Disclaimer: Still not mine nor will they ever be.
I'm loving all the reviews! Thank you all so much for your support of this story. I'm thrilled that you all like it so much. Potterwench...here is the first half of our deal! The second half should be out tomorrow! I expeyou another chapter from you lol. Anyone that hasn't read this amazing author's stories, I suggest that you do it soon. :)
Still not beta'd. I'll fix it later.
Lifetime of Love
Chapter 12
The funeral of Carl Jacob Young was nothing short of amazing. The entire town showed up to honor the man who so selflessly sacrificed his life for a friend. I got to meet his son, daughter-in-law and their children. I guess CJ had told them stories about me because they knew who I was before I even introduced myself. They were such pleasant people.
I thought they would be upset with me because I was the reason that CJ was dead. His son reassured me that CJ loved me and he held no grudges towards me. He actually thanked me for spending so much time with his father. I guess before I moved here, he had been depressed and almost ready to move into a nursing home. His son told me that I brought new life to him and gave him a reason to get out everyday. I was honored that he thought that he felt that highly of me.
The plan was for Ranger and I to leave for Trenton the day after the funeral. He sent the jet back and agreed to help me drive all of my stuff. It wasn't going to be an easy trip with me being almost months pregnant. The night of the funeral changed our plans. I woke up with sharp pains in my back and stomach. Ranger didn't even call a doctor, he just rushed me to the hospital.
I wasn't in labor, but the stress from the robbery and funeral had caused my blood pressure to raise, and that wasn't healthy for the baby. I was put on bed-rest for two weeks and sent home to rest. I tried to send Ranger home, but he refused. He stayed in Greenville with me to take care of me. He worked from the living room on his laptop while I sat and watched soap operas.
At my doctor's appointment after the two weeks, I found out that my son was getting ready to be born. I didn't understand the whole process, but the doctor instructed me to stay close to home until the birth. I was worried because he was early, but the doctor assured me that he was perfectly healthy and that everything would be fine.
I tried again to get Ranger to go back to Trenton without me, but he told me that he wasn't leaving me to have a baby by myself. If Zero couldn't be here, then he was the next best thing. I had to agree with him. I needed someone and come to find out, he already had Lamaze training so he became my coach.
Ranger and I spent the evenings locked in the house talking about anything and everything. It was weird, but the second we defined our relationship as friends only, he became an entirely different person. He talked. Not about himself, but about everything else. He told me stories about Zero in the Army and then stories about failed takedowns. We laughed sometimes...I cried sometimes.
On October 28, I went into labor for real. My water broke at 3:47 PM and my son was born twelve hours later. I was sitting in my hospital bed with Ranger beside me when a nurse brought my son for me to see for the first time.
"Here you go, mommy. Have you picked out a name?" The nurse placed my little peanut in my arms and I couldn't stop the tears.
"Allen Jacob Wilson. Allen after his daddy and Jacob after the man who saved my life. AJ for short." The nurse smiled and left the room.
"It's a great name, Babe, and he is one cute kid. Proud of you." Ranger kissed my head and then glanced down at the sleeping baby in my arms. I could see the love in his eyes for my son, already, and that led me to ask him a question.
"Ranger, you're my best friend and I trust you with my life. Will you be AJ's Godfather? If something ever happens to me and Noah, will you protect him like you do me?" Ranger gave me his 200 watt smile.
"I would be honored, Babe. But I'm not going to let anything happen to you, ever." I smiled and kissed AJ's head. He started to get fussy so I figured he was hungry. I opened the gown and he latched on to my breast almost immediately.
"Oh...you're just like your daddy. He couldn't stay away from those either." I heard Ranger chuckle.
"I don't need to hear this, Babe." He tried to sound serious, but was still laughing.
"Sorry. I can't help it if it's the truth. When do you think Noah will be back?" I kept my eyes on my feeding son. There was something special about this time and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.
"He'll be back before Thanksgiving. I spoke with him last week." I whipped my head around to look at Ranger. He didn't tell me about talking to him.
"Don't be mad. He called me in the middle of the night. It was daytime where he is. I didn't tell him about you or AJ. He lost his original cell phone and your voice mail. He has no clue that you're going home. If we leave next week, that will give you plenty of time to settle in before he gets back. I can pick Zero up at the airport and bring him straight to you." I wasn't mad. I really wanted to talk to him, but not if it was in the middle of the freaking night. I was thankful he didn't wake me up.
"That sounds good. You honestly think he'll be happy about AJ? We never talked about kids and we were only together for such a short time." Ranger chuckled.
"You think he'll turn you away just because of AJ?" Ranger sounded shocked.
"Well...I don't know. He said he loved me for a long time, but it's hard for me to understand that." I was trying to be honest. I decided that it was time to face my feelings instead of hiding from them.
"What's the nickname he calls you?" I smiled. I still didn't know what it meant, but I loved the way it sounds coming out of his mouth.
"Breá. Do you know what it means?" I looked hopeful toward Ranger.
"It's an Irish word for love. He's called you that since the beginning. Before you two started fooling around. He told me that he fell in love with you the first day he met you, but never thought he stood a chance. He's going to be thrilled about AJ." I could see the truth in Ranger's words. He believed what he was saying, so I should too.
I thought about what Ranger told me. Zero told me that night that he picked that nickname to come find him when I figured out what it meant. That was his way of telling me that he would be waiting until I was ready for him to love me. He didn't want to pressure me. I could feel the tears stream down my face. Maybe a happily ever after was in my grasp.
"I can guarantee you that you'll get a happily ever after." Ranger wiped my tears away and then took AJ from me after he was done eating. I was exhausted and needed a nap.
"Sleep, Babe. Let me get acquainted with my new godson." I fell asleep to Ranger talking to AJ in Spanish. I had no clue what he was saying, but the cadence of his voice lulled me into a deep sleep.
AJ and I were discharged from the hospital the next day and Ranger and I decided to spend at least a week at the house before leaving for Trenton. Luckily the week went by without problems and before I knew it, we were all packed and pulling away from the house that I called home for so many months.
The drive to Trenton was uneventful. Ranger drove the whole way and I slept off and on. We had to stop numerous times to feed and change AJ, but he turned out to be a great travel baby. I was impressed with my little man.
We pulled into the parking lot of my new apartment well after midnight. We were both exhausted and still had a car to unpack. Ranger carried up AJ, and I took care of Rex. He showed me around my new home and I fell in love with it instantly!
The large apartment was three times the size of my old one. The living room was furnished with overstuffed couches and a huge TV. The kitchen was nice sized with a gorgeous oak table to eat at. My bedroom held a queen sized four poster bed and a huge walk in closet. The attached bathroom was amazing with a walk-in shower, jacuzzi tub and double sinks. I was in heaven.
Joe had done an amazing job in picking out my furniture. I would have to find a way to pay him back. As beautiful as everything was, the nursery is what took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. It was painted in a light tan color with a red stripe halfway up the wall, all the way around the room. The dark wood furniture stood out in stark contrast. The thing that made me so emotional was all the sock monkeys that were scattered in the room. The bedding in the crib was even done in a sock monkey motif.
Let me explain. When I was little, my favorite toy was a sock monkey. I called him Peanut (don't ask why). Anyway, Joe would always torment me and take my monkey from me. He would hide it and tell me that I would never see it again. He always changed his mind when I started to cry. He told me once we were older that seeing me cry broke his heart and he would do anything to not see those tears. How he remembered about Peanut was beyond me, but there sitting in the crib was the exact replica of my old stuffed animal.
"You'll have to fill me in about the monkeys later. Joe insisted that he get full control of this room." I smiled and nodded.
Ranger unloaded all the crap from my car while I got AJ changed and ready for bed. He would be awake in about two hours to eat, but I thought he would like to sleep in his new crib for a while.
I quietly closed the nursery door as Ranger was bringing in the last of my bags. He carried them into my room and then grabbed his cell phone to call for a ride. He had been with me so many nights that I didn't know how I was going to sleep without him.
"Tank's on his way. Are you going to be okay here tonight?" He took me into his arms and hugged me tight to his body.
"I'll be fine. Thank you so much for finding this place. It's amazing. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." He smiled at me and kissed my head.
"No price. And you've already given me so much. Just be happy, Babe." His cell phone chirped and I knew his ride was here. He kissed me again and left.
I stood alone in my huge apartment not really sure what to do. It was late, or early however you wanted to look at it, so I took off my clothes and decided to get a few hours of sleep.
Right on schedule AJ woke me up two hours after I hit my pillow. I got him fed and changed and back to sleep and I passed out again.
Light was streaming in my windows the next time I woke up. AJ was stirring, but wasn't crying yet. He was such a good baby. I got him fed and dressed for his introduction to Trenton. The plan was to introduce him to my parent's later that day.
When he was comfortable and quiet in his crib, I took a very fast shower and dressed. I decided it was still a little early to surprise my parents, but Joe would be up so I called him.
"Hey Cupcake. How's the little guy?" I had called Joe right after AJ was born, but he didn't know we were back in Trenton.
"Why don't you come over and see for yourself?" I laughed into the phone.
"Really? Your home?" He sounded like a kid on Christmas.
"Yeah. If you hurry, you can see him while he's still awake." I heard keys jingling and a whispered phrase to Karen.
"I'm on the way. I'll even bring you donuts. See you in a bit." I hung up the phone and decided to tidy up some of the bags that got brought up the night before. About ten minutes later there was a knock on my door. I opened it and was immediately swept up into strong arms. How he didn't drop or crush the donuts is beyond me, but they were safe and whole when he finally sat me back down.
"It's good to see you too Joe." I laughed and kissed his already stubbly cheek.
"It's beyond good to see you, Steph. Where's AJ?" He put the donuts down on the table.
"In your sock monkey nursery. He loves it." He smiled at me.
"I thought he might. He's part you. What do you think about it?" He started walking back toward the nursery. I followed eating a Boston Creme.
"I love it. Thank you Joe. I can't believe you remembered Peanut and found one that looks just like him." Joe was standing beside the crib looking at my son. I pretended not to see the tears in his eyes as he picked him up.
"God, Steph. He's gorgeous. He looks just like you. Without the crazy hair, that is." It was true. AJ did look a lot like me, but I knew his eyes were his daddies. They were going to change colors soon. And, thank GOD he didn't get my hair. Poor kid.
"Thank you. I think he's pretty great." I brushed AJ's hair a little and kissed his great smelling head. Joe was quiet for a few minutes. He stood just holding and watching AJ intently.
"Do you ever wish that this was our life?" He asked suddenly bringing me out of my trance like state. I sighed. I didn't want to hurt Joe, but I never wanted this with him.
"No. We wouldn't have been happy together. I love you Joe. I really do, but not enough to want to change to make you happy." He looked at me and smiled. "Besides, you and Karen are great together. She's perfect for you." His smile got bigger.
"I know. I'm glad that we decided to be friends. Karen told me last night that she's pregnant." My mouth was hanging open. "I asked her to marry me too. We're getting married next month. She wants to do it before she starts to show."
"Congratulations! That's great news. You're going to be an amazing dad, Joe. Don't let your fears convince you otherwise." He nodded and looked at AJ again.
"I've got to go, Cupcake. Can I bring Karen over sometime to see AJ? She's freaking out about becoming a mom." He placed the sleeping baby in my arms and I smiled.
"Of course. I don't have any plans for the next couple weeks." Joe kissed my cheek and then placed a kiss on AJ's.
"I'll call you later to arrange a time. See ya, Cupcake." I followed Joe out to the front door and locked it when he left. I glanced at the clock and realized it was late enough to drop in and see my parents. I wasn't really looking forward to this visit, but knew it needed to be done. I changed AJ for good measure and got him buckled into his seat and locked into the car. The drive to my parents was quiet and it gave me time to gather my thoughts.
I pulled up and didn't see anyone standing at the door. Usually, my mother and grandma can sense me coming and are waiting for me. I guess my long absence broke their radar.
I grabbed the diaper bag and car seat out of the car and approached the front door. I didn't bother knocking, and just walked in. I didn't see anyone in the living room and the house smelled like bacon so I guessed they were all eating. I slowly walked around the corner into the dining room and sure enough, everyone was quietly eating their breakfast. My mother was the first to see me.
"Stephanie?" She was shocked for a second, but suddenly launched herself out of the chair and wrapped me in a hug. Now it was my turn to be shocked.
"Dear God, thank you. Thank you for bringing her home." She kept chanting the phrase over and over. My dad came over and placed a kiss on my head and took AJ's car seat from me. He unbuckled him and pulled him up into his arms.
"Mom, dad, grandma. I want you to meet your grandson, Allen Jacob Wilson. I call him AJ." The tears falling from my mom's eyes unchecked made my own mist. She looked at my son and more poured out.
"Oh, Stephanie. He's beautiful." I was still shocked. I was waiting for a lecture or a few 'why me's'. There was none of that.
I spent a few hours visiting with everyone and catching up on all of the gossip. My mom never once asked me about the father or mentioned marriage. She fell in love with my son the second she saw him. When it was time to go, my dad got AJ bundled back into his seat and my mom pulled me aside.
"I'm so sorry if I ever put too much pressure on you, Stephanie. It took me a long time to realize that you'll never be happy with what I want for you. I look at you and you're happy now, just living your life the way that you want. I hope you can forgive me for the way I treated you." A few tears fell from my eyes.
"You are forgiven...and I am happy. I never thought I would be happy with a kid, but he's my whole world." She smiled and patted my face.
"I can see that. Is he going to have a father in his life?" The question didn't come out snippy or judgmental, so I felt safe to answer it.
"His father doesn't know about him, but I'm hoping that he'll give us a chance when he gets back. He's working for the government right now in a different country." She nodded like she understood.
"One of Ranger's men?" She never liked that I associated with the Merry Men so I was afraid to tell her the truth, but thought she deserved it.
"Yeah. Noah, or Zero to the guys." She smiled again and nodded.
"He'd be stupid to not give you a chance. You are an amazing woman and a wonderful mother. I'm so proud of you." I didn't bother stopping the tears. I hugged my mom and then my grandma.
"I expect to see the package that helped create that kid soon." Grandma whispered in my ear. "It's good to have you home, baby girl." I kissed her cheek and then went to hug my dad.
"He's a good-looking kid, just like me." My dad beamed with pride. He had waited so long for a grandson and he was loving every second of it.
"Aint that the truth. Thank you, daddy. I know you've helped bring mom to her senses." He smiled and kissed my head.
"Anything for you pumpkin. ANYthing." I kissed his cheek and then walked out the door with my son. I got him locked into his base and then hopped in my car to head home. It was early afternoon, but it was time for a nap. AJ would eat and then sleep for a few hours. I would use that time to recharge my batteries too. After all, that's what you did with a newborn.
A/N - I know a lot of you were expecting a bad visit with Helen, but I decided to go a softer route. Steph's had enough drama in her life and it's time for some calm. Hope you all enjoyed it!