Anyone or anything familiar belongs to Janet. Mistakes are mine. Lester and Bobby's game is mostly based on 'PopDarts' which can be bought online.
"What did I tell you about throwing things?" Steph asked the kitchen.
Before she received a response, a rubber dart flew in front of her body and sailed cleanly through the air to knock a plastic target flat onto the kitchen table. Since it was one of my men who responded, it wasn't the answer she was after.
"That we should do it with a purpose?" Bobby said. "Which I did. That was such a clean shot, it knocked the marker over instead of just kissing it."
My wife sighed. "We're trying to teach our kids not to launch projectiles without warning … and their uncles break that rule seconds after entering our apartment?"
"Olive's home from school and not down for a nap," Santos added. "You expect us to waste perfectly good playtime with her?"
I felt Steph's eyes on me before she rolled them. "Olive's there," she literally pointed out by pointing to the kitchen island where Frank was standing next to the stool our daughter is sitting on, "painting what I think is a planter box for our window." She paused to look back at me. "Are we in charge of keeping whatever they plant alive? Or can we use this as a teaching moment and let her be solely responsible for it?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you prepared to explain death to her?"
She didn't have to think about that one. She's the last person who would purposely hurt our daughter. Helen may have been a maternal-less mother, but my babe will never follow in 'Mommy Dearest's' footsteps.
"Great … I'll have to read up on flower care whenever I have a minute. But seriously, guys, we're supposed to be figuring out why someone's stalking my hubby …"
"Someone other than you?" Santos joked, not being able to pass up an opportunity to be a pain in the ass.
Steph shrugged. "I don't have to stalk Ranger, he calls me himself to tell me where he is."
"You guys are disgusting," he decided.
"If you'd start listening to me," my wife replied, "Ayanna may not be keeping packing boxes between you."
He winced. "That was a low blow."
"You just called me and Ranger disgusting. I'm only defending us and maybe hinting that you're a little jealous that we're so close when you're still trying to get Ayanna to see you as dating material."
"That was a direct hit, not a hint," Bobby confirmed.
"If it helps, Les, I do think you have a shot at being as blissfully gross with her as Ranger and I are with each other. Don't give up."
He looked offended. "Like I'd ever walk away from a fight."
"Let me write that one down in case I decide to start a greeting card line on the side. That's got me thinking … Valentine's Day."
I hooked an arm around her neck and brought her close. "Let's leave the kids to play. Jace could use some time to stretch out."
"Am I the only one who's seeing a major issue here?"
"Yes," Brown and Santos replied.
She checked on Olivia's progress as our daughter smeared green paint along a wooden box and then she took Jace from me and walked out of the kitchen. Not being an idiot, I followed her to explain.
"Tank's checking with Flint's brother Geo, Steph. No one is going to worry unless they get word that there's a reason to."
She indicated that I should move Mado, and then she laid Jace on the mat nearest to the couch which is now cat-free. As soon as his back touched the fabric, every limb stretched its full length as if relishing his newfound freedom. When I've been in the wind, I'd come home to find Stephanie in a similar position in my bed. But I'd slept in hers and completely understood why she was enjoying a king size, non-lumpy mattress.
"You don't think he's spending too much time in a car seat, do you?" She asked.
"It's only when we drop off or pick Olive up. He's alright."
"So, you mentioned him just to get me focused on something else?"
"Yes. You're able to worry less when you're playing with our kids. Though mat-time is always good for him."
She chose to sit on the carpet near our son instead of on the couch. I sat behind both of them so I could try to rub the tension out of her shoulders.
"Nothing is going to happen to me," I felt the need to say.
"I know that, but I don't like when people randomly show up and try to screw up our life. I've had enough of that with my mom, I don't want your closet's skeletons storming the Rangeman gate every couple of months."
"I have a past, but no skeletons that haven't already been buried, Babe."
Her nose wrinkled in a way I couldn't resist. I leaned forward and kissed her head as Mo, followed by Gunny, joined us. Julie had to return to Miami. Olivia is keeping Frank occupied. And my men are busy playing with toys meant for children, so Jace is their last hope for a human playmate.
Mo stuck his nose in Jace's neck just as Gunny stopped circling the mat and was about to lay down by our son's feet.
"Here, Gunny," Steph said, tapping her leg. "I don't want you to get kicked when Jace gets going."
"You think a newborn foot is going to cause damage?" I asked her.
She cut her eyes my way. "He's your kid. It wouldn't surprise me if Thor's Hammer just appeared in his fist one day while he's waving it."
"You need to cut down on superhero movies."
"I disagree. I need to know what I'm in for, Batman."
If she weren't so cute, I'd laugh at her continued belief that I'm superhuman.
"You love me," she said as though I'd spoken my thoughts out loud.
I leaned forward to kiss her again. "I do."
She smiled like I was admitting something I haven't said to her at least once a day in some form. Gunny is no less drawn to her and took her advice to lay down along the leg she'd stretched out to provide a safety barrier our son doesn't need. He can't move eighty percent of his body without help.
"Okay, little man … show Daddy just how much stength you've got in those arms and legs of yours," she instructed Jace.
I had to admit, Jace did have some power behind his jabs and kicks, but Stephanie going nose to nose with him as she spoke is the fuel he needs to run on. She caught a foot in each hand and gently shook them to wind him up further.
"Yup, he definitely needed some time to stretch out," she told me a beat later.
She still doesn't see how much influence she has over us. Unfortunately, Jace and I didn't get as much time as we'd like with her because something always comes up. This time it was Tank returning from five with the information I wanted and a visitor I could take or leave.
"Who're we after now?" Kane asked, pushing past Tank like he was invited to the party and wasn't just visiting because Harper and Angel were spending the afternoon shopping with Harp's mother.
"He followed me to your home. I suggest not keeping him," Tank said.
"Did you almost make a joke?" Steph asked him.
"No. I was giving you advice you should take."
Kane grinned. "You can drop the act. If you didn't like me or I wasn't allowed up here, you would've dropped me out of one of the windows we passed. I see mini-Ranger, where's the Olive Princess?"
"Painting in the kitchen with my dad. DO NOT add anything I'm going to have to explain or immediately paint over," Steph told him.
"Relax. I come in peace."
He flashed a peace sign with his fingers before disappearing down the hall. A beat later we heard a happy squeal drifting down from the kitchen. I'm almost positive it came from Olivia, but anything's possible when Kane's around.
"She is not getting involved with a guy like him," Tank promised.
Steph made a disapproving sound that Jace clearly found fascinating. All four limbs abandondd their activity and he turned his head towards her.
"You guys always say I'm too hard on him and Atlas, but you can be worse at times. He's one of the good guys or you two wouldn't be friends with him."
She's right, but as much as I like Kane … I find him equally annoying. Stephanie's adorable when she's actively trying to irritate me. Kane bugs me until he settles down … and that relief is still minutes away.
"Talk fast," I ordered Tank.
He ignored me to pick up Jace and do a few shoulder presses with him acting as a substitute weight. If his hands weren't big enough to support Jace's entire body, he'd be spitting out teeth right now. He passed our son back to Steph before telling me what he knew.
"Geo said he hasn't seen or spoken to Flint since about a year after the explosion. He also said to quit babying him … that he 'may be seen as a monster now, but he's long since accepted it'."
Something twisted in my gut. "I hope you gave him an appropriate response," I said to Tank.
"I did." He glanced down the hall to make sure Olivia was out of earshot. "I told him to shut the fuck up. We take care of our own, and if he doesn't like it, he can drive his whiny ass here and do something about it."
"A 'you're not a monster' or 'glad you're doing okay' wouldn't have done it?" Steph asked, cuddling Jace's body before letting him get back to fine tuning his motor skills.
Tank crossed his arms over his chest, a warning that he's about to cause or open a wound. "What would've happened to you if Ranger had listened whenever you said you were fine?"
She wasn't answering that one. He'd made his point without being a total asshole about it.
"Sooo," she said instead, "if Geo, who's the one that shares a past with you, hasn't been in contact with his brother, why is the brother stalking you? Does he have a reason to blame you for what happened to Geo?"
"Not unless he's pissed that I helped his brother stay alive."
It's possible, but it doesn't feel right to me. People usually seek me out when they need a reason to live when they feel they have nothing to live for, not accuse me of being too invested in creating a positive outcome.
"Did Geo tell you what happened between them?" I asked Tank.
"No details. Just that Flint's attitude and life choices nose-dived after Geo was injured and he'll likely die because of them."
Steph nodded. "Okay, that makes sense now. Flint saw what you did for his brother and he's hoping you have enough fairy dust left to save him too."
"I'll give you another baby if you never say … 'fairy dust' again, Babe."
"I think a teenager and two kids under three-and-a-half are our limit, but I hear you. Apparently, fairies have been put in time-out along with superhero movies."
Tank cut his eyes to me. "Do I want to know?"
"Probably not," I replied.
"Princess Olive-Pit is kicking ass in there, how's the miniature RangeMan?" Kane asked, coming back into the room.
"Jace is enjoying unlimited space at the moment," Steph told him. "I didn't realize how much time we spend in a car until we had him."
Kane nodded his head like he was taking notes and then walked around Tank and Mo to squat down beside Gunny. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked us.
"No," my wife said, "but tell us anyway."
His shit-eating grin said it all before he even spoke. "Harp's pregnant, and we just found out we're having a boy this time. That Drill Sergeant who said I couldn't hit a moving target was obviously full of shit."
Steph winced at his description of their baby's conception, but she's clearly happy for them. "I never thought I'd be thinking of making playdates between our kids more than going out on regular dates, but there's definitely some baby-making magic that's been circulating."
He flexed his bicep in her direction. "No magic needed. These muscles do it every time."
I wanted to grin at how quickly my wife rolled her eyes. "Ranger has bigger muscles than yours, and they may have made me want him, but that's not why we have two babies. The love, support, and protection you've given Harp is what made Angel - and her impending little brother - possible. I hope you know that."
The only way to shut Kane up is to make him uncomfortable. And saying his heart is what drew Harper rather than his looks isn't something he's comfortable talking about.
"Why'd you have to go and make this weird?" He asked my wife.
"That should be obvious. I like seeing you sweat. It's a fun distraction."
To get back at her, he flicked his eyes to me. "You sure she's the one?"
"Absolutely. And congratulations. I hope Harper will be joining you next time you visit."
"Depends. She's probably gonna kick my ass. Harp told me not to say anything. She wanted to be here when we told you guys, but she should know by now not to leave me unsupervised."
"Uh, she has Angelique to take care of while pregnant, don't you think she has enough on her plate? She shouldn't have to watch everything you do too."
"Angel's accurately named, she's a tiny fucking angel. Harp can watch both of us with her eyes closed."
"You blackmailed her into marrying you, didn't you? That's the only explanation I can come up with for why she did," I told him.
"As if she'd do anything bad enough to be used against her. She's a fucking saint."
"No kidding," Steph agreed. "How come you're here if your wife is at a mall while she's pregnant? I'd have thought you'd be super-glued to her considering what happened when she was pregnant with Angel."
"That's why I'm here. She 'forbade' me to go with them to get boy baby shit. She claims I scare the other shoppers. If they weren't assholes up to something, they wouldn't need to be scared."
I kept it internal, but I did have to agree with him.
"Jay-Jay! I pained you!" Olivia announced, barreling into the living room holding her likely still-wet planter box.
Steph looked over at me. "Have we been replaced already? She used to want to show us stuff before anyone else."
"Having a baby brother is still a novelty, Babe. She knows we're always going to be here for her."
That seemed to placate her, and she smiled as she watched our daughter step around Tank and Kane, climb over Gunny to reach me on the couch, and then crawl off my lap and into her Mama's so she could show Jace her project. Olivia's like her mother that way, never taking the easy route or the easy way out. I hope Frank paid attention to what it had looked like before Olive's paint job was literally dragged across this room.
"I've never been happier that someone invented washable paint," Steph said, but eyed Olive's masterpiece with an art collector's appreciation. "That's Jace?"
Stephanie was pointing at a blue fingerprint on the side of the wood. Olivia shook her head with conviction ... an artist's temperament in the making.
"Jay-Jay der!" She stuck her finger into a thankfully dry black dot.
"That's his hair?" I asked.
Another nod, this one clearly pleased that I figured out the obvious.
"Okay," her Mama said, gesturing towards a brown squiggle, "so who's this?"
My baby didn't say 'Duh', but the crinkle in her forehead suggested it. "Mama!"
"Mama's hair really looks like that?"
Her horrified expression made our daughter laugh, which got our son kicking again.
"I'm with you, Jace. This is fun. Did you paint Daddy on here, Olive?"
"I pained Daddy ... biiiiig."
"Let me take a guess," my wife continued. "Daddy is this upside-down triangle?"
Olivia's dimples made an appearance as she nodded … and so did Stephanie's.
"I get it. Daddy has really big muscles up here," she said cupping her own shoulders. "And the rest of his body was made to hold them up."
My eyes warned Tank and Kane not to say a fucking thing. They know I'll follow through with any threat I issue, audible or silent, so they kept their mouths shut for once.
Steph dropped a kiss between Olivia's pigtails and then took a closer look at what's going to be another pet project of ours.
"Jace, your big sister has some skills." She held it above his head and inches from his face in case he could focus enough to see something on it.
"Yeah, sure. She's gifted," Kane said and then ducked when he saw Tank's hand move towards him. "Nice try, big guy. But I saw it coming fast enough to move. Now … what's this new guy you're concerned about after?"
"Nothing that would affect your family," I assured him.
"What about ours?" Steph asked me.
"Whatever Flint wants, Steph, it won't touch our family unless it's safe too."
"Why doesn't that make me feel better?"
"You're paranoid?" Kane offered up.
"More like I'm a realist," she replied. "Ranger collects complicated people like Olive collects hair accessories. I can't complain because I'm one of them, but I don't know if I can handle another you or Atlas ... and this Flint guy sounds like he's going to be even harder to crack."
"Who you callin' cracked?"
"You. I thought I was pretty clear about that."
Kane cut his eyes to me. "I know you do whatever the fuck you want, but since you tied yourself to that one," he said, jerking his thumb in Steph's direction, "you got a rat, two more kids, two mutts, and a rat chaser. You may wanna take a break from adopting someone or something else."
