As I mentioned in the last chapter, everything Miami related is ten percent Google and ninety percent me. All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.
Chapter 16
The morning after we arrived, I got up with Ranger before the sun. Dragging myself out of bed to work out isn't my idea of fun, but watching the sunrise on a mostly deserted beach made running seem almost enjoyable instead of just a chore, or a way to keep my ass from expanding.
That thought lasted all of ten minutes before I realized running in sand is a lot harder than it sounds. I sat my ass on the beach and watched the rays of sunlight fall on Ranger's rippling muscles, since he tossed his shirt to me around what had to be the fourth mile. I tried to covertly snap a picture for myself, not Mary Lou, but Ranger caught me.
He paused long enough to give me a raised eyebrow.
"I swear, I was taking one of the sunrise," I told him.
"Not buying it, Babe."
I shrugged."Okay, it was of you. You really should be on the cover of Men's Health, or maybe a magazine called 'Luscious Latinos' or 'Cuban Cuties'."
"Just for that," Ranger said, wrapping his hand around my wrist and pulling me to my feet, taking great care to brush every grain of sand from the seat of my shorts,"you owe me another mile."
"Half a mile," I countered.
"No. Now get moving."
"Yes, Sir," I said, giving him a smack on his ass then hauling mine to the other end of the beach before he made me pay for doing that.
Ranger caught up to me seconds later. He tackled me, straddled my waist, and pinned my arms above my head.
Oh yeah, this is waaay better than any gym. My heart rate was going up the longer I stared at him. Ranger's whole body was covered in a layer of sweat. His dark hair had been tousled by the early morning breeze. And Ranger's sudden smile was more blinding than the sun. I wonder if he'd notice if my phone came out again. He was totally picture worthy. Not to mention fantasy worthy. Ranger should be fitted for an alarm blaring "Warning: Panties may ignite on sight".
"You seem to be feeling very playful this morning," Ranger said, leaning in close.
"Yup. What do you plan on doing about it?"
"Anything you're willing to let me do, Babe."
"Really?" I asked, wiggling against him.
"Yes."
I took advantage of Ranger's shift in attention and - with a move Bobby would be proud of - twisted my body out from underneath Ranger's and took off running towards the car.
"Very impressive, Babe," Ranger said, when he reached me.
Ranger would have beat me to the car if he hadn't used up a second putting his shirt back on. It's a shame, too. A chest like that shouldn't have to be covered up.
"It would have been more impressive had I lifted the keys to the Porsche while I had the chance."
Ranger smiled before bending his head to mine and kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his sweaty body, not the least bit worried about getting dirty since I have a feeling a very thorough shower is in our immediate future.
Ranger had talked to Rachel and Julie, and we were set to pick Julie up this afternoon for a couple of hours. I was looking forward to seeing her again, but anxious at the same time. As Ranger leaned over and opened the car door for me, I pushed the visit to the back of my mind and focused instead on what awaited me back at Ranger's building - a hot guy, a hot shower, and lots of hot sex before we had to leave it again.
After Ranger was sure I was thoroughly cleaned and satisfied, he took me on a vehicle tour of Miami before we stopped for lunch at a diner that Marco and Pat like. The guys I've met so far have been surprisingly chatty as long as you ask them questions that aren't work related.
We drove through the city to pick up Julie. The Martines live in such a suburban neighborhood, that I could feel my stomach clench when I counted at least five minivans since Ranger turned onto their street.
"Are you sweating, Babe?" Ranger asked.
I glared at him since that was definitely an amused tone I was hearing.
"Yes. I had a horrible Morelli flashback just now. I think the people in this place aren't the only ones reproducing. I counted five, no six," I said, when a silver van passed us,"family vehicles on this road alone."
"And?"
"And ... if I didn't want to chance bumping into him in another city, I'd tell Joe to move down here. He'd probably find exactly what he's looking for."
"Yeah, you," Ranger said to me.
"No, not me. Someone who owns a car like that one over there," I said, pointing to a beige-colored 'mom van' parked in a driveway to Ranger's left.
"Steph."
"What?"
He shook his head - as much as he would allow himself - at me, and pulled into the driveway of an extremely pretty, one-story home. Rachel would probably call it cozy, but with five people inside of it, I'd most likely say it's claustrophobic instead.
We left the car and I followed Ranger to Rachel's front door. Ranger knocked and I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. It's one thing to talk to Rachel and Ron during a crisis, or when Ranger and I first started seeing each other, but I felt things were different now that we're getting married. I'd be around Julie every time she visited Ranger from now on. I wouldn't be hanging around back at my apartment, letting them bond without butting in. I wouldn't be able to keep myself from butting in now. I'd like to see Ranger and Julie as close as they'd let each other get. I know just how capable Ranger is of loving someone, and I want Julie to see the same thing.
Ranger curled an arm around my neck and kissed my temple.
"I can smell smoke, Babe," Ranger said to me.
"I was just thinking."
"I could tell."
"Smartass," I told Ranger.
The door opened on the ass part of the insult.
"Shit," I whispered to myself.
I opened my mouth to offer some lame excuse as to why I was swearing on her doorstep, but then I noticed the small smile on Rachel's face.
"Carlos, Stephanie, it's nice to see you again," Rachel said.
"You, too," I told her.
"Is Carlos giving you a hard time?"
"No," Ranger said.
"Not really," I told her, while cutting my eyes to Ranger.
The liar. He was too giving me a hard time.
"Come on in," Rachel said, stepping to the side so we could come in."Julie is just finishing getting ready. She's really excited about the two of you visiting and taking her out."
"You and Ron can come along with us if you want" I told her, refusing to acknowledge the look Ranger shot me.
"It's nice of you to offer," Rachel said,"but with three kids, Ron and I don't have a lot of opportunities to go out alone. Julie's sisters are visiting Ron's parents so he promised me dinner out tonight. We will be back before you bring Julie home, unless you decide a preteen girl is too much to handle."
"Are you kidding? Compared to my nieces, spending time with Julie will be like having tea with the Queen of England. If anything, we might be late."
"Babe," Ranger said.
"Hey, I make no promises if we hit the mall."
"Except that you promise to call if you are late," Rachel said to me.
"Absolutely," I told her.
"Rachel, we wouldn't do anything without your approval first," Ranger told her.
The formality in the way Ranger spoke to Rachel, assured me more than anything else that there was nothing between them except one night. Ranger hadn't even used that particular tone with me when I first introduced myself. Rachel's Carlos isn't my Ranger. Looks like I'm meeting two other men here in Miami besides the ones at Rangeman - Mr. Manoso and Carlos. This trip has been very enlightening so far. I got to see all the different sides of the Ranger I'm about to marry.
"Ranger! Stephanie!" Julie said, coming down the hall."I'm ready to go."
"I can see that," I told her.
"And you look beautiful. Too grown up, but beautiful," Ranger said to Julie.
All three of us smiled at him. When Ranger poured on the charm, he could probably conquer the freakin' world.
Julie's hundred-watt grin was eerily similar to Ranger's.
"Thank you," she said, blushing a little.
God, when this girl was old enough to date, the boys of Miami will be in for it. Both from Julie and Ranger and Ron.
"You know where we will be," Rachel told Julie."And our phones will be on all night if you need to talk to us."
"We'll be fine, Rachel," Ranger told her."Julie and I have gone out together in the past and I've always brought her home in one piece. That's what people pay me to do every day."
Now Rachel blushed."I'm sorry. You're right. I'm in mom-mode which automatically makes me worry when my children are out of my sight."
"My sister is the same way," I told Rachel."Until my nieces drive her crazy and she threatens to run away from home."
"I wouldn't do that," Rachel said,"but I might have thought about it a few times."
"Experts would say that there's something wrong with you if you didn't," I told her.
"Mom definitely wouldn't leave," Julie said."She and my dad barely go anywhere. They're either at work or at home."
I looked sideways at Ranger to see if he reacted to Julie calling Ron 'my dad', but he seemed okay with that, and also with his role in her life.
Rachel gave Julie a one-armed hug."That's because we enjoy being here with you and your sisters."
Julie smiled, confident in her parents love for her. It reminded me of a bracelet I saw a while ago that made me feel sad at the time. It had one single word engraved in the sterling silver ... 'loved'. I know my parents love me, but it's not like what I'm seeing between Rachel and Julie, had never been like that. I moved closer to Ranger, to the only person in my life who does love me in that way. He rested his hand on my hip as we waited for Rachel and Julie to say goodbye. After another hug, Rachel followed us as far as the door.
"Have a good time," she called to Julie, and watched while we all got buckled into the car.
Julie waved to her as Ranger backed out of the driveway. The plan we decided on was to take in a movie, do some shopping, and then have dinner before we took Julie home. I even added extra exercise to my afternoon by insisting Ranger park at a mall entrance so I could get a look at what stores the mall offered before we reached the theater.
After five minutes of walking, I decided that I love the place.
"I never want to leave here," I said to Ranger, causing Julie to smile."This one building contains a Bloomingdales, a Louis Vuitton store, and a Macy's. And look Ranger, there's a Porsche Design store, whatever the heck that is. This is every Jersey girl's dream."
"It's a mall, Babe. Just like the one back home."
I rolled my eyes at him."It's not anything like the one back home. Didn't you hear the names of the stores listed? Quaker Bridge doesn't have any of those except a Macy's." I turned to Julie."Ranger thinks he knows everything, but he's clueless when it comes to shopping."
"And I'd like to remain that way," Ranger said, making me and Julie laugh.
We walked passed a store filled with maternity clothes and Julie looked over at us.
"Since you're getting married, are you gonna have kids soon?"
"Uh ..." I stuttered.
"It's okay if you do," she told us."I won't be jealous. Well ... maybe I might be at first, but having a new sister, or maybe a brother, would be cool, too."
"It's not that, Julie, because you would have no reason to be jealous. Ranger and I just don't know if we're ready for kids. We have you, who else do we really need?"
Ranger smiled at me. I sidestepped that one nicely if I do say so myself. Or so I thought.
"But doesn't everybody have a baby after they get married? That's what happened when my mom and dad got married ... I mean Ron."
"Julie,Ron is your dad. I'm your father and the man lucky enough to be in your life now."
She was quiet for a minute thinking over Ranger's words.
"You could have been in it all along, you know," Julie said finally.
"Yes, I could have," Ranger said to her,"but I thought it best for everyone if I kept my distance. I didn't want you hurt by anything I would have brought into your life."
Jeez, where have I heard that before?
"It worked out in the end, Julie," I said to her."Now you get to have a dad and a Ranger."
"And I have a mom and a Stephanie, too."
"Yep, you do. If you need me for anything, just let me know and I'm there."
"Mom said I get to go to your wedding," Julie said.
"That's what I hear. And I'm glad. It wouldn't be the same without you there, but I'm going to warn you that it's not going to be a big, fancy, fru-fru wedding. Just something simple with us and our families."
"And that's why we really wanted you to come, Julie," Ranger said to her."You are part of our family. A very important one. Living in a different state doesn't change that."
Julie's smile was bigger than the one she was sporting when Ranger told her she was beautiful. At that moment, I knew we were going to be all right. It might take a little time to work through their past issues, but I know Julie, Ranger, and now me, will be able to do it.
We bought three tickets to the movie Julie wanted to see, which was nice because I got to sit on my butt and eat popcorn while cuddled up to Ranger. After that, Julie and I spent a good hour shopping while Ranger just persevered. I helped Julie pick out some clothes, and she returned the favor by helping me choose between a black pair of pumps and a red pair. If I'd been alone, I would have bought both.
Ranger held up pretty good. He didn't complain about carrying our bags, he didn't sigh when I spotted yet another sale rack. And he didn't make a fuss when I insisted on paying for my stuff. Of course, he just waited until Julie asked me something, slid my shoes in with Julie's purchases, and whipped out a credit card before I realized what he had done.
We stopped at a nice restaurant not far from Julie's neighborhood for supper. Ranger asked about school, and I asked about her summer plans. Julie rolled her eyes at my obviously stupid question.
"I'm coming to Trenton to see you guys, remember?"
"I do remember," I said, not liking that I was on the business end of a pretty good eyeroll."And we're going to have a great time when you visit."
Both Julie and I ordered chocolate cake for dessert before Ranger called Rachel to say that we were on our way back.
Rachel opened the door as we walked Julie up the sidewalk.
"I guess you had fun," Rachel said, taking in the bags I handed Julie.
"I did," Julie said."We saw a movie, went shopping, and Ranger took us out to eat afterwards."
"And you behaved yourself?" Ron said, coming up behind Rachel.
"She did," Ranger told him.
"Yep," I said to both of them."She was better behaved than I was."
"That's funny, Steph," Julie said.
"I wasn't joking."
"You guys are going to come back and say goodbye before you leave, right?" Julie asked us.
"Yes," Ranger said."We should be here for another day or two."
"Can we do something else together before you go back to Trenton?"
"If it's okay with your parents," Ranger told her.
"It's fine with us," Rachel said, after looking over at Ron and getting an 'it's fine' nod in return.
"Cool," Julie said, giving both Ranger and I a hug before disappearing into the house.
"She really enjoys spending time with you," Rachel told Ranger."And for her sake, I'm glad."
"I made a lot of mistakes with you and Julie," Ranger said,"but I'm doing my best to correct them."
"I know you are," Rachel said."And it shows. Julie hasn't had any Scrog nightmares in months. And she wanted me to agree to take her to Trenton for your wedding the second after you told her about it."
"Sorry about that," I told her.
"No, it's good. The most important thing for a child is to know that they are wanted. And Julie knowing that you called to personally invite her to come, that you wanted to include her in your plans, means so much to her."
"Julie's had a few setbacks but, for the most part, she's been handling everything that happened with you and Scrog surprisingly well," Ron added."Julie will talk to us now if something is bothering her. She's growing up and maturing fast."
"Too fast," Ranger said.
"It happens to us all at some point," I said, thinking more of myself than Julie.
We said goodnight to Rachel and Ron and Ranger took us back to the Rangeman building.
I fell asleep in Ranger's arms not long after I'd changed into my little pj's, and I woke considerably later the next morning. Ranger had decided to take a few hours to go over a couple of things while he's already here, so I decide to take his Porsche and do little sightseeing of my own. And while I was trying to remember the difference between need and want in one trendy boutique not far from Rangeman, I heard the song I wanted to dance to at our wedding. It's not what I normally listen to, but I thought the lyrics described mine and Ranger's relationship perfectly. I actually put down the Jimmy Choo knockoffs that I'd been drooling over for the last five minutes to pay more attention to the song. After a little online sleuthing on my phone, I had the name of the song and the artist who sang it. If Ranger is fine with it, I'll have one more thing checked off my list of stuff to think about when we got back home.
With one last longing glance at the FMPs, I tried to refocus on the task at hand. Finding something for everybody back home. Lula and Connie were easy. Anything tacky and fashion related will make them happy. I knew Mary Lou would want a T-shirt and a bunch of pictures for me to tell her about over lunch at Rossini's. And my family wasn't really picky. My parents will pretend to love anything I bring back, and Grandma will like anything with a half-naked man on it. The girls were a little harder, but I did my best. The Rangemen would bitch about anything I gave them just for fun, so I decided on gag gifts and anything weapon related that wouldn't cause an issue with airport security. I found a sexy piece of lingerie for Ranger, not for him to wear, but something he'd probably have fun tearing off me. I also picked up something for Ella and Louis, and called it a day. Vinnie can buy his own duck.
I retraced my route back to Rangeman and wasn't surprised when a guy in black came out to help me carry everything inside.
"I'm Tomas," the hulking guy in black said to me."Mr. Manoso wanted me to help you with your bags and then escort you to his office."
"Escort me?" I said."Does he think I'm going to get lost?"
"I don't think so," Tomas said.
"That was a rhetorical question," I told him.
He gave me a hint of a smile."I thought so, but I don't want to risk pissing you or Mr. Manoso off."
"You can relax, then," I told Tomas."I'm relatively even-tempered."
"That's not what we heard."
"You need new sources then," I said."I'm the epitome of serenity."
I think Tomas might have snorted at that. For some reason, he didn't believe me.
"Didn't you burn down two buildings and a house?" Tomas asked, as he hit the elevator button.
"Not totally my fault. Two were caused by someone else. And one had a bomb set to go off whether I'd been there or not."
"Silvio was talking about how you caught Nedarino for us," Tomas said."Word going around is that you had him begging for mercy five minutes after you spotted him."
I'd normally be annoyed at Silvio for gossiping about me - since he's the one who came looking for me to ask how the capture went - but I was pleased with him instead. There's finally a good rumor being spread about me. I could get used to this kind of grapevine. Nedarino hadn't exactly been begging. And if he had been, it wouldn't have been for mercy. Yuck.
"It was closer to ten minutes," I told Tomas, not wanting to damage the start of my badass reputation here in Miami.
"Something tells me you live an interesting life."
"Your something would be correct."
Since Ranger gave me a copy of his apartment key, and a fob for the building, I let Tomas and I into Ranger's place and told him to drop everything by the door. I'd deal with it later.
We got back into the elevator and took it down to the fifth floor. I waved to Pat who'd been standing by the monitors talking to Gabe. The guys here seem more laid back and easier to approach than Tank, Bobby, and Lester did when I first met them. Maybe it's just that I felt more confident starting conversations with them thanks to my guys back home.
Tomas and I separated after we stepped off the elevator. I went to Ranger's office while Tomas went to do whatever it is Ranger is paying him to do today. I gave Ranger's door a quick knock before barging in. Ranger knew I was here and would be expecting me anyway.
"What's going on?" I asked him, after kissing him and hopping up onto the corner of his desk.
It's good that Ranger's desk is never cluttered or his papers would probably end up on the floor eventually with me around.
"Remember when we discussed buying a house down here?"
"Yeah. I'll never forget the look on my mother's face when I said we'd be looking for one."
"I got word on a home for sale on one of the Venetian Islands. It's listed at a decent price and it's been newly remodeled. Do you want to go take a look at it? I'm done here, and we have a few hours before the realtor's office closes."
"Are we talking about your idea of a 'decent price' or mine?" I asked him.
"If you're at all interested, Steph, well take a look at it before you play your independent woman card."
"Hey! I am an independent woman. Mostly. You keep doing stuff for me even when I tell you not to, so that shouldn't count."
"You are independent," Ranger told me."And that's why you're making this more difficult than it needs to be."
I do tend to attack or act defensive before I think something through in a reasonable manner. I'll have to work on that, too, it seems.
"Okay, I see your point," I said to Ranger."Let's go look at the house and then I'll tell you that I can't afford it."
"Babe."
"Stop babe-ing me before I think too hard about this and say no altogether."
Ranger stood, closed the distance between us, and dropped a kiss on my lips. He pulled me off the desk and locked up his office, ushering me down the stairs.
Now these I was in danger of never finding. I'm an elevator kind of girl.
We gave Ranger's rent-a-Porsche another workout, and twenty five minutes later when Ranger took a right that would lead to the house, I looked around me and then smiled over at him.
"Now this is my kind of neighborhood."
"And what kind is that?" Ranger asked.
"Beachy, quiet, and with the type of neighbors who would put a giant triangle in the middle of their lawn."
"It's art, Babe."
I snorted."Sure it is. Anyone can see it's a stained glass isosceles. And I bet it was a freakin' expensive one, too."
I liked everything about what I saw. There were homes nearby, but they all had large enough lots to offer privacy. The swimming pools in every backyard had your eyes ping-ponging between the climate controlled water and the darker green/blue water of the bay. Palm trees were abundant. And I even saw a hammock hanging from two of them by the house closest to the address Ranger told me. This looks like paradise, and it's a little shocking to me that Ranger is actually considering buying a piece of it.
By the time Ranger parked in the driveway of the house, my original doubts had tripled.
"Ranger," I told him,"I changed my mind."
"Why, Babe? We haven't even seen the house."
"That's why we need to leave right now. I already love what I see, and if we go inside it'll only get worse. I can already tell that there's no way I can afford this place unless Vinnie gives me one hell of a skip. And besides, this is too far away from the Rangeman building. Don't you want to be closer to work? Getting a house here means a twenty to thirty minute drive to your building. And that would be on a very good day using all your freaky driving magic."
"Steph, when I have business to take care of in Miami, I'm planning on you coming with me whenever you can. If you tell me that you will be happy here, then this is the house we're going to get. I'll feel less guilty for working long hours while we're down here if I know you'll be enjoying yourself even if I can't join you for all of it."
"No wonder you appreciate wine so much. You're very similar to it. You just keep getting better the longer I have you."
Ranger and his car look like they belong to a house like this, but I couldn't see myself here. Okay, I can very easily picture myself lounging around by the pool, but Stephanie from the Burg didn't seem like she could pull off being queen of this Miami Manor. Then again, I'm going to be a Manoso soon, so maybe I'll be able to fake it.
We got out and met the realtor showing the house. As soon as he unlocked the door, I knew why I didn't have a ton of money at my disposal, because I would have handed over my own kidney for this place as soon as I saw the views from the kitchen, living room, and master bedroom.
"Steph?" I heard Ranger say, from what I thought was a distance away.
It wasn't.
"Huh?"
"Your eyes suddenly got glassy. Are you all right?"
"Umm, yeah."
"You love the house, don't you?" He asked me.
"It's nice, but what if a hurricane hits? Or a tsunami? And it seems silly to have a dock if we don't even have a boat. Plus, we don't need a house right on the water anyway."
"Steph, if you like the place, just say so. This is as much your decision as mine."
"Not really. If we buy this house, it'll be almost all your money invested in it."
"Our money, Steph," Ranger said to me."I never put limits on what I gave you. And I won't now. I have no problem using what I have to make you happy, which in turn makes me happy."
"Most women would be perfectly fine with that."
"But you're not?"
"I get squeamish when it comes to money."
The house wasn't overly big, but the lot it's on made up what I knew was going to be a very high price. The inside was all painted a cream color which I normally wouldn't like, but the countless windows looking out onto the pool, and the bay beyond it, made it look like an island getaway instead of an asylum.
The kitchen was large enough that Ella would be happy with it, but not totally intimidating, either, even with the pale granite countertops and state-of-the-art appliances. I'd feel comfortable making a peanut butter and olive sandwich in it. There's an area at the end of the kitchen completely surrounded by windows that was just waiting for a small table to occupy it. And you can walk through the breakfast nook, out the glass door, to reach the patio, pool, and dock in the backyard.
I'd been right. I fell in love with the place even more, and we really didn't need a house with its own dock.
Ranger came up behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pulling me flush against him, and rested his chin on the top of my head as we looked out the glass door leading to the patio.
"What do you think, Babe?"
"When I die, I want to be buried right over there," I told him, pointing to a little patch of grass underneath a good size palm tree."Of course, I'd have to be cremated first to fit."
"That's not a subject I want to joke about."
"I wasn't joking. Not really, anyway."
"Can you see yourself living in this house?" Ranger asked me.
"If I ever wanted to run away from New Jersey, I'd come straight here."
"That's enough for me."
"Ranger, seriously though, this is a big decision. Our first really big one as a couple. I don't want to just jump into it."
"Steph, the only thing I've ever jumped into is a relationship with you. While you were walking around in a daze, I checked out everything I needed to. The whole house has been renovated by the last owner, who just happens to be one of the most respected contractors in the area, so the plumbing, electrical, and roof are all brand new. This is a sound investment however you look at it."
I blew out a breath."Are you sure about this, Ranger? I know you're only considering this because of me."
"You used a house in Miami as a way of needling your mother, but it was a good idea. And I'll have someone I know do a more thorough walk-through before we sign anything."
I tipped my head back against Ranger's chest and tried to picture us eating toast across from each other in the morning right here. The image made me so happy, I even thought that I could manage to make the toast for both of us. Ranger would be on his own for the protein source, though.
"What do you say, Babe? Are you in this with me?"
"Completely."
I took a few pictures of the patio and the view from it. I also stood on the deck off the master bedroom and got a few good shots of the palm trees, dock, and boat-filled bay before I joined Ranger and Jason the agent.
"I have a man who will inspect the house tomorrow," Ranger told him."If he agrees with what I've found, we want the house."
"You can put in an offer ..." Jason started to say.
"No offers. If the house is for sale, we're buying it."
"Ranger," I said, laying my hand on his arm,"it's fine. There are plenty of houses in Miami. If this doesn't pan out, we can look at more next time we visit."
Jason sent me a relieved smile. He just met Ranger and he was already worried about upsetting him.
"I'll talk to the owner as soon as we're done here," he told us, checking his watch."I should be able to still reach him, and I'm sure we can work something out."
"Good," Ranger said."You'll hear from me as soon as we get the go ahead."
"Yes, Sir," Jason said.
I swear he almost saluted Ranger.
It must be weird to have people tripping over themselves to please you all the time. I wouldn't mind trying it out one of these days. It was never going to happen, but we all need a fantasy. Since my Ranger fantasies have become a daily reality, I have room for a new one.
It felt surreal, pulling away from the house and heading back to the Rangeman building. I never thought I'd be co-owner of a place in Florida, but Ranger has always made me see myself differently, and I guess this is no exception. I wasn't in any hurry to climb out of whatever rabbit hole I'd recently fallen into.
Ranger decided we should stay another day, to spend more time with Julie and also to get the house checked out by the guy he knew. We picked Julie up at one o'clock and spent the afternoon on the beach. I chose to wear the bathing suit with the most coverage. Not that I had many choices, I'd already worn the white one yesterday on a private beach Ranger had taken us to after we saw the house. We stopped at the apartment only long enough to change into swimsuits, then Ranger drove to the private property owned by one of his partners. I ignored the doctor's orders and got my stitches, and everything else, very wet when I pulled Ranger into the water for a little playtime. Ranger retaliated by pulling me under the cover of a palm tree not long after for a whole different kind of play altogether. I was rethinking nude beaches after that. Well, it'd have to be a nude beach that Ranger owned which was completely free of people, cameras, and sand. I'd gotten chafed in a couple places before we left to go back to Ranger's apartment for the night.
During our PG-rated beach time, Julie challenged me to a sand castle showdown. That really sucked for me because Ranger was instructing Julie on how wet to make the sand, and how to pack it tighter, while I was left to fend for myself. I was actually glad when the tide came in and took away my pathetic attempt at a replica of the mall we'd gone to the other day.
I went back to watching Ranger instead of trying to make wet sand do something structurally sound. Ranger's skin had darkened slightly after a few days in the sun, making his smile appear even whiter, while my pale skin only took on a pinkish glow. I took a quick look around to make sure Ranger wasn't going to get caught in a stampede of women foaming at the mouth trying to get to him. But aside from numerous awestruck stares, they left us alone. Good. I didn't want to have to kick some silicone ass in front of Julie. My own ego was boosted when I'd glanced around and noticed a few appreciative looks directed at me from a group of guys hanging out not far from us. I smiled to myself. I still got it, even if I wasn't giving it away to anyone except Ranger.
We stayed another hour and then my growling stomach sent us in search of food. Luckily we were dry enough by then to put our clothes over our bathing suits. This really has been a vacation for me. All I've been doing is eating, shopping, and sleeping with Ranger.
Julie suggested we stop at a little sandwich shop and I was in love at first bite. I found another set of Cuban buns to lust after. Ranger's were still better, though.
During dinner we told Julie that we were looking for a house in the area, and she seemed as excited as I am.
"Will you be coming back to Miami before the wedding?" Julie asked us.
"I'm not sure," I told her.
"If we do," Ranger said to her,"I'll call you with the date and time."
Both Julie and I were satisfied with that answer.
Ron is the one who met us this time, and we left Julie with a huge smile on her face. Mission accomplished. Ranger tore his ex-employee a new one and made sure what Swanson did wouldn't be repeated by anyone else. We found a home to come back to. Maybe. And Ranger got another chance to get to know his daughter. That alone is worth the horrible flight I'd experienced getting here.
The phone rang ten minutes after we got back into the apartment.
"We got the house, Babe," Ranger told me when he disconnected.
"Really?"
"Yes. We can sign the papers tomorrow morning before we leave."
"When do we get to move stuff in?" I asked.
Not that I have stuff to move in yet, but I thought I should ask anyway.
"There are a few minor things that can be improved on," Ranger was saying,"but we can hire someone to take care of them while we're in Trenton figuring out the wedding."
"That reminds me, I heard a song I think will be a good one for our first dance. I can pull it up if you want to listen to it."
"Babe, the second you're in my arms and pressed against me, I won't be thinking about song lyrics."
"You know, you're very agreeable lately."
"Not lately, Steph. I've always been agreeable."
"Yeah, right."
Ranger poured us each a glass of wine, and we settled on the couch to watch the news before getting ready for bed.
When the sun was shining, we left the building to meet Jason at his office and put our signatures on all the appropriate lines. A few minutes later, we were homeowners. Almost. There's still the matter of money changing accounts, but we'd signed something and that was enough to make this a reality to me. I was looking forward to coming back to Miami and having coffee on that patio in the morning and Ranger on the deck at night.
Hmm ... that's a good idea.
"Maybe we could spend our honeymoon here," I said to Ranger."We can take a week and make this place a second home for us."
Ranger looked over at me."We'll see," he said.
"Are we going on a honeymoon?" I asked him."You did take a couple of days off to come here, and I'll understand if you're not able to take more time away from Rangeman right now."
"Do you think I wouldn't have figured in a honeymoon already?"
"It did seem unlikely," I told him,"but you weren't expecting a trip to Florida right before the wedding."
"I also wasn't expecting to find a house this quickly. Seeing how much you enjoyed the short time we spent there, you might prefer coming here instead of what I have planned."
We haven't really talked about a honeymoon, so this is news to me.
"What do you have planned?" I asked Ranger."The only way to know for sure what I'd pick, is to fill me in on my choices."
"Nice try, Babe. If you want to see what I originally was going to show you, you'll have to wait."
"I hate waiting."
"I know," Ranger told me."That's what makes this so much fun."
"Jerk," I said, but I was smiling at him when I said it.
Ranger took the long way back to the Rangeman building so I'd get one last look at the city before getting our things and heading to the airport for the flight home.
Two hours later, as I settled into my airplane seat next to Ranger for the three hour plane trip back to Jersey, it dawned on me that although I enjoyed our mini-vacation, I no longer have a life I need to escape from. I'm actually anxious to get back to Trenton and become Stephanie Plum-Manoso.
A/N: I'm thinking of adding another Miami chapter sometime before Changes in the Air ends so Stephanie has more time at the actual Rangeman building, and with the guys there, and so Ranger and Stephanie can spend at least a day or two in their new home.