Disclaimer: Characters still don't belong to me. I'm only playing with them for a short time.

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! We're down to the last chapter. Tomorrow will be the epilogue. Even though it's almost over, I would still love to read what you think about it.

Smut warning...Zero said that it was way past time. : )

No beta. Mistakes are mine.

Lifetime of Love

Chapter 20

SPOV

The two weeks Zero was gone was pure hell. I had never had time come to a crawl like it did for those days. And when I say crawl, I mean slower than molasses on a cold day. Unmoving, slow. Frustrating as hell, slow.

Zero spent the entire two weeks at his house in California. He didn't even tell his parents that he was there. I had no clue what he did all day, nor did I ask. He needed that time to get his head straight and he used it to do just that. We did spend hours talking on the phone every night and I could tell just by the changes in his voice every night that he needed this time apart and he was benefitting from it.

When he walked away from me that day in the hallway, I thought I was losing him forever. I didn't know what had happened, but I thought I fucked something up and he didn't want me or AJ anymore. It broke my heart watching him walk away and all I could do was go into my apartment, close the door before collapsing into sobs.

That day is a blur to me still. Ranger called and asked what happened so I told him what I could. He told me to pack up AJ and come to Haywood. He offered his apartment for me to use because he didn't want me to be alone. I don't remember driving there or anything else really until Ranger and Joe walked in together. They both looked like they could kill someone and I honestly prayed that they hadn't killed Zero.

We all talked about what Zero had told them and then what they had shared with him and I was thankful that they both understood my feelings toward them. I loved them, but not the same way that I loved my fiancé. I would never love them as much as I did him and I couldn't figure out why he didn't believe that. What made him so insecure and crazy all of a sudden? He wasn't like that in the beginning.

I thought about what happened and about my leaving and then something dawned on me. Zero had just came back from a very long and, probably, very tense mission. Wasn't he supposed to take some time off to decompress?

"Ranger, what's the policy for when guys return from being 'in the wind'?" Ranger looked at me intently.

"Two weeks off-line is standard procedure. Most guys go to their 'homes' that are scattered around the country. Some stay around here, but we keep a close eye on them. When they come back, they have a lot of tension and adrenaline." Realization dawned in his eyes. He knew that something was wrong with Zero.

"So Noah coming back and getting tossed into a crazy family life probably wasn't good?" Ranger shook his head and looked ashamed. "We went to see Shelly while we were in California. I'm sure dealing with his best friends death again wasn't all that therapeutic either." Ranger shook his head again.

"If I can get him to admit that the mission is the root of his problems, will you give him another two weeks off? Can he take some time to get himself together?"

"Absolutely. I'm ashamed that I didn't catch on sooner. I'm sorry, Babe." I waved off his apology, it wasn't his fault.

"Thank you. I'm still terrified that he's going to tell me to take a hike. I'm afraid that I've done too much damage to our relationship." I wiped a tear from my face.

"Cupcake, you didn't do anything. This is all on him. You can't feel guilty for anything." AJ stirred in Ranger's arms looking for some food.

"Let me take him to the office and feed him. I need some time to think." I took AJ from Ranger and headed toward the office.

"I'll have Tank get him a ticket to California and Ella will pack his bag. Let him talk when the time comes, Babe. Don't run in the beginning." Ranger's words followed me as I walked into his private office. I sat in the comfortable couch and fed AJ. I thought about everything that had happened and knew that I wanted to make my relationship work with Zero. I didn't want to give up, but my mind was racing with my fears. Fears that he wasn't going to be willing to fight for us. Fears that told me that I wasn't good enough for him. We all have insecurities, some people can just hide them better than others. At that moment, mine weren't hidden. They were exposed and they were raw.

I sat quietly in the office even though AJ was done eating. I wasn't ready to see anyone. When I finally walked out of the office, I knew Zero was there. I could sense him but I wasn't ready to see him. I was afraid he would be able to read all of my fears. When I finally looked at him, the sight of his bruised body broke my heart. If he wasn't going to leave me in the beginning, he surely would then. I was the reason that he got the shit beat out of him.

I was so glad when Ranger offered to take AJ so we could talk. I didn't really want to be dumped in public and that's what was going to happen, I was positive. The minute I realized that he wasn't going to leave me, the instant relief that flooded me almost knocked me to the floor. We had a long way to go and I wanted to do everything in my power to make it work.

That's why I suggested the two-week separation. He needed time to get everything worked out in his head and I needed sometime too. I wanted to get my heart and head on straight, too. We both jumped into this relationship and didn't even think about how it would change us. I wasn't backing out, just taking time to think about what was best for me and my son.

I spent the two weeks either at the apartment with AJ or at RangeMan, working. I started doing searches and loved being around the guys. I was never in need of a babysitter. AJ got to watch the monitors with Cal and then got to help Les and Bobby stock the medical suite. I was constantly having to go to the monitors to find out who had him and where they were in the building. I trusted the guys so I wasn't too worried.

The day that I found AJ and Ranger asleep on the couch in his office was the sweetest. Ranger was spread out on the too little piece of furniture with my tiny son curled up on his chest. Both of them sound asleep. I snuck a picture on my cell phone so I would always have it.

Zero and I talked about me working for RangeMan and he supported whatever I wanted to do. I didn't want to roll in garbage or get hurt anymore, so I took a full-time position. I knew that would mean eating better and exercising along with gun range time, but it was past time that I took better care of myself. I had two people counting on me to be around for a long time. I didn't want to let either of them down. My first 'official' day as a full-time RangeMan was scheduled for the day after Zero returned from California. I begged to put it off another day, but Ranger just laughed and told me that I better not be late on my first day. Stupid slave driver of a boss. Didn't he know that I wasn't going to get an ounce of sleep the night before my first day.

My doctor's appointment was the day before Zero returned. He released me from my restrictions and gave me a birth control shot. I wasn't ready for more kids and I didn't want to deal with pills or condoms. I also didn't want anything between us the next time we came together. I made arrangements with my parents to keep AJ the night Zero returned. We would both meet him at the plane when he landed at 1700, but our first stop would be my parents to drop off AJ. Then Zero and I would lock ourselves away in our apartment. That's right...our apartment.

During one of our many phone conversations, Zero agreed to finally move in with me. We both agreed that it made the most sense. We didn't want to spend another night apart. My apartment was bigger and had the nursery for AJ. The guys cleaned out his RangeMan apartment and moved everything to my place. I already had his stuff put away and waiting for him to get home.

The day of Zero's return, I packed AJ's stuff up and got him locked into his seat and walked down to my new SUV. Ranger thought it was safer than my old car so he called it a 'perk' of working for him full-time. Most guys drove Explorers. Ranger bought me a Navigator. He claimed it was because I needed room for AJ and his stuff. Arguing with him was pointless, so I just thanked him. AJ seemed to really like our new ride. I got AJ buckled and drove toward the air strip that started this whole mess two weeks ago. I was ready to see my fiancé again. I was ready to start our lives together.

I was waiting in the warm SUV as I watched the plane land and park close to where my vehicle sat. The stairs came down and off stepped the love of my life. He was smiling and looking at the black SUV. He didn't know it was me waiting for him. The second he was close enough to the SUV I opened my door and launched myself at him.

He must have suspected something because I didn't knock him down. Instead he crushed his arms around me, pulling me tight into his hard body and kissed my lips hungrily. His tongue traced my lips and I opened my mouth with a moan. My panties were instantly ruined and I was past ready for him to be inside me. Unfortunately we had to drop off AJ at my parents and then drive home. Sigh.

"It's so good too finally see you, Breá. I can't tell you what it's like to hold you again." His voice was husky and full of desire and it sent shivers throughout my body.

"It's good to see you too. I missed you." I kissed his ear and felt him shudder. Ha! Payback!

"I missed you, more. Where's my big guy? I missed him too." He released me from his hug, but kept me tucked into his side as we walked to the SUV. Zero climbed into the middle seat and kissed AJ. He spent a few minutes talking to his son before climbing back out and getting into the front passenger seat.

"We're dropping AJ off at my parents for the night. Is that okay?" I glanced at Zero in the passenger seat and his eyes turned dark.

"And why's that, my love?" His finger trailed down my hairline and jaw.

"I have plans for you tonight." My sex kitten voice came out to play and he got the implication. The crotch of his pants looked a little tighter than it had earlier.

I drove us to my parents house and Zero stayed in the car while I took AJ inside. We thought it would be quicker that way. I had plans, and they didn't involve my parents and grandma. When I got back into the SUV, the look of hunger in Zero's eyes made my breath catch in my throat. He looked about ready to devour me and I was going to let him.

"How quick can you get us home?" He leaned over and kissed my neck. All I could do was whimper in response. He chuckled and spoke. His breath tickled my exposed skin.

"That slow, huh? Is there any place closer? I'm not sure I can wait, Breá." He was kissing his way across my jaw and then his lips met mine. The fire in my blood boiled and spread straight to my stomach and nether region. I knew exactly where we could go. I pulled away from his kiss to get my bearings.

"Hold on, Baby." He looked shocked but sat back in his seat as I hit the accelerator.

Growing up in the Burg was a blessing that day. I knew the park a few blocks over from my parent's house was abandoned and was the perfect place to park for a few minutes. It was on the end of dead-end street and no cars ever ventured there anymore. It's where my high school boyfriends and I would go to make-out.

I got us there and parked the SUV in a matter of minutes. Once I slammed the SUV in park, my seatbelt was ripped off and I was hauled across the vehicle into my fiancé's waiting lap. Our lips crashed together and our hands became frantic. It had been too damn long for both of us. The first time was going to be fast and frantic, but we had all night for slow and tender.

Zero ripped my shirt off and attacked my breasts with his hands. He pinched and rolled my nipples through the fabric of my bra. God, how I missed his touch. My hands removed his shirt and I was treated to the gorgeous skin that stretched across his chest. My tongue tasted every inch of that skin and my hands were working the button on his pants while his were rubbing my bare ass. I thought ahead that day and wore a skirt. Am I smart or what.

Once I got Zero's pants pulled down enough to release his erection, my hands began stroking him and I watched as he threw his head back and let out a growl.

"Please don't, baby. I'm going to cum if you keep that up and I want to be inside you when that happens." I understood, so I stopped stroking him and went to the task of removing my thong. I guess I wasn't fast enough, because Zero lost patience and ripped them off my body. That sent a fresh gush of warmth to my core and I could tell I was beyond ready for him. His finger stroked my soaked lower lips and slowly entered me. Just one finger felt amazing but I wanted more. I wanted to feel him.

"You are so wet, my love. Is this all because of me?" I whimpered again as he added another finger and began to stroke in and out of my soaking wet hole. His thumb found my clit and began to massage it in time with his fingers.

The sensations he was causing inside of me were amazing, but I seriously needed to cum. I could feel his hardness pulsing under me and knew that he needed it too.

"Please make me cum, baby. I can't take it anymore." I whispered into his ear as I licked the shell and then down his neck.

He growled and removed his fingers and positioned his cock at my entrance but stopped before pushing in.

"Do I need to put something on?" I shook my head. I took care of that at the doctor yesterday. "Birth control shots every three months. We're covered." He growled again and slowly pushed inside of me. It had been too damn long so the second he was fully inside of me, I came. He held me as I screamed his name and somehow kept his control as my walls clenched around his cock.

"You are so fucking beautiful when you cum." Zero kissed me and I whimpered again. "Let's see it again." With that, he started moving me on his erection, guiding my hips up and down on him.

With every thrust he touched places that had been long neglected. The head of his cock would touch my womb and then he would guide me up and almost all the way out before slowly lowering me back it. It was so tender and loving that it brought tears to my eyes. I let him guide me and keep the slow pace for a while, letting our orgasms build to new heights.

When I had enough and knew that he was close too, I started moving faster on his throbbing dick. I clenched my walls as I sunk down on him and felt him groan.

"Fuck, baby. You ready to cum with me?" He was close to losing control and I was ready for him.

"Fuck yes." That was all I said. He grabbed my waist and began thrusting in and out of me with wild abandonment. It didn't take long for him to send me flying over the edge in an intense climax. Feeling my walls tighten around him caused him to join me in our mutual release. I felt his seed spill inside me and heard my name come out of his mouth on a loud growl.

All that could be heard in the SUV after that was our raspy breathing with a few, 'holy fucks' thrown in from both of us. I'm not sure how long we stayed joined together in the passenger seat of the SUV, but I honestly didn't want to move. It felt to damn good to be here with him like that. It felt just like home.

A car pulling up behind us broke our dazed stupor and propelled us into action. I barely had my shirt back on and I was still sitting in Zero's lap when there was a tap on the passenger side window. Zero's cock was still inside me, but he at least had his shirt on. My skirt covered enough so he rolled down the window.

Joe was smirking on the other side of the window. Fuck me!

"You realize that there's no parking here." He was using his cop voice, but his eyes were laughing and he couldn't lose the smirk.

"Fuck Joe. Give me a ticket and let me get back to having sex with my fiancé." I was pissed. He knew that it was me, and he was just busting my balls - metaphorically speaking of course. He laughed out loud.

"Nah. Warning will be enough for you two love birds." Zero looked relieved and laughed along with Joe. I didn't find this funny so I refused to laugh with them.

"Welcome home. I'm glad you two are working out your frustrations in a more productive way." Joe chuckled again.

"Thanks, officer. I'll be sure we get home before anymore frustrations get worked out. You know how women can be, sometimes." I smacked his chest as Zero spoke between laughs. God, men could be such jerks.

"Sounds good. You two have fun tonight." Joe turned to walk away but stopped.

"Oh, Ranger wanted me to tell you two that Les won the pool. Most of the guys thought you would at least make it out of the Burg. You have a good memory, Cupcake. You've used this place before." I heard him laugh as he walked back to his car. I rolled my eyes and climbed off Zero's lap into the driver's seat.

Zero got his pants pulled back up and I sent a group text to Ranger and the guys.

'You fuckers are going to catch hell when I get into work tomorrow. You know much I hate bets against me. BTW...congrats, Les.'

I turned my phone off and drove us to the apartment. I still had an entire night of plans for my fiancé and I didn't want to waste another second. I didn't want to spend time thinking about stupid men and their stupid bets.

Once Zero and I were locked behind our apartment door, we let loose and spent the rest of the night making each other scream. We would pass out from sheer exhaustion only to wake a few hours later reaching for each other. I lost count of the number of orgasms that I had that night. I was exhausted the next morning, but I had to get up to make it to work on time. Zero wasn't scheduled to go back until the next day, so he was taking care of AJ for me while I worked.

I left bottles in the fridge and my exhausted fiancé passed out in bed. I hopped into my SUV and headed to the office. All the guys were surprised to see me stroll into the gym at 0700, but I made a promise to Ranger to follow all of his rules, so gym time was a must.

After my workout, I showered and dressed in Ranger's apartment. He was already in the office, so I didn't have to worry about him being there. Not that I would worry about that. I was at my desk ready to work at 0900. Right on time. I had a pile of searches to work through so I got busy and fell into my zone of computer work.

Zero called at 1000 to let me know that he picked up AJ and they were headed to the mall for some Christmas shopping. I rolled my eyes at that thought. Christmas was coming soon and I hadn't done any shopping. I would worry about it later though.

My first day back at the office went off smoothly. The guys stopped by to officially welcome me back but they didn't linger long at my desk. I was able to work through all the search requests and I was returning them to the guys before I left. The last delivery was a stack for Ranger so I headed toward his office.

His door was open and he was sitting behind his desk staring at the computer. He was lost in thought because he didn't even notice I was standing there.

"I know you're there, Babe. I was just finishing this contract." His eyes met mine and he smiled at me. I rolled my eyes and dropped the files on his desk.

"The searches you requested." His eyes got big and he skimmed the files I brought him.

"Good work. I knew you'd be good at this job." I smiled and turned to walk out his door but was stopped by his voice.

"I'm proud of you, Babe. You've done more today than I thought you would." I turned and gave him a big smile.

"Thanks for the opportunity Ranger. I think I'm going to love this job." He smiled at me again and I exited his office. I wanted to get home to my guys.

I found my guys both sound asleep on the couch when I walked into the living room. It was the same position that I found Ranger and AJ in just last week, but seeing Zero and our son sleeping this way brought tears to eyes. I, again, took a picture with my cell phone and let them sleep while I took a shower.

I was just about done washing my hair when the door opened and Zero stepped in behind me. Holy hot flash. The bathroom was full of steam and not because of the hot water.

"Why didn't you wake me up? You know how good I am in the shower." He nuzzled my neck and his hands wrapped around me and played with my breasts.

"Where's AJ?" I didn't want him left awake and crying while we had sex in the shower.

"Sleeping in his crib. He just fell asleep about forty minutes ago, so he'll be asleep for a while." He kept kissing my neck and his hands were doing wonderful things to the front of me. I could feel his growing erection pressed into my butt and wanted that inside me.

I've never liked having sex in that position, but I trusted Zero so I bent slightly and pressed my ass further into his cock. His breath caught in his throat and he groaned.

"You sure, baby?" He knew my hesitations and wanted to make sure I was comfortable. I loved him more for asking and not just plunging ahead.

"Very sure." I moaned out as his fingers found my slick folds. Zero's hands pushed me down further and I braced my hands on the shower wall. He positioned his head at my entrance and grabbed my hips as he slid home.

God, it felt so good. It was unlike anything I've ever felt. I could feel every inch of him and cursed to myself that I didn't try this position earlier. Zero's slow pace was driving me crazy. His hands where gripping my hips hard enough to leave bruises, but I didn't care. He was holding on to his control and I wanted him to lose it.

"Fuck me harder, Noah. Make me scream." I heard his growl of agreement and his hips sped up their pace. His cock was slamming into me and with one flick of his finger on my clit, he sent me flying off in an intense orgasm.

I asked him to make me scream, and scream I did. I felt my inner walls milking his cock as he spilled his hot cum into me. When I knew he was empty, I pulled myself from him and stood up straight. I turned around and kissed him deeply.

"Let's get clean and eat some dinner." He chuckled and helped me wash every inch of my body. I, in turn, helped him clean his gorgeous body. As I was washing the expanse of his muscled chest, I saw some new ink that I hadn't noticed last night.

Under the Chinese letters above his heart are some more that weren't there before. I rubbed my fingers over them and raised my eyebrows at him.

"I got that done in Cali." Like that was enough to curb by curiosity.

"What does it say?" He smiled and pulled me into a heated kiss.

"It says, 'My loves, my life' and then your name and AJ's name." I ran my fingers over the ink and kissed it lightly.

"You're both my life too." He smiled and kissed me before turning off the water. Guess shower time was over. That's okay, we could pick up later in bed.

As I watched Zero dry off and cover his body, I caught another glimpse of the tattoo over his heart. I couldn't agree with the words more. Zero and AJ are both my loves and my life. I couldn't ask for anything more.

A/N - So there you have it. The HEA is here and done. We've only got the epilogue left and this story is over. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Let me know. : )