I decided to leave this chapter the length it is - instead of cutting it in half - because it's been so long since I last updated Changes, I sort of felt like it was owed to those who have been waiting for it. All characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine. Warnings for a little smut.
Chapter 25
When Ranger and I landed back in the states, Ranger drove the Turbo that had been waiting in Miami for us out to our house here. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the place - even mostly unfurnished - felt a lot like the island we just left.
"You've been smiling ever since we woke up this morning, Babe," Ranger said to me, as I stood just inside the door and stared into the house that is all ours now."Is there something wrong?"
"Jeez, Ranger. I know you're not exactly a people person, but usually smiling is considered a good sign."
"Maybe. But a non-stop, ear-to-ear, teeth-show-er, like the one you've been sporting, I've seen on men two seconds before they opened fire on an unarmed crowd."
"I can't believe I married you," I told Ranger, rolling my eyes at him.
"I know. You probably can't believe your good fortune."
The hand I'd raised to playfully smack Ranger's arm, was immediately covered by his much larger one and used to pull me off balance and into the strong arms I'd woken up surrounded by. My free hand went to Ranger's waist and I let him convince me without words that I should be thinking of myself as extremely lucky to be married to him.
The buzzing coming from Ranger's pocket, while pleasant, was a little annoying because it took Ranger's attention temporarily away from me.
"Can't we ignore the phone even though we're here?" I asked.
"And if it's Julie?" Ranger asked me.
"Then you'd better answer it before I do."
It wasn't Julie. It was just Tank checking in. The next call was Julie. Despite my whining, I really didn't mind the interruption. I got to tease Tank for a few seconds about the tacky souvenir I brought back for him, and also learned that there have been no injuries to anyone while we've been gone. And then I got myself a dinner date with both Ranger and Julie for tonight. Shit. I hope I have something left to wear or I'll have to make a fast run to the store.
Even though this is still technically our honeymoon, Ranger and I have a lot to do while we're in town. We need to now furnish the place so our stay - and every one after - is comfortable. So we'll be spending a good chunk of our time shopping for furniture for most of the rooms ... except for the master bedroom. Ranger made sure we decided on a bed, and had at least one dresser in our bedroom, set up for us so we'd have a place to sleep and do whatever else we wanted to do in here. I was more worried about the bedroom than the kitchen. I didn't mind eating at Rangeman or in a restaurant for the entire week.
"No, Babe."
"What?"
"Every room will be livable before we leave," Ranger told me.
"So we really should get started before we pick up Julie. We need to have a couch and a table in the kitchen so the kid can sit down somewhere."
"We can make a plan and then start first thing in the morning. Julie likes take out almost as much as you, so she'll be okay grabbing food out tonight."
"If you want to wait until tomorrow to hit the stores or the computer, what should we do until we get Julie?"
"It's our honeymoon, Babe. What do you think we should be doing?"
"I'm thinking of you here, Ranger. I don't want to completely wear you out."
"I'm good for another round," he told me, moving close and touching the tip of his tongue to the pulse point in my neck.
"Are you kidding? Or being serious? We've been out of the country for a week, are now in a different city, and have a shitload of things to do, and you want to christen the bedroom?"
"Steph, I don't want there to be a day when something else is more important than making love to you."
"That's the jet lag talking," I told Ranger.
"No, that's me talking. We slept on the flight here. Are you tired?"
"Not especially."
"You still want me?"
"Always," I said to him.
"You want to go poke your nose in at Rangeman, don't you?"
"It may have crossed my mind."
"You'll owe me."
"I haven't finished paying you back for everything up until now, but I'll put it at the top of the list." I paused, rethinking our plans as a thought occurred to me."But maybe that's not such a good idea. What if there's a problem and they ask you to solve it while you're there? I'm not ready to lose you to work."
"You won't lose me to anything, Babe."
I kissed Ranger for that because ... seriously ... how could I not?
"That makes me feel better, but I'm not chancing it. What do you say we get some food, maybe a bottle of wine, and start the furniture search online? Our bed is comfy and we can be in it and accomplish something at the same time."
"At least I'll get you on a bed this way," Ranger told me.
"I think I married a sex addict."
"And you can't do anything about it now."
"I'm pretty sure I don't want to."
"Pretty sure?"Ranger asked.
"Okay ... completely sure."
Ranger got out his keys and we took off in search of some food to tide us over until we have a better idea of what we'll need in the house. When we got back, I fixed a disposable platter of fruit, different cheeses, crackers, and artisan bread slices, while Ranger poured me a glass of wine. We took that and Ranger's electronics to the bedroom. I stretched out next to Ranger - who was sitting with his back flat to the headboard - put the platter down next to me, and fed Ranger a few bites of whatever I picked up while pointing to what I liked when Ranger brought up different sites.
Turns out being domestic isn't all that hard if you don't have to do anything beyond point and click. By the time Ranger and I left to get Julie, we had a living room set promised to arrive within two days, a table for the breakfast nook in the kitchen, and our first piece of patio furniture due tomorrow. I have a feeling half our time here will be spent overseeing furniture deliveries. That's fine with me. I really like shopping when it comes to shoes, bags, and clothes, but I prefer being cuddled up next to Ranger when it came to looking at house stuff.
I'm hoping to use Julie's mall smarts when we go to get the simple stuff like dishes and towels. I took another slow walk around the place, making a list of what we will need before we left the house, and I realized that I love this house just as much as I had the first time I stepped foot inside it.
And even someone who doesn't cook at all could see that the kitchen is beautiful. Ranger and I had agreed to leave it an off-white color, only offset by the stone on the counters and floor, and the bright greens and blues coming from the windows over the sink and at the end of the room where the breakfast nook was surrounded by more windows and a glass door that opened up to the patio, yard, and bay.
Both Ranger and I liked the idea of leaving the walls throughout the house mostly white and letting the furniture and stuff we hung up add color to the rooms. I knew nothing about decorating, but I knew I wanted to keep the beachy, casual feel of the place.
Ranger and I picked up Julie and we all hit the stores. Julie and I put Ranger's muscles and stamina to the test by making him carry all the bags we unloaded onto him, but at least we won't have to ration what we do have now, or eat with plastic utensils anymore, so I don't think Ranger minded.
Since our visit to Desroches Island, I've gotten spoiled and used to eating outside, so Julie and I voted two to one to get take out and go back to the house and have dinner by the pool. I saw the flaw in that plan right away when Julie decided she'd rather swim first and eat later.
The only thing on the property that was all set to use right away, aside from our bed, was the pool. And Julie was very happy to point that out. So we ended up swimming in our new, beautiful pool that butted right up to the bay, watching boats pass by as Ranger and Julie swam laps while I just stayed the heck out of their way. This is another one of those moments that made me stop when I came to the stairs leading into the pool and sit down on one so I could fully appreciate it. I've been having quite a few of these quiet moments lately.
Julie was laughing as Ranger cupped his hands and shot a stream of water at her. And Ranger was grinning slightly after nailing her full-on in the face with it. I rested my elbows on the step above the one I was sitting on, and closed my eyes, trying to picture this as our everyday life. It was a different version of being married with a kid than I'd ever pictured, but one I thought could work for us.
I was jolted out of my thoughts when I was hit with a face full of water courtesy of Julie. She was hiding behind Ranger's big body by the time I had my eyes completely open so I couldn't retaliate. Smart kid, because retaliating is exactly what I was going to do once I figured out how.
"You couldn't have shown Julie something that wouldn't backfire on us?" I asked Ranger.
"One of the first rules of parenthood, Babe, is to never let down your guard when a child is present. You'll be learning all this in the field so consider this your first lesson."
"But I'm not a parent here," I said."Julie has parents. I'm the fun one who gets to spoil her rotten."
"You think so, Steph, but it doesn't work that way."
"It could," Julie told Ranger."Steph can be my sort of step-mom, plus someone cool to hang out with."
"See?" I said to Ranger.
Ranger went to comment on that, but I thought I should add something for both Ranger and Julie's sake.
"But I will go along with and enforce whatever rules Rachel, Ron, and you, have in place."
"Awww," Julie said, frowning at me from around Ranger's arm.
"That'll teach you to splash someone with water," I told her.
And just like a child of Ranger's would do, Julie did the water thing again. It is sooo on now. I pushed off the stairs and headed straight for her. This is where Ranger being bigger and stronger worked against me. He picked me up in his arms and gave me a light toss in the opposite direction of Julie. I was all set to bitch about that as soon as I got my now sopping wet hair out of my face, but he'd grabbed Julie by then and subjected her to the same treatment. Julie wasn't pissed, though, even asked Ranger to do it again. And Ranger wasn't looking all that neutral when he went along with Julie's request.
My chest actually hurt from trying to contain my emotions. This is why I couldn't figure out my mother. I'm not jealous at all of how close Julie is with her parents, or anyone else who loves her. I want Ranger and Julie to have as good a relationship as they can possibly have. And I have no desire to do anything except support whatever Julie decides to do in life. I suppose it is different when you're marrying into a family dynamic instead of giving birth to it, but I couldn't see ever arguing with Julie like me and my mom do. And I definitely can't picture Julie and Rachel giving ultimatums to each other.
Later that evening after we'd dropped Julie off, Ranger and I were standing on the patio behind the house, looking out over Biscayne Bay and watching the storm clouds roll in. I jumped at the first clap of thunder.
"Scared, Babe?"
"No. It just surprised me a little," I said, as the sky got a little darker and the rain began.
The air had cooled slightly, making goosebumps raise along my arms. Ranger saw this and rubbed his warm hands up and down them. I shivered in appreciation. On their next pass, Ranger didn't stop at my exposed shoulders. His hands moved over them and up my neck to gently cup my face. Ranger's head lowered slowly to mine and my mouth welcomed his against it as another loud crack of thunder sounded over our heads.
There is something incredibly sexy about being kissed by a man who loves you, out in the open, with the added charge in the air due to atmospheric changes. Mine and Ranger's lips and tongues were stroking each other's, and our skin was now warming from what we were doing with our bodies at the same time we were being pelted with cold rain drops that were occasionally blown sideways under the roof of the patio.
"You want to go inside, Babe?" Ranger asked, just as a huge bolt of lightning lit up the sky over the water.
"No. Can't we stay out here?"
"You're going to be quiet?" He asked me.
"I can try."
"But I don't want you quiet, Babe. I like hearing exactly how I make you feel."
"You should be used to every moan, breath catch, and contented sigh, I make now."
"I may be able to pick up on them, Steph, but I never get tired of hearing them."
"I think I've got some more in me if you're interested."
"I'm very interested, Babe. I just don't want you embarrassed by what we do together. We can take this inside."
"I'm not embarrassed at all," I told Ranger."I'm not saying we should do it in the middle of Main Street, but our backyard - where no one can see us - I don't see a problem with."
Ranger must have agreed, because he pulled me to him and kissed me again, moving us to one of the collapsible chairs we'd bought while we'd been out so we could sit somewhere while we waited for the furniture to arrive.
Ranger was already working his hands up the back of the short sundress I'd put on after we had dried off and changed out of our swimsuits.
"Umm ... is this going to be strong enough to support whatever you're thinking of doing?" I asked Ranger.
"If it isn't, we've always got the pool or the wall behind us."
My dress was no match for Ranger's hands. He had the material part of the skirt bunched up in both and my underwear removed before he even sat down in the chair. After I quickly unbuckled and unbuttoned Ranger's pants, with my hands on his shoulders and my tiptoes touching the patio stone on either side of Ranger's legs, I helped Ranger set a pace that would quickly get us both where we wanted to be. Then I fused my mouth to his collarbone so my whimpers or moans couldn't get out of hand.
Ranger kept his hands - and the fabric of my dress - at my hips and brought me down onto every thrust his own hips made upwards. A loud rumble of thunder rang out right over the house, and my whole body contracted at the closeness of it. The extra interior/exterior, full-body squeeze was enough to help Ranger's release which triggered mine. My body felt like liquid as I collapsed against Ranger while our breathing became more normal.
Ranger and I stayed together until the storm passed. I knew the sunny weather wouldn't last for our entire honeymoon, but I now see rain a little differently. It could storm for our remaining days here, and I'd be totally okay with it. Ranger smoothed his hands down my back and grabbed my thighs as he stood, then set me down. He zipped up his pants, but Ranger didn't bother buttoning them. That was promising.
"You're getting cold, Babe. You need a hot shower and a warm bed."
"Will there be a warm body in both with me?" I asked Ranger.
"There's not a lock out there that could keep me out of either, Steph," Ranger warned/threatened.
Good thing there isn't a place I would want to keep Ranger out of. Even the dampness I could feel where my underwear used to be isn't something I'd complain about.
After a cup of coffee sipped on the patio the following morning, in the same chair we'd abused the night before, Ranger and I left the house, heading towards Rangeman. I thoroughly eyeballed every house we passed. Some were hidden behind four-foot tall stone walls and wrought iron gates, the curbs in front, landscaped with flowering trees and bright-colored perennials.
And like the exterior of ours, they were all white or a neutral taupey color with terracotta-tiled roofs. The other houses on the island also had trees and flowers, but you could see the sunlight streaming through the branches and palm fronds onto the good-sized lawns that led to their front doors not hidden behind gates.
The neighborhood and people so far seemed quiet and reserved, but that didn't faze me. I win both ways. Either I get to have Ranger all to myself when we're here, or I'll have a new hobby ... making everyone on the island love us. I'm sure it's possible if I have enough time to devote to it.
Ranger pulled up to the Rangeman gate and parked in the spot where his Porsche hangs out when he's not in Miami to use it. It was nice to enter a Rangeman building again after being gone from one for over a week, even if it isn't my Rangeman building. The guys here in Miami are almost as fun as the ones back home in Trenton. When Ranger and I stepped through the lobby door, it was like it hasn't been months since we visited last.
There were still a few Sirs for Ranger, but at least the men didn't look ready to pass out if Ranger's eyes stayed on them a beat longer than it took to greet them.
"Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Manoso," Silvio said, when we reached the floor Ranger's office is on.
"Thanks, Silvio," I told him."Ranger and I actually did it."
"We did, Babe."
"And you're wasting honeymoon time by coming here?" Silvio asked.
"You know me ... I can't stay out of Ranger's business or businesses in this case."
"It'd be cool if you did visit more often," Tomas told me."I think this place would be fun with you around. You'd keep us on our toes."
"What? There's not enough excitement in Miami without me?"
"Not the right kind," he said.
"You heard him, Ranger, we have to come to Miami more than a couple of times a year."
"How often are you thinking, Babe?"
"How many months of winter do we suffer through?" I asked Ranger.
"Too many," he said.
"I'm taking that to mean you're not opposed to wintering down here?" I said to Ranger.
"Maybe not for months at a time, but we can fly down here whenever your swearing at the snow and slush starts to escalate and scare Hal."
"I'll be much calmer this year since my car is better and it'll be parked in a garage so I won't have to chip ice off it."
I snapped my mouth shut when I realized I had just handed my excuse to escape Trenton conveniently back to Ranger.
"Forget what I just said," I told Ranger, quickly."I'm sure this winter will be hell, and we should buy plane tickets now to beat the rush."
Ranger's lips kicked up into a small grin before he dipped his head and kissed my temple.
"Where's Marco?" Ranger asked Tomas.
"He's in a meeting," Tomas told Ranger,"but he said to tell you he'll be done shortly if you want to speak to him."
"Have him meet me in my office when he's through," Ranger told him.
"Yes, Sir."
I rolled my eyes, but didn't bust Tomas' balls this time.
"What will we do while we wait for Marco?" I asked Ranger."I don't have a cubby here to doodle in."
"There's a gym ..."
"No. We did that beach marathon early this morning," I told him."Since this is a vacation, I shouldn't be required to do more until I'm back at work and you remind me that it's part of the job."
"You only ran two and a half miles, Steph."
"Exactly. That's enough for one day. Plus, we have a pool now. Swimming is supposed to be really good exercise if I get ambitious enough to swim around it like you and Julie do."
"You've had that excuse in the back of your mind ever since you saw the backyard, didn't you?" Ranger asked me.
"Yup."
"You can keep me company while I check messages," Ranger told me.
I could do that. I do love the view from Ranger's office.
"Sure ... dibs on your chair."
"Forget it, Babe. You can have everything else, but my chair is mine. I will share it with you if you ask nice."
"Or I'll just get there first so you can remove me," I told Ranger.
"Sounds like a plan," Ranger said back."I'll even give you a head start."
Besides the fact that Ranger's office remained locked when he's not in it so I couldn't have beat him to his desk, I used up my 'head start' by pressing a kiss to his lips. We ended up reaching his office at the same time. I went right to the windows in Ranger's office while he sat behind his desk. I didn't protest. I kind of like sitting, laying, or stretching out, on Ranger if the opportunity presented itself.
The beach outside the Rangeman building hadn't changed much since I was looking at it through these windows back when I was still engaged. And it was just as peaceful as I remember. I'd been joking at the time, but now that I think about it, maybe spending more time down here would be good for both of us. We'd have our friends and a sense of normalcy in Trenton and peace and quiet down here.
I watched Ranger as he listened to messages and read reports. He didn't appear any different here in this office than the one at home. So maybe I was only considering the possible change in me. Ranger didn't seem stressed, frustrated, or put out. He did what he needed to without any muss or fuss.
When Marco knocked on the door, I'd just gotten comfortable on Ranger and was reading one of the files that had been on Ranger's desk.
"I can come back if you're busy," Marco said.
"It's okay, Marco," I told him and Ranger."I'll just go hunt down Gabe and Pat. I can bug them while you talk to Marco."
"You're sure?" Ranger asked.
"Yeah. It would be impolite not to say hello to them while I'm here."
"And you're nothing if not polite," Ranger said to me.
"My mother did instill good manners in me if nothing else."
"I saw Pat heading into the kitchen," Marco said to me.
"Thanks," I told him."I'll be prowling around the control room if you need me."
"Should I warn the men?" Ranger asked me.
"No. If your company is the one who trained them, they should be able to handle me."
"No one can handle you, Babe."
"Only you," I told Ranger, and slid to my feet."I'll be back."
I smiled at Curtis as I passed him in the hall. He started to say something, but I interrupted him.
"It's Stephanie," I told him."Not Ma'am or Mrs. Manoso, okay?"
He paused."How did you know what I was going to say?" Curtis asked.
"Just a feeling I had. Anything fun going on?"
"Same 'ol, same 'ol."
"I figured getting information out of you guys would be hard," I said.
"It's not intentional. We're just used to keeping our eyes open and our mouths shut."
Yeah ... I really have to visit this place and these men more. It probably wouldn't take me long to fix that.
"Don't worry," I told Curtis,"I'm used to it. I'm surrounded by men who take the 'loose lips, sink ships' thing seriously, but talking to me will get easier, I promise. I'm known for wearing down everything and everyone eventually."
I watched Curtis swallow nervously and then patted his arm reassuringly.
"It won't hurt a bit, either," I said, and continued by him to bother some more of the men.
Pat was getting a cup of coffee and a large, fiber and fruit-filled, muffin when I walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, Pat," I said to his back."Remember me?"
He turned, a smile on his face."You're hard to forget. You certainly make an impression."
"So I've been told," I said.
"I hear congrats are in order," Pat told me.
"Yep. I'm officially an old married woman now."
Pat laughed."Hardly old. I would expand on that, but I like living, and Mr. Manoso wouldn't let me if I did."
"Wouldn't let you do what?" A man I haven't met asked from behind us.
"Mr. Manoso wouldn't let me continue breathing if I complimented his wife too enthusiastically," Pat told whoever this guy is.
My raised eyebrows got Pat introducing us.
"Stephanie Manoso ... meet Emilio Macholl."
Emilio? I had to wrack my brain for a minute before I remembered where I've heard that name. Emilio is the partner of the guy Ranger came down here to fire when he asked me to come to Miami with him.
"Mrs. Manoso, it's a pleasure," Emilio said to me.
"It won't be a pleasure for me if you all keep calling me something other than Stephanie or Steph."
"Sorry ... it's a habit," Pat told me.
"Well, break it. Ranger may insist on the formality, but I don't."
"Gotcha," Emilio said."I'll try to remember that, but if the boss is around, I may revert back to Mrs. Manoso. It seems healthier for me that way."
"Fair enough. So how's life?"
"Life's good," Pat told me."It's hard to complain about living here ... or working for Rangeman."
I grimaced at the overly polite answer."Jeez, Pat. I'm not working undercover for my husband today. You can say what you really feel."
"I did. Miami is full of sunshine, hot women, and good food. And this job pays well, has great benefits, and isn't boring. I have a steady nine-to-five job without it feeling like one."
"Hmm, I can see that," I said to them."It can be exciting if you're not stuck behind a monitor or desk."
"Today I'm free from both," Pat told me."So it's a good day."
"Same here," Emilio added."I'm heading out. I'm just waiting on Gabe to get his ass here. 'Scuse the language."
"I was hoping to see Gabe while I was in town."
"He'd be pissed if he missed you," Pat said.
"Ranger and I will be in Miami for the rest of the week, so I'm sure I'll run into everyone at some point, but I don't want to tempt fate by hanging out here too much. I did have to snoop around at least once, though."
"We're glad you did," Pat told me.
Emilio was on his feet as soon as Gabe stuck his head in the door."You ready to roll?" He asked Emilio, before noticing me."Well ... if it isn't Mrs. Manoso."
"Hey, Gabe. I just dropped in for a quick visit, and to see what kind of trouble I can get into while Ranger is talking shop."
"I'd like to stick around and see what you decide on," Gabe told me,"but we're scheduled for a patrol."
"Be careful," I said to them, automatically worried about them as much as my guys back home.
"We do what we can," Gabe told me.
"I guess that's better than nothing."
"We're trained to deal with just about anything, Stephanie," Emilio said."And we don't screw around when we're out there. That's why I didn't think twice about turning in a man who'd been my partner for almost a year. He wasn't just fucking ... pardon the language ... up his life and career, but jeopardizing everyone else's, too."
I reached out and squeezed Emilio's forearm."You did the right thing."
"I know I did. That doesn't make me sleep better at night, though, but I wouldn't have been able to face Mr. Manoso or anyone here if somebody had been injured because I'd kept my mouth shut when I saw what was going on with Swanson."
"You're a good man, Emilio," I told him."And a smart one, because if Ranger had been hurt due to this Swanson guy, and I found out you could have prevented it, I would have been the first person after you. Ranger would've been the least of your worries."
He aimed a grin at me."I'll take it as a blessing that you weren't involved."
"You should. I'm hell on anyone who messes with people I care about."
"We should all be so lucky," Gabe said to me, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Are you turning these men into lovesick little boys now?" Ranger asked from the doorway.
"Nope," I told him, as the three men around me instantly turned to Rangemen-shaped stone when they heard Ranger's voice."They were just being nice in keeping me company while you were dragging Marco over hot coals."
"I wasn't dragging anyone anywhere until now," Ranger said to me."We have plans. You ready?"
"Yep. Everything's okay?" I asked Ranger.
"Yes. Everyone is doing their jobs correctly so I don't need to stay longer than you want to."
"I said hello to most of the guys I know. I'm good for the day. Next time, I'll check out the food here and what torture devices you have in this building's gym."
Ranger looked at me.
"I didn't say I was going to use whatever's here," I told Ranger,"just inspect the machines for potential injury-causing flaws. I'm getting used to doing things outdoors, and we won't be able to do that back in Trenton."
"I hear Trenton's weather sucks," Gabe said.
"It does," I told him."That's why I want to soak up as much sun as I can before summer ends."
"You've 'soaked up' your share since we left," Ranger said to me.
"I've tried." I stood and Ranger dropped a muscled arm around me."Hopefully I'll see you guys again before I leave."
"Count on it," Pat told me.
"Lovesick idiot," Ranger said under his breath.
I nudged him."Stop it. They're just being polite."
"Too polite for their own good."
"Ranger, we're together. We're married now. Your body is the only one I want to see naked. And you are the only man I want to sleep beside and spend the day with. No one is going to change that."
"I didn't think anyone could, Babe," Ranger told me, smugly.
This time I chose to elbow him instead of giving just a nudge. Ranger and I were set to stop at a furniture showroom on our way to get Julie again. Shopping with Ranger is very different than going with Lula or Mary Lou. In under fifteen minutes, we had our patio taken care of and an entertainment center for the living room. Plus a dining room table. I didn't want to over-feminize the house so Ranger would cringe every time he walked into it, but I also didn't want it to be totally masculine like Ranger's apartment had been before I started leaving my crap lying around.
Ranger and I decided on clean lines and a non-fussy decor. Anything upholstered was done in a light sand-colored fabric that looked good with the pale walls. My thinking was that we shouldn't feel cluttered or weighed down in this house. This place deserved to stay serene, airy, and beautiful.
The furniture was going to be all in a light-to-medium stained wood and the couch and chairs we'd chosen were a classic design, but still comfy enough to curl up on. Julie's room we'd wait on until she picked out what she wanted once the room was painted. And today was the day for that.
Ranger and I had promised to let Julie paint the extra bedroom we'd all hoped she'd use whenever we could come to Miami. And Julie promised Ranger that she and I would paint it ourselves if he went out and got the stuff for us. That wasn't a deal I agreed to, already seeing a major problem with it - like the fact that I don't know how to paint anything. My old apartment wouldn't have had a freakin' ugly as hell bathroom for all the years I'd rented it if I could paint a friggin' room.
"Mom and I did this for my room when we moved," Julie told me."I can tell you what to do."
"Like father like daughter?" I asked them."I knew you'd eventually gang up on me."
"We're helping you, Babe. Nothing more. If you need me, I'll be around to assist you."
"So you weren't going to abandon Julie and I, and head to Rangeman while we attempt this so you don't have to witness the carnage firsthand?"
"That plan held appeal," Ranger told me,"but I decided against it."
"I knew you were an intelligent man," I told him.
Julie had chosen a light shade of green/blue that was not unlike the color of the bay we get to look at every day we're in this house. I had to admit, I was curious to see if we could pull this off.
"It'll be fun, Steph. I promise."
"Where have I heard those words before." Oh, yeah, I'd said them to Curtis, and he didn't believe them, either."If it's not fun," I told them,"I want ice cream afterwards to make up for it."
"I think we can manage that, Babe."
"Then I'm in. You get the supplies - and promise to arrange the furniture when we get some - and Julie and I will paint the heck out of her room."
And that's exactly what we did. I got stuck doing the tricky part ... going around all the trim, the window, and doorway, while Julie manned the roller, but I learned a lot about her while we worked. If Ranger was carefree, could crack jokes with an adorable smile, and hadn't had to go through everything he's endured, Julie could be his twin. She's charming, intelligent, beautiful, and I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her, too.
With a couple strokes of the roller, the room was instantly transformed into something similar to a spa Mary Lou and I had gone to once. The room obviously had no furniture in it yet, but it still captured Julie's personality. I liked her even more for wanting to keep the trim the same so our job was cut in half. This is really happening, I told myself, for probably the three-thousandth time since Ranger proposed to me. This is actually the life I get to live now.
And not only did we go out for ice cream while the paint dried, Ranger, Julie, and I had pizza first. Both Ranger and Julie chose to have salads and bottled water with theirs, while I ordered a soda and had breadsticks and mozzarella sticks for my appetizer. Tomorrow I'll eat better, I swore to myself. I'll even go along with Ranger if he decided to run on the beach again or bite the bullet and work out in the Rangeman dungeon.
I'd sent Julie, and everyone back home, a postcard from Desroches Island, and on the day we arrived in Miami, I gave her a necklace I thought was perfect for her made of sterling silver and a small stone native to the island. Julie had worn it today. Julie really is a beautiful child and she's going to be one hell of a gorgeous woman in a few years. I pity the poor guy who will eventually fall for her. He will not only have to make Julie happy, but he'll also have Rachel, Ron, Ranger, and I to contend with. I have no doubt that I'll be just as obnoxious as Ranger when it comes to Julie and how she's treated.
"We didn't do such a bad job on the room, did we?" I asked Ranger and Julie on the way back to her house.
"You did good, Babe," Ranger told me.
"Julie's as thorough with directions as you are. Of course, you could have given me the easy part."
"Nope," Julie said."The paint roller is fun ... painting a straight line isn't."
"That's why I wanted it," I told her.
"Her room, her rules," Ranger said, grinning a little at me.
"You say that now," I told him,"but you'll change your tune when Julie wants to invite a boy over."
"No boys."
I caught Julie's eye in the rearview mirror. She copied my eyeroll. I can still remember how my own dad reacted towards any boy who came to the house to pick me up. He didn't say a whole lot, but I could tell just by looking at him who my dad was going to forbid from reappearing at our front door. Ranger probably would've been among the boys turned away, but that was a long time ago. I'm not under their control anymore, and I don't have to listen to what my mom or dad have to say in regards to who I love or settle down with.
"I saw that, Steph," Ranger said to me, referring to my eyeroll, I guess.
"Sorry, but you're going all protective on Julie"
"I'm supposed to."
"Yeah, you are. But Rachel, Ron, and you, have raised a smart girl."
"I am smart," Julie chimed in.
"You are," I said to her,"so you will know who is worth spending your time on."
"Boys are annoying," she told us.
"They are," Ranger said, pulling into Rachel and Ron's driveway."Extremely so. You want to stay away from them."
I knew I'd keep the image of Julie hugging Ranger at her door for the rest of my life. It took a lot of trial and error, but Ranger and Julie have gotten much closer to the relationship they should have had all along. I was still smiling when Ranger came back to the car.
"What?" Ranger asked.
"I think it's sweet how you and Julie have bonded."
"Nothing about me is sweet, Babe," Ranger said to me, as he pulled out of the driveway, clearly not appreciating my word choice.
"Maybe not when it comes to the badass side of your personality, but you're incredibly sweet to me and Julie."
"Some people deserve it more than others."
And that was the end of the discussion. Really ... what more needed to be said? We took the Venetian Causeway back to our place, and both Ranger and I had a glass of wine while watching the sunset from our new couch before heading upstairs. Getting ready for bed alongside Ranger is starting to feel almost normal now. I slipped one of his t-shirts over my head even though I knew it would be coming off before the covers were pulled back.
I was right. Ranger was beside the bed wearing nothing except skin, and his hands were reaching for the hem of my shirt before I'd even stopped walking.
"Are you going to make me remove this every night, Babe?"
"Have you ever considered that I like you undressing me?" I asked, as I scooted over to my side after the shirt had been tossed towards the foot of the bed.
"I thought you were just trying to avoid walking around naked," Ranger told me, coming in behind me and tugging me into his arms.
I went willingly, tucking my face into Ranger's neck and throwing one leg over his. That was all the prompting Ranger needed. He suddenly rolled over, settling between my legs, and got me relaxed and sleepy in his own special way.
The last few days of our time in Miami was spent organizing the house and everything delivered to it, spending time with Julie, and visiting the Rangeman building. I deemed the house livable after the fourth day of our Miami stay. The living room had a seating area along with a fifty-two-inch TV on the wall. We had tables and chairs in the kitchen as well as the dining room and patio. The bathrooms had towels, various bath crap, and two bottles of Ranger's shower gel.
The furniture Julie had picked; white canopy bed, short five drawer dresser, and small writing desk, had been delivered and Ranger and I spent one afternoon deciding where everything should go. I didn't think of it at all like work, either. Watching Ranger's muscles in action is its own form of foreplay. And by the time we had the room looking the way Julie had briefly mentioned, I was hot from more than just helping Ranger move stuff around.
"Do you have something other than interior design on your mind, Babe?"
"Yeah."
"Like?"
"Like ... you on a bed rather than moving one."
"Give me a minute and then that can be arranged," Ranger said to me.
"As much as I like the sound of that, we've got more things to do."
"Steph, we are still on our honeymoon. The small details that don't get finished on this trip will wait until the next one. And if Julie stays over tonight like she talked about, this may be our only opportunity to be together until we drop her off."
Hmm ... once again, Ranger made a boatload of sense.
"I think we've been together so many times, we should have sex on reserve somewhere."
"I don't want you to have to rely solely on memories, Babe," Ranger said, taking a few steps towards me.
"Yeah, but the memories are good ones," I told Ranger, poking the bear so to speak.
Ranger was close enough now to slide both hands through my curls and bring my mouth within kissing distance of his.
"The reality is so ... much ... better," Ranger said quietly, and my body tingled when it came into full contact with the hot hardness of his.
My eyeballs left Ranger's face only long enough to survey the just about finished room we were standing in. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a break for a few minutes.
"Longer than that, Babe. We don't have to get Julie until three."
Good enough for me. I wrapped my arms around Ranger's neck and let him fill whatever time we had with whatever he wanted.
"It's weird having a kid in the house," I said softly, a few hours later.
"Why? You also talk back to the TV and go in and out of the room constantly on commercials. This is nothing new to me."
"Smart ass," I told him.
"Julie also has to be fed as often as you do."
"Okay, I get it. You can stop now."
"I didn't say I don't enjoy it, Babe. I've found that I like sharing my space with a select few."
"Is Rex one of them now?"
"No. But he comes with you so I have to accept his constant snacking and wheel-running."
"He'll be happy to hear that. How opposed are you to having company?"
"What company and where?" Ranger asked me.
"I was thinking about Mary Lou, Valerie's family, Ella and Louis, or some of the guys, eventually coming down while we're here. And maybe after I successfully capture a big bond, we can even get a boat or something."
"Did you just say you want a boat?"
"Ohhh ... that'd be so cool," Julie said from the couch."We could go anywhere we want in a boat."
"That didn't take long," Ranger said to us.
"What didn't?" Both Julie and I said.
"You two joining forces for entertainment purposes," Ranger clarified.
"It was only a suggestion," I told him."We do already have a dock. Can you imagine how happy Bobby and Lester would be down here?"
"No. I don't want to think about them happy or not."
"Seriously, though, we could get one of those scary looking gas grills, eat out on the patio, and then take a sunset boat ride around the bay."
"Count me in," Julie said, walking over to us."I can help cook the food."
"You're not to go anywhere near a lit grill without one of us with you," Ranger told her, going all parental again.
Shit, even that was sexy.
Julie took the reminder in stride."That's why I said I could help. Jeez."
"You've been spending too much time with Stephanie," he told Julie.
"Hey! She can stop anytime, you know."
"No," they both told me.
That was the first time I've ever loved hearing the word no being said to me.
"If you want a boat, Babe, we'll get one."
I narrowed my eyes in warning. I know how Ranger is now.
"A small speed boat," I told him."Not a yacht. Or luxury cruiser. Something manageable that doesn't cost millions of dollars and I could maybe steer myself one day."
"I'll keep your preferences in mind."
"Yay! We're getting a boat!" Julie said, wrapping an arm around each of our waists."You guys are coming down more than just once or twice a year, right?"
"That's what it's sounding like," Ranger told her.
"What about school vacations? Maybe you can come back for those? I can hang out over here and Mom won't mention camp again."
"I'll have to discuss any plans with your mother first, Julie," Ranger said to her.
Julie sighed dramatically."I know, but I don't think she'll have a problem with it as long as I'm okay."
"Which you will be," I assured her."I don't know much about kids, but I know to return them in the same condition as I get them."
Julie laughed."Is it time for supper yet?"
Ranger cut his eyes to me."Definitely too much time together," he said softly to me.
I tugged Julie away from Ranger."Come on, Julie, we can go root around the kitchen while Ranger decides where he's taking us tonight. There's not a lot of snacks in there, but there should be something to keep us from starving if he doesn't take too long."
I swear Ranger wanted to sigh in resignation."What are you interested in for supper?" Ranger asked after a minute.
I didn't hesitate."Something Cuban!" I called back, as Julie and I cleared the kitchen.
The Cuban restaurants are good - and plentiful - in Miami, and if Ranger happened to read a little more into that comment, then it could only work in my favor. Ranger found a new place we haven't tried before and I happily ate my share of food as well as Ranger's. The three of us settled in for movie when we got home. Ranger and I snuggled up on the couch with Julie draped carelessly over a chair next to us. An hour into it, Ranger carried a sleeping Julie up to her new bedroom. I turned off the TV and dragged my ass off the couch. I was just flicking off the lights when Ranger reappeared.
"Did she wake up?" I asked Ranger.
"No," he said, and he proceeded to swing me up into his arms, deciding to advance his weightlifting for the night from small child to okay-sized woman.
"If I knew I'd be getting this kind of service, I would've stayed on the couch."
"You'd get this kind of service every day, Babe, if you'd let me."
"I know you're kidding," I told him,"but it doesn't sound at all bad to me."
Ranger dropped a kiss on the top of my head and continued up to our room. Curling into Ranger's body to sleep was almost as delicious as making love to it.
The morning before we boarded the plane to go back to Jersey, I told Ranger that I had to say goodbye to the men here before we left.
"I can't believe I'm not stopping this," Ranger said ... again.
"You should know by now that you can't stop me when I really want to do something. And these are too good not to share."
"You really didn't need to shut down the bakery."
"I didn't!" I said to Ranger.
"You cleared out their entire doughnut case."
"It's not my fault. They're addictive. These are some of the best doughnuts I've ever had. I consider myself somewhat of a doughnut connoisseur and these people are freakin' geniuses. A doughnut with glaze, rolled in cake crumbs? Potato sticks, chocolate, and caramel, stuck to the top of another? It can't possibly get any better than that. Maybe you feel like trying something new and want to own a doughnut shop ... say in the Trenton area?"
"No."
"I had to try. Good thing I only discovered these yesterday or my clothes would be having adjustment issues."
Ranger got all the doors for me since I was afraid if Ranger carried them, the stacked boxes of pastry perfection would get tossed as soon as we passed a garbage can large enough to hold them. Once again, I refused to relinquish my hold on them and secretly prayed I wouldn't run out and start a riot.
I smiled happily at the guys working the front desk.
"Free doughnuts," I said to them."Are you guys interested?"
Four eyes flicked to Ranger. Crap. Ranger was a problem I hadn't considered when I'd formulated my plan. I also looked over at Ranger to see if he'd kill the happy sugar buzz I had going.
"Go ahead," Ranger told his men."You get one each."
I kissed Ranger's cheek and let Grant and Travis have first pick.
"Thank you," I said to Ranger, once we were inside the elevator.
"Far be it for me to stand in your way of poisoning the building. The men might as well get all they can out of the medical coverage I provide."
"That's your second exaggeration of the day," I told him.
"That wasn't an exaggeration," Ranger said."The first one wasn't, either. There are going to be a lot of unhappy people who got up early just to get a doughnut from that particular bakery."
"I know ... that's why I got up even earlier so I could avoid them."
I must have made a weird kind of sense because Ranger kissed me before the doors opened to the next floor. We hit every one on our way to our final destination ... the control room on five where I'd leave whatever's left.
"If you weren't already married," Pat said to me,"I'd ask for your hand myself."
Ranger abruptly closed the lid before Pat could get his hand into the doughnut box.
"You don't get one," Ranger told Pat.
"Yes, he does," I said, giving Pat one of the cake crumb doughnuts.
"Are those doughnut boxes?" Mitch asked, craning his head around the short wall of a nearby cubby.
"Yup. Fresh from the bakery."
"There is a God."
Yeah ... and his name is Ranger, I thought to myself, checking my hubby out in all his black-attired, muscle-bulging glory.
"These are hitting the kitchen so help yourself. I didn't want you guys to forget me in case it's a while before I come back."
"It won't be that long, Babe," Ranger told me.
"And we won't forget you," Dwight said to me, reaching in and choosing my second favorite doughnut, the chocolate/potato stick creation.
"I thought fresh doughnuts would cinch it," I told them.
"You don't need to make the men like you anymore than they already do," Ranger said, taking the boxes from me and handing them off to Dwight."Put these in the kitchen on your way there."
"Yes, Sir."
"How long are you going to be in the building?" Pat asked.
"We're leaving in a few hours. Ranger is just checking in with Marco one last time before we pack up."
"It's too bad you aren't staying longer than a week."
I would like to have spent two weeks, but I wouldn't have given up our island getaway for anything.
"I will be back," I warned them.
Ranger snaked an arm around my waist as we headed to his office.
"If the men in Trenton were witnessing this, Babe, they'd be jealous."
"Because of the doughnuts? Or my attention being focused on another set of men?"
"What do you think?" Ranger asked me.
"There's enough of me to go around," I told Ranger, resting my head on his chest briefly as he unlocked his door."Definitely more of me after those two doughnuts I had this morning."
This week had been very different than the last one, but just as enjoyable. I felt like Miami had been the perfect transition from the fantasy Desroches Island seemed like to the reality waiting for us back in Trenton. Mine and Ranger's wedding was perfect, our honeymoon incredible, but I was looking forward to getting back to Trenton ... our second home now.