Chapter 21
Mena and Frankie ran through the house as Batman chased them. "Mama, Jayden's home," they screamed. "And he brought home a girl," Mena added. "It's not Julie."
Stephanie rolled her eyes at the twin's attitude. They thought Jayden hung the moon. She pushed Shadow out of the way before opening the door. "Hi, Jayden," Stephanie said as she opened the door.
"Hi, mama. I'd like you to meet Cierra. We served together," Jayden stated.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cierra. Please come in," Stephanie said. Cierra's skin tone matched Jayden's. Her pale blue eyes enhanced the delicate features of her face. She was a beautiful girl. Cierra's dark hair curled in lose waves.
"Hello, Mrs. Manoso," Cierra said as she entered the house. Stephanie could hear Abuela Rosa whisper in her ear, telling her that Cierra was worthy. They had lost her a few months before the twins turned five.
"Please call me Stephanie or Steph," she quickly corrected. Stephanie guided Cierra into the house. "Jay, your father should be home soon. I've got a lasagna in the oven."
"It smells delicious," Cierra stated. Cierra hoped Stephanie and Carlos would like her. Jayden had proposed, but she didn't want to give him an answer until she met the family.
Stephanie noticed the way Jayden stared at Cierra. "Help yourself to the drinks in the fridge," Stephanie told Cierra. She grabbed Jayden's arm and pulled him to the living room.
"What's going on, mama?" Jayden asked.
She twisted the engagement ring with the pale pink diamond off her finger. "Abuela Rosa said Cierra is worthy of this ring. Cierra must carry on the tradition to pass the ring to the future Manoso bride worthy of the Manoso man. The woman must be kind, gentle, loving and generous. She must rise above adversity to remain true to herself," Stephanie replied.
"Cierra is all of those things. She grew up in a home similar to yours. I felt a connection to her the first day we met. It reminded me of the story about the day you and dad had met," Jayden explained.
"Hijo, this ring belongs to Cierra." Stephanie passed the ring to Jayden as Ranger entered the house.
"Babe?" Ranger asked.
"Jay met the one," Stephanie quietly said. Ranger wrapped his arms around Stephanie and hugged her to his chest. He raised an eyebrow at his son. Jayden left the living room to get Cierra from the kitchen.
He brought her into the living room and introduced her to his dad. Cierra gasped when she saw an older version of Jayden. She grabbed Jayden's hand. Ranger held Stephanie as Jayden gave Cierra the engagement ring and explained the significance. "When the next Manoso man finds a woman worthy of his heart, you must pass this ring to the next woman," Jayden said. "I had asked you before, but I want to ask again. Cierra, will you marry me?"
"Say yes," Mena shouted.
Cierra smiled at Jayden's younger sister. She looked at the brother and parents before answering, "Yes, Jayden. I will marry you." Jayden placed the ring on her finger and kissed her.
"Gross," Frankie said. "Hi, I'm Frankie."
"I'm Cierra," she said. "Are you Mena?"
"Philomena. I'm named after my great-grandma. Everyone calls me Mena. Frankie is named after our great-grandpa and grandpa Frances," Mena replied. Frankie rolled his eyes at his sister.
"Mena, how would you like to be a bridesmaid at our wedding?" Cierra asked.
"Julie too?" Mena asked. "I don't want to be a bridesmaid unless Julie can too."
"Hmm," Cierra pretended to think. "I only have a brother. If Jay adds him to the bridal party, then we can have Julie too."
"Isn't this a bit premature?" Ranger asked. "They just got engaged, Mena."
Philomena looked at her father with her blue eyes. She was a miniature version of Stephanie. Her fair skin offset her twin's darker tone. "I know, papa. But I'm excited," Mena said.
"Hija, you must be patient," he said.
"I'm only ten. I don't have the attention span," Mena joked.
Stephanie pulled Mena to the couch. She sat on her mother's lap and rested her head on her shoulder. Frankie sat beside his mother to cuddle into her side. Cierra smiled at the close family.
"Your family is affectionate," Cierra whispered to Jayden.
"It's my mom. She's the best," Jayden confessed.
Stephanie talked to Cierra about the children. Cierra found it amazing that Mena and Frankie were twins but looked opposite in features. Where Mena resembled her mother, Frankie resembled the dad. She could tell Jayden was related to his siblings by features. He was the perfect blend of his parents.
"Mena, I was wondering. Is it true you have a lot of honorary uncles?" Cierra asked.
Before she got the chance to reply, a horde of men entered the house. "Hal said Jayden was coming home today. Is he here yet?" Lester asked.
"Hi, Uncle Les," Jayden replied.
Lester grabbed his nephew to hug. "You look good," Les stated. He noticed Jayden had buzzed off his curly hair. He looked more like his mother every day. Stephanie was more beautiful with age. "Have you given much thought to working for Rangeman?"
"Not yet. Cierra and I have another tour before our contract term ends. We aren't planning to sign a new contract," Jayden answered. "Cierra is my fiancée." Lester noticed the beautiful woman standing behind Jayden.
"Hi, I'm Lester. That's Bobby, Tank, Cal, Hal, Hector, Vince, Binkie and Zero," Lester said. Each man raised a hand as their name got mentioned.
"Tio Hector," Mena yelled and jumped off Stephanie's lap. She launched herself into Hector's arms.
Cierra noticed the teardrop tattoos on Hector's cheek. His affection towards Mena indicated he got misunderstood. People were afraid of him based on his looks. However, he was a friendly man. She approached Hector. Speaking Spanish, she introduced herself. Hector grinned at the brave woman.
She approached the other men in the same fashion. As Cierra spoke to each man, Jayden grinned at his mother. Stephanie winked at her son. Cierra wasn't afraid of the men. "She's a soldier," Jayden said before laughing at the men's shocked expressions.
Stephanie loved having her oldest son home. She sent a message to Julie, inviting her for a few days. Ranger watched Jayden closely. Something in his expression got him to realize Jayden was planning to elope. He pulled Tank aside to plan an impromptu wedding at the Chicago home for Jayden and his fiancée.
Tank got Cal and Hal to join him outside. He relayed the plan for Jayden and Cierra. They entered the house to say goodbye to their friends. Ranger pulled Jayden aside. "Son, are you planning to elope?" Ranger asked.
Jayden grinned because his dad could still read him easily. "We thought about it. I wasn't sure if mom thought Cierra was worth the ring. Both Cierra and I wanted to be sure before we took the next step. When you and mom got married at Grandpa Plum's house in Chicago, I could see my wedding there. I know mom kept the home. Could Cierra and I get married in Chicago?" Jayden asked.
"The men are getting it ready. When do you get deployed?" Ranger asked.
"In a week. Cierra and I were going to elope in Vegas," Jayden replied.
"We can have everything ready for tomorrow. I got the jet on standby to fly us to Chicago. Julie will meet us at the house. If Cierra wants her family at the wedding, I could get them there," Ranger said.
"I'd like that, dad. Thank you," Jayden whispered, hugging his dad.
Stephanie, Mena and Cierra went to the mall to purchase dresses for the ceremony. "I can't thank you enough for doing this for us," Cierra said. "My parents disowned me when I joined the Army. Cory, my brother, joined the Army a few years before me. I assumed my parents would support my decision as they had with Cory. But I was wrong. Nothing I did was ever good enough."
"Did your parents say life in the Army was no place for a woman?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes," Cierra whispered. "All I wanted was for them to accept me as I am."
"Jayden loves you just the way you are," Stephanie said. "He would not want you to change a single thing."
"What do you think?" she wondered.
"Cierra, mom always told me to be true to myself. If someone wants you to change, they aren't worth your time. You're old enough to know who you want to be and what you want to do. I follow the rules to stay safe. When I grow up, my parents will support my decisions. Any mistakes are mine to make," Mena said.
"Are you sure you're only ten?" Cierra asked. Mena nodded. "You're more mature than most women I know."
Mena found a beautiful dress in the first store they had entered. She tried it on, and it was a perfect fit. Stephanie located a matching dress for Julie to wear. "Could you try this one on?" Stephanie asked.
Cierra took the dress from Stephanie. She loved the cream-coloured dress, and it fit her like a glove. "Steph, how does it look?" Cierra asked as she exited the change room.
"You look beautiful, hija," Stephanie replied.
"We can French braid your hair," Mena suggested.
Running her fingers through the short locks, Cierra asked, "How? Isn't it too short?"
Mena stood on the chair to show Cierra. She quickly braided the left side to show her how it looked. "I can ask papa to help. His braids are tighter." Cierra grinned. Her dad would never offer to braid her hair.
"I'd like that, Mena. I love this dress, Steph." Stephanie waited for Cierra to change back into her jeans and tee shirt. After Stephanie paid for the dresses, they went out for dinner.
"Are we going to eat all that food you ordered?" Cierra asked. Stephanie held up one hand and ticked down one finger at a time. Once she put her last finger down, Ranger, Jayden and Frankie sat at the table. "How did you know?"
"They always show up for food," Mena stated. "And papa has a tracker on mama's watch."
Cierra laughed, thinking it was a joke. Stephanie rolled her eyes. She removed her watch and dropped it into the water glass. Out loud, Stephanie counted, "Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Her phone rang. She put it on speaker for Cierra to hear.
"Hello? Steph? Are you okay?" Ram asked. "Your tracker went offline."
"Hi, Ram. I'm fine. I was trying to prove a point to Cierra," Stephanie replied before hanging up. Ranger tipped his head back and laughed. "Your future father-in-law likes to know I'm safe. At first, I got angry about the trackers. Then I realized it helped to keep him and Jayden calm to know I was safe." Cierra understood the point. If they could wear trackers while deployed, it would help her stay calm, knowing Jayden was safe.
Ranger always knew where Jayden was stationed. His friends in high places periodically updated him. He would add Cierra to the notifications. "Did you tell them you were retiring after this contract ends?" Stephanie asked in Italian.
"No. Papa told me to make them think I would re-up. Legally they can't ask me to sign a new contract until a few weeks before the term ends. I would be on my mission and unreachable," Jayden replied, speaking Italian. "I'm not special ops like papa. They wouldn't send me on a suicide mission."
"Is that why you said no when they asked?" Mena wondered, speaking English.
"It's part of the reason. I know how the program works. The thrill would be exhilarating, but it's not worth the risk for me," Jayden replied. "I have other plans for my life."
Jayden had already met Cierra and didn't want to lose out on spending his life with her. He wanted a family while he was young enough to enjoy them. His mother showed him how their friends and family pulled together to raise children.
Ranger drove Stephanie and the younger children home. Stephanie gave her car keys to Jayden to take Cierra home. "We leave at 0500 hours," Ranger said as they left the restaurant.
Early the following morning, everyone loaded into the car to drive to the private airfield. The car would get stored in the hanger until they returned to Trenton. Cierra walked up the stairs into the plane. She was impressed the seats were more spacious than the typical airplane. "It's to fit Uncle Tank's ass," Frankie joked when Cierra commented on the space.
The men had transformed the backyard into a beautiful wedding area. Cierra checked the yard before getting dressed. "It looks beautiful," she whispered to Stephanie.
"I'm glad you like it. They wanted to decorate it the same as my wedding, but you deserve originality. I used the wildflowers in the garden. Carlos thought you and Jayden would prefer lilies."
"Are you dressed, Cierra?" Mena asked through the door.
"I am. You may enter," Cierra stated.
Ranger followed Mena into the room. He listened as Mena described the look she hoped to achieve. Gentler than she anticipated, Ranger French braided her hair. Mena strung flowers through the braids. Cierra wiped a tear from her eye when she looked into the mirror.
"You look beautiful," Ranger said. He kissed her forehead before guiding Stephanie from the room.
Cory entered the room. Cierra couldn't believe they managed to get her brother to Chicago in time. "How did you get here?" she asked.
"Jayden got his uncle to pick me up in a chopper. It landed at the airport, and his uncle Cal brought me here," Cory said. "You're about to inherit a lot of protective uncles. I hope you know what you're doing."
"Cory, I have never been more sure of anything in my life," she replied. Accompanied by her brother, Cierra walked down the path towards her future.
A few years later…
"You're doing great, Cierra. I'm proud of you," Jayden said.
Cierra gave him a dirty look as she followed the doctor's instructions. She bore down and pushed with all her might. "Okay, just one more push," the doctor stated.
"I don't think I can," Cierra cried.
Jayden got his wife to look into his eyes. "Sweetheart, I know you can do this," Jayden said. "Alright, Cierra. Look into my eyes and push."
Cierra saw the love on Jayden's face as she gave a final push. "Great job," the doctor said, lifting the baby. The nurse quickly siphoned the nose and mouth. "Would you like to cut the cord, daddy?" Jayden accepted the scissors from the doctor and cut between the clamps.
"She's beautiful, Cierra," Jayden said, laying his daughter on his wife's chest.
"Rosa Stephanie Manoso. Do you think mama and papa would mind?" Cierra asked.
"Not at all. I love you," Jayden whispered. He kissed his wife on the lips before kissing Rosa's head.
Carlos and Stephanie entered the room after Cierra and the baby were cleaned. "She's gorgeous," Stephanie said as she held her granddaughter.
"We named her Rosa Stephanie," Jayden stated.
Stephanie passed the baby to Carlos to hug her son. "I'm so proud of you, Jayden."
"I'm proud of you too, mom. Thank you for loving me."
A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I wish you all a Happy holiday.