Ranger showered while I dressed. I stepped into a fresh pair of panties and dropped one of Ranger's black t-shirts over my head. I felt like something was missing, so I poked my head into the gun safe and found my ring, which I slid onto my finger. After that, I felt much better.

I blasted my hair with a hair dryer so I didn't have to sleep with a sopping wet mop on my head, and I brushed my teeth twice, flossing for good measure. Ranger had been right—I felt immensely better when a clean body. I almost felt like myself. Almost.

I answered a knock at the bedroom door and found Ximena dressed in pink plaid pajama pants and a black long-sleeved Rangeman shirt. Her hair was tugged into a low bun.

"Sorry to be a bother," she apologized. She held out a few pills to me, and I accepted them in my hand.

"What are these?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Tylenol, prenatal vitamins, calcium…"

"Alright, alright," I interrupted, rolling my eyes.

She shoved a bottle of water at me, and I obediently took the pills.

"Thanks mom," I joked.

"Not so fast," she warned.

She pulled my sleeve up and slapped another patch on my arm, then gave me a nod, satisfied with her work.

"Steph?"

"Yeah?"

She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tightly to her. I stiffened at her embrace.

"I'm so sorry I let you down. I'm so, so sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault," I argued.

She released me from the hug and gave me a look that said she wasn't buying it.

"Get some sleep," she said. "Wake me if you need anything."

"Sleep tight, Ximena."

I shut the bedroom door, finding Ranger already in bed. He was clean and freshly shaven, and I imagined he was experiencing the same sense of relief I had about being clean. I went to him and climbed between the heavenly bedsheets, snuggling into his body. He shut off the lamp and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my hair. I placed my hand in his, tangling our fingers together. He brought my hand to his face and studied the delicate ring on my finger. A small smile teased his lips before shutting his eyes.

"Love you, Babe."

Friday morning, I woke up nauseous with a pounding headache. Though the sun was up, Ranger was still asleep. The day had started without us—and I was perfectly alright with that. We both needed to catch up on sleep. I snuck out of bed since mother nature was calling and did my business in the bathroom. I slipped into a pair of shorts and quietly exited the bedroom.

Ximena was sound asleep on the couch with one leg poking out from under the blanket. She looked peaceful, so I made an effort to be very quiet.

The clock on the microwave read 7:35 AM as I started coffee brewing and poked around in the fridge looking for something that sounded good to eat. Finding nothing, I scooped a spoonful of peanut butter out of the jar and sat next to Rex's cage on the bar eating it.

I was relieved to see that Rex appeared to have been well-fed and appropriately cared for in my absence. His pine bedding even appeared to be fresh. He had busied himself burrowing around in it, fluffing it everywhere. I made a mental note to thank Ella for taking care of him.

"Hey buddy," I whispered. "I missed you. I hope you weren't too lonely while I was gone."

Rex continued scratching around in his bedding.

"You hungry? Want some breakfast?"

As usual, he didn't answer the question, but I knew Rex. He was food motivated. I extracted a baby carrot from the refrigerator and set it in his dish. He immediately ran for the carrot, shoved it in his mouth, and ran into his soup can.

"Did you hear?" I asked him. "You might have a baby brother or sister. Maybe, I guess. I don't know what to do."

I sighed and licked more peanut butter off my spoon.

"I don't think I'm cut out for parenting, Rex. It's a miracle I haven't killed you. A baby? They need more than hamster crunchies, water, and fresh bedding every few weeks. I don't think I can do it."

The coffee pot completed the brew, and I poured myself a cup of coffee, doctoring it up with cream and sugar. After a few sips, it became abundantly clear my stomach wasn't going to tolerate the coffee. It tasted like poison to my taste buds. I sighed, dumping the coffee down the drain and replacing it with water. It occurred to me that my upset stomach could be a product of drug withdrawal, or it could be morning sickness. Whichever it was, I wasn't a fan.

Ximena joined me in the kitchen. She looked like she was sleep-walking, with her eyes half-open and her hair mussed.

"Coffee," she moaned, shuffling to the carafe.

"Good morning to you, too," I joked.

She glared at me.

"A good morning?" She laughed without humor. "Does such a thing exist?"

"Yes?" I asked uncertainly.

"Well, your opinion is irrelevant," she said.

Well, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the litter box, I thought.

She slammed her coffee, then refilled her cup.

"Is the workaholic gone for the day?" she asked.

"He's still sleeping."

Ximena looked surprised.

"Well damn. Good for him. Usually Professor Perky-Pants is up hours before me."

"He needs his sleep," I said. "He looked like a dead man walking yesterday."

A knock sounded at the door, and I went to answer it. I peered out the peep hole and saw Joe standing outside the door. He was holding a white paper bag, and he was shifting awkwardly from foot to foot.

"Hey," I said, peeking out through the door. "I didn't expect to see you this early."

He gave me an easy smile.

"Well, my shift starts at eight. I figured you'd want these before my lunch break. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Nope, I was up."

He handed me the white bag, and I peeked inside. One Boston crème donut and one chocolate frosted donut with colorful sprinkles. I shot him a massive grin.

"Have I told you lately you're my favorite?" I asked, beaming.

He smiled in response.

"You doing okay?" he asked.

"It's good to be home," I admitted.

"I bet," he admitted.

"It all doesn't feel… real… yet, I guess. It's like I had a bad dream, but I woke up."

"Your parents are worried sick. You really should call them."

My parents? I hadn't even thought about my parents.

"Oh crap," I said, rubbing my hands over my face. "What do they know?"

Morelli shrugged.

"I've talked to them a few times. They know you were abducted and that you've returned home safely. I didn't bother to fill in the details. I knew you'd want to moderate. It wasn't my place."

I sighed.

"Thanks."

I caught Joe staring, and I realized it was at my left hand. He had noticed my ring. I swallowed hard, expecting him to acknowledge it. I was surprised when he didn't.

"Call if you need anything. I'm around most of today. Speech therapy, physical therapy, physical training… the works."

"Busy day. That sounds exhausting. I'll call if I think of anything."

"If you need anybody to talk to, Steph… I'm here," Joe said hesitantly.

"Thanks, Joe."

I gave him a finger-wave and closed the door, retreating to the kitchen with my bag of donuts. I sighed a breath of relief knowing I had successfully avoided a conversation I wasn't prepared to hold today.

"What've ya got?" Ximena asked, staring at my bag over her coffee.

"Donuts from Joe," I said, smiling.

She gave me a hopeful look.

"Sorry, I don't share."

Ximena rolled her eyes as I happily bit into a donut, moaning with pleasure.

"Keep rubbin' it in, chica," she grumbled, digging the box of bran flakes out of the cupboard. "I'd punch you if you weren't knocked up."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Enjoy your bran flakes," I said, walking out of the kitchen.

I wandered into Ranger's home office to hide and sat in his desk chair in the dark, eating my donuts in peace. Hundreds of thoughts were attempting to swirl around in my head, but I did my best to squash them down with the donuts. I didn't want to deal with the heaviness that accompanied them. Denial land seemed a far better solution for now.

When the donuts were finished, I decided I needed to plan for the day. Much to my dismay, I was going to have to talk to my parents. Was I going to do this in-person or by phone? Phone seemed easiest, especially since they wouldn't have to see the giant gun-butt bruise on my face. I knew I had some skips I could try to hunt down, but I figured I'd give that at least a few days. I wasn't up to it yet. Ximena could probably use some help setting up job interviews, procuring office equipment, or who knew what else for the Newark branch. While helping would make me a nice person, Ximena seemed far too comfortable reminding me I was… you know. I was doing my best to pretend things were normal, so I didn't need that kind of negativity in my life today.

Ranger's voice woke me sometime later. I was slumped in the desk chair, and I couldn't remember falling asleep. My head was still pounding.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?" I asked, yawning.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice concerned.

"I'm good. I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep."

"You were sitting here in the dark?" he asked, flipping on the lights.

"Yes," I said, unashamed. "Headache. And I was hiding."

He raised an eyebrow at me. He was standing in the doorway barefoot wearing jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Hiding?"

I nodded.

"From me?" he asked.

"From everything," I admitted. "But mostly from Ximena."

He thought about that for a minute, apparently unsure how to respond.

"What are you up to today?" I asked him.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he admitted.

I shrugged.

"I have to call my parents. Otherwise… No plans."

"What can I do for you?"

I shrugged again.

"Honestly? Just go on like things are normal," I admitted.

He scowled.

"Babe, I'm not sure that's a healthy response. Things aren't even close to normal now."

I closed my eyes and did some deep breathing.

"Do you want to talk to someone?" he asked. "I can make some calls."

"No!" I responded angrily, launching myself out of the chair. "Why in the hell would I want to do that?"

"Babe," he cautioned, his eyes wide. "You've had a lot happen in your life in less than two weeks. It would be a lot to digest for anybody. It might be helpful to have an impartial person to talk to about it."

"Everything is fine," I argued. "I need a little time to figure out what to do about... You know. Otherwise, I'm great. I'm home. I'm happy."

I rubbed my temples, wishing my headache away.

"You don't look like everything is fine, Babe."

I scowled at Ranger.

"I'm worried about you. I don't know how to help you when you do this," he admitted.

"Do what?" I scoffed.

"Denial."

I glared at him, unable to speak.

"Babe."

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to acknowledge you're pregnant."

"Stop! You're smothering me."

I sashayed past him and walked into the bedroom closet. My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I could feel myself hyperventilating. I shucked my shorts and tugged on a pair of jeans. I removed the sleep shirt, dressing in a bra and soft blue t-shirt. I shoved my feet into a pair of Birkenstock sandals and turned to leave, running straight into Ranger.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly and held me close as my hands trembled. I was angry, so I held my hands at my sides in protest, refusing to return the affection.

"I know you're scared," he said. "Please don't run away from me. From this."

"I'm not running away," I argued, pulling away from him and crossing my arms over my chest. "I just need space to think."

"You promised to be a good patient when you got home," Ranger said, clearly annoyed.

"I've been a great patient," I argued. "I'm being an unruly, emotionally-detached fiancé. Big difference."

I pulled one of Ranger's sweatshirts over my head and defiantly walked out of the closet, not looking back. I grabbed a key fob off the entryway table, and I retreated out of the apartment to my second-floor office.

When I arrived at my door, I tried to fob my way in. The fob didn't work.

"Shit," I sighed.

I tried the fob again. Nothing. It wasn't my fob.

I put my back to the door and slid to the floor. I rested my forehead on my knees and wrapped my arms around my shins.

Oh, Stephanie. You're a disaster, I told myself.

My head was pounding, I had the overwhelming urge to throw up, and all I really wanted was a nap on my office couch. And here I was, sitting in the hallway locked out of my office. Unsure what to do, I burst into tears.

A few minutes passed, and I heard the elevator ding. I peered over my forearms and saw Joe walk off the elevator headed straight for me. I buried my face in my arms again, hoping if I didn't move I would blend into the door and disappear.

"Hey," he said softly, taking a seat on the floor next to me.

"I'm not here," I whined, keeping my face buried.

"I can leave you alone," he said. "But Tank saw you sitting here on the monitor and asked me to let you in your office."

Thank god for Tank.

I stared at Joe, and he showed me the fob he was holding. He pressed a button, and I heard the mechanical gismo in the door turn.

"I hope you're not working today," Joe said. "You deserve to take some time."

"I'm not working."

Joe stood, and he extended his hand to me. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. He opened my office door and held it for me.

"Thanks," I said, shuffling by him.

I flopped onto the leather couch, laying my head against the back. Joe opened a cold bottle of water from my mini-fridge and handed it to me. I took a few big gulps, then sat it on the coffee table.

"You don't look so good, Steph. Can I do anything?" he asked, standing awkwardly in the office.

"Yeah. Shoot anybody that comes in here," I said, curling up on my side on the couch and closing my eyes. "I need a nap."

I lay quietly for several minutes before peeking my eyes open. I saw Morelli had taken a seat on one of my club chairs. He wasn't leaving.

"I wasn't serious," I said. "You can go do your thing. I was just looking for a quiet place to nap."

He grinned.

"Seriously? You came to your office to nap?"

I nodded.

"It's suffocating upstairs."

Morelli looked at me knowingly.

"He's an intense guy."

I nodded, closing my eyes again. "You could say that again."

"He was friggin' scary when you got snatched."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Morelli paused for a few moments, gathering his thoughts.

"I get why they call him Ranger. He went full-blown military mode. Barking orders. Calling all the three letter agencies. Paying off people for information. Utilizing all available resources to hunt you down, including intimidation and brutality. Hell, I watched him throw a guy out a window."

I think Morelli thought this tidbit of information would surprise me, but I'd seen Ranger and his men throw a man out a window before, too. I simply nodded.

"He still has guys out looking for Fitch."

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"He didn't tell you? Fitch is still out there somewhere."

I swallowed hard at that tidbit of news. I didn't like it one bit.

"He's an intense guy. You sure you want to marry that?"

I inhaled sharply at his question, and it caused me to choke on my own spit. I sat up and coughed. Morelli watched me until my coughing fit had stopped, and I'd taken a few sips of water.

"I couldn't help but notice the ring," he said, shrugging. "I had to double-take. The style threw me off. I figured him for a 'two-carat in platinum' type. Sorry, it's none of my business."

I laid down again and held the ring in front of my face, studying it.

Of course you want to marry him, Stephanie, I coached myself. He's being overbearing in this moment, but with good reason. Don't get stupid.

"Sorry I didn't tell you," I said. "Almost no one knows. Only Ranger's family so far."

"Not your parents?" Morelli asked.

"No," I admitted. "I mean, he asked my dad's permission, but we didn't break the official news yet."

"Whoa," Joe exhaled. "Frank agreed?"

"Yeah. Dad and Ranger have some kind of bromance thing going. They like each other. It's good, but it's weird."

Joe took a few moments to absorb that nugget of information.

"Lots of changes in store for you two. Is Ranger looking forward to being a dad again?"

I stared blankly at Joe.

"Verdict still out?" he asked.

I sighed audibly and laid my arm over my face. I heard Morelli chuckle.

"What?" I grumbled at him. "Don't laugh at me."

"Let me guess… you're doing your 'Stephanie in denial' thing, and Manoso is upset," Morelli correctly surmised.

It was annoying that Morelli read me like an open book, but I suppose that is the price you pay after spending years in a relationship with someone. He knew my flaws. I said nothing.

"You and I are a lot alike. Whenever things got hard between us, we'd both do our best to ignore it. What's worse is we let each other get away with it. It was our undoing. We'd be in a lot of trouble if we were the ones expecting. We'd both do our best to ignore it, and in nine months, we'd have a baby and no clue what to do with it. At least Manoso has one already. He knows about kids."

I let out a shaky breath, and a single tear leaked out of my eye.

"Are you worried about being a mom?" Joe asked. "Or worried it will cramp your style?"

"Both," I admitted, looking at him through tear-filled eyes. "This can't be happening."

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but he closed it again. He slouched in the chair and furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Another tear leaked out of my eye, and I quickly wiped it away. I rubbed my temples and realized I wasn't feeling great.

"Is he cool with you taking care of it, then?" Joe asked hesitantly.

I stared at Joe blankly.

"An abortion," he stated as clarification.

"Yeah," I sighed. "He gave his blessing if I want to go that route."

"Then do it," Joe said, shrugging.

I glared at him.

"So you want to be a mom?"

"No!" I exhaled in frustration.

"So you're not okay with abortion?" he asked.

"I dunno," I admitted. "Catholic guilt, I guess."

"It's a big decision. I'm not going to judge you," said Joe. "It easily could have been us in this situation."

My stomach turned without warning, and I flew off the couch to my trashcan. I fell to my knees and threw up what remained of the donuts I'd eaten earlier. Joe was behind me in an instant, holding back my hair. Once I'd stopped heaving, I sat on my knees trying to steady my breathing. Joe handed me water, which I gratefully used to rinse out my mouth, spitting into the trash can. I took several drinks as Joe rubbed my back.

"Let's get you back upstairs," he said, helping me to my feet. "No offense, but you're not looking so hot."

I hated to admit it, but I wasn't feeling so hot either. I could feel myself breaking into a sweat, and my knees were wobbly.

I nodded my agreement, and Joe steadied me as we exited my office. He locked the door and pulled it shut, and we walked into the second-floor lobby. I was surprised to see Ranger waiting there. He looked anxious standing near the elevator.

Joe gave Ranger a polite nod of acknowledgment and passed me off.

"She's a bit unsteady on her feet," Joe said in explanation.

Ranger nodded and pressed the 'up' elevator button. Joe began to walk away from us.

"Bye, Joe," I said softly.

He turned to me and gave me a small smile.

"Take care of yourself. I'll catch you later."

With that, he took the door to the stairs and was gone.

The doors to the elevator slid open, and we walked inside. Ranger hit a button on his key fob, and he pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I don't want to fight with you."

"We aren't fighting," I said, leaning into him.

"No?" he asked, genuinely perplexed. "You walked out on me."

I sighed.

Ranger let us into the apartment and got me settled on to the couch. He sat next to me, and Ximena proceeded to medicate me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her face serious.

"Rough."

She replaced the patch on my arm. "Are you still throwing up?"

"Yes."

She knelt and dug around in her backpack, extracting a pill bottle. She opened it, dumped a pill into her hand, and extended it to me.

"Zofran," she said in explanation.

I stared at her. "Huh?"

"It will help with the nausea and vomiting."

"You're a walking pharmacy," I told Ximena. She rolled her eyes in response.

I took the pill obediently. Ranger and Ximena continued to stare at me.

"Can both of you please not all sit around all day and stare at me?" I asked, feeling frustrated. "It's making me want to crawl out of my skin. Being treated like I'm breakable is draining."

Ranger's brow furrowed, and Ximena stood.

"No problem. I'll be in my office if you need anything," she said, packing up her backpack. "I've got a lot to do anyway."

Ximena exited the apartment, and Ranger relaxed into the couch, pulling me into him. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. I tried to fight sleep, but before I knew it, it was lights out.

I woke up snuggled into a sleeping Ranger with a rumbling stomach. It was the first I remembered feeling genuinely hungry since before being abducted. This totally-normal feeling came as a relief. Two points for Ximena's wonder-drugs.

Ranger stirred too, stretching his arms above his head.

"Babe," he said, his voice velvety with sleep. He pulled me close, and I went breathless with butterflies in my stomach at his touch.

"I'm starving," I admitted, placing a hand on his chest.

"I like the sound of that," he said, smiling. "The Stephanie I know always wants to eat. What sounds good?"

"Mac and cheese?" I asked hopefully.

Ranger looked like he was thinking about smiling. "Whatever you want. I'll call Ella to make sure that'll work."

He stood, extracting his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed a number and walked into his office with the phone to his ear.

I sighed, realizing I should attempt to do something productive with my day. I went to retrieve the new iPhone that had been purchased to replace mine, which had taken an unfortunate swim in the toilet at the Handlebar, and powered on the phone. In seconds, it was blowing up with notifications—voicemails, text messages, e-mails, and who-knows-what. I did my best to swallow down the anxiety this caused, and I forged ahead, starting with text messages.

I had fifteen messages from Lula alone. I read through them all and was pleased to find they were all run-of-the-mill check-in texts. Good deal. Nothing crazy to explain here. I responded back to her.

Hey, sorry. My phone took a swim in the toilet. I finally got mine replaced. How are you?

I had two texts from Connie, both letting me know she was glad I'd been found and checking in to see if I was alright.

I'm fine, thanks for checking in. It's good to be home, I replied.

I had two texts from Macy's, reminding me they were having a huge Memorial Day sale. I made a mental note to look at shoes online. Shoes always made things better, right?

I had thirty-seven texts from my mother. I audibly groaned and scrolled to the beginning. The first text asked if Ranger and I had Monday dinner plans. The next batch of texts informed me how Joseph had notified her I was missing, and she was worried sick—'Call me if you get this.' These messages went on and on, until finally, they abruptly transformed to 'thank god you're alright' texts. The last few messages asked me to call her.

I opened my e-mail inbox, and I closed it as quickly as I'd opened it. Hundreds of unread messages, tons of which were spam. Not today, satan.

I switched to voicemails. In two, I was told I was eligible for extended vehicle warranty. I promptly deleted them. I also had three from my mother, all telling me she was worried and to call.

I sighed, put on my big-girl panties, and I dialed my mother.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum," she answered. "Thank god you called. I've called your number for days, but your phone goes straight to voicemail."

"Hi mom," I greeted, cracking my knuckles. "My phone took a swim in the toilet. Sorry. How are you?"

"I'm well, considering you've shaved fifteen years off my life this week. But the real question is—how are you?"

"I'm good," I said, playing it cool. "I'm glad to be home."

"Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice wavering. "Did you lose a limb? Are you psychologically scarred?"

Well, the obvious answers to questions one and three were 'yes' and 'yes,' but I wasn't about to disclose that to my mother.

"I'm fine, mom. It was scary, and I've got a few bruises, but I'm going to be just fine."

"Thank god," she breathed. "Can you and Carlos come for dinner tonight? It's Friday."

Shit. We had agreed to Friday dinners. I did some deep breathing.

"Probably not tonight, mom. I'm still exhausted."

"Well, that is disappointing," she announced. "I made a nice coconut cake, and I am going to roast a leg of lamb."

I saw Ranger walk into the kitchen and gave him a light finger-wave.

"I think we'd prefer to stay in tonight. Rain check, please. Next week?"

We exchanged a few more pleasantries, and I reminded her that I was fine at least half a dozen more times before disconnecting.

"A late lunch is on the way," Ranger reported, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee. "Who were you on the phone with?"

"My mom."

"What did she want? Dinner?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Well, it is Friday. It's our day," he said. "The calendar app on my cell phone reminded me."

"You've gone to the dark side!" I joked.

"Up to you, Babe, but I'm willing to go. We still have to share our news."

I sighed.

"I would like to get out of here for a while, but I dread going to my parents' house. I long to DO something," I admitted.

Ranger thought about it for a few minutes, sipping his coffee.

"Well, I did have tickets for us to go out-of-town this weekend, but I figured you'd want to stay here given everything that has happened," he said.

I had totally forgotten the Memorial Day weekend trip.

"Oh. Were we going somewhere tropical?"

Ranger laughed. "Hardly. You probably would have been disappointed."

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Why do you say that?" I scoffed.

"I suspect the water pressure alone would have annoyed you."

"Water pressure?" I questioned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out one day. When you're up to it, that is."

"What if I want to go?" I argued. "Game on, Batman."

Ranger looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Babe, after all we've been through this week? It's not advisable," he said.

"You're not up to it?" I asked playfully.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Did you cancel the tickets?" I asked.

"Not yet, but I need to soon."

"Don't. Let's go," I begged.

"Babe."

Based on his tone, I was pretty sure "babe" meant I'd lost my damn mind. I knew he wasn't wrong, but who was I to argue?

"You need to continue your medical detox," he said. "We can't just leave."

"So bring Ximena with us," I said. "I'll buy her airline ticket and pay for her lodging."

Ranger looked like he needed to do some deep breathing.

"Babe, it's not about the money. It's not practical."

"So? Let's be crazy spontaneous and go," I said.

"You're still deep in denial land," he said, raising an eyebrow at me.

That remark made by blood pressure spike. Why didn't anybody want to give me the time I needed to process this?

"What do you want me to say?" I said, rising to my feet. "Hello! My name is Stephanie, and my boyfriend knocked me up. And guess what… I'm not sure how I feel about it! I can barely keep myself alive—much less another human being. May the odds be in this kid's favor. It scored the worst mom ever!" I shouted, waving my arms around and getting a little teary.

"That's better," he said, looking like he was thinking about smiling.

"Are you happy now?" I asked, hands on hips.

"No. I'd be happier if you'd cuss me out and threaten to chop off my dick. Only then could I determine you'd fully accepted the state of your uterus."

I stared at him in wide-eyed, stupefied silence.

"Babe."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm going in the closet to pack my bag. What do I need to pack?"

"Stephanie, let's reschedule for another…"

"No!" I cut him off. "Trip. Now. What am I packing?" I argued, hands on hips.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, looking slightly startled. "Casual clothes. A coat and sweatshirt. A swimsuit. Sensible shoes."

I began throwing items in a suitcase, and in twenty minutes, I was ready to roll. Sure, I had no idea where we were going, and I wasn't actually confident I was ready to do much of anything. But, alas, I was ready to go on whatever adventure this might be. When I finished, I found Ella's mac 'n cheese in the kitchen. It wasn't the boxed stuff, but the good, homemade, baked kind. I almost died of heart failure just looking at it.

"Babe, you alright?" Ranger asked, typing into his laptop.

"Perfectly fine. Why?" I asked.

"You just moaned. I couldn't tell if it was in pleasure or pain."

"It's the macaroni," I admitted.

"That would do it," he said, getting to his feet and smirking.

He crossed into the kitchen to survey the food, and his smile widened.

"She likes you," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. "That stuff isn't allowed in this building."

"Well, then we're moving," I declared, digging a fork out of the door and shamelessly digging into the square baking dish. "Oh!" I moaned, chewing. "That is ridiculously good! Try it?" I asked, scooping up a forkful of macaroni and holding it to Ranger's mouth.

"Pass, Babe. My first instinct is to pass."

"Oh, phooey," I said, eating it. "You only live once, Zorro. Take a chance. Live dangerously."

Ranger laughed and gave me a light swat on the butt, releasing me from his hold. I hopped onto the bar stool with my mac 'n cheese and continued to shovel it in while Ranger made a sandwich.

"Are you going to pack?" I asked Ranger.

"I will," he said, dropping several carrot and celery sticks on his plate. "It's good to see you eating."

"Ximena's magic pill did wonders," I admitted.

We ate in amicable silence, and by the time I finished, I was having regrets about the quantity of the food I'd eaten. I put the leftover mac in the fridge, and we loaded our dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

"I'm going to go pack," Ranger said, kissing me on the temple. "Ella will take care of Rex while we're gone, and I was able to get Ximena a seat on our flight. We're meeting her and Lester in the garage in thirty minutes."

"Lester is coming?" I asked with a smile.

"No. He's driving us to the airport in Philadelphia. I work with Lester daily. My vacations are Lester-free."