RPOV

Lester waited with me just inside the clubhouse entrance while Steph went to the bathroom to work her magic fixing her makeup. "You made her cry," he said, his tone telling me that he had no problem calling me to the mats for such a violation.

I decided to stick with my new motto of honesty is the best policy and nodded. "I did, and I feel like shit for it too."

"I hope you got down on your knees and graveled," he said. "After what you did, she deserved as much."

"If she'd asked me to, I would have dropped to my knees in a heartbeat, but Steph is better than that."

He glanced from me to the bathroom and back. "So, you talked?"

"We did."

"About everything?"

I shook my head. "Not yet, but I did address the most important stuff. We are far from being finished with our conversation. So, long as we continue to talk, she's willing to give me another chance."

His shoulders visibly relaxed, and he nodded at my statement as a slight grin tipped the edges of his mouth. "Good. Okay." Then just as quickly as he relaxed, he stiffened again, and a threat lit in his eyes. "Don't fuck this up again, Primo. I don't think either of you will survive another breakup and I don't want to bury either of you."

"If I have my way, this time will be forever," I replied as the bathroom door squeaked open.

Lester cut his attention to his watch and lifted his brows in shock as he silently mouthed ten minutes to me. Steph had never been overly fussy when it came to makeup. So, it didn't surprise me that she was done so quickly. She could have washed it all off, and I wouldn't have cared since I believe she's more beautiful without it.

"Ready to face the firing squad?" I asked, extending a hand to her.

Without hesitation, she placed her hand in mine. "Ready."

Lester closed and locked the door behind us as we headed for the mansion. I know the scene we made when Steph bolted will result in everyone's eyes being on us when we reappear. I'm guessing by Steph's slowing steps she's thinking about that fact too. "We don't have to go back in," I offered. "We could leave and continue our conversation."

She smiled up at me, and my heart did a flip. God, how I've missed seeing her smile. "While old Stephanie would have taken you up on your offer in a heartbeat, new Stephanie refuses to run away from a tough situation. Even if I'm not here to hear it, I'll still be the talk of the burg for weeks to come. So, why not give them something good to flap their gums about."

I returned her smile with one of my own. In the two years I've been too much of a pussy to face her, she'd grown and become even more resilient. Funny how our roles had reversed. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "I hate most of these people and everything they stand for, but I'm not naïve. I'm intimately aware of how the burg grapevine works. So, why not make sure they say what I want them to?"

I stopped walking and turned to face her. "You've changed."

Her smile faded. "I had to."

Those three words were directed squarely at me and pierced my heart like tiny little arrows. Oh, how I wanted to kick myself again for all the pain I caused her. "I'm so sorry, Stephanie."

"I know," she said, her voice again filled with emotion. "In a crazy convoluted way, I should probably thank you for what you did. It forced me to grow up and stop letting people walk all over me." She shrugged, causing the wings she wore to almost flap in response. "I might not like the method of how I got here, but I do like the person I've become."

Knowing she was happy with who she was didn't change the fact that I felt like shit for forcing her to go through hell to get there.

She reached out and touched a hand to my cheek. "Hey. I'm the one who is usually showing emotions."

I took her hand in mine and kissed her palm. "You're right, but it's hard not to feel guilty for what I put you through. Even if you are happy with who you've become."

"Well." She shifted her gaze from me to the front door and back. "You're gonna need to find your happy face if we're going to pull this off."

"Right." I schooled my features and shifted my thoughts to the possibilities and the future.

As Steph predicted, the moment we entered the ballroom, heads began to turn in our direction. I could hear the gasps and whispers as we walked toward the back of the room. Joe Juniak was all smiles as we approached. "Can I assume that you two have made up?"

"We have," Steph said. "Though I don't know if I should thank you or be pissed at your meddling."

His smile widened to show a mouth full of teeth. "Be as pissed as you want, sweetie. If you're happy, then I've already received my thanks."

"You're not even the least bit remorseful about what you did or how you did it, are you?" I asked.

"You two were always meant to be together, and I've seen how unhappy living without you had made her." He shook his head. "No regrets here, Ranger. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant making sure my Goddaughter was happy."

Before either of us could reply, the unmistakable and grating voice of one Helen Plum pierced our conversation. "Stephanie Michelle Plum," she said, and I had to fight back a cringe.

Much to my surprise, Steph didn't even flinch. Instead, she let out a long withering sigh and turned to face the woman who birthed her. "What, mother?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Helen hissed. "Walking back in here hand in hand with him?"

"I think I'm making my own decisions," Steph replied. The tone in her voice was measured and surprisingly patient as she spoke.

"Just like that?" Helen said, snapping her fingers. "He ruined your life and forced you to move away from your friends and family, and you're just going to forgive him as if nothing happened?"

Steph let go of my hand and took a deliberate step forward. Without her mask on, it was easy to see when her expression changed. "And just like always, you're not listening to me." She tilted her face toward the ceiling and raised her voice. "God forbid you ever listen to what I say."

Steph pointed to me while she kept her eyes trained on her mother. "As I told you before, Carlos wasn't the only reason I moved away, mother. After years of your constant badgering about what a horrible disappointment I was as a daughter, I finally got fed up with hearing it. Between your hate-filled nagging and the burg's gossipmongers making sure every tiny piece of my life was on public display, I decided I'd had enough."

She glanced in my direction, and her eyes softened as she stared at me. "I love Carlos," she said, and my heart soared with her admission even as she turned back to face her mother. "But it's never been about who I loved or what I wanted, has it, mother?"

Helen opened her mouth to reply, but Steph continued without allowing her to talk. "Before you open your mouth and utter yet another lie, let me answer that. No. It wasn't about me or what I wanted. It's always been about how much of my life you could control. How perfect you could make our family appear in the eyes of all the hypocrites who pretended to be your friends." Steph motioned to the sea of people in the room.

Helen gasped. "I can't believe you could be so rude." She shook her head. "I just don't know where I went wrong with you."

Steph let out another sigh and muttered. "I swear I'd have a more productive conversation with a brick wall." Then she again addressed Helen in a loud, full voice. "You're never going to change, and I refuse to allow you to tear down any part of my life anymore. So, why don't you focus on your perfect daughter Valerie and pretend I don't exist? I'm sure we'd both be much happier if you did.

"Pumpkin," Steph's dad said. "Please, don't cut us all out because you and your mother can't and won't ever see eye to eye."

"I love you, Dad, but you've stood by and allowed her to berate and belittle me for years. Your silence told me otherwise, even if you didn't agree with mom's actions." When he opened his mouth to speak, she held up a hand. "I know you love mom, and I'm not asking you to choose sides, but there were times when it would have been nice to know you had my back."

She turned back to me. "Can we please get out of here?"

My brows lifted at her question. "I thought you wanted to dance?"

"I changed my mind. I want to leave." She shifted her focus to Juniak. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay. I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can have lunch before I go back to DC."

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I completely understand, sweetie. Go. I'll wait for your call tomorrow."

Steph placed her hand in mind, and we turned to leave, only to have her mother step into our path. "Where do you think you're going, young lady? We're not done here."

In an instant, Bobby, Lester, and Tank appeared at our side, and Steph turned to look at them and then back to her. "You don't get to talk to me like I'm ten anymore mother, and you certainly don't get to decide when we're done talking."

Bobby and Lester took a step forward, blocking Helen and Frank from us as we passed. Knowing Tank had our backs, I watched for threats ahead of us.

We made it outside before the next problem presented itself. No way was that dress of hers going to fit in the turbo. "What's wrong?" Steph asked when I pulled up and stopped.

"I came in the turbo," I replied.

Her smile returned as she looked down at the dress. "That could be a problem."

"No, it won't," Lester said as he reached over my shoulder and held out a keychain. "Take the Escalade and give me your key for the turbo."

I took the keys from my cousin, then reached into my pocket and handed him the ticket the valet gave me. "I had it valet parked."

Les grinned. "Nice."

Even with the escalade, it took some work to wrangle Steph's dress into the vehicle. Much to my disappointment, she ended up alone in the back seat. I let Tank drive, so I could sit in the passenger seat and talk with her.

"Where to?" Tank asked as we pulled away.

"I was going to stay with Val, but after what happened tonight, I'd rather not," Steph said.

"You're always welcome at Haywood," I said.

"All my stuff is at Valerie's house. Including my car."

"Do you have your keys?" Tank asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'll take care of your car," he replied.

"And I still have stuff for you on Seven," I said.

Her eyes widened with my admission. "Why? Especially when you were living in Miami, and you knew I'd moved to DC?"

There was no way for me to answer that question without looking like a desperate fool.

I couldn't quite read the expression that splashed across Steph's face, then disappeared just as quickly. Had I ruined my chance with her?

"Tank," she said as she held my gaze. "Take us back to Haywood."