Stephanie's POV
I stand and stretch after ending the call from Dad. Carlos and the team are heading back to debrief. I can't wait to see my husband. My baby bump is more prominent than when he left on the mission.
"Are you excited?" Tank asks, leaning against my door frame. His bulk fills the entry, blocking my view of the control room.
"Not yet," I confess. "Dad said it took Ranger two and a half weeks of hiking to reach their extraction coordinates. The guys still have to debrief and go over the intel collected."
"Most of the intel will be forwarded to the DEA," Tank replies. He pushes off the doorframe to enter my office. The snick of the lock makes me nervous.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"It's Rachel Martine," Tank answers.
I cautiously sit in my chair and wait for Tank to get to the point. He remains silent for nearly ten minutes. I lean on my elbows and stare. My expression takes Tank by surprise. "Spit it out!" I demand.
"Before her deployment, Jeanne Ellen Burrows sent Rachel Martine a message that if anything happens to her, tell the authorities that Ricardo Carlos Manoso killed her," Tank replies.
I shake my head and grab the secure phone to contact Dad. He answered on the first ring, and I relayed the message. I smile at Dad's response and hang up. "Well, we don't have to worry about that. Dad says the Department of Defence got briefed on the situation. They will be part of the team's debrief with the DEA. Ranger and the others will come home after debriefing. Dad doesn't know how long it will take."
Tank drops a letter on my desk. It's from the lab. I'm smiling when I open it. "What does it say?" Tank asks.
"It's the results of Steve's paternity on Bethany's baby. He isn't the father. The doctor also provided the alleged date of conception. Steve wasn't in LA when Bethany claimed she got pregnant," I reply, passing him the letter. I call Owen Mathias to have his partner file charges against Bethany Stanton for defamation of character.
"How do you know Steve never had sex with Bethany?" Tank asks.
"He was never alone with her. Valerie fired Bethany the previous month. I found everything written in Valerie's journal. They had cameras around the house. Hector found the footage of Steve leaving the house whenever Bethany came over to babysit. The time stamps indicate Steve couldn't have slept with Bethany. All the windows were monitored, too. I have more than enough evidence to prove Steve and Bethany never had sex," I reply.
"Were any time stamps missing?" Tank asks.
"Whenever Valerie and Steve had sex. She wrote about it in her journal. The dates lined up with the missing footage," I answer, checking the email from Hector. Tank leans back and chuckles. Tyler Polk is the biological father.
Owen calls back a few hours later. I smile when I answer his call, knowing what he will say. "When presented with the evidence, Bethany confessed. The Conti estate is now managed by the lawyers instead of the real estate agency," Owen says.
Tank and I are smiling. "What about the other men? Why did they agree to a paternity test?" I wonder.
"Those men had an affair with the mother. They thought Mallory was pregnant," Owen explains, laughing. "I heard Mallory Stanton's a piece of work. She flirted with Andrew to get him to rescind the defamation suit."
"How did that work for her?" Tank asks, suppressing his laugh.
"Not as she expected, obviously. She didn't know Andrew was gay," Owen chuckles. Tank and I join in his laughter.
"How many buttons did she pop open before Andrew busted her ass?" I ask.
Owen attempts to maintain his composure as he answers, "Andrew recorded and live-streamed the interaction to the agency owner. Mallory had her shirt pulled open before her bosses entered the office."
"Why didn't Andrew stop her?" Tank nods in agreement with my question. His curiosity piqued like mine.
"To add more charges with the extortion and defamation suit," Owen replies. "It seems Mallory Stanton came under investigation after an anonymous tip indicated she was using her position to steal from the clients. The standard real estate fee in LA is five and a half percent. Stanton coerced the men into giving her ten percent. Did you file the claim, Steph?"
"No. I have nothing to do with it. However, I did inform Mary about Mallory's attempt to take the full commission for the Conti estate. Mary thanked me for ensuring she received her fair share. It wouldn't surprise me if Mary filed the anonymous complaint. Should I be worried about Mallory coming after me?"
"She'd be crazy to try," Owen replies. "I think she'll be arrested in a few days. The agency owner is checking the books."
"Did she siphon money from the business?" I wonder.
"Anything is possible," Owen says. "I'm interested in finding out."
"And Rachel Martine? Should I worry about her?"
"Absolutely not. Rachel will learn soon enough that her friend lied," Owen says. "It wouldn't hurt to remain vigilant and keep your guard up."
"I have Manny and Hector monitoring Stephanie," Tank adds. Owen hangs up.
"Are they monitoring me all the time?" I tease.
"Only when you leave the building. Did the doctor determine genders?" Tank asks, pointing to my stomach.
During the past week, I've experienced more aches and pains. I was worried about the babies and revisited my obstetrician. "No on the gender reveal. But she explained that the aches and pains are typical in first pregnancies," I explain. Tank patiently waits for me to add to the story. I roll my eyes. "My hips spread, and my muscles and ligaments are protesting from the foreign expansion the babies are demanding of their host, meaning me."
Tank tips his head back and laughs. I hold my stomach and giggle. Slapping his thigh, Tank says, "Nice one."
"It's only going to get worse," I shrug. "I'm going to have horrible stretch marks. I already look twenty-five weeks pregnant."
"Are you regretting the decision?"
"Never. I can't wait to see my babies."
"Neither can I," Tank says. He walks around my desk to kiss my curls. "I'll file this for you." Tank grabs the letter and places it inside a file cabinet. He knows I'll lock it before leaving my office.
I watched the video Hector emailed. He created a timeline from the footage he retrieved when I hired a company to monitor Valerie's home after the incident with Joseph Morelli. Steve and Valerie had protested at first until I said it was happening despite their objections. It turned out to be the best idea.
Tears are streaming down my face as I witness the love between Steve and Valerie. It's obvious to the causal reviewer. Their affection towards the girls makes me smile. Angie and Mary Alice couldn't be more different. I watch Steve roughhouse Mary Alice as Valerie smiles at Angie, who is helping her prepare meals. I'm unsure how to measure up to my late sister and late brother-in-law.
Hector quietly slips into my office. He tugs me from the chair and sits with me on his lap. "You captured the perfect moments," I whisper. "Thank you for doing this for the girls."
"De nada," Hector replies. "You're a great mother to them. Right now, they need your compassion and understanding. Mary Alice gets the exercise she needs on the training course. She loves running through it with the guys."
"They need to build her a smaller set to fit her better," I joke.
Hector chuckles, "Woody and Binkie are working on it." I'm not surprised. Woody and Binkie are Rangeman's newest hires. They are also Angie and Mary Alice's bodyguards.
"What about Angie?"
"She's helping the men design the course," Hector replies. I giggle. "Angie wants to test it too." I'm glad Angie found something she could do with her sister. It's a shame Valerie and I weren't as close as Angie and Mary Alice. I'm teaching the girls to respect and embrace their differences.
"Is that where the girls are?"
Hector nods. He slowly stands and places me back on the chair. "I have an installation in an hour." Hector kisses my cheek and leaves my office. I'm thankful for my Merry Men. They're sweet and go out of their way to ensure I'm comfortable. I love how they care for Angie and Mary Alice, who are only at Rangeman whenever Isabel is unavailable.
At six, I shut down my computer and met the girls in the Rangeman apartment. We could stay at the house, but I feel more comfortable at Rangeman whenever Carlos is out of town. I know the men will keep me safe and watch the girls.
~~~~~~~
It's four days since Dad said the guys were returning home to debrief. I'm half asleep when I feel a change in the atmosphere. Warm arms embrace me as Carlos climbs into bed. "Babe," he whispers.
I roll over to look into his gorgeous eyes. "I missed you," I reply and kiss him. He returns the kiss with fervour. We make love. Carlos swallows my moans to prevent the girls from hearing us. Our Rangeman apartment is soundproofed to keep the girls from hearing us have sex.
Carlos briefly leaves the bed, grabbing a washcloth and towel to clean me. He's gentle as he takes care of ensuring I'm not laying in the stickiness of his ejaculate. I stare at his naked ass as he tosses the towels into the laundry hamper.
"How are you feeling?" Carlos asks. He kisses my shoulder and pulls me closer. I smile when he rubs my baby bump. His muscular, naked chest is against my back.
"Everything's fine. I've been experiencing aches and pains, but Dr. Jansen says it's normal for a first pregnancy. My body is acclimating to the babies, expanding my body," I explain, rolling over to face him. I rest my head on his shoulder. He smiles as he strokes a finger from my temple to my chin.
"Are the babies healthy?" he asks. His eyes display his concern for me and our babies.
"Yes, Carlos. They're fine. Dr. Jansen wants me to have another sonogram at my next prenatal visit. She has a few more things to check with the babies. Hopefully, she can determine the genders unless you want to be surprised," I reply.
"It doesn't matter to me, but if you want to know, then we'll know," he says while tucking a hair behind my ear. I lean into his touch. Carlos kisses my nose and chin before kissing my lips. I love him more each day.
"I want to know," I confess.
"If they cooperate," Carlos chuckles. I close my eyes as he quietly talks to me in Spanish. I'm enjoying the cadence of the words and fall asleep.
The following morning, I woke up to hear Angie and Mary Alice's squeals of joy. They're happy Carlos is home. I smile when they call him Dad. "Is Mom still sleeping?" Mary Alice asks. I wipe the tears off my cheeks. Carlos and I never told the girls to call us Mom and Dad. We left it up to them to decide.
I climb out of bed slowly and go to the washroom to empty my bladder. Carlos dressed me before getting up. I'm wearing his shirt and boy-short panties. I wash my hands and pull on yoga pants, letting the waist sit below my belly.
Carlos smiles when I enter the dining room. He places plates filled with eggs, sausage, turkey bacon and pancakes on the table. "I see you went all out today," I tease.
"I helped Dad cook breakfast," Angie announces.
"And I told them what to cook for you," Mary Alice adds.
"Awe. Thank you, Mary Alice. You know all of my favourites," I reply. She grins and wiggles in her seat. Carlos looks at Mary Alice. She immediately stills and places her hands in her lap.
Carlos smiles and serves food on her plate. Mary Alice patiently waits for everyone to grab food before digging in. She moans in appreciation as she eats. I take a bite of the blueberry pancake. It's perfect. "I told Ella I was preparing breakfast today," Carlos answers my questioning glance.
"It's delicious," I reply. Carlos watches as I sip my coffee. It's half-decaf because Carlos wants me to reduce my caffeine consumption. I turn up my nose slightly, but I drink my coffee. It's something I'll have to adapt to. I gave up most sweets. The babies don't like desserts unless it's a pudding or dessert with less sugar.
Mary Alice helps Carlos load the dishwasher after breakfast. She chatters about the obstacle course Woody and Binkie are building for her and Angie. Carlos smiles and nods in approval. He catches my eye and winks. I know he approves of my choice of bodyguards for our adoptive daughters.
The girls wash their hands and change for the day. Carlos and I take a sexy shower before meeting them in the living room. Angie is reading a book while Mary Alice is looking at a diagram. I peek over her shoulder and adjust the picture to face in the proper direction. "Oh. That looks like fun," she says.
"What is it?" I ask.
Angie slips a bookmark between the pages of her book and closes it. She glances at the diagram and says, "That's like oversized monkey bars, but they swing like a trapeze."
"What are these things?" Mary Alice asks.
"Landing pads if you fall," Angie replies. She smiles at Mary Alice and tugs her off the couch. I watch as Angie reminds Mary Alice how to tie her shoes.
"They're getting along," Carlos observes.
"Building the obstacle course brought them together," I reply. Carlos and I slip on our CAT boots and arm ourselves for the day. As a family, we enter the elevator to take to the control room on the fifth floor.
