After Mass, I went back to my parents' house for donuts. Grandma brought down her laptop and I was able to show them the house from the real estate website's virtual tour. My mother and grandmother made decorating suggestions, my father commented on the kitchen cabinet quality, and I started to feel a little buyer's remorse. I was terrified now to think that I was an almost-homeowner. I had put an offer down so quickly on it, I was beginning to worry that maybe I had been hasty. But I couldn't let that show in front of my mother, or I'd hear a massive told you so.

I stopped at the market on the way home to get a few necessities and when I walked into my apartment, I found Ranger sitting in the chair he had slept in the night before.

"You've been busy. This is the third time in less than two days you've broken in. That I know of, at any rate," I told him as I kicked the door shut behind me.

Ranger stood and took one of the bags of groceries from me and we carried them into the kitchen.

"This time I'm here to tell you that I've been called out of the country for the next few days. I should be back by Friday."

He was leaving town again after only being back two days. This was another issue with being in a relationship with Ranger. He was constantly being called away, either for his other offices or on contracted jobs for the government. I never knew what he did for those jobs. I assumed it was political assassination or inciting coups, but I never actually knew for sure.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I started putting groceries away.

"I'm doing security for a diplomat travelling abroad to a country with a high kidnapping rate." Smooth. He answered the question without actually answering it.

"I thought maybe you were going to kill someone."

"I haven't done assassinations in years, babe."

I couldn't be sure if was he joking or not.

"Were you actually supposed to tell me what you were going to do?" I asked, folding up the grocery bag and putting it in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.

Ranger had been leaning against the counter while I had been busy. He pushed away from it and walked over to me, putting his hand on my hip.

"No."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"I believe you reminded me earlier that you can be trusted with my secrets."

I gaped at him, not quite believing what I was hearing.

"You actually think I'm trustworthy with government secrets?"

Ranger gave me a small smile. "Yes, I do. I have to get going, but I do want you to know that I will go along with whatever call you make about us. But you also need to know that I'm not going to have any of that vague-about-the-terms, bullshit kind of relationship you had with Morelli. I am monogamous and completely faithful in a relationship, and I expect the same in return. But if you decide that we're just going to be friends, then I'll respect that boundary. I'll hate it, may try to change your mind, but I won't push it too hard."

He gave me a panty-melting kiss, which caused me to grab onto his t-shirt and pull myself closer to him. When we broke apart, I was left feeling a bit frustrated.

"See ya, babe," he said, heading towards the door.

I watched him walk away and suddenly remembered something. "Hey, I forgot to tell you that I'm buying a house."

Ranger turned around and smiled at me. "I know," he said as he opened the door. Know-it-all.

Lacy called me Monday evening to say that the inspection of the house had gone well and there were no major issues that the current owners would need to fix before they moved. We arranged to meet at four in the afternoon on Thursday at her office with the owners and their realtor. I needed to go to the bank and get a certified check for the total amount of the house to bring to the meeting.

Thursday afternoon arrived more quickly than I would have liked. My knee bounced as I sat at the meeting, sliding my check across the table and signing my name to a bunch of documents. The now-former owners surprised me by handing me the keys. They had moved into their new house on Wednesday, so my house was now empty and ready for me. I walked out of the meeting feeling chipper and ready for the next stage in my life. I'd managed to morph into a grown-up in less than a week.

I stopped in at the bond's office after I left Lacy's office. I held up the keys and jiggled them.

"Guess who's a homeowner?"

Connie and Lula squealed in excitement. "Girl, this calls for drinks," Lula said.

"How about this," I started, picking up a file waiting for me on Connie's desk. "You guys come over tonight, we'll make a pitcher of margaritas, and you can help me start packing."

Lula grunted. "The margaritas sound good, but I hate packing."

"I'm in," Connie said, pulling a pad of paper in front of her. "I'll bring everything we need."

We also agreed on Chinese food, and Connie and Lula said they would be over at five. I opened my file and found a couple of low-bond skips that I picked up all the time. Both were prostitutes, neither ever gave me any trouble, so I took a drive down Stark Street and picked up Luis Queen, then Shoshana Brown. They chatted about the troubles of moving their corners and informing their regulars as I drove them to the police station.

My next stop was a moving company office. I bought a bunch of boxes and arranged to rent a small moving truck for Saturday. On my way into the building with the boxes, I ran into Dillion and told him I was moving out over the weekend. He told me that he would miss me and all of the firebombs, but was happy for me. He said to let him know if I needed any help moving. No worries about thirty-day notices or security deposits in our building. Not that I'd ever had a chance of getting my deposit back.

I spent the afternoon getting the utilities turned on in my name at the house and arranging for my name to be removed from the apartment's utilities as of Saturday. I'd forgotten what a pain in the ass moving was, but I had no intentions of doing it again for a long time.

Lula and Connie showed up at half past five with margarita mix, glasses, a blender and our Chinese food. We started in the kitchen, since I did such little cooking, putting pots, pans and dishes in boxes and labeling them in black marker. By the third pitcher of margaritas, we had finished the kitchen and started in on my living room. I noticed the boxes Lula labeled had helpful descriptions such as shit from under the sink and stuff you don't use. By nine that evening, we were all fairly shit-faced and only had about half of my living room packed up. Connie and I crashed on my bed and left Lula to sleep on the couch where she'd passed out an hour earlier.

Friday morning at the bond's office was a drearier place than usual with three of its four employees hung over. I'd brought McDonald's fries and Cokes for all of us and was reviewing files of the people who failed to appear the day before while I ate. I had one violent guy who had cut off his neighbor's foot with an axe, one petty theft, one grand theft auto and two drunk and disorderly.

"I'm never drinkin' margaritas again," Lula said. She was lying down on the couch in the office, using her purse as an eye mask.

"I think we made them a little strong," I said, sipping my drink. "We used double the amount of alcohol we were supposed to on the last two batches."

"Not so loud," Connie's voice was muffled by the fact that she had her face buried on her desk under her arms. "I'm too old for this shit."

We all winced when the phone rang, the shrillness more piercing than usual. Connie referred the call to voicemail.

We were silent for a few more minutes before Lula spoke. "I can't do this anymore. I'm going home. I didn't sleep well on account of I was on Stephanie's couch. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Connie and I rolled our eyes. She'd slept like a rock, snoring loud enough to wake up my neighbor.

After Lula left, Connie and I finished our food and started to feel a little more human. I was doing some phone work on my FTAs and Connie was typing on her computer.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about Ranger?" Connie asked once I'd hung up the phone.

"I've been trying to be a grown-up first before I try to figure out the Ranger situation," I told her. "He told me that he'd respect whatever decision I made, even though he'd probably try to change my mind if I insist that we only be friends."

Connie made a frustrated noise. "Then it seems settled: go get 'em girl!"

I shook my head. "It's not that simple. He tells me he respects whatever decision I make, yet when I initially told him I wanted to be with him, he acted like he was trying to convince me not to be with him. He's spent the last few years boinking me in closets and his Turbo, but sending me back to Morelli in the end because he doesn't do relationships. He confuses me."

"You boinked in the Turbo?" Connie asked.

"Yes, but it wasn't easy. We had to have the door open, my ass kept hitting the horn, and it was over in thirty seconds."

"Thirty seconds with Ranger would be better than thirty minutes with any other man," Connie said, fanning herself. I had to agree with her.

I left the bond's office and went to check on one of my FTAs, Melissa Elliott. She had been arrested for stealing two hundred dollars from the cash register at a convenience store. She'd distracted the attendant by flashing a little boob, then knocking a display of lip balm onto the floor behind the counter when the cashier had the drawer open. She'd reached in, grabbed a handful of twenty-dollar bills and hit the road. I knocked on her front door, hoping she was home. She wasn't a big bond, but the little ones added up fast.

An older woman, probably in her seventies, answered the door.

"Hi, I'm looking for Melissa Elliott," I said kindly. I hated when I had to haul people in when their parents or kids were around. I looked like a bad guy.

The woman's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Melissa died last week from a heart attack. The stress of going to court for her charges was too much for her."

And now I felt like real crap. "I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am. I didn't know."

I left the Elliott house and made a note on the file to go up to the health department and get a copy of Melissa's death certificate so we could get our money back from the bond. I decided to swing by my new house while I was in the neighborhood. I pulled up in the back, but didn't pull into the garage. I unlocked the back door and looked around, making sure the owners didn't forget anything that wasn't part of the agreement to stay. Lacy had not only worked her magic in getting them to accept a lower offer, but they had left me the stove, refrigerator, built-in microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer, all of which were less than three years old. I walked upstairs and checked out the bedrooms and the bathroom. The room I was going to use had a tan, plush carpet and pale blue walls. I decided I was going to keep the colors, as they were relaxing and mature. The smaller room would function as a guest room/office/whatever room. I would get a desk and put my computer and printer in here, and maybe get a futon or pull-out couch for any guests. I walked back downstairs and noticed an extra set of house keys and the remotes for the garage lying on the kitchen counter, alongside an envelope. Inside the envelope was a business card for Caesar Garcia, the Rangeman employee who did security system installations. On the back of the card, Ranger had written Call him. I punched Caesar's number into my phone and he picked up on the second ring. He said he was in the neighborhood and would be there in five minutes.

I waited around the house, thinking about what all I needed to buy when Caesar showed up. He was dressed in Rangeman black and carrying an iPad.

"Hey," I said, meeting him at the door. I'd only seen him one other time, but remembered him. He was a little shorter than me and lean. Good for getting into small places to install cameras.

"Stephanie," he replied, shaking my hand. "Ranger said you are to get anything you want in your system, and I'll have it installed by the time you move in on Saturday. He said to consider it a housewarming gift."

"How did you know I'm moving in Saturday?" I asked.

Caesar shrugged. "I just know what Ranger told me."

I rolled my eyes. I was fairly certain I had no secrets from Ranger. I'd done background checks for him before and knew the extent of information that he could accumulate. He likely knew the balance of my bank account, my SAT scores and the brand of tampons I used, so knowing that I'd rented a moving truck for Saturday didn't seem too difficult.

Caesar and I did a walkthrough of the house, identifying vulnerable areas, discussing closed-circuit video and motion detectors. He also said they would be changing the locks on the front, back and garage doors, so he would have the keys to me by tomorrow morning. I left him the old keys and went back to the apartment to get more packing done. I ordered pizza and kept working through the evening so that by the time I was ready for bed, I had nearly all of the apartment packed into boxes. I also had two piles of stuff that I wasn't taking with me. One was a donation pile that I would give to the thrift store, and the other was a garbage pile that I would take down to the dumpster.

Standing in my living room, I looked around and thought about all of the memories I'd have when looking back on this place. When I first moved in, I was newly-divorced from Dickie and working at E.E. Martin. Within six months, I was unemployed. I had good memories of evenings with Morelli and Bob, the first time Ranger and I slept together, and the period of time when Grandma stayed with me. I also had some bad memories, such as the firebombs that had come through my window, the numerous times people had broken into my apartment and the time when Joyce used my place as a hideout while she was FTA. Then I had the horrible memories of finding Lula after Ramirez had hurt her, the people who had died or been found dead in my apartment, and the night when Julie and I were held hostage by Edward Scrog and Ranger had walked in and been shot. The memory of Ranger getting shot still gave me chills. The calm look on his face as he walked in, hands in the air, knowing what would happen had made me realize what lengths he would go to for people he cared about. It had also been the moment when I realized I was in love with him.

I walked over the spot where I'd been sitting when Ranger was shot and looked over to the place where he'd fallen, bleeding profusely as Julie tackled Scrog. I closed my eyes and recalled the emotions that had run through me in that moment. My bottom lip started to quiver as I opened my eyes. I knew what I needed to do; it was something I should have done long ago.

I picked up my cell phone and dialed Ranger's number. It went straight to his voicemail, so I left him a message.

"I need to tell you something: I'm in love with you. I have been for a long time, and I'm done letting you push me away. Get home safely, and come see me when you're ready."

I woke up at six the next morning to clear skies. Being up that early was a bitch, but a necessary one. I had a few more things to pack before I could pick up the moving truck. I had just picked up a coffee and cruller from Dunkin' Donuts when Caesar called me and asked me to meet him at the house to give me my new keys and show me how to use the alarm system. I'd chosen a six-digit number that I could remember, but that wasn't so obvious any moron with access to Google could figure it out. I chose the date that I first met Ranger, not knowing if he would remember it. I was tempted to ask Caesar if Ranger was back yet, since he had said he would be back yesterday, but decided against it. I didn't know Caesar well enough to know if he was in on the Stephanie-Ranger soap opera.

Lula and Connie had agreed to help me with my move. I picked up the rental truck at eleven that morning and had started loading some of the boxes by the time they arrived.

"I should've rethought my wardrobe," Lula said after the fifth time her boobs popped of out her tube top as we carried the dining room table out of the building and into the moving truck. I rolled my eyes as we situated the table in the truck, pushing boxes underneath it to help keep it from sliding around and opening up room for the couch.

Connie came out carrying the two chairs from my dining room table. I noticed she was barefoot.

"Don't start," she said when she saw me looking at her feet. Between her four-inch stilettos and Lula's purple-sequined tube top, I had the worst movers ever, but I wasn't going to complain. I appreciated the help nonetheless.

We got down out of the truck and were heading back to the door when a black Escalade pulled into the parking lot and parked in a spot on the other side of the truck. I knew it was a Rangeman vehicle and felt my pulse pick up, waiting to see if it was Ranger.

A minute later, Hal got out of the driver's seat and Ranger appeared from around the passenger side. I smiled and waved.

"Is Rangeman getting into the moving business?" I asked hopefully.

Ranger smirked. "We're mercenaries, babe. We'll do anything for the right price."

"Does the honor of spending time in the company of three of Trenton's most attractive bachelorettes pay the price for some help moving furniture?"

Hal and Ranger exchanged looks, probably thinking I was full of shit. "Okay, maybe not the most attractive, but the most desperate. Connie's had to resort to being barefoot, and I've seen more of Lula's boobs than I ever cared to see," I told them, getting a smile out of them both.

"Hunh, your ass," Lula said. "I've got nice titties. Hal won't mind seeing them, will you?"

Poor Hal flushed red and headed inside the building. Lula and Connie followed, leaving me and Ranger standing outside.

"I thought you were supposed to be back yesterday," I said, indicating that I was headed back inside. Ranger's expression was unreadable as he walked towards me. "I called you, but it went straight to voicemail."

"Our flight was delayed by a tropical storm in the Caribbean," he told me, guiding me towards the stairwell. He opened the door and I walked inside. I was half way up the first set of stairs when Ranger grabbed my arm and spun me around. He came up level to me, pushed me against the wall and kissed me. It was a warm kiss with lots of tongue, and he had one hand on the back of my neck and the other on my ass, pulling me into him.

"I got your message after I got off the plane in Newark," he told me after we broke apart. "I'm looking forward to continuing that conversation later."

The sound of the door on the second floor banging open caught our attention. I looked up to see Lula looking over the railing at us.

"Hal needs Ranger's help with the couch, on account of my titties keep falling out of my shirt when I try to pick it up and poor Hal can't handle it. You can grope each other on your own time. I got better things to do than be moving furniture today."

Ranger smiled and shook his head. He grabbed my hand and we headed up to the second floor. Within half an hour, Hal and Ranger had the big furniture loaded onto the truck and Connie, Lula and I had gotten the last of the boxes shoved inside and the door closed. Connie and Lula were headed home, since I had Ranger and Hal to help with the big furniture. Hal would drive the moving truck over to my house and I would ride in the SUV with Ranger, since I'd left my car in the moving company's parking lot.

I went back up to the apartment for my purse, Rex's cage and to leave the keys on the counter for Dillion. I did one last check around the apartment to make sure nothing was left in the shower, closet or kitchen cabinets. I grabbed Rex, put the keys on the kitchen counter for Dillion, along with a note of thanks for his help over the years and telling him there was six-pack of beer in the fridge for him, put my purse on my shoulder and headed out the door. I said goodbye to Mrs. Besler, who was playing elevator operator and went out to the SUV. I climbed in the front next to Ranger and we drove off towards my house. The drive from my apartment to my new house was only five minutes, in which time we didn't speak. The conversation we needed to have would take more than five minutes, and there was no point in starting it when we wouldn't be alone for long.

Hal was waiting in front of the house when we arrived. I gave Ranger my keys and he unlocked the door. My new alarm system started beeping, indicating that I needed to punch in the security code. Ranger flipped open the panel on the keypad and punched in the code, quieting the alarm.

"A date that will live in infamy, babe," he said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Agreed," I told him as I walked through the living room and into the kitchen, putting Rex down on the counter. Apparently Ranger did remember the exact date we first met. It made me feel warm inside.

"This is our new home, buddy," I told Rex. "I hope you like it."

Rex stood on his back legs, sniffed the air then went back into his soup can. The novelty had worn off already.

Hal and Ranger got my bedroom furniture upstairs and my living room furniture into the living area in less than an hour while I brought in the boxes and sorted them according to room. We finished our tasks about the same time, so I decided to return the truck before the office closed for the day.

"I need to go back to the office and do some work," Ranger said as I was shutting the door. "I'll be back over this evening."

"Okay. Thanks for helping me move," I said, waving to Hal, who was getting in the driver's seat of the SUV. He smiled and waved back. Ranger put a hand on my back, pulled me into a quick kiss and went to get in the car with Hal. I climbed in the truck and drove off, wanting to get back and get unpacked as quickly as possible, since my evening was likely to be filled with other activities.