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"𝐘𝐎𝐔 look beautiful princess." Johnny said as he admired Stella, who was smoothing out her black velvet dress which once belonged to her mother, and walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thank you, honey." Stella smiled as she turned around to face him

Tonight, Johnny and Stella were going out to celebrate their anniversary. It was a late anniversary dinner since they didn't get to have one when Stella was pregnant, but it's better late than never.

"I've been meaning to ask how you're feeling?" Johnny asked as Stella buttoned the buttoned his shirt at the top. "Do you think the lexapro is helping?"

"I really do. I just hate that I snapped at everyone, including you. I wasn't in my right mind." Stella said

"I know that, princess." Johnny said as he pulled her closer to him. "I just love you so much, and I just didn't want anything happening to you. That's why I went to your dad for help."

"I know, and I understand now." Stella said, and Johnny pulled her in for a sweet kiss. "You really think Montana will be okay? I love her so much, and I don't want her to hate me because we're going out."

Kissing his wife's worry away, Johnny said, "Sweetheart, Montana knows we love her. It will be good for us to go out. Besides, she will be with Robby and August."

As the couple walked down the hall, they heard their daughter giggling in the living room. When they reached the living room, they saw Robby doting over his little sister. "You're the prettiest baby ever. Have I ever told you that?" he said as he kissed Montana's forehead

"Hey sweetheart." Stella smiled as she placed her hand on Robby's shoulder. "We're going out."

"Okay, you two have a good time." Robby smiled as he carefully handed Montana to Stella.

"Hi my sweet Angel." Stella smiled as she kissed her daughter's forehead, then turned to stepson and spoke. "Robby, which I know you and August won't, but don't let Cody or Brent get too rowdy around her." as she handed the sleeping infant back to him

"You have my word mom." Robby smiled as he held his baby sister in his arms

"Also fresh breastmilk in the fridge, and also some in the freezer." Stella said, and Robby nodded

"Bye kiddo." Johnny smiled as he kissed his daughter's temple

"You two just have fun." Robby smiled. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Stella smiled as she grabbed her purse and placed it on her shoulder and Johnny grabbed the keys off the key ring. "Bye darling, I love you." Stella smiled as she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Bye honey, I love you." she smiled as she kissed her stepson's forehead

"Bye mom. I love you too." Robby smiled

"Bye kiddo." Johnny said as he kissed his daughter's forehead. "Bye son. I love you." he said as he embraced Robby.

"Bye dad. I love you too." Robby said

Johnny intertwined his hand with Stella's walked out the door. "You ready?" the blonde said as he opened the door to the '93 dodge caravan

"As I'll ever be." Stella smiled as she got in the passenger seat. "Thank you." she smiled as she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips.

"You're welcome." Johnny smiled as he returned the kiss, then got in the dodge caravan. The couple buckled their seatbelt, interlaced their fingers, and drove towards the restaurant.

──────

"Okay, honestly, who do you think she favors more?" Hailey asked as Robby sat in Johnny's recliner holding Montana, who was asleep on his chest, and she sat in Stella's recliner, reading one of Stella's books, while the National Finals Rodeo, which was the Super Bowl of the rodeo played on TV

"Well, I think she looks like mom." Robby said as he adjusted Montana in his arms. "Especially with those violet blue eyes."

"I think it's so cool how Stella lets you call her mom." Hailey said.

"She said, the only steps in this house and on this property are the ones on the front porch and on the back porch. My mom was never there for me, Stella was. So it was natural after she married my dad, that I called her mom." Robby said as Lori, Kara, and Carter walked in, followed by August and Stella's friends, who also became friends with Robby, Brent Hartman and Cody Teel

"Hey, how's our favorite niece?" Carter asked

"She's sleeping." Robby chuckled as he handed a sleeping Montana to Lori and he sat back down in the recliner

"By the way, where's August and Sam? Thought they were coming too?" Hailey asked as she sat down in Robby's lap

"What, they're not here?" Carter asked as he grabbed a beer from the kitchen and sat down on the love seat

"They said something about grabbing dinner beforehand." Lori said as she sat down in Stella's recliner and Montana clutched on to her finger, while Kara sat beside her and doted over the sleeping infant as well

"Who's winning the bull riding division?" Brent asked as he reached over to grab the remote and turn up the volume

"Dude." Robby said as he rolled his eyes and Hailey rolled her eyes as well. "My sister's asleep." he said as he turned down the volume

"You dipshit, you have to keep it down." Lori said as she caressed Montana's cheek. "If you shits for brains wake her up on account of the NFR, there's hell to pay."

"Oh c'mon Lori, it's not that loud." Cody said

"Yeah, whatever dipshit." Kara said as she rolled her eyes and then returned her attention back to the baby

"It's loud." Robby said, as he adjusted the volume where it's not too loud, and not too low, but it's just right.

August and Sam walked into the house. "Where's my gorgeous niece?" Sam said as she took her denim jacket off and hung it on the coat rack. Sam relocated from LA, and now lives with August full time in Austin, but she still goes back to see Daniel and Amanda.

"What, we don't get a hello?" Brent said as he ate a handful of chips

"Number one, I said where's my gorgeous niece, you are neither a girl or my niece, nor are you gorgeous. second of all, you eat and look like a gorilla." Sam said as she sat down beside Lori and Kara

"That hurts LaRusso." Brent said. "That really hurts."

"Cry me a river." Lori said as Sam handed a sleeping Montana to her, and she held the baby girl in her arms. "Hi sweet girl." she whispered.

"Who's winning?" August asked as he sat next to Sam and doted over his niece

"Trevor Brazile." Robby said as he took a swig of his beer and Hailey took the beer from his hand and took a swig as well

After placing a soft kiss on Montana's temple, Sam carefully handed the sleeping infant to August who held her close to him, while she went to the bathroom. After placing a soft kiss on his forehead, August carefully placed her in the bassinet

As August, Carter, and Robby were conversing, Lori and Kara were in the kitchen grabbing sodas, and Sam was finishing up in the restroom, Brent and Cody yelled loudly at the television. "Oh yeah!! That's what I'm talking about!" They yelled

"Idiots!" Robby scolded as he took the remote from Brent and lowered the volume

Lori and Kara, hearing the commotion, came in the living room. "What the fuck you dipshits? You were told to shut the fuck up. Montana's asleep." Kara scolded

As if on cue, Montana began to softly stir as she woke up crying. "Oops." Brent said as the guys sat back down and took a swig of their beers.

"Now see what you stupid dipshits did?" Kara said as she and Lori began to attempt to calm Montana down

──────

"You remember when we first met?" Johnny asked

"How could I forget?" Stella said as she took a sip from her wine glass. "You were such a grouch I honestly thought you were the worlds biggest dick."

"Yeah, I was pretty awful back then." Johnny said. "I was down on my luck. It was like one shit show right after the other."

"But, things began looking up for you." Stella smiled as she laced her hand with his. "You opened your own dojo, did what you love—"

"Found you in the process." Johnny said

"Johnny." Stella said

"No, Stella. I mean it when I say this. You have always been the best thing that has ever happened to me. You were there to pick up when I fell which seemed more often than not." Johnny said. "That's one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you."

"Johnny I have always loved you." Stella smiled. "You know, I'm glad Robby calls me mom. "

"Me too princess." Johnny smiled. "You're good with both of the kids."

Stella smiled as she interlaced her fingers with her husbands. "You know, I've been thinking about something."

"What is it?" Johnny asked as he gave her a quizzical look

"I know it's a long way off, but I want Montana to find someone who loves her as much as we love each other. You know we don't realize it, but, babies change so fast, and she's gonna start talking before we know it. then she'll be walking, then she'll be in school, then old enough to date."

"I want that too, princess. But I don't want her dating just anyone. Especially knowing how guys think, especially how I used to be, I'm not letting her date just anyone." Johnny said as he caressed her knuckles with his thumb

"I guess I need to start calling you papa bear." Stella teased as the waiter brought their food out

"So that means you're mama bear." Johnny said

"Don't wear it out." Stella teased, and Johnny laughed as he kissed her knuckles.

──────

Back at the ranch, Lori attempted to calm Montana, but the small baby kept wailing. "It's alright, sweet baby girl. I'm so sorry your uncle Carter had to have the bright idea to bring your uncle Brent and uncle Cody along."

"It's alright sweet baby girl." Kara said

"C'mon Lori, we weren't even that loud." Brent said as he ran a hand through his hair

Hailey rolled her eyes as she walked into the living room with Montana's bottle in her hands. "Oh bullshit. All of Austin could hear you with your loud ass mouths."

"She has a fair point. If I could hear you from down the hall, it was loud, and it was loud enough to wake up our niece." Sam said

"You know what, I have an idea. Since you dipshits woke her up, you're gonna feed her, calm her down, and put her to sleep." August said

"How are we supposed to do that? We don't have tits." Cody said, then looked at Lori, Kara, Sam, and Hailey. "But y'all do, use 'em."

Kara rolled her eyes and flipped him off. "Get fucked, Teel. You feed a baby with a bottle, you idiot."

"We don't know shit about babies. We're bull riders." Brent said as he sat down in the recliner

"Well, you're fixing to learn, dipshit." Lori said as she handed Montana to him and Hailey gave him the bottle of breast milk. He carefully held the baby in his arms as he fed her, and she calmed down.

"Another thing you can do to calm down a screaming baby is rock it and sing it a lullaby, or in her case, a Marie Osmond or George Jones tune." Hailey said as Robby put in one of Nathan's old George Jones cassette tapes and Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes began to play

──────

"Who do you think she'll look like when she's older?" Sam asked as she held Montana close to her as George Jones' If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Loving Will) played

"She's gonna look like Stella. That's my opinion." Carter said as he wrapped his arm around Lori.

"She'll have Stella's sass." Lori laughed as she leaned into Carter

"She already does." Kara laughed as she sipped her soda. "Have you not noticed how she's mastered the talk to the hand gesture?"

"Where does she get her beautiful violet blue eyes from? Stella's and Johnny's are both like a light blue." Hailey asked as she leaned into Robby

"Well, my mom had violet blues." August said, as Sam placed a sleeping Montana down in the baby bassinet and she sat down beside him

"I remember. Your mom's eyes were almost like Elizabeth Taylor's. They were gorgeous." Lori said

Turning to August, Carter spoke. "How is Stella doing after the PPD? Lori told me."

August sighed as he wrapped his arm around Sam. The truth is, he was still worried about his sister, even though she was on the anti-depressants. "She's doing better. Look guys, I know my sistet can take care of herself, but let me tell y'all something, I would walk through fire for her, and it killed me to see her that way."

Carter put his hand on August's shoulder, then spoke. "Hey, we know, man, but Stella's strong, and the important thing is, she accepted the help, and she's doing better." he said as Stella and Johnny walked through the front door

"Hey, how did it go?" Stella said as she hung up her purse.

"Well, these idiots woke Montana up." Lori said as she gestured to the guys, apart from Robby and August.

"So I fed her, and rocked her and put her back to sleep, all by myself." Brent said proudly.

"Wait, you put a baby to sleep?" Stella laughed

"Hey, we couldn't believe it either." Cody said as he walked toward the kitchen to throw his trash away. "But strange things are happening everyday."

"Thank you guys for everything." Johnny smiled as he wrapped his arm around Stella

"That's what we're here for man." Brent said. "Now, if you don't mind, it was exhausting, and I need sleep."

"It was no problem dad." Robby smiled.

──────

The time was 10:45 and Stella walked into the bedroom from Montana's nursery, wearing a white nightgown as Johnny sat up in the bed and he waited for the brunette.

"You're so beautiful princess." Johnny smiled as he admired his beautiful wife.

"Thank you hon." Stella smiled

"Stella, thank you for taking a chance on me. I know it hasn't always been easy, but thank you for never giving up on me." Johnny smiled as he ran his fingers through her beautiful brunette hair

"Johnny, you and the kids are my everything. Taking a chance on you was the best decision I ever made. I love you always and forever." Stella smiled.

"I still think you would have liked me a lot better if you would have met me back in the 80's." Johnny said

"No, I love you, just the way you are now." Stella smiled as she leaned up to kiss his lips, then traced the muscles on his chest. "Anyway, I'll see you in the morning, my sweet love. I love you."

"I love you too, princess." Johnny smiled. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, honey."