Thanks for all the reviews! Rating for language, don't own them, make no profit…
…
At seven o'clock on the dot, an incessant knocking woke Ranger. Both Steph and the baby were still asleep, so he went to the door himself. He was still dressed, but barefoot. Mrs. Plum did not look pleased to see him.
"Who are you? And where is Joseph?"
He bit back his first reaction. "Detective Morelli went home during the night, ma'am. I'm Carlos Manoso, we've met before." He held out his hand and gave her his most charming smile.
Ever having the consummate manners, Mrs. Plum shook his hand. "That's right. You've come to dinner with Stephanie. It's very nice to see you again, Mr. Manoso. I'm here to help Stephanie now, so I can take it from here. Thank you for coming, though."
Ranger stepped back and let Mrs. Plum precede him into the apartment. She set her bag down on the dining room table, and went into the kitchen. When she noticed Ranger wasn't leaving, she turned to face him.
"I'm sure Stephanie appreciated your presence, but you can go home now."
Ranger crossed his arms and stared her down. "I'm Olivia's father, Mrs. Plum. I'm not going anywhere."
"No. Joseph is Livy's father."
For a split second, he wondered if Steph had lied to her mother. But Mrs. Plum continued. "You see, I don't particularly care about the biology involved. Joseph has been driving Stephanie to doctors appointments, helping her set up furniture. He's the one who drove her to the hospital and stayed with her while she was in labor. He was the first person to hold Livy, and he's the one who's been awake with her for the past two nights. He's changed her and fed her and taken care of her. In every way that counts, Joseph is Livy's father."
"I can do those things too," Ranger said.
"I'm quite sure that you cannot."
"You don't know anything about me, Mrs. Plum."
She looked right at him. Her voice was soft, but it carried an undercurrent of steel. "You hurt my daughter, Mr. Manoso. That's all I need to know about you."
He glanced away, knowing there was no defense for that. Steph was standing in the hall listening to them. She was far enough around the corner that her mother couldn't see her yet.
"I appreciate you marrying her," Mrs. Plum was saying. "It saved her a lot of grief here, and was a very responsible thing to do. However, Stephanie has Joseph now, and this is where your responsibility ends. I would be best for everyone if you would step back and let them live their lives."
His eyes were locked on Steph. She stepped around the corner and spoke to her mother. "Joe called him, Mom. He's Livy's father, and he has a right to see her."
"He didn't call me," Ranger said.
She looked surprised, even he had already told her that. "Well, he had been planning on it."
"I still think it's best if he's not around," Mrs. Plum said.
Ranger spoke to Steph, the words much harder to say than he expected them to be. "I'll hand over custody if that's what you want."
She held his eyes for what felt like an eternal moment before finally shaking her head. Something loosened in his chest. It wasn't a victory, but it was progress.
The baby started fussing from the bedroom, and Steph turned and walked away. He took a deep breath before turning back to her mother. "I would like for Steph and Livy to come stay with me," he said. "I have more space, and I can be there around the clock to help. Plus Ella, my housekeeper, can help out as well."
She thought for a moment before saying, "I don't like the idea, but you're right that she needs more space. I guess the decision will be up to Stephanie. But wherever she is, I expect to be able to visit."
Ranger smiled slightly. He wasn't usually a fan of Mrs. Plum, but he couldn't find fault with anyone who was willing to stand up to him in defense of Steph. "Of course."
She nodded. "Now that that's settled, I'm going to start on breakfast. Please go make sure doesn't forget to burp. She forgot yesterday."
…
Steph sat in the rocking chair that had been jammed in the corner of her bedroom, thinking through her mother's words. It was amazing, really, how many people she had on her side. A little awe-inspiring as well. As much as people harped on her about her job, or made fun of her, or bet on her - each of those people were one hundred percent behind her now.
For so long, she had thought that Ranger was the only person who truly supported her. She had been devastated when she lost that. And while it didn't make the loss any easier, it helped to know that she had friends and family behind her.
Ranger opened the door and looked in on her. "How's it going?" He closed the door behind him and leaned on it, crossing his arms and his ankles.
"Fine."
"It's been twelve minutes."
She nodded. To avoid looking at him, she glanced down at Livy.
"Has it been bad with your mom?"
She shrugged. "Joe's been handling it."
His face darkened, but he didn't respond. "She said to make sure you burp her after she eats."
Steph smacked herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand. "I've been trying to burp her! She won't. That's why she's been so fussy and why Joe was up half the night walking her." Suddenly, she realized that Joe must have been up with Livy when Ranger showed up during the night. She shuddered to think how Ranger would have responded to find Joe asleep in her bed.
As if he were reading her thoughts, his gaze moved to the bed. He looked back at Steph. She dropped her eyes, ostensibly to lift Livy and try to burp.
"Are you sleeping with him?"
She didn't answer. She wasn't - she was married whether she liked it or not - and he should know that about her. "I don't recall asking you if you're sleeping with anyone."
"I'm not," he said mildly.
"Not even Lucinda?" she said, drawing out the name. A belief flicker of surprise showed in his eyes before he masked it. "Julie told me all about the pretty lady who hangs around your office. Then she asked me what a prostitute was."
"Shit." Ranger ran a hand over his head. "And no, I'm not sleeping with her. Nor was I ever."
She pretended she wasn't relieved and moved Livy to the other breast. She winced, but the soreness was finally starting to lessen. The air in the room was filled with unsaid words and accusations. The sexual tension, never far behind, was there too. She tried to keep herself covered, but Livy was wiggling, and every time the blanket fell down, his eyes dropped her to her breast.
"You didn't answer," he said thickly.
"I shouldn't have to. You know me better than that."
He nodded and let the subject drop. But the subject he changed to, she was in no way prepared for. "I want you both to come live with me."
"Hell no," she said. He had been there less than twelve hours, and already the tension between them was thick enough to cut. This was the very reason she hadn't wanted him around in the first place. Just his presence was enough to start breaking down the defenses she had so carefully built up over the past months. Moving in with him would be suicide. Before she knew it, she'd be letting him control her again, handing over all her hard-own independence.
She'd be back in bed with him, too, she knew. In spite of everything, her hunger for him had never abated. God she hated that fact, the way her heartbeat went up just from him walking into the room, the way his dark eyes could compel her towards him with only a look.
"You'd have a break from your Mom," he said. " And I'd be there to help overnight."
She rolled her eyes.
"You'd have Ella."
Her head snapped up at the mention of Ella. Her stomach betrayed her - one mention of Ella and her heavenly food and ironed sheets and big, clean bathroom and she was ready to follow Ranger to the ends of the earth, consequences be damned.
His lips tilted up at her reaction, though his eyes didn't lose the calculating look. Bastard. He was playing hardball bringing Ella into the mix. "She won't badger you like your mom does," he said. "And your mom already said she was fine with it, as long as she could visit."
"That's not fair."
He smiled, a full smile that time. That wasn't fair either. He knew what that smile did to her. She could feel herself melting, softening. Screw that. She straightened her back, bolstering herself.
"No," she said. "As much as Ella tempts me, there's no way in hell I'm moving in with you."
"Okay."
She stared at him. He never gave in that easy.
"While your mom's here, I'll go pack a bag," he said, his cold eyes pinning her.
Shit. She wanted to punch the smug look off his face. "Why?"
"If you don't want to move in with me, I'll move in here."
"You're not moving in here!" She glared at him before moving Livy back down to her breast.
"You need help, Steph. You're stuck with me, whether you like it or not. Do you want to be stuck here with me and your mom? Or at RangeMan with Ella?"
"That's not fair."
"So you said."
She glared at him. The though of him moving in here was enough to make her suffocate. The apartment was too small, too close. Her full sized bed required them to sleep within touching distance. She wouldn't survive a day if he moved in here. And the worst part was, she knew from every interaction she'd had with him for the past few months, that nothing was going to change his mind. Not even the knowledge of how much it was going to cost her to have that much contact with him.
She would have told him to go to hell. But the reality was, she needed his help. She couldn't ask Joe to keep staying with her overnight - it wasn't fair. He hadn't slept in days, and he needed to be awake to do his job. And Ranger was Livy's father - she couldn't ask Joe to take on that responsibility when Ranger was willing.
And of course, there was Ella. When it came to taking care of people, Ella was the best. Ella would pamper her and help her get some rest. And as much as she loved her mother, moving in with him would avert the ever increasing likelihood of her killing her mother in her sleep.
Steph sighed. Her instinct was still to refuse, and then kick him in the shin. She was trying to straddle the fine line between doing what was responsible for Livy and hanging on her her pride and independence. It wasn't a balance she had figured out yet. "If I do this, it's because of Ella, and it's only temporary."
He nodded. "Until you're both sleeping more."
"And I want Joe to be able to visit too."
For a second she thought he'd refuse. His eyes darkened, and he stared at her, like he was assessing her motivations. But finally, he nodded. "He can't be on the fifth floor, but he can come up to the apartment."
She nodded, though the thought of giving into yet another of his demands rankled. But it would cost him a lot to allow Joe into his private apartment, she knew. To let anyone up there, really. "Why don't you go tell my mom, and she can start packing up the things we'll need while I lay Livy back down."
He continued staring at her with those blank, dark eyes. He straightened from where he had been slouching and stepped toward her. Her breath caught, anticipating his next move. She didn't like the glint in his eye as he leaned down toward her, and without meaning to, she leaned back, away from him. Smirking, he kissed her cheek and then the top of Livy's head. "Thanks, babe."
She glared at his retreating back and then lay a now sleeping Livy on the bed. Grabbing her phone, she dialed Joe. For once, she caught him at his desk. His voice was gravely with exhaustion.
"Ranger's here," she said.
"Yeah I know. He said he was sticking around, or I wouldn't have left."
"I, um, we're going to go stay with him. At RangeMan."
Joe hesitated. His voice was even more hoarse when he spoke. "Good."
"Joe, I'm--"
"You don't have to apologize, Steph. He's Livy's father, I understand."
"Still..." She trailed off.
"Still, I had hoped that this would end differently."
She didn't know how to respond to that, so she didn't. "He said you can come visit."
Joe hesitated again. "Okay," he said. "I will."
…
"Come on, Livy," she said, walking the baby around Ranger's apartment, a week later. She patted her back and kept walking, trying to get her to stop crying. Nothing was working. It didn't matter what position she held her in, how many times she paced around the room, or how often she burped her, Livy screamed.
The door opened and Steph groaned. No way could she handle a screaming infant and Ranger at the same time. When she turned back around in her pacing, he was standing in the room, watching them.
"How long has this been going on?"
"Over an hour."
"Here," he said, reaching for the baby. "Call Ella and have her bring up the vacuum cleaner."
"The vacuum?"
He shrugged. "My oldest sister swears by it."
Too rattled by the constant crying to protest, she called Ella and waited. When it arrived, Ranger sat down in the rocking chair with the baby and had Steph plug it in beside him. He flipped it on and started rocking Livy, and within a minute, the screaming slowed down. Another three minutes, and the only sound in the apartment was the roaring of the vacuum and the occasional hiccup from Livy. She was still fussing, but thank god the screaming had stopped.
Steph dropped onto the couch. "You're a genius."
He winked at her. "Why don't you try to sleep for a bit?" he said.
"I'm okay," she said. For once, it was true. The past week had passed in a fog of exhaustion, but her body was finally getting accustomed to sleeping in snatches. She and Livy had fallen into a schedule since moving in with Ranger, and Steph was actually starting to enjoy being a mom. Ella was a godsend, as expected, and helped Steph with everything possible. Her mom came during the day, but had finally backed off when she saw how competent Ella was. Joe dropped by each day after work.
For the most part, after making sure she had all the help she needed, Ranger kept his distance. He helped her through the early feedings until Ella arrived and then disappeared downstairs. He'd show back up when Joe left, and help her through the night.
The tension between them was as heavy as ever, but by unspoken truce, they were both keeping their mouths shut. And thank god, he was keeping his hands to himself.
They listened to the vacuum run for half an hour before he reached over and shut it off. Miraculously, Livy stayed asleep curled up on his chest.
"Ah bliss," she said, stretching out further on the couch. "How long can you sit in that position?"
He smiled at her. "I'm good."
She grabbed the remote and flipped through till she found a basketball game, keeping the sound down low.
"Did you eat dinner?" Ranger said.
"Yeah. You?"
He nodded. Silence descended again, and she realized uncomfortably that this was the longest they'd both been awake and in the same room since she moved in. She was tempted to go into the bedroom and lie down, just to avoid him.
"You should have called me," he said.
She glared at him, instantly on the defensive. "When?"
"When she started crying."
"I didn't realize you had the magic touch," she said dryly. "Next time I'll know what to do."
"The point, Stephanie, is that you need to call me when you need help." His voice was tight.
She just rolled her eyes and looked back at the game.
"When will she need to eat again?"
Steph shrugged. "Whenever she wakes up."
He didn't respond. She shouldn't be such a bitch, she knew. But each time they were alone together, it just came out. Part of it was latent anger at him forcing to move in, and part of it was just plain defense. Ranger had a way of getting under her defenses if she let him. She had let him before, and look what happened. Not something she'd let happen again, no matter how many nights he got up to feed Livy.
They watched the Knicks run around the screen, and Ranger kept rocking Olivia. As soon as she started fussing, Steph swapped places with him, and nursed her.
"I'm going to run through the shower. You're watching your time?"
She rolled her eyes. She'd only been doing this every two hours for two weeks. He ignored her and headed for the shower, while she focused back on the baby.
"You're daddy's an ass, Livy," she said. But her heart flipped over as soon as the words left her mouth. She had never thought of Ranger that way - as Livy's daddy. A little girl needed her daddy, and Ranger made a good one when he put effort into it. But that was as far as she was willing to take it.
…