Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything. The Plum characters belong to Janet Evanovich. However, I do own Sofia.
Note: Thanks to Denise for editing this chapter. She's just pure awesomeness. Let me know if you liked it. I really really want to know...
;-)
Chapter 29. What life should look like…
Steph's POV
Ricky was more than happy to ride on my lap. I got a little dizzy from all the spinning, but I loved to see the smile on my son's face. We reached the fourth floor to find a silent hallway. By the time we reached the fourth floor, the halls were silent. We paused in front of the gym's door, when we reached it. Ranger asked Ricky to open the door.
"Surprise!"
All RangeMan employees, my friends, my parents, and Ranger's parents were present. All the equipment was moved out to make space for the guests. There was a big Happy Birthday banner on the wall behind them. A blue Batman themed cake was placed on the table, surrounded by small cupcakes with Justice League characters' symbols on them. There were balloons everywhere and a small bouncy house in a corner.
Ricky ran off to stare, mouth wide open, at the birthday cake on the table.
"Wow," he gasped, a few people laughed.
"How?" I asked Ranger. How did they manage all of this so quickly? He shrugged. Tears pricked my eyes. Some of my friends gathered around me, congratulating me on the success of the rescue and wishing me good health. Amy and Morelli were there with their baby girl, all wrapped into a little bundle. She made my heart melt. Our parents were standing together, talking quietly to one another or giving out refreshments. The women in Ranger's family gathered around my son, giving him kisses, and asking him questions.
"I better go make sure my family is not smothering our son," Ranger said, after shaking hands with my father.
"How are you doing, Pumpkin?" Dad asked.
"I'm very happy, even with a concussion and a few bruised ribs." He smiled.
"Pumpkin," my father said. "You did something wonderful this week. We saw the reports on television. Actually, everyone saw it. It's all over the news. Those children are alive because of you. You used your mind, your wit, and you saved them. I couldn't be any prouder."
"Thank you, Dad. I didn't do it alone, you know. It was a team effort." He kissed my forehead. We detoured away from Grandma Mazur, who was busy chatting up with some of the RangeMan employees. I felt a tinge bad for them. Grandma was fearless, no doubt there will be hazard pay reports on Ranger's desk in the morning.
A woman with dark skin and light eyes approached us. She was looking at me with curiosity, her eyes twinkling.
"Hello," she said. "I'm Celia, Carlos' oldest sister."
"Of course," I replied, taking in their resemblance. "Stephanie."
"How's the pain?"
"It's manageable."
"Ricky's a very smart kid," she said, "and he looks a lot like Carlos. I don't think our father is ever going to stop talking about him now. He's nostalgic, all his children left the nest." She rolled her eyes, her affection for her family clear on her face.
"Thank you." I laughed nervously.
Celia hugged me. "And thank you," she said. "Let me know if my family gives you any trouble. I know the triplets are planning to corner you at some point and get all your deepest and darkest secrets."
"Triplets?"
She pointed to a trio of women standing around Sofia. Sure enough, two of them looked identical, the third one was not, but close enough it was evident they were sisters.
"I think Lester's new girlfriend became the first target." She smiled. "Should we go rescue her? I'll introduce you and save you from their inquisition."
Ranger's father was a tall man, with light skin, and expressive eyes. He kept asking Ricky questions in Spanish. He even tried to start a conversation with me in Spanish, but I stumbled on my words, blushing. He laughed openly and patted my shoulder.
"Welcome to the family, Stephanie," he said with a slight accent. Nobody asked me any uncomfortable questions then. It seemed like Mr. Manoso's words had been the official introduction and welcome to the family, no questions asked.
Lester's mother arrived some time later. She was an Irish woman, with a welcoming demeanor, her skin pale and eyes the same bright green as her son. I thought she was about to do a little dance when Lester introduced her to Sofia. Turned out Ella had spoken intensively about Sofia with Mrs. Santos. They both thought Lester had found a home in Sofia. The women were quite confident.
-RS-
An hour later, I found Cal sitting at a corner, painting monsters, superheroes, and flowers on kids' faces. I watched him work for a while. He was actually pretty good.
"I didn't know you liked art," I said, pushing my chair closer to him.
"I worked as a tattoo artist for a while," he said, finishing a flower on a little girl's cheek. "Stephanie, this is my daughter Annabelle. Say hello, Annabelle."
The little girl's dress was pink and puffy, matching the blush on her face, her eyes hazel.
"Hello, Mrs. Ranger," she greeted shyly. I laughed. Cal shook his head with pride and tugged her closer. It occurred to me that I knew very little about Cal, and he had saved my life countless times.
"She's gorgeous," I told him. The Merry Men were now my family. Perhaps, they have always been a family. Ricky ran to us and leaned to whisper something in Annabelle's ear. Annabelle nodded, and they ran off to the middle of the room.
"What was that about?" Cal asked, arching an eyebrow.
Ricky took Annabelle to the dance floor, mimicking Mrs. and Mr. Manoso as they danced on the dance floor. I put my hand over my mouth to suppress a laugh, glancing at Cal through my peripheral. Ranger came over at that moment and offered his hand.
"Dance with me," he offered. I pushed myself off the wheelchair and into his arms. He half carried me to the middle of the room, and held me as we danced.
"I think our son has a new love interest," I noted.
"Should I start expecting play dates?" I danced a second dance with Ricky, sitting on my chair. The party had started to pick up, becoming a celebration of our lives.
"We should ask Cal." The guy stood with his arms crossed, watching the kids dance with an alarm look on his face. Ranger laughed openly, and we danced, forgetting about the people around us.
-RS-
"How are you feeling?" Sofia asked as we watched from a corner of the room. She passed me a Wonder Woman cupcake and picked one for herself at random.
"I feel better than yesterday."
"All these people came together for you," She explained in amazement. "Ranger's family and your family got along pretty well, nobody died."
"I know, I'm quite impressed." We laughed, pressing our hands to our stomachs.
"How's your arm?"
"I won't be able to do much for a while," she sighed, lifting her arm and dropping it in frustration.
"Did Lester's cousins give you a hard time?" I asked, laughing at her groan of frustration.
"Be aware of them," she warned. "They wanted to know what kind of underwear he wears, how many children I'd like to have, and if we have a date set for the wedding. And those were the easy questions. You don't want to know the rest, but I guess they are sort of your family now."
"I'll get Celia." We smiled at each other.
"I'll miss working with you," she confided a moment later. "New York City won't be the same without you."
"Are you kidding me? The city is probably going to be safer without me." If Sofia left, I knew I would miss moments like this one, dishing about men, reading trashy quizzes, and making each other laugh.
I looked up at Sofia with an arched brow. She's slumped onto a chair next to me and dug into her cupcake with pleasure. In the distance, Lester was dancing with one of the older women.
"What does he think about you going to New York?"
"He doesn't know," she confessed, concern drowning her laughter. "I don't know how to tell him."
"Sofia." My voice started to betray my worry. "New York is not that far from here. And you have family in Newark! You'll manage."
"Well, that's not the problem." She stared straight-ahead, watching him dance with his mother.
Sofia made Lester happy. All this time, I thought she might be the one getting hurt. Now, she was moving back to New York and thinking about a break up. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, lines marring her forehead. I stared at her knowingly.
"You're scared," I accused. "This is you, panicking."
"No, I'm not." She muffled her words with one last bite of cake.
"Sofia!"
"I'm not panicking. Does it look like I'm panicking?" She opened her hands to show me that she wasn't shaking. Therefore, she was not panicking. I rolled my eyes. "See? Lester's a nice guy, his antics could be even adorable, and he's a great listener."
"But? What's the petty excuse this time?"
"I should go to bed," she replied, getting up. "I need to return to the house tomorrow, pick up my stuff."
"You are leaving tomorrow?"I put my hand to my temple to soothe the growing headache. Sofia noticed the gesture.
"He makes me feel…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "Vulnerable."
"Like he's the chink in armor," I concluded with a big grin on my face this time.
"Yes, a little bit like that," she said, her tone serious, "but not like that at all."
Lester came running at that moment and leaned in to kiss her lips.
"Would you like to dance?" He asked. Sofia hesitated a little and glanced my way, a question in her eyes.
"Tell him," I urged.
"Tell me what?" Lester looked between us expectantly, his expression changing.
"Can we go upstairs?" Sofia gave me a quick hug and took Lester's hand. He followed her out of the room without asking questions.
In the distance, I saw Lester's mother smiling in amusement, her delight about her son's relationship evident.
-RS-
A week later, I woke up and found Ranger conversing with Lester. I found them sitting by the kitchen counter, speaking in low voices.
"Morning, gentlemen."
"Good morning, beautiful," Lester agreed, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
"I should go," he said to Ranger. "We'll continue this conversation later."
"Yes," and this was a firm answer from Ranger.
"What's wrong?" I asked after the door closed.
"Lester's leaving," he answered. "He wants to go live with Sofia, in the far away island of New York City."
I gasped. "Is that sarcasm I hear?"
"Lester is irreplaceable. RangeMan can't afford to lose him."
"RangeMan will be fine," I assured him, giving him a kiss. "This is a big commitment for Lester too, you know."
"I know." He took a deep breath, moving a stray hair away from my eyes. Since the night of Leticia's rescue, our physical contact was kept to a minimum. Ranger worried about hurting me if we had sex. It was a little frustrating.
"This is good for Sofia, too," I explained. "Nobody ever committed to her as a child, not her parents, and definitely not the rest of her family."
He placed a kiss on my shoulder. "Are you ready for our visit?"
"I can't wait."
-RS-
We walked the hospital halls in silence. My throat went dry with anticipation. I didn't know in what state I was going to find Leticia. Would she want to see me? Was it too soon?
She was surrounded with envelopes and goody baskets, sharing chocolates boxes with Louis. The young man sat next to her on the bed, looking through the letters in a shoebox. They looked very happy.
"Stephanie!" She scrambled out of bed and met me half way. We hugged tight, taking in the moment.
"How are you coping?" I asked.
"Honestly, I'm happy he's dead," she said.
"I was so afraid for you," I told her as we sat on the bed next to each other. Ranger glanced over at Louis, and with a silent signal they both left the room to give us privacy.
"It was scary," she said, "sleeping on the streets, seeking warm food, and trying to stay out of danger. It wasn't easy."
"Why didn't you call me earlier?"
"I was afraid of putting you and Ricky in danger."
"I'm sorry about your father, Leticia." I gave her another tight hug and I reached into my purse for the beret that had come into my hands in the strangest of circumstances. "He was the first person to discover my real identity in New York City. He gave me this as a reminder of my past. It didn't mean anything to him. He was ashamed of his past, so he didn't want it."
The girl took the hat into her hands and examined the insignia. It was a Ranger's beret, the one I used the night of the club bust.
"Dad never talked about those days." She said. "Why was he ashamed?"
"He said it took him away from home," I answered. "He hoped it would do the opposite for me."
"Wow." The girl smiled ruefully. "Did it?"
"A little bit." I paused. "I would look at it and feel guilty. I left my family without giving them an explanation, my friends, the people that cared about me. Later I realized that your sneaky father wanted me to feel that way. He wanted me to go back home, not the physical home either, home to the people I loved."
We both chuckled at the thought.
"Yeah, Dad would do something like that," she mused, "and I'm at home now. Look at all these letters of support, all from strangers. I think there are people out there that need to hear my story. I can't help thinking that maybe I can make a difference."
We talked for about an hour and made plans for dinner sometime soon. She looked tired and skinny, but she was happy to be back with her family, already planning how to take over the world.
-RS-
I watched my son in silence for about a minute, not wanting to move and wake him up by making noise. Ranger walked in and pressed a kiss to my shoulder.
"You are tense," he said. Oh, yes, that's the other thing. Of course, I was tense. This was the first time Ranger and I were alone together without having to worry about kidnappers, bruises, or getting interrupted. I didn't know what to do. He grinned, apparently reading my mind.
"Babe." He took my hand and guided me out of Ricky's room and to our bedroom. He started taking off his clothes. I watched attentively, enjoying the way his body moved in front of me. Ranger was all mocha latte, his stomach muscles rippled as he moved. He stood in front of me in his jeans, shirtless and without shoes.
"Let me help you," he said, combing my hair back with his fingers. He took off my shoes, and I took off my shirt. Then, he helped me stand and remove my jeans. My balance was still a little challenged. I had to be careful not to move too fast. He put my arms around his neck and removed my underwear.
I closed my eyes, my mind giving way to sensation. He kissed his way from my neck to my shoulder.
"No sex tonight, babe," he whispered with half a grunt. I groaned.
"What are we doing then?"
"Shower," he said, "Wouldn't want you to fall in the tub. Your balance is still a little impaired."
"Is it?"
He lifted me up before I had a chance to protest.
"I like it when you pout." He kissed me lightly. "It's very cute."
I kissed the spot where his neck met his shoulder. Ranger walked me to the bathroom and lowered me into the tub. I exhaled and closed my eyes. The room smelled of Bulgari. The water was warm on my skin. I relished the feeling of my muscles untightening.
"Come join me," I said.
"Don't tempt me."
"Please."
"Babe."
"Help me shower." Ranger arched an eyebrow, but he took the soap into his hands, and ignored the mischievous smile on my face.
"You're playing with fire, babe."
Ranger ran his hands gently over my body. I moaned and leaned in to kiss him. He grunted between kisses and cursed under his breath. I grinned in triumph when he separated to take off the rest of his clothes. My body responded with a rush so wonderful that I even curled my toes.
"Come here," he demanded, his voice low and husky, holding on to a promise. I moved lazily, my heart picking up a pace.
-RS-
We went to bed afterward, pressed closely together. I was tucked into his warm embrace. I took a deep breath and drank in his scent, the sheets soft on my skin, and his breath warm on my neck. This was perfection.
I placed a kiss above his nipple and looked up to him. He watched me, watching him, and broke into a smile.
"I love you," I said, because it needed to be said, and it was the truth. It was a delayed truth that I kept secret for years before I had proclaimed my love for him in this same room. It only seemed right to say them again, to revive them, because they were true. It was a nice way to start again. He watched me, his eyes going softer.
"Say it again," he said, kissing my shoulder.
"I love you," I said. "Carlos."
He gave me a passionate kiss, our bodies heated and hungry for each other. We were like horny teenagers, making out for the first time.
We sat up on the bed, kissing each other in the process. Ranger… No, not Ranger. Carlos pulled my nighty over my head, revealing my breast. His hands traced the length of my body, gingerly, and gently as if enjoying a newly opened present. We made love, slowly and passionately. Our bodies took note of each others' moves.
Sometime during the night, I snuggled against him, panting a little. He put his arm around me and pressed a kiss on my shoulder.
"How soon can we start trying for a baby?"
I couldn't tell if he was joking, so I slapped his shoulder...hard.
"Really? If you want another child so much, then you should start planning for paternity leave. Let's not mention late night feedings, time management issues, and potty training."
He just laughed, openly and happily.
"Babe." He was teasing me!
"I'm serious. It's important to me."
"Anything you want, babe." He kissed me. "As long as we are together, that's all that matters to me."
Yes, this is a good start.
-RS-
Author's note: Hello, Babes. We have finally come to the end of this story. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and following this fanfic. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I had a great time writing it. I hope the ending lived up to your expectations and that it was worth the wait. I hope to post an epilogue to tie up some loose ends surrounding Sofia and Lester's plot line sometime next week… I have my fingers crossed.
Mostly importantly, I would like to thank my betas, Ladyofkeegan (Joleen), JessicaRenae (Jessica), and Denise for helping complete this story. Thanks for helping me throughout the long process of completing this story. Your time is valuable and I am very grateful.
Best,
Steph