Chapter 18: Steph's Decision
All three of them walked out of the house, and all went to the nearest Restaurant . They saw a table that was by a lake and sat down at the table. They were sitting at the table, looking at a menu when they saw Morelli come up to them.
"Well if it is not the Manoso's" Morelli smirked. "Hi Joe, you remember Julie, Ranger's daughter." Stephanie smiled at him. "Yes of course, hi sweetie." Morelli said, then added, "You look very nice Stephanie."
He walked away and out the door. Ranger looked at him and thought to himself,
" He seems off, something is not right."
"Ranger, there is something off with Morelli." Stephanie told him.
"Yeah I noticed." Ranger told them then the waitress, walked up, "Does everyone know what they are going to order."
"yeah, I will have a cheeseburger with French fries" Steph said.
Julie told the waitress. "I will have chicken tenders and French fries. And I will have the oven baked fish and baked potato." Ranger told her with some milk for all three of us."
Stephanie was staring at the lake and looking at the duck and the ducklings when Julie, suddenly asked Stephanie "Will you adopt me and be my new mom?"
"What?" Stephanie turned her head and looked at Julie, and she could see that her eyes were shining. Ranger looked at Stephanie and saw the shock in her face.
"Julie, I told you that you should spend some time grieving for your mom first and then talk to Stephanie later about this subject." Carlos told Julie in stern voice. Ranger noticed Julie take Stephanie's hand and pleaded, "Please I don't want to be without a mom, I just lost one. I want a new one." Julie told her with sad eyes.
"Well I have to marry your dad first, Julie before I can adopt you and I want to check with your dad to make sure that I can do it." Stephanie told her. "
Thanks mom" Julie yelled and then rushed into her arms. Ranger looked at Stephanie and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay here comes the waitress with our food."
The waitress came up with the food and put it down on the table. "Enjoy your food and let me know if you need anything" the waitress said this and then walked back behind the counter.
Ranger started to talk about the wedding. "I was thinking about having the wedding at the house, and the reception somewhere else, but I don't know where yet. But I think we should have the wedding soon."
"We could have a private ceremony with friends and family and after the ceremony we can have a dinner catered at the house, so people could have fun with the horses, and use the indoor pool and just have fun"
Stephanie replied to him "Sounds great" Julie said as she dug into her meal. They all talked about the wedding while they were eating.
Stephanie was glancing at the lake looking at where the ducks were.
"Babe, you need to eat something you are pregnant, so you need your strength." Ranger told her softly. "I know I am just not that hungry right now" Stephanie told him.
After they finished their meal they walked out to the car and Ranger heard a ticking. "Run" Ranger yelled. They ran about a foot and then the SUV blew up. "Crap" Ranger yelled. He got on his phone and called Tank. "Hey boss, your SUV just went off the grid." Tank told him.
"My SUV just blew up. Get another SUV here now." Ranger told him and hung up the phone. He looked at Stephanie holding Julie tight.
"Babe, Julie are you all right?" Ranger looked at them both.
"We are okay Carlos." Stephanie answered him. He walked up to them and put his arms around them both. Ranger was holding them, when Tank drove up with Hal driving another SUV. They pulled up and saw Ranger's SUV in flames. "Boss what happened?" Tank asked him.
"Uncle Tank, my dad heard something and told us to run the next thing we heard a boom and the SUV is in flames." Julie told him and then ran into his arms.
"Hey sweetheart it is okay, but I think your dad needs a hug." Tank whispered in her ear. Julie walked up to her dad, that was by the lake.
"Hey dad" She wrapped her arms around his waist. He turned to face her, and then returned the hug.
"Hey sweetie lets go home and find you a school." Ranger told her. They walked back and saw Stephanie talking to Tank.
"Okay, babe lets go home and start to plan a wedding and get this girl into a school" Ranger opened the SUV door and Julie jumped into the back of the black SUV. Stephanie got into the front passenger side door buckled her seat belt. Ranger got in and drove them home to the place where he knew they would be safe for now.