As always - all credit for familiar characters goes to JE - mistakes are all mine.
Sorry for the wait!
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"Maybe she's dead," Edna said and patted the unconscious Helen on the cheek.
"She's not dead," Stephanie muttered as she kneeled beside her Mother.
"I have some smelling salts in the car," I offered.
"Do you think that will work?" Steph asked, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
"It's worth a shot."
I left them in the dining room and headed outside. I was thinking dinner might be more pleasant if we left her unconscious, but they seemed determined to rouse her so I retrieved the salt and headed back to the house.
Edna and Steph glanced at me when I came back in the room and I crouched beside them at Helen's head.
"Maybe we should just leave her and cover her with a blanket," Edna said, echoing my own thoughts.
We both looked at Stephanie as if asking her permission to do that. She bit her bottom lip and cut her eyes to her Mother's face. She looked at her so long I thought she would actually let us do it.
'No," she finally said. "We can't. Give me that." She snatched the salt from my hand, cracked the top and waved it under Helen's nose.
She awoke with a gasp and looked at each of us in turn. "What's going on?"
"You fainted," Edna supplied.
"That's silly. I don't faint." She struggled to her feet and we backed away, giving her some room. She smoothed out her clothes and patted at her hair and then looked at me as if she hadn't seen me a few seconds ago.
"Oh. Mr. Manoso…I didn't know you'd be joining us for dinner. I'll have to get another place setting."
"I'll get it," Edna said and headed toward the buffet cabinet along the wall.
"I appreciate that, but it's Ranger. There's no need for formality."
"Ranger…" she said slowly and made a face like my name left a bad taste on her tongue. "That can't possibly be your given name."
I opened my mouth but Stephanie answered before I could. "It's what he goes by, Mother," she said and laced her fingers through mine.
Helen gave a pointed look at our joined hands and pressed her lips together in a tight line before saying tightly, "I see."
"Carlos is my given name, if that would make you more comfortable." I threw out the peace offering before the battle could get too far along.
"He prefers Ranger," Stephanie said through clenched teeth.
"It's okay, Babe," I said softly looking down at her. "Let this one go." I squeezed her hand and winked. This dinner wasn't about me.
"Well then," Helen said. "I hope you like roast chicken, Carlos. I know it's Stephanie's favorite." She gave what could only be described as a victory grin and headed to the kitchen.
Steph's Grandma finished adding a plate for me and came to stand beside us. "Frank's out in the living room hittin' the sauce. Maybe we should all have a snort – might make this shit show a little more tolerable."
"Grandma!" Steph said and I didn't know if she was protesting the swearing or the drinking.
"Your Mother is being a horse's behind. You should tell her where she can shove her chicken and get outta here. I bet there are dozen things you could be doing with this hot Cuban package instead of getting berated by my daughter." She waggled her eyebrows up and down and I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or if I wanted to think about the dozen things I could be doing to and with Stephanie.
Steph's eyes traveled toward the hallway that led to the front door and I knew she was seriously considering it. "Babe," I said softly and she looked at me hopefully. I shook my head.
"I know," she said on a sigh. "It's okay Grandma, we'll stay but I can't guarantee I'm going to keep my mouth shut."
"You shouldn't," Edna agreed. "Helen is never going to let up if you don't tell her she's being an uptight bitch."
Steph's Grandma is completely insane, but I loved her right then. I've been trying to tell her that for a very long time.
A small smile tilted her lips just as Helen arrived with the chicken. The wall on the clock chimed six o'clock and Frank slid into his chair at the head of the table as soon as the platter hit the wood.
"Stephanie, run into the kitchen and get the rest of the dishes," she said and I followed to help. She spun around to face me when we stepped into the room.
"I don't think I can do this, Ranger," she said on a whisper and I pulled her into a hug.
"You can and you will. Listen to your Grandma and tell her what you think. If you don't, she'll have this power over you for the rest of your life." I ran my hands up and down her arms and pressed my lips to her temple. "Your Grandma has your back and so do I."
She tilted her head up and I brushed a kiss across her lips. "Sometimes I don't think I deserve you."
"The feeling is mutual, Babe."
We carried out the mashed potatoes, green beans and dinner rolls and the torture began as soon as we sat down.
"Stephanie, Mrs. Watkins' daughter Marilyn got married two weeks ago and moved to Detroit with her new husband."
"Is that so?" Stephanie muttered as she buttered a roll and I squeezed her thigh under the table.
"Yes, and that means her position at the button factory is open. I called Lois Cones who works in human resources there and got you an interview for tomorrow."
"I don't need a job, Mom," she said and took a bite of bread.
"Of course you do. I had twenty eight calls this afternoon – twenty eight! - About another of your cars blowing up. Marilyn has never had any of her cars blown up working at the button factory."
"Sounds pretty boring if you ask me," Edna said before Stephanie could respond. "Who would want to make buttons? I rather sit all day with sand in my underwear than make buttons."
Frank snorted out a laugh as he shoveled a fork full of chicken into his mouth.
"I like my job, Mother. I'm not looking for a new one."
Helen sighed in obvious exasperation. "You need a respectable career, Stephanie. What man is ever going to want you again if you keep at this ridiculous and dangerous job?"
I felt a ball of anger start to develop in the pit of my stomach and when I looked at Stephanie, she was glaring at her Mother with undisguised hatred. So were Edna and Frank.
Her fork was full of mashed potatoes but she set it down calmly on her plate and spoke without raising her voice even a little. "I know you know that Ranger and I are together now and he is a man…"
"Who wants her very much," I interjected.
"…so I guess your argument is invalid," she finished shooting me a grateful look.
Helen ignored her and focused her judgmental eyes on me. "And what kind of life can a man like you offer my daughter? What are your intentions? Are you going to marry her?"
Stephanie opened her mouth, but I shook my head and took her hand with a look that told her I would handle this one. I decided to ignore the 'man like you' part and focused on the actual questions.
"I have the means and the desire to give her any kind of life she wants. I intend to make her happy for the rest of her life and we have no plans to marry, but if Stephanie decides that's what she wants I would marry her in a second. Today, if that's what she decided. I think that covers all your concerns, doesn't it?"
I held Helen's gaze but could feel Stephanie's eyes on my face. We had never discussed marriage but I was completely serious. I would marry her – today, tomorrow, ten years from now – all she had to do was say the word.
"Yes. That covers everything and she doesn't have anything else to say on the subject of your relationship, Stephanie's job or any other aspect of her daughter's life. Isn't that right, Helen?"
We all turned in shock to Steph's Dad. As far as I knew, he'd never spoken one word against his wife all of Stephanie's life. Better late than never, I guess.
She smiled at her Father and he gave her a small wink before digging back into his plate of food.
"I'm glad to hear it," Stephanie announced into the silence that had settled over the table after that. "But I have something to say to you, Mother."
I heard Frank suck in a breath and when I cut a quick look at Edna she had a giant smile on her face. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for the show.
Helen simply turned her face to her daughter with a mask of expectancy, but I could see the fear behind her eyes.
"I love you Mom and I'm sorry that I ruined your plans for my life, but I did not love Joe and it would have been a huge mistake to marry him. I'm in love with Ranger and I have been for a very long time. He makes me happy. My job makes me happy and I'm not going to change either one of those things – EVER. I'm never going to fit into this little burg mold that you have designed for me so if you can't accept that then we should leave and I'll do you the favor of never returning because this is who I am, Mom. It's taken me a while, but I like me and I like my life and I'd like for you to be a part of it, but I'm not going to sit here and let you disrespect me or the man I love ever again. Understand?"
I brought Stephanie's hand to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. That has been a long time coming and I couldn't be more proud of her.
"That's my girl," Edna said under her breath and her Father got up out of his seat pulled his daughter into a hug and left the table as his plate was clean.
As Stephanie settled back into her chair, her Mother looked at us both in turn and then picked up her fork and resumed eating. Her face was pale and her hand shook but she said, "Alright. I'm making meatloaf next Saturday. I'd be happy to have you both join us for dinner."
It wasn't a great response, but I guess under the circumstances it was the best we could hope for. I was sure that over time, things would get better between them. We finished dinner, making polite non-meaningful conversation, except for the story Edna told about an unfortunate incident involving a feather boa and Simon Pinkowski from the senior center that I wish I could forget I ever heard. Helen sent us home with half of a pineapple upside down cake and some leftover chicken and Stephanie's promise to think about coming to dinner again next week.
"I'm proud of you, Babe," I said as we hit the sidewalk outside the house.
"At least someone is."
"Your Mother needed to hear those things from you and she'll come around. She has a horrible way of showing it, but deep down she loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. She just doesn't understand you."
"I hope you're right, but I don't think I want to be around her until she figures out how to not insult me, or you for that matter, every time she opens her mouth."
"That might turn out to be…challenging for her," I said. Or downright impossible.
"Yeah," Steph said with a small grunt of agreement. I unlocked the Cayenne and held open the door for her.
"Shit," she said and stared at the cardboard file box sitting on the seat. "I forgot about this." She picked it up and climbed onto the seat, settling it on her lap as I made my way around the front of the car. She was taking the lid off when I slid behind the wheel and deposited the bag of food in the back seat.
Guilt flooded her big blue eyes. "I guess I had that coming," she murmured softly.
I didn't know what was in there but I had a strong desire to punch Morelli right in the throat for putting that look in her eyes again.
I turned the engine over but left the car in park. "What's in it?" I asked instead of ripping it from her hands and throwing it out the window.
"Some of my clothes, some shampoo and apparently every gift I've ever given him." She pulled out the sleeve of a hockey jersey and then stuffed it back in the box. "That one cost a fortune. It's signed by Henrik Lundqvist."
I wasn't the biggest hockey fan, but I certainly recognized the name. Morelli is a first class asshole. She inhaled a shaky breath and put the lid back on the box. "I should have let you burn it." She tried to smile but failed miserably.
I killed the engine and turned to face her. "You have to stop with the guilt, Steph. Believe me, it's not warranted."
"That's not what…" she tried to deny but I cut her off.
"I know what guilt looks like and I've seen it on your face too many goddamn times to even mention. Morelli and his wandering dick don't deserve it, Stephanie. He doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air you do." My tone was a little harsher than I'd intended but I couldn't stand seeing her feel bad for that asshole one more fucking second.
Stephanie's expression went stony and for a few seconds I couldn't hear anything but the sound of our breathing. I figured out my mistake right before she spoke.
Her voice was calm and steady but there was no denying the anger pulsing through her blood. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Shit. No point in lying to her now.
"Yes."
"Joe was cheating?"
In hindsight, I probably should have told her from the beginning but I knew what it would do to her self esteem and I didn't want that to be the reason she came to me.
"Yes again."
She clamped her mouth shut and turned away from me.
"Babe," I tried but she cut me off this time.
"How long?" She was staring out the window at her parents' house, resolutely not looking at me.
Why didn't I tell her before now? Because I'm apparently an asshole too. "Long before you called off the wedding."
She unhooked her seatbelt, opened the door and exited the vehicle. I was expecting her to slam it but she shut it gently and then I watched her hurl the box Joe had given her down the street. I got out of the car and looked at the mess.
The box had split apart when it hit the street and the contents were scattered across the road. Moving around to the passenger side I leaned up against the front fender. "Feel better?"
She whirled around and cut me to the quick with eyes that had hardened to steel. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I sighed heavily and crossed my arms over my chest. This could get really ugly, really fast.
"Because I didn't want you to be hurt and I especially didn't want you thinking you'd done something or that you hadn't done something that made him seek out someone else."
"That's a bullshit answer, Ranger," she replied irritably. "I'm a big girl and perfectly capable of handling rejection. I don't need you to shelter me from things like that."
"That's all true, but it doesn't stop me from trying. I will always do anything I can to keep you from getting hurt – physically or emotionally. It's just the way I'm wired where you're concerned."
She rolled her eyes in total exasperation. "Okay – I get that. But I know that's not all. What's the rest of it?"
Damn. She had her claws in and she wasn't going to let go. I guess I might as well tell her everything. "The rest of it is selfish. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
She simply mirrored my posture and waited. I let out a small breath and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "I didn't tell you because when you decided you wanted to be with me – I needed it to be because you wanted to be, not because you were mad at Joe or trying to get back at him for his indiscretions. I needed you to make a choice without any outside influences."
She looked away from me but not before I saw a tear escape from the corner of her eye. "You do realize this information probably would have stopped my Mother from completely freezing me out for six months, right?" She swiped at her eyes and faced me again.
"You're kidding, right? I don't think anything short of murder would've kept her from pushing you to marry Morelli. And let's call a spade a spade here, Steph. You're just as responsible for the state of your relationship with your Mother as she is. You've had thirty plus years to stand up to her but didn't get it done until tonight. And if I hadn't had a conversation with her a couple of days ago, you still wouldn't have."
Her eyes went wide and I realized I'd put my foot in my mouth again.
"You talked to her?"
Shit. "Yes, I talked to her."
Stephanie spun away, showing me her back and I thought for a second she was going to run but she said, "So she didn't even want me here – she was just afraid you would kill her in her sleep if she didn't extend an invitation."
"Jesus Stephanie." I pushed off the car and came up behind her, settling my hands on her shoulders. "I didn't threaten your Mother. I simply let her know if she didn't get her head out of her ass, she would lose you forever and neither of you would want that."
She shrugged off my hands and took a few steps away, putting too much distance between us. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her but she obviously didn't even want me to touch her.
"You're such an arrogant asshole, Ranger," she said, turning to look at me once again. "You can't just swoop in on your batwings and fix everything. This wasn't your call."
"I wasn't trying to fix anything. I was trying to help by opening a door of communication. And there aren't any batwings, Babe. I'm not a super hero. I'm just a man who obviously makes mistakes, this being a big one, but I truly had the best of intentions here." I reached for her but she dodged away.
"Don't – just don't. I can't….I don't even want to look at you right now."
I ran my hand over my hair in frustration and ripped out the leather strap holding it off my face. "Will you at least let me take you home?"
She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "No. I'll borrow big blue. Just…go, Ranger."
"Fine," I bit out and stalked back to my car. I got behind the wheel and slammed the door with enough force to shake the frame. I turned the engine over and with any form of maturity a distant memory, I peeled away from the curb with a piercing screech of tires.
I needed to hit something – hard – and since beating the shit out of Morelli would land me in a jail cell, I made a phone call.
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A loud grunt expelled from Happy's lungs when my fist connected with his kidney and I was pretty sure that final shot would have him pissing blood for a week but I wasn't fairing much better. All my ribs were bruised and I think he might have cracked my clavicle. We were both struggling for breath and dripping with sweat and I was just about to call a truce when a hush fell over the audience that had gathered to watch us fight.
Our heads turned in unison and we saw Stephanie making her way across the gym. She looked like she was ready for bed, dressed in a pair of red flannel pajama bottoms and a tight Wonder Woman t-shirt I knew she frequently slept in. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her face was scrubbed clean but her eyes were red and puffy – the telltale sign of a serious bout of crying. A painful jab twisted in my stomach. Knowing I was the reason for all those tears hurt more than any punch Happy had thrown tonight.
Tank tossed us each a towel and held the ropes so we could get out of the ring faster. Happy gave me a fist bump and then headed towards the exit, rubbing the sweat off his bald head as he went. He shocked everyone when he met up with Steph, whispered something in her ear and then kissed her on the cheek.
He left the gym and after a few seconds of stunned silence and as if I'd ordered it, the rest of the men in the room began filing out behind him without a word.
Stephanie and I stood watching each other until only the two of us remained. Tank was the last one to leave and when the door clicked closed behind him, she fell into my arms.
"I'm sorry," she said and I held her tightly to my sweat slicked body.
"Me too," I replied and buried my face in her hair.
"I'm still mad," she added into my chest.
"I know," I said and rubbed my hand up and down her back. "It makes me crazy when I know you're hurting, Steph. I only wanted to help. I'm sorry I went about it the wrong way."
"I understand," she said and pulled back from my embrace so she could look at me. "I probably would have done the same thing if our positions were reversed." She lifted up onto her toes and brushed her lips softly across mine.
I pulled her against me again and her arms wrapped around my waist. I really needed a shower but I didn't want to let her go, half afraid if I did she would leave and never come back.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked softly and pressed my lips to her temple.
More than one beat passed and I breathed a silent sigh of relief when she finally whispered, "Yes."
I took her by the hand and tugged her out of the gym and into the elevator. She leaned into me once we were inside and kissed the base of my neck.
"What did Happy say to you, Babe?" I knew the guys would bug me relentlessly until I found out.
She tilted her head up to look into my eyes. "He said I should be gentle with you because he destroyed your ribs." Her blue orbs twinkled with mischief as she softly ran her hand down my chest and over my supposedly ruined ribs. They were very tender but hardly destroyed.
"Is that right?"
"Yep. Not that I mind this look," she did a cursory scan of my bare torso and let her eyes linger at my waist where I knew my shorts were hanging dangerously low on my hips, "but you worked up quite a sweat." She backed up a step and pulled at her shirt that was damp with my perspiration. "Is a shower first on your agenda tonight?"
I knew in that moment that we were going to get through this and I let out another slow breath of relief. I gave her my patented raised eyebrow as the door opened on the lobby of the penthouse. "It was, but since I'm planning on getting naked and sweaty again in about five minutes, I hardly think it's worth the effort."
She grinned at me and my heart swelled to capacity. God, I loved that smile. "What if I agreed to wash your back?"
"Interesting," I said as I let us into my apartment. "The idea could have some merit after all. What about my front? I might need some help in that regard as well. Happy also beat the shit out of my shoulder so I don't know if I'll be able to reach some of the more dirty places."
Stephanie stopped just short of rolling her eyes and headed to the bathroom in front of me. "Let's go, Mr. subtle. I'll wash every dirty place you can imagine and all the ones you can't."
Sweet Jesus.