All familiar characters belong to Janet. The rest and the mistakes are mine.
"Call him off," I was told over the phone.
"It didn't take long for the supposed wedding glow to wear off," I said just to irritate Celia.
"I'm still blissfully happy with Arlen, it's Bobby who's bugging me."
I leaned back in my desk chair and prepared for a long and not exactly pleasant conversation. "He likes Mireya, did you think he wouldn't get involved?"
"Her ex is her problem, our problem since I have the law legally bound to be on my side now. I don't want Bobby getting into trouble because of that psycho."
"He's a big boy, Cel. I can't tell him what to do any more than you can."
"Bullshit," was her response.
It's an accurate reply since I plan on ordering him to back off and let me handle things if Mireya's ex-boyfriend is back harassing her. I let him live once, he won't get that courtesy a second time.
"You kiss Mama with that mouth?" I asked.
"Yes. And unlike the rest of the world, I'll chew you out with it too if you don't listen to me."
"I'll talk to him," I told her to keep her from worrying.
"That does not mean you pick up right where Bobby left off."
"She's family. If she's in danger, I'm making no promises."
The floor of my fifth-floor office shook with her 'I'm older, they should all listen to me' sigh. "As far as I know, he's only called once trying to talk her into taking him back."
"I will kill him before I let that happen," I warned her. "He almost killed her the last time using nothing except words."
"You don't have to remind me, Carlos. I was the one holding and hiding her. My reason for calling was to keep Bobby out of jail and to say let Arlen do his thing the legal way. But maybe I should've called Bobby instead to reel you in."
"You're not usually so naïve," I had to point out. "You know as well as I do how many people get killed after a restraining order is issued."
"I'm not naïve, I'm being protective … of Bobby, Mireya, and I guess you now too. She'll feel horrible if she's the reason someone gets hurt."
"Better to feel horrible and be alive than the alternative."
That got her attention. She went silent.
"Look, Celia, I'll promise that me and Bobby will be fine. This is what we do, and we do it obsessively when we care about the people we're protecting. The only one suffering will be Cassian if he comes near her again."
It took her a few beats to get her concern and tears under control. "Thank you," she said in a tone slightly above a whisper.
"I don't want thanks, just keep your eyes and ears open for a change in her behavior or frequency in his attempts to contact her."
I'll do a hell of a lot more than that from my control room. I wasn't exaggerating about the lengths I'll go to protect the people I consider family. But Celia will breathe easier if she believes she's playing an active role in keeping her friend safe.
"I'll call if I hear anything new. And talk … to … Bobby."
"I'm summoning him to my office as we speak."
"You're so full of it. How does Stephanie tolerate you?"
"She likes a good project."
"Or a good man. I love you … even when you're driving me crazy."
"I know. And the feeling is mutual. Go back to enjoying being a Mrs. Boyce …"
"Manoso-Boyce. I'm not ready to let go of my family."
"Funny. Stephanie had the opposite reaction."
"What was my reaction to what?" My wife asked, walking into my office half-a-step behind Olivia. "What are we talking about? And to who?"
"You omitting 'Plum' from your married name. And Celia," I informed her while lifting our daughter so she was sitting on my lap. "We're talking to Tía Celia."
"I da say Hi," I was told.
I can't count how many hours I've spent being told what to do by the women in my life. Good thing my ego, reputation, and what I can do and get away with continues to terrify the masses.
"Just say ¡Hola!, Tía Celia in that direction," I told my baby, pointing towards the desk phone that I now put on speaker.
"Oller, T Cee," is what came out, which I know completely cemented Olivia on Celia's favorite people list.
"¡Hola!, Olivia. How is my favorite two-year-old?"
"I da two mores."
"Oooooh, that's right. You're almost two-and-a-half now. Those are big girl numbers."
"I duper big gurl."
"I know. And I also know you are going to be the best big sister to your new baby brother or sister."
"A baby's id in Mama's tummy," she confided to her aunt, tapping her own healthy little belly.
"Oh, thank God," Steph added. "She stopped saying I ate one. That was an embarrassing restaurant conversation waiting to happen."
"Hi, Steph," Celia said. "How are you feeling?"
"Pregnant, but not bad overall. I'm whispering that so nothing will hear me and change it."
My sister laughed. "Smart Lady."
"How is married life treating you and Arlen?" My wife asked her.
"I honestly couldn't be happier. Let me amend that …"
"No one could tell you married a lawyer, Cel," I teased. "I bet you amend and allege a lot now."
"I know you meant that as a joke, Carlos, but it's embarrassingly accurate. And I was going to change my 'official statement' to say that I would be happier, Stephanie, if you would talk some sense into my little brother about Bobby."
"Bobby? Our Bobby?"
"Yes, that 'our Bobby'," my older and clearly cutthroat sister said. "Enjoy your talk, Carlos. Olivia, Tía Celia loves you."
"Luvs yous twos," our daughter said, kissing the air in front of the phone.
I could feel the look Stephanie was giving me before I had the call disconnected.
"What's going on with Bobby?" My wife asked. "Is he okay?"
"He is, but he happens to have fallen for a woman with a past that requires a little of his skill to wrap up."
"Who?"
"Celia's best friend Mireya. Brown saw her at the wedding and has been pleading his case to her ever since. She has an ex that's high on the a-hole spectrum. Bobby has taken it upon himself to remove him from her life."
"Does he need to?" She asked, handing Olivia her necklaces to play with.
Kane would be happy to know the olive branch necklace he gave Stephanie a lifetime ago - while we were tracking down Aubrey's missing ex that led us to a serial killer - is still in heavy rotation around here. I'd tell him, but he may ply her with more gifts and then I'd have to kill him. And I have a feeling that would upset Harper.
"Yes," I finally answered. "But I don't want him doing something he might not be able to get himself out of."
"So, you're going to talk to him like Celia wanted, aren't you?"
"I am, but I want to enjoy this visit from two of my favorite ladies first."
"You get to enjoy us twenty-four-seven. Me and Olivia can find some trouble to get into for an hour while you order Bobby to stand down or whatever you Ranger guys say to each other."
"That's what I'm afraid of, Babe, you two being left to your own devices."
"Very funny. Give Daddy a big, sloppy kiss, Olive, and then we'll go smother GodTank in cuddles. He was looking a little grumpy this morning. He might need extra Olive-hugs."
She held her arms out and waited until our baby had pressed not one or two, but three noisy kisses to my cheek before she propelled herself off my lap knowing her Mama will be right there to catch her.
"I want all the details after you tell him not to be stupid," Steph said to me on their way to the door.
"Toof ed," Olivia repeated.
"That's right, Olive. We don't want Uncle Bobby to lose his toofs or his marbles." She paused at the door. "You'll have a couch and a wife on Seven waiting for you since GodTank probably won't let me stick around for long."
"I'll try to make my statement brief."
"I know what you can do with limited talk and time, so I actually feel reassured hearing that. I don't want Bobby to get hurt."
"He won't be physically harmed, Babe. I'll make sure of that. But the rest is between him and Mireya."
"Not if she's playing him. I doubt that's the case since Celia has excellent taste in people, but make sure to mention to Bobby that I'm not scared to butt in if I'm needed."
"Duly noted and greatly argued with."
"Lucky for Bobby, he has a steady friend at his center and a predictably unpredictable one waiting in the wings ready to fight for him."
With that ominous warning, she and my baby were gone off to lovingly torture Tank.
I hit a different button on my desk phone. "Brown, in here. Now."
I cut off the intercom request and waited. He's lucky he didn't keep me waiting long.
"What's up?" He asked, coming into my office and closing the door behind him.
"Have you been threatening Mireya's ex?"
"Damn right I have. He's not getting anywhere near her if I have anything to say about it."
I gestured towards the chair in front of my desk, basically ordering him to sit down.
"Did she ask you to step in?" I asked.
"She didn't have to. When I approached her at Celia's reception, when her cell rang the expression on her face said enough. With some coaxing, she shared that it was an ex who doesn't want to be an ex anymore. She deserves better."
"No question," I told him. "I've had a word with him myself. That's why he's stayed gone until now. He's apparently a stupid fuck to believe there was a time limit on how long he was supposed to stay away from her."
"Why didn't you just shoot him? No one would've cared."
"I was faced with the same two forces that are about to come down hard on you."
"You and the police?" He asked.
"No, Celia and Mireya. Neither woman appreciates someone trying to step in and 'save' them."
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms defensively over his chest. "I know a certain other woman who wanted to handle everything herself and you stepped in to help or rescue her every fucking time."
"Yes, and that got me years of watching her go back to another man because my attention and intensity spooked her. Do you want the same thing to happen to you? I can say hours spent at the hands of terrorists were less painful. I got my girl in the end, but I'd like to spare you that agonizing in-between period."
He eased up on his protective posture and leaned forward. "How?"
"Let me take care of Cassian. He'll be out of the way, and you'll stay in Mireya's good graces."
"No. If she's mine, I need to be the one to stand between her and anything trying to harm her."
"You don't think she's had enough of overbearing and over-assuming men?" I asked.
"Not when this one knows exactly how to treat her. I'd ask you myself to shoot me if I ever hurt her."
"You won't need to ask; I'll do it automatically. She deserves to be happy more than most."
"Agreed. I plan on making that my life's mission."
My men don't make promises they won't keep, so I didn't push the issue. Mireya may still require some healing from what that asshole put her through, but she can still strike fear in the hearts of people who annoy her. She's strong enough to tell Bobby off or agree with him that they do in fact belong together.
"Alright. Stephanie knows about this, so we will be working together on neutralizing him, but you don't say shit to anyone about it."
"I will if you take all the heat for it. I'm not backing down on this, Ranger. I know she's the one. Proving that to her means too much to me."
I nodded. It's not what Celia would want to hear, but I'm satisfied. He won't leave her unprotected, but he'll also cooperate with me to accomplish it.
Feeling like I've defused three explosive situations in the span of thirty minutes, after he left I locked my office door once I was on the 'getting the fuck out of here' side of it. I took the stairs to Seven, using the two flights to come up with what I'm going to tell Stephanie. It's a toss up if she'll worry more with me taking the lead, or if I stay out of Bobby's love life and let him deal with the ex his way.
I found my ladies surrounded by our dogs in the living room. Today's game looks like seeing how many rubber ducks Olivia could stack on Gunny's back while he's busy chewing on what claims to be an indestructible dog toy.
"Dada!" Olive yelled when she spotted me in the doorway, like she wasn't sitting on me less than an hour ago.
She abandoned her game, leading to an appreciative lift of Gunny's brows in my direction. They're even more expressive than his too-big ears.
I leaned down and caught her body and the hug she was throwing on me. "Daddy missed you, Olive."
"I da misted, Dada," she assured me, smacking a kiss against my jaw.
Everything she does has toddler-sized force behind it.
"Mama missed Stephanie and Stephanie missed Olive's Mama," my wife said playfully to herself from the couch, where she was setting her work laptop aside.
Knowing what she was working on, I was once again thankful that she's only locating Teague not trying to drag that asshole in herself.
"When you're not with us, Babe, there's a void nothing else can fill."
"Uh-huh." She lowered her legs to the floor so we'd have a place to sit, but now that our daughter had distributed greetings and kisses, she went back to entertaining our extremely patient mutts. "You're not letting Bobby go it alone, right?"
"We've reached an understanding," is what I went with.
"Do I need to worry about either of you?"
"No. The guy may try to bully and frighten kind, sweet, non-confrontational women, but that won't help him when it comes to a visit from us."
"Good. As long as you're not in danger …"
I sat down beside her and pulled her close for a kiss. "I can promise you that the only thing I'll be in danger of is losing my temper for having to talk to someone I'd rather just bury."
"Boy, do I know that feeling. And I can promise you … and the world … this right now, our son is going to be just like you and Bobby and nothing like Mireya's ex."
Not only wasn't I going to argue with that, believing and swearing it myself, I can't tell her anymore not to assume our baby will be our son. We now have a sonogram picture that confirms Steph's baby boy-prediction. I already know every single one of his birthdays will start with my wife saying the words 'I told you so' against my lips.
