Chapter Four
Mirror Mirror
Stephanie wakes up when the plane is about to land and yawns. The both familiar and unfamiliar weight on her ring finger catches her attention. She becomes nervous and a bit uneasy. She's looking forward to starting a new life with Ranger, but now the fact that she has failed once in marriage feels too much like an unremovable stain all of a sudden. She's not a good cook or baker. She's never a great housekeeper. They are going to live in the Batcave(Yay!!!)and that means Ella won't be there to help her. And nope, there's no way she's going to let her tall dark handsome perfect muscular husband live on whatever food prepared by another woman(or takeouts, TV dinners, olive and peanut butter sandwiches and leftovers from her mother's dinner table). She wants to be able to cook something hot, healthy and delicious for her Batman once in a long, long while. She never likes feeling incapable. And she does have her pride, you know. She's now officially Mrs. Carlos Manoso. She won't allow anyone look at her dinner table, shake their head and say "Poor Ranger". She's Helen the Marvelous Chef and Great Pâtissière Plum's daughter, after all...
No! No! No! This is all wrong! This is not allowed! The sorceress hisses in resentment, clenches her fists and swears to herself. She'll make things right. She will tear them apart. She will send that woman to the place where she belongs. She'll make her become Stephanie Morelli.
Chapter Five
A Red Red Rose
The moment the red-eyed sorceress clenches her fists in fury and snarl, the tall dark silent Sentry tilts his head a fraction and almost smiles. He and his siblings are the guardians of MAGIC. And they know this bitter cruel ugly old creature well. She was born under the Lucky Star and has a slight trace of magic in her blood. But unfortunately she's neither bright or dark enough, and thus doesn't have the true strength and talent needed to achieve greatness and cleverness. And she's allergic to true love and happiness. The Sentry closes his shining gold eyes and feels the menace in the sorceress voice as she barks out commands to her foul servants. Around him his equally tall, powerful and ferocious siblings look into the silver mirror and silently smile. They are brave, loyal and invincible. They are always ready for war. And now once again they will see to it that Fate and Love prevail.
The fully-fenced 2-story 4-bedroom house is located in a small newly-developed upscale neighborhood 9 minutes' drive from the RangeMan building. Just like the serene 7-floor penthouse apartment, everything is sleek, simple, functional and tastefully designed. The well-equipped spotless kitchen is spacious and bright. The large German refrigerator is pack with fresh fruits, vegetables and cooked food. A vase of ruby red roses stands on the bedside table in the master bedroom. The king-size bed looks luxurious and comfortable. And outside in the living room on a table by the window, a chubby little hamster presses against the wall of his brand new hamster palace and waits in great excitement. He twitches his cute little tail happily and lets out a cheer as the heavy door opens.
Stephanie and Ranger have come home. And now the three of them are going to live happily ever after together...Rex rolls his eyes and gives himself a mental slap. With one or two or three or even four beautiful little babies, of course.
Chapter 5: A Red Red Rose
Chapter Five
A Red Red Rose
The
moment the red-eyed sorceress clenches her fists in fury and snarl, the
tall dark silent Sentry tilts his head a fraction and almost smiles. He
and his siblings are the guardians of MAGIC. And they know this bitter
cruel ugly old creature well. She was born under the Lucky Star and has a
slight trace of magic in her blood. But unfortunately she's neither
bright or dark enough, and thus doesn't have the true strength and
talent needed to achieve greatness and cleverness. And she's allergic to
true love and happiness. The Sentry closes his shining gold eyes and
feels the menace in the sorceress voice as she barks out commands to her
foul servants. Around him his equally tall, powerful and ferocious
siblings look into the silver mirror and silently smile. They are brave,
loyal and invincible. They are always ready for war. And now once again
they will see to it that Fate and Love prevail.
The fully-fenced
2-story 4-bedroom house is located in a small newly-developed upscale
neighborhood 9 minutes' drive from the RangeMan building. Just like the
serene 7-floor penthouse apartment, everything is sleek, simple,
functional and tastefully designed. The well-equipped spotless kitchen
is spacious and bright. The large German refrigerator is pack with fresh
fruits, vegetables and cooked food. A vase of ruby red roses stands on
the bedside table in the master bedroom. The king-size bed looks
luxurious and comfortable. And outside in the living room on a table by
the window, a chubby little hamster presses against the wall of his
brand new hamster palace and waits in great excitement. He twitches his
cute little tail happily and lets out a cheer as the heavy door opens.
Stephanie
and Ranger have come home. And now the three of them are going to live
happily ever after together...Rex rolls his eyes and gives himself a
mental slap. With one or two or three or even four beautiful little
babies, of course.
Chapter 6: 50 Shades Of Green
Chapter Six
50 Shades Of Green
Bob
the Dog has always been a happy and friendly dog. He was fixed at a
very young age, and thus will always have a 5-month-old puppy's
mentality. He likes pizzas, meatball subs, pastas, cupcakes, doughnuts,
ice cream and real dog food. He loves the taste of wood furniture,
smelly sneakers, unclean underwear and days-old socks. He's too playful
to listen to orders. He is never trained to obey commands. He can still
vaguely remember his mother's and siblings' scents and faces. He still
has nightmares about the lonely, scary days and nights he spent in the
dog pound. He doesn't know what happened to his long bushy tail. He
misses Granny Bella and all her delicious doggie treats, sad little
stories and Italian songs. He has great respect for the ever so calm and
clever Doc the Duck. He, like a lot of dogs, doesn't always think
straight, and still can't read, write, use a gun or drive a car. But now
he has learned how to use an iPad. Bob smiles a happy smile. He loves
his black iPad. And he's still thrilled that Doc actually patted him on
the head and said, "Proud of you, Bob."
Bob doesn't know why, but
sometimes he will wake up in the middle of his afternoon nap and doubt
the meaning of his existence. He will then feel the urge and sense the
longing. He wants to make contributions. He wants to make a difference.
He wants to be like Jerry Lee. He wants to be like Lassie. He wants to
be like Benji. He wants to be able to do something, anything. He's part
Labrador, part Golden Retriever, and part mastiff. He has the strength.
He has the power. He's not just a lazy uneducated pet dog who knows
nothing but sleeping eating and pooping.
And now the chance has finally come to him.
Bob
knows he's here for a reason. He's on a secret mission. He's brave and
determined, and he can be really, really smart and fierce if he tries
hard enough. He is a loyal dog. He will try all he can to protect and
defend Stephanie. His loyalty will be his ultimate weapon. And that
overweight snobby hamster can never call him a stupid drooling dog
again. Ever!
Chapter 7: Material Girl
Chapter Seven
Material Girl
The
red-eyed sorceress's foul servants creep into this city in the dead of
the night and silently move toward different directions. Like dark
shadows they sneak into houses and apartments. They crawl into people's
bedrooms and onto their beds. They whisper and murmur in people's ears.
They slither into people's mind and invade their dreams. They roar and
growl and chant and summon all kinds of coldest and scariest nightmares.
They snigger and float out of people's mind just before dawn comes.
They slowly disappear in the thin air but leave trails of angst and
sorrow behind. They have done what they came here to do. Their scheming
heartless Mistress will be very pleased. And maybe, maybe this time she
will finally keep her word and award them...
The chosen people
toss and turn and wake up from their nightmares when the first ray of
sunlight finally arrives. They feel eerily tired and dazed. They get out
of bed, get dressed, and immediately reach for their phones. They
forget to brush their teeth. They skip their morning showers. They
ignore their growling stomachs. They dial their phones and start to
speak. They have to spread the rumours, the stories, the implications,
the suggestions, the fabrications and the lies. They stare into
emptiness. They feel numb and exhausted. They don't pay attention to
their surroundings. They can't see or hear or feel a thing. They just
keep on talking, and talking, and talking. They do as they were told in
their nightmares. They have a lot of friends and families. They all love
gossips. They are the sorceress's chosen tools. They are her senseless
puppets.
Stephanie Plum and Joe Morelli belong together.
Stephanie Plum and Joe Morelli are a match made in Heaven.
Stephanie Plum cheated on Joe Morelli and dumped him for a reason.
Stephanie Plum is a shameless greedy woman.
Stephanie Plum is nothing but a gold digger.
Stephanie Plum married Carlos Manoso not for love but for his money.
Stephanie Plum will leave Carlos Manoso when she sucks him dry.
Stephanie Plum will then go back to Joe Morelli.
Stephanie Plum will give birth to half a dozen cute adorable little Cupcakes.
Stephanie Morelli and Joe Morelli will live happily ever after.
Stephanie Morelli and Joe Morelli belong to each other.
Stephanie Morelli will always, always love Joe Morelli because he is her first.
No woman can ever forget her first.
Ever.
Vicious
rumours and venomous lies fly through the city. The red-eyed sorceress
laughs her evil laughter. Love is no match to doubts and jealousy. Soon
her plan will work. Soon Stephanie Manoso and her husband will be torn
apart. Soon!
Chapter 8: Scary, Scary Women
Chapter Eight
Scary, Scary Women
Valerie
Kloughn lets out a loud and not so polite snort and the whispering
around her abruptly stops. She narrows her eyes and stares coldly at
every single one of the stunned and blushing women inside the bakery.
They are of all ages and backgrounds, and she knows them all. She has
always been nice and pleasant to them for she, just like her mother,
firmly believes it's essential to be friendly to one's acquaintances and
neighbors no matter how rude and nosy they are. It's not her habit to
stand on the moral high ground and look down on people. She knows
perfectly well that the people of this city can't live without gossips
and rumours. She herself loves gossips and rumours, mind you, but she
does have her limits. It's one thing to exaggerate and overstate. It's
totally another to bad mouth and slander. And she is, after all,
Stephanie's elder sister. She won't tolerate people telling and
spreading vicious lies about Stephanie. Even if she sometimes thinks her
sister is more than a little different and strange and maybe a bit
crazy.
She never ever understands what other people see in Joe
Morelli. Yes, she admits Morelli is indeed very good-looking and has a
really nice body. But she never feels comfortable around him or finds
him attractive. He knew how to molest little girls when he was only 8
for God's sake. At the age of 13(or is it 12?), he started sweet-talking
girls out of their panties and bragging about it all over town. She
almost died of shame and shock when she learned that Stephanie had twice
fallen victim to Joe Morelli's serpent tongue. TWICE! Valerie feels the
now familiar anger and frustration boiling up inside her. She herself
has always remembered her mother's warning and was always very careful
around boys. Now she's the mother of 4 lovely little girls. She
constantly give her two elder daughters warnings and keeps her watchful
eyes wide open all the time. And the mere thought of the words "child
molester" and "sex predator" makes her sick and nauseous. There's
nothing sweet or innocent about a 8-year-old boy fingering a 6-year-old
girl. There's nothing cute or romantic about an 18-year-old young man
taking a 16-year-old girl's virginity and then writing about it on
public bathroom walls. Such behaviors are wrong and disturbing and
disgusting. No woman or girl should be treated this way. No mother or
elder sister will want her child or younger sister to be treated this
way.
So why should Stephanie belong with the man who has taken advantage of her sexually when she was but a stupid little girl?
Why
should Stephanie leave her tall dark handsome sexy caring husband who
helps and protects and loves her for the man who molested and humiliated
her just because that jerk is her first?
What's so wrong with all these stupid women?
Do they not have brains or common sense?
What the Hell do they see in Joe Morelli?
How can any sane woman buy that "He's a changed man" crap and fall for a man who's as furry and horny as a chimp?
All he ever has is a handsome face and a wandering dick, for Christ's sake.
Valerie
Kloughn snaps from her thoughts and blinks upon hearing the gasp. She
frowns slightly as all the gossiping women hurry out of the door of the
bakery with thinned lips and angry glances and widens her eyes as
realization slowly dawns. She lets out a sigh and turns to the
snickering woman—who happens to be one of her highschool girl
friends—behind the doughnut counter.
"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Valerie puts a hand over her twitching eyes.
"Oh yeah, loud and clear" Her friend giggles like a teenage girl.
The
tall dark silent Sentry smiles as the red-eyed sorceress's evil spell
quickly dissolves into nothing around the city of Trenton. Valerie Plum
Kloughn does have more in common with her trouble maker of a younger
sister than she knows.
Chapter 9: Awakening
Chapter Nine
Awakening
Well, it's actually none of our business. The honest and hard-working people of the city suddenly blink, frown, and start to think.
Valerie Klough is right.
Why should Stephanie belong with Joe Morelli?
Why do we care so much about Joe's happiness?
Why can't we just let go and step aside now that Stephanie has made her choice?
She and Ranger do look perfect together.
And we all know that Joe is, well, after all, a Morelli.
None of the Morelli women has ever obtained happiness.
Why should Stephanie be the only exception?
Haven't
we learned enough from all the arm-flapping, yelling, and the notorious
never-ending on-again-off-again twisted abnormal unhealthy
relationship?
Let's just keep our mouths shut and hearts open for once and be truly happy for Stephanie.
And wish Joe all the luck on his journey to find the right Cupcake.
All
is fair in love and war. There's no point complaining, really. And
let's be honest, who wouldn't want to have a son-in-law like Ranger?
He's tall, dark, handsome, capable, and polite, and he has his own
company. You are going to have healthy, beautiful grandbabies, and your
daughter will be happy, safe, and rich. What more can parents ask for
their 30-something divorced child who's too good at blowing up things?
So the kind, nice, and practical people of Trenton give their heads a
firm nod and smile a happy smile, then move on with their everyday
lives.
The ancient crystal mirror shatters into a million pieces.
The red-eyed sorceress's foul servants scream in terror and tremble in
pain. Their Mistress's rage is ferocious and cruel. One by one they get
tortured and demolished. But the red-eyed sorceress's fury is not yet
spent. She wants to cause chaos and hurt. She swears to alter the happy
ending for Stephanie Plum. With hatred and contempt she thinks of all
the fairy tale princesses who received help from Fairy Godmothers and
Magical Beings. Snow White. Cinderella. Sleeping Beauty. Rapunzel. The
hideously stupid girls who kept making incredibly wrong choices and
terribly foolish mistakes. None of them truly deserved a Happily Ever
After. None of them were truly worthy of their princes' love. The
red-eyed sorceress is not powerful enough to change the past, but she's
evil and treacherous enough to ruin Stephanie's life. Then she can
finally reach out her claws to grab hold of the Wizard's great
grandchild and make him hers.
And together they shall rule the Magic Land, as Queen and King...
Chapter 10: A Prophecy?
Chapter Ten
A Prophecy?
The
red-eyed sorceress keeps on chanting as she cuts her her wrist and uses
the blood to complete the evil and powerful summoning spell. In a blink
of an eye the pair of her most trusted and servants appear in the
blood-red mist. The hairy blonde giant of a man goes down on his knee
and bows, while the pale handsome black-haired man stands there staring
at the sorceress with cold unblinking eyes. The order she gives them is
simple and straightforward: tear Stephanie Plum and he great grandchild
of the Wizard apart no matter what.
The two magical men disappear
in the mist without a sound. The sorceress breathes with difficulty as
she seals her wound. This is her last resort. Casting this spell has
cost her her a lot of power. It will take her up to 13 months to return
to her normal form and regain her power. And controlling both her
servants at the same time will be a tricky task. Now that the ancient
crystal mirror is broken, she had no choice but to use the Prying Eye
spell to spy on the stupid worthless hairy man. But somehow all she
could see was a blurred mixture of raging emotions, confusion, and
peaceful happiness. Maybe the loss of love has made him hollow and
driven him mad. She had hoped to use him as a pawn to get to Stephanie
Plum. Jealousy and despair are two of the most powerful weapons of all
time. His reckless nature and single-mindedness would be of great help.
And he's always so good at manipulating her guilt. But since both his
brain and soul are totally messed up now, she has to rely solely on
herself. And doing all the work and minding all the trifles and details
all alone have begun to drain her power...
In the tidy, spotless
living room of Joe Morelli's nice cozy 2-story house, Doc the Duck and
Sean the Sheep blow out a long held breath. Together they have
successfully blocked the evil witch's foul magic. Bob the Dog is busy
playing a game on his iPad in Joe's Morelli couch. Mr. Joseph A. Morelli
is snoring like a train while dreaming of pizza, meatball sub, and
baseball games in Grandma Bella's arms. The witch is not clever enough
to see through their Magic Screen. But bigger and more vicious threats
are heading this way. And they are aiming at Stephanie. The two Magical
Beings close their eyes and sense the vibes in the air. They nod their
heads and smile. The Guardians are coming this way, too.
Stephanie
Manoso floats happily in her dream and suddenly hears voices. Sweet
little voices. Laughing. Giggling. Talking. Screaming. Yelling. In both
English and Spanish. She turns around, widens her eyes, and sees those
beautiful dark brown eyes. Serious little faces. Little boys. All four
of them. Looking at her. Smiling. Speaking. Crying. Frowning. The three
older ones have silky smooth straight almost black hair. The youngest
one looks so cute in wild wavy curls. She reaches out a hand, trying to
wipe away his crystal tears, and wakes up with her hand on Ranger's
face. She smiles happily as Ranger gathers her into his arms with his
eyes closed. Their babies. She has just dreamed of their babies. All
four of them...
FOUR? She starts to hyperventilate. FOUR?
"Babe?" Ranger opens his eyes and places his large, warm hand on the back of her neck. "Deep breath."
Stephanie
wraps her arm tightly around him and slowly calms down. Her heart is
still thumping a little bit fast. Her eyes are still as wild and wide as
a startled deer's. It's just a dream. She keeps telling herself. Just a dream...Four little boys? Nah, it's just a dream...Just a dream...
Chapter 11: The Candy House
Chapter Eleven
The Candy House
No one can be sure when The Old Cupcake Place
opened on this street. It seems that the bakery and café simply appears
out of nowhere overnight, and nobody knows what happened to the old
bookstore that was originally there. One by one people push the door
open and walk in out of curiosity. The decoration is fancy. The staffs
are all young, polite and good-looking. The cupcakes are reasonably
priced and mouth-wateringly delicious. The coffee and tea here are
really, really good. And the huge blonde owner's wide smile is most
friendly and charming. Within 3 days The Old Cupcake Place
becomes a popular spot for the locals. Every kids wants to have cupcakes
for breakfast and lunch. Every mom wants to get her hands on those
buy-1-get-1-free Strawberry Delight and Cherry Cheesecake cupcakes
before they are sold out. Even the officers from TPD have decided to
replace their doughnuts with the cupcakes here. Everybody loves their
cupcakes. Only a rare few of the customers notice that there's something
odd and foreboding about this place. And Helen Plum happens to be one
of them.
Helen doesn't finish her coffee and the two cupcakes. The
texture and moisture of the cupcakes are next to perfect, Helen admits,
and they are neither too sweet nor too airy. But the colors are too
bright. The fragrance is too strong. And somehow they just don't taste
right. Besides, the docile and almost numb smile on the staff's faces
makes her feel uncomfortable and uneasy, while the somewhat cold and
strange gleam in the owner's sharp blue eyes sends chills down her spine
every time he turns to smile at her. So she gives her coupons to her
friends and leaves the bakery empty-handed. She will stop on the way
home at one of her trusted bakeries and get something for Frank and her
mother. There's no way she's going to feed her family with something
imperfect and probably unhealthy.
William "D" Northman looks out
of the window of his bakery as Helen Plum drives away. He feels
surprised and disappointed that the woman didn't fall for his magical
cupcakes. But he's not worried. His magic will find a way to get to
Stephanie Plum. Sooner or later one the townspeople will offer her a
free cupcake. One tiny bite and she will be dead. His serpent-like smile
deepens. His Mistress, the Great Sorceress, will be pleased. And he
will be free to go back to his cave on top of the Swiss mountain to
enjoy the youthful bodies of his young polite pretty obedient slaves.Chapter 12: Evil Eye
Chapter Twelve
Evil Eye
The
pale handsome black-haired man stands under the bright Miami morning
sun gazing the family of 5 and almost smiles. Yes, it will be easy.
Maybe so easy that it's no fun at all. Just a little intimidation and
show of power, and then the fear he triggers will do the job. Will the
pinkish-white skinned mother scream when he leaves his signature
eye-shaped burn mark on her arm? Will her 2 younger children cry and
cringe in terror when their mother pass out and drop to the ground? The
man named Erich thinks to himself and licks his lips. He loves it when
women scream and faint from the shock and pain he gave them. He often
laughs when men's eyes bulge and mouths fall open the brief moment
before they die in his hand. How will the sandy-blonde haired father
react then? He wonders. People's first instinct is to protect their own
flesh and blood no matter the cost. No one with sanity will sacrifice
their children for someone else's brat. Besides, every man is a coward
deep down inside. Once they realize they are facing an invincible
unbeatable opponent, they will do everything to save their own lives.
Ron Martine may be a loving adopted father, but there's no way he will
refuse to surrender the dark-brown eyed and caramel-skinned girl to
Erik. For there's no such thing as unconditional love. Everything comes
with a price. And when the price becomes too high, people will
automatically make right decisions and smart choices. This is the way of
life. Only the smart and clever ones get to survive and thrive.
Erich
laughs under his cinnamon and butterscotch scented breath. Maybe he
will emphasize his point by burning the little boy's arm in front of Ron
Martine's eyes. After all, all fathers favor their sons. What kind of
father won't break down and give in when their beloved child is
terrified and suffering great pain? Yes, his plan is perfect and lots of
fun. Everyone's attention is on the girl. Everyone is trying their best
to protect her from suspicious strangers. When they finally know that
there is a traitor among them, it will be too late. And once he has
Julie Martine in his hand, he will use her as bait to trap and then kill
her father. Erich's handsome face contorts with disgust and anger. He
shouldn't have trusted such an important task to Edward Scrog, the
delusional imbecile. This time he will kill Carlos Manoso once and for
all. He will go back to the red-eyed sorceress and present her with
Manoso's severed head on a silver plate. He will then use all his power
to burn a hole in her heart, put an end to her unreasonably long and
miserable life, and claim her magic as his own. He will be nobody's
servant. He will become the ruler of the Magic Land. He will—
Erich
Wulfsberg looks down at the silver blade protruding from his chest.
Very slowly he turns around and comes face to face with the most
beautiful creature he has ever seen in his 201 years of life. Raven
black hair. Forest green eyes. Blood red lips. Ivory porcelain-like
skin. Beautiful. Soundless. Powerful. Ferocious. The Guardians. He
suddenly realizes. He thought they only existed in myth. He thought the
Pact between the Wizard and the Magical Beings wasn't real. How wrong
was he. What a fool he has been. His power drains. His heart stops. His
body dissolves into thousands of shades of murky dense darkness. He
ceases to exist.
Julie Martines looks up from her breakfast as a
strange sensation hits her in the back of her neck. All of a sudden she
feels warm and safe. All of a sudden she feels loved and protected. All
of a sudden she thinks of her father. The moment he opened his eyes and
looked at her in the hospital. The moment he wrapped her in his arms and
hugged her briefly before he left that following Christmas Eve. Julie
smiles at her parents and siblings and goes back to her passion fruit
juice and mango muffin. She's glad that now Ranger's no longer alone.
She's also glad that she told him "I love you, Daddy" that cool December evening.
Chapter 13: Brave
There was nothing special about the weather the day Stephanie Plum did the bravest thing she has ever done in her life.
She woke up around 8, took a quick shower, and went to her parents' to mooch a free breakfast. Business had been slow for the last couple weeks. She was low on money. She knew her mother always had some left over in the refrigerator, and maybe she could even take a huge chunk of cake home with her if she was lucky. Her mother and Grandma Mazur were talking and laughing about something when she let herself in. Stephanie sat down at the table, gobbled down several pancakes, and started really paying attention to the conversation. Someone's son was getting married. Someone's daughter had just given birth to yet another baby. Someone and her third husband went to Hawaii for honeymoon. Someone died last week and there would probably be an open casket viewing. Angie and Mary Alice were doing great in school. Hopefully Valerie wouldn't get pregnant again anytime soon. All of a sudden Stephanie lost her appetite and felt sad and lonely. She put down her half empty coffee mug and stared into nothing. She would be 35 this coming December. She didn't have a house of her own. She had no food in her kitchen. She was driving yet another sleek Rangeman car. She was currently in the off stage of her unhealthy off-and-on relationship with Morelli. And now thinking of Ranger not only made her hot and bothered, but also made her heart contract with longings and something much, much more powerful. And she knew that something was spelled beginning with "l".
Stephanie tried not to sigh. Yes, she loved Ranger. But she was afraid to tell him. He was always so rational and so calm. He had chosen to step aside and let another man become his daughter's father. For years he had been bleeding blood and money to help Stephanie out and keep her safe. Just because "It's the right thing to do, babe". And what if one day he decided it was the right thing to walk out of her life and move on without her? He'd read her mind that day and let her go back to Morelli. He'd known she'd needed to repair her relationship with Morelli. Could she survive without him? Could she accept his decision with grace and ease? Could she live with herself if she just stood there and watched him leave? Did she want to spend the rest of her life without him, her friend, her mentor, her Batman, her Man of Mystery?
"Stephanie? Are you alright?" Her mother's worried voice shook her out of her foreboding gloomy thoughts. "What happened? Are you feeling ill? Why are you crying? Is there something wrong?"
Stephanie raised her hand to her face, felt the wetness of her tears and widened her eyes. She had no idea she'd been crying silently. She looked into her mother's eyes and saw her worries and concern. "No, I'm fine." She wiped away her tears with a napkin and blew her nose. "Something must have gotten into my eyes." She finally said in a shaky voice. Her mother looked unconvinced. Grandma raised her brows but said not a word. "I've got to go."
She stood up and quickly left, pineapple upside down cake, leftover pot roast and mashed potatoes forgotten. She got in her car, started the engine, and drove away with no specific destination in mind. No. She was lying. She knew crystal clear where she wanted to go. She just didn't have the courage to admit it. She just wasn't brave enough to go after what she really wanted. She drove and drove and drove. She didn't really know what she was thinking. She could sense her fear, her worries, and uncertainty. She stopped the car and looked across the street. The family 7-floored building was right there. She sat behind the wheel watching. She knew he was inside his 5th-floor office. She always loved his serene penthouse apartment. She always loved his heavenly king size bed. She always loved his shower gel. She always loved his almost smile. She always loved his beautiful eyes. She always loved the smoothness of his skin. She always loved the touch of his soft perfect lips. She always...always loved him. Carpe Diem. Take the risk. Live your life. Grasp the chance. Seize the day. Life is too short and too precious to live in regret or dream away. Her cell phone rang. She fished it out of her messy bag. She didn't looked at the screen. She didn't need to.
"Babe," Ranger smiled.
She took a breath. She closed her eyes. She listened to her heartbeat. She felt her sad loneliness. "Will you marry me?" She timidly asked. She believed she still had 1 or 2 bullets somewhere in a drawer. She could always put an end to her misery should she have the courage. Yes, she knew what his answer would be. But she needed to ask. She needed to know. She couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Not any more...And his silence was killing her...
"Sure." He casually said.
"Huh?" She opened her eyes and, in sudden confusion, frowned. The weather was not too hot or too cold. The wind was not too strong or too light. And somehow she felt like she had just woken up in Alice's Wonderland. Everything was so unreal. Someone unlocked and opened the passenger door and got inside. She turned to look at him. Could she trust her ear? Did he mean what he said? Was this but a dream? Life was so complicated. She was so confused. He cupped her face in one large hand and kissed her on the lips. He smelled like heaven. His kiss was pure magic. He held her captive with his gaze and then raised his brow a tiny little fraction.
"Where's my ring?"
She gaped.
He laughed.
And 5 weeks later, they got married.
Chapter 13: Brave
Chapter Thirteen
Brave
She woke up around 8, took a quick shower, and went to her parents' to mooch a free breakfast. Business had been slow for the last couple weeks. She was low on money. She knew her mother always had some left over in the refrigerator, and maybe she could even take a huge chunk of cake home with her if she was lucky. Her mother and Grandma Mazur were talking and laughing about something when she let herself in. Stephanie sat down at the table, gobbled down several pancakes, and started really paying attention to the conversation. Someone's son was getting married. Someone's daughter had just given birth to yet another baby. Someone and her third husband went to Hawaii for honeymoon. Someone died last week and there would probably be an open casket viewing. Angie and Mary Alice were doing great in school. Hopefully Valerie wouldn't get pregnant again anytime soon. All of a sudden Stephanie lost her appetite and felt sad and lonely. She put down her half empty coffee mug and stared into nothing. She would be 35 this coming December. She didn't have a house of her own. She had no food in her kitchen. She was driving yet another sleek Rangeman car. She was currently in the off stage of her unhealthy off-and-on relationship with Morelli. And now thinking of Ranger not only made her hot and bothered, but also made her heart contract with longings and something much, much more powerful. And she knew that something was spelled beginning with "l".
Stephanie tried not to sigh. Yes, she loved Ranger. But she was afraid to tell him. He was always so rational and so calm. He had chosen to step aside and let another man become his daughter's father. For years he had been bleeding blood and money to help Stephanie out and keep her safe. Just because "It's the right thing to do, babe". And what if one day he decided it was the right thing to walk out of her life and move on without her? He'd read her mind that day and let her go back to Morelli. He'd known she'd needed to repair her relationship with Morelli. Could she survive without him? Could she accept his decision with grace and ease? Could she live with herself if she just stood there and watched him leave? Did she want to spend the rest of her life without him, her friend, her mentor, her Batman, her Man of Mystery?
"Stephanie? Are you alright?" Her mother's worried voice shook her out of her foreboding gloomy thoughts. "What happened? Are you feeling ill? Why are you crying? Is there something wrong?"
Stephanie raised her hand to her face, felt the wetness of her tears and widened her eyes. She had no idea she'd been crying silently. She looked into her mother's eyes and saw her worries and concern. "No, I'm fine." She wiped away her tears with a napkin and blew her nose. "Something must have gotten into my eyes." She finally said in a shaky voice. Her mother looked unconvinced. Grandma raised her brows but said not a word. "I've got to go."
She stood up and quickly left, pineapple upside down cake, leftover pot roast and mashed potatoes forgotten. She got in her car, started the engine, and drove away with no specific destination in mind. No. She was lying. She knew crystal clear where she wanted to go. She just didn't have the courage to admit it. She just wasn't brave enough to go after what she really wanted. She drove and drove and drove. She didn't really know what she was thinking. She could sense her fear, her worries, and uncertainty. She stopped the car and looked across the street. The family 7-floored building was right there. She sat behind the wheel watching. She knew he was inside his 5th-floor office. She always loved his serene penthouse apartment. She always loved his heavenly king size bed. She always loved his shower gel. She always loved his almost smile. She always loved his beautiful eyes. She always loved the smoothness of his skin. She always loved the touch of his soft perfect lips. She always...always loved him. Carpe Diem. Take the risk. Live your life. Grasp the chance. Seize the day. Life is too short and too precious to live in regret or dream away. Her cell phone rang. She fished it out of her messy bag. She didn't looked at the screen. She didn't need to.
"Babe," Ranger smiled.
She took a breath. She closed her eyes. She listened to her heartbeat. She felt her sad loneliness. "Will you marry me?" She timidly asked. She believed she still had 1 or 2 bullets somewhere in a drawer. She could always put an end to her misery should she have the courage. Yes, she knew what his answer would be. But she needed to ask. She needed to know. She couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Not any more...And his silence was killing her...
"Sure." He casually said.
"Huh?" She opened her eyes and, in sudden confusion, frowned. The weather was not too hot or too cold. The wind was not too strong or too light. And somehow she felt like she had just woken up in Alice's Wonderland. Everything was so unreal. Someone unlocked and opened the passenger door and got inside. She turned to look at him. Could she trust her ear? Did he mean what he said? Was this but a dream? Life was so complicated. She was so confused. He cupped her face in one large hand and kissed her on the lips. He smelled like heaven. His kiss was pure magic. He held her captive with his gaze and then raised his brow a tiny little fraction.
"Where's my ring?"
She gaped.
He laughed.
And 5 weeks later, they got married.
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