A/N: I can't tell you all enough HOW much I love all the feedback! :) I may not get to write to each person (I'm getting a ton of guest reviews) but holy wow do you all know how to make a girl feel special!!!

So one of my guests mentioned why did they have to talk about everything, can't they just be over it already? LOL I wish!! By nature I am a talker. My husband hates it, but I need to talk things out otherwise I get major anxiety. So I'm modeling this Stephanie after myself a bit. The fact is, she got close to Ranger who then promptly kicked her to the curb (but still wanted her close) and she has no idea why. They need to explore that a bit before I can let them move on fully. I hope that helps a bit!!

Chapter 8

Stephanie POV

After the first good night's sleep I had in a very long time, I had my overnight bag packed and was ready to head out. Since I still had no idea where we were headed I packed light. Jeans and a t-shirt for tomorrow , a semi fancy dress in case we went anywhere for dinner, and some other random pieces thrown in. Bobby came to collect me right on time , and we set off for our adventure . We had been driving for about 30 minutes making conversation when he reached behind his seat and plopped a bag in my lap.

"You're charge of the car snacks." He grinned at me as my stomach made itself known.

I started digging through the bag, excited. He had all my favorites, and not a healthy thing in sight ! I grabbed a TastyKake and bit in to it, trying to suppress a moan as he chuckled. "We have about an hour drive or so to get to our destination. Music?"

"Anything but country." I mumbled through my bite. He found a rock station and I yelped. "Oh!! This is Maroon 5! I love them. It's funny that they came on, I heard they were playing at Madison Square Garden this weekend." I handed him a stick of beef jerky (I was guessing that was for him) and sang along (badly) to the song on the radio. After a few minutes I couldn't stand it. "Okay so where are we going ? I appreciate the whole surprise thing but… I'm kind of impatient."

Bobby snorted. "What? YOU??" He winked at me and pointed to the glove box indicating I should open it.

When I did I pulled out an envelope and looked at him. "What's this?"

He just rolled his eyes at me playfully. "Open it Steph." So I did, and couldn't contain my joy.

"WE'RE GOING TO THE MAROON 5 CONCERT?!?!?!?" If he hadn't been driving I would have jumped him right there. He just laughed and pulled the car to the side of the road and putting it in park before turning to me so he could see my full reaction.

"Excited?" My face felt like it could crack I was smiling so big.

"Bobby this is amazing !" I leaned over and hugged him as best I could strapped into the seat belt. "The concert is tomorrow night though, where are we going now?"

"We're spending the next two days in New York City."

You would assume living in Trenton all my life and only being an hour and change away from the Big Apple I would have been tired of going there. The thing was, I had never been. The look on my face must have worried Bobby because he grabbed my hand to make me look him on the eyes. "Steph? Is that okay ? We don't have to share a room, I can get us two separate ones… that's not what this trip is about. I just want you go relax and have a good time…"

I couldn't take it. I unhooked my seat belt and leaned over the console between us, pulling him close. My hands wrapped around the back of his neck, fingers running through his hair as I pulled his mouth to mine. We were lost in our own world until a car horn sounded outside and we remembered where we were. I pulled back slightly but still kept my eyes locked on his. "Bobby this is the best, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. I've never been to the city, and I'm so glad I'm getting to experience it for the first time with you." I sat back in my seat, a feeling of joy washing over me.

"You've never been?" I shook my head in response. "Well then, we will definitely have to all the obnoxious touristy things… and take selfies while we do them." We both laughed and he pulled back out onto the road.

"Oh, I didn't bring my phone, I left it with Ranger, so any selfies will definitely need to be taken with yours." I held out my hand and he chuckled as he pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I leaned close to him and snapped our first "date" photo, sending it to Lester. Bobby's phone pinged almost immediately after I hit send. Les: Heeeyyy beautiful! Hope you guys have a great time. Don't forget to bring me a souvenir! ;)

I read the message to Bobby and then placed the phone on the console between us. He held out his right hand and I placed mine in it, interlocking our fingers, as we drove towards downtown.

6 hours later and I was exhausted. We had found our hotel, check in wasn't until 11 so we had some time to kill. We ate a proper breakfast and then walked down 5th Avenue doing some window shopping (all I could afford). When it was time to check in we made our way to the hotel again, The Andaz 5th Avenue, which had a spectacular view of the New York Public Library , and was close to Central and Bryant parks , plus the Empire State building. As we walked through the front doors of the hotel I had to remind myself not to look like a tourist, but it was difficult . The lobby was gorgeous, and when we made it to the room (single, I was NOT making him sleep in a different room) I finally allowed myself to show my emotions. The room was breathtaking, modern with clean lines and so immaculate it made Rangeman look like a wreck. I peeked in the bathroom and squealed. There was a floor to ceiling glass shower big enough for even the Rangeman guys to pile in to!

"So, what's next on the agenda?" Bobby asked as we got settled in the room and our bags put up.

I couldn't afford anything on 5th Ave. My shopping budget geared towards a little less Tiffany's and more mom and pop store. "Chinatown?" I grinned at him sheepishly. Chinatown is a densely populated neighborhood where the busy sidewalks are packed with souvenir stores and markets selling everything from fresh and dried fish to herbs and spices. It's common to hear the phrase "2 for 5 dollar!" or something similar coming from the merchants hocking their wares along the streets. It was more my speed, so we left to see what we could find.

A few hours later my feet were burning and we were loaded down with souvenirs for all Rangeman employees. My favorite find though was a pair of silver Baoding balls that I had picked up for Bobby without him knowing. They are basically small metal stress balls, that you hold in one hand and roll around (hard to explain, but so cool!) They are used for anything from exercise to meditation (they make a relaxing jingling noise when rolled), and can be used to improve finger dexterity. Bobby would appreciate them I thought, being a doctor. Once we had walked as much as we could stand, we hailed a cab back to our hotel and I barely made it in the room before dropping on to the bed. I heard Bobby laugh as he laid down next to me and turned to me.

"What do you say we take a power nap before dinner?" He tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

I kicked my shoes off and nodded, wiggling under the covers as he did the same. He grabbed his phone to set the alarm for an hour, and before we drifted off I scooted close to him, staring into his eyes. "Thank you."

"For what? The trip?" he scoffed. "It's nothing really…"

"No." I replied. "For everything. For your kindness, your friendship, your love… for this whole thing. I love it, everything about it. Thank you Bobby, from the bottom of my heart. I don't think I'll ever be able to convey how unbelievably happy I am to be here with you. " I felt him kiss my forehead and wrap his arms around me.

"Thank you Steph. For taking the chance, for agreeing to go out with me. For allowing me to be in your life… it means more than you'll ever know." We both closed our eyes and fell asleep within minutes with smiles on our faces.

Lester POV

My best friend was a lucky bastard. Bobby and Steph had left for their trip earlier and I had gotten one photo from her as they were driving. Since then it had been radio silence, until about an hour ago when he texted me to send more photos of their day together, and gave me the update that they were having a fantastic time but not to worry if I didn't hear from them for the rest of the night. If I had sent that message, it would mean I was getting lucky and couldn't be interrupted. For Bobby? It meant he was spending time focusing on Steph, as he should be.

I knew with everything she had been going through over the last few months she would break down at some point. I was just hoping one of us would be there to catch her when she did. Thankfully Bobby was. I won't lie, I'm jealous. Stephanie is the perfect woman. She's funny and gorgeous and easy going… She spends time with each of us, and isn't afraid to get dirty. (Not that she has a choice sometimes). I responded with a message back to Bobby that read L:Don't do anything I wouldn't do! when I sensed my cousin lurking before I see him. "Ric."

"Lester. You hear from Bobby and Steph?"

I could tell he didn't want to ask… that he was trying to avoid thinking about them off together in parts unknown. Bobby had told me where he was taking her but no one else knew, so I'm sure my cousins mind was all over the place. "Yes, they're having fun."

"So where did they go?"

I debated on telling him. To be honest he didn't need to know. They weren't on call so he had no reason to locate them, except that he was being nosy. I showed him my phone and the pictures that had been sent. They were sickingly adorable, huddled together in front of landmark after landmark, holding hands and making kissy faces at the camera. I hadn't seen Bobby this relaxed in… probably never actually.

I heard Ranger growl a bit. "New York?" I don't think he was angry per se, just… frustrated .

I tossed my phone down on to the table in front of me and stared at him. "You wanna explain to me why you care? You all but banished Stephanie from the premises a few months back when you finally got her into bed and then promptly got bored. So what do you care who she sees or where she goes ? "

He definitely growled this time. "That's not what happened Les. Not at all."

"Well then what the hell did happen ?? One minute you two couldn't stay away from each other and the next you've shoved her off towards Morelli. She almost left us Ric." I stood and started pacing. "What were you thinking?"

"I fell in love with her, and it scared the shit out of me." He explained with a deep sigh. I had to stop moving and stare at him for a moment before he continued. "We had been dancing around each other for so long… then the inevitable happened and we slept together."

"Duh. The whole building knew that." I muttered under my breath.

"I looked at her, laying in my bed and an image flashed in my mind. We were married with a kid or two running around. I could actually see it Les. It was real to me. And then reality came crashing down and I remembered who I am. I can't be married to her, not with my life. I already have a daughter I couldn't be around while she was growing up, why would I think things would be different now? I already can't stand when she gets hurt, I simply wouldn't be able to function if anything happened to Stephanie or our kid because of me… so I figured it would just be better if there was no possibility of that scenario playing out."

Color me shocked. My cousin isn't known for being very open or forthcoming about his feelings, so the fact he just told me all this was blowing my mind. "Does Beautiful know any of this?"

He shook his head "No. And she won't."

That made me roll my eyes and make a noise deep in my throat. "And there's the Ranger I'm used to. "