Disclaimer: JE owns them. I do not.
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Winter Wonderland
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Chapter 1
Ranger's POV
I was going through paperwork at my desk when Steph came waltzing in, all bundled up in a heavy coat, fuzzy hat, scarf, and gloves. Her eyes, nose, and mouth were the only visible skin on her entire body.
"Babe?"
"Carlos, can you take a break? It snowed a bunch earlier, so everything is covered in beautiful, clean white snow. It looks perfect out there! I want to go walking in a winter wonderland, which is what it looks like right now."
How in the world was I supposed to say no to my little Eskimo?
Putting my papers aside, I grabbed my gloves from the desk and stood. "Sure, Babe. Let me get my stuff on and then we can go."
I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her now much thicker waist.
"Carlos, I'm so big that you can barely hold me now," she whined.
"Babe, you're four months pregnant with our three girls. Of course you're going to be bigger than you normally are. You are far from being too big, though. You're still absolutely stunning."
I grabbed my coat and slid my arms into the sleeves before pulling on my hat and scarf. Then I took her arm and we walked out of my office together.
"Maybe if we're careful," I whispered into her ear, "we can escape without the boys seeing us."
We'd just made it to the elevator and the doors were closing when a hand and arm shot through the opening.
"Heyyy, Boss! Beautiful! Babies! You weren't going to leave without us, were you?" Lester poked his head in when the doors reopened. He sauntered in, bundled up in his own winter gear and followed by Tank and Bobby in same. "Time to play!"
I felt Steph squeeze my arm gently when I growled, "Tank, aren't you in charge right now?"
He laughed. "Hal is covering until I get back. He owes me a couple of hours since I covered for him last week when he wanted an extra long lunch to visit his girl."
"So much for our peaceful walk," Steph said quietly, looking ahead and sighing.
I didn't think she'd meant to say it out loud, and thankfully, the guys were joking around loudly enough that they didn't hear her. She would have been embarassed if she knew she'd said it aloud and would have been mortified if they'd heard. My Babe loved the guys, but her hormones were way out of whack because of the pregnancy.
We reached the garage level and stepped out of the elevator. I opened the gate, and the guys raced ahead onto the sidewalk in front of RangeMan. I put my arm around Steph, and we carefully stepped out into the snow.
"Holy Hostess, it's cold out here!" Steph gasped as the cold air hit her face.
We walked for a few blocks before turning back. The guys were still ahead of us, scooping up balls of snow and tossing them not only at each other, but into the air to see who could throw the highest, and just generally goofing off.
Tank jogged back to us. "Mind if I walk with Bomber for a bit?" he asked.
I looked at Steph and she nodded.
"Go ahead. I'll be fine with Tank," she said, smiling.
I leaned down and brushed my lips lightly across hers, bumped fists with Tank, and then turned and quietly jogged up to Santos and Brown. Before they could turn around and see me, I leaned down, grabbed two fistfulls of snow, and jammed them down the backs of their coats.
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Stephanie's POV
I laughed when I saw Les and Bobby jump high into the air. Ranger had surprised them, and you could almost see the determination in both their faces to get him back. I held onto Tank's arm as we walked, both of us making sure I wasn't going to fall on the slick sidewalk.
"Thank you for walking with me so Ranger could have a bit of fun up there," I said to him. "You guys don't get nearly enough time to relax—Ranger included."
"It's my pleasure, Steph. I wanted to talk to you for a minute anyway, so this works out well for all of us." Tank's face and tone turned serious. "I have a question for you."
"What's wrong, big guy?" I used my other hand to pat his arm, trying to soothe whatever was causing him concern.
"Nothing's wrong, really. I just wondered..." His voice trailed off, as if he was trying to think of how he wanted to say something. "One of the gifts I'm planning on giving Lula for Christmas is an engagement ring. I'm going to ask her to marry me. First, do you think she'll say yes? I'm scared she'll realize she doesn't want to put up with my lifestyle permanently and say no."
I couldn't help but laugh at the idea, and he looked at me with alarm.
"Tank, if you knew how much in love with you Lula is, you would know not to even think that way. She would follow you to the ends of the earth if it meant she could spend the rest of her life with you. I see her glance at the jewelry display every time we go to the mall, and I know she's looking at the engagement and wedding rings."
"You really think so?" He let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, my second question is... Would you be willing to go with me and help pick out a ring? You know her as well as I do, and I want to find the perfect one for my girl."
"I'd be honored," I said, smiling up at him.
Neither of us noticed the boys were waiting for us as we walked up close to the garage gate.
Ranger walked over to me and took my hand. "Thanks, guys. That was fun. We'll be inside in a minute," he said to them.
We watched as they opened the gate and headed inside.
The minute they turned the corner, Ranger had me pressed up against the side of the building, carefully shielding me from the camera and any traffic that might drive by. His lips came down on mine, one hand caressing my face and the other carefully rubbing my growing belly.
When he finally pulled back a bit so we could take a breath, he said, "You look so gorgeous, Babe. The cold's turned your cheeks a beautiful pink, and your eyes are sparkling. I want you so much that if I could, I'd take you right here, right now."
"What are you waiting for, Batman?" I asked. "Take me to seven now and make me fly!" I teased.
I laughed as he grabbed my hand and carefully, but quickly led me to the gate and inside, kissing me as he backed me into the elevator to head up to seven.