Cal's POV
Things carried on much the same way for the next two weeks. Steph and I talked multiple times every day and met up as often as possible. We managed to see each other every couple of days; her living an hour away and my job having such odd hours and demands made it a bit difficult. Still, we managed to make time together a priority. I'd been stuck working evenings for the last few days, though, and I was missing her fiercely. We'd still talked several times a day but I hadn't gotten to see her since Sunday. Given that today was Wednesday, I wasn't altogether happy about that.
Les and I were just gearing up for a night on patrol when my phone rang. I tossed him the keys and answered the call, happy to give over control in order to have a few minutes to talk to my girl.
'Hey, Angel," I answered. Les made a whipping motion and I chuckled and shook my head. "How's your day been?"
"Hey, sexy. It's been alright, but I'm really missing a certain boyfriend of mine," she answered happily.
"Oh yeah? I miss you, too," I said softly. I'd never hear the end of this from Les but I didn't really care at the moment.
"Well, I'll be in Trenton tonight for my niece's birthday dinner. If you get a dinner break, I thought I could meet you. I know it won't be long, but I'd love to see you," she rambled. It was so damn cute. She didn't need to beg me; I was dying to have her in my arms again.
"That would be perfect, Steph. I'm working with Les tonight. Mind if he comes along? I'd like for the two of you to feel comfortable around each other."
"Sure, just let me know when and where," she agreed.
"Alright, I've gotta run but I'll see you soon, baby."
"Until then, sexy."
I clipped my phone back on my belt and saw Les looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Yes?" I asked him.
"You're so damn whipped, man," he teased.
"Damn straight. And when we have dinner with her tonight on our break you'll see why," I informed him.
"I'm happy for you. Everything still going well?" he asked.
"Yeah, really well. I wish she didn't live an hour away, but that's not anything we can't get past."
"Are you willing to leave RangeMan and move there if things get serious? I can't imagine commuting would work well with our jobs. Or would she be willing to move here and commute?"
Hell, I hadn't even considered that. "I honestly don't know," I replied, now lost in my thoughts.
"Do you think it could get serious enough that you two would need to make that decision?" he pried further.
"Yeah," I nodded, grateful we were currently patrolling the streets and had some privacy. "I...uhhh...well, I'm going to marry her."
Les pulled over to the side of the road and turned to face me. "You sure about that? It's been three weeks, Cal."
"I know it sounds crazy, but I just knew that first weekend at the beach. I'm not saying it's going to be anytime too soon, but I'm positive she's the one for me," I confessed.
"Does she feel the same way?" he pressed.
"I have no idea but I'll just have to keep wooing her until she does," I chuckled.
Les pulled out into the street and continued our patrol through the streets of Trenton. "Have you taken her home to meet your family yet?"
"No, but Sam's christening is coming up soon. I thought I would invite her," I shared.
"You know they'll have you married off in no time at all," Les chuckled.
"Did you not hear the part about me wanting to marry the woman?" I teased.
"I just hope their enthusiasm doesn't scare her off."
"You and me both, man."
It was a quiet night on the streets with no break-ins. Les and I had to do surveillance on a skip we were running out of time to get after our lunch break and then I was off for two days. I was hoping to get to spend some time with Steph while I was off. I sent Steph a text letting her know we'd be at Shorty's in half an hour for dinner and hoped to God nothing happened that diverted us before then. Fortunately, luck was on my side and we pulled up five minutes early.
I saw Steph's red Miata pulling in right after us and hung back to walk her in. Shorty's wasn't exactly in the best area of town, and the protector in me wanted to make sure my woman was safe. Just call me a caveman. She got out of her car and came running at me full speed. I laughed and held my arms out, catching her as she jumped and flew the last few feet into me. She laid one hell of a kiss on me and then pulled back with a smile.
"I missed you!" she exclaimed. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness and I felt complete for the first time since Sunday.
"I missed you, too, Angel," I replied softly. I kissed her again and then sat her down on her feet. I laid a possessive hand on her lower back and ushered her into Shorty's and toward the table Les was sitting at. "Did you already eat dinner or are you hungry?"
"I ate with my family, but you know my appetite," she replied with a laugh. She sat down in the booth and slid over so I could sit next to her. I sat down and slipped my arm around her.
"I do know your appetite well," I chuckled. "Are you picky about toppings?"
She wrinkled her nose and I just had to lean down and kiss it. "No anchovies, but otherwise I'm easy," she replied, and my eyes darkened. "Down, boy!"
I chuckled and turned toward Les who was watching us intently. "I know you already met, but let me make the official introduction. Les, this is my girlfriend, Steph. Steph, Les is one of my closest friends and one of the guys I work with."
"Think we could just forget the whole mess from the club?" Steph asked Les with a blush. "I'm really not normally like that."
"Of course, Steph. Can I ask why you were different than usual that night?" Les asked her. Not many people knew that Les had his degree in psychology. He was always in someone's head.
"God, it's a little embarrassing. I met Cal at the club when he was working and got rid of someone for me. We talked for just a minute and I was kicking myself for not getting his number or giving him mine. Then I saw him again at Pino's and did give him my number. I really thought he was into me, and when he didn't call I just wanted to go out and try to forget him," she confessed.
I pulled her closer to me and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Angel," I said softly.
"Nope, no more apologizing. We're together now, and that's all that matters," she reassured me.
We ordered a large supreme and drinks and then settled in to wait for our food. "How's your day been so far?" she asked.
"It's been quiet, fortunately. We've been on patrol so far, but we'll be doing surveillance on a skip's house after dinner. He's a high bond and it expires tomorrow," I explained.
"Anyone I might know?" she asked.
"Probably," I chuckled. I didn't want her to feel like I was using her for info on skips because that wasn't the case at all, but I knew she'd be able to help us. "It's Anthony Morelli."
"You should have said something before!" she chided. She pulled her phone out and had a quick hushed conversation and then hung up and turned back to me. "He's staying with his cousin Matteo over on Maple Street. Here's the address. I have it on good authority that he's already two sheets to the wind; he'll probably be passed out before we've finished our pizza."
"You are amazing, Angel!" I exclaimed. "Thank you." I leaned over and kissed her and chuckled when she moaned out loud.
"Damn, can I give you a kiss to show my thanks, too?" Les teased.
"Hell no!" I exclaimed just as Steph spoke, too.
"My kisses are only for Cal."
"You two are good together. And thank you for the tip on Anthony," Les chuckled.
"Anything I can do to help," she assured us both.
Our pizza arrived after that and I laughed as I watched Les squirm uncomfortably because of Steph's moans. I was far from unaffected, but this was poor Les's first experience with Steph's vocal appreciation of her food.
"You okay there, man?" I teased.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it," Steph apologized.
"No need to apologize, Beautiful," Les assured her. "It's refreshing to be around a woman who enjoys her food. I just have one question." I could see the look in his eyes and I knew damn well what was coming. I gave him a hard look, but he'd known me for so long that it didn't work on him.
"Are you that much fun in bed?" Les asked lecherously.
Steph took it all in stride. "Oh, Les. You'll never get the opportunity to know because I belong to this man next to me. I assure you, though, that I don't hear him complaining."
Les looked at Steph dumbfounded and I laughed out loud. "Damn straight I'm not complaining, Baby."
Les finally snapped out of his shock and shook his head as he chuckled. "You two are perfect for each other. Just make sure I'm invited to the wedding."
I looked over to Steph to see how she would react, but fortunately she was smiling. She leaned over and kissed me and then turned back to Les. "I would assume you'd be standing up with Cal since you're so close," she replied before diving back into her pizza.
I gave Les a very self-satisfied look and went back to my pizza, feeling quite happy with Steph's reaction and how she and Les were getting along.
We quickly finished our dinner since we had a few hours of work left before we could call it a night. I threw some money on the table and helped Steph up after I stood from the table. Les headed toward the truck as I walked Steph to her car.
"Thanks for coming to see me tonight," I said softly as I opened her car door. "It made my night."
"I've missed you," she replied with a blush.
"I've missed you, too."
"So you have a couple of days off after today?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do. Can I see you while I'm off?" I really hoped she said yes.
"I would like that very much," she replied with a smile. She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. She seemed to be having a conversation with herself, but I just waited her out. Finally she reached out and placed a key in my hand. "You're welcome to come by anytime you want. I don't know what all you have planned for your days off, but if you're not busy and wanted to, I'd love for you to come spend some of it with me."
"You sure you're okay with this?" I asked, holding up her key. I knew she had commitment issues.
"Yeah, I'm positive. If you want to slide into bed next to me tonight, I'll wear something special…" she trailed off with a wicked smile.
"I'll be there, Angel." I leaned down and kissed her hard, trying to make sure she knew how much this all meant to me. I pulled away a minute later and helped her into her car. I leaned down and kissed her one more time and then pulled myself away. "I'll see you shortly, Baby."
"I can't wait, Cal. Stay as long as you want," she replied with a smile.
I shut her door and watched as she pulled out before walking over to the truck. I got in and Les turned toward me.
"You've got one hell of a woman there, Cal. And I'd say you know how she feels about being with you for the long run now, thanks to my comment about the wedding," he chuckled.
"Or maybe thanks to the key to her place she just gave me," I couldn't help but brag. "Let's go catch a bad guy so I can pack a bag and get to Newark. I've got a gorgeous woman keeping the bed warm for me."
