Thanks so much to everyone for their wonderful comments. I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed my story. It's your feedback that makes it worth the effort. Sorry it took me so long to get it finished.. But here it is, the conclusion. I hope it's just worthy.
Thanks Tracy
"Now that we've made you see the errors of your ways, what are you going to do about it?" asked Bobby.
Stephanie sniffed then blew her nose in a tissue. When she finally found the strength she asked, "How do I get him back?"
Steph In The Right Direction
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ranger leaned back in his chair as he watched his daughter struggle with a spaghetti noodle. Finally after a long slurp, she managed to win the battle between child and pasta. When Erica looked up and caught her dad staring she smiled.
"Kid, you've got sauce all over your face. Who taught you how to eat?" Ranger joked.
"Well, you of course, but it should be obvious since you have sauce all down your shirt." answered the giggling little girl.
Just as Ranger glanced down to check his shirt, Erica burst out in laughter. "I got you! I got you!" she yelled.
Ranger smiled at his clean shirt then once again returned his eyes to his daughter. "You think you're pretty funny, don't you?" He laughed.
Still rolling with laughter Erica shook her head in agreement.
Ranger smiled down at the happy little girl in front of him. The last month with her had been everything he had dreamed it would be. They spent nearly every free moment together, laughing and picking on each other as if they had never been apart. Ranger's heart warmed at the thought of making his daughter happy. Bringing her to Trenton had been the best idea he had ever had.
But the small ache in his chest reminded him that his life wasn't perfect. He missed Stephanie. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed her. He longed to hear her laughing and to feel her lips on his. But he pushed those thoughts away and reminded himself that she was the one that ended things so badly. She was the one that accused him of those terrible thing. She was the one that ended any chance of happiness between them.
"Daddy, that woman over there is staring at us." Erica said, bringing Ranger back to reality.
Ranger glanced around the dining room of Rossini's and spotted the woman. Their eyes met until a waiter approached her blocking their view. Ranger watched as Stephanie handed something to the man then pointed toward his table. The waiter turned and headed straight towards Ranger, while Stephanie turned and exited the restaurant.
"Excuse me Mr. Manaso. I have a something for you and your guest." The waiter handed Ranger an envelop and placed a large piece of chocolate cake in front of Erica.
Erica's eyes widened and she instinctively licked her lips. "Can I have it dad?"
Ranger nodded and watched as Erica cut off a huge bite of the cake.
"Smaller pieces Erica. There's no rush. You don't have to eat it all in two bites."
Erica rolled her eyes then plopped her fork back on the plate to cut the piece in half. Ranger laughed and shook his head. There was only one other person that could out eat Erica and he was holding a letter from just that woman.
Ranger took a deep breath then slowly opened the envelop. He drew in a deep breath as he pulled out the folded note.
Ranger.
How do you begin to explain to the person you love most, that you have been a complete idiot? I've stared at this piece of paper for nearly an hour and I have no idea what I should say to you. What do you need to hear? What can I do to make this right, to make us right again? If I begged for forgiveness would that make you forget? If I cried on your doorstep would that be punishment enough?
I thought about sending you a gift, but what do you get the man that can buy his own country? I thought about sneaking into your bed, but how do you seduce a man that can have any woman he wants? I thought about coming to see you, but what do you say to a man that seems to believe there's nothing left to say?
So now I'm left with only one option. I'm starting over. So if you feel there might be a chance for us, meet me tomorrow at noon at the place where it all began.
Love,
Stephanie
PS. I figured your daughter could use some real food since she's been living with you for a month. I can only imagine what all that rabbit food would do to a poor girl her age.
At precisely noon Stephanie glanced at her watch for the 10th time in the last minute. Ranger was late, or he wasn't coming at all. She sighed to herself and tried to hold back the tears.
It would be bad enough having to realize that their future was lost, but Stephanie wasn't sure she could survive the fact that she was the cause of the pain. She had berated herself constantly over the last couple of days. She couldn't believe that it had taken Tank, Lester and Bobby to make her see how stupid she had acted.
She had been on the verge of getting everything she had ever dreamed of and instead of embracing it, she pushed it away. She pushed him away. And now at 12:02pm in that same little café where they had met 3 years ago Stephanie tried to convince herself that there was still hope. She thought back on the night Tank and the guys barged into her apartment.
"How do I get him back?" she had asked.
"You don't Steph. You've done enough already. All you can do now is to place the offer on the table and let him make the decision." answered Tank.
"What offer?" she questioned.
"Whatever it is you're willing to give to him. This is the movie moment. The one that will make or break the ending. So it's time for you to decide once and for all. What are you willing to give Ranger?" explained Tank.
Steph had thought about those words for days. Ultimately the only answer she could come up with was this; her plan. Her final offer to Ranger.
Just as she was about to check her watch again she felt the familiar rise of hair on her neck. She jumped and focused her eyes on the door. Ranger stood there, taking in the chaos of the restaurant. He purposely avoided looking at Stephanie. He wasn't ready for that, not yet at least.
After nodding to a couple of Rangeman employees, Ranger began to stroll to that familiar table. When he finally made eye contact with her he could see the hope in them. He knew she was searching his face for any clue as to what was about to happen. Being just as confused as her, he kept a stone expression on his face.
He slide into the chair opposite her and they both sat in silence.
Stephanie shifted uncomfortably in her chair while she reached for her purse. Without saying a word she retrieved a note and slowly slid it across the table.
Not letting his eyes leave hers, Ranger took the note and slowly unfolded it.
Ranger.
If you're reading this, then you decided to come. And if you decided to come then hopefully you think we may still have a chance.
There's so much I want and need to say, but for once I'm not thinking about me. I'll try to make this as easy for you as I can. So please just do one of the following:
A.) If you think there is no future for us then wad this note up and leave. No words need to be said. I'll know it's me that brought us to this end.
B.) If you think there is a chance for us, even a slight chance then please look into my eyes and say the following: "Soooooo, Connie says I'm suppose to make you into a badass fugitive apprehension agent. She says you need to get the crash course. What's the rush?"
So there it is Ranger. Those are the choices. You take your pick and I'll deal with the consequences.
Steph
Ranger leaned back against the chair and crossed his arms across his chest. He took a deep breath and thought about his options.
Time seemed to stop as Stephanie waited for Ranger's response. His eyes never left hers with an intensity that was almost too much for her to stand.
She jumped when he finally made his move. He grabbed the note that had fallen to the table and began to wad it into a ball. Stephanie clamped her eyes shut and tried to ignore the sting from unshed tears. Just as she felt him shift his weight out of the chair she heard it. Those words.
"Soooooo, Connie says I'm suppose to make you into a badass fugitive apprehension agent. She says you need to get the crash course. What's the rush?" Ranger said to her for the second time in this little downtown café.
Stephanie's shock registered across her face. She had to take a moment to regain her composure and when she finally did, she put her plan into action.
Stephanie let a smile spread across her lips as she began to speak. "Here's the deal Mr. Manaso. My name is Stephanie Plum. I use to be a lingerie buyer but things change and I'm now looking for a new line of work. No, let me rephrase that. I'm looking for a new kind of life. It seems that for a really long time I've been depending on everyone else to take care of me. I'm kinda of tired of playing the helpless little victim so I figured it was time for a change. I've already changed the physical stuff about myself but there's still something missing."
Ranger tilted his head slightly as he hung on her every word.
"See not so long ago I had the chance to be truly happy, but I let some old shit from the past skew my vision. I acted like a complete ass to this guy that means a lot to me. Now I'm afraid I won't get the chance to tell him how I feel before it's too late."
Ranger let a smile curve his lips before he took the bait. "So exactly what kind of help are you looking for Ms. Plum?"
"So glad you asked Mr. Manaso. I need help finding this guy and I hear from the streets that you are the best FTA agent around. So I figured if anyone could help me find him, it would be you."
"You heard correct. I am the best. And it just might be your lucky day, because I happen to be free at the moment. Meet me at this address in an hour and I'll see what I can do." Ranger handed Stephanie a business card he had stashed in his jacket pocket then quickly left the table, not stopping until he was out of the café.
Stephanie quickly grabbed her belongings and raced to the door. When she stopped on the sidewalk she looked around for Ranger's vehicle. Suddenly she felt herself being pulled sideways by the cuff of her coat. Before she could think she was shoved against the side of the building as Ranger's lips smashed into hers. They kissed each other for what seemed like hours but in reality were mere minutes. The kiss was full of promises and hopes of the future. People on the street stopped to stared. Mothers covered the eyes of innocent children. Teenage boys yelled out whoops of laughter.
When they finally broke apart, panting for air, Ranger and Stephanie stared into each other's eyes with a love neither of them had ever felt before.
"Do you know why I asked you to say those words?" she asked.
"Yes. That was the very first thing I ever said to you." Ranger answered.
"Exactly. And it wasn't long after those words that I let things get so screwed up. I figured that if we could go back and start all over we might could get a second chance."
Ranger slide his knuckles gently across her cheek. "Babe, we've been granted our second chance. Let's just make sure that we never need a third."
And with that, they kissed once again.
Prologue
One year later….
"I can't believe it! I just can't believe what horrible timing you have!" screamed Mary Lou.
"Well it's not like I planned it this way. Where's Ranger? I need Ranger?" yelled Stephanie.
"He's coming Steph, he's parking the car." answered Erica.
Stephanie waddled her way into the hospital ER with Mary Lou on one side and Erica on the other. They were quickly greeted by a nurse and a wheelchair.
The very pregnant Stephanie plopped down in the chair and began focusing on her breathing.
"How far apart are your contractions ma'am?" asked the nurse.
"How the hell should I know? That's why I came to you! You guys are suppose to know what to do?" yelled Stephanie.
"The contractions are about a minute and a half apart!" yelled Ranger as he came running through the ER doors. The nurse stopped in her place and let her eyes roam lazily over the tuxedoed clad Ranger.
"Ahem!" Mary Lou said as she cleared her throat. "Do you mind ogling him at another time please, right now we have a woman about to give birth."
"Oh yeah. I'll just get the doctor." said the nurse, her face still red from being caught drooling after Ranger.
Five minutes later….
"Push Steph push. You can do it Babe. Almost done." urged Ranger.
Stephanie clamped her hand around Ranger's and gave it her all. Moments later the room was filled with the screaming cries of a brand new baby boy. The nurses quickly cleaned the squealing baby, wrapped him in a blanket and then gently placed him upon Steph's chest.
Ranger took a seat on the edge of the bed and beamed with pride.
"Babe I'm so proud of you. You were so strong and brave, and just look at our beautiful baby boy."
Stephanie smiled up at Ranger and felt warmth spread throughout her entire body. "We're so lucky Ranger. I'm just sorry this happened in the middle of the ceremony."
Ranger tossed his head back and laughed. "Don't be Babe. You said you wanted our wedding to be memorable, well I don't think the Burg will ever see anything like this one again."
Stephanie blushed, "Did you apologize to the minister? Tell him that I will shampoo that carpet myself if I have to."
"Don't worry about it babe. I told him I would foot the bill for the church to be redecorated. He didn't mind too much after that."
"Oh no! I just thought of something Ranger." panicked Stephanie.
"What?"
"Are we legal? I really didn't want to have this baby before we got married. I know that's silly, but…."
"Shhhh.. Don't worry about it Steph. We're legal. You're 100 my wife and there's no getting out of it now."
Stephanie smiled down at the baby and then back up at Ranger. "Don't worry Ric, there's nothing else I'd rather be."
Ranger leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead then another on the baby's head. He slid off the bed and walked towards the door. "Babe, I'm going to go get Erica so we can introduce her to her baby brother."
"Sounds perfect Ric. Absolutely perfect."
The End.
That line came directly from One for the Money. Chapter 2, Pg. 33.
