congratulations' handshake with me.

Being near Steph when she's feeling vengeful isn't the brightest idea, but Brown was too happy to be scared.

Steph shoved him but then turned around and hugged him hard. "I am. And apparently my party trick when I have a bun baking, is to faint or get a little lightheaded temporarily. Something to do with blood vessels doing something funny. It happened when I was carrying this little man," she said, running her fingers through Matty's hair, causing him to tip his head back against her hip so he could give her an upside down adoring grin.

"That reminds me," Tank said almost to himself, "I need to kill Morelli."

"Technically, that almost-kidnapping wasn't exactly his fault ..." Steph tried to reason.

"Save your breath for yourself and the baby, Babe," I told her. "No one here will ever be willing to excuse Morelli or his behavior. And if he attempts to send you flowers again after Ty's born, I'll be shoving them so far up somewhere, the stems will be sticking out from each nostril."

"Ooookay ... time for a subject change," she told us. "Speaking of party tricks ... Matty, where is your little brother hiding?"

He turned around in the loose hold his Mama had on him and kissed the champagne-colored sparkles covering her stomach.

"Tyze in Mama's tum-tum," he said.

Matty still looks mildly confused as to how a baby can live where he knows his food goes after he's chewed it, but he doesn't yet doubt or question the information we give him.

"I can't believe we're going to have another baby," Tank said, picking up his honorary Godson. "You know what this means ..."

"Yes," I said. "Here we go again."

A/N: This is NOT the end of this Manoso family. I'm planning to continue Matty's story in a 'new' story called "Toddler Times", which I plan (so far) to begin with Matty's 2nd birthday ... a few months before his little brother is born.