All familiar characters and events belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine alone.
"So ... do you think this will do for tonight?" I asked Ranger.
I already feel pretty good about myself at the moment, but just a sweep of his dark eyes over me can make me feel ten times more beautiful and add an extra pound of confidence to my already rising levels of it.
"If we didn't have a team waiting for us right now, I would barricade the bedroom door and not let you out of it."
My lips formed a smile without needing my permission. "If I weren't feeling unusually professional, I'd be insisting you do exactly that."
Ranger had offered to go shopping for this event with me this morning, only because he planned to stowaway in the changing room just to watch me repeatedly take off my clothes, but I really wanted this moment ... Batman seeing the cleaned-up and heavily-polished version of me. I battled my curls and emerged victorious, pushing half of them from the right side of my head over and willed them to play nice with all the left ones. I spent twenty minutes applying makeup so it'd accentuate my best features, though he and I differ on what those are. I like my nose, but Ranger prefers my eyes and my mouth ... likely because both of those respond immediately to him.
Speaking of my mouth, my lips are now tinted a wine red that identically matches my floor-length, burgundy-sequined gown. It has a slight V-neckline and a thigh-high slit along my left leg with only spaghetti straps crossing my back. The time I've spent keeping Ranger company in the gym has definitely paid off. Not only does my body look better in something as tight as this, I actually feel stronger than I ever have ... though the man himself may be more responsible for that than a treadmill.
"What are you thinking, Babe?"
"That it was fun to get dressed up for a job. I'm so used to wearing a Rangeman uniform or jeans and Cat boots, putting myself together like this was actually fun, not the chore I usually dread."
"Good to know," Ranger said a little too quickly. "I'll be sure to arrange more nights where this type of effort is required."
I gave him a look. "Then it won't be fun anymore."
"I disagree. I guarantee that you will enjoy every minute of it ... before, during, and for hours afterwards."
That got a grin out of me, knowing he has numerous ways of making me feel good. And for a guy who isn't typically playful, he still manages to inject a good time into all the minutes we spend together.
"I know you will," I replied, after I blinked back the memories of just a few of our past date nights. "I was also thinking that it's a good thing the guys will be there tonight providing backup, because it'd be tricky to run in these heels or kick anyone's ass wearing this particular dress."
"I've seen you in action, Steph, you can defend yourself or take someone down despite what you're wearing or not wearing."
"In all fairness ... I'm not fighting you those times when I'm not wearing stuff. Actually, you seem extremely cooperative when I do attempt to tackle you."
Now he grinned, and is likely remembering a few of our date nights too. Keeping in mind the unforgettable image of Ranger completely naked, I scanned the same muscly, deadly, and drool-worthy, body now encased in an impeccably-tailored tux. It seems impossible, but he looks bigger, badder, and even sexier, than usual. Considering he's my Cuban Sex God, that's saying something.
"I'm counting on you recreating one of those 'tackles' right after tonight's job is finished," Ranger told me as he pulled me close.
"If we leave now, we can get home and get busy on that nine minutes sooner."
"I like how you think," he said, taking a minute from those nine in order to kiss me.
Despite everyone in the Burg, except Mary Lou and Val, trying to warn me, Ranger's interest in me didn't stop once he 'got me'. I actually found the opposite happening. He seems to want me even more now. One offhand agreement about me being his, usually gets me a bone-melting kiss if we're short on time ... or a full-body workout if we're not.
I'm not complaining at all about being appreciated then or now, I only considered protesting when Ranger ended our kiss and started to draw his head back. I grabbed my evening bag full of the survival gear made to fit inside it and I told Rex not to wait up for us. In the garage I said 'Hi' to the guys joining us for this job … who I had to admit looked almost as good as Ranger in their seam-stressed tuxes. And then I focused on getting myself and my sparkly dress and shoes into Ranger's Mercedes without tripping, ripping anything, or flashing anyone.
"I know the gist of the job, who we're watching, what we needed to be wearing, and where we're going to be spending the next couple of hours, but what is it about this guy that gets him an immediate Rangeman security detail that had to include the Boss."
"And the Boss' woman," he said, with the second hundred-watt grin of the night.
I nodded. "Yep, her too."
"You're here tonight mainly for me, so we can have some time together after a busy week. And I'm here to make sure Sumpter's six-year-old twins stay safe and with the parent who loves them."
The warmth I heard in his voice when he said Sumpter's name explains a lot. This is obviously personal for him. Ranger has always been protective of Julie ... so much so that I didn't know about her for quite awhile after we became unofficial partners, but his daughter getting kidnapped upped his already hyper-need to keep kids safe. Now he's almost fanatical about it.
"If I haven't told you yet today," I said, sliding my left hand up and down the length of his thigh, "you're a really good guy."
"That you think so is all that matters."
I rolled my eyes at how untrue that statement is. Ranger is very conscious of how his daughter, his men, and his clients, see him. He lives his life in a way that works for him and he doesn't give a shit who has a problem with it, but he also doesn't behave in a manner that would reflect negatively on his child or damage the reputation of the company he's worked so hard to build.
Pride has been dubbed a bad thing by certain people, usually when it's applied to me, but Ranger lives by the pride he has in what he does. The high-standard he sets for himself and actually lives up to ... just raises the respect everyone already has for him. He's a dangerous man ... but he's also a fair and loyal one. A man who would fall on the sword for anyone he loves, which makes him someone everybody tries to emulate. I know how lucky I am not only to be his date tonight, but also the woman he loves.
He turned onto the road leading to the event. An event that will hopefully raise a crap-ton of money for the children's charity, Healing The Hurt, Sumpter had created to support and provide financial assistance to those who've suffered from or have gone through the same ordeal he's had to trying to keep his daughter, Marsa, alive while not letting Leukemia destroy his entire family. If Rex just sneezes ... I freak. I can't imagine what this Sumpter's had to endure, terrified that he could lose his daughter after only getting six years with her.
My door was opened for me by the valet under Ranger's watchful eyes, and then he and I were on our way inside the building before the Mercedes was even headed towards the parking garage. Tank, Hal, Vince, and Woody, were arriving right behind us and quickly separating to cover the entire ballroom and every exit.
I was so busy taking in all the crystal dripping from chandeliers, starched linens covering every dining surface, and silverware that I'd bet is actually silver, I almost didn't notice a man I'd put in his early fifties walking over to us with a big smile on his face and his hand already extended to shake Ranger's.
"Carlos ... I can't thank you enough for agreeing to do this at the last possible minute."
"I've told you, Sumpter, it's never a problem. I say what I mean and I meant it when I promised you that whatever you need, I'll provide."
"You'd be surprised how many people start off saying that, but three months into the fight ... they disappear. Marsa's illness has not only made me love and appreciate my family more, but also those who have stuck with us through this. Speaking of family ... is this your Stephanie?"
"The one and the only," Ranger answered. "Steph, this is Sumpter Copeland."
"It's very nice to meet you, Stephanie," Sumpter said to me, taking my hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze. "You've got one of the best here."
"That's what I keep telling him."
He glanced at Ranger with a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes. "I'm sure he accepts the compliment gracefully."
"Nope. He more barely grins and tries to bear it," I teased.
"It's nice to see you two getting along," Ranger said, bearing yet a little more.
"All for your benefit," he replied. "But in all seriousness ... thank you for doing this for my girls. Marsa was having a good day and really wanted to get all dolled up. I didn't have the heart to tell her she couldn't come tonight, not only due to her immune system still being comprised, but also the security issues such a public fundraiser may cause."
I didn't get what the big deal is about the girls being here aside from someone trying to kidnap them to get money from a wealthy parent.
"Marsa and Liv's mother will likely hear about this event and possibly use it to try to see them, Steph," Ranger told me. "And that's usually followed by dragging Sumpter back to court for round three-hundred in their years-long custody fight."
"She's really that bad?" I asked, careful to make sure the girls were with their stepmom near Tank and out of earshot of our conversation.
"I don't know if you've ever had to deal with cancer or with someone diagnosed with it ..."
"Thankfully no," I quickly told him.
"I pray that you will never have to. One thing you learn from the moment you get the diagnosis is that your life is now no longer your own. Everything revolves around doctor appointments, treatment times, and God forbid ... emergency room visits and lengthy hospital stays. You don't get to decide which treatment you're going to take your daughter to or which side effect will get reported and immediately checked out before it can turn dangerous. If Crystal had retained even partial custody of my girls, not only would Marsa not be here celebrating tonight ... she wouldn't be alive at all."
He cut his eyes to where his daughters were talking excitedly to Tank, and I had to admire and applaud Sumpter and his devotion to the twins even more. Marsa, who Ranger had pointed out to me earlier, is wearing the cutest rose-printed pink mini-ball gown with a very fitting fresh flower-crown to adorn the one-inch of baby-fine blond hair that has begun growing back. Equally as adorable, Liv has on a primarily white party dress with a purple top and flower attached to the belt separating the solid purple from the bell-shaped white tulle skirt dotted with a small purple flower print. Her long blond hair was swept up into a bun and decorated with delicate sprigs of baby's breath.
"They both appear really happy to be your dates tonight. You thought I looked okay tonight," I said to Ranger, "but those two are the real show-stoppers."
"Thank you for saying so," Sumpter told me. "Of course I love my wife with everything in me, she's been my rock throughout this ordeal, but those two little angels are my reason for breathing. If I had lost Marsa ... I don't know what I would've done."
"You would have continued on in order to be strong for Liv," Ranger told him. "But thank God you didn't have to find out how you would've reacted. And we're here tonight to make sure your daughters are once again alright."
"I second that," I added.
"And I appreciate it. I arranged it so you two would be sitting at our table. Hopefully it'll be an uneventful event and you, Stephanie, will get to know them and see how incredible each of them truly are. 'Uncle Carlos' is already a popular person in our family ... as you can clearly see yourself."
I followed his gaze and saw both girls smiling and shyly waving at their Uncle Carlos with only the tips of their little fingers. Their cheeks turned pink and they started to giggle to each other when my guy smiled and saluted them in return. As expected, no female is immune to his attention or his smile. I swear Tank rolled his eyes when Liv and Marsa turned and pressed their crush-struck faces into their stepmom's sides. She cradled the back of each head in reassurance and likely complete understanding, though her eyes stayed trained on her husband.
"Uh-oh," I said, also waving to the twins when their matching green eyes resurfaced, "I've got some competition here for Ranger's affection."
"You have nothing to worry about, Babe. I wouldn't want to tangle with their Dad."
Sumpter laughed and slapped him on the back in the way that read, to me, like fatherly affection.
"Although I'm not pleased with the circumstances that led to me needing to call you, I am happy that you're here tonight."
"Go enjoy your night and this time with your daughters. My team and I will take care of the rest."
He smiled, but his eyes looked suspiciously bright like was fighting tears. Hanging out with Julie when she visits isn't the same thing as being a full-time parent, and even my mind wouldn't let me go to her being sick or used in a fight just to hurt Ranger.
When Sumpter went to rejoin his family, I leaned in so Ranger could hear me without everyone else being able to. "He seems like a good guy, too."
"He is. More importantly, he's an exceptional father to both girls."
"I noticed that he repeatedly called you the 'C-word' with definite affection. That tells me he's more that just a Rangeman client."
Ranger's arm circled my waist and he moved me with him so we could shadow Sumpter's twins without appearing to be doing so.
"Sumpter had owned the first house on the street in Newark where my parents still live. He'd been there for three years before my parents moved in. While a few neighbors complained about having 'those people' living next door to them, Sumpter appeared on their doorstep the day after he spotted moving vans, bearing a carafe of hot coffee and a basket full of homemade cinnamon roll muffins to warmly welcome them ... with no expectations, discrimination, or hidden agendas. He's just that sincere a person. He and my parents have remained close ever since and have watched each other's families grow. He knows me only as 'Carlos'. Ranger came much later."
"That explains why Tank isn't looking uncomfortable interacting with the girls or Sumpter's wife. He'd know everyone too, since he's at your parents' house almost as much as you are."
"Sumpter knows Tank well enough to only refer to him as Pierre when my mother is nearby."
"Smart man. I wish I could've known Carlos, but I can't complain at all about meeting and loving Ranger Manoso, the Man Of Mystery, and my man who makes all things possible."
"I got you to move in with me, so I'd have to agree with the last one."
"As if anyone can resist you when you turn persuasive."
Though I had resisted up until I realized I didn't have to. If I loved Ranger ... it was up to me to follow through on it and make him see that we could have what we both claimed we didn't want. Just one night I felt brave enough to ask him out was all it took for him to swoop in for the kill. I was quickly putty in his hands and Rex was immediately getting comfy on Ranger's counter.
"I'm not giving you champagne," Ranger whispered into my ear just to cause a shiver, "but I'll get you something non-alcoholic or an appetizer if you're thirsty or hungry."
"I'm okay. I just want to stick close to you and watch the girls have a good time. As soon as we're home, I'm adding an additional donation to this cause. I suddenly feel personally connected to it."
"It's already handled. Sumpter's charity is a line item in my budget."
"Good. So I'm hanging out with some great company in there," I joked.
Ranger didn't see the humor in what I said. "I will always set aside a small fortune in order to keep you safe, Steph. I refuse to apologize for it."
"I didn't ask you to. I've learned the different ways in which you love someone. And seeing as how I have such a tough time admitting when I do love anybody, I can't really fault you for how you show it."
"You can, but I'm relieved that you don't feel the need to."
Without worrying if I was wrinkling his jacket, I curled my arms tightly around him and watched Sumpter attempt to dance with both of his daughters at the same time. His wife stood close by, ready to become a dance partner if one was needed, while expertly dodging the two circles Liv and Marsa's dresses created during a few enthusiastic twirls.
"That right there is worth the price of admittance," I said to Ranger.
"For a number of reasons. Sumpter's willingness to try to find some good in everyone backfired badly when it comes to his children's mother. In my opinion, the only thing she ever did right was have the girls, and the only thing she's ever actively done is drain the life out of everyone around her. But Sumpter did find true love - and a real partner - in Deandra. She loves their twins as much as he does."
"I'm glad. This is one family that deserves a happy ending. I really want to be able to give it to them."
"We are. It just requires a few steps and appointments that in a perfect world wouldn't be necessary."
I understood what he meant. If a parent, mother or father, doesn't have the best interest of their child at heart, they should immediately have to sign over all their rights and disappear ... and let someone who wants to do the right thing by them be the sole decision-makers. My parents weren't the most hands-on ones, but at least Val and I made it to every typical life-checkpoint. Not totally unscathed, but we made it.
I've always envied other people's seemingly close relationships with their parents and siblings, but seeing how bad things could've been ... maybe I should be grateful for what I did have. If I'd had cancer and my mom refused to get me treated, the Burg would've shamed the shit out of her long after I was in remission.
Sumpter didn't have that shame-shoving backup to help his ex see the light … or at least act like a decent parent, but he does have Ranger watching his back and guarding his family. Marsa has to be okay and stay that way. I followed Batman and kept every sense tuned to trouble, not even tasting the food that was put in front of me when we'd reached the dinner portion of the evening. I was keeping an eye out for our guys, responding appropriately to anything Ranger or anyone else said to me, and in my periphery I kept track of what Marsa and Liv were doing and who they were talking to.
We made it through dinner with no problems, but strangely enough ... I didn't start to relax until a calm but alert voice sounded in our earpieces.
"We've got activity outside. The ex and her asshole were trying to gain entry into the place," Woody said in our ears. "You want us to haul them out, or do you want a word with them first?"
"Move them to the garage," Ranger ordered. "I'll be there in a minute."
"I'm right behind you," I told the Boss, looping my arm through his.
"Steph ..."
"I know it's your client and your family's friend, but you hired me for a reason beyond just being an entertaining date. You can't even glare at the woman without risking a lawsuit. Now me being a very pissed-off female right now can handle that woman all on my own. Let me earn my paycheck. I don't know the girls real well yet, aside from their favorite colors, snacks, and cartoons. Plus them being obsessed with you too, but I can put a conniving and potentially dangerous Momster in her place on their behalf."
He tried not to smile proudly as he stepped to the side and gallantly gestured for me to precede him.
"Those are MY children in there," Crystal the trouble-causer was saying to our guys. "I have a right to see them."
"The court clearly states in writing that you don't," Ranger told her. "You would've killed one of them if you had been allowed to see them. I'm not about to be an accessory to what could lead to murder by letting you anywhere near them. I believe my lawyer made the same case in court ... and won."
"I knew you were behind me losing my fucking kids. You could never butt out of our lives. You were always filling Sump-the-Chump's head with lies about me."
"You proved all on your own that they weren't lies at all. In case you've already forgotten, Liv and Marsa are their names. And it was your neglect of them, unending selfishness, and complete disregard for the health and well-being of children you chose to bring into the world, that cost you contact with them. I suggest you leave now before I do something I won't regret."
"You touch me and I'll have your ass in court the day after I haul my ex back in."
"Have it your way. She's all yours, Babe."
That's what I've been waiting all night to hear. "Listen up, Back-Alley Barbie. You don't deserve to breathe the same air as those two little girls. And you definitely don't belong in their lives if you're hell-bent on destroying it and them. Ranger can easily throw you out without receiving more than a 'good job', but I'll be more than happy to spare him the trouble."
The boyfriend stepped in too close to me to say ... "Get the fuck outta her face. You don't get to talk to her like that."
The personal space-invasion, along with the unfriendly tone he used while speaking to me, wasn't appreciated by my guy or our guys. Ranger shoved him out of my airspace, needing only one arm to propel the skinny, and I'd guess pencil-dicked, dickhead towards Woody and Hal. That's only a fun place to be if the Merry Men actually like you. It's a likely death sentence for those threatening one of their own.
"No one disrespects her and lives," Woody told Mr. Mini-Dick. "You may wanna keep that in mind and shut the fuck up before a jaw-wiring is needed after I make you."
Ranger taught them well, but I honestly believe they'd stick up for me even if Ranger didn't pay them to.
"You doing them all for free, or do you charge by the hour to pay for outfits like that?" Crystal asked me, after a gross scan of every one of my guys. "Not that I'd blame you. They are some prime pieces of meat despite the bad attitudes."
When she lingered on Ranger ... I did the shoving, with two hands and a hell of a lot of rage. "Eyes off everyone, but especially him. Some women don't need mattress-miles in order to have a guy, or a team of great guys, love and protect them. If you'd get your botoxed head out of your Brazilian-lifted ass, maybe you'd have people in your life who actually want to be there."
"You don't know a fucking thing about me, Bitch."
"I know enough … and I know you'd have to be a psychotic shrew to ruin a night your daughters are enjoying, considering Marsa had to battle cancer and Liv had to watch her do it. Go away and leave them alone. I know a thing or two about restraining orders and destructive mothers. And if anyone needs to stay away from those girls ... it's their egg-donator who should remain only that. I'm sure a judge will agree with me shortly."
She threw a punch at me and I smiled as I grabbed her fist and spun her around, pushing her into the guy Ranger was keeping quiet, causing both her and the asshole to land on theirs, falling faster than bowling pins knocked down during a strike thrown by Junior.
"I think we're done here," Ranger told them. "If you have a problem with me, my company, or our protection of Sumpter's daughters, you can shell out more money for legal fees. I assure you, I'll fight you until Marsa and Liv are well past eighteen ... and I will still have money to spare in order to keep you from harming them. They don't deserve to be hurt on a monthly basis just so you can extort money or punish your ex-husband for finding someone to love who loves him back."
I wish I could say Mommy Dearest had an epiphany and saw the error of her greedy ways, but it was the money-loss that smacked her upside the head.
"Let's go, Crys," the boyfriend said to the skank. "You don't need this shit. We can have a baby ourselves for less trouble than they're causing."
"Or you can do that hypothetical baby a favor and get neutered before you torture even more people," I suggested. "I have a switchblade in my bag I can use to get started on that procedure ... free of charge for you."
Crystal looked like she was thinking of attempting another lunge at me. I may have encouraged the thought by aiming a smug smile at her, punctuated by one raised eyebrow. I really wanted her to attack me just to be able to go all Jersey on her before pressing assault charges that could buy Sumpter a little more time and add another strike against her in the eyes of the law. But I was denied that pleasure as she stalked away after a few mediocre-at-best insults ... her stripper heels hoofing it at a rapid pace across the cement floor of the parking garage.
"Guess you told her," Hal said to me.
His face took on a pinkish tinge, though I'm pretty sure the blush was caused solely by pride in me and nothing more serious.
"I wish I could've said more. I haven't wanted kids because I've always believed that I couldn't be a good Mom, and then I see vipers like that one having children just to use them as leverage, pawns, or as human sticks to beat their exes with. She should've been knocked into next week ... and then the week after that one when she came to."
"I would've paid to see that," Woody added. "She needed some sense drilled into her. Who the hell wouldn't care that their kid could've died?"
"Those who won't admit that there's something about themselves that needs to be changed," Ranger told him. "The smart ones get serious real fast and then double-down on trying to right any wrongs they've made."
I know he's thinking about how he felt when Scrog grabbed Julie. "You are nothing like Whorezilla, Ranger. You're one of the lucky ones that saw how important you are to your daughter and knows you need to be there for her any chance you get to be," I said to him.
I suddenly felt bad myself ... because of how long it took me to tell him how I really felt about him. It's not the same thing, but it's still a wrong that I had to right.
He dropped a kiss to the top of my head. "Why don't you head back inside and help Tank out with his babysitting duties. I'll join you after I make a call."
I shook my head. "Tank can play teddy bear for a few more minutes. I'm not missing out on seeing you going all steely-eyed Corporate Ranger when you get the head of your legal team on the line."
"We'll head back in," Woody told us. "I'll offer Tank the door if he prefers it. I promised a dance to Miss Marsa when we were introduced, and I feel like collecting on it. Hal can twirl around Little Liv."
Hal now turned beet red from his neck all the way up to his blond buzz cut. "I wasn't told I'd have to dance."
"You don't have to," I pointed out, "but then you'd have to tell Liv that you don't do dance floors, while Twinkle Toes here is showing her sister his moves."
Now all the rushed-blood left his face and he went ghost-white. It's fun having a Hal-o-meter. The color his face turns does accurately gauge the stress-level of virtually any situation.
"Just don't drop - or step on - her and you'll be fine," Ranger assured Hal.
He didn't look so sure, but he did follow Woody out of the garage and back to the party with no complaints ... and remarkably without throwing up.
"Tank's never going to let him live this down," I mentioned to Ranger, resting my chin on his shoulder which my heels put me even with, as he pulled out his cell and scrolled through his extensive list of super-secret contacts.
"He won't, but the smile on Liv's face will help Hal endure it."
While Ranger filled his/Sumpter's lawyer in on the latest development, my mind went over what just happened here. I wish I could have a heart-to-heart with Liv and Marsa and let them know that you don't have to have the love of your parent - or parents - to be able to find it elsewhere. My family was far from perfect, and I think because of that I've kept an unconscious tally over the years of what I wish I could've had.
It was during that impromptu dinner Ranger had agreed to, when it dawned on me that everything on my wish-list, he'd already been providing ... protection, unconditional love, patience, appreciating who I am, not who he thinks I should be. I realized quickly that I no longer need a list unless I want to start one based on what I'm lucky to have. Not only do I get to love and be loved by Ranger, I have an ever-expanding family - that now includes Sumpter and his girls - because of him.