They're still not mine, I'm not making any money… Sorry this chapter took forever. The holidays were insane, and then I got hit with writer's block Anyway, hope you like it!
CHAPTER 14
"Mmm, no," I grumbled as Ranger gently poked me awake. I could hear my cell phone ringing, I just preferred to ignore it and go back to napping on Ranger's chest… he's so comfy.
It was Sunday afternoon, and we were spending it the same was we had for the last three Sundays. In the apartment, doing nothing. And amazingly enough, I think I might even be convincing Ranger of the benefit of taking a day off once in awhile…
"Babe, it's your mom," Ranger said, sitting us both up and handing me the phone.
"What?" I croaked. My mother still hadn't relented or forgiven me yet for messing up with Joe, getting pregnant and moving in with Ranger. She still didn't know that Ranger and I were together or that I was getting excited about becoming a mother. Val had offered a few times to talk to Mom for me, but I refused to talk to her through someone else. If she wanted to know how I was doing she would have to let me back into the family.
"Hello," I said, opening my phone.
"Stephanie, this is your mother," it really hadn't been so long that I wouldn't recognize her voice, but I didn't think this would be a good time to point that out.
"Oh, hi Mom," I said, still not sure what she wanted.
"I'm making pot-roast and pineapple upside down cake for dinner this evening. I expect you here at six. Are you still living with that Ranger?"
"Uh, yeah," I answered, completely dazed.
"Well, bring him with you. Six o'clock Stephanie. I will see you tonight, goodbye."
"Bye," and she hung up.
I closed my phone and turned to Ranger. It had finally happened, she'd forgiven me. She hadn't come out and said the words, but she'd invited me to dinner. In Plum-world a dinner invitation means you are in my mother's good graces. The girls had been reassuring me that she'd forgive me eventually, but I'd begun to loose hope. As much as I complained about my mother, I would kind of like to be able to talk to her. Ella has been great, but there have been a few times when I've had some sort of hormonal breakdown and just wanted to be able to talk to my mom.
"Babe?" Ranger asked once I had been sitting silently for awhile.
"We're expected for dinner with my family at six," I said, still sounding somewhat shell shocked.
"Alright," he said, taking the phone I had clenched in my hand and laying it on the end table. Then he leaned back and pulled me into his arms again before closing his eyes.
"Ranger!" I said, swatting his chest. "More Sunday-afternoon relaxation lessons … A call like that from my mother means no more time for relaxation. Time to freak out. What are we going to do?"
"Shhh, Babe. It's going to be fine. We're going to finish our nap, then get up and get ready for dinner with your family. I've been to dinner with them before, they're not that bad. It will be alright."
"Ranger…" I said, still uncertain.
"Babe, is any amount of fretting going to change whatever your mother is going to say tonight?"
"No."
"Okay," he said, pulling me back to himself and kissing my forehead. "Then there is no use in worrying. Now relax so I can go back to sleep, I think I'm starting to like this napping stuff."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
About three hours later, Ranger and I were taking the elevator down to the garage and I was again having reservations. I hadn't spoken to my mother in weeks, I had no idea what she was planning, but I was sure it was going to involve a lecture. I was also going to have to tell her I was with Ranger. I really hoped she'd take that well… she'd really freaked when she thought he was the baby's father.
"Babe, I smell rubber," teased Ranger, enfolding me in his arms and nuzzling my head.
"Fretting again," I said, melting into him.
"It. Will. Be. Fine," he said, enunciating each word. God, the man has the patience of a saint. While getting ready, I must have freaked out a half a dozen times, but he had calmly repeated it would be fine each time.
"Thank you," I said, turning in his arms and pressing my lips to his.
"Any time, Babe," he replied, walking us out of the now open elevator doors. "Which car do you want to take?"
Knowing he was trying to distract me, I decided to play along. "The Turbo, I'm not going to fit in it much longer, might as well enjoy it while I can."
"In that case, do you want to drive?"
"Are you sure?" I asked, I didn't have the best record with his cars…
"Babe," was all he said, as he pressed the keys into my hand.
Taking the keys, I threw my arms around his neck and smacked a playful kiss to his lips. "You are a wonderful man," I told him, before letting go and jumping into the driver's seat. "Are you coming?" I asked poking my head out the door to see him still standing by the car.
"Yeah," he said smiling as he climbed into the passenger's side of the car.
Turning the key, I listened to the engine purr to life and smiled a contented smile as I put the car in gear. The trip to the burg was short and smooth and over before I knew what had happened. I was inclined to just circle the block and go for a ride around Trenton in this wonderful car, but a look from Ranger told me he knew what I was thinking and wasn't going to let me get away with it, so I put the car in park.
I kept my eyes on the steering wheel, for quite awhile. I knew my mother and grandmother were at the door watching, I could feel them. I stubbornly refused to lift my eyes until Ranger opened my door.
"Come on, Babe," he said reaching down and removing one of my hands from the wheel. He gave me a gentle tug, and I reluctantly stood. "We have to go in. I'll hold your hand, how about that?" he teased giving me a 200 Watt smile.
"Okay, but only if you hold my hand," I said back, with a weak smile, and took his hand in mine.
When Ranger started to walk, I walked with him, up the path and through the door my mother had held open for us. During that walk I swallowed my nerves and fear. I had made the decision not to conform to the Burg, my mother knew that and she was not happy about it, but it's my life to do with what I want. Ranger must have felt my new resolve, because he squeezed my hand as we walked into the house.
"Stephanie, Ranger," my mother greeted us.
"Hot damn!" chirped up Grandma Mazur. "Ellen, you didn't tell me Steph's bounty hunter friend was coming to dinner."
"Mother, behave," Mom scolded quietly.
"Yeah, yeah," muttered Grandma. "I missed all the fun last time you were here Steph and you haven't been around the Burg much so just for clarification… you got yourself a little Morelli in there?" she said indicating my belly.
"Grandma, you can tell the girls at the Clip 'n' Curl that the rumors are definitely true. I'm pregnant. But it's not a little Morelli, it's a child that happened to be fathered by Joe."
"Good for you, Sweetie," Grandma said before giving my belly a pat and tottering off.
"Really, Stephanie! Giving your grandmother permission to go off telling stories? You should hear the rumors flying as it is."
"Mom, the rumors are just that, rumors. And most everyone knows that there is only a grain of truth in what they're hearing since I haven't been around. Let Grandma have some fun with having 'cold hard facts'," I said.
"You should have tried harder to convince Joseph to marry you instead of that other woman. I saw Angie Morelli in the deli the other day and she was telling me all about how happy they are. That could have been you, you know?"
I felt Ranger tense beside me, so I took my turn giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before answering my mother.
"No, Mom, it couldn't have been me. Joe and I wouldn't have worked. We would have killed each other. I'm glad he's happy, but I'm also glad he's no longer in my life," I said. Before she could say anything else, I gave Ranger's hand a tug and we walked into the kitchen where I found my dad carving the roast for dinner.
"Hi, Daddy," I said, wrapping my arms around him from behind.
"Hey, Pumpkin. I'm about done here, and then I'll give you a proper hug."
"Okay," I said letting go of him. I'd really missed my dad since I hadn't been coming for dinner. He never said that much, but he supported me no matter what.
"Alright, now let me get a good look at you," he said holding me at arms length once he was finished. "You look good. Have you been okay? Been healthy?"
"Yeah, Daddy," I said as he pulled me into a tight hug.
"And you've been taking care of her?" he asked over my shoulder, addressing Ranger for the first time.
"Not as well as I'd have liked, sir," said Ranger, sounding guilty again.
"Meaning?" asked my Dad, now holding me protectively to his side. Stupid testosterone, I thought, and was about to intervene when Ranger answered.
"Three of my men and I were called on a mission a few days after Steph found out she was pregnant. We were gone for over a month."
"Is this going to be a frequent occurrence?"
Wow, this is embarrassing. My Dad's grilling Ranger like we're a couple of teenagers and he's the first guy I brought home. Wait a minute, this shouldn't be embarrassing. Dad's just being over-protective… Ranger's over-protective, once they get on the same wavelength things should be fine.
"No, sir," Ranger was answering. "That was the last mission for the guys and me. We're full-time civilians now."
"Good man," said Dad nodding and shaking Ranger hand now. Ranger just smiled and shook back. Men.
"Frank," called my mother as she entered the kitchen. "Are you done carving the roast?"
"Yes, dear."
"Okay, then I'm going to start getting dinner on the table. It's almost six, Val, Albert and the girls should be here any time."
"Val and crew are coming?" I asked, stepping away from my dad finally. This was going to be a bigger circus than I had thought.
"Yes, now Stephanie you can start setting the table," Mom replied.
"What can I do to help?" Ranger offered.
"Nothing, you are a guest. You can go sit in the living room with Frank until dinner is ready."
I'll give my mom credit, she's good. She had successful separated Ranger and I and gotten me alone with her in the kitchen. I took as long as possible setting the table and had just gone to face my doom in the kitchen when I was saved by the arrival of Val and family.
"Here," said Val, thrusting Baby Lisa into my arms without even a greeting. "A five minute car trip and Mary Alice managed to throw up all over Angie. MOM! Do you still have any of the girls' clothes here?" and Val was off and I had a baby. What do I do with a baby?
I could hear Val and my Mom cleaning up the girls, so I wandered into the sitting room where I found Dad in his arm chair, Ranger on the couch and Albert sitting nervously on the loveseat.
"You'd think I'd be used to barf with how much Lisa throws up, but I thought I was gonna lose it when Mary Alice threw up in the van," Albert was saying. "I guess kid barf is different than baby barf, because that doesn't bother me at all any more. Do you think she's okay? She sounded really sick."
"Kids get sick. She'll be fine," said my dad calmly.
I'd been standing in the doorway watching. Albert looked like he was about to start rambling again when Ranger turned he head to me.
"Babe, you look good like that," he said indicating the baby as he stood and steered me to the couch where he had been sitting.
"Uh, thanks," I said, still trying to figure out what to do with my niece. I had pretty much avoided holding her and all babies most of my life.
"Like this, Pumpkin," said my dad, coming over and gently showing me how to hold her. "You don't have to worry about her head so much; she's old enough to hold it herself. Just relax, you're not going to break her." With that he chuckled and went back to his chair. He couldn't be so good as to take his granddaughter, could he?
"Thanks, Dad," I said, resigning myself to holding the baby. I really hadn't gotten past the being pregnant part of my pregnancy book. Probably at some point I should read about what to do with a baby.
Just as I was getting comfortable, smiling as Ranger and Dad compared Army stories, I heard Mom, Val and the girls come back downstairs.
"Okay, lets eat dinner before the roast get any drier," Mom said, coming into the living room and shooing us. I felt a sort of strange sadness when she took Lisa from my arms as I walked by, but chalked it up to hormones and continued to the dining room.
Dinner was not going badly at all, I thought fifteen minutes into it. Mom and Val were on the safe topic of cleaning products, Albert wasn't talking, and Mary Alice seemed to be keeping her toast down and Grandma was chattering quietly about her latest hottie. I shot a glance at Ranger and smiled because we were both picking at the hearty, but not so healthy, dinner my mother had prepared. When he returned my smile, I went back to eating my green beans and picking at my potatoes.
"Stephanie!" said my mother suddenly.
Uh oh. What did I do? "Yes, Mom?"
"You're pregnant," she said, like I didn't know. "Why are you picking at your food like that? You need to eat to keep that baby healthy."
"I do eat, Mom. I just have been craving healthy food, like veggies and yogurt."
"I think I hate you," said Val, who was still fighting off the last of the weight she had gained during her gravy binges while pregnant with Lisa.
"Believe it or not Mom, I've been very healthy so far. I have another doctor's visit tomorrow and she'll tell me if I haven't been eating right or enough." Speaking of Dr. Cooper, that reminded me, I had thrown the ultrasound from my last visit in my bag. Now seemed like a good time to distract Mom with it.
"Alright," said my mom, not convinced.
"That reminded me, I have a picture of the baby," and she and Val were successfully distracted, score another point for me.
"You always were good with distraction," Ranger whispered, leaning in and kissing the shell of my ear.
That was the first public display of affection between Ranger and I this evening. Mom and Val were too distracted to notice and Dad just gave a satisfied nod, but I wasn't lucky enough that Grandma didn't notice.
"I knew you didn't get so many of my genes for nothing, Steph," Grandma exclaimed. "You landed yourself a Hottie!"
"What?" said my mother, looking up at me. Shit.
"Yes, Grandma, Ranger and I are together now," I said, putting off addressing at my mother.
"Why me?" cried my mother. "You loose Joseph, find out your pregnant by him, and now you're living in sin…again!"
"There's no 'in sin' yet," I muttered to myself, before addressing Mom. "I'm sorry if I've disappointed you, but this is my life. I'll live it how I want. Ranger and I care for one another and we're trying to make a relationship work. You can accept that or not, it's not going to change my mind." I can't believe I did it. I just stood up to my mother.
"I guess I have no choice. Ranger, you are welcome to dinner any time."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
The rest of dinner had passed with uneasy chat on safe topics. Mom did her best at accepting that neither Ranger nor I were going to eat dessert, but I could tell she didn't like it. After dinner, Albert took the girls out to play in the yard, Grandma took off to the senior center and Dad invited Ranger out to the garage… I'm not sure I want to know what they're talking about, I'll just tell myself it's more Army stuff. Once dinner was cleaned up, I found myself sitting at the table with Mom and Val. Here we go, the Hungarian Inquisition.
"What are you doing with your life, Stephanie?" asked my mother suddenly.
"Mom?"
"I've accepted that there is no chance of you and Joseph making up this time. But couldn't you have pretended to settle down, maybe in time you still could have found yourself a nice Burg husband. That's not going to happen with you living with that bounty hunter and…"
"Mom, enough. I don't want a 'nice burg husband' if I did, I'd have one by now. And 'that bounty hunter' is called Ranger. I don't care if you don't like him, you'll have to deal with it. I love him, and if I have my way, he'll be around for a long time."
"You love him?" asked Val. I swung startled eyes to her. That had kind of just slipped out. Did I love him? I was sad and worried while he was gone. He made me feel safe and happy and something else that wasn't there with Dickie or Joe… Yeah, I love him.
"Yes," I replied calmly and confidently. I Stephanie Plum was in love with Ranger Manoso… oh, boy.
Before Mom or Val could say anything else Dad and Ranger came back into the house. They were both laughing and Dad was giving Ranger one of those manly back slap things.
"You ready to go, Babe?" Ranger asked, coming up behind me and wrapping me in his arms.
"Uh, yeah," I said, still a little shaken by my very recent revelation. Probably I should tell him, probably I'm not ready.
"Mrs. Plum, thank you for inviting me to dinner," he said, pulling me from my chair while flashing my mom one of his brilliant smiles.
"You're very welcome, come back soon," she replied. I knew that was still just Burg politeness, but it would only be a matter of time until she accepted Ranger. I was pretty sure it's impossible to hold out against him.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
A/N: Please Review!!! Let me know what you thought! I've had horrible writer's block so any feedback would be very helpful!!