Stephanie and Ranger eat dinner. They ignore Ella and Luis when they enter the apartment to clean the mess from the foyer floor. The husband and wife duo quickly eliminate the blood stains from the dark tile. When the scent of bleach hits Stephanie's nose, she says, "Thank you for taking care of this tonight." She spares a glance in their direction and nearly laughs.
Ella and Luis wore head-to-toe outfits someone would see an actor wear while cleaning crime scenes on a television show. It's over the top, but Stephanie understands why they protect their clothes. She had to toss the outfit she wore earlier that day.
"We'd do anything for you, Stephanie," Ella says, waving her hand dismissively. "The cleaners and the bleach Ram recommended using got rid of everything."
"Thank goodness," Stephanie sighs, standing from the table to take her dishes to the sink. She knows firsthand how difficult it is to get blood out of grout. Ella catches Ranger's eye. Stephanie takes it as a clue to leave the room so they can be sure Ella is telling the truth about the evidence being gone. "I'll go into the bedroom to change for bed while you use that black light to check for blood residue."
"Babe, you never disappoint," Ranger teases. Stephanie rolls her eyes and raises to her toes to kiss Ranger. He wraps his arms around her to hold her tightly for a few seconds. Ranger kisses Stephanie again before gently swatting her ass to get ready for bed.
Stephanie grins at Ranger as she steps away from him. She goes to the bedroom to change into Ranger's shirt and silk boxers. With a sigh, Stephanie enters the bathroom to brush her teeth. She's rinsing her mouth when Ranger arrives. He brushes his teeth and drops his toothbrush in the cup beside hers.
"Did they get it all?" Stephanie asks.
"Yes, but Luis has to fix the grout and reapply the sealer," Ranger replies. Stephanie nods.
"It's the best-case scenario," she agrees.
"They left, and Luis will return in the morning. Ella promises to make you pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon for breakfast."
"I love Ella," Stephanie sighs. "She's more of a mother to me than my own."
Stephanie's phone chimes as she pulls the covers back to climb into bed. Ranger raises a brow, which makes Stephanie scowl since she still has trouble raising a single brow. She passes him the phone so he can read the message. He smiles, and his grin turns predatory as he finishes reading Stephanie's blood test results. "Babe, you have made me the happiest man on earth," Ranger says. He scoops Stephanie off her feet and deposits her on the bed.
She lands with a soft "oomph." Ranger slams his lips against hers, and they kiss as though starving for food. His tongue entwines hers as he deepens the kiss. "Carlos," Stephanie moans when he breaks the kiss enough to draw some air. "Wait."
"Babe?" Ranger asks. He moves to the side and pulls Stephanie onto his chest. Ranger cups Stephanie's face in his hands, waiting for her question.
"What on the lab result is making you so happy?" Stephanie asks.
He replies, "Your last period was during Morelli's time in Miami."
"Yes, and I got the Depo Provera shot after my doctor tested me for pregnancy," Stephanie says, not understanding the point Ranger is attempting to make. "It's ninety-nine point nine percent effective immediately after the first injection."
Chuckling, Ranger adds, "When the doctor administers it during menstruation."
"I received it a few days after it ended. What are you saying, Carlos?" Stephanie asks.
"You're the point one percent," he replies, still holding Stephanie's face between his hands. Ranger strokes her cheeks, wiping away the tears once the realization hits.
"I'm sorry. I never did this on purpose," Stephanie cries. "I'm scared."
"I'll be with you every step of the way," Ranger promises. He kisses her gently. Stephanie rests her forehead against his as she wills the tears away. Ranger chuckles softly and sighs. "Babe, we're married, and this is the next logical step."
"Just because it's a logical step and expected doesn't mean I'll make a great mom," Stephanie argues.
"True, but your loving, open heart means you will love this child regardless of your fear," Ranger says. He's afraid Stephanie will terminate the pregnancy when her eyes display the panic she feels about having a baby. "Do you plan on keeping it?" Ranger asks.
"Of course," she whispers. "It's our baby. I never wanted to have children because I'm afraid I'll damage the innocent baby as much as my mom damaged me."
"You'll be an amazing mom," he confidently says. "Ella and your Merry Men will help us raise our baby. You won't be doing this alone." He hopes his words assuage her fears. Stephanie's face softens, and Ranger knows she's coming around.
"Promise?" she asks.
"Promise," he replies.
Stephanie replays his words and giggles. "How do you know I call the guys Merry men?" she queries.
Ranger chuckles, "You let it slip a few times." He pulls off Stephanie's shirt before rolling her beneath him. Since her tests for infections are negative, he tears away her panties and makes love to his pregnant wife. Ranger can hardly wait to see her body changing to accommodate their baby.
After making love for several hours, Stephanie rests her head on Ranger's shoulder. "Thank you," Stephanie whispers, closing her eyes.
"You're welcome. I love you, Babe," Ranger says.
"As I love you, Carlos," she reciprocates.
Her dreams fill with the events of the past week. She can't escape the nightmares or the fear of someone harming her to get back at Ranger. Stephanie wakes up from the nightmare. "Babe?" Ranger asks upon feeling Stephanie sitting up in bed.
"Sorry, Carlos. I didn't mean to awaken you." She pulls her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ranger questions, sitting up to wrap his arms around her. Unable to get close enough, he moves to sit behind her, pulling her back against his chest.
Stephanie takes a deep breath. Shaking her head, Stephanie says, "Not really, but I probably should. Dr. Wilson says bottling it up inside will only make me anxious, and I'll react poorly when faced with a dangerous situation." Ranger patiently waits for Stephanie to retrieve the dream from her memory. She takes several cleansing breaths before launching into the story.
Ranger rubs Stephanie's arms before placing his hands on her lower abdomen, where she's growing their child. "The dream involves our son," Stephanie says.
"How so?" Ranger asks, smiling at the possibility of having a son with Stephanie.
"Someone takes him," she replies. "But he protects himself like his godfathers Hector and Lester taught him." Ranger chuckles, imagining his son throwing knives and fighting dirty.
"How old is he in the dream?" Ranger asks.
Stephanie snorts and replies, "Six. We were visiting your family in Newark."
"Did we have any bodyguards?" Ranger questions. Stephanie twists until she can see his face, expecting to see his eyes dance in humour. Her neck protests, so she turns around to straddle him.
"You're talking like this dream is real or a premonition," Stephanie jokes.
Chuckling, Ranger says, "I'm only preparing for the worst. There's nothing wrong with having a plan."
"Fine…we only have Lester with us," Stephanie replies.
"It's settled," Ranger says, laughing. "We'll have five guards whenever we visit my family." Stephanie rolls her eyes.
"That's overkill," Stephanie replies.
"And how did our son get himself free?" Ranger asks, returning to Stephanie's dream.
"He stabs the man in the thigh and takes off," Stephanie says, looking into Ranger's eyes for his reaction.
"Did you say Hector taught him these knife skills?"
"I did, but he isn't the only man who taught our son to fight. You and Lester contributed to his training," Stephanie says. She strokes Ranger's face to stop him from grinning. Ranger rolls onto his side, taking Stephanie with him.
"Who should we have guard our son?" Ranger asks, facing his wife. Their heads lie on the pillows. Stephanie moves her arm, tucking it beneath the pillow to move it out of the way. Ranger rests his head on his hand to look down at Stephanie. His free hand rests on her hip, stroking his thumb across the soft skin.
"Hector, Tank, Bobby, Cal and Hal," Stephanie says, mentioning the men she trusts the most in her Merry Men. "Bobby confirmed the pregnancy with a blood test, and Zip knows. Should we announce it to our son's bodyguards?"
"We can announce it branch-wide," Ranger says, "but let's get the doctor to confirm it with an ultrasound."
"Why?"
"Babe, your mother will spread rumours about you carrying Morelli's child," Ranger reasons. Stephanie rolls her eyes.
"I know how to fix that problem," she says. Ranger raises a brow, waiting for her to explain the brilliant idea swirling inside her mind. "We relocate to Miami."
Ranger stares at Stephanie. He doesn't know what to think. After reading the positive pregnancy result on Stephanie's lab report, Ranger thought about moving to Miami to live closer to Julie so that she could spend time with her sibling.
Stephanie chews her bottom lip when Ranger remains quiet for too long. "Carlos?" she whispers. He slams his lips against Stephanie's and kisses her until she needs to break the kiss to draw a breath.
Resting his forehead against hers, he replies, "I love that idea. Our child will grow up with Julie. Abuela Rosa would love to meet you and her great-grandson. Ella and Luis will relocate with us, as will the men you want as our son's guard. Babe, Trenton was only a place to open another branch."
"Oh? Why did you stay?" Stephanie questions.
"For you, Babe. I met you at the diner and fell madly in love with you," Ranger confesses. "My life changed in that moment. I regretted signing another contract with the military for mercenary work. The thought of leaving you behind frightened me more than I thought possible."
"If you love me so much, why did you send me back to Morelli after our first night together?" Stephanie asks.
Ranger's blank face disappears as he shows Stephanie his heart and soul. She sees the heartbreak of that decision. "I thought he could protect you and give you the life other Burg women dream of having," he says. Ranger kisses Stephanie to prevent her from talking. "Babe, I left on a dangerous mission a few days later. I didn't want to leave you heartbroken if I never returned. Morelli seemed like the safe choice. It wasn't until several months later that I realized the error in my judgment. He wasn't good enough for you." Stephanie couldn't disagree.
"Carlos, we can ruminate about our past decisions, but it will only leave us feeling guilty. We must move past our mistakes and hold onto the future we're creating for us and our son," Stephanie says, touching her abdomen. "Our little one might be a girl."
"It doesn't matter, Babe. We'll love our child regardless of its gender," Ranger replies.
"And letting go of the mistakes of our past?" Stephanie asks.
"A work in progress."
~~~~~
Two years later…
Stephanie and Ranger are living in Miami. Ranger is right about Luis, Ella, Hal, Cal, Bobby, Lester, Hector and Tank's willingness to move with them. Ricardo Carlos Manoso, the third, is growing like a weed. His twin sister, Rosa Estefania, appears small for her age, but her personality more than makes up the difference in her size.
"Carlos," Stephanie calls from the twin's playroom. She tries to stop herself from laughing at the scene on the floor. Stephanie fumbles with her phone to take pictures.
"Babe?" Ranger says, peeking over her shoulder. "Who did this?"
"It doesn't matter. I think it's hilarious," Stephanie replies.
"Babe, our twins are in the middle of a crime scene. Someone drew chalk lines around them and placed numbered evidence cards," Ranger says, stepping over the gate blocking the exit.
Stephanie, still giggling, climbs over it to join Ranger. She takes more photographs and snorts. "Rosa's holding a rubber knife and a stuffed gun. Oh my, is that fake blood?" Stephanie giggles as she nears the children. "I couldn't see this from the doorframe."
"Someone has too much time on their hands," Ranger groans. He waits for Stephanie to take more pictures before putting the toys away. Ranger sets the soothers and bottles on the dresser. He'll grab those after they change the children.
"I'll take Rosa," Stephanie offers when Ranger picks up Rickie. "Who would do this to the twins?" Stephanie asks. They carry the twins to their bedrooms to change their clothes. Stephanie uses a wet wipe to clean the sticky fake blood from Rosa's side. She puts Rosa in a new diaper and a clean Wonder Woman onesie.
Stephanie glances at Ranger, who's dressing Rickie in a Batman onesie. "What?" Ranger asks, his lip twitching in amusement.
"Why Batman?" Stephanie teases.
"To match Rosa," Ranger laughs. Stephanie shakes her head.
The twins awaken when Julie screeches, "Okay. It was me. Stop tickling me."
"Jules, do you have a confession?" Stephanie asks, raising her brows.
"I couldn't help it," Julie laughs. "Rosa fell asleep with the rubber knife and stuffed gun. It looked like the perfect crime scene."
"Where did you get the fake blood?" Ranger asks.
Julie lowers her head and whispers, "Uncle Hal gave me one of those fake blood packs with the red glucose. It isn't toxic, so my brother and sister won't get sick."
"And the rubber knife?" Stephanie questions.
"Uncle Hector is teaching them how to carry it safely," Julie replies.
"Carlos, the men are corrupting our children," Stephanie laughs.
Rosa and Rickie reach for Julie. Stephanie and Carlos let the twins comfort their older sister. They give Julie slobbery kisses before squirming in her arms. Julie smiles as the twins climb off the couch to hug their uncles.
"Mom," Julie says, referring to Stephanie, "Are you still mad at Grandma Helen?"
"Yes, but I've forgiven her for spreading the lies," Stephanie replies. "We'll visit them for Christmas and introduce her to Rosa and Rickie."
"What lies?" Julie asks.
Lester answers, "Stephanie went to her OB to ask if the birth control injection will harm the baby. Someone leaked the information to Helen, who assumed the baby belonged to the cop, Joe Morelli."
"Why would she do that?"
Sighing, Stephanie replies, "Because she always wanted a Morelli grandchild. I had the ultrasound proving time of conception and the amniocentesis to prove paternity." Before Julie can ask the logical follow-up question, Stephanie adds, "The ultrasound showed an anomaly, and we needed more testing. While the genealogist checked the DNA for congenital disabilities, they determined paternity, proving Morelli is not the father."
"Despite having proof, Helen still believes Morelli is Rosa and Rickie's father," Lester says. "Anyone who sees Rosa and Rickie will know they belong to Ranger."
"Rosa looks like me but with blue eyes," Julie says. "And Rickie is a male version of Stephanie, but with a darker skin tone. Maybe showing Helen their pictures will stop her from lying."
"As I said, we're visiting for Christmas. When we attend mass, everyone will know that Helen lied," Stephanie explains.
"That's messed up," Julie says, shaking her head. She stands from the couch to rescue Hector and Tank from the twins, who are begging for a snack. "Rickie, Rosa, come with me. I'll get you some fish crackers."
Rosa kisses her uncles before taking Julie's hand. Stephanie stifles a giggle when Rickie taps Tank's cheek and touches Hector's teardrop tattoos.
Ranger wraps his arms around Stephanie. "Is this what you expected to have in our future?" he asks.
"This is much better," Stephanie confesses. "None of this would have been possible without The Hunter."
Chuckling, Ranger says, "His actions showed us what we had to lose."
"Agreed," Stephanie replies.
"Have you dreamed about anyone kidnapping our children?" Ranger asks.
"You know I haven't," Stephanie laughs. "But I'm still keeping our guard whenever we visit family or go shopping."
"Good plan, Babe." Ranger turns Stephanie to face him. "Thank you for becoming my wife and giving me two adorable children."
Stephanie pulls his head down to kiss him. "Maybe three," she whispers.
"Babe, do you have something to tell me?"
"Yes. I'm pregnant and afraid this one will be worse than Rosa because of her stubbornness."
"We have our village," Ranger laughs.
More actual words were never spoken. With their Rangeman family, they can handle whatever life throws at them…even if Stephanie has another set of twins.
"If these are twins…" Stephanie trails off.
"I'm getting a vasectomy," Ranger replies.
"Good plan, Carlos," Stephanie says, making him laugh.
Will someone kidnap the Manoso children? Who knows? That's a different story for a different time. For now, the Manosos are living life to the fullest and enjoying every curveball life tosses their way.
