Valerie
I went to visit Bobby for my birth control shot. Tank stormed into the infirmary when I lowered my pants to expose my hip. "Stop," Tank ordered when Bobby wiped a spot with the alcohol swab.
Blinking away the tears, I asked, "Do you want a child?" I pulled up my pants and fastened them. Tank lifted me and placed me on the examination table to close the distance in our heights.
"Yes, my love. I want our child," Tank replied. Realizing he was interloping during a private moment, Bobby left the room and closed the door. He was probably listening on the other side and updating Stephanie or Lester. Tank and I didn't care. "Valerie, Little One, the love of my life, I want to adopt the girls."
I grinned as I wiped the sweat off his brow. My gentle giant couldn't say the words. He removed an antique ring from his pocket. "Pierre, it's beautiful," I whispered. The diamond was small, but I could tell the ring meant more to him than the size of the rock. "Yes, Pierre Andre Sherman, I will marry you."
Pierre's hands shook as he slipped the ring onto my finger. It was a perfect fit. "Valerie, you made me a happy man. Stephanie suggested we should elope," Pierre said, grinning like a fool in love.
"It's your first marriage. How about I plan a ceremony, and if my mom interferes, we elope?" I asked.
"Perfect," Pierre replied. He kissed me thoroughly. I never thought Pierre would propose. Technically, he never said, "Will you marry me," but saying he wanted to adopt my girls was asking the same thing.
Pierre wiped the tears off my cheeks. I was honoured that Pierre gave me his grandma's ring. It was elegant with the braided gold and the solitaire. I would have to watch the prongs to ensure they don't wear.
Groaning, Pierre grabbed the ringing phone from his pocket. "Yo," he answered. The call lasted a few seconds. Pierre kissed me chastely before announcing, "Got to meet with Stephanie and Ranger."
"Okay," I replied, nodding. "I'll see you later."
"You're coming with me."
"Oh. Why?" I wondered.
My man didn't answer. He scooped me off the examination table and carried me to the elevator. "Sorry for not talking to you sooner," Pierre whispered.
I rubbed at the worry line between his eyes. My comments took him by surprise. Granted, they were out of the blue. Maybe I should have posed them as questions and not demands. "Why now? Did my sister kick your ass?" I joked.
"Verbally, yes," he answered, making me giggle. I loved my sister. She would fight to the death for people she loved.
"I'm surprised she didn't call you to the mats."
"Me too."
My sister didn't pull her punches whenever she sparred with the guys. I managed to last thirty minutes in a fight against Stephanie, passing all qualifiers to work at Rangeman. Stephanie was right about passing them without Pierre watching. However, she had to get Hector to record our session for Bobby to review.
Pierre placed my feet on the floor before the elevator opened on the fifth floor. He entwined our fingers and walked to Ranger's office. Stephanie and Ranger were canoodling in his chair until we arrived.
Stephanie jumped when Pierre cleared his throat. Ranger grinned at Stephanie and tucked a hair behind her ear. "Lock the door," Ranger ordered.
With the door closed and locked, it was time to get to business. "So, you asked Valerie to marry you," Stephanie said, staring at my left hand.
"Not exactly," I giggled. "Tank said he wanted to adopt the girls. Hunter said we had to get married before that happened."
"Valerie knew what I meant," Tank said. His grin was radiant like mine.
"How will you get Mom to keep her nose out of this?" Stephanie asked.
"I'll get Ella to help me with the plans," I reasoned. It was the only way I could think to keep Mom out of my hair. She would overtake everything like she did during my first ceremony. The bridesmaids' dresses suited everyone except Stephanie. I wanted Stephanie to wear a dress that suited her, but Mom put her foot down. She claimed Dad refused to buy another dress. I learned it was a lie after moving home and talking to Daddy.
"You two deserve to have the wedding of your dreams. I still think you should elope," Stephanie said. I glanced at Ranger, wondering if he had any insight. He caught Tank's eye and nodded. Oh boy. Ranger and Stephanie thought we should elope.
"I'm giving Mom one last try," I said, "and if she does anything to interfere, I'm done playing nice."
Stephanie snorted, "I don't trust Mom to keep from getting Morelli involved somehow. Rangeman has access to a private jet. Just say the word, Valerie, and we'll fly to Vegas or Hawaii for you and Tank to get married."
I returned my gaze to Ranger, who nodded. Wow. He would do anything to keep Stephanie happy. I would be jealous if I didn't have a man who did the same for me. While Pierre was away, Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen reassured me that Pierre loved me more than anything. He loved my girls as though they were his daughters. It confused and hurt me when Pierre didn't respond to my comments about adopting my children and having one of our own. After talking to Stephanie, I realized more was happening inside my man's head—things he needed to sort through before marrying me.
"I don't want to push things too fast," I argued.
"Little One, I'll marry you tomorrow if it's that important to you," Tank said.
"Um…it's a three-day waiting period after getting our license," I countered. "How about we say six weeks from now?"
"Six weeks today, or six weeks this Saturday?" Stephanie asked, tapping away on her phone.
"Six weeks this Saturday," I answered. Stephanie smiled at me and continued sending messages to arrange the date.
"It's settled. Six weeks this Saturday. I reserved the party room in Rossini's for the reception and the chapel in City Hall for the ceremony, assuming you want to keep the wedding small. No more than fifty people."
"Who are we inviting?" Tank asked.
"Anyone you want. I was hoping you could invite your friends and family. Of course, my immediate family. I'm not inviting cousins this time," I replied. Tank relaxed. We would compile a guest list once we got home.
"Who's in the bridal party?" Stephanie asked.
I shrugged before answering, "I want you as my matron of honour." Tank immediately asked Ranger to be his best man.
Stephanie was excited to organize the bachelorette party. The mischievous glimmer in her eye scared me. What on earth was Stephanie planning? Knowing her, it would be a convenient trap for Mom. Hopefully, Grandma Edna would keep her hands to herself.
Tank and I kept busy with our responsibilities at Rangeman. I let Ella take complete control over planning our wedding. She went shopping for Stephanie, Angie, Mary Alice, Liana and me. It was absolutely fantastic not having to try on a dozen dresses. Ella took a picture of everyone and used that as a guideline to select flattering gowns. She had an app to merge our photos with the dresses on her phone. A few times, she sent me screenshots of my wedding gown. I refused to wear white the second time around.
Ella found a gorgeous dress for me. She took Stephanie shopping with Angie and Mary Alice to select their dresses. I giggled when Liana and Stephanie's dresses matched. Angie picked a pale pink dress, while Mary Alice chose pants and a blue silk top. She didn't want a dress. My beautiful Mary Alice was a tomboy. I supported my daughter's choice. Tank said he was proud of me for not forcing Mary Alice to conform to the Burg's version of normal.
Stephanie and Ranger paid for everything. She claimed it was their wedding gift to Pierre and me. It was too much. I found myself saying those words frequently regarding my sister. How could Stephanie be an amazing, loving and generous woman after all the shit Mom did and said to her? I know; I already questioned that, too. Stephanie's actions never fail to surprise me.
Me: I love you.
Stephanie: I know :P
Me: Did you just stick your tongue out at me?
Stephanie: (sends a picture of her cross-eyed and sticking out her tongue) Yup. Did this visual aid help? LOL
Me: You're crazy.
Stephanie: I am definitely certifiably crazy. But you love me anyway.
Me: Yup. Thank you for everything.
Stephanie: That's what families are for. BTW, I love you, too.
Me: Too emotional?
Stephanie: Damn skippy!
I giggled and returned to my task of setting up client meetings. It was five weeks after Pierre proposed. My bachelorette party was later tonight. Stephanie set up everything in a private room at Club Treasures, the newest nightclub Rangeman secured. The contract workers would be in the control room on the fifth floor and securing the club onsite. It seemed Ranger planned the bachelor party at the same venue in a different private room down the hall. Ranger wanted to be close when Helen pulled whatever stupid stunt she had arranged. Daddy was attending the bachelor's party.
Stephanie warned me that Grandma Edna wanted a male stripper, and Mom contacted someone. It seemed rather odd that Mom would watch a man other than Dad strip naked for our entertainment. Though, I wouldn't want to see Dad naked. That's at the top of my list of things I don't need to see. I shuddered at the thought. Walking in on them having sex when I was eight caused me enough trauma to last a lifetime. I didn't want to see another naked man. Nobody else's body could compare to the washboard abs and sexiness of my fiancé.
Angie and Mary Alice came to Rangeman after school. They would stay in Stephanie's apartment with the other children. Ranger's mother, Maria and youngest sister, Juanita, were babysitting. My girls loved Maria and her family. Maria let them call her Abuela. Angie and Mary Alice loved their extended family. It took time to get used to Ranger's brother and sister referring to themselves as Angie and Mary Alice's uncle and aunts. Thinking about it brought tears to my eyes.
Another thing brought me to tears. Happy tears. Pierre and I were expecting a baby. Wonder things didn't take long to happen after I stopped the injection. I probably got pregnant during the first week. Stephanie, Ranger, Tank, Bobby, Lester and my daughters were the only people to know about my pregnancy.
My fantastic sister contacted the manager at Club Treasures to make my cocktails virgin. Whenever someone said the drink was for the bride, they would ensure it was safe. Stephanie didn't want anything to happen to my baby. She was excited to see the adorable little boy. It was way too soon to know its gender. However, I secretly hoped Stephanie was right. Should I pray for twins? Nah! The thought was enticing, for sure. One pregnancy and two babies. Two boys? One of each? Not two girls. I have two of those already, and I don't want my daughters to feel I was replacing them.
At the end of the workday, I went to Pierre's apartment to prepare for the night. Ella bought dresses for Stephanie, Jeanne Ellen and me to wear. Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen's dresses were short and tight. Mine had a looser skirt, which was more my style.
Stephanie and I had dinner with our children before changing into our dresses. The children told us to have fun. Maria and Juanita practically shoved us out of Stephanie's apartment. We giggled and went to Pierre's apartment to change from our robes and yoga pants.
I helped Stephanie braid her hair, keeping it contained but leaving a few loose curls. Stephanie looked gorgeous when she slipped into her itty bitty sexy as-hell black dress. She got me to zip the back. Jeanne Ellen wore a matching dress in red. Oh my gosh. She was stunning. I laughed when Jeanne and Stephanie swapped shoes. Jeanne wore the four-inch black stilettos, and Stephanie took the red pumps. My dress flared at the waist. It would twirl when I danced.
We got escorted to the nightclub by Hector and Hunter. The men refused to let us go without them. I thought it was hilarious. They would join the men for the bachelor party but check on us throughout the evening. Mom, Grandma and my female cousins planned to carpool. Thank goodness Stephanie and I didn't have to worry about their transportation. I assumed Mom and Grandma would arrive with Dad.
Everyone danced in the central portion of the club until eleven when Stephanie got us to move into the private room after Mom, Stephanie, and I danced with our significant others. Holy hell, watching Carlos and Stephanie was hot. I wanted to have my wicked way with Pierre. Mom was embarrassed. She doesn't know how to have fun.
Stephanie stopped drinking after her third daiquiri. She drank iced tea with lemon and ensured I remained hydrated. I appreciated having my sister watch my back.
When the lights dimmed, I knew it was time for the stripper Mom hired. Everyone clapped while watching Mom. Stephanie's gaze flicked to the door, and her face went blank. My sister was furious when the "cop stripper" entered. Her expression was much worse than the murderous glare she gave me. Yikes! Mom better watch her back. Joseph Morelli wore a tearaway blue police uniform.
Mom grinned as the music played. She was excited to watch Joe strip. Grandma cackled evilly, making me wonder how she would handle the situation. Stephanie and Grandma exchanged a brief conversation. Uh oh. Those grins would mean trouble was brewing.
"Valerie, I've got you covered," Stephanie whispered. I sat in the chair in front of Morelli. Stephanie had linked her music to the room's Bluetooth system. The sexy beats sounded off the walls as Morelli gyrated. Mom moved her chair to sit beside me. I stifled a giggle when Mom told Joe to take off his clothes.
With what Morelli thought was a sexy wink, he tugged at the top, tearing it open before moving to the pants. He wore a g-string, which displayed his lack of manscaping. I wanted to vomit.
"Who called him the Italian Stallion?" Grandma asked, making Joe falter in his dance routine.
"Mother!" Mom admonished. I couldn't suppress that giggle. It came out as more of a snort than laughter.
"If you ask me, I'd say Stephanie's man has a larger package," Grandma added.
Mom was completely sloshed. She fell off her chair when Morelli gyrated near her face. Joe approached me. He tugged me off the chair, and I let him dance us around the room in good fun. Joe's hands moved down before trailing up the back of my thighs.
"Joe, stop. No. Don't do this," I pleaded. Tears leaked from my eyes. He wasn't stopping. Oh God. Not again.