So I wrote some oneshots of S&R married and with a son (Feliz Navidad and chapters 10, 11, & 13 of Babe Adventures- these don't have to be read before this one, except maybe ch 11 of Babe Adventures). I know I've got other stories out (and I'm working on updates), but I just couldn't shake off this idea.
Here's the deal: Julie is in her twenties and working at Rangeman. She's got a good relationship with S&R. All's going well for her until she finds herself in a love triangle of sorts. This is a Babe story and while Julie struggles to define her feelings, Stephanie revisits her past and how she finally made a decision between the two men in her life.
The title is from the song with the same name by The Script.
I'd like to know your thoughts:D
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.
The car rolled to a stop in our driveway after a long night out. Ranger cut the lights and we walked up the small path leading to the house in comfortable silence.
When Ranger closed and locked the front door I leaned against him to kick off my heels. "I'm going to go check on Eddie." I know he always likes to do a thorough sweep of the house before we call it a day and go to bed, so I gave him his space.
I moved up the stairs silently, not wanting to wake up my little boy. I walked past Eddie's bedroom since I knew he would be with his sister. Julie is great with Eddie. In their case the age gap works wonders for their relationship.
I poked my head in her bedroom and spotted Julie wide awake, laptop in front of her. I gave her a finger wave as I slipped inside. "How was he?"
"No trouble at all." Julie assured with a smile.
"Working this late?" I asked as I walked over to the bed, bending at the waist to give my son a kiss on the forehead. He's all smiles and energy during the day, rarely slowing down.
"Nah. Just chatting with an old friend." By the wicked smile on her face it must be a guy friend.
"You spending the night?" I scooped up my sleeping tornado, carefully cradling him to avoid sleepy fussing. Julie's always had a room in this house, but when she started working at Rangeman as our tech genius she decided to live there instead. She now calls the apartment on seven her place.
"Yeah." Julie looked at the time and after quickly typing something closed her laptop and stood. "Goodnight." She told me as we shared a quick hug.
"I'll let your father know." I took my precious cargo back to his bed before I myself got ready to call it a day.
I was standing in front of the vanity in our bedroom, removing jewelry when I sensed his presence. "Julie's spending the night." I informed over my shoulder. Ranger nodded in response.
"You were stunning tonight." The words were murmured at my ear while his arms wrapped around my middle. I met his gaze through the mirror, offering an appreciative smile.
"You're biased." I grinned, twining my fingers with his. Ranger left a trail of kisses down to my shoulder and back, making me lean against him.
"Babe." His seductive grin confirmed my suspicions. The night wasn't quite over yet.
S&R
After the weekend comes Monday, my busiest day of the week for some reason.
The alarm blared at a quarter to six and with a groan I shut it off. It used to be that only Ranger got up at the crack of dawn, but with a little boy that needs to be ready for school before I leave for work, well, I just don't have much of a choice.
I rolled out of bed and jumped into the shower. When I was just about done rinsing Ranger joined me. He still wakes up before I do, goes for a run and then returns to get ready for work. We shared a kiss as I stepped out, because if I stayed we would be late.
I dressed and took care of my hair and make-up while Ranger showered and got dressed.
I trotted downstairs to get breakfast started since Ranger volunteered to get our little one ready. Don't get me wrong. Marriage and family life haven't turned me into a MasterChef or anything. It's more like practice makes perfect.
Okay, fine. But my food is edible. It's all that counts right?
I was just serving plates when I heard the familiar sound of running footsteps upstairs. A moment later a blur of movement dashed into the kitchen.
"Mommy!" My five year old was already dressed, full of energy and ready to tackle the day.
"Good morning." I bent to accept his kiss.
"Daddy helped me get ready." Eddie pointed at his father as they took their places. Father and son shared a fist bump and a conspiratorial smile. Carlos Eduardo looks so much like his father, dark eyes and silky hair, but Ranger claims our little boy is more like me, all smiles and curiosity.
Breakfast was filled with chatter. After, Ranger and Julie headed straight to Rangerman while I drove my son to school.
I parked in front of the same elementary I went to as a child. It's in the Burg and though Ranger had some objections initially concerning security, in the end he conceded. Everyone knows Eddie is half Plum, half Manoso. For some that combination is enough warning. Ranger is known as a badass and although I'm no longer a bounty hunter, the reputation still lingers.
"Mom." Eddie whined when I walked him to the gate. "I'm big now." He gave me a pleading look before dashing towards his little friends. I suppressed a laugh. I'd done the same to my mother when I was growing up, although she didn't take it as gracefully.
I was about two blocks away from Rangeman when my phone started ringing. Some mornings are just too hectic. I answered on speaker with the customary greeting we at Rangeman use. "Yo."
"Morning, Beautiful." Lester gave me a warm greeting, nothing out of the ordinary, but his early call still made me suspicious.
"Spill it, Les." I said, pulling into the underground garage.
A deep, rich laugh was followed by a muffled 'okay, okay'. "Look, I'm not gonna be able to be in today." There was another muffled murmur. "I sorta missed my flight." He said he tried getting a hold of Tank and Ranger, but both have meetings all day.
"Right." He went on vacation last week and was supposed to be back today, but judging by all the secretive murmurs that's not going to happen.
By the time I got to my office I had already assigned Vince to take Lester's shift. It was a no brainer since Vince is getting married in a few months and has made it clear he's willing to take any extra shifts.
I'd just sat behind my desk when my phone rang again. Yup, it would be that kind of day. Rangeman has expanded. Ranger and the core team have a higher demand and I now have the job of office manager to help make things run smoothly. I like my job, but some days it can be a bit overwhelming.
My whole morning was spent on the phone with existing clients setting up appointments for their annual system upgrade and setting up pre-installation visits for potential new clients.
At noon I was getting ready to leave for lunch at my parents' when my desk phone rang again. I froze at the door, debating for a split second if I should just let it go to voicemail. With an annoyed groan I walked back to answer the call.
"Y-Hello, this is Stephanie speaking." I caught myself before I greeted with 'Yo'. I've been on the phone with clients all morning, so I thought a more welcoming greeting was called for. I listened for a beat before Ram came on the line, saying there was a man in the lobby looking for Julie.
"She's out with Justin doing upgrades. Should I tell this guy to come back?" Ram said the man looking for Julie introduced himself as Jackson Rivers.
The name sounded familiar. I think he's one of Julie's friends from Miami. "Send him to my office." I sent Julie a quick text to see where she was. Almost instantly she said she was a few blocks away. I replied with a 'come to my office when you get here' just as a young man entered my office.
"Hello." Jackson gave me a bright smile, extending his arm for me to shake his hand.
"Julie is already on her way." I shook his hand and introduced myself.
"Did you tell her I was here, Mrs. Manoso?" He gave me a grin. "It's sort of a surprise."
"I didn't." It was my turn to smile. "And call me Stephanie." No one calls me Mrs. Manoso at Rangeman, so it feels a little weird.
"Yeah, okay." Jackson was tall with an athletic build and based off of first impressions, my gut was telling me he was okay. He's lucky though, because if Ranger was here he would be grilling the boy to death.
"Steph-" Julie stopped shortly after crossing the doorway. Her face lit up when she spotted her visitor. "Jay!" It was an ear splitting shriek that ended in a fit of giggles. "What are you doing here!" She was practically vibrating with excitement.
"I was in town and thought I'd surprise you." Jackson flashed her a grin and wrapped his arms around her.
"We have so much to catch up on." Julie tugged him away, leaving behind a stunned Justin in my office. Justin and Julie are partners, together solving every and any tech difficulty for us. They are part of the new, younger generation at Rangeman.
Justin Canela is a green eyed Latino that I'm sure has a fan club, because he's got the looks and the brain. He's been extremely professional in his time with us and like most of the Merry Men he's really good at hiding his emotions. Until now, that is.
He must have realized he'd let his guard down, because he composed himself quickly. "Is there anything new on the list?"
Justin and Julie think they have everybody fooled, that nobody's noticed what's really going on between them or how they really feel about each other. But perhaps they're the ones that still haven't figured things out yet. Since it's not my place to point out what they're trying to deny to themselves, I gave him the rundown on last minute requests for the afternoon installations.
S&R
A long day at Rangeman and an active afternoon with my energetic little boy left me exhausted. I did my nightly routine before bed hastily, wanting to crawl into bed as soon as possible.
Ranger was in bed waiting for me by the time I exited the bathroom. He likes to sleep shirtless and I never get tired of the way our silky sheets contrast with his muscular abs.
"Babe?" He patted the empty space next to him, prompting me to join him.
"I didn't see you at all today." Even though our offices are joined, we don't always cross each other at Rangeman.
"They say distance makes the heart grow fonder." I rolled into him and erupted in a fit of very uncharacteristic giggles.
"Is that so?" I murmured against his lips.
Ranger nodded, claiming my lips in a toe-curling kiss. I melted against him when our kiss ended. "Want me to prove it to you?" He rolled us to be on top, ready to demonstrate a thing or two.