The last one sucked. I apologize. Thanks for all of the great reviews! Once again, I own nothing.
I was eating a pint of Hagen Daaz when Ranger sat down beside me and stole the spoon. He took a bite for himself and then began to feed me the delicious ice cream.
"You're ruining your temple," I said as he took a second bite.
"I'll burn it off tonight when we go to bed," he stated, practically purring.
"And what makes you think you'll be getting any tonight, Batman?" I asked him, hoping to make him feel defeated. Instead, being the Alpha Male he was, he just smiled and kissed my temple.
"You're so funny, Babe."
I shook my head as he placed the empty carton and spoon on the coffee table in front of us. I grinned. If Ranger wanted to be playful, I'd show him who was boss.
I quickly got on top of him, pinning his arms above his head on the couch. He chuckled, and in my mind, I knew he was positive there would be absolutely no way I'd win the fight. I was just about to begin the "torture" process when I was suddenly in the air and then back on the couch, this time underneath Ranger. He was smiling from ear to ear, looking down at me. My arms were pinned comfortably above my head.
"That's not fair! You're bigger than I am!" I said, trying to wriggle free from his grasp. He laughed and kissed my neck. "What're you going to do about it?"
"If you keep doing that, nothing," I said, laughing. We laughed so hard, Ranger and I had tears in our eyes.
It was times like this that made me want a child more than anything. A child was someone to share laughs and smiles and funny stories with. A child was also someone that would love you unconditionally and never judge you for who you were or had been. I wanted a child so I could watch them grow before my eyes. A baby so I could kiss it's boo-boo's all better and then turn around and watch them get married. I wanted to share the experience of raising children with Ranger. I wanted to watch us grow old together. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Batman. And I was going to walk through hell or high water to make things work.
Ranger and I were getting ready for bed that night when I finally asked him the question I'd been dreading for a very, very long time.
"Ranger," I said as I changed into my pajamas, "Are you still against marriage?"
I watched him drop his clothes onto the floor, with the exception of his silky black boxers. "Not anymore, Babe. I want to have a family with you and get married and grow old together."
"You're going to get old?!" I exclaimed sarcastically. I couldn't help myself from holding back the smile that had been at my lips.
"Very funny, Steph," Ranger said, a smile on his lips, as he tackled me onto the bed. We laughed, we kissed, and we made love until we fell asleep.
When I woke up the next morning, it was seven o'clock. I'd smelled the delicious aroma of coffee coming into Ranger's room from the kitchen and could no longer take the smell. I got out of bed and dragged myself into the kitchen to find Ranger leaning against the island holding two cups of coffee dressed in black dress slacks and a black dress shirt. I stopped dead in my tracks and my eyes scanned up and down his body.
"Babe," he said, chuckling as he handed me one of the cups of coffee.
"I like the outfit. Sexy Ranger is my favorite," I said as he pulled me into his arms, careful not to spill our coffee. I kissed his neck and I felt his, and my own, temperatures rising.
"You're playing with fire, Babe."
I smiled up at him and took a long drink of my coffee. "What're you doing today? Why are you all dressed up?"
"We are going to look at the house I bought with an interior designer so we can buy new furniture so we can have things ready before Julie gets here. That's why I'm dressed up. And that's also the reason why I lured you out of my bedroom with coffee at seven in the morning."
I thanked Ranger for being kind enough to wake me up so I had time to get ready and make myself look halfway decent. I took a shower and got ready while he attended business downstairs before we had to leave at 9:30.
I heard the door unlock just as I was stepping into a pair of black Manolo's Ranger had bought me for my birthday a couple of years back. I walked out in a gray pencil skirt that came down to mid-thigh and a black off-the-shoulders sweater. I had my outrageous curly brown hair semi-tamed and I added extra mascara to my make-up so I would look nice. Today felt special, and special occasions called for extra mascara.
"Babe, you look great. And you're wearing the shoes I got you." Ranger was smiling, obviously amused. I did a little twirl for him and kissed him deeply.
"I'm ready to go see our new house, Batman. I'm really excited."
"I hope you like it."
"I'm sure I will."
We walked down to the garage and slid into Ranger's Porsche Cayenne and we were on our way to meet with the interior designer.
After what seemed like an eternity, when in reality it was only about a fifteen minute drive, we were driving down a long, hidden driveway to what I hoped would finally be our house.
We pulled up to an iron gate and hidden behind the gate and a few trees was the most beautiful house I'd ever seen. I gasped and squeezed Ranger's hand, which had been on my lap intertwined with my own.
"Ranger, it's beautiful! You were right about it being so close to the private school. It's only about five minutes away from here, yet the house feels so secluded. Nobody's going to be able to find us out here, Batman," I said, laughing. He smiled and pulled the car to a stop and switched it into park and we got out. I kissed Ranger and we went inside to meet with the designer. This was a project Ranger and I were more than happy to tackle, and it was even more special because we were doing this together, as a couple.
"I love you, Ranger," I said as we walked through the door, hand in hand.
You'll have to wait until next time for more details on the house. Sorry. My creative juices have stopped flowing for the time being. Expect more probably tomorrow. R&R!
