I would like to thank everyone who reviewed Chapter 1. I'm sorry I didn't reply to you all personally, but I am still up north for my 10 days off, and have limited internet access and time. I'll try to do better this coming time, and if not – well, once I'm back home I'll have more time.
J
A Thanks, as always, is required to Stayce, for making this readable and postable…
And without further ado, here is chapter two!
Chapter 2
"Oh my god..." I whispered as we stepped out of the Explorer in front of the Waldorf Astoria. Behind me, I could hear all three girls squealing excitedly. Suddenly, the elegant pant suit I had chosen felt faded and out of place in comparison to the glamour of the stunningly dressed group of women who walked regally through the doors as I watched. The building itself was gorgeous, but an older style that really appealed.
Ranger stepped out of the Explorer and walked around it to stand beside me. As soon as the luggage had been unloaded and shuttled indoors by the bellhops, a valet drove off with the Explorer. We were left standing in the street, staring up, and up, and up at the grand old building.
"Come on, Babe." He whispered, placing a hand on the small of my back and leading me towards the entrance. "Welcome to the Waldorf." The doorman said as he swung open the door for us. The girls danced happily inside, Ranger and I following close behind. As we entered the main lobby, the lush opulence hit me, stealing my breath as quickly as a strong wind. Tall black pillars lined in gold top and bottom stood at set intervals, as if they were all that was holding the ceiling above our heads. The ceiling itself, white rimmed with gold, held an elegance that I was far from used to. The carpeting, furniture, and entire layout was open and spacious and bespoke an opulence beyond anything I'd seen or dreamed. It felt empty, yet there were a few groups of people standing easily, as if they were part of the room. They were all dressed as if they'd fallen out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Even the girls had fallen silent as they took in the lobby with awe.
We all walked toward the front desk, the girls and I moving almost in slow motion, while Ranger strode along beside me, perfectly at ease. Of course, there wasn't anywhere where Ranger wasn't at ease. Mary Alice and Angie were walking on their tippytoes, silent as mice, while Julie was moving with a little bit more ease. She did take after her father. And I... I didn't know what to think, or how to deal with a lifestyle as grand as this. It was one more place where I didn't fit.
"Reservation for Manoso." Ranger said as he stepped up to the desk. The clerk nodded, tapped her keyboard for a few seconds, then looked up. Her eyes widened as she took in his appearance, and but her smile never changed.
"Yes, a 3 room Suite?"
"Yes." Ranger handed her his credit card and signed the slip she handed back with it. The keys to the room were slid across the counter, and Ranger turned to guide us towards the elevator. We had to walk across the open lobby to get there, and every step sounded hollow, echoing through the open room. I cringed inwardly, hoping the sound wouldn't make the few people standing around look towards us. We were so outside of their realm that it was like a grandmother at a frat party. The elevator doors dinged open and we all moved inside. Ranger's arm slid around my waist as the elevator operator pressed the button for the 46th floor.
Unlike the elevator in my apartment, which could be herky-jerky sometimes, this one moved quickly and smoothly, and the doors slid open to a hallway every bit as extravagant as the main lobby. As the elevator doors closed behind us, Julie and Mary Alice started to giggle.
"Wow."
"Do you think our room will be this incredible?"
"I think it'll be more incredible." Angie chimed in, and off the girls skipped, only stopping when directed by Ranger - because they were going in the wrong direction. We walked a short distance, and then Ranger keyed open the door.
Angie was right. The entrance area was large enough for us all to shed shoes and jackets, and it led into a very large sitting room. The furniture was all old-style and expensive, sitting on their perfect wooden legs as if they had a right to be there. They all sat on rugs, so as to not scratch the beautiful hardwood flooring underneath. Two couches and a chair sat in front of a large hearth. All of our luggage was already placed in the room, ready to be sorted into bedrooms. Ranger led us past a small kitchenette, and opened the door to one of the rooms.
"This one's for the girls." He said, and the three girls instantly piled inside. As we left the room, I heard the telltale sound of one of the girls jumping up and landing on the bed. Ranger shook his head, but continued on.
He picked up my bag on the way by, and shouldered open the next door. "Yours." He said, as he placed the bag by the bed. The room housed a four-poster, king-size canopy bed, a big, plush chair, two bedside tables, and a large dresser and vanity. On one wall was a large walk-in closet, and on another, a door that led into the most incredible bathroom I'd ever seen. It even beat the one in Ranger's apartment. The tile floor was perfectly laid, and the ceiling was white with the same gold trim as the lobby. There was a huge jet tub with large marble edges - perfect for laying a book on - and a big walk-in shower with four shower heads, a bench to sit on, and...
"Babe." Ranger's voice held a hint of amusement. "I never thought a bathroom could make you so happy."
"This isn't a bathroom. This is THE bathroom."
He chuckled as he wrapped an arm around me, his hand laying against my stomach as he pulled me back into him. "Should I renovate the bathroom on the 7th floor?" He asked, his breath caressing my ear.
The thought held a lot of merit, and I heard myself moan as he turned me in his arms and lowered his mouth to mine. The kiss was short, tender, and sweet. He traced my lips with his tongue, then pulled away and looked down at me, his lips curved into the barest trace of a smile. "Glad you came, Babe." He said, as he turned and left the room. I followed him as he picked up his luggage and moved it to the 3rd bedroom. It was very similar to mine, a four poster king-sized bed, chair, dresser, closet, and bathroom. His bathroom, however, only had a shower, no tub.
"I might have to borrow your tub."
"You use a tub?" I choked down a laugh.
"Not usually, but with the right props, it has some appeal." He slanted me a look that told me in no uncertain terms just what kind of props he was thinking of: Me. Heat pooled in my stomach and I bit back a moan. "Don't look at me like that... or it won't even matter that the girls are in the next room." He warned me.
"I'm not looking at you like anything!" I lied. But then I decided that maybe I should just escape before Ranger lost hold of his self control - if that was even possible. As far as I knew, Ranger never lost control. Except for that one night, where I found out how incredible out-of-control Ranger could really be. Before my thoughts could go any further down that road, I gave him a finger wave and left the room to check on the girls.
They were all sprawled on the king-sized bed in their room, giggling.
"Auntie! Lookit this room!" Angie shrieked - I couldn't believe she actually shrieked - as she rolled off the bed. "I want a vanity like this. And the bed is huge! Even if Mary Alice kicks, I won't feel it."
"I'm allowed to kick. Horses kick!" Mary Alice shot back as she sat up.
"Alright, girls." Ranger called as he came around the corner into the doorway. "Get your shopping clothes on and grab a snack off of the counter."
The girls all squealed and dove for their suitcases. I turned around. Did Ranger just say shopping? Again? Twice in one week? He must have seen the question in my eyes, because he tugged me out of the room and towards mine.
"Can't have you miss out on 5th Avenue." Ranger said, dropping a quick kiss on my lips as we moved towards the doorway to wait for the girls to get themselves together.
"Wow." 5th Avenue was a shopaholic's dream. The storefront lights shone, like beacons calling to me. So much untrodden retail ground to explore. It was crowded, but I didn't even mind. And two blocks down was the biggest Macy's store ever made. We strolled down the streets - even Ranger was forced to stroll due to the movement of the crowds. His arm stayed anchored around my waist, as the girls danced a step in front of us, peering into store fronts and ooing over the merchandise.
Angie, in true thirteen year old style, just had to stop in at Tiffany's. That's ok, because I really wanted to too. The three girls were in heaven, looking at all of the diamonds and sapphires, necklaces and rings and everything a girl could ever dream of. I bypassed the rings - it didn't feel right to look at any kind of ring with Ranger standing in the store - and went straight for the necklaces. I didn't wear much jewellery, and didn't have much use for the extravagance of most of the displays in Tiffany's, but the girl in me still loved to look, and dream.
There was one pendant that really jumped out at me. It was a diamond teardrop, surrounded by 24karat gold and tiny little sapphires embedded all the way around. It hung on the most delicate gold chain I'd ever seen. I eyed it, and envied it, for a long moment before moving on. All of the jewellery was stunning, and the beautifully crafted jewellery boxes on a display beside the jewel cases also required a once-over. Sometimes, I really did wish I wasn't living from pay check to pay check. Well, no, sometimes I really did wish that I was rich.
The girls would never have tired of looking at the precious stones, so finally Ranger ushered us all out with minimal words.
We continued down the sidewalk, peeking through windows and occasionally stopping to browse in the stores. We saw knickknacks and Christmas decorations and everything in between, until finally, we were standing in front of Macy's Herald Square. This was the store dreams were made of. Even the girls got into the clothing aspect as we fingered and inspected and contemplated clothing on all different racks, at every price level imaginable. Ranger never uttered a complaint, or a word of impatience. He just came along with us, and occasionally looked at me with a look I really preferred he not use in front of the girls. I had scrimped through Christmas, so I really didn't have much extra for pocket change, and managed to avoid picking out any clothing to buy.
The shoes were another matter. We all, except Ranger, tried on tons of different shoes, high heels to flat soled shoes, to everything in between. And then I found the perfect pair of shoes to go with the black skirt and cream top I had brought for the ballet. They were cream coloured, dainty sandals with a medium-height heel. It may be winter, but they were still perfect. Not FMP's, but way better. The price tag was a bit high, but shoved back a twinge of guilt as I decided that the credit card could handle it. Shoes in hand, we continued to cover the store, top to bottom, including the toy section, until we got back to the checkout counter. As the salesperson rang the shoes up, Ranger reached around me and placed his card on the table.
"You c-" I started, turning to face him.
"I can. And I am. Let me, Babe." He offered me a real smile, and distracted me long enough that the clerk had already swiped his card before I noticed. He signed the slip and ushered us out of the store before I could complain.
"You really shouldn't have." I told him as we walked back towards the hotel for an early supper.
"My trip, my treat." He told me, tugging me closer to his side.
"Yeah, but you're spending enough on us already, with the room, and the ballet, and..."
"It isn't even pennies in the bank account, Babe. And it's well worth it."
I couldn't argue with the pennies thing. Ranger never really divulged the state of his bank account, and I've never cared. It was still different to hear that a trip that would cost me years of savings was mere pennies to him. I reached over and squeezed his hand in thanks, and he twined our fingers together. The girls continued to chatter, but we walked the rest of the way back to the hotel in companionable silence.
"Wow. This was the best dessert ever." Angie sighed as she daintily blotted her lips with her napkin, then set it on her plate.
"Horses love chocolate cake!" Mary Alice said. Julie had, like her father, had fruit for dessert, although unlike her father, she dipped hers in a healthy dose of chocolate. And I had the best tiramisu ever made.
"What's the plan for tonight?" I asked Ranger.
"Surprise for the girls." He told me. This led to a chorus of "ooooh! What?! Can we go now?" From the girls, as Ranger signed the bill off to our room, and led us out of the restaurant.
When we walked out the front doors of the Waldorf, the Explorer was already sitting outside, idling. Ranger opened the back door for the girls, and the passenger door for me, making sure we were all settled and buckled in before sliding in the driver's side. The girls never missed a breath - but then, they'd been talking non-stop since we left my apartment this morning. Ranger drove in his usual zone, navigating New York as if he'd been here countless times. He probably had. Soon, he pulled into the over-large parking lot for FAO Schwartz, and eased into a parking stall. The girls were squealing so loud you'd have thought we had George Clooney's pig in the backseat, and they all piled out, bouncing up and down, absolutely vibrating.
"Here's the deal." Ranger told them as he moved to stand in front of them and block their view of the store. "You get one gift each."
"Maybe they sell ponies!" Mary Alice squealed, as she tried to race past Ranger. He gently grabbed her by the back of her coat, then turned her around.
"More rules. You stay with Stephanie and me. You have the rest of the evening to go through the store." He sounded pained at that -and I didn't blame him, that could even be four plus hours of suffering. "And when we get back to the hotel, you can play with whatever you chose. Mary Alice and Angie, you're in charge of picking something out for Lisa." The girls all agreed to his rules, and then we made our way into the store.
The store was aisles and aisles of toys for all ages. We wandered through the baby section and Mary Alice and Angie managed to agree on a Baby's First Computer for Lisa and we continued down the aisles. The girls had to look at nearly EVERYTHING. They all spent a long time eyeing the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that had recently come out, and when their backs were turned Ranger added it to the stack.
"I really never thought I'd see the day I saw Bad-Ass Ranger in a toy store." I teased at one point, while the girls discussed the finer points of Lego's.
"Had to do something to keep them occupied." He said. "And Rachel suggested it. It wasn't going to be this big of a deal with just Julie."
"Sorry..."
"Don't be. It's just one night. I'll live."
Impulsively, I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him quickly. Sometimes, Ranger really managed to surprise me.
Finally, the girls had each picked out a gift - Angie had chosen an i-touch, Julie picked out the same thing and Mary Alice, a life sized stuffed pony. We made quick work of the checkout, and then were on our way back to the hotel.
Once we were back in the room, the bell hop had brought the pony up on a luggage cart, the girls all fell to the floor in the sitting room, and dumped the contents of the FAO Schwartz bags onto the floor. Lisa's gift got set aside, and they were halfway through opening up their booty when Julie came across the Pirates DVD.
"OOoooh! Ranger! Can we watch it? Now?" She begged, dancing around in circles around him. "I've wanted to see it again for sooooo long."
"Johnny Depp is hot." Angie giggled. I'd never heard her giggle like that before.
"Captain Jack needs a horse. But he's still ok." Mary Alice decided.
"TV's right there." Ranger told them. Then, he turned on the fireplace so it could start up while we got the girls' settled. Julie got the DVD running and the girls all sprawled in the floor to watch it. I curled up in one corner of the love seat - I wasn't one to refuse Johnny Depp either. I figured Ranger would go off somewhere to get some work done, but he surprised me again by sitting next to me, cuddling me closer, and watching the movie with us. And other than a few smart-ass comments about the movie, he was surprisingly well-behaved.
We were all exhausted when Ranger hustled the girls off to bed. I slipped the DVD out of the player, moved the girls' stash into one corner, and decided that enough was enough, and it was definitely bedtime for me too. Ranger shut the lights, and kissed me softly as he met me in my door.
"Good night, Babe." He said against my lips, before kissing me softly one more time, and heading towards his room.
I woke the next morning to gentle fingers tracing my cheek. "Wake up, Babe." Ranger whispered, leaning forward and brushing a feather light kiss on my lips. I moaned and reached for him, wanting him closer. He twisted way with a chuckle. "The girls are in the sitting room - I let you sleep as long as possible. Just wear jeans, this morning." I dragged myself up into a sitting position and blinked at him. He dropped another kiss on my lips and handed me a coffee cup.
"You're a God." I mumbled, breathing in the aroma of perfectly brewed coffee.
"Anything for my Goddess." He teased, tucked a wild curl behind my ear, and left me to get ready.
"Where are we going?" Julie asked, as walked through the hotel Lobby. I really felt out of place this time around - jeans and a sweater compared to Armani and Versace. It would, however, suit our destination perfectly. Ranger just winked at me and told Julie that it was a surprise, but I knew where we were going. This was a new surprise, one Ranger planned especially for Mary Alice.
The girls threw out suggestions as to what this "surprise" might be, never missing a beat as we drove towards Central Park. They laughed and giggled and guessed some more as he led us down the pathways to the large riding stable, where it was possible to rent horses and ride through the park.
We were walking around the corner when Mary Alice looked in and spied a horse, looking over his stall door at us. She whinnied loudly and galloped off excitedly to go see it. The horse, obviously used to the attention of kids, dropped its head and let her pet him. He...She..It seemed to bask in the attention. It took a minute for Ranger to get her attention to call her back, and then we headed to the office to check-in and get our horses.
The horses assigned to us were all older and gentle, well-used to travelling the trails of Central Park. We had a trail guide, and were quickly taught how to mount, turn left, right, stop, and go. And then we were off. Ranger and I hung back and brought up the rear, as the trail guide led the girls ahead of us. Angie sat, straight and tall and somewhat stiff on top of her orange-colored horse that the grooms said was called Chestnut. Julie looked relatively comfortable on her mount, and Ranger told me that she had taken lessons in Miami. And Mary Alice sat as if she as a part of the horse, entirely in her glory and happy as a clam.
"Can we gallop?" I heard her ask the groom. The edges of Ranger's mouth creased into a typical thinking-about-smiling smile, and the groom chuckled.
"These horses are a bit old to gallop. But you should take lessons."
I'd have to remember that for next Christmas.
I wasn't sure I liked being on a horse, but I didn't mind it, either. There was something... almost free... about having the horse move underneath you. As if, if I wanted it to, it could be my wings. But maybe not. Maybe that was just the effect of Ranger riding so close beside me our legs almost touched.
The ride was over far too soon, and it was time to head back to the hotel for lunch, and to get ready for the Nutcracker.
We had lunch at a small cafe in an out of the way location somewhere or other - I lost track of where we were. It was tiny and quaint and Ranger obviously liked it. The food was good, and the service was better. And the best part was, we got served by a guy who spent a lot of time flirting with me, but no time ogling Ranger.
"You shouldn't encourage him." Ranger told me, as he walked away after serving us our food.
"I wasn't encouraging!" I protested, then gave him an innocent smile as his fingers squeezed my knee under the table.
"Babe."
"Is Ranger your boyfriend?" Angie asked me suddenly, halfway through the meal.
"I..What...No!"
"Well I think he should be. He's better than Joe." Mary Alice stated.
"I think he is." Julie threw in her two cents. I couldn't figure out why Ranger wasn't shutting this conversation down, but when I looked over, I saw his eyes dancing. Ranger was amused.
"I think he is too." Angie said. "And I think Joe is too much like mom and Grandma. And you're too much..Not like mom and Grandma, auntie Steph."
"I think you all just have to be quiet and eat." I told them, frustrated. Ranger's fingers were tracing circles on my knee, and it was making me all hot and bothered.
"Ranger, Stephanie's your girlfriend, right?" Julie looked to Ranger instead.
"Someday. Now be quiet and eat." He repeated my earlier order, and this time, they listened.
"Wow. Look at all the people." Angie's eyes were wide and her voice was hushed as we walked into The New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. Keeping us together, Ranger made his way through the crowds until he found the entrance to the box he reserved. There were two rows of seating in the box. The girls got the front row, and they all sat down and smoothed their dresses, without pausing in their giggling conversation. Ranger and I sat in the row behind them, and he immediately seized my hand and rested it on his leg, his fingers twined with mine.
"Glad you came." He told me softly, so they wouldn't overhear. "It's good to have you with me."
"It's..I'm glad too." It was a whirlwind of a trip, and I could never really get past feeling out of my league, but it felt so right to spend this time with Ranger, and the girls were having so much fun it was impossible NOT to be glad.
We sat in silence, the warmth of his hand seeping through my fingers and warming my entire body, while the girls chattered and giggled in front of us. They'd gotten along brilliantly right from the start, and even Angie kept forgetting her prim little ways and joined in the goofiness. I had never thought Ranger would allow them to be kids the way he was, but it seemed like he was determined that this trip was for Julie, and even when he looked like he wanted to say something to them, he didn't.
Then, the curtains went up, and the chatter in the front row turned to rapt silence, one that lasted right through to the end of the play.
It was getting dark and was snowing gently when we left Lincoln Center. The girls were talking about the ballet, replaying every moment start to finish, their attention still completely centered on the last few hours of their life. They didn't even think to ask what we were doing tonight - not as we drove back to the hotel, or as we changed, or during supper.
It wasn't until we got out of the cab at the Rockefeller Centre that Julie wondered what we were doing now.
"Christmas isn't Christmas without Skating at the Rockefeller." Ranger said to me.
"In the dark?" I asked.
"It's lighted."
The ice surface was lit like broad daylight; blindingly so. But it still held appeal. In no time at all we were all sporting skates and heading onto the ice. The girls went off together immediately, laughing and chattering. Ranger slung an arm around my waist and skated off, slowly, leaving me to follow.
"It's heaven to not hear them continually." I sighed. Ranger chuckled.
"They're good kids."
"Yeah...I'm just not used to the noise level."
"Me either." He admitted, but I already knew that. "I'm not used to kids, period."
"You're good with them, though."
"I make a conscious effort to be good with them." What he left unsaid was something I'd already noticed about his nature - if he wasn't good at it, he didn't do it. And if he did it, he made damned sure he was good at it. It was silly of me to think shuttling three girls around New York would be any different. "And this gives us a chance for a bit of alone time." He admitted. "It wasn't entirely unselfish."
Obviously not, I thought, as his hand moved down and rested momentarily on my ass. Then he moved it back up again, before the girls could possibly catch sight. We skated around, Ranger always keeping half an eye on their location, and sometimes getting close enough to hear them.
"Ok." we heard Julie saying. "How about Angie be Clara."
"You can be the Nutcracker Prince!" Mary Alice suggested.
"Who will you be?" Angie asked her.
"I'll be his horse!"
"How about if you be the Sugar Plum Fairy?" Julie suggested. Mary Alice screwed up her face and wrinkled her nose as she thought about it for a minute, then she nodded.
"Okay. But the Sugar Plum Fairy is riding a horse." She declared.
We skated off as the girls began their re-enactment of the Nutcracker, and Ranger tucked me closer to him, brushing the loose snow off of my hair with his gloved hand, and dropping a kiss on my forehead.
It was funny, how it was when there was no guilt. I didn't worry about what might, or might not, be cheating ... and being with Ranger just felt comfortable. The biggest bonus, though, was I was forgetting, all too easily, how alone I was going to be, this Christmas.
It was past 9 when we gathered the girls up and headed back to the hotel. The constant chatter dwindled down as we drove - they'd finally tired out. I was tired too, for that matter. The girls pretty much tumbled out of their clothes, into pyjamas and were asleep before the lights were even turned out. And I wasn't far behind them.
I was tucked into bed when Ranger poked his head in the door, and then came in and sat on the edge of the bed. He framed my face and kissed me gently. "Night Babe. I'll see you in the morning." He told me, as he stood, tucked the covers tightly around me and left for his own room, closing the door softly behind him.
I burrowed deeper under the blanket, sinking into the soft, luxurious bed, and fell into a sound sleep. Shortly after, I started to dream...
