**Thank you so much for the awesome reviews of that last chapter. I'm glad you all agreed with the timing of what they shared. This is just a little babbling from Ranger, about the physical part of their love and the plans he has for their future. More from Steph soon. **

October 12…0545

I was just sitting here at the bedroom window, watching the world come alive beneath us. The building is a short distance from both the harbor and the financial district, where we do a lot of security business. The spot isn't only convenient, the view is also amazing.

When I purchased a small, local security company here in Boston I had high hopes for it. There were a lot of high profile events, government offices, and business headquarters here. A lot of money to be made. When I purchased the building I had this apartment built very similarly to the one in Trenton, as was the office itself. At the time I figured I'd be splitting my time equally between both offices, but that was before I met Steph.

After meeting her, I could hardly pull myself away from Trenton for more than a few days at a time without worrying. That's why I sold the Atlanta office a few years ago. I just didn't want to be that far away from her. I knew it would take some time to get Atlanta running like the other offices and I just didn't want to do it anymore. I was sick of being away, of allowing her time to slip closer to Morelli, of being lonely without her near.

I never regretted dumping Atlanta when I did. I got a great price for it and the team I'd hired had all kept their jobs with the new company. It was the right move. I had seriously thought about selling this office too, but the deal had never been there. It just never felt right, so I hung onto it.

Now I'm glad I did. I wonder if Boston is the answer to our future. I could easily run RangeMan from this office. It's not terribly far from Trenton, so we could visit our friends whenever we wanted. Neither of us have a past here. No one knew Ranger the street thug. No one knew the Bombshell Bounty Hunter. We could just be Carlos and Stephanie here. I wanted that more than I thought I ever would.

I knew it wasn't something we could do anytime soon. It'd take time to move operations to another office. It'd take time to get Santos into position as the manager, assuming Tank didn't want it. Plus, I didn't want to uproot Steph from her support group or her doctors, not yet. Not for more than the time we've been away. She needed that support outside of our relationship. And if I were honest, I wasn't ready to stop seeing Ben yet myself. Maybe next year, if Steph wants to try. I think we could make a home here.

I figured today would be the perfect time to show her what the city had to offer. Hell, it'd be a great time to see if for myself. Aside from business lunches I never ate out at any of the restaurants in Boston, but I knew of some that were highly recommended. I'd never gone sightseeing or hit nightclubs or did any of the things that I people did on dates. All that made me feel a little out of my depth.

I had trouble dating at home where things were familiar to me. Here I had no idea what do to. All I knew was that I wanted to do something amazing, something she'd never forget. I wanted this birthday to be a new start for her. For us. That's why I called the guys.

I knew Tank and Santos would give me a hand. And hell, Santos had a list of women he dated in all the cities we owned property. If anyone knew how to wine and dine a woman in Boston, it was Les. They didn't let me down either.

Les told me he had a friend that was a sous chef at a French restaurant. He'd take care of the cake and the dinner reservations. Tank told me that he had the perfect thing for me to do after dinner, but wouldn't share what that was. They just told me they'd take care of everything and that they'd email me the details this morning. All I had to do was get Steph to agree to spend the day in the city before going home.

It wasn't hard to convince her. She didn't seem to want to leave our lake house any more than I did, but she agreed to head back a day early so we could spend the night in Boston. She didn't know I was planning for us to spend two nights here, but I wasn't about to cut our day short to fly home tonight. No way. What I had planned would take all night, and perhaps part of the morning. Much like the last few nights.

So Friday night we finished cleaning up the cabin, winterizing the boat, doing our laundry, and then we made this hodgepodge dinner, using everything in the fridge that hadn't been used up to that point. We had to eat it or toss it and Steph said she couldn't throw good away. She'd gone hungry too often to think of doing that. It made me hurt that she'd gone through such hard financial times, especially when I could have helped her and wanted to help her. But she said she was glad she understood the value of a dollar and the blessing of food on her table.

I got that too. I guess most people didn't know how I had grown up, but my family didn't have much. We always had food and we had a home, but with six kids money didn't always go as far as it should have. Clothing was always second hand. Food was always rationed. Extras didn't exist. I learned the value of the dollar young, as I had to earn my own if I wanted those extras. I busted my ass mowing lawns and busing tables, but it never went far. I felt like I had to contribute that money back into my family even if it wasn't asked of me, so I did.

I guess that's how I ended up in trouble. The guys in the neighborhood who belonged to the gangs always had cash. They had new clothes, brand new sneakers, junk food, cars, and girls. I longed for that shit and all I had to do was help them pull a few jobs, then maybe I could get into dealing and I'd be set for cash. I'd have enough to help out my family, plus a little extra for myself. I never got that far, thank God.

Early on I was busted for stealing a car, sent to jail for a year, then was sent off to Miami so I wouldn't rejoin the gang. That was probably the greatest thing my parents ever did for me, even if it hurt like hell at the time. Not that my grandma didn't love me, she did, but it wasn't the same as being with my parents and my sisters. I even missed sharing a room with my brother. I felt abandoned by them all. But in the end my grandma was my savior, she taught me to be the man I am.

My grandma's household was different from the one I'd known. She was on a fixed income too, but it was just the two of us. She taught me to earn my money honestly. She taught me that hard work was what made a man, not the finery he got breaking laws. I got a job at a grocery store, stocking shelves after school. I gave my checks to my grandma to help with the burden of taking care of me and I never once thought about that money being mine. It was always ours, to run the household.

When I graduated from high school I'd successfully turned myself around. I'd even got good enough grades to earn some scholarship money. It wasn't enough to pay for college, but it was a start. I figured I could work a couple years to save enough to fund the rest, but Grandma surprised me. She'd taken all the checks I'd given her and put them into the bank for me. I had close to thirty thousand bucks for school. I was awed. She told me that I was a good boy and came by my money honestly, so it should be mine. I should use it to better myself.

So I did. I went to school for two years. I studied and got good grades. I had enough money to make it through school without having to worry about taking on jobs or pushing aside my studies, but then my dad got laid off and they needed the money more than I did. I gave them every penny and joined the army the next day. I figured the government would pay for me to finish, eventually. But I never did finish.

In the army I learned much about hunger and pain and the loss of necessities. It made me realize how good my family had it back home. Seeing some of the places I saw and living the way I did changed my attitude. I swore when I got home I'd spare no expense for the comforts in life. I hadn't. I had everything I needed, all the comforts a person could ask for. So did my family. But none of that ever brought me joy or peace of mind, not until I was able to share what I had with Stephanie.

I figured she was the reason I was given what I was given. I was able to provide for and protect her like she needed. I gladly bled money for her safety, because she was worth more to me than anything else. She was my greatest treasure, and always would be.

Now that we're together it's so much easier to give her the life she deserves. I can make sure she always has a warm meal and a soft bed. I can give her clothes without stains and tears. I can give her cars that won't blow up if they're touched wrong. I can make sure she always has a home, one she'll never lose. I can take care of her and I want that more than anything. Thankfully, over our week at the lake she came to the same conclusion. She felt comfortable sharing the properties I owned and spending the money I made. She finally felt like me, that everything I'd worked for was ours.

Thank God.

It made our future as a couple more viable. Without that acceptance there'd always be that tension and fight between us. I'm glad she trusted me enough to take care of her that way. It was a big step after what Dickie had done to her, leaving her penniless and homeless. I was glad she knew I'd never do that to her, even if something went wrong between us I'd always take care of her. I'd never stop loving her. She knew that now.

But I guess we took a lot of big steps toward moving on this week. After all the pain we shared over my past and her assault, we came out stronger and more complete. She made me feel like a whole man again. For the first time in a long time I knew who I was and what I wanted. And for the first time since we met, I think she found her way too.

She was a different woman, stronger, bolder, and braver than I'd ever seen her. She faced down my demons with me. She battled her nightmares and memories and won. She knew what she wanted from our relationship, and after talking it through the night before she wasn't afraid to take it.

I wasn't looking for sex that morning. I was still prepared to wait for a while. But I'd brought her breakfast in and started flirting with her a little. She flirted back. The more we talked, the more aroused I became. I couldn't deny I wanted her, and I could tell she wanted me too. It was like we both knew that moment was right.

We didn't need to talk it over or analyze it. We just wanted to share our love. And we did.

Everything about it was perfect. She didn't breakdown. She didn't seem to have any flashbacks or pain. I controlled myself like a gentleman. I let her set the pace and take control of the situation, which seemed to abolish her anxiety altogether.

It wasn't about anything, but our love. There was nothing standing between us. There was nothing left to hold back from one another. It was so much better than anything we'd ever shared before, deeper and stronger. I could feel her love for me with every movement. Every look she gave me radiated it. If there had been any doubt left in my mind that things wouldn't work out between us, they were banished right then.

Moments like that didn't just happen to everyone. We were like two pieces of a soul being melded back together. She was my other half, really and truly. She was inside me, filling me, healing me. She changed me, made me, and nurtured me with her love. Joining my body with hers in such an intimate way had never been about anything more than pleasure before. This was on a whole other plane, something I couldn't have imagined before. The gratification was intense and felt complete, for the first time ever.

I loved it, cherished it, but I never thought it'd feel that way again. I figured it was some freak thing that happened because it was the first time after everything that happened to us. Like maybe I was just too emotional going in or something. Or maybe because we'd been so close to that moment for weeks and we finally got the gratification we were seeking. I just wasn't sure. But I wasn't expecting it to happen again.

But it did, over and over, every time we joined. The last two days we've made love countless times. I can't get enough of her. I'm almost overwhelmed by the feelings that came with making love to her. I never imagined it would be that way. I just need that connection with her, and wanted it as often as I could get it. I knew I'd never get enough of it, of her, ever.

She seemed to feel the same way. She initiated things as often as I did. She seemed to marvel at it as well. I wasn't sure how we'd ever been satisfied with less than what we have now. I know I'll never be satisfied by being with anyone but her ever again. Nothing could ever touch what we share together. It was so magical and precious I doubted one lifetime was enough to explore it, but I would every single day I had left with her.

I wasn't going to waste any more time worrying over the what-ifs and the has-beens of this life. I didn't want to waste any more time being apart. I made one of the biggest decisions of my life last night. I settled her into the apartment, then told her I had to go do some business so I could spend today with her, without worry.

She kissed me and snuggled up in front of the TV, never second guessing that I wasn't going to work. Instead I drove over to Tiffany's and bought her an engagement ring. I walked around the showcases, looking but not sure what I wanted. Then I saw the ring.

I knew it was the one, it called out to me. They called it Harmony. I thought that spoke volumes, because that's what she brought to my life. Plus, I knew it'd look beautiful on her finger so I bought it on the spot. Then I drove over to the Kate Spade store. I already knew what size she wore, since I'd bought most of that designers fall collection, but the winter collection was in now and I wanted to buy her a dress. Only one dress, I learned my lesson, I wasn't going to push it. And shoes, she needed shoes. And a handbag. I was pretty sure I was going to lose my man-card if I kept shopping so I headed home.

I carried it all up to my office and hid it there for later. Then I went upstairs and made love to her for the rest of the night. The way she moaned my name had me feeling a lot better, man-card was fully intact.

At least it was until an hour ago when I woke. Now I'm nervous and feel a little sick to my stomach. I'm not second guessing proposing. I want her to wear my ring. No matter if she wants to get married next week or she wants to wait ten years, I just need her to know I'm committed to our relationship and I'm not going anywhere. I think my ring will symbolize that for us both, and for everyone else.

What's making me nervous is that we never discussed this for real. I'm hoping it's not too much too soon. I don't want to scare her away or push too hard. I just hope she sees it as a token of my love, not a way to control her.

Shit. I hope she says yes.