A/N: Not making any sort of profit. All recognizable material belongs to Janet Evanovich

Wow! It has been a long time since I have updated this story! I promise you it will get finished and I will try not to go so long without an update again.

Chapter 7- Facing Reality

Steph opened her eyes and could see sunlight starting to stream in around the curtains. She rolled to look at the other side of the bed but as she suspected Ranger was already absent. He always got up at freakishly early hours. She suspected she would never be a morning person. The clock on her cellphone told her it was 8:35; she figured she might as well get up and start her day, and what better way to start it than with Ranger's shower gel?

After she showered and got dressed in clothes from Ranger's closet she made her way out of the bedroom and could immediately tell that Ella had already delivered breakfast. Ranger was already seated and was divvying up the food between two plates. He glanced up and smiled at her when she walked in, "Morning Babe, how did you sleep?"

"How could I not sleep well in your bed?" Realizing what she said she immediately started blushing.

"Babe," Ranger said while the sides of his mouth twitched in an almost smile. "So what are your plans for the day?"

"Well, I figured given all the missed calls, voicemails, and text messages on my phone I would try and call some of them back and let them know what is going on. I mean, it's going to get out anyways so I might as well go ahead and inform everyone that I'm having a baby and leave it at that for now."

"And what about your plans after you make these phone calls?"

"Well I figured I would go to the Bond's office and see if Vinnie has any skips for me."

"Babe," Ranger said as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

Ranger sighed, "You can't chase skips anymore. Your pregnant and going after skips could put you in a situation that would cause harm to come to the baby."

"Oh yeah. Crap! This is why I shouldn't be a Mom! I just found out I am pregnant and already I am putting the life of my baby in danger. What is going to happen when the baby is actually born? This is a disaster! My life is an absolute disaster!"

"Babe, you're not a disaster. You just found out you are pregnant and it is going to take some time to come to terms with that and make the necessary changes in your life to accommodate this change."

Steph finally flopped down in the chair across from Ranger, "You know I just always thought that if I had a child it would be because I planned to have one. I didn't think I would just end up pregnant and not know who the father of my baby is."

Ranger stared back at her for a moment before he spoke, "Steph, a very large majority of pregnancies are unplanned. Also, sometimes you don't know you want something until you already have it. And then once you have it, you can't imagine how you lived your life without it. You can't imagine your life without this person being a part of it."

"And what about the not knowing who the father of my baby is? I mean, I have already decided that if it is Morelli's that I don't want a relationship with him and at best he would only be a part of the child's life. If it turns out that you are the father, then I feel like I have let you down. You have always been clear. Your love comes with a condom and not a ring. You don't do relationships. I mean what if you are the father Ranger? Are you and I going to be like you and Rachel? Are you going to send me a paycheck every month to take care of your offspring? Are you even going to want to be a part of this child's life or are you going to do the occasional drop in like you do with Julie? Oh my god! Regardless of who the father of this baby is, I am going to be a single mother. I am going to have to do this all alone." At this point Steph had tears streaming down her face.

Ranger came around the side of the table and scooped Steph out of her chair. He carried her back into the bedroom and sat on the bed with Steph cradled in his arms. Once she had calmed down enough to where he thought she would listen he decided to try and alleviate her fears as best as he could. "Look Steph, I know I have said some pretty stupid things to you in the past. I was trying to do what I thought was best for you, and I didn't think that I was what was best for you, I still don't. What I want you to understand is that I am going to try to be there for you in every way possible during this pregnancy and after the baby is born regardless of who the father is. I'm not promising you a relationship but I will try to be there for you. And to answer one of your questions, what you and I have could never be like what Rachel and I have. With Rachel I have a daughter that I don't really know by a woman that I never loved. I love you, and I am going to try to be there for you. What do you say to us going and eating our breakfast before it gets cold?"

Steph sniffled, "Sure." She still was satisfied with the answer he gave her, but she figured it was the best she was going to get at this point.

Shortly after they got settled at the table and had started eating, Steph's cell phone rang. Ranger reached for it since it was closest to him and looking at the readout he glanced up at Steph, "It's your mother."

Steph bolted up from the table and started sprinting towards the bathroom with a muttered, "I think I'm going to be sick."

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!