Stephanie worked from home on marketing the Bianco brand. She designed a new label, giving the company logo a facelift. Aria loved the changes. It gave the winery a fresh look. "People put too much stock in a label," Vince complained as he reviewed the options.
"How about we put it to a vote?" Stephanie asked. Vince raised a brow, wondering how Stephanie could accomplish the task. She opened Facebook to the winery's official page, then posted the options for the label. "Do you care to wager?" Stephanie waggled her eyebrows, reminding Vince of Lester Santos.
"What are we betting?" Isabella asked, entering the living room with drinks, cookies and other delicious treats. Vince cleared a spot on the coffee table for Isabell to set down the tray. She passed Stephanie a glass of lemonade.
"Thank you, Isabella," Stephanie said, taking the glass from her hand. Stephanie was constantly thirsty. The doctor warned her about drinking too much water and desalinating her body. Lemonade quenched her thirst without causing issues with her kidneys.
Stephanie took a drink, then looked at the glass. It tasted off and made her feel sick to her stomach. "Is something wrong?" Isabella asked.
"Did you change the recipe?" Stephanie asked.
"It has less sugar. Why don't you try a cookie?" Isabella suggested.
Vince furrowed his brows and took a sip of Stephanie's lemonade. It tasted satisfactory to him. Stephanie passed him the cookie. "Does this taste okay to you?" she wondered.
"It's fine, Steph. What's wrong?" Vince asked. He wasn't sure what to do.
"The lemonade and cookie made me nauseous," Stephanie explained.
"Are you feeling any back pain or discomfort?" Caterina asked.
Stephanie shook her head. "I'm not in labour. I would know that, right?" Stephanie was thirty-seven weeks pregnant. Her baby had his head down for several weeks. The doctor never mentioned labour when she was at her appointment a few days ago. Sure, it could happen any day, but it was too soon. Stephanie wasn't ready to have the baby. She never picked out the names. Her mind was busy with thoughts of how she could raise a baby alone.
"Hey, hey, Steph. You're overthinking everything. I'm here for you," Vince said. "Your grandparents and my mother are here to help. We can do this together, okay?"
A gush soaked her feet as she stood. Stephanie stared in horror. "What the hell? I can't have the baby today. It's Ranger's birthday." It was August 12, 2019. Ranger was born in 1984.
Caterina got Vince to help Stephanie to the car. He sat in the backseat with Stephanie leaning against his chest. They didn't want to waste time getting Stephanie to the public hospital to give birth.
Stephanie was going to meet her son. She was excited and nervous. Suddenly, Stephanie wanted Ranger to know. "Enzo, I should tell Ranger about his son," Stephanie whispered.
"We can send a message, but you have to reroute it through discreet channels. Is your tablet in the hospital bag?" Vince asked. Stephanie nodded. She ensured everything was ready for the trip to the hospital.
The pains came on strong. Stephanie gasped for air. Dizziness settled in as Stephanie began to panic. It was overwhelming. The pain and fear gripped Stephanie. "A deep breath in and release in pants," Vince reminded Stephanie. She copied whatever he did. After a few minutes, the dizziness tapered off.
"Thanks, Enzo," Stephanie whispered between contractions. "I feel the urge to push."
"Not yet, Steph," Caterina called from the front seat. She weaved through the traffic and honked the horn. People shot up their middle fingers, earning themselves a few choice swear words in Italian.
"My phone," Stephanie panted. Vince didn't question her motives. She had a reason for wanting her mobile device. "Dad," Stephanie said with an expelled breath. Stephanie rubbed her stomach as she fought the urge to start pushing.
Vince unlocked Stephanie's phone and called her father. Frank was excited to learn about his grandson's imminent birth. He asked Vince to text when the child was born. "Steph wants Manoso to know," Vince said before hanging up.
Frank sat in the lodge, wondering what he should do. Joe Juniak sat beside him and asked, "What's going on?"
"Stephanie's in labour. She wants the father to know, but he doesn't believe the child is his," Frank explained.
"Is there a way to prove the child is his?" Juniak asked.
"She believes her word should be good enough," Frank replied. "Enzo wants to raise the boy as his son. I think Stephanie should let him." Joe Juniak smiled and clapped Frank on the shoulder.
"Steph is an intelligent woman. She will do what's right for her child. I think you should pass along the message. Let the father be the one to decide. Does the father know where she is?" Juniak wondered.
Shaking his head, Frank replied, "Only me." Frank was about to explain further when his phone chimed. The most adorable face appeared in the message. His grandson. "What's his name?" Frank asked.
He waited a few minutes before receiving the answer, "Nando Francis Palumbo."
Frank contacted Rangeman in Trenton, knowing Manoso was in Miami. "Thank you for calling Rangeman, Charles speaking. How may I direct your call?"
"Is Hector available?" Frank asked.
"He's offline at the moment, sir," Charles replied. "Hector will be back in a few days. Can it wait, or is there someone else you wish to speak to?" Hector was in Miami installing the new programs on their servers. He was trolling the nightclubs for a man to take home for the night.
Smiling, Frank said, "Manoso."
"Hold on, sir. I'll transfer your call."
A few minutes later, Frank heard Manoso answer, "Ranger speaking. How may I help you?"
"Stephanie had the baby," Frank replied.
"Why are you telling me?" Ranger wondered.
"It's yours."
Ranger rubbed a hand on his neck. He didn't believe the child was his. "Tell Morelli. He's the father," Ranger replied, then hung up.
It pissed off Ranger that Stephanie insisted the bastard child belonged to him. Ranger refused to acknowledge the minuscule possibility of the child being his. What was he supposed to do with another daughter? Did Frank Plum indicate the gender? Ranger couldn't recall. Valerie had four girls before producing her only son. It was likely Stephanie's child was also a girl. Ranger already had a daughter he had never visited.
With a sigh, Ranger contacted his lawyer. Ranger wanted to ensure he was not financially responsible for another child. It was an uncomfortable conversation, but the lawyer promised Manoso that Stephanie could not go after him for support.
Manoso contacted Joseph Morelli. "What?" Joe answered. He had no patience for Manoso. The man got the girl. What more did he want from him?
"Stephanie had your child on my birthday," Ranger replied. Joe burst out laughing. It was the funniest comment he had ever heard. Ranger couldn't understand why Stephanie giving birth to a Morelli spawn was that funny.
"It would have to be an immaculate conception, Manoso. Stephanie and I haven't had sex in over two years. I couldn't possibly be the father of her child. Call someone else with that nonsense," Morelli said. He hung up the call, not waiting for Ranger to respond to the news. "He had gone and fucked up good," Joe mumbled. Morelli was tempted to pass the information to Helen but thought better. Stephanie's baby news was not his to share.
In Italy, Stephanie held her son, staring into his handsome face. Nando's eyes, nose and chin were hers. The shape of his face and cheekbones reminded Stephanie of Carlos Manoso. Nando's hair was straight and slightly darker than hers. Stephanie prayed he wouldn't inherit her curls. It was too soon to tell.
"He's gorgeous," Caterina said. She gently removed her great-grandson from Stephanie's arms. "Nando resembles you, Stephanie."
"Enzo, may I have my phone, and can you give us a few minutes alone?" Stephanie asked. Vince kissed Stephanie's forehead and gave her the privacy she requested.
Stephanie searched through the Trenton Times article archive for a photograph of Ranger holding her after another car caught fire. "Nonna, our son is a perfect blend of us," Stephanie said, passing her grandmother the phone.
Caterina glanced from the picture to her grandson several times before agreeing with Stephanie. "Usually, the firstborn child resembles one parent over another," Caterina commented before remembering what happened to Stephanie at sixteen. "Steph, honey. Does Enzo know?"
Nodding, Stephanie replied, "Yes. I told him. Nobody else knows." Stephanie wiped the tear from her face. Nando wasn't Stephanie's first pregnancy. She got pregnant one other time. Stephanie never knew she was pregnant when she got tackled by the skip and fell down the stairs. She went to a clinic outside of Trenton and refused to give them her name. They performed the D for the incomplete miscarriage of her daughter. She was fourteen weeks pregnant. Carlos Manoso was her biological father. Stephanie paid the clinic in cash, not wanting to have a paper trail.
"I'm glad you told him," Caterina said.
"I have to contact someone else. Do you mind watching Nando?" Stephanie told her grandmother.
Caterina placed Nando in his bed, then took him to the nursery until Stephanie completed her conversation. The hospital room had no identifiable markers to indicate where she was.
Stephanie knew what she had to do. It was time to confront Carlos Manoso. There was only one man Stephanie trusted to keep her location a secret while she arranged the video chat. With a small smile, Stephanie called Hector.
"Hola," he answered. Somebody blocked their number, but Hector knew the call was important.
"Hi, Hector," Stephanie replied. "I need your help setting up a video call with Ranger."
"When?" Hector asked.
"Immediately," Stephanie answered. It was time to get things off her chest. "Hector, we can catch up later. I need to have an important conversation with Ranger."
"Okay," Hector replied. He asked Stephanie to give him fifteen minutes to set everything up. Hector told Stephanie to call him back.
It seemed like forever before the fifteen minutes passed. Stephanie's hand shook as she redialled Hector's number. His face filled the screen, making Stephanie smile at her handsome friend. "Thank you for doing this, Hector," Stephanie said.
"De nada," he quickly replied.
A minute later, Ranger's face filled the screen. Stephanie thought he looked like shit. "Hi, Ranger," Stephanie said.
"What do you want?" Ranger growled.
"Answers," Stephanie replied. She waited for Ranger to say something. Ranger chose to remain quiet. "Okay. I see it's my responsibility to carry this conversation. You promised to give me a someday when we could have a real relationship. Did you mean it?"
"No," Ranger replied.
"Was it an empty promise to keep me jumping into your bed?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes. I don't do relationships, Stephanie," Ranger reminded her.
"Okay. I understand. Your so-called love was a polite way of saying you wanted to scratch an itch, and I was a willing partner," Stephanie said. She searched Ranger's eyes for a glimmer of remorse.
"What are you expecting me to say?" Ranger snapped.
"The truth. Did you ever love me as more than a fuck buddy?" Stephanie quietly asked.
"No," Ranger replied. Stephanie could tell it was a lie. It didn't matter. Encased in ice was Ranger's heart. There was no way of thawing or chipping it away. Stephanie could finally move on. Her heart ached from the lost love.
"I have something important to tell you. Would you please listen?" Stephanie asked.
"If it's about that bastard child, I don't care. I've absolved my parental rights if she is biologically mine," Ranger replied, breaking Stephanie's heart a little more. Stephanie didn't correct Ranger that their child was a boy.
"That's not what I was about to say. Matias Lopez died at General Sherman's hands. Have someone search Dickie Orr's emails. He's helping Joyce Barnhardt with her attempt to take your money and business. Goodbye, Ranger," Stephanie said. She ended the call. Stephanie was over holding out hope of a reconciliation with Carlos Manoso. He didn't want her or their son. It was his loss.
Stephanie called Enzo into the room. He rushed to her side when he recognized the expression of despair on her beautiful face. "I'm here for you, Stephanie. I'll do anything for you," Vince whispered.
"Even enter your name on the birth record as Nando's father?" Stephanie joked.
"Yes. I would be honoured to be Nando's dad," Vince replied.
Inside his lonely Rangeman apartment in Miami, Ranger stared at the screenshot he had taken of Stephanie. She was more attractive than the image locked inside his mind. Stephanie wore motherhood well.
Ranger couldn't shake the message from Stephanie. She knew the email from Matias Lopez was fake. How did Stephanie know the emails came from Dickie Orr's computer? What intel did she have but not share when he received the threat?
Not caring about the time, Ranger contacted Silvio. "It's one am. Can the emergency wait?" Silvio asked, answering the phone.
"Have you located the origin of the Lopez emails?" Ranger demanded.
"No," Silvio replied. "They got rerouted through an IP scrambler. We couldn't pinpoint the location."
"Try Dickie Orr's IP address," Ranger ordered.
Silvio stared at his phone briefly before pulling on his Rangeman uniform. You had to act once the boss got an idea in his head. It took a few minutes for Silvio to log onto the laptop in his apartment.
"Give me a few minutes to ping the location." Ranger listened to the clicks Silvio's fingers made on the keyboard. "Well, I'll be damned. Every email you received from Lopez is inside Dickie's sent folder. Does this mean Stephanie can come home?"
"I burned that bridge," Ranger replied, then hung up. He really fucked up by not validating the source. How did Stephanie know Dickie sent the emails? When did she know?
Rolling his eyes, Silvio answered the phone when Ranger called again. "Yo," Silvio said, connecting the call.
"Find her," Ranger demanded before hanging up. Silvio knew Ranger wanted them to locate Stephanie Michelle Plum. What if finding Stephanie was not what she wanted?