Isabelle
I couldn't believe what my grandma Bella did. She entered Rangeman, hoping to hurt my mom. Was she crazy? It was painful when Aunt Valerie moved to Florida with Angie and Mary Alice, but I couldn't blame her. The Burg bitches were mean to my sisters.
Aunt Valerie listened when Uncle Vince warned her about Steve Sutton. She had considered dating him. Uncle Vince had proof that he had stolen money from Maureen, the woman dating Uncle Ram. It was too much for Aunt Valerie to handle. She thought it would be best to leave the city. I know my mom let her use the Rangeman jet to move. It was beyond generous. Maybe they would finally get along?
My phone rang. It was my sister, Mary Alice. "Hello," I answered.
"Are you able to talk?" she asked.
"Yup. It's good. I'm in my mom's office, but she doesn't mind me talking. What's up?"
"Oh. Um. My mom is dating a man. Could you have Aunt Stephie check him? I don't want him to take my mom's money," she replied.
"What's his name?" I asked.
"Silvio Mendez," Mary Alice said. I waved to my mom. She passed me a post-it note. I wrote the name on the paper, then passed it back.
"Isa, may I talk to her?" my mom asked.
"Um. Mary Al, can my mom talk to you?" I asked.
"I guess. Would it help?" she asked.
"It couldn't hurt," I replied, then gave my mom the phone. I closed the door when my mom put the call on speakerphone.
"Hi, Mary Alice. Why do you want a background check on Silvio?"
"I heard Uncle Vince tell mom about that man in Trenton. He seemed to be a nice guy, but he stole money from that other woman. I don't want anyone to take my mom's money," Mary Alice confessed. I heard her snuffle.
"Mary Alice, sweetie. Silvio Mendez is a nice guy. He doesn't need to take your mom's money. When did your mom meet him?" my mom asked.
"When we moved here. A nice neighbour named Rosa watches Angie and me on Friday night for mom to go out with other single men and women," Mary Alice explained. "I think they called it singles to mingle." I snorted. It was a funny name. Mary Alice giggled.
"I know Silvio Mendez," my mom said.
"Is that how you know he's a good guy?" Mary Alice asked.
"Yes. Would you still like me to run a background check and send it to your mom?"
"Could you? That would be awesome. It really would make Angie and me relax," Mary Alice replied. I heard Angie agreeing with Mary Alice.
"Yes, sweetie. I'll do that for you and Angie," my mom replied.
"How much does it cost?" Angie asked.
I laughed and replied, "Nothing for family, Ang."
"Is that true, Aunt Stephie?" Angie asked.
"Yes, Angie. That is true. However, I don't want you or Mary Alice to ask for more background checks on your classmates, teachers or neighbours. Okay?"
"Fine," Angie and Mary Alice grumbled. "Thanks for helping us, Aunt Stephie and Belle."
"No problem." My mom gave me the phone to continue the conversation with my sisters.
When I got off the phone, she smiled, then dialled a number. Mom placed a finger against her lips, reminding me to stay quiet. "Silvio," he answered.
"Hey, it's Stephanie. How is your love life?" mom asked.
"Great. I met a wonderful woman at the singles mingle group. We started dating outside the usual Friday gatherings. She's beautiful and has adorable daughters," Silvio replied.
"Does she know you work at Rangeman?"
Silvio sighed, then replied. "No."
"I wanted to warn you that my nieces, Mary Alice and Angie, asked me for a background check on Silvio Mendez," my mom said.
"Shit! What am I supposed to do?" Silvio asked.
"I'm running the check, then emailing it to Mary Alice. I want you to arrive with a copy and pass it to my sister Valerie. She deserves to know you're a good man. Treat her right, or I'll send Vince to kick your ass," my mom warned.
Silvio gulped, then promised to follow my mom's recommendation. "I'll tell her on Friday," Silvio replied.
"Good. I'll have the report ready for the girls on Thursday. That gives you three days to build up the courage to confess," my mom said, then ended the call.
"Mom, I think you made him piss his pants." My mom shook her head, then told me to finish my homework.
Valerie
I was stunned. Silvio worked at Rangeman? Wasn't that the company that Joe said employed criminals and thugs? I sat at my kitchen table and looked at the documents he had given me. "What is this?" I asked.
"A complete background check. I believe your sister, Stephanie, sent a copy to Mary Alice," Silvio replied. His hands shook, thinking I would break up with him. He never pressured me to do anything I didn't want.
Mary Alice and Angie stepped into the room. "I have this for you, mom. You can use it to compare the files," Mary Alice said. She smiled warmly at Silvio, then grabbed her sister's hand to leave.
I read the papers on the table, then put the ones from Mary Alice beside them. The documents were identical until the last page, which listed Silvio's military medals and awards. "What division?" I asked.
"Army as a munitions specialist," Silvio replied. "My ex-wife divorced me when I got asked to apply for specialized training."
"That's silly. You were good at your job. Was she afraid you wouldn't come home?" I asked. Silvio shrugged. "Oh. She left while you were deployed. I'm sorry, Silvio." I noticed his ex-wife had a child. It wasn't his. I covered my mouth.
"Val, don't feel sorry for me. She made her mistakes. I retired from the Army last year. I'm a free agent. Working at Rangeman keeps my mind active. I'd go crazy sitting home all day," Silvio explained.
"Why are you telling me everything now?" I asked.
"Your sister threatened to unleash her fury through Lester," he replied. I shook my head and giggled. "He's a tough opponent." Silvio unlocked his phone to show me a training session between Lester and Stephanie.
"Isn't my sister pregnant? Why is she fighting Lester?" I asked.
"The video is from the first time Stephanie got assigned as the CEO of Rangeman. She had to prove herself to the men before we could take her seriously. Lester isn't pulling his punches. Honestly, I'm more afraid to fight your sister than Santos. But if Lester thinks I hurt Stephanie, he'd put me into traction," Silvio explained.
"Ya. Pass. I don't want you to piss off my sister. She could probably kick your ass while pregnant," I said. Silvio never disagreed.
"Does this information change anything between us?"
"No, Silvio. You never lied about your childhood or your ex-wife. I've been completely honest with you, too. How much have you heard about Isabelle?" I wanted to know if Stephanie told Silvio anything about her past.
"Nothing. It's Stephanie's story to share. I don't want you to tell me anything," Silvio replied, surprising me. I assumed everyone in the Rangeman branches knew how I stole Isabelle from her mother. "Hey. Whatever thought you had in your mind, forget it. Do you think I should know?"
"Yes," I replied. Silvio nodded, then sent someone a text message. "What did you do?"
"Asked Stephanie if you have her permission to share," Silvio said. "I don't want to know anything unless you have her consent."
"Consent is important to you, isn't it?" I asked.
"One hundred percent, yes." I had never met anyone like Silvio before. He was kind, loving, gentle and generous. Silvio was the perfect gentleman on dates. It took dating for two months before he asked to spend the night. I was ready after the third date.
His phone rang. Silvio answered the call, then placed it on the table on speakerphone. "Hi, Val," Stephanie said. "You have my permission to tell Silvio the story. However, I want to participate to ensure you don't miss anything. Is that okay?"
"Yes, Stephanie. I only know from the time I received Isabelle," I replied. I didn't add that everything before then were lies told by my mother, Angie Morelli and Joe.
"Okay. I'll start at the beginning. Silvio, Ranger is sitting beside me to listen," Stephanie said. Silvio nodded, though Stephanie couldn't see him. "I met Joe Morelli when I was six years old. Joe was eight. He convinced me to follow him into the garage, where he molested me. I avoided him for the next ten years until he entered the Tasty Pastry and stole my virginity. He left for the Navy the following morning after leaving crass poems about what he had done. Nine months later, I gave birth to Isabelle. I raised her with Valerie and Helen's help. When I was eighteen, I noticed Joe had returned home. I was returning from the mall, driving my father's car. The car skipped the curb, and I broke Joe's leg. Yes, it was intentional. Helen convinced me to plead temporary insanity, promising to keep me from losing Isabelle and going to jail. I signed over my rights, and she took away my daughter. Joe Morelli gained custody of Isabelle. I left home when my father removed my daughter from my arms and gave her to Joe."
"Then Helen got me to adopt Isabelle after I married Joe Morelli. Helen said it was to protect Isabelle. I thought Stephanie willingly signed away her rights. Helen got me to believe the lies about Stephanie. Anyway, Joe got arrested for his many crimes. Stephanie got the adoption reversed. The adoption should never have happened. Helen received the right to manage Stephanie's finances, not overrule her life and take away custody of Isabelle. When Stephanie regained custody of her daughter, I researched how it was possible. I'm sorry, Steph. I should have listened when you attempted to tell me," I said.
"It's water under the bridge, Val," Stephanie said. "Isabelle said you treated her well until I returned to town. I assumed Helen influenced your behaviour."
"That's not exactly true, Steph. I gave Isabelle only what I was allowed to provide. Joe forced me to get pregnant by tampering with my contraceptives," I added.
"That too," Stephanie said. "I'm sorry about the loss."
"It's fine. The pregnancy wasn't viable, or I would have carried my daughter to term. It was for the best," I said. "Thanks for sharing the story." Stephanie ended the call after making us promise to keep the intel to ourselves.
"Is your mother still alive?" Silvio growled.
"No. Helen died on her way to prison," Angie replied. I wasn't aware she had heard the story about Stephanie.
"Mom, Angie and I heard Helen tell the neighbours the lies. We know what happened from Isabelle. She told us before living with Aunt Stephie," Mary Alice said.
"You're too young to know such things," I replied.
"Helen didn't care," Angie said, shrugging. "None of that matters, mom. We live in Miami, and we're happy." My girls hugged me, then left me to spend time with Silvio.
"Does Stephanie's story change anything between us?" I asked.
"No. I think you got caught up in the lies, while trying to make your mother happy. Do you live to seek approval?" Silvio asked. I shook my head. "Would you do anything to keep your daughters safe?" I nodded. "If I asked you to ship your girls back to Trenton, would you?"
"No fucking way," I snapped. "Having a relationship with you doesn't replace raising my daughters. If that's how you feel, leave."
"My god, woman," Silvio said. He grabbed my face between his hands and kissed me until I turned to jello. "I hoped that's what you'd say."
"Really?"
"Yes. I want to build a life with you, Valerie. My skin tingled when you entered the room. I knew you came to that meeting of local singles to find me. It was the first time I had ever participated in that event," Silvio explained. "Something drew me there that night."
"Me too," I confessed. "I didn't expect to meet a man who made me feel things I had never experienced before."
"I know," Silvio whispered. He touched our foreheads together. "Valerie, I don't want to spend another night away from you. Will you marry me?"
"What? Are you sure?" I asked, tears running down my cheeks. Silvio's phone chimed twice, breaking his concentration. He laughed, then pushed it toward me to read the messages.
"Say yes, Aunt Val!" Isabelle wrote.
"Val, he's the one. Carlos, Isa and I will arrive for the ceremony," Stephanie said.
"Yes," I replied. "When?"
Silvio's phone chimed again. I laughed when Stephanie wrote, "Next Saturday."
"That works for me," Silvio replied. I called the girls downstairs to share the news. They hugged Silvio and welcomed him to the family.
Silvio left for a few hours to collect his clothes. He gave me a legal document to sign. I was upset until I read the details. Silvio wanted me to know he would never take my money should our marriage fail. He wanted me to leave with whatever I brought into the marriage. The house I had purchased remains in my name. He would not ask for half. Any money he contributes to the household would get classified as a gift. I would be entitled to half of his military and Rangeman pensions.
"Too much," I cried.
"Sweetheart, is something wrong?" Silvio asked.
"The prenuptial agreement is slanted in my favour. It feels wrong," I replied.
"I want your daughters to have a good life. When we exchange vows, your name will appear on the insurance policies as my beneficiary," he explained.
"But you're putting money into a college fund for the girls," I cried.
"I'm only adding to the ones Stephanie opened in their names."
"What? Stephanie saved money for my girls? Why?"
"You'll have to ask her. She opened them eight years ago," Silvio explained. He removed a letter from his pocket. "Stephanie asked me to give this to you."
I opened the letter to read my sister's words. Stephanie explained why she saved money for Angie and Mary Alice. She wanted to offer her nieces the opportunities they wouldn't get otherwise. Joe didn't make enough money as a detective to pay for their education. Stephanie didn't want them to rely on student loans to pay their way.
Mary Alice left to grab the laptop she received from her Aunt Stephanie for school. "Send her a response, mom," Mary Alice urged. It was a challenge, but I managed to find the words.
I finished the letter, thanking her for arranging the life insurance policy from Helen. It was more than I anticipated, but I appreciated having my younger sister protect my daughters. "What's wrong, mom?" Angie asked while Mary Alice sent the email.
"I was a total bitch to your aunt. She's been a better sister to me than I ever was to her," I cried.
"Then make it better," Mary Alice said. "Work on building a relationship. It's not too late."