Chapter 24
The sale on Rachel's house closed at the end of June. Her children, Ronald and Silvia, finished school a week earlier. They still refused to see her. Rachel purchased a reasonably priced home and moved to Kissimmee.
She started a new job as a receptionist. Her boss was attractive. He's in his mid-forties, has dark hair, blue eyes and is a few inches taller than her. She tried to place who he resembled. Rachel spent most of her day answering calls and scheduling appointments.
Silvio contacted Ranger to give an update. "Report," Ranger answered. Stephanie was sitting on his lap.
"Mrs. Martine started a job at Andy Mazur Accountants in Kissimmee."
"Really?" he asked. "Does Andy know who he hired?" Ranger wondered.
Stephanie buried her face into Ranger's shoulder. He felt her body shake as she silently laughed. Rachel was in for a shock when she flirted with Stephanie's cousin. Andy Mazur is an attractive man. Many women flirted with him, but he married a man named Jacob Erickson.
Andy had met Jacob in college. Stephanie supported their relationship even though her aunt, uncle and mother banished them from their lives. He moved to Kissimmee to open his firm. Jacob owned a restaurant, Mazericks, a few blocks away from the accounting office. He had combined their last names for the restaurant.
"Mr. Mazur is aware of Rachel Martine's past. He hired Rachel on Stephanie's recommendation," Silvio announced. Ranger raised an eyebrow as he listened to Silvio. His wife had some explaining to do.
Rachel worked at the accounting firm for several weeks before she began flirting with Andy. He asked her to come into his office and shut the door. "Miss Silva, I have something to tell you, and I'm only going to say it once. What I share does not leave this office, or you will find yourself without a job. Do you understand?" Andy asked.
"Yes, sir," Rachel replied. She looked through her eyelashes at Andy.
"Miss Silva. I'm married. Neither my husband nor I wear wedding rings. We got matching tattoos instead of jewelry. Your work has been exemplary. The clients like you. I would hate for you to ruin the chance my cousin, Stephie, said I should extend to you," Andy stated.
"What do you mean? You weren't going to hire me until your cousin said you should?" Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. A sudden thought hit her mind as she panicked. "Stephie, as in short for Stephanie?" Rachel asked.
"Yes. My cousin, Stephanie Manoso, said I should give you a chance. When I saw your name, I wanted to toss your resume into the shredder. Stephanie said you worked at a law firm before you married Martine and had two more children. I'm pleased with your work," Andy replied.
He wasn't sure how to broach the next issue. "What aren't you saying?" Rachel asked.
"I do not permit my employees to date each other or our clients. You signed a contract stating you'd refrain from dating or flirting with your coworkers and clients. I'm letting your behaviour go with a verbal warning. If you tell anyone in the office what transpired in here today, I will give you a written warning," Andy replied. "Dismissed."
Rachel returned to her desk and used google to find photos of Stephanie Plum. She felt like an idiot. Her boss looked like a male version of Stephanie. Rachel had to grow up and be a better person. She closed the browser and opened a new search to find a local therapist.
Andy called his cousin to give an update. "Yo," Stephanie answered.
"Hehehe," Andy laughed. "I see Manoso has been rubbing off on you."
"That's not all he does," Stephanie mumbled. "How is she doing?"
"Rachel is remarkable with the clients. They love her too. I had to drop the hammer on her today. She got outrageous with her flirting," Andy replied.
"I wish I could see her face when you told her. Do you think she learned her lesson?" Stephanie wondered.
"Rachel was mortified when she left my office. I think it was the kick in the ass she needed," Andy replied.
"What makes you so sure?"
"She has an appointment to see a therapist next week. Rachel said it was time she got help. I was skeptical when she started working here, but my office is running smoother," Andy explained.
"Thanks for the update, Andy. We'll talk again later," Stephanie stated.
"See you later," Andy said before hanging up.
Stephanie relayed the information to Ranger. He was surprised Stephanie got Andy to hire Rachel and kept tabs on her. "I'm proud of you, Babe."
"I didn't do this for myself. It's for Julie, Silvia and Ronald. One day, the children would want to see their biological mother and ask her tough questions. I wanted Rachel to take ownership of her actions. The children don't deserve to get blamed for Rachel's poor choices."
Julie got adopted by Stephanie, and Ron's adoption got redacted. Rachel didn't contest the adoption. She learned more about Stephanie from Andy and realized Julie couldn't have a better woman to help raise her. Life was moving forward for the Manoso family.
"I can't believe Mattie is already ten weeks old. What are you feeding this little guy?" Lester asked. "He must weigh twenty pounds."
Stephanie laughed. "Mattie weighs thirteen pounds, and he's two feet in length," she repeated the stats from his appointment earlier in the day. "Ricky already weighs twenty-six pounds. It's funny to have Ricky weighing twice Mattie's weight."
"How tall is he?" Hal asked.
"Thirty-four inches tall," Ranger replied. "His growth is above the curve." Ranger was proud of his son's development.
Lester continued to hold Mattie. He changed the child's diaper and grabbed a bottle. "Why didn't you nurse this little one, Beautiful?" Lester asked.
Stephanie grimaced. "It wasn't for lack of trying," she replied. "He wasn't interested. Mattie prefers the bottle."
One year later…
"Rickie, I need to fix your bow tie," Stephanie called to her son.
"No, daddy fix," he said, stomping his foot. Ranger smirked as he kneeled to fix the bow tie Rickie had untied.
"Don't play with it, Rickie," Ranger reminded the boy.
"Okay, daddy," he replied before taking Lisa's hand. They would be walking down the aisle together.
"Remember, Rickie, walk towards Uncle Tank," Stephanie said.
"Okay, momma," Rickie replied. He hugged his mom while he held Lisa's hand.
"I'll see you at the other end," Carlos whispered to Stephanie. Ranger was Tank's best man. Stephanie was Celia's matron of honour. Ranger walked up the aisle with his mother on his arm. She sat on the bride's side of the church.
Celia leaned over to wipe Stephanie's chin. "You were drooling again," Celia whispered.
"Sorry. Your brother looks sexy in a tux," Stephanie whispered.
"I could see that from your impressive baby bump," Celia stated.
"You can go now, sweetie," Stephanie whispered to Lisa. "She's going to be our last child. Carlos got a vasectomy a few months ago. How are you feeling?"
"Nauseous. I haven't told Pierre yet," Celia replied. "He'll find out when he opens the gift tonight."
"It's my turn," Stephanie said. She kissed Celia's cheek. "Love you."
"Love you too, Steph," Celia reciprocated.
"Are you ready?" Ricardo Sr asked his daughter.
"Yes, papa. I'm ready to marry my soulmate," she replied.
Her eyes watered as she held onto her father's arm. Pierre Sherman stood at the front of the church wearing a pale grey tuxedo. She looked at her brother, Carlos and friends, Bobby Brown and Lester Santos. All three groomsmen wore black Armani suits. They looked handsome but didn't overshadow her groom.
The bridesmaids looked beautiful in their blue dresses. Stephanie looked radiant in the tight dress that accentuated her pregnant belly. Her sisters looked pretty too, but not as gorgeous as Stephanie. Celia held the bridal bouquet low enough to hide the small bump between her hips. The seamstress had to let out the waist a few inches to accommodate the baby bump.
Celia's dress was off-white. It brushed the ground as she walked down the aisle. The bust was tight to show her ample bosom. Her dress fit to her waist before flaring out to create a bell-shaped bottom.
Ricardo Sr suspected his daughter was pregnant. She wore the same pregnancy glow as her mother. He could get mad that she didn't wait, but it would be hypocritical of him. Maria was a few weeks pregnant when she walked down the aisle. When they reached Pierre, Ricardo kissed Celia's cheek and whispered, "I'm proud of you." He sat beside his wife and grandchildren as they waited for the ceremony to continue.
Stephanie smiled at Carlos throughout the ceremony. She found it hard to keep her eyes off her gorgeous husband. Her face flushed as a dirty thought passed through her mind. Carlos grinned when he read Stephanie's expression.
"Steph, stop eye-fucking my brother," Sophia leaned forward to whisper.
"I can't help it," she whispered back. "He's sexy."
Sophia and Stephanie shook from their silent laughter. Bobby and Lester were amused. They didn't realize Tank and Celia saw the exchange between the best man and matron of honour. Celia tried to control her laughter as she said her vows. Tank struggled to maintain a straight face. He had to rein in his amusement while reciting his vows.
After the priest pronounced them man and wife, Celia and Tank kissed to seal their vows. When they broke apart, Carlos grabbed Stephanie and carried her from the church. Celia shouted, "Seriously, guys? You couldn't wait?"
Carlos put Stephanie into the car and drove to his parent's house. He carried her to his childhood bedroom and didn't waste time making love to her. "Babe, you look radiant."
"You realize that everyone knows what we're doing right now," Stephanie stated.
"I don't care. We're married," Carlos retorted. He groaned when his phone rang. "Yo."
"When you have finished screwing your wife, your presence is required for pictures," Lester stated. Ranger hung up the call.
"We have to go?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes. It's time to get back to the wedding," Ranger announced.
Stephanie went to the washroom to clean up. She noticed a bit of discharge. "Um, Carlos?"
"Babe?"
"Is the hospital close to the reception hall?" Stephanie asked.
"A few blocks away," he replied.
"Thank goodness. I have a feeling our daughter will be here soon," Stephanie added. "Make sure you park close to the door."
"Are you in labour?" Ranger wondered. "You still have a few weeks left."
"Not yet, but I don't want to leave anything to chance," she confessed.
"You're not a fan of giving birth at the reception?" Ranger joked.
"I'm not a fan of giving birth in a place other than the hospital. Yes, I'm aware I gave birth to both boys at home," Stephanie replied.
"This time will be different," he reassured Stephanie. She wasn't entirely convinced it could be different.
They returned to the church for pictures. Stephanie's feet hurt from standing too long. After the photographer took all the photos, they got into the limousine to get to the reception hall.
Ranger got her to sit across from him in the SUV limousine to massage her feet. "I thought we would take our car," Stephanie moaned. "Yes. Right there."
"Babe, Lester parked the car beside the door."
"Good. Mmm. Can you massage my back later?" she asked. Ranger raised an eyebrow. "It feels a little stiff."
Celia watched Stephanie's stomach as Carlos massaged her back. She pulled on Tank's arm to check the time. "What are you checking?" Tank whispered.
"Time between contractions. I think Steph just had one," Celia whispered back.
When they arrived at the reception hall, Celia checked the time. She shook her head. Stephanie didn't have another contraction.
Tank got Lester and Stephanie to swap places at the head table. He felt Stephanie should sit beside Ranger in the chance that she was in labour. Celia squeezed Tank's leg when they took their seats.
Stephanie rubbed her belly when another pain went through her back. Tank noticed the motion and checked the time on his watch. "Twenty-two minutes," Tank whispered to his wife.
"Let me know if it changes," Celia whispered.
Ranger raised his eye when Celia and Tank kept watching Stephanie. Every time she rubbed her stomach, Ranger pressed the button on his watch. Her last contraction was twenty minutes. He wondered if Celia and Tank had noticed.
When he learned Stephanie was pregnant again, he paid extra attention to her moods. She had gone into labour relatively quick when she had Mattie. He didn't want to leave anything to chance.
"Babe?" Ranger asked. She barely ate her meal. The server grabbed her plate when she pushed it away.
"I'm not hungry," Stephanie quietly said. "Do you think mama and papa would take the children overnight?"
"I already made the arrangements, Babe," Ranger replied.
"Thank you, Carlos."
Celia and Tank rearranged the dances, so they had their first dance, followed by the wedding party dance. The mother-son and father-daughter dance were third.
"Carlos, how far apart are they?" Stephanie asked when she noticed Ranger press the button on his watch.
"Six minutes," he replied. "We should go to the hospital."
"I agree," Stephanie said, grabbing her abdomen.
"Where are you taking Beautiful? We haven't danced yet," Lester said.
"She's in labour. We need to leave," Ranger stated. Ranger lifted Stephanie into his arms and carried her through the crowd. Lester quickly moved around them to lead the way. He guided them to the car and got Ranger to sit in the back with Stephanie.
"Are we going to make it in time?" Stephanie asked.
"Contractions are three minutes apart. The hospital is one block away," Ranger announced.
At the reception, many of the guests noticed Stephanie getting carried to the SUV. They were curious why Ranger, Lester and Stephanie were leaving partway through the reception.
Tank received a phone call before he and Celia could cut the cake. He answered his phone and smiled. Tank grabbed a champagne glass and bellowed, "I would like to make a toast to Michaela Leslie Manoso. The newest member of the Manoso family."
"Did Steph give birth in the car?" Bobby asked.
"No. Stephanie made it to the delivery room this time," Tank replied.
"Yes!" Hal screamed from across the room. "Pay up, boys."
"How much did she weigh?" Manny asked.
"Nine pounds, four ounces," Tank answered.
"Yes!" Hal stated. "I even got the date right."