A/N: Frank Plum had not taken Helen for a ride... she will get the money that she's rightfully entitled to receive. Sometimes patience and humility are required...

Chapter 17

Stephanie and Ranger got their wedding organized for Saturday. Blaze got to know Frank during the following few days. The justice of the peace was honoured to get asked to perform the ceremony for his friend's granddaughter. Justice Barlow missed his friend, Frank Plum Sr. He would do anything for the family.

Valerie styled Stephanie's hair for the wedding. "You look beautiful, Stephanie," Valerie said as she placed grandma Plum's pearls around her neck.

"Val, grandma wanted you to have these," Stephanie said, touching the necklace.

"I always loved them. I've never seen pale pink pearls before," Valerie stated. "Grandma always let me wear them whenever we visited." Valerie wiped a tear from her face. "I should have visited more."

"Grandma and grandpa knew you loved them. Travelling with young children isn't easy, and they had understood. You frequently called. Talking to you meant a lot to them," Stephanie said. "It's a shame they didn't get much time with the girls. Grandma would have loved Mary Alice."

"She could pass as your daughter. I'm amazed by how much she resembles you at that age," Valerie stated.

Stephanie laughed as she said, "Cal and Hal asked if I had another child and gave her to you to raise."

"Oh my gosh. That's too funny. Ben asked me the same question. If it weren't for the pregnancy and hospital photos, he never would have believed me," Val said, laughing.

"I have something borrowed, the pearls. My something old is this handkerchief from grandma Rosa. Julie gave me the pin for my hair, which is new. I still need something blue," Stephanie said. Valerie pointed to her eyes. "No, my eye colour doesn't count."

"Mom," Jayden said, knocking on the door.

"Come in, Jay," Stephanie said.

Jayden smiled at his mom. "You look beautiful. Dad's going to flip," Jay said. "Dad asked me to give you this bracelet. It's something blue." Jayden snapped the bracelet around Stephanie's wrist. Sapphires set between diamonds circled the bracelet. She noticed the odd pale pink diamond, matching her engagement ring, among the gems.

"It's beautiful. I'll be ready in a few minutes, Jay. Tell your dad that I love my gift. Can you please give him this for me?" Stephanie asked, passing him a ring-sized box. "Go ahead. Take a look."

Jayden opened the box and saw the gold ring with black onyx. Inside the band was engraved, 'My love. My life. My Batman.' Jayden laughed. "Dad will love this." He kissed his mother's cheek. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Jayden. Let grandpa know we'll be there in a few minutes," Stephanie said.

"Momma," Julie called from outside the room. Stephanie grinned and asked Julie to enter. "We're ready. Grandma Rosa finished braiding Mary Alice's hair. Can you tie the ribbon?"

"Sure, sweetie. Turn around," Stephanie replied. Julie turned for Stephanie to tie the ribbon around her braid. "I know you could have handled it by yourself. You look beautiful, Jules."

"Thanks, momma. You look gorgeous. Daddy will be stunned," she said. Rosa called Julie from the hallway. "We should go."

Stephanie, Valerie and Julie made their way to the kitchen. Frank watched his beautiful daughters and granddaughters enter the kitchen. He thanked Rosa for getting the children ready for the ceremony. Jayden took his great-grandmother's arm as he guided her to the seat in the backyard.

The three girls walked beside each other down the aisle. Julie stood between the girls near the arch. Valerie found the bouquets of wildflowers on the table next to the door. She passed Stephanie the bridal arrangement before lifting the other flowers off the table.

Valerie walked down the aisle towards her daughters. Blaze smiled at Valerie as she passed his seat. She winked before taking her place beside the girls.

Jayden stood beside his father, waiting for his mom to walk down the aisle. He had dreamed of this day for as long as he could remember. Tank was Ranger's best man, although he stood beside Jayden. He felt Jayden should stand with his father.

Carlos grinned when he saw Frank accompany Stephanie down the aisle. He had never seen a more attractive bride. She kissed her father's cheek before placing her hand inside Ranger's hand. Ranger stroked his thumb across her knuckles.

"Stephanie, when I first met you on the beach, I knew someday you would become my wife. Our road was long and full of obstacles. But here we stand today in front of our family and friends to express our love. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. You are my sunlight and a breath of fresh air. My calm in the storm," Carlos said. "I promise to listen before making assumptions. I promise to communicate my feelings. I promise to love you for as long as I breathe."

Stephanie refrained from laughing during his vows. She wondered how many more colloquialisms Carlos could say. When it was her turn, she said, "I knew I loved you when we met. You are the only man I wanted as my husband. I promise to listen before making assumptions. I promise to communicate my feelings. I promise to love you for as long as I breathe."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, do you take Ricardo Carlos Manoso as your wedded husband. To have and to hold. In sickness in health. For richer or poorer for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Stephanie replied.

Justice Barlow repeated the words to Carlos, who replied, "I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," Barlow stated.

"It's about damn time," Edna Mazur shouted.

"Grandma," Valerie groaned as everyone else laughed.

During the reception, Frank talked to his ex-mother-in-law. "How's Helen?" he wondered.

"Learning a lesson in humility. Helen moved into an apartment near gang territory. I haven't heard anything vile from her mouth. She spent time in the church praying for forgiveness," Edna replied.

"Good. I have divorce settlement papers for Helen. Would you deliver them when you return to Trenton?" Frank asked.

"What have you done?" Edna asked.

"Legally, Helen is entitled to half of my military pension. It took some time, but I got them to arrange the payments to commence in the new year. However, if she dies first, they will revert to me. She is not permitted to bequeath the payments to another benefactor. The money would automatically get rolled back into my estate. I received a home in Trenton from my grandparents. It goes to Stephanie when I die. I had also purchased a new vehicle for Helen. The car got stored at my home. When Helen moves to a safer area, I'll have the car delivered," Frank explained.

"I wanted to see her suffer for a bit longer," Edna confessed.

"She had learned her lesson. The pension office needed proof of our divorce. I sent the documents once the courts issued the dissolution decree. Until her payments get transferred to her account, I'll send the money she's entitled to receive at the end of each month," Frank stated. "Help her find a safer home."

"Sure, Frank. I'm sorry Helen put you and the girls through so much grief," Edna said.

"The girls want to know their grandmother. It's important for the girls to meet their family," Frank stated. He gave Edna the envelope with the settlement documents. "Give these to Helen immediately." Edna shoved the envelope into her purse and nodded. She tottered off to visit with the great-grandchildren.

Valerie had heard the exchange between her dad and grandma. "Did you change your mind?" Valerie asked.

"No. I told your grandmother the truth. It takes time to reorganize the pension finances. My father got Helen to sign an agreement that she could not sue me for any money or property I owned before our wedding date. Most of the money I made from special ops was before our wedding day. Anything earned since we exchanged vows got deposited into our joint accounts," Frank explained.

"So, you getting preliminary settlement order preventing mom from suing you for more? Why did you do that?" Valerie asked.

Frank smiled before saying, "When the finances get caught up in court cases, it prevents us from accessing our accounts. I didn't want your mother living on the streets."

"Oh. I didn't think of it that way. She could have lived with grandma. We didn't leave Steve destitute, so it makes sense that you wouldn't do that to the mother of your children," Valerie stated.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry for interrupting. Ben said you're Valerie?" the pretty blond asked.

"Yes. I'm Valerie Sutton," she replied.

"Great. My name is Jan Blaze," she stated. "Your husband got arrested for statutory rape. The babysitter is four months pregnant. She's only sixteen, and the age of consent is eighteen. All property got seized to cover the court expenses. The judge fast-tracked your divorce to keep you from the lawsuit. I'm here to deliver the decree."

"Do you mean that I'm legally divorced?" Valerie asked.

"Yes, Valerie. You are no longer married to Steven Sutton," Jan replied. Valerie hugged Jan and whispered her thanks. She was grateful for not getting dragged through the courts with Steve.

Blaze approached his sister as she embraced Valerie. He didn't know she was coming to Chicago. "Jan? Why are you here?" Blaze asked.

"Delivering the divorce decree to Valerie. She's no longer married," Jan replied. He couldn't believe what she said. Jan pulled her brother aside to explain what had happened. Blaze wasn't surprised the babysitter was underaged despite Steve's claim.

However, he was excited that Valerie was a free woman. Blaze could hardly wait until she was ready for them to start a relationship. He kissed Jan's cheek before finding Valerie for a dance. Valerie blushed as she took his hand. Blaze guided her to the grassy area designated for dancing. He held her tight to his chest as they swayed to the music.

"Beautiful, what's going on with them?" Lester asked.

Stephanie smiled at her best friend. "When Blaze met Val, they felt a connection. My sister filed for divorce. I think she wants to date Blaze but won't betray her marriage," Stephanie attempted to explain.

"Most women filing for divorce don't care," Lester stated. "Tank, Bobby and I have to go home. We're taking your grandma Edna home with us. Maria and Ricardo Manoso want to spend more time with Jayden and Julie."

"I'd love to know them better," Stephanie confessed. "We'll stay here for a few more weeks before driving home." Stephanie wanted them to know the plan.

"Babe," Ranger whispered while wrapping his arms around his wife. "The men know our plan." She turned around in his arms to kiss him. "Cal and Hal are returning with you." Stephanie kissed her husband again before leaving to say goodbye to the others.

She found Cal and Hal dancing with the girls and Jayden. Stephanie laughed at their outrageous dance. "Hey, guys," she yelled over the music.

"Hey, sis," Cal greeted. He lifted her and swung her around. "Hal and I are leaving soon. The kids wanted one more dance before we left."

"You're kind. Lester was collecting the troops to head out. Grandma Edna is travelling with you," she stated. Hal blushed as he placed his hands over his ass.

"Your grandma keeps pinching me," Hal said when Stephanie asked why he covered himself.

"At least she didn't grab your jewels," Cal retorted. The girls giggled when Jayden told them what Uncle Cal meant. "We'll see you at home." He kissed Stephanie's forehead before kissing the top of the kids' heads. Hal followed suit. Tank, Bobby and Lester made their way over to the group to say farewell.

The party wound down as the guests started to leave. Frank wasn't surprised to learn the Rangeman guys had tidied the yard before departing. He congratulated Stephanie and Carlos before guiding the children into the house. Jayden gave up his room for his grandparents. He crashed in the basement with Blaze.

Carlos carried Stephanie up the stairs to their bedroom. He closed and locked the door behind him. "Babe," he moaned against her lips. Carlos carefully removed her jewelry before stripping her bare. Stephanie removed his shirt as Carlos unzipped his pants. It didn't take long for him to make love to his wife.

~~~

"She's eighteen," Steve yelled from his jail cell. "Check her identification. Her birthday is in a few days." He rhymed off Brittany's social security number that he had memorized.

The officer entered the number into the database to search with her name. Brittany Mackenzie was only sixteen. It was true her birthday was in a few days. "Her name and social security number state Miss Mackenzie is currently sixteen years old," Detective Adams read off the screen.

"I must have got her social security number wrong," Steve claimed. "She proved her age before we had sex."

Detective Adams grabbed the ID from the folder. He held it up to Steve and asked, "Is this the identification that Miss Mackenzie provided to you?"

Steve took a close look at the card. "Yes. See her birthday? She's nineteen in a few days," Steve stated.

"I have a copy of her birth certificate, registration and education records. Every legal document proves Brittany Mackenzie is currently sixteen years old," Detective Adams reiterated.

His face paled as Adams showed him each document to confirm her true age. "I want my lawyer," Steve demanded.

Adams shook his head as he left the containment room. The other men sharing Steve's cell were not amused that their cellmate had taken advantage of a minor. "Do you have daughters?" a large man with multiple tattoos asked.

"Two, nine and seven," Steve stupidly replied.

"How old are you?" another man asked.

"Thirty-four," Steve answered.

"What would you do if a twenty-seven-year-old man had sex with your oldest daughter?" the first man asked.

"I'd kill the man," Steve said before he realized what he had said. The men crowded Steve. They didn't respect men who took advantage of children. "Help!" Steve cried as the men started punching him.

They stopped hitting Steve once he passed out. The men took their seats on the bench and waited for the officer to check on them. "What happened to him?" Officer Byers asked.

"Fell," the men replied. Byers didn't believe them, but he didn't blame the men for defending their beliefs. Many incarcerated men did not like when creeps took advantage of young girls. Byers prayed that Sutton's daughters had responsible adults keeping them safe.

Steve woke up in the morning with his face swollen. He could barely breathe through his nose. The men glared as Steve looked around the cell. Steve didn't say anything as he shifted away from the men. He leaned against the bars and waited for his lawyer to arrive.