Time to Party

The first game was over. And Miranda Bailey was so tired. She slapped the palms of the other team. "Good game. Good game. Good game."

"Good game?" Alex said sitting down on the bench. "That was a freakin' great game!"

"Yeah, you played well," Miranda told him.

"Damn good game, baby!" Ben shouted as he walked over to them with Tuck on his heels. He leaned over and kissed her.

"Your face is so red," Alex said. He nudged her with his shoulder and she smiled. Sometimes the lines of their relationship were blurred and he alternated between being her co-worker, her son, a little brother and a friend. "Too bad Pierce didn't show up, huh?"

"She had surgery," Jackson said plopping down on the other side of Alex. Ben and Miranda exchanged a look.

"Welp, the patients do come first," Ben responded. He checked his watch. "I think your second game is about to start in ten minutes."

"Please no," Miranda whined. "I'm tired."

"Just one more, Bailey, please." Alex clapped his hands and begged. Everyone around them laughed.

Tuck put his arms around her and squeezed. "Good game, mommy."

"Thank you, baby." Miranda sighed. "Fine."

"Good. Now, I'm going to get some shots up," Alex said to no one in particular.

"Same here," Jackson added. The two of them walked away.

"Can I go with Alex?" Tuck looked at Ben.

"Go ahead," Ben said with a nod. He made a face and turned to her. The sun was out and he had on a pair of her shades. Her silhouette was visible in them. And if she looked hard enough, she could see his eyes, his beautiful eyes. "I mean, that was okay with you, right? That I let him go."

"You're the one he asked," Miranda commented with a small smile. She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. Ben took off the glasses and gave them to her. "Thank you." Ben kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Are you sticking around the for next game?"

"Uh, naw, I'm going to miss half of this last game. Curt is coming to get me. Sorry, sweetheart."

Miranda frowned. Really frowned. She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at him. "I know. I know, but if it's any consolation, I'm making plans for your birthday."

She pulled in her lips to keep her excitement from showing. "Before you continue with the plans, I want to tell you something."

He picked up one of her hands and slid his fingers between hers. "What's that?"

"Do not propose and no big party, please."

"Okay. I knew about the party thing." She nodded. "And I wasn't going to propose, but I need you to look into my eyes and say that again so that I know that it isn't a Miranda-ism."

"A what?"

"When you say one thing and think you mean it, but what you actually mean is the total opposite."

"Oh! So, you gave it a name?"

"Yep."

She squeezed his hand and locked eyes with him. "I love you, but I do not want you to propose as some sort of birthday surprise."

"Okay. I won't."

"Thank you." They kissed quickly.

"Mommy! It's game time."

Grunting and groaning, Miranda stood up and headed toward her son. Ben put his arm around her. "Have a good game, babe." He swiped some sweat from her forehead into her hair, gently pulling off the shades in the process.

"Thank you." She laughed when he hit her butt as she walked away.

"Look who we're playing," Alex said jerking his head to the other team. She read the t-shirt of one of the players: The Joy Luck Club.

"Is that… Sydney's team?" He nodded. "Well, let's get started so we can get finished."

Jackson, Alex and Miranda huddled up. "Look," Alex started. "This win is going to put us in the playoffs. It's either us or them. And I want to win this year."

"We got you," Jackson told him. They all high-fived and moved to the court to start the game.

"Dr. Bailey! So our teams finally meet up," Sydney said bounding over to her and hugging her. The woman's energy never failed to piss her off and uplift her at the same time.

"Yep," Miranda answered popping the "p" in the word. "Well, good luck to you."

"You too."

The Joy Luck Club got the ball first and Miranda got her first taste of a different side of Sydney. She was aggressive on the basketball court with the ball and without it. With two minutes left in the last half, the score was tied. Miranda grabbed a rebound and dribbled beyond the three-point line, feeling Sydney a step behind her on her hip, she lowered her shoulder and headed back to the basket. An easy layup. "Darn it!" Sydney screamed. When the Joy Luck Club had the ball again, Sydney swung her elbows, trying to create space and nearly hit Miranda in the face.

"Oooh!" The crowd reacted.

Miranda took a step back, making the other surgeon believe she had enough room and then she knocked the ball away, dishing it to Karev. With fifteen seconds left, Sydney's team tried to score. Alex played defense on Sydney while Miranda stayed underneath the basket, tired and worn out. He kept the woman in front of him as Miranda called out behind him: "Nine seconds, Karev!"

He nodded and kept up the pressure until the horn sounded. "Yes!" Alex said. "Yes! Playoffs here we come!"

Miranda looked to the stands and saw Tucker sitting in the row below Tuck. But Ben was gone. Even though she knew he wouldn't be there, a part of her was still upset. After shaking hands with the other team, Miranda met up with her son and ex-husband. "Damn, girl, you were looking good out there!" Tucker hugged her. "And you still smell good. As always."

"Eww! I'm all sweaty." Miranda pushed him away, happy that Ben wasn't witnessing this part of their friendship. The part that might make him jealous.

Tuck gave her a hug and held out her phone. "Mommy, your phone is ringing."

She accepted the phone from him. "Thank you. Hello, Benjamin."

"Hey, sweetheart. Is the game over?"

"Why else would I be answering your call?"

"Ohh, your sass makes you sexy," he said. She smiled at him through the phone. "Did we win?"

"Yes, and your boy, Alex, is psyched."

"I am, too. I might be able to play in one of these next games," he told her.

"I wouldn't recommend it." She was about to get overprotective about his well-being and had to check herself.

"You're not my doctor," he rebutted. She didn't reply. "You're trying not to chew me out, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth.

"I'll talk to you later, Dr. Bailey."

"Bye, Dr. Warren."

"'Dr. Warren'?" Tucker asked putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay out of my conversations, Tucker Jones."

He threw up his hands. "Fine."

"Thanks for coming."

"Of course, ba—Mandy." She rolled her eyes at him. "It's a habit." The two of them walked to the parking lot, passing several groups of people who congratulated her on the win. "So, about your birthday tomorrow…"

"What about it?"

"Are we going to do our traditional dinner?" He asked softly. What did she hear in his voice? Hope? She'd always thought these dinners were about her, but really they were about them—a signal that their relationship would always include their friendship. And it would.

"Yes, that's a must every year," she reassured him.

"Ben is welcome to come along, of course."

She gave him a wide smile. "I think he's planning something else."

"Wow, look at you. Never thought I'd see you make that face about someone other than me." She shoved him. "I'll pick you and the kid up tonight at like seven?"

"Sounds good. And at least one of us will be ready," Miranda giggled. Tuck climbed into her backseat and was soon fast asleep. The car coming to a full stop in front of her house made Tuck stir. She looked at her clone in the rearview mirror. "Hey, baby."

"Hi, mommy." They got out of the car and walked to their front door. Inside, he kicked off his shoes and wandered into the kitchen. She followed him and fixed a couple of sandwiches with a side of chips. "Thank you."

"Of course," she said kissing the top of his head. In the living room, they watched a little TV. Honestly, Miranda wasn't focused on the screen. "Tuck?"

"Yes?" He asked not taking his eyes off of the TV.

"Can I ask you something?" He nodded and she picked up the remote and muted the TV.

"Okay."

"What do… uh," she sighed. "What would you think about us moving in with—"

"With Ben!?" He exclaimed.

"Yes. With Ben." Tuck didn't say anything for a second. Maybe it was a bad idea to even bring this up, Miranda thought. She wanted to be open and honest with her child, but he was just that—a child.

"Can we do that? Please, please, please."

"Huh? You're not mad?"

"No," he giggled, rolling onto his back. "Jaz said it would happen."

"Did she?"

"Yes, a long time ago. I was just waiting." He laughed some more. Miranda made a mental note to thank the teenager. "But if he's moving away… we won't have to move to another state, do we?"

"No, no, no. We'd just share a home here, in Seattle, with Ben." The more she said it, the more comfortable she became with the idea. It'd shocked her at first. Her parents were married first before they moved in together and Miranda had taken the same path with Tucker, but this new way was starting to feel right. "Kind of like we would, uh…"

"We'd be a family," he said looking at the silent screen.

"Um, something like that," she confirmed.

Tuck changed the subject flawlessly. "Your birthday is tomorrow."

"Yeah. It is."

"Is daddy taking us to dinner tonight?"

"He is. Do you want to take a nap before we go?" Tuck shook his head. "I'm going to be upstairs. We'll get dressed in a little bit."

"Okay." He turned the sound back on the television and turned his back to her. When they were finally dressed, Miranda sat next to her son on the sofa as they waited. She looked at the clock and realized that her ex-husband was running nearly an hour behind schedule. She knew he would be at least a little late and purposely didn't slip into her dress, shoes or accessories until fifteen minutes after the seven. "I'm hungry. Where's daddy?" The boy whined.

She decided not to berate his whining. She was hungry, too. "I don't know," she said picking imaginary lint from his shirt. "I don't know."

Miranda called Tucker for a fourth time and counted the rings. "Mandy, sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm sorry. Jaida wasn't feeling well. And I got behind. I'm sorry," he said rushing the words out. "I'm literally right around the corner, y'all can come out."

"Was that daddy?" Tuck asked.

"Yes," Miranda said ambiguously grumpy. As she closed the door behind them, Tucker pulled into her driveway, his music blaring. He turned it down as they approached the car.

"Sorry again, but you guys look good," he said opening both doors on the passenger side. Tuck beamed as Miranda rolled her eyes. "Mandy, truly, it wasn't my fault."

She took a breath and decided not to be mad. It wasn't worth her energy. "Fine," she answered getting into the car. "And you look good, too."

"Don't I know it?" He winked at her and they pulled off.

Tucker turned his music back up and their son wiggled in the backseat. "Good song choice, it's loud though," she said.

"What?"

She raised her voice. "Good song choice. It's loud."

"Huh?" Yelling now, she repeated herself and Tucker turned down the radio while she was still screaming. "You don't have to yell," he said. They all laughed and Miranda controlled the volume and put on a different song. "I know you're not touching my radio." She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. "You're lucky it's your birthday."

She shrugged. "Where are we going?"

"A restaurant."

"Which one?"

"Ray's."

"The boathouse?"

"Yep."

"Isn't that place really fancy?" she said.

"Yes, and kid-friendly, so it's all good. It's going to be fun. Trust me, I got this."

Miranda sat back in her chair and smoothed her dress down. "Okay."

At the restaurant, Tucker did his thing and sweet-talked the hostess into not only forgetting that they were late for their reservation, but also giving them the best table available. Easing into the booth, she looked at him and shook her head in mild disbelief. He threw his hands in the air. "'Tis magic."

She shook her head. "This place is so nice. It's crazy that I've never been here."

"Me either."

"I helped pick it out," Tuck said.

"Really?" Father and son nodded. "Well! Thank you two for bringing me here."

"Of course," Tucker added, smiling. "You're one of my oldest and best friends, Miranda. The mother of my child, I'm… I love you. And I appreciate you."

She reached across the table and touched his hand. "Thank you for saying that, Tucker."

Tuck took a sip of his drink and added: "Happy Birthday, mommy. You're the best."

"Thank you, baby," she beamed. Happiness spilled from her heart across her face. The food arrived and everything about it was positively delicious, from the smell to the taste. They ordered dessert and extra to take home. In the car, Miranda struggled to keep her eyes open as Tucker drove to her house. Back in her driveway, she looked over at the man who used to mean the world to her. "Dinner was great, Dump Tuck. Thanks again."

"Anytime." She widened her eyes. "Not, no, not anytime, but you know… we can get food from time to time." Miranda nodded. "Look, I got you something."

"The dinner was enough," she said.

"Okay, fine," Tucker shrugged.

"But since you already have it…"

"Mmhmm," he said opening the middle console and pulling out a small box. "Er, it's not jewelry."

She smiled and opened it slowly. Two gift cards fell out. One was for Sephora. The other was for JC Penny. She giggled and fanned them in front of her face. "How much?"

A sly expression appeared on his face. "Not much."

"How much?"

"One hundred."

"Together? That's entirely too much." He scratched his head. "Tucker Jones?"

"On each." Miranda started to protest. "And you deserve all of it."

She put the cards back into the box. Grateful, Miranda leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Do you wish things had gone differently? With us?"

"Um, selfishly, and I'd deny it if you ever bring it up to anyone, I'd have to say 'yes'. I do wish that I hadn't screwed up."

"Yeah."

"But, for the greater good…" He moved his head side to side. "I think it was necessary for us to both grow."

"I… agree," she said. "We were so young and together for a long time. There wasn't much time to… explore."

"Right." Tucker sighed. "Why did you ask?"

She pulled down the mirror and looked at Tuck asleep in the backseat. He had the best parts of her and the best parts of Tucker. "Just the wine and some thoughts that come with being a year older."

"Well, I'm sorry I messed up, but I think we're both… better off."

Miranda scoffed. "Ain't that the truth?"

"Hey, now. I have feelings, too, baby girl."

She glared at him. "Look, let me get one 'baby girl' a year. On your birthday. You were my baby girl for so long."

"I know," she said softly. They were quiet for a few minutes. She looked in the mirror again. There was a time when she'd hated the man sitting next to her. She thought he'd ruined not only her life, but her child's life. But, looking at her son, she realized that nothing had been ruined. Everything had improved, had strengthened. She closed the mirror. "Okay, one. And I mean it, Tucker Jameer Jones. Do not push it. I will not be held responsible for the actions of my boyfriend."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Tucker got out of the car and opened her door and then pulled Tuck out of the car. "We're home?" The boy asked adjusting himself in his father's arms.

"Yes, baby," Miranda said as she let them into the house. In Tuck's room, she watched Tucker get him settled. "Where do his shoes…?"

"Doesn't matter."

He kissed Tuck's head and she followed him down the stairs. "Okay, well, I'm going to go. Happy Birthday, Mandy."

"I'm not saying 'thank you' again," she told him with a smile. They laughed as the door handled jiggled. Tucker pushed her behind him.

Ben stepped into the house carrying a bunch of roses. "Oh!"

"Oh?" She said moving from behind her ex-husband.

"Hey, babe. I was just going to deliver these without you knowing and then go back home. What's up, Tucker?" He walked to her and kissed her cheek, handing her the roses.

"Just saying goodnight. Enjoy your night."

"You'll pick the boy up at nine?" Miranda asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I'll be here."

When they were alone, Ben followed Miranda into the kitchen. "How was dinner?"

"Really, really good. We went to Ray's Boathouse."

"Oh yeah?"

"You ever been there?" He said he hadn't. "We should go one day."

"Bet." Miranda poured herself a glass of wine and grabbed Ben a beer from the refrigerator. He declined the beer and reached for the wine instead. She laughed and opened up the beer. "So, I hope you don't mind that I used the key."

"No, of course not."

"Good. I—" Miranda took another sip of beer and stood in front of Ben. He leaned down and kissed her. She slipped her tongue into his mouth. The beer and wine mixed to create an odd, but familiar taste. "Still don't know what you want to do for your birthday?"

"Shouldn't you already have plans in motion?"

He picked up his glass and put his arms on her shoulders. "I have a few things in the queue, but it's your day, don't you want some input?"

"I want to have a good time. Surgery, of course. Something that befits a woman of my age."

"What about us?"

"Us? Something easy and unexpected. Nothing extravagant."

He nodded, taking notes in his head. "Anything else?" He asked in between kisses. She drank some more beer and put her arms around his hips.

"I'd like you to include Tuck in something if you can."

"Of course. We already have a plan." When they finished their drinks, they went upstairs. Ben groaned as they got into bed. She snuggled up to him. They'd only had sex once since his surgery. And while it was good; she was really looking forward to a night of lovemaking that would leave her utterly satisfied and drained. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as exhaustion overtook her.

A few hours later, Miranda's eyes opened. Before she even checked the time, she knew it was just after midnight—the morning of her birthday. She got out of bed, grabbed her robe and moved to the window. In front of it, she prayed silently, something she did every year. Praying, especially on her birthday, reminded her that there while things in the world bigger than her and more important, it didn't hurt to take time to humblebrag about what she'd been given. Her life, Tuck, her career, her friendships, Ben. She was beyond grateful. She knew that a lot of people would never be blessed with what she had. So, she spent the first minutes of her birthday thanking Him. Just as she was finishing, tears welled in her eyes. She sniffed softly, trying not to break. It happened every year; the overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Calming down, she turned and saw Ben sitting up, watching her. "Hey," she said smiling.

"You're okay?"

She nodded. "Just praying."

Ben got out of bed and walked over to her, pressing their bodies together. Miranda felt a few tears drop on his shirt. "Happy Birthday, sweetheart."

"Thank you," she said with a loud sigh. Ben kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

A few hours later, Miranda woke up to her phone ringing and knew that her mentor was calling. Her eyes went from her sleeping boyfriend to a toasted bagel was on her nightstand. There was also a note leaning against a cup of coffee. With a large smile on her face, she answered the phone. Miranda got out of bed and went to Tuck's room to see him sitting and playing on his game. She gestured to the phone and sat on the edge of his bed. "Good morning, mommy. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you."

"Was I first?" Tuck asked.

"Of course," she told him with a wink. Miranda answered the ringing phone. "Hello?"

"Bailey, Happy Birthday! How are you?" Richard said over the speaker.

"I'm great," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm well. Did I call early enough to be the first?"

"You did," she told the man. Tuck laughed in the background.

"Oh, good. Um, is that my buddy?"

"Yes, sir."

"I know he loves the birthday song."

Miranda looked at Tuck whose entire face was one big smile. "He does. We both do."

"One, two, three, Happy Birthday to ya! Happy Birthdaay!" She watched Tuck nod and sing along with the Chief of Surgery. At this point in their friendship, she knew the song was more for her son than for her. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it. When they were finished, she took Richard off of speakerphone and walked back to her room, picking up her coffee mug, Ben's note fell flat.

"Thank you, Chief. That was… entertaining."

"I, um, I put your card in the mail."

"Thank you, but I tell you all of the time you don't have to do that, especially since..." Miranda stopped talking. She wanted to say, 'especially since you have Maggie, your biological daughter,' but she didn't know how to say it without having it sound like she was jealous. Which she wasn't, but there was a part of her that was just waiting for their relationship to change with the addition of a new daughter-figure in his life.

"I know. But, it's tradition. Just like when you take me out for breakfast for my birthday."

"Fine. And I thank you for the card."

"Alright, well, Adele says 'Happy Birthday'."

"Please tell Adele that I said thank you so much."

"I'll see you later."

"Bye," Miranda said ready to dive into her bagel. She picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. Excited, she read it between bites of her breakfast. Good morning, my love. I love you and Happy Birthday. Miranda read it again and picked up her half of her bagel, taking it to Tuck. "Hungry?"

"I already ate."

"You did?"

"Me and Ben had cereal and French toast sticks."

She frowned. "Really?" He nodded. "Oh okay."

"What are we doing for your birthday?"

"What do you think?"

"Dinner with Ben?"

"And you, too."

"No, a romantic one."

Miranda put her hands on her hips. "What do you know about something being romantic?"

"I have a girlfriend," he reminded her looking up from his game.

"Right. Right."

"Maybe you could go to the movies or something," Tuck said returning his focus to his game.

"Maybe. Thank you, son."

"Happy Birthday, mommy."

"Your dad should be here soon, so you need to get up." She rubbed his head before picking out an outfit for him. Ben was still asleep while she helped Tuck get ready. She thought about waking him up but decided not to. Once Tuck was gone, Miranda took a long shower. The warm water against her skin felt so good, her hands coursed her body, familiar. It both felt like her birthday and it didn't. She never really felt older and her body changed without her noticing. But there was something different about this one. Miranda heard the slight creak of the bathroom door open before she pulled back the curtains to see Ben leaning against the sink. She swallowed hard. "Why would you want to scare me to death?" She picked up her towel and wrapped it around her body before stepping onto the rug. She pushed his chest. "And on my birthday?"

He laughed and her stomach flipped. "My bad." Miranda stood on her toes and kissed him deeply. Ben put his arms around her waist. She draped her arms on his shoulders, her towel dropping to the floor. While reaching for it, he stopped her.

"Yes?"

He bent his knees a little, putting her on the sink. She gasped into his mouth. "Why'd you let me sleep so long?" He asked touching her back.

"I don't know," she whispered, throwing her head back. His lips touched the skin on her neck and she moaned.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," he said softly as his hand traveled across her thigh. Her body shook against the marble. His fingers danced to her edge.

"Orgasms before surgery make me soft," Miranda purred, pushing him away. She got down and picked up her towel.

"Okay, okay," he laughed.

"Lucky for you, I don't mind being soft on my birthday," she said pulling him toward her bed.

Miranda's birthday was certainly off to a great start. At the hospital, Richard walked into Miranda's office. "A trash liver!" He said.

Elated, she nodded a confirmation. She'd just performed a surgery in which she'd revived a deceased patient just long enough to extract their liver and place it inside of a someone who had been waiting several months. "Perfect match. When UNOS diverted that liver earlier I was… I was pissed." He nodded. "I saw that donor liver and jumped on it."

"Well, good for you!"

At the end of the day, Miranda headed home and felt a smile crawl across her face at mere presence of Ben's car in the driveway. Entering her house, she heard Tuck, Jazmin and Ben before she saw them. "Hello?" She said stepping into the living room.

"Happy Birthday!" They shouted, blowing noisemakers and kicking balloons. Pop music began playing from the speakers.

"What's all this?"

"An old-fashion birthday party," Jaz said pushing her hands into her pockets.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Miranda said looking at each of them. She stared at the charmingly tacky decorations that covered the walls and furniture.

"And we have cake and ice cream!" Tuck squealed.

The two kids ran into the kitchen. Miranda turned to Ben. "What in the world?" She asked throwing herself into him.

"Are you surprised?" He asked kissing her face.

She stared at him in disbelief. "Yes! This is great."

"Good. I'm glad you're into this because we have games and hotdogs and chips and hamburgers and tater tots and juice boxes and presents—all the party classics."

"You are amazing." Miranda touched the back of his and pulled him down for a long kiss.

"Eww!" Tuck said as the kids came back into the room. "Can we play games now?"

"Pin the Tail on the Donkey?" Ben asked.

"You didn't?" Miranda clapped with glee. He'd done it again—made her feel so special. She made a mental note to start planning something for his birthday. Maybe she'd head to L.A. for a weekend especially since that's where Ben would be. A small wave of sadness overtook her, but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her brain and concentrated on the people in front of her. When it was time for presents, Miranda opened a gift from Jaz. It was a blanket with the Boston Celtics logo on it.

"Benji told me it was your favorite team. And I remembered that you have a Celtics t-shirt."

This little girl was winning her heart. "This is now my favorite blanket. Thank you, Jazmin." She hugged the girl.

"You're welcome," the teen said.

"I'm next!" Tuck shouted.

"Okay, okay," Miranda said winking at him.

"This is from me and Tami."

Miranda kept tears at bay as she turned Tuck's present over in her hands. She peeled the wrapping paper back to revel makeshift book. She looked at the picture of her as a baby and began reading the first page out loud: "Miranda Bailey was born…" She couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"It's your biography," the boy said pronouncing the large word slowly. "Tami had the idea. I called Grandma and Grandpa and I talked to Daddy."

"Wow, you really did your research, LT," Jaz said holding out her fist for him to bump.

Miranda wiped her eyes. "This is now my favorite book ever." She reached over and pulled her son into her arms. "And you are my favorite son."

"I'm your only son," he responded with a large smile that matched the one she was wearing.

The three of them looked at Ben. "I threw you a party," he said gesturing to the room. Jaz shook her head and Tuck slapped his forehead. "I bought the food and the games and the decorations."

"Benji!" Jaz said with a glare. "It's Dr. Bailey's birthday. Where is her gift?"

He tossed his hands in the air. "Fine."

"I'll give you one now and one later," he said staring right into Miranda's eyes. She blushed. He reached into his pocket and her heart pounded profusely. Calm down, she told herself. He promised he wouldn't propose and he won't. Relax. He pulled out an envelope. And she exhaled with a smile.

"More plane tickets?" She chuckled. He shrugged as she read the piece of paper. "Oh! I'm really going to enjoy this," she said winking at him.

Tuck stood up. "What is it, mommy?"

"Yeah, what is it, Dr. Bailey?" Jazmin asked leaning over.

"It's a Groupon for a spa retreat," she said smiling and blowing Ben a kiss. Tuck and Jaz shared a look. "Thank you, Benjamin. This is going to be so much fun."

"You're welcome, Miranda." He reached for her hand and squeezed it before turning to Tuck and Jaz. "Why don't you two put away the food in the kitchen while the two of us talk?" When they were gone, Ben pulled Miranda in his lap. "I have been waiting to do this all day." He put his lips on her bottom lip and sucked it slowly. His kisses stifled her moans. Ben held her tightly and it brought back a feeling of being safe and protected.

"I love you," she said kissing his chin, loving the prickly feeling of his beard.

"I love you, too, baby. Kiss me again before the kids come back." Miranda's heart fluttered at his comment. She laughed quietly. An hour later, the four of them crashed in the living room watching a movie. Miranda smiled into her bowl of popcorn and the box of Buncha Crunch that Ben had given her.

"Just like our first date," she whispered. He tapped the side of his nose. "Oh, you really are good." He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. Miranda felt herself drifting off toward the end of the movie. She got Jaz and Tuck settled on the sofas before she and Ben went upstairs to her bedroom.