Stephanie's Birthday, Eight A. M.
In fifteen minutes, we have to be at the doctor's office to have Steph's stitches removed. I can't wait; she's been whining about the itching for two solid days now.
Once she's stitch-free, we're going to the beach. Well, to a beach house. October in Jersey is a little cool for the beach.
The house is mine. It's what she thinks of as the Bat Cave, but it's really more of a summer vacation home. Set into the face of a bluff/cliff, it's basically one large room. The bed is behind partitions, not real walls. The only room with a door is the bathroom. There's only one closet. The whole front is reinforced bulletproof glass, and it looks out over the ocean. The security system encompasses not only the house, but also perimeter of five hundred feet around the house, and the secluded private beach.
She'll love it. She's vaguely aware that it exists, but she's never seen it. I haven't been here since Scrog took Julie. I was there when the call came from Rachel. I hid there throughout the Ramos situation. It's a very private place, which is just what I want for today.
"Where are we going?" Her natural curiosity is always at the surface. It's rare that she bothers to control it. Mostly, she lets me know what she wants me to share.
"The beach."
She rolls her eyes at me. I can't see her face, but I know that's what she just did. "I know that. I want to know where at the beach."
I turn slightly and smile at her without taking my eyes off the road. "You'll see."
She grunts at me. "Why now?"
"Why now what?" I know what she means, but I love to tease her.
"Ugh. Why are you showing me this place now?"
"Special occasion, Babe."
"My birthday is a special occasion? It wasn't last year." She's both right and wrong about last year and her birthday.
"Yes, your birthday is a special occasion. It was last year, too, but things were different then. You were still living with Hector."
She snorts at me this time. She's got a sound for every occasion. And I do mean every occasion. "I was living with Hector because you made me."
True. "Yes, I did. But now you're living with me."
"Yeah." I hear the smile in her voice.
I pull up at a gate set into stone. I key in a code, press my finger to a print reader, and lean into a retina scanner. The gate unlocks and opens.
"Afraid someone's going to steal you?" She giggles.
"No. I'm afraid they're going to steal you." I'm only half kidding, but she giggles again anyway.
The driveway is paved and pulls right into a garage next to the house. The garage door opens precisely twenty seconds after the gate closes. I pull inside and turn off the engine. I grab two bags from the back seat and go to a security panel by a door set into the wall. I repeat the process from the gate. This is the only entrance to the house. While there is an additional exit, there's only one way in.
"Wow." She's stepped into the house and is looking out the front wall.
"Like it?"
"Love it." I knew she would.
She sits on the couch that faces the glass wall while I put away the food I packed. I place two duffle bags in the bedroom and go sit with her. As soon as my ass hits the leather, she crawls into my lap.
"Why don't you live here all the time?"
"It's too far away from work and you." That gets me a smile. "It's also a place I come when I need to escape. You can't escape and de-stress when everyone knows where you are and how to get a hold of you."
"Why haven't you been here lately?"
I kiss her, long and slow. "No need to escape anymore, Steph."
"Oh." She thinks for a minute. "What were you trying to escape?"
I groan. "I was trying to escape temptation."
"Why?"
"I was always tempted to pursue you."
"You were?" She knows damned well I was. Sometimes, I gave in and let myself apply some pressure in that direction. I always stopped before I gave in to that urge, though.
"You know I was."
She settles back against me, looking at the ocean. "Are you happy, Ranger?"
"More than I've ever been, Steph."
"Me, too."
I hug her. "Hungry yet?" She ate only three hours ago, but I know her stomach is probably empty again.
"A little." I start to get up, but she stops me. "No. I'd like to sit here with you longer."
I settle back into my seat. She's still curled in my lap with her head on my shoulder. My arms are around her. "That better?" I whisper.
"Perfect." She sighs. "Thank you, Ranger."
"Sitting with you in my lap is my pleasure, Babe. No need to thank me." I know that's not what she's talking about. I don't need her thanks, though. I'd rather be giving her mine.
""That's not what I meant."
"I know." I tilt her face up to mine. "Thank you, Steph. For all the same things." I kiss her gently on the lips. I feel her smile. "What?"
"Damned ESP." She giggles.
"Not ESP. Just a heart in tune with yours."
"Liar." Not this time.
"No." She lowers her face to my chest again. I squeeze her a little.
We watch the last rays of the sun kiss the water and fade away. "Now I'm hungry," she announces.
I laugh and go get her dinner. We eat at the small bistro table in the kitchen. After dinner, I bring out the cake Juan made for her. I light the candles and she blows them out, smiling.
"What did you wish for, Babe?"
"I'm not telling."
"Why not?"
"If I do, it won't come true." She's actually serious.
"Knew there'd be a good explanation." I smile at her and watch her cut the cake. I have a small piece. She has a huge piece with ice cream. I put the dirty dishes in the sink. "Come to bed with me?" I'm not asking her there to make love to her. Well, not yet. The idea of proposing to her out here in the main room makes me feel exposed.
She slips her hand into mine. "Sure." I lead the way, settling her on the bed before I go to get my bag.
She's looking at me, clearly confused. "Had to get your gifts, Stephanie." I never call her that. Always Babe or Steph. I can see the confusion increase. I pull out a few small, brightly wrapped packages. I lay them out on the bed in front of her. I've numbered them, so she opens them in the right order.
She opens the first package. It's a picture of the two of us. I don't know which of the guys took it. I know approximately when it was taken by the fact that I can see the grille and fender of her CRV. The wallet sized picture appeared on my desk one day. I had it copied in the same size for her. We're in front of Vinnie's, in our usual work clothes. She's looking up at me, hands on her hips, a smile on her face. I'm looking down at her with just a hint of a smile and my arms crossed over my chest. We're looking directly into each other's eyes. Somehow, the photo depicts a very intimate moment.
She looks up at me and smiles. "This is great. How did you get it?" I shrug. I can't honestly tell her all the details. I don't know them myself. That gets me an eye roll.
The second package contains three contracts: the standard RangeMan employment contract, hers, and Hector's. Now she's looking at me like I've lost my mind. "Look them over Babe." She looks them over, and I can see exactly when the differences hit her. The standard one is general, spelling out the terms of employment, physical requirements, training requirements, benefits, length of employment and partnership. Hers spells out, in detail, the fact that RangeMan cannot break her contract. It's a lifetime contract, but she is free to leave at any time without any repercussions. It specifically lists Hector as her partner. Her benefits are lifetime also – even if she leaves RangeMan. Hector's contract is almost identical to hers, listing her as his permanent partner.
"Why?"
"You'll see, Babe. Keep going."
The third box contains more legal papers. One is a living will, naming her as my healthcare proxy. There's a Power of Attorney. Another is my will, leaving her half of RangeMan (the other half goes to Tank), and everything else I own, with the exception of a trust fund for Julie. It also transfers my legal rights regarding Julie to her. I have made Steph the executor of my will.
She looks up at me, her eyes huge. "Is there something I should know about?" I see fear. Shit. She thinks I'm sick or something.
"No, Steph. I just want to show you how much you mean to me, and that I really meant what I said about forever." The fear leaves her eyes, but she's still a little wary.
The fourth box contains a credit card in her name. It's connected to my personal account, not RangeMan's corporate account. Her eyes look like saucers. "No limit on that card, Steph. And I pay the bill, so you can buy as many pairs of shoes as you want. You can buy out Victoria's Secret. Or, you can do both." That gets me a smile. Personally, I hope she buys out Victoria's Secret.
She looks at the remaining boxes. "Where's five?" she asks.
I take package five out of my pocket. The small box isn't wrapped. I open it and hold it out to her, with the opening facing me. She starts to reach for it when I speak. "Stephanie." Her hand freezes in midair. She looks at me. "Stephanie, marry me. When you're ready. When it's what you want. Next week, a month from now, ten years from now, fifty years from now. Whenever you want. Your choice."
"Oh…" She gasps. She takes the box and looks in at the ring. Her hands are trembling as she removes it from the box. "Marry you?" I nod. "Your love doesn't come with a ring…."
"It does if you want it to, Steph."
"You mean it?"
"Yes." Please let her say yes. The ring is gold, custom made. The band thickens to accommodate the diamond, which is set into it, so that there are no prongs or protrusions to get caught on anything. The ring is coated with the same substance as the dog tags we both wear, to keep the metal from making noise. "You can wear it on your chain, or on your hand. You can leave it in the box. Your choice, Babe."
Her eyes are filled with tears. Shit. My heart falls. She's going to turn me down. Her mouth opens. "We can get married when I want?"
"When you want." If we did it my way, I'd have married her while she was still living with Hector. However, I've learned the value of giving her choices and, by proxy, control.
She's still looking down at the ring, cupped in her hand. Slowly, she slides it onto her finger. She stares at her hand for a minute. She looks up at me. "I want to get married tomorrow."
The breath I hadn't realized I was holding escapes my lungs with a loud whoosh. I lean forward and kiss her. "Consider it done, Steph." I can hear the huskiness of raw emotion in my voice. I clear my throat. "Just tell me where and when. I'll make it happen."
The expression on her face tells me she's thinking. "I want to get married tomorrow night, at the party."
I feel my jaw drop. I'm surprised. I figured she'd want this kept quiet. Not to mention the fact that it's a surprise party. I must be losing my touch. "Party?"
The eye roll. "Puh-leeeeese. You invited my family. You invited most of Trenton PD. You invited people from The Burg. You invited my regular skips. You invited Lula, Connie, and Morelli. Did you really think someone wouldn't tell me?" She's smirking at me.
I laugh. I can't be mad. "Should I get Hector calling people to tell them there's a change of plans?"
She shakes her head. "No. This will be my surprise. I don't want to give my mother a chance to start planning."
I totally agree with her. I saw the dresses for Val's wedding. I suppress a shudder. "How do you want to do this?"
"I want a Justice of the Peace. I want it arranged quickly and quietly. Can your lawyer take care of the legal stuff and make the arrangements?"
I'm dialing my cell before she's finished speaking. When my lawyer answers, I tell him what I want. What she wants. He assures me everything will be ready to go no later than eight p. m. I hang up and relay his congratulations to Steph. "What would you like to do about rings, if anything?" Another choice for her. I'm not going to force her to wear any ring to prove that's she's mine. I know in my heart that she is, and that's all that truly matters.
A frown crosses her face. She looks at the ring newly slipped onto her finger. "Rings? You'd actually wear one?"
"Absolutely. I'd wear a ring for you."
"For me?"
I sigh. "Never wore one for Rachel."
She throws me a sidelong glance. "What if I don't want to wear a ring, but I want you to wear one?"
I manage to not grimace. Sometimes, giving her control and choices makes life uncomfortable. "Then I'll wear a ring and you won't."
"What if I don't want either of us to wear a ring?" I look at her sharply. Has she changed her mind about marrying me already? "A ring is traditional. We're not. I want a third tag." She's grinning at me, and I feel my heart melt. Only her.
"And what should the third tag say, Steph?" My voice is husky again.
"It should have our names and the date of our marriage."
"How do you want your name, Babe?" I'm hoping she'll be willing to change it from Plum to Manoso. If she's not, or if she wants it hyphenated, I'll deal with it.
She looks up at me from beneath her lashes. "Stephanie Michelle Manoso."
It's my turn to grin. "You want anything else on that tag, Babe?"
"No. I want it simple."
"I'll call George." Good thing I didn't order rings from him.
I call George and tell him what I want this time. He congratulates us. I invite him to the party and tell him to keep the wedding part silent.
Once again, I relay the congrats to Steph. "Gonna open the rest of those packages, Babe?"
She looks down at the remaining boxes. Box six is a picture frame with a larger copy of the wallet sized photo I gave her earlier.
Box seven is a revised RangeMan contract, with the name Stephanie Manoso.
Box eight contains revised wills and legal papers, naming her as my wife, Stephanie Manoso.
Box nine is a credit card in the name of Stephanie Manoso.
She starts laughing. "Were you that sure I'd say yes?"
I shake my head. "No. I just wanted you to know that nothing would change other than your name if you said yes. If you said no, nothing would change at all. I'd still love you, like I always have. A wedding won't make me want to change you. I fell in love with you, as you are. Not an image of what I wanted you to become."
Tears roll down her cheeks. This time, they don't upset me. This time, I know that those tears are happiness and relief. She throws her arms around me. "Thank you. I love you."
"Right back at you, Steph."
It takes me maybe three seconds to get her clothes off while I'm kissing her.
She never disappoints.
