Chapter 1

Stephanie rubbed her hand down her baby bump as she sobbed and fell to her knees. She felt alone in the secluded house. Correction, Stephanie was alone. Nobody except for Dougie knew where she went. It wouldn't surprise her if Ranger hired a team to search for her location. Stephanie shook her head to put Ranger out of her mind. She had memories flit through her head. "I will give you a baby if you want one. My love doesn't come with a ring, but a condom might come in handy. Someday," Ranger often said. We will have our someday.

She wiped the tears from her face as she walked through the patio door leading to the beach. The ocean waves calmed Stephanie's nerves and emotions. She sat on the wet sand. The moisture dampened her dress where set sat. It was warm enough outside to prevent her from freezing. A strong wind whipped her long curly hair around her face.

"Baby," Stephanie said as she rubbed small circles over her stomach. "Did I tell you about the day I met your daddy? No? The story starts six months before I met him. I lost my job at EE Martin when they got bought out by another company. When they merged the two, they fired the redundant positions. I wasn't blond or stacked, so they let me go. I tried to find another job as a lingerie buyer, but I got black-listed because of my old boss. At the time, I didn't know he used my lingerie orders to ship drugs into the building. When someone ordered the lingerie, he shipped them dope with the order. I thought I made excellent choices, but I couldn't have been more wrong. A few times, I mistakenly accepted a return. The box didn't contain lingerie. Do you know what I found? Did you say money? You're correct. How did you get so smart?"

Another gust of wind caused hair to blow into her mouth. She used the elastic around her wrist to pull her hair back into a low ponytail. "Sorry, baby. I had to pull my hair out of my mouth before I choked. After I lost my job, I got forced to give up my gorgeous Newark apartment and move back to Trenton. When I had to choose between my apartment or car, I chose my car. For six months, I applied to every job I could. Unfortunately, all I found was temporary work. I was overqualified for an entry job and under-qualified for management. To prevent starvation, I accepted dinner invitations to my parents."

Stephanie felt a chill go through her body before she headed back inside. The sun was setting, making the wind colder. "Hang in there, baby. I'm getting to the part where I met your dad. The night before my car got repossessed, I finally told mom and dad that I got fired from my job. Dad told me that my creepy cousin Vinnie was looking for a file clerk. I promised to see him the next morning. The last of my money and bartered appliances bough me a piece of shit brown Nova. It sputtered and smoked when I drove it to Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. I parked it out front and waited it to sputter until it stopped. As I exited the car, I felt a tingle on the back of my neck. A sleek black SUV pulled away from the curb as it took the tingling sensation with it. I shrugged and watched my feet as I opened the door."

She poured herself a glass of lemonade from the fully stocked refrigeration after she locked the patio door. One could never be too careful. Stephanie smiled slightly as she silently thanked her friend for filling the fridge and cupboards. Stephanie looked around the sparsely furnished beach house. The brown sofa was worn and threadbare in some places. A thick quilt got tossed over the cushions to prevent your ass from getting poked by the broken spring. Yesterday, Stephanie found an old pair of wire cutters and snipped a few inches off the offensive spring.

Stephanie took a seat as she rubbed her abdomen. "I'm getting there, baby. I promise," she said as she yawned. "Where was I? Right, I was talking about my cousin Vinnie. I noticed a pretty woman resembling the cartoon character Betty Boop sitting at the reception desk. She reminded me that her name is Connie, and I went to school with her sister, Tina Rosolli. When I inquired about the filing job, she said the position got filled. She told me about another job that was available. Morty Beyers went to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. I could take over his cases if Vinnie agreed. No, baby, Vinnie didn't agree at first. I told him some perverted things I knew he did and threatened to tell his wife. He gave me two weeks to find Morty's largest bond case. I nearly fainted when I read the name Joseph Morelli. Is Joe your father? No, baby, Joe is not your daddy. Be patient, sweetie. I need to change my clothes first."

Stephanie walked across the worn hardwood floor towards the stairs at the front of the house. She turned off the lights as she exited each room. Her hand held the handrail as she slowly climbed the stairs. Her closet mostly contained dresses and oversized shirts. Stephanie kicked herself for leaving Rangers' comfortable shirts behind. After she stripped off her damp clothes, she pulled a clean black shirt from the pale blue dresser. From the top drawer, Stephanie grabbed a park of bikini boy shorts. She dressed before brushing her teeth.

Once she got settled in bed, she rolled to her left side. "I'm almost there, baby. I tried to capture Morelli for a few days. He was easy to find, but I had problems bringing him to the TPD to get re-bonded. I asked Connie for help. She said another BEA, that's a bounty hunter, owed her a favour. I had to meet him at 2 pm and not be late. I could feel the tingle in the back of my neck as I parked my POS Nova beside the sleek black SUV. Ranger was sitting in a booth at the back with his back to the wall. The gorgeous man quickly dismissed me as I approached him. A few seconds later, he realized I was his 2 pm appointment. I had to stop myself from drooling when I first saw him. His hair got pulled back into a low ponytail, held in place by a brown leather strap. He wore black cargo pants and a snug black shirt. The muscles in his arms twitched as he took a sip of water. I was completely affected by the man. His mocha latte skin tone and dark brown eyes mesmerized me. I could tell I amused him. By the end of our meeting, he was calling me Babe. Your daddy was affected by me too. I bought a gun, cuffs and bullets with the last of my money. He taught me how to shoot."

Stephanie stopped talking when the tears made it too difficult to speak. She could picture his gorgeous face. It's been too long since Stephanie had seen him. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she continued, "Your daddy is a second-generation Cuban-American. He's a Ranger and owns a security company called Rangeman. I miss him so much." She closed her eyes as she pictured Ranger. "I love you, baby. I love you, Carlos. Please don't get shot. We need you."

She fell asleep as she thought about all the ways she could have made life easier for herself. At the top of her list was training. Many times Ranger recommended that she exercised. She would stomp her foot like a child before stuffing her face with sweets. It was an unhealthy habit Stephanie should break before having her child. She walked a few miles daily, but after she gives birth, she would need to train. Stephanie was determined to prove she was Wonder Woman.

Seven months ago…

Joe accompanied Stephanie to dinner at her parents' house. Stephanie parked her car in the lot behind her apartment building. She felt letting Joe drive tonight was a mistake. As Joe bitched about his current partner at TPD, she took a close look at the man. She wondered if there was anything that would make him happy.

His brown hair looked messy from running his fingers through the locks while he complained. Joe's arms waved as he grew more agitated about his partner letting a key witness leave the scene of the crime. She realized Joe's attitude towards her was more agitation than affection. Stephanie felt rejected.

The more Joe talked, the more she was secure in her resolve. Whatever they had between them was finished. It should not continue for another day. Stephanie planned to wait until after dinner before telling Joe they were breaking up again. She was not in love with Joe. To make her mom happy would ruin her life. Stephanie deserved better than Morelli could offer.

Joe Morelli was an attractive man. He was tall and muscular, although he was going soft around the middle from too much beer, pizza and donuts. His eyes, a warm chocolate brown. She didn't know when it happened, but she stopped getting the warm fuzzies whenever Joe was around.

When Joe parked in front of the Plum home, Stephanie took a closer look at the house. The bottom was painted yellow, and the top was brown. It wasn't appealing on the outside, especially when the other half got painted lime green. Her dad was happy the front lawn was the size of a postage stamp. There wasn't much grass to mow.

Helen Plum and Edna Mazur appeared on the front porch before Stephanie exited the car. Joe met her on the sidewalk to walk with her towards the women. For the first time, Joe didn't grab her hand. Either he picked up on her mood, or he wasn't feeling their relationship. "What's your problem?" Joe snarled before they reached the steps.

"Nothing," Stephanie replied, confused by his attitude. She thought Joe was angry about his assigned partner at work.

"Right," Joe snapped. "Good evening, Mrs. Plum, Mrs. Mazur," he sweetly said to the women.

"We're glad you could make it, Joe," Helen cheerfully greeted as she glared at Stephanie. It seemed Helen developed a new talent. She could speak sweetly while wishing you dead at the same time.

After Helen grabbed a beer for Joe, she pulled Stephanie into the kitchen. "Would it really hurt you to wear nice clothes for dinner? Look at your outfit. Torn jeans and a light jacket in the cold. Why me? Why couldn't my daughter dress appropriately for once?" Helen admonished. "When you marry Joe, you are expected to dress like a proper Burg woman." Stephanie ignored everything else. She would never marry Joseph Morelli. Not now, not ever.

Stephanie wore a light jacket because it was the only one clean. When she chased Arnold Barker earlier today, he knocked her over into the pile of grey sludge beside his driveway. It wasn't until she got home that she realized the sludge was motor oil.

Helen wore straight-legged black slacks with a cranberry blouse. Her wavy hair got pulled back into a bun. A thin gold chain was wrapped around her neck. Stephanie noticed her mom always looked put together. She looked at her clothes. After she removed her jacket, she saw the threadbare, misshapen shirt. It should have been tossed months ago, but it was comfortable.

After they ate a roast beef meal, Joe got a call and had to leave. "Do you have time to drop me off at home?" Stephanie asked when she walked him to the front door.

"No. Find your own way home," Joe snapped and left the house.

Stephanie leaned her head back against the door as she fought back the tears. She knew it was a mistake to let Joe drive. Next time, Stephanie should listen to her instincts. When she sat at the table, Helen laced into her. "See what you did, you ungrateful child? You chased away the only man willing to marry you. If you dressed like a lady, Joe would have stayed for dessert."

She ignored her mom as much as possible while she ate the upside-down pineapple cake. Stephanie looked everywhere to avoid eye contact with her mom. The floral print wallpaper looked faded. It was the same design since she could remember. Stephanie was positive it was the same wallpaper from when she was a kid. She smiled when she found the spot she coloured with markets. The area was nearly stripped clean of the print. It was the same wallpaper.

Frank realized Stephanie didn't have a ride home. He grabbed his keys and Stephanie's jacket. They silently walked down the worn linoleum floor towards the door. Frank held the jacked as Stephanie slipped her arms into the sleeves. "Thanks, daddy. I can always count on you to be a gentleman."

"Anything for you, pumpkin," he said as he guided her to the car. He opened Stephanie's door and closed it after she took a seat. Frank got into the car next to Stephanie and turned the key. As he drove down the tree-lined street, he said, "I don't want you to marry Morelli."

"No worries there, daddy. I don't want to marry him either," Stephanie replied.

"It's the other one, isn't it?" Frank asked.

"Yes, daddy. I love the other one," Stephanie admitted with a sigh. She wasn't sure how she could have a relationship with Ranger. He told her more often than not that he can't offer her more than time between the sheets.