Chapter 2: He Cuts Her Loose

It's too late. I've finally come to terms with my attraction to Stephanie, and it's too late. I've always known we were attracted to each other physically. I never made much time for those kinds of pleasures before I met her. After what happened with Rachel, my ex-wife and mother of my only child, I just wasn't interested in that anymore. The fun and enjoyment was replaced with the consequences and guilt over what I'd done to the last woman I'd been with. But with Stephanie, I never worried about that. I'm in a much better position financially now than I was back then, and Stephanie is… Stephanie. There's no other words I can use to describe her. She makes me forget about my past, if only for a little while.

I can't count how many times I've thought about marrying her. Thought, mind you. I never really gave it serious consideration. I knew it wasn't in my cards. But guys are allowed to dream about these things, too.

I'm back in my room now, staring down at a little blue box in my hand. A box that holds a simple, plain gold ring with a single, small, emerald-cut diamond. Another box that's sitting on the desk beside me holds the matching wedding ring and a matching man's ring.

No, I didn't go out and buy these rings hoping to give one to Stephanie. I've had these rings since I was a teenager. My paternal grandparents left them to me when they both died within minutes of each other. They've been sitting in a safe-deposit box in a bank here in Trenton for over a decade, whether I was here with them or not. And no, these aren't the rings I used when I married Rachel, either. I knew before that marriage began that it was going to end. It was just to clean up my mess. I didn't want these rings soiled by that.

Frustrated and infuriated at myself, I pop the lid back down on the box and place both boxes in a locked drawer in my desk. Why did I even get them? What am I going to do with them now? Look at them? I certainly can't do what I want to do with them. The finger this ring belongs on is already occupied.

I don't know why I do or say most of what I do and say recently. I've been short and terse with my men, even Tank. I'm sure they all realize the cause of my new mood, but I don't care. None of them will dare to say anything about it to anyone.

It's been three days since Stephanie told me about her engagement. We didn't speak much after I made her say that she still loves me. I drove her to the bonds office, where I'm sure they didn't make the mistake I did and neglect to notice the giant stone on her finger. How did Morelli even afford that? Especially after buying that billiards table. Stephanie broke it off with him over that billiards table. I should have taken advantage of that and made her mine while I still had the chance. She was back together with him, everything forgiven, within a week. And now a month later, they're engaged.

It took every ounce of my will power not to walk her up to her apartment, into her room, and relieve her of her clothes. I could have done it. We both know I could have had her at any time during our relationship if I had pushed hard enough, but I seldom did. I respected her choices, even if I didn't agree with them. And I'm going to continue doing that now. That's why I kept my eyes on the road the entire way to her apartment, and I didn't lean over for one more kiss or follow her into her apartment that day. And that's why I haven't answered any of her text messages or phone calls in the last three days.

"Hey, Ranger. That was really weird, today. Can we just move on and never talk about it ever again? Thanks," Her first voicemail said.

"I'm sorry this is so sudden. I really didn't think it was going to happen, but it did, and now we all have to deal with it," she said the second time, a few hours later. "Oh my God, that sounded awful," she continued. "Please don't tell anyone I said it like that. You know what, let's just pretend this didn't happen."

"Ranger, I know this is weird, but I really need you to talk to me." She said the next morning. "You're not answering your phone or anything."

Are you ok? She texted after that.

Are you really gunna be that way? Stop talking to me because Joe finally proposed?

What did you think was going to happen? That I'd just be happy with the occasional sleepover with Morelli and the even more rare night with you? I'm not that kind of girl, Ranger.

Oh my God, I sound insane. Please don't take any of that the wrong way. I'm just really emotional right now and I'm freaking out because you were so aloof with me yesterday and now you're not talking to me and and and… I just don't know what to say to fix this.

"Hey, Ranger," she said on voicemail again. "I really need you to answer your phone for me. Please."

There was a lapse of time where there were no texts or voicemails around dinnertime that night. I assumed she was having dinner with her family and telling them her good news.

Want to help me w a skip? Or maybe you need me to do more background checks in the office or help with one of your clients? I'm game. She sent around the time her family usually finished dinner. I wish I didn't know what time that was.

Ok, I don't really need your help, and I'm sure if you needed help you'd have asked by now, but I'm trying here, ok? Just give me something to work with.

Yesterday morning, I get a call from Tank.

"Hey boss. Steph's outside the gate. You want us to let her in or…?"

I had the gate reprogrammed the day before so her key fob wouldn't work.

"No." Click.

Then more messages started pouring in.

"Ranger, I'm outside your building at my key fob doesn't work. Can you have one of the guys buzz me in?"

Ranger, are you in? I'm outside.

Ranger, let me in.

Did you change the lock on me?

Seriously?

Ranger, come on.

Ricardo Manoso, let me inside or come out here and talk to me like an adult RIGHT NOW.

Tank texted me and told me she left, got in her car and sped off.

Ten minutes later, I got another voicemail.

"Ok, I'm pretty sure you're trying to cut me off right now, because I saw all of your cars down in the garage, and I'm sure the guys in the control room saw me outside, and they would have let me in unless they had expressed orders from you not to. I just want to let you know that this hurts me deeply and I didn't expect this of you."

"Ok, this is really out of character for me, I know that, but you're really freaking me out right now. We've been friends for YEARS, Ranger. More than friends, sometimes. Well, I guess that is the problem, isn't it? Crap. I'm messing this all up. You know what, just- never mind."

That was at 2:34pm yesterday afternoon. I haven't received any other messages from her since. I'm not sure which is more worrying: the slew of messages before, or the complete absence of them now. Not that it matters. She was right. I am trying to cut her off.

A/N: So I literally posted the first chapter, kept writing, and decided to go ahead and post the second chapter. I told the friend who introduced me to the Stephanie Plum series about this fanfic, and how it just seems to be writing itself, and I'm just a monkey with a keyboard. Like I said at the end of the last chapter, I have an end goal in mind, but I don't have an exact plan of where these characters are going to go before they get there. We'll find out together :)