Mary Lou saw the look on her face then said, "Uh, oh. This looks serious. What's wrong?"

Stephanie laughed then replied, "Clothes. I need to buy some clothes!"

Starting Over

Chapter 13

Around 7:00 that evening Stephanie gave herself one last look before heading downstairs. Mary Lou had convinced her the short black, pleated chiffon dress would make her look amazing. The neckline plunged enticingly low while the lower half of the dress was flowy enough to hide her slightly bulging belly. She topped the dress off with a pair of strappy, black heels and a small black choker necklace.

As she made her way to the downstairs living area she heard Ranger and Lenny laughing. They were discussing the day's events. Ranger's second surprise for the boys had been 4-wheeling on the dunes. Each boy had their own ATV and the four of them had spent the afternoon driving in circles and stirring up sand. Needless to say, they had a blast. She paused on the stairway for a moment to listen to the two men and then took a deep breath before continuing. As she entered the room all the laughter faded into silence. Ranger stared at her with his elevator eyes, scanning her from top to bottom and back again.

It was Lenny that cut the tension in the room as he walked to Stephanie and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Looking great kiddo." He whispered.

Stephanie blushed slightly then cooed, "Thanks handsome."

As she walked past him towards Ranger temptation took over any sensibility and Lenny swatted Stephanie on the ass and yelled out, "Hot momma!"

Stephanie jumped with surprise then relaxed slowly as the room filled with Ranger's laughter. Mary Lou swept in quickly and poked Lenny in the belly with her elbow.

Lenny merely shrugged his shoulders and asked, "What?"

Ranger extended his arm to her, which she graciously took while he led her towards the door. Just as they were clicking it closed behind them, they heard Lenny yell, "Go get 'em tiger."

Stephanie met Ranger's eyes then asked, "Was he talking to me or you?"

Ranger squinted slightly then answered, "Honestly, I have no idea."

They both laughed then gathered themselves into the SUV.

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From the coastal house, it was nearly a 30 minute drive into Nags Head. Ranger had chosen Basinight's Lone Cedar Café, as the restaurant for evening.

Ranger slipped into his silent driving mode almost as smoothly as he had slipped into the car. Stephanie knew she was in for a hard night. Ranger was bringing it, he was stepping up to the plate, his game was on. She just hoped she wasn't the one to strike out.

When they arrived at the restaurant Stephanie reached for the door handle, but a hand on her shoulder caused her to pause.

"Let me get that Steph. This is a date after all." Ranger smiled at her.

Stephanie straightened her dress as she watched Ranger through the side view mirror. With each step closer to her door her stomach did another flip-flop.

Ranger reached down and opened the car door slowly while offering his hand to her. She placed hers in his then slowly slide from the car. When her feet hit the pavement she stumbled slightly but was quickly settled by two strong arms.

Stephanie leaned back against the vehicle and met Ranger's eyes. His arms still held her firm as his hands settled comfortably at her waist.

Stephanie took a gulp of breath and tried to will her heart to slow down. When she found her voice she asked in a quiet tone. "Why am I suddenly so nervous Ranger?"

Ranger slipped his hands from her hips around her sides until they met behind her back. His chest pinned her firmly against the car. "I don't know babe. Something got you scared?" he teased.

Stephanie could feel his warm breath trickle down her neck, past her cleavage, and on towards places long unexplored. She squeezed her legs slightly and tried pulling herself together. She pushed Ranger away and he gave her a small laugh.

Trying to compose herself she told him, "Behave yourself Mr. Manaso."

They were almost near the door of the restaurant when she had spoken. Ranger quickly swept in front of her and grabbed her upper arms. He leaned in and gave her the deep, bone melting kiss he had withheld from her earlier that morning. As he pulled away, she was breathing heavily and his amusement flashed across his face. "Are you sure you want me to behave Stephanie?"

Stephanie silently cursed Mary Lou for making her by those thin, sexy panties. What she needed right now was some granny panties because nothing less could withstand the torture Ranger was putting her through.

Ranger dropped his arms and grabbed her hand in his. He lead her through the door to the restaurant and waited for the hostess. Within seconds, three different women rushed to his aide. Stephanie rolled her eyes as Ranger remained oblivious to the advances from the three young ladies.

They were seated quickly and Stephanie began to feel more at ease as she noticed the surroundings. Their table was outside on the back deck overlooking the Currituck Sound. The water was smooth and calm and a few pelicans could be seen bobbing around for some food. The sun was slowly fading in the skyline and the air whirling lightly around them was warm and comforting.

"This place is beautiful Ranger."

"Yes it is. I make sure I come here at least once whenever I'm down this way. This is Katlyn's favorite place."

Stephanie looked momentarily confused then realized Katlyn was Ranger's daughter. Suddenly, she remembered the approaching deadline.

"So when is Katlyn arriving?" Stephanie asked politely.

Ranger's lips turned upward and he leaned back in his chair. "Steph, don't be worried ok? She's going to love you. But to answer your question, they should be arriving sometime Sunday evening."

"They?"

"Yes they. Tom is picking her and his daughter up from boarding school and driving them in."

"Ok, two questions. Who is Tom? And where is her school? Must be close if they are driving from there."

Ranger grabbed the ice water the waiter had just placed before them and took a quick sip before answering.

"She goes to a prep school in Raleigh. It's about 4 hours or so from here. And you know Tom as Tank."

"Oh. I had no idea Tan.., I mean Tom had a daughter."

"Yup, her name is Lily. She's 13, a year older than Kat."

Stephanie grabbed her own glass of ice water and tried to process the information Ranger was feeding her. They had talked about his daughter a few times but never anything really specific. Normally he seemed slightly pained when he spoke about her, she had asked him once why it upset him. He answered her by saying, 'talking about her makes me miss her that much more.'

"So are you excited about seeing her?" Asked Stephanie as she broke off a piece of a hot dinner roll that was brought out with their drinks.

"I can't wait. It's been almost a year. Since she's getting older it's harder for her to leave school. Most of the time she wants to stay and hang out with friends. Other times her mom has her, so somewhere between her mother and her friends I manage to see her a bit."

"I can tell you miss her a lot."

"I do. She's my world. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love that kid."

Stephanie smiled into her glass. It warmed her heart to see the amount of love Ranger held for his daughter. She always knew he was a good man, this was simple more evidence of that fact.

She continued to sip her water as Ranger ordered their food. He had convinced her to let him select after agreeing to no tofu or anything green.

They sat in silence for a few moments as they listened to the water lapping against the shore. It was becoming darker and darker by the minute and soon the stars were beginning to shine brightly in the sky. Someone from the restaurant turned on the white twinkling lights on the deck and made Stephanie feel as if she was up above, floating among the stars.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly jumped when Ranger said her name.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I was just wondering what you were thinking."

She blushed a little then answered, "It's ok, I guess my mind was just wandering. I was just thinking about how relaxing it is here. I don't remember being this stress-free in a long time."

Ranger smiled brightly. "I think that's why I like it so much. There's just a sense of calm here."

Stephanie nodded in agreement as the waiter appeared at their table with food. After everything was distributed Stephanie looked at her plate then back at Ranger.

"So, what is it?"

"It's Mahi-Mahi. Try it, you'll love it."

Stephanie started with the roasted potatoes and then worked up the courage to try the Mahi-Mahi. After she finally took a bite her mouth instantly began drooling for another. "mmmmmm."

"I told you would like it." chuckled Ranger.

"This is great. So tell me what it is. I know it's some kind of fish."

"Right. Mahi-Mahi is the name of the fish, which is a Hawaiian word for 'strong-strong'. It's other name is dolphin fish."

Stephanie's fork froze in mid-motion in her mouth, then slowly she lowered it to her plate. After swallowing hard she asked, "You mean I'm eating Flipper?"

Ranger leaned back in his chair and laughed loud enough to get the attention of several tables around them. "No babe. I said dolphin-fish. It's not the same as a dolphin like you are thinking of. Those are porpoises, these are just a normal run-of-the-mill fish."

She let out a sigh then quickly began eating once again. Now well into her 2nd trimester she could definitely tell a difference in her appetite and she was beginning to eat a lot more than usual, which was saying something.

The remainder of the meal went without incident. Ranger told Stephanie more about his daughter and answered all the questions she asked. It was beginning to feel normal to have him answer her questions instead of the old aloofness she was use to.

After dinner was complete, Ranger once again offered her his arm and lead her back to the SUV. Once inside, he turned to her and asked, "Where to now?"

"Hmmm. I don't know. What do you suggest?"

"Well, I wasn't really sure how long you wanted this date to last so I didn't really make any plans other than food. But we could go catch a movie or something if you like."

Stephanie thought about it for a minute then made her own suggestion. "How about we head back to the house instead." Before Ranger could look disappointed she added, "I thought we could take a walk on the beach, and maybe do some more talking."

Ranger sent her a quick wink then started the SUV and took off in the direction of the house.

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Afraid of spoiling the mood, Ranger and Stephanie immediately took off for the beach when they reached the house. It was still just them, and they weren't ready to join the others just yet.

They both slipped off their shoes then headed along the sand, just close enough for the water to wash over their feet. Instinctively Ranger reached for Steph's hand. She returned his grip immediately and they were soon walking down the beach as just like any other loving couple.

They walked silently for a long time simply enjoying the feeling of being near one another. When Stephanie's feet began to grow tired she asked if they could sit for a few minutes. Ranger lead her up towards the sand dunes and then removed his suit coat for them to sit on.

"Can I ask you something Stephanie?"

Startled at him using her whole name she looked at his face for a clue of what was to come. After finding none, she answered. "Of course."

"Why did you decide to ask me on a date?"

Oh God, Oh God. She said to herself. He was about to let her know that he didn't want her, that he had made a mistake and that this was all wrong.

"Steph? Hellllo? Are you still with me?" questioned Ranger after his question remained unanswered.

"Um, sorry, yeah I'm still here. I um, just was thinking. If you want to head back to the house I understand."

Ranger turned his body so he was completely facing her. "Wait. What makes you think I want to leave?"

"I assumed by your question that you weren't really have a good time."

Ranger grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Well then you shouldn't assume. That's not what I meant. I just wondered what made you decide to ask me out. And for the record, this is the most fun I've had since we've been here."

"Oh."

Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes and then all at once they began talking at the same time.

"I've been thinking Ranger."

"I think we should stay here."

They looked at one another then again spoke simultaneously, "What?" They both asked.

"You first." said Stephanie.

"Well, I said I think we should stay here. Not forever, just for the remainder of the summer or maybe the remainder of your pregnancy. It's obvious how much more relaxed we both are. I think it would do us both some good to be out of Trenton for awhile."

"Well I wasn't expecting that."

"So what do you think? If you don't want to I'll understand and when Kat needs to head back to school we can leave as well."

Stephanie decided to not think and to rely on her instincts. "Actually, I think that sounds perfect. But on one condition."

"What?"

"As long as we can get back to Trenton in time for me to have the baby there. I want my family around me, and as much as I may dislike it, Joe should be there as well."

Ranger cringed at the mention of Joe's name then remembered that she had agreed. "It's a deal. Now what was it that you wanted to say?"

"Ok." She took a big breath, then took the leap of faith she had been waiting to do for so long. "I've been thinking a lot lately Ranger about what I want. And with some help from a good friend, I think I've finally decided."

"But?" said Ranger, feeling the interjection coming.

Stephanie grinned at his ESP. "But before I jump into this with everything I've got, there's a few things I need to say to you."

"Ok." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"First, there are some things you need to think about as well."

"Like?"

"Like the fact that everyone in Trenton is going to assume that you're the reason for my breakup with Joe."

"Since when have you known me to care what Trenton thinks of me?"

"I know that Ranger, but remember my family is Trenton. My friends are Trenton. I wish I didn't care what they thought, but I do. I don't want to start something with you if they think you are the reason for the divorce. That isn't fair to either you or them. And you must admit this is all happening awfully fast."

Ranger reached out and tucked a blowing curl behind her ear. "That makes sense. Would it help if you and I both spoke to your family when we returned. I'm sure between both of us, we could make them understand. As for it being fast, I don't think so. I've wanted this for so long I can't remember a time when I didn't crave it."

Stephanie blushed and tried to ignore his flirting. "My family is pretty stubborn Ranger."

"Yeah, but so am I."

She smiled brightly then continued. "Ok. Well there's still other things."

"Such as."

"Such as, I'm pregnant."

"Old news babe."

"Yeah, well. If we do go through with this, you know me and you, then we will need a bigger apartment. Are you willing to move for me? Right now we only have one bedroom and with a baby coming it simply wouldn't work."

"I've already thought of that Steph. Tom has called dibs on the 7th floor apartment."

"Oh. Ok. Wow, why are you making this so easy?"

Ranger pulled her closer to him. "Because it is easy Steph. I love you, I want you, and like I told you before I'm not giving up so easily this time."

Stephanie smiled but it slowly faded. "There's one more thing and this is the big one."

Ranger shifted slightly in the sand. "Lay it on me."

"It just doesn't seem fair."

"What doesn't?"

"Well, let's say for example that we do get married. You are bringing in all these cars, properties, a company, and probably more money than I can ever imagine and all I have to bring into a marriage is Rex and another man's baby."

"Steph, those are all monetary things. They don't mean anything to me. Yeah, it's nice to be able to buy the things I want and my family wants, but it doesn't mean half as much as you mean to me. Money can only afford you so much. What you give to me is worth way more than anything money could buy."

Stephanie's body softened in his arms as a small tear formed on her cheek.

"Ranger, I just don't want you to have any regrets. You could have any woman you wanted. I just don't understand why you picked me out of all the others."

"Steph, what others? You are the only woman I've thought of in the past 6 years. If it's not you, then it's no one. I've searched my whole life for you, and the only regret I could have is not having told you sooner." Ranger leaned in and gently kissed away her tears. "I love you Steph. Only you."

He pulled her further into his arms and kissed the top of her head. The waves crashed softly against the shore as he let his hands caress up and down her arms. When she shivered slightly he broke away from her. "Come on, let's head back to the house."

She stood and immediately wrapped both arms around his waist. He threw his jacket across her shoulders then placed an arm above it causing her to snuggle closer to his side. The walked as one back to the house.

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Stephanie glanced at the clock next to the bed in the guest bedroom. It was 2:43am and she was still tossing and turning in an effort to get to sleep. She had decided not to sleep in the same bed as Ranger and he hadn't pushed the issue. She knew then, it had been a mistake.

She threw the covers from her legs, grabbed her robe and headed towards his room. She crept in quietly and watched his sleeping face for several minutes. When she could no longer wait she reached down and placed one finger across his lips. She placed her own lips next to his ear and said, "Ranger.. wake up, there's something I want to show you."

To Be Continued…