Chapter 4
Our time in Italy came to a close. Teddy and I spent most of the time together. I wanted to stay here forever, but we had to go home. Grandpa Plum and Alfonso accompanied us to the airport. They hugged me and kissed my forehead when saying goodbye. We promised to visit them the following year if we couldn't make the trip to Italy for Christmas.
Zero and I were seated beside each other in first class on the plane. His thumb ran over the ring finger on my left hand. I smiled and squeezed his hand. "Are you feeling nervous, too?" he asked.
"Yes. My stomach is flopping inside of me. I'm afraid of how the men would react," I confessed. We had agreed to make the announcement upon our return to Trenton. Zero suggested visiting Rangeman before my parents. I agreed with his assessment that the men would want to see me immediately. They didn't like being out of contact with me.
"Amore mia, I'll be with you the whole time. Besides, Lester, Hector, Tank, Bobby and Vince already know. I have to update my medical power of attorney and next of kin at Rangeman," Teddy said.
"I hope you don't mind that I accepted the full-time position at Rangeman," I added. "Tank has the contract ready for me to sign."
"Tank may have mentioned something to me. It's not a problem, Steph. You're the office manager and lead on company searches. I can't wait to see you in your new office," he said. "I know you don't like the idea of sitting at a desk, which is why I suggested Tank get you to help with client relations. Ranger and Tank often discussed hiring a woman to assist."
"It's not a new office. I'm sharing with Santos. Why haven't they hired someone?" I asked.
"They tried, but you never accepted the job until now," he replied. I was dumbfounded. Ranger offered me a job many times during the past two years. I always assumed it was a pity offer. "Amore mia, it wasn't out of pity. Ranger genuinely wanted you for the position."
"I guess my stubbornness derailed his plans," I mumbled.
"Your stubbornness is one of the many reasons I love you," Teddy said before kissing me.
We got a little carried away and got interrupted by the flight attendant. "Excuse me, sir, ma'am. Please, fasten your belts. The pilot is ready to take off," she said. Her cheeks were flushed pink. She leaned in to whisper, "You are a lucky woman." I grinned and agreed that I was indeed lucky.
Teddy laughed as he buckled himself into the seat. He reached over to assist me and brushed his lips across mine as he latched the belt. "It's a shame we couldn't join the mile-high club," he whispered.
"We can try if you want," I suggested.
"No, amore mia. You're too loud, and your face would show everyone what we had done. I want that look and your screams to be for my eyes and ears only," he quietly said.
"I need to burn off some energy," I said, squirming in my seat.
"S or A?" he asked. I knew he wanted to know if it was sexual energy or if I was antsy and needed to spar.
"Both, amore mio. More of the latter," I replied. He nodded before a grin appeared on his face. "What are you thinking, Teddy?"
"I know you've been training with Vince. How do you feel about schooling the guys?"
"You mean to choose the biggest, baddest, meanest looking man and make him eat mat?"
He laughed and agreed. We looked into each other eyes and said, "Cal."
"Maybe I'll spar with Ranger instead. I have to pass the entrance qualifiers anyway," I said.
"True. Cal is a core member. You still need to spar with one of them before you meet with Ranger the following day," Teddy reminded me.
"The idea of facing Ranger in the ring is intimidating."
"It's a power play, Steph. You can do this. We've trained every day. Let's show the guys that Stephanie can kick ass," he said.
I cupped his face in my palm. "Thanks, Teddy. I needed to hear those words. You have more faith in me than I have in myself. I love you."
"You're my soulmate. I will support everything you do." He sealed his claim with a kiss. Yes, I am a lucky woman to have the support of my amazing man.
He continued to stroke my ring finger throughout the flight. I got the impression he was proud of himself. When I turned to look at him, he was grinning. His happiness radiated off his body so much that it was almost embarrassing. "I'm happy too."
"How will your family react?" Teddy asked.
"Not as well as our grandparents," I replied honestly. "My dad will be thrilled. Mom will be shocked, but I think her joy would outweigh my choice."
"You know her opinion doesn't matter, right?"
"I know, but it would be nice to have her proud of me for a change. She will hit the roof when I tell her about working at Rangeman. According to my mom, proper Burg women get married, have children and stay at home to keep the housework done and food on the table by 6 pm," I answered.
"We both know that life would slowly kill your spirit. I don't want my wife to stay home. My wife should work at a job she loves, with people who support her lifestyle." He was saying more between the lines than he shared verbally.
While collecting our luggage from the baggage carousel, he reminded me, "Around the guys, I'm Zero."
"Don't want to get teased, Teddy?" I asked.
"Only by you, baby," he replied as he smacked my ass. "Who is our chauffeur?"
I grabbed my phone to read the text message I just received from Vince. "It was supposed to be Vince, but he located his skip and has to catch him before the bond expires tonight. He sent Lester and Hector," I replied.
"Everyone is giving us weird looks," Zero whispered. I looked around and noticed he was correct.
"It's because we're speaking Italian," I said. We got used to communicating in Italian that it became second nature when we returned home. Don't get me wrong, if someone asked us a question and spoke to us in English, we would reply in English. However, our grandparents only spoke Italian in their homes. We got used to speaking the language.
"Huh. It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you," Zero said.
"Nope. Not at all. I'm not changing our language to suit their needs," I stated. Zero agreed. We continued speaking Italian as we got into the SUV. Lester and Hector stared at us before Lester pulled away from the loading zone.
"You speak Italian?" Lester asked.
"Um… why are you surprised? I'm half Italian," I replied, laughing. I didn't want to admit that I had previously lied about speaking the language. A woman has the right to keep some secrets, right?
"We thought you only knew the swear words," he said in defence.
"I can see why you would think that. After all, you only heard me swear in Italian," I conceded. Lester watched me in the rearview mirror while he stopped for the red light. Zero lifted his left hand to brush the hair from my eyes. Lester's mouth popped open as his eyes widened.
"But I thought," Lester said.
"You thought wrong," I replied. "We told you, Les. It's not our fault that you didn't believe us."
"Does Ranger know?"
"I called, but he didn't answer. When he reads his email or checks his voicemail, he'll know. I didn't want him to get blindsided by hearing the news from one of the guys," I replied. "Why should Ranger care? It's not like he wanted to be with me. My life and decisions don't revolve around him. I don't need his permission." Lester was too stunned by my ire that he didn't answer quick enough.
Zero decided to ask his question. "Lester, do you remember the picture on my nightstand?"
"The photo of you and the girl when you were four?" Lester asked to clarify.
"Yes. I found the girl."
"Really? I'm excited. Who is she?" Lester excitedly asked. Hector looked at me over his shoulder. He grinned as he quickly made the connection.
"Angelita," Hector answered for us.
"You have got to be pulling my leg," Lester exclaimed.
"Nope," I replied. "My grandparents have the same pictures in their album. They made copies for me." I grabbed the envelope from my purse and passed it to Hector.
On a straight stretch of highway, Hector showed Lester a few photos. "So none of us had a chance, did we, Beautiful?" Lester sadly asked.
"I'm sorry, Les," I replied because I was sorry.
"It was a long shot, Beautiful. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for you, Beautiful. Zero, if you hurt her," Lester threatened.
"I know. You'll have to get in line after her dad and grandfather," Zero replied. "And Hector," he quickly added. Hector gave Zero a curt nod. I was glad he didn't add Vince to the mix. Vince and I didn't want the guys to know we're related. However, I think it's time to notify the troops.
We continued the drive telling Lester and Hector about the places we visited during our dates. Lester's eyes flashed with anger when I said I had never been on a real date before. "You can't be serious," Lester said. "None of the men you dated took you out for dinner, the movies or dancing?"
"Not until Zero," I confirmed. "Our first date was a picnic under the stars. Zero drove us to the botanical gardens. The guard let us into the gated area leading to the fountain. We sat on a blanket to eat the sandwiches Zero made. He made the bread from scratch. After packing away the garbage, we threw a coin into the fountain with our wish. We walked around the gardens for an hour before we had to go home."
"What was your wish?" Lester asked. I knew his curiosity would get the better of him.
"Well, it's safe to assume we both got our wish," Zero replied. He raised my hand to kiss my knuckles. His wish was more elaborate than mine, but it wasn't mine to share. I could tell Zero wanted to remain silent regarding the wish.
"I'm not afraid," I whispered in Italian.
"Neither am I," he replied.
Lester pulled into the Rangeman garage. Hector promised to deliver our suitcases to Zero's apartment. After we share our news, we'll retire to his room for the night. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Zero asked.
"Positive. The sooner, the better," I replied. "Let's rip off the bandaid."
"You like that saying," he joked. I nodded and grinned. "Showtime."
"Bomber," Cal hollered when I stepped off the elevator. He pulled me into a tight hug before placing me back on my feet.
"Hey, Cal. Is everyone here?" I asked. Cal pointed over his shoulder. I could see all the men standing around the control room waiting for me to enter. A slight tingling sensation ran through my neck, indicating Ranger was here.
He nodded at Zero before pulling me into his arms. "Proud of you, Babe," he whispered. "Zero is a good man." Ranger kissed my forehead before releasing me. He hugged Zero and whispered into his ear. I knew he was issuing his warning regarding hurting me. Zero nodded and grabbed my hand.
Lester put his fingers into his mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Once we had everybody's attention, I said, "I've decided to work for Rangeman full-time." I smiled at Zero because I had chickened out. He would have to make the announcement for us. Zero shook his head because he knew I wouldn't say anything.
Everyone cheered and welcomed me to the company. Ranger surprised me by ordering the men to be quiet before saying, "Stephanie's last name has changed to Torino. She married Zero last week in a private ceremony in Italy." You could have heard a pin drop.
While everyone was quiet, Lester added, "Zero discovered Stephanie was his Bella from the photo."
"I'm so happy for you, mi hija. I thought it was you in the picture," Ella whispered as she hugged me tightly. She promised to have a celebratory lunch for me the following day. I knew she was secretly telling me there would be a wedding cake.
"Thanks, Ella," I replied. Ella hugged Zero to congratulate him. She made Zero promise to take care of me.
After the men hugged and kissed me, I was back to feeling antsy. "What's wrong, Bomber? Do you have ants in your pants?" Cal asked.
"Not ants, per se. I have excess energy I need to burn in the gym. Care to spar, Cal?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Zero, then Ranger. Both men nodded as I rolled my eyes.
Cal shrugged and replied, "Lead the way, my lady."
I practically dragged Cal to the elevator to get to the gym. Before the doors closed, I heard Ranger ask, "When did Babe start sparring?" Zero's response got cut off as the elevator descended.
"Are you sure about this, Steph?" Cal asked when he climbed into the ring.
"Yup. Are you wearing a cup?" I countered.
"You bet I am. I remember your knee should be a registered weapon," Cal joked. After a few minutes of trash talk, Cal made his first move. I countered and took advantage of his exposed rib cage. Cal got knocked off balance by my roundhouse kick. I was able to take advantage and swipe his legs from beneath him. He landed on the mats with an "Oomph."
"Come on, Cal. You can do better than that," I teased. I wiggled my fingers, silently asking him to bring it on.
He got back onto his feet. "I was taking it easy on you. But I can see the error of my ways," Cal retorted before punching my shoulder. I knew he usually followed the hit with a roundhouse kick. Quicker than he anticipated, I caught his leg and flipped him onto his back. "How?"
"Zero," I replied. "We've been training every day since our second day in Italy." My face blushed as I remembered some of our sessions. Most of the lessons during the last week ended with one or both of us on our backs, naked.
Cal won the match, but I put up a good fight. Ranger pulled me from the ring, circumventing Zero. "Proud of you, Babe. Welcome to Rangeman," he announced to the gym. He was grinning, but I didn't think it was from my sparring match with Cal. "Zero is a lucky man," he whispered, confirming he correctly read the thoughts expressed on my face.
"I still have to prove my marksmanship," I retorted. "My arms have enough strength to empty a magazine or three, if you're interested in watching."
Ranger smiled as he led our group to the gun range. Zero grinned in pride as I hit every target Ram called for me to tag. "I thought you didn't know how to shoot," Ram said when he pulled the targets to the front.
"I said that I didn't like guns, not that I didn't know how to use them," I stated. "Have you heard the story about Jimmy Alpha?" Ram shook his head.
Lester grinned and shared the story with the men. I was surprised they hadn't heard it before. "You tagged Alpha in the heart with five bullets within an inch through your purse?" Ram asked.
"What? He shot me in the ass. I didn't have time to remove the gun from my pocketbook," I replied. Zero grabbed my hand as we followed everyone from the gun range. I was too tired to walk up the stairs, so we took the elevator.
A/N: I know they got married too soon after they started dating. The fates said it was meant to be, it was best to listen.
