Chapter Forty-Eight
Stephanie POV
Valerie's warning proved prophetic the following week when I arrived at Mom and Dad's house and saw an unfamiliar SUV parked in front of their house. I knew they had to have company because my mother and grandmother weren't waiting on the porch for me. I didn't see who their visitor was until I got inside. However, I brought my own guest.
I knocked on the door and waited until my dad came to answer it. "Hi, Pumpkin," he welcomed me. "Zoë, my sweet granddaughter!" He hugged Zoë. "Hello. Ranger, right?" he addressed Ranger. He nodded.
"Come on in." He opened the door wide to let us all pass him.
We all entered the small foyer and took off our coats. My dad hung them on the small coat rack and ushered us into the living room. Between my mom and Grandma Mazur sat a blast from the past that I would have been okay never having seen again, Joe Morelli.
The Joe Morelli that stole my virginity when I was just sixteen, then wrote sickening poems on the walls of various public establishments before skipping town to report to the Navy. My only solace is my having broken his leg three years later when I spotted him on the sidewalk from the driver's seat of my dad's Buick.
At that moment, when I saw him being served crudités by my mother, I decided I would never put up with her bullshit again. How can she possibly think this is a suitable partner for me? She knows the history between us. She grounded me for a whole summer after it happened. Later, when I recounted all how my mother mistreated Jeanne Ellen and me to my dad, I left this humiliation off the list. I couldn't tell him. He probably doesn't have any idea to this day. I don't think he'd be so calm at his inclusion here tonight if he did.
"Stephanie," my mom greeted happily before spotting Ranger coming in behind me. It was almost comical to witness how fast her smile faded. "Who's your friend?"
"Mom, Grandma, this is Ranger." I didn't give them his title or hint at his significance in my life.
"It's nice to meet you, Ranger. I wasn't aware Stephanie was bringing a guest to dinner."
"I hope we haven't inconvenienced you, Mrs. Plum." He handed her the bouquet of flowers we stopped for. My mom accepted them politely. She'd rather die than admit she wasn't company-ready at all times, so she said nothing further.
"Thank you. Ranger's not your given name, is it?"
"It's what he prefers, Mom," I said as Ranger smiled politely.
"Nice to meet you, Ranger. You're a hunk of beefcake, aren't you?" said my grandma, clicking her dentures. I looked toward Ranger to see his expression and was amused when I saw the mild hint of alarm in his eyes. I didn't think anyone else in the room would have caught it.
"Zoë, my great-granddaughter. How are you, child?" My grandma held out her arms for a hug, and Zoë hugged her.
My mom tried to hug Zoë too, but she ran back to me before that happened. I shrugged my shoulders at my mom, knowing she wouldn't want to make a scene in front of company.
"Stephanie, you remember—"
"Joe Morelli? Yes." I didn't speak to him.
He stood up and came closer. "Cupcake, it's nice to see you again."
I growled. "If you ever call me Cupcake again, Morelli, I will break your other leg." Ranger looked at me when I made my threat; I hadn't told him about this piece of my past before, and I'm sure he didn't know what to make of it.
"Stephanie! That is no way to treat a guest in my home!" my mom admonished as she left to check on dinner.
My grandma was watching, fascinated, and my dad was frowning.
Morelli swallowed hard and said, "I'm sorry. Stephanie."
We adjourned to the dining room when my mom said dinner was ready. Tonight was pot roast with mashed potatoes, broccoli that no one would touch—except Ranger and Zoë—and gravy.
Morelli attempted to whitewash our history again when the food was all dished out.
"So, Stephanie," he began, emphasizing his usage of my given name, "I haven't seen you since high school. What have you been up to?"
"College. Then marriage and Zoë. I recently moved back to Trenton, and I work for Rangeman."
He frowned and looked at Ranger. "They're a bunch of mercenaries, Cup-Steph." Ranger was unperturbed by the allegations.
I shrugged. "Ranger's the best man I know."
Mom said, "Stephanie. Perhaps Joseph is right. Maybe they're not the type of men you should associate with."
I pushed back my chair and stood up. "Zo-zo, we're leaving. Goodnight, Dad, Grandma. Mom, I can decide who is and isn't in my life. I won't be back until you accept that I will make my own decisions." I didn't bother addressing Morelli. He was nothing to me except a bad memory.
I picked up Zoë and carried her to the car, snagging her coat along the way. I opened the door, and Ranger, who had been walking behind me, grabbed it and held it open.
When we got to the car, I put Zoë's coat on her and buckled her into her car seat. I took my coat from Ranger's hand and dressed, then leaned in and kissed him. "I'm sorry dinner was such a disaster."
He smiled. "Proud of you, Babe. You stood up for yourself. I'm interested in the story behind Morelli, though."
I rolled my eyes. "I'll tell you later. You must be hungry, though. All you ate was a little broccoli."
He nodded. "Ella can whip us up some dinner if you want to go to my place, Babe."
"Ella food?" I brightened. "We're in."
I don't know how she did it with only twenty minutes' notice, but the dinner Ella made was delicious.
After dinner, we went to my house. Zoë had a bath before going to the Plum house for dinner, but I liked to keep her on a bedtime routine. She was a bear to awaken at the best of times, and when overtired, it was ten times worse.
After I put Zoë to bed, Ranger and I snuggled on the couch, and I told him why I didn't like Morelli. Then, Ranger told me why he and Morelli didn't get along, either.
"When we first arrived, he gave all of us at Rangeman a hard time. He dogged us for traffic violations, pulling over the men for even one mile over the speed limit. It's one of the reasons why all Rangeman vehicles have audio and video recording inside and out now. But when we were apprehending a skip down on Stark Street, Tank and Bobby saw Morelli having sex with a prostitute in his patrol car while he was in uniform. They made a quick video for insurance purposes, and now he avoids us, but he hates all of us more than ever. Your history with him doesn't surprise me but makes me want to rip his head off."
I kissed his jaw and trailed my lips down his neck to the junction where it met his collarbone and sucked lightly. "It's not necessary," I whispered. "I've gotten a lot stronger in dealing with my mother. And now that Morelli knows where I work, he'll probably avoid me, too."
"If he ever bothers you, Babe, let me know. We have a good relationship with the Chief and the other cops, and I have no problem laying Morelli's shit bare."
I smiled. "Want to go to bed?"
He hopped up and slung me over his shoulder while I laughed. I swatted his ass, but it was so delectable and right in front of my face. I couldn't help myself!
