I want to say a huge thank you for all the reviews and messages you've sent me after the last chapter. I was sure I'd lose quiet a few readers (and I'm okay with that…I know Tart stories aren't for everyone), but the amount of you that sent me a message saying you were staying and happy for the story made my day!
Here is the next chapter (I was planning on having it out Tuesday, but I just couldn't stay away from it today). I hope you enjoy. Some questions were answered and more are added to be addressed. How will it all play out?
Stephanie looked at Ranger and spoke, "Justin."
Zip looked at her and knew something was wrong. She never called him Justin unless she needed to make sure he was listening. "What's wrong, Steph?" he asked as he stood up ready to protect her and Sophia.
"Please take the baby down to your apartment and wait for me." He looked out the door and saw what had her on alert. He took Sophia from Cal just as Ranger entered the break room.
"Babe," Ranger said as he caught the transfer of a baby from Cal to Zip in his peripheral vision.
"I'm not your Babe any longer, Ranger. It's Stephanie or Steph." She saw him look over at Zip and Sophia. She saw the realization in his eyes as the two left the breakroom.
"Can we talk," Ranger asked Steph as everyone cleared out of the breakroom.
"We can talk here or in your office."
Ranger turned and headed towards his office and Stephanie followed. Once the door was shut and they were seated, she waited for him to start.
"I assume that was your daughter." He saw her nod. "She could definitely pass as my daughter."
"What the actual fuck, Ranger! She could pass as your daughter because she IS your daughter," Stephanie stood up and started pacing around the office. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You STILL think I was sleeping around on you? I haven't slept with ANYONE other than you in almost two years. Why is it so fucking hard for you to believe that you ARE her father?"
"Because I can't be. It isn't possible."
"I hate to tell you, but when you have sex with someone, it is possible to become a parent. Or did you miss that part of the education?"
"Steph, it isn't possible because I had a vasectomy."
Stephanie stopped pacing and looked at Ranger, "What? When?"
Ranger scrubbed his hand over his face and took a breath. "When Rachel told me she was pregnant with Julie. As soon as I found out, I had a vasectomy. I was married to the government. I couldn't take a chance on leaving more kids in this world without a parent."
"Well, it looks like the vasectomy didn't take. If you don't want to be part of our life, that's fine. After the way you treated me when I told you, I didn't expect you to be around." Steph started walking towards the office door.
"Stephanie, please sit down. I need you to understand why I said what I said."
"Oh, I'm supposed to understand why you basically called me a whore? Or am I to understand why you told me to 'take care of this'?" She took a deep breath and calmed herself, "I thought I could do this but I was wrong. I can't have this discussion right now." She opened the door and walked through but turned back around, "Welcome home, Ranger. Go live your life and forget about me."
Stephanie knocked on Zip's door and waited for him to open it. When he did, she walked in and began to tremble. Zip pulled her to him, shut the door, and whispered, "Let it go, I've got you." He could feel Stephanie vibrating and finally heard her crying. They stood there for ten minutes before he could feel her stop shaking. Pulling back, he looked at her face, "You're going to be okay. I promise you."
"Why does he have to be such an ass? He can see she looks like him; hell, I've seen the baby pics of Julie and Sophia looks exactly like her. Why can't he see that?"
"He's still denying he's the father?"
Stephanie walked to the couch to sit down but stopped and turned, "Where is Sophia?"
Taking her hand, Zip led her to his bedroom. When they walked in, she saw pillows piled up all around the outer edge of his bed and Sophia sleeping swaddled in the middle. "She's not going anywhere."
Looking at her sleeping daughter, she sighed, "He said she's not his because he had a vasectomy when Rachel told him she was pregnant for Julie."
"Those things aren't always one-hundred percent absolute. I've had a few friends who didn't go back for their checkup and ended up with kids," Zip told her as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Oh, here, this is for you."
Stephanie took a baggie from him and looked at it questioningly. "Ella brought down a few casseroles and lasagnas for you; she said they are already cooked, just need to heat them up when you want them. She also said she cut them so you don't have to heat the whole thing up at once. But she also brought that baggie. Said she took some of Ranger's hair from his hairbrush incase you want a DNA test to prove it to him."
"I never said anything to her; how'd she know?" Steph asked more to herself than to anyone.
"She may not be involved in every thing going on, but she always knows what happening."
Before she could think too much about it, she decided she wanted to get out of Rangeman. "Zip, can you take Soph and I home? I don't want to be here anymore."
"Of course. Let me put her in her car seat and we can go." Zip carefully placed Sophia in her seat and handed the car seat to Steph, "If you'll take her, I'll grab her bag and the casserole dishes from the freezer."
Stephanie smiled and waited for him to grab the dishes and then they walked to the elevator. When they arrived at Stephanie's house, she looked at her door, "Do you think we can install something a little harder to break in to?"
"I'm sure we could… why? Expecting someone to break in?" Zip teased not realizing she was serious.
"It wouldn't be the first time for him."
After placing Sophia on the floor for tummy time, Zip looked at Steph, "What did you mean, 'it wouldn't be the first time for him'? Who?"
"Ranger. He was always breaking into my apartment. I'd wake up in the middle of the night and find him sitting in a chair in my bedroom. Or I'd come home from a crappy day and find him in my living room. I thought you all knew he broke in."
"Steph, I didn't know he was breaking in. I knew he'd go to your place, but I assumed he had a key or you let him in."
After talking a little more, Zip told her they could get an extra lock and a floor bolt so that Ranger couldn't get in without her knowing. They heated up some lasagna and garlic cheese bread for dinner and threw a movie on the television. After they were done with dinner and the movie was over, Stephanie gave Sophia a bath while Zip grabbed his phone and took pictures.
"I swear your camera roll on your phone is probably full of nothing but pictures of Sophia and me," Stephanie laughed.
"And I don't want it any other way. These will help me tomorrow while I'm at work and away from you two."
"You should probably head back to Rangeman so you can get some sleep before your shift in the morning."
"Are you kicking me out?"
"No, but all your stuff is there, you'd be able to sleep a little longer if you were there and you'd have Ella to make breakfast for you."
"I'm not going anywhere tonight unless you kick me out. I want to be here as much as possible, but if you want some alone time, just tell me. I'll understand," he said as he tucked some loose hair behind her ear.
Stephanie thought about things for a moment and smiled, "I like having you here. I'm used to you being here all the time. I think if you left, I'd not sleep. I just don't want you to feel you have to stay."
Zip kissed her forehead and smiled, "Then here is where I'll be for the night. And where I'll be tomorrow after I get off work. And where I'll be until you send me away."
Stephanie was surprised to hear him say that; she figured after a month of living with her and a baby, he'd be ready to have his own place, peace, and quiet.
"Now, why don't you go take a shower and get ready for bed? I'll get her diapered and dressed for bed, then you can nurse her while I read her a bedtime story."
"Sounds good to me." After Stephanie was showered and dressed for bed, she climbed in her bed and watched as Zip brought Sophia to her and climbed in beside her. She situated Sophia at her breast and Zip began reading You are my I Love You. When Sophia was done, Zip placed her in the nursery and turned on the monitor so Stephanie could see her in the middle of the night.
He went back to Steph's room to tell her good night. Kissing her on the forehead, he told her, "I'll leave around 0530. I work until 1600, so I should be back around dinner time. I can fix it if you want so you don't have to worry about it. Sleep well."
As Zip reached the door, Stephanie spoke up, "Justin…"
He waited but she didn't continue, "What is it? What can I do for you?"
"I know it sounds silly, but… could you hold me tonight? Please?"
Zip smiled at her and nodded, "Let me just changed real fast." He used the restroom, brushed his teeth, and changed into a pair of shorts. As he crawled into bed behind Stephanie, he felt her scoot back towards him and sigh when his arm went around her.
"Thank you," was the last thing he heard before they both fell asleep.
TBC...