Hope you guys enjoy. I blame the late night last night and laziness today for any problems or confusion.
Not mine, I'm just glad Janet lets us play with them.
Over the next few days, things gradually got back to normal. I went back to bounty hunting and Ranger went back to his meetings. There were still times when I would break down and cry, but they became few and farther between.
"I have a ton of files for you. Vinnie's having a fit." Connie said when I showed up.
"Great." I said with fake enthusiasm. I picked up some of my files. "Where's Lula?"
"She called about ten minutes ago. She was at McDonald's getting breakfast."
I nodded and started looking at my files. Most of them were repeats and I could pick them up easily. It was nice to have some regulars who would go quietly when Connie met me at the station to get them bonded back out.
"I'm here, what did I miss?" Lula asked as she came into the door. "Long time, no see, white girl."
"Hey Lula. Want to ride shotgun?"
"Sure thing. I'm right behind you."
We went out and captured four of the five skips on my list.
"Uh oh." Lula said as we pulled up into the parking lot at the police station. We were currently bringing in skip number four.
"What?" I asked.
"Looks like Morelli wants to talk to you."
I looked up and there he was. Looking as good as he usually did, waiting for me to get out of the car. I rolled my eyes. His charms didn't work anymore since I started seeing Ranger.
"Hey Cupcake," he said. "Can we talk?"
"Sure," I said, nodding to Lula that it was okay. She went back into the car and Joe, the skip and I walked to the docket lieutenant. Once the skip was in police custody, we went to have our talk just outside of gossiping ears.
"Are you okay? I heard that you were in the hospital earlier." Joe asked. Damn the Burg.
"I'm fine." I said.
"Did he do…" His fists clenched.
"No!"
"Then what?"
"It's personal." I said. I didn't want my mother to know.
"Cupcake, we've been as personal as two people can get."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I want to tell you."
"Okay, I get it." He sighed. "You don't have to tell me."
"Thank you."
He looked at me. "Are you happy?"
I smiled and nodded. Ranger made me feel things that I never thought possible. Some part of me wishes that I could have picked Joe, that he was the right one for me, but we would've destroyed the friendship that we have. We would've been miserable.
He smiled sadly at me. "Then that's all that matters. I wish it could've been me, but I understand that he lets you fly."
I hugged him. "It'll get better, I promise."
He hugged me. "Thanks, Stephanie."
I waved and got back into the car. Lula, who had seen the entire show, didn't ask any questions. Seeing that it was already five, I decided to call it quits. After dropping Lula off at the office, I drove home.
"Hello?" I called out to the calm apartment.
"Kitchen, Babe." He called out.
"Hey," I said when I found Ranger. "What are you doing?"
"Cooking, Babe."
"But we have Ella for this."
"I know," he said, hugging me to his side. "I wanted to do something special for you."
"Uh oh, am I dying?"
He looked at me. "Smartass." He said.
"I ran into Joe." I said, taking the glass of wine he was offering me.
"Oh?" He replied, blank face firmly in place.
I nodded. "He wanted to know why I was in the hospital."
"Did you tell him?"
"No, it's none of his beeswax."
He nodded.
"I think he's finally accepted us."
He raised an eyebrow.
"He let me go." I looked away from Ranger.
"Babe," he said, hugging me. "Are you okay?"
"I'm a little sad, but I know in my heart that it wouldn't work since my heart belongs to you."
Ranger hugged me one more time and sent me to the couch and wait. Instead, I parked my butt on the counter across from him and smiled. He just smiled back and shook his head at me.
Dinner was delicious. Having Ella was a godsend, no doubt, but with Ranger in the kitchen…
Let's just say anything and everything he does is orgasmic.
"Glad you liked it, Babe." He said over his wineglass.
"I think my eyes rolled into the back of my head a few times."
He smiled at me. He grabbed my hand and took me over to the couch where he put a DVD in and we snuggled close.
"Pirates of the Caribbean?" I asked him.
"What? Johnny Depp's funny."
I stared at him. "I know that. You do?"
"I'm not a complete hermit."
"I'm shocked."
"Babe." He said. I snuggled close and we watched the movie. Watching the movie with him opened my eyes to him a little wider. He actually enjoyed real comedy. Of course, I kind of already knew that when he laughed at me for "entertainment". When the movie ended, Ranger smiled at me and kissed the skin behind my ear.
"Marry me." He whispered.
"What?" I asked.
"Marry me." He said again
"Why?"
He was confused. "Why what?"
"I thought you didn't do marriage."
"I thought I didn't either."
"Then why…"
"Because of everything going on has given me time to think. I don't want to do a repeat of Rachel. I want to be in the kid's life as his or her father. Before you came into my life, I never wanted to do marriage, let alone relationships. But now… Now I want to marry you, in a church, on a boat, in space, whatever and have you carry our children. You may think you're fat and ugly when you get pregnant, but you'll be beautiful to me. There's no one I'd rather be married to."
I sat there with my mouth hanging open. Ranger wanted to marry me. He wanted to have children. It seemed like our gender roles were reverse. In a sane version of our relationship, I was supposed to be hinting and weddings and babies, not Ranger.
Of course, it wasn't Ranger who was asking. It was Carlos. Carlos wanted to get married and get me knocked up.
And that changed everything.
I think I was having an epiphany.
Once I stopped thinking of Ranger as Ranger, the badass who kicks and scares the shit out of people and think of him as Carlos, the vulnerable man who would do anything for me, everything became clearer. Carlos was shedding Ranger for me. To be with me. Ranger was the hero, but Carlos was the man.
Exactly like Batman.
Everyone knew who Bruce Wayne was, but no one was sure of the identity of Batman. Except Rachel. The love of his life.
Holy crap, I was Rachel. Except, I wasn't blown up in the end of The Dark Knight.
But I've blown things up. That was close enough.
I watched as Carlos's face fell when I thought through my epiphany. Crap, I was losing my window.
"Yes, I'll marry you, Carlos." I whispered as I caressed his cheeks.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Tears were lightly streaming down our faces.
Without another word, Carlos whisked us into the bedroom where we made love until the sun came up.
I was lying awake some time later, listening to Carlos breathe evenly in his sleep and staring at the beautiful solitaire he had slipped on my finger after our second orgasm, revving us up for more. It was simple, yet complex with the smaller diamonds wrapping around the diamond and down the band, just like us and our relationship. I thought about the future, the wedding, the honeymoon, marriage, children, growing old with the man I love…
Looking into the future made me realize something very special.
I was ready.
I knew that being a mother was going to be hard. God knows that I gave my mother enough hell. But I couldn't imagine having any children with anyone except Carlos. He was my world, and giving up so much for me, to be with me, and I wanted to make him happy. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't having a baby to make him happy and ten years down the road think it was a mistake. I wanted to see his traits passed on to a beautiful son or daughter. I wanted him to have the chance to raise a child like he didn't get a chance to do with Julie. They've gotten closer, but he was never there for all the mood swings, doctor's appointments, and births. I wanted to do that all with Carlos at my side and no one else.
I was ready to have a child with Carlos.
