I own none of these characters, and am making no profit
Rating for mild language and violence
…
Saturday August 1st…
Steph was standing in her kitchen, scrounging for food to avoid going to her mother's for dinner. Albert and Val were there with the monsters. Grandma had gotten a new glock. Her father was still upset that the Yankees had lost that afternoon. And her mother would still be bemoaning the fact that she Joe and had split up. Her mom had not taken the news well that he was dating a nurse.
Nothing could make her go to her mother's house right now.
Except that. The locks were tumbling on the front door. It couldn't be Joe, so that only left one person. Steph had only seen Ranger a couple times since she and Joe had split. A couple bone-melting kisses in the alley behind the bond's office, and he was off like the wind. She had no idea what to do with her feelings for Ranger, so she had pretty much been avoiding him. Looked like that wasn't going to work anymore.
But it wasn't Ranger. A very young, very female version of Ranger stepped through the entryway.
"Julie! What are you doing here?" She glanced behind Julie, but didn't see Ranger. "Where's your dad?" And could everyone break into this apartment? Hell, an twelve year old just picked the locks.
"Hi Steph. Um, my dad's not here. He doesn't know where I am. I ran away and I was hoping I could stay with you. Please?"
Steph just stood there with her mouth hanging open for a while. This kid got away from Ranger and the Merry Men? That was impressive. Steph knew that Julie and Ranger had been talking by phone and e-mail in the year since she had been kidnapped, and were getting much closer. She hadn't realized Julie was in town. "You were here to visit your dad, and you ran away?"
"No, I ran away from my mom. She think's I'm at my Grandma Martine's house in Miami."
Steph's eyes widened. "Julie, how did you get to Trenton?"
"I took the bus."
Steph gasped. "Julie, I have to call your dad."
"No, please. I'm so sick of his guards. I'm never alone. He always has someone watching me. And my mom got a job, so she's never home. And dad is at work. So it's just me and the stupid guards and I hate it! Can't I stay here?"
Steph had to admit, the whining was impressive. "Julie, he's going to panic when he realizes you're missing. We have to call him."
"No we don't. He doesn't know. No one knows. Everyone thinks I'm totally fine. My mom even called my cell phone this morning. She still thinks I'm at Grandma's. So see, I can stay here, and no one will notice."
Steph sighed. The poor kid looked exhausted. She must have hopped on the bus after school yesterday. It was pretty late on Saturday night. It was a 24 hour drive from here to Miami, normally, but the Greyhound made a lot of stops. No wonder she was tired.
"Tell you what, Julie. Why don't we call your mom. We'll let her know you're safe, and you can stay here tonight. Then tomorrow, we can figure out what to do next."
Julie nodded. She didn't look overly thrilled, but it had to be better than calling Ranger.
Steph got the number but then stood and stared at the phone. She and Rachel had met when Ranger was in the hospital. They had been introduced, shook hands, and had made all the polite noises that the situation called for. But Steph certainly didn't know her well enough for this phone call. How the hell do you call a woman you barely know, who was once married to a man you're in love with, and explain that you are harboring her fugitive eleven year old? Who she doesn't know has been missing for a day and a half?
Steph's hands shook as she picked up the phone. She had to dial three times to get it right. This was not going to be pleasant. From the look on Julie's face, Steph assumed she was dreading it just as much.
"Hello?" A very polite voice with only the slightest Spanish accent answered.
"Uh um…" Steph coughed and tried again. "Um, is this Rachel Martine?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"Um, my name is Stephanie Plum. We met in Trenton a couple months ago." She didn't say, 'remember when Julie was kidnapped?' Considering where this conversation was going to go, she didn't figure that was the way to start out.
"Yes, Stephanie. I remember. You were very helpful in saving my Julie. What can I do for you?"
Yeah, she had to bring it up. "Well, that's the thing. See, um, it seems that Julie has run away from home. She's here now, in Trenton, with me. I wanted to call and let you know so you didn't panic when you realized that she's not at her Grandma's house."
The last part all came out in a rush. Steph braced herself for screaming, crying, name-calling…anything really.
Rachel didn't say anything for a second. Then, in a very calm voice, she continued.
"Julie is there now, in Trenton?"
"Yes."
Another pause. "And how exactly did she get from Miami to Trenton?"
"Apparently on the Greyhound."
"On the Greyhound, alone. Did she happen to mention why?"
"She said she was tired of all the security." Steph wasn't about to mention the part about Rachel always being at work. That was a whole different conversation, one Julie could tackle on her own.
"And does Carlos know about this?" Rachel was very calm at the moment. Surprisingly so, since this was the same woman that had to be sedated while Julie was missing.
"Um, no. She was quite adamant that I not call him. Which is why I called you. Um, she seems pretty tired from the trip. I was thinking maybe she could just stay here tonight, and I'd call Ranger in the morning and you guys could sort it all out then."
"That sounds fine. We won't be able to get a flight out until morning, anyway. Please have Carols or Tank call me as soon as they are aware of the situation. Now, may I speak to Julie?"
Aha. Here's where the screaming comes in. Steph handed the phone to Julie, who took it with a very determined look on her face. She was a tough kid.
"Hi Mom." Julie listened for a moment, and then started speaking in very rapid Spanish, pacing the length of the living room and gesturing wildly.
Eventually she hung up the phone and turned to Steph.
"She'll be fine. She says I can stay, but that I should call again tomorrow. And that we should call my dad tomorrow."
"Okay."
"But don't worry. I'll come up with a plan before tomorrow on how to keep my dad out of this."
Oh boy.
"Well, why don't we just go to bed for now, and we'll deal with it tomorrow. Do you want a shower?"
Julie nodded and Steph went off to find her some towels. She grabbed some pillows and blankets and started to make up the couch while Julie was showering.
Julie saw what she was doing when she came back out. "Oh no, I'm not sleeping there. That's where I was when I shot Chuck last summer. No way can I sleep there."
"Okay, Julie. Are you alright sleeping with me in my room?"
"Yeah, that's way better. But what if my dad breaks in in the middle of the night? What if he sees me? He can't know I'm here yet, please. Not until tomorrow." She stared up at Steph pleadingly. "Pleeeaaasseee Stephanie?"
Steph rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm sure he won't break in. But just in case, we'll put some pans in front of the door. That way if he does come in, we'll hear it and you can hide in the bathroom."
"Thanks, Stephanie. You're the best!" She grabbed Steph and hugged her around the waist.
Steph hugged her back, and then went to stack all her pots in front of the door. Ranger probably wouldn't break in. To be honest, this was more to keep Julie in than to keep Ranger out. Steph was more than a little nervous about this plan of Julie's. Ranger might forgive her for keeping this a secret, but he would never forgive her if she lost his daughter. She took her gun, and placed it on the nightstand just in case.
…
Steph awoke to hearing pans clattering in the foyer. She and Julie both sat straight up.
"Oh my god, do you think it's my dad?"
It'd better be. She was going to lose her friggin mind if there was another stalker to deal with on top of everything else.
"Go hide in the bathroom," she whispered to Julie. She jumped up and headed for the living room and got there, gun in hand, just as Ranger came around the corner.
"Waiting up for me, babe?" he asked, not missing the gun in her hand.
"Um, no. I just didn't expect you. Wanted to be prepared for anyone crazy trying to attack me, is all. Never know who's going to break in. So, what do you need?"
She was babbling. She knew she was babbling. She just couldn't stop.
"Maybe I'm trying to break in to attack you. Ever think of that?" He leaned forward, trapping her against the wall in the hallway. He leaned forward and kissed her until she stopped thinking entirely.
She pulled back and stared at him for a minute, trying to remember why she had been avoiding him. He grabbed her hand and started toward the bedroom.
Oh crap, Julie!
"Um, why don't we stay out here." He looked at her curiously when she dug her heels in.
He gave her a wolf grin. "You scared, Babe?"
"Um, uh no, I just, um, let's just stay out here?" Damn, lying to Ranger never went well.
Ranger glanced between her and the closed bedroom door. "Somebody back there?" His voice was calm, but his eyes were hard.
"Yes," she answered slowly.
"I didn't see Morelli's truck in the parking lot."
"Morelli and I broke up months ago. He's dating some nurse."
"So someone else is back there."
"Yes." Oh this was bad. She swallowed hard as Ranger's eyes darkened even farther. He dropped her hand, turned around, and walked out. She sank against the wall and closed her eyes. She flinched as she heard him kick the pans out of the way as he went through the door.
This plan of Julie's better be damn good. She knew she had hurt Ranger, from the expression on his face. Not that he had any claim on her, but she had hurt him nonetheless. So now she was stuck relying on an eleven year old runaway to get out of this. Great.
…
Julie got up the next morning, much earlier than Steph had any intention of getting up. But she did my motherly duty for the day, gave Julie a bowl of frosted flakes and Rex a few flakes and a grape, and headed for the shower. An hour later, she emerged, ready to face the day. Well, as much as could be expected under the current circumstances.
Julie was engrossed in cartoons. Steph cleaned up the remains of her breakfast, grabbed a poptart and a cup of coffee, and sat down next to her to watch.
After a half hour of cartoons, she realized she was going to have to bring up the issue of calling Ranger, since Julie was clearly content to avoid it.
"So, we gonna call your dad?" Subtle, yes.
"Oh, I came up with a plan," Julie said, turning to Steph. Great. This is what she had been worried about. "You can take me to Abuela Manoso's house instead. Then, when dad gets there, she'll stop him from yelling at me. And maybe she'll convince him to let me stay with you for a while. Or at least get rid of the body guards."
"Um, okay. But do you really want to stay with me? You'd probably have more fun back in Miami with your friends."
"Nah, they're all away for the summer. Maybe you and me and dad can all live together. You know, at his house."
"Um…ugghh." How do you respond to that? "Your dad and I don't live together, Julie. He lives at the Batcave. I don't even know where it is."
She giggled at the Batcave reference. "Yeah, but you love each other right? So we can all be like a family for the rest of the summer."
Steph had to smile at her logic. She could see where it made sense in Julie's head. How do you explain to a kid that her father doesn't want a family. Not Steph's place at all. So she settled for the one flaw in Julie's plan.
"Julie, I don't know where your grandma lives. I only know the general neighborhood in Newark. I don't know the address. We'll have to call your dad for that."
"No we won't. I know which house it is. If you drive to the right area, I'll show you the house. I'm sure I can find it."
It was a terrible plan, but better than anything Steph had come up with for the day. Maybe after a couple hours of aimless driving, Julie would give up and call her dad.
With that settled, they grabbed their stuff and headed for the car. Steph stopped dead when they got to the parking lot. A black SUV, clearly a RangeMan vehicle, sat in plain view.
She was just about to grab Julie and take her back inside when Tank came flying out of the driver's side. He did not look happy.
"Uncle Tank!" Julie screeched, running for him. He just managed to catch her as she launched herself into his arms.
"Hi Julie. What are you doing here?"
"I ran away from home. I came to see Stephanie. But I'm glad to see you too."
Tank's gaze swung to Steph. "She what?"
"I already called Rachel and explained where she was. Apparently she took the greyhound. She won't let me call Ranger."
"Julie, honey," Tank said, putting her back down on the ground. "Julie, I have to call your dad. He's going to be worried when he finds out your not at home."
"No, no, Uncle Tank, please don't call my dad. I hate his guards. They never leave me alone. And mom and dad are never home, so I'm stuck with them. Please don't call him, he'll just make me go back."
Julie's eyes had filled with tears, and she was pulling on Tank's hand, begging him not to call. One look at Tank's face was enough to show how torn he was between a pleading little girl and his boss who would certainly have his hide for this.
Steph cut in to give him a break. "Tank, we're just on our way to Julie's Grandma's house. Why don't you give us an hour head start, so we can talk to her, and then call Ranger and have him meet us there."
"I don't know, Bombshell. I really like my job. And I really, really like my body in one piece."
"Please, please, please Uncle Tank!"
Damn this girl was good. Steph could see Tank caving. Slowly he nodded. "One hour, Bomber, and I'm calling Ranger. And don't you dare think I'm taking the blame for this. If he gets pi--upset, you two better explain yourselves, and fast."
Both girls nodded in unison. Julie was excited; Steph was terrified of Ranger's reaction. But she was pretty sure he wouldn't ship her off. Pretty sure.
"Okay," Tank said. "You know where you're going?"
"I know. I remember what the house looks like."
Tank stared at Julie. "You don't know the address?"
"We'll find it."
Steph wasn't nearly as confident as Julie that they would find this house. Newark was pretty big. "If you have the address, that'd be great," she said. Especially if they only had an hour head start.
Tank just looked at them both for a minute. "I really hope you two know what you're doing. Come on, I'll drive you."
Julie squealed and ran for the truck. Tank and Steph followed a bit slower, and a bit more apprehensive.
"So Tank, what were you doing here anyway?" She had a feeling she already knew the answer already, and when Tank's face turned sheepish, she was positive.
"I don't know, Bomber. Ranger called at 4 am, and told me to sit here the rest of the night, and watch for anyone going in our out." He glanced again at Julie, climbing into his truck. "I don't think this is what he expected."
"He put surveillance on my apartment? To find out who I was sleeping with? Who the hell does he think…"
"Whoa Bomber. Don't yell at me. He was pretty damn upset. Take it up with him. I was just following boss' order."
Steph nodded, but was still fuming. It's not like she was cheating on him, even if she had actually had been sleeping with someone. Last night was the third time she'd seen him in as many months. And he had Tank watching her apartment? Batman was going to have some explaining to do.
They were thirty minutes into the drive when Steph realized she was going to meet Ranger's mother. Without his permission. Oh my god, she going to wake up in Outer Mongolia. Maybe she should have brought Rex so he could have a home after she was shipped off.
By the time they pulled up to a nice, two story row home, she was beginning to hyperventilate. 'Oh my god it's Mama Bat' kept running through her head. As soon as they got stopped, Julie hopped over her, out of the truck, and ran for the door. As Tank and Steph followed to the door, she was suddenly very glad for his presence.
"Don't worry, Bomber. She's sweet. She'll love you. And she'll immediately be on Julie's side."
Steph forced a smile, but still wasn't able to take a deep breath.
Well before she was ready, the door swung open to reveal a small Hispanic woman about Mrs. Plum's age, with gorgeous skin, dark eyes, and salt and pepper hair.
"Julie! What a nice surprise. Is your father with you?"
"Hi Abuela. No, Dad's not here. I ran away from home. I came to stay with Stephanie," she said, gesturing behind her.
"Ah. Well, it's very good to see you, dear. And Pierre!"
Tank leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek while Steph tried hard not to choke.
Tank, after a quick glare at Steph, grabbed her and shoved her in front of Mrs. Manoso.
"And you must be Stephanie. It's so wonderful to finally meet you!" She enveloped Steph in a hug, who stood there stunned? Finally meet her?
"Carlos doesn't say much about you, you know how he can be. But Thomas and all the other boys tell me all about you, and about how much my son just adores you," she said.
Steph turned to Tank in shock. Ranger adores her?
"See, Bomber, I told you she'd love you. She knows all about you."
The Merry Men could have been telling Mrs. Manoso all sorts of things. She couldn't even help what came out next. "The funeral home was an accident."
Mrs. Manoso laughed and took Steph's hand, leading her into the kitchen. "I know, dear. These things happen."
Sheph liked this woman already. And only a grandmother could be so calm about her grandchild running away. Tank was right, she was already on Julie's side.
She sat them all down in the kitchen and started serving pie.
"So, Julie. Tell me what was so terrible that you had to come all the way to Jersey."
"It's the guards, Abuela, they're everywhere! I never get any time to myself. I can't be left at home alone and I'm twelve now! All my friends are allowed to stay home alone. But I can't. And I can't go to sleepovers without bringing a guard. Do you know embarrassing that it?"
Julie finished on a huge sigh. "It's just so terrible. So I came to stay with Stephanie."
"Well, I can certainly understand the problem. A young woman needs her privacy. But how exactly did you get to Trenton?"
"I took the greyhound."
"Alone?"
Here was where Julie started to look nervous. She nodded slowly.
"Well, I'm sure your father and Rachel and Ron will have plenty to say about that, so I'll save my words. So what are your plans now?"
"Well, we called mom last night, and she said that I have to call Dad. But maybe I could just stay here, or with Stephanie. I mean, he doesn't have to know, right?"
The pleading look and whining didn't do anything for Mrs. Manoso. This woman had raised several children. Julie's tears may work on Tank, and her whining certainly worked on Steph, but nothing could get pulled over on Mama Manoso.
"No, Julie. We will call your father now. Then we can all sit down and work this out. Perhaps we can find some better solution to the guards. Or if you parents agree, perhaps you can stay in Jersey until school starts. I will go call Carlos while you all finish your pie. Stephanie, you are much too thin. Why don't you have another slice."
It was fantastic pie. They all dug back in, as Mrs. Manoso went to call her son. Better for her to call than any of the rest of them.
Mrs. Manoso reappeared in the kitchen a moment later.
"What'd he say about me?" Julie asked.
"Oh no, dear. I didn't tell him all that. I just said I needed him to help me with something around the house. I figured you would need to explain to him yourself what you've done."
Julie stared at her grandmother wide-eyed, but finally nodded. Steph felt a little bad for her. But Julie had spent two days on a bus, alone. After evading her guards and lying to her mom. She probably hadn't thought through the consequences when she started her little adventure.
"Stephanie, why don't I give you a tour of the house."
"Oh, that'd be great." She followed Mrs. Manoso from the kitchen, looking back apprehensively at Tank. He just smirked at her. Mrs. Manoso showed her half the house before she began questions Steph had braced for.
"So, Stephanie. I know how Carlos feels about you, but tell me, how do you feel about him."
"Oh we're just friends," she said quickly.
"But you are in love with him, no?"
Meekly, she nodded. This woman was sharp. She could no more lie to Mrs. Manoso than she could to Ranger. "Yes, I love him. But he doesn't feel the same about me."
"Oh, I am quite sure that my Carlos loves you as well. Has he not told you this?"
She might as well spill her guts here. Not like it was really a secret anyway. "He said that he loves me in his own way, but that he doesn't want a relationship or a family."
Mrs. Manoso stopped to look at Steph, and muttered something under her breath in Spanish. It did not sound flattering. There was definitely a "muy estúpido" in there. Very stupid.
"Don't worry, dear, I have a plan."
Oh boy. What is it with this family and their plans? And why did she always end up with the raw end of the deal when it came to the planning?
Before Steph could object to whatever the plan was, they were back in the living room where Tank and Julie were watching cartoons.
"Now, I need a few minutes alone with my granddaughter, before Carlos arrives," Mrs. Manoso said.
Julie followed her from the room, looking as nervous as Steph had felt when it had been her turn. Steph wondered if this secret pow-wow had anything to do with the 'plan.'
"So, Bomber, she grill you on the details of you and Ranger."
"Yeah. She has a 'plan'."
Tank cracked up laughing. Steph had been a bit suspicious of the plan to start with, but Tank's laughter spelled doom. He must have been party to a few of Mrs. Manoso's plans in the past.
Steph heard a car door slam outside just as Julie and her Grandma came back into the living room. A minute later, the front door opened.
"Mama, I'm here," she heard Ranger call from the foyer.
She instantly dropped her head between her knees, trying not to hyperventilate. Tank patted her on the back, still laughing.
"Take Rex to Mary Lou's house if I don't make it through this," she whispered to him.
We both stood up as we heard Mrs. Manoso greeting Ranger. Julie went running toward him, squealing "Daddy!"
He easily grabbed her as she jumped up. "Hi Baby, I didn't expect to see you here. Rach…" He froze when he glanced up at Steph. He glanced over at Tank, and then at his mother, before finally shifting his gaze back to Stephanie. "What's going on, babe?"
She just opened and closed her mouth for a second. She had never seen Ranger shocked before. He was always aware of his surroundings. Maybe he didn't keep his guard up in his childhood home. Or maybe it was the surprise of seeing Julie.
Before she could think up a decent explanation for why she was standing, uninvited, in his mother's home, Mrs. Manoso took pity on her and spoke up. "Julie, I think this is when you need to explain yourself."
The look Ranger leveled on Julie at this would have made Steph, at Julie's age, run from the room crying. Probably at this age as well. But Julie just took a deep breath, straightened her back, and started in.
"Daddy, I ran away from home, and Stephanie helped me."
Ahh! That's not how she was supposed to explain that! Steph could see Ranger's blank face slam into place. Ohh, he was pissed. His hard eyes shifted between her and Julie for a second.
"Someone needs to explain more than that, and fast." His voice was very, very calm.
"Uh, Boss, it appears that Julie showed up at Stephanie's apartment late last night. Julie didn't want to alert you yet, so Stephanie called Rachel, and then brought Julie here this morning."
Ranger's fixed Tank with a look. "And you were aware of this."
"Not until this morning, when they exited the building to come here. They didn't know the address, so I drove them. We called you as soon as we got here."
His gaze now swung to Steph. "And you called my ex-wife, but you didn't call me."
She nodded.
"And Julie is who you were hiding last night." His expression was still hard, but she thought she saw the briefest flash of relief when she nodded a second time.
"All right, Julie. You wanted a chance to explain yourself, here it is."
Julie took another deep breath. "Daddy, I hate your guards. They never leave me alone. And mom and dad are always working. So I'm stuck in the house with your men all the time. I can't even go to sleepovers cause your guards scare the other girl's parents. I'm a woman now, and I need my privacy."
Ranger raised an eyebrow at this, but his voice softened significantly at her reasoning. He squatted down in front of her. "Julie, you're twelve years old. And those guards are there to keep you safe. You were in the news a lot when you were kidnapped. Everyone knows now that you are my daughter. I lead a very dangerous life, Querida, and short of keeping you with me at all times, it's the only way I can keep you safe."
"But you can keep me with you! I could stay with you and Stephanie. Then you could keep me safe and I wouldn't have to have guards. We could all live in the Batcave together."
Tank snickered and Ranger glared at Steph. "I'm not even going to ask why she's now referring to my house as the Batcave."
She gave him her best sheepish look and mouthed 'sorry.'
"Please Daddy? You and Steph could get married, and then we could all be a family."
Ranger stared back at Julie for a minute. His silence was all his mother needed to jump in.
"Yes, that's a wonderful idea, Julie! Stephanie, we could plan such a perfect wedding for you and Carlos. Just the right mix of Cuban and Italian traditions. And we could do it in Trenton. That's where your family is, right?"
Ranger sprung up. "Mama, there will be no wedding."
"What do you think, Stephanie?" she asked Steph, clearly ignoring Ranger's protests.
"Sounds good to me," she said, knowing that Ranger would never be bullied into a wedding. If she thought for a second it would happen, she'd hyperventilate on the spot. But if they were talking hypothetically…..
Ranger stared at her.
"What? I always wanted to see the Batcave."
"Babe."
"Yes, this will work perfectly. A fall wedding," Mrs. Manaso said, undeterred.
"Mama. No! There will not be a wedding." He turned back to Steph. "Christ, she's as bad as your mother when it comes to weddings."
"Carlos!" His mother quickly crossed herself. "You watch your language, young man."
Ranger looked between them all again, and then sank onto the couch beside Julie with his head in his hands.
"Daddy," Julie said, pulling on his hand and forcing him to look at her. She had tears swimming in her eyes. "Daddy, don't you love Stephanie?"
"Of course I love her, querida."
"And you love me?"
"Of course I do. I love you more than anything in the world."
"Then why can't we all live together and be a family?" As she said this, big tears began to fall out of her eyes.
Steph knew Julie was a bright girl. A very intelligent, mature, and serious girl. It made her wonder what Julie's plan was, and if this had anything to do with Mrs. Manoso's plan. Steph was pretty sure those were fake tears. She had used enough of her own fake tears on her father at Julie's age. From the pained expression on Ranger's face, he couldn't tell the difference. From the way his mother was pressing her handkerchief over her mouth, Steph was pretty sure she could. Tank was just standing there looking amused.
"Querida, my life, my job…" he trailed off as Julie continued to stare at him with those big sorrowful, tear-filled eyes. "I'm not home a lot Julie, I work a lot. You wouldn't like living with me – I have to leave all the time, and I wouldn't be around to take care of you. That's why you need to stay with your mom."
Oh my god, he's having the 'I-don't-do-relationships, go-back-to-Morelli' talk with an twelve year old! That's terrible! Steph shook her head and sighed.
Mrs. Manoso chose that moment to break in. "Why doesn't she just stay with you for the rest of the summer. What is it, three or four weeks? I'm sure you and Stephanie can handle one little girl for that long. You know Celia and I would help out. And Stephanie, I'm sure you wouldn't mind staying with Carlos for a few weeks, would you dear?"
Stay in the batcave? Holy crap she had been kidding about being okay with this. There was no way she was taking care of Julie for the next month! Julie was a sweet kid and all, but she was a kid! Steph broke the Merry Men, what would she do to Julie?
But Steph just calmly nodded at Mrs. Manoso, knowing that Ranger would never allow such an invasion to his privacy.
"You sure about this, Babe?"
Her head snapped around to Ranger. Was he kidding? He was actually considering doing this. Moving her and Julie in and being a family. They were going to be a family.
Uh-oh.
She was supposed to be feeling panic. But as she looked back and forth from Ranger to Julie, she realized how badly she wanted this as well.
"Yeah, it'll be fun."
Ranger nodded and stood up to go call Rachel. Steph couldn't make out his words, but it seemed to be going well. He came back in the room a minute later.
"It's all set. Your mom is going to send your stuff, and she and your dad will be here to pick you up in three and a half weeks."
Julie squealed and jumped up, launching herself at Ranger. He caught her laughing, and swung her around. The sight made Steph's heart constrict. She had heard Ranger laugh before, seen him relax, but this…this was a whole different side of him. This was a laugh of pure joy, of promise, of love.
Tears stung Steph's eyes as her watched them. Mrs. Manoso came up behind her and patted her on the shoulder. "Maybe this is just what Carlos needs. He works too hard, and needs someone to love him. You and Julie could do that very well."
Steph smiled at the thought. Yes, she could love Ranger very well, if he would let her. She continued to watch him with Julie. Oddly enough, she was really looking forward to this. But she had a sneaking suspicion that when these three and a half weeks were over, and she and Julie went home, she was going to be missing a big piece of her heart.