Chapter Text
Satisfied and happier than I’ve been in a long, long time, I lay behind Steph with my arm wrapped around her waist. While I want to pinch myself to make sure the moment is real, I can’t help but notice how quiet she’s become. Now that our needs have been sated, I know the passion which propelled her to take a chance with me, has cleared. Leaving her brain to analyze what happened and ruminate over her decision and our future.
I’m drawing lazy circles over her abdomen, trying to keep her relaxed, but I know by her silence this is only going to work for so long. When she begins to stiffen against me, I concede that her thoughts have indeed started down a path best not taken. Despite very much enjoying our moment of post-coital bliss, I know it’s now time to break the silence and derail her train of thought.
I snuggled in closer and kissed the back of her head. “What are you thinking?”
Several uncomfortably silent seconds pass before she replies with a simple, “Nothing.” The uncertainty in her tone tells me way more than the lie she just uttered. If I know my Beautiful the way I think I do, then her brain is already working through scenarios on how I’m going to break her heart. Well, I have news for her. It ain’t gonna happen.
Before she could react, I shifted and rolled her onto her back, so I was looking down at her. “Try again, Beautiful.”
“Nothing,” she repeated with a bit more force. Her insistence to perpetuate what I know is a lie triggers my dominant tendencies. I understand the need to sometimes stretch the truth, but in this situation, it will only lead her down an unnecessary path to more heartache.
“Stephanie,” I growled, causing her to produce an aggrieved sigh in response.
“Okay. Fine. I’m worried,” she answers and by the look on her face, I know these words have come from her heart.
“About?” I prompted when she didn’t elaborate further.
“What happens now?”
While I think I know what she’s asking, her question could refer to so many different things and I don’t want to assume. “What do you mean?”
“What if I just caused a rift between you and Ranger? That’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.”
I reached down and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Ranger had his chance, and he chose to friend zone you. He’s known for a while how I felt about you, but if it makes you feel better, I think you need to talk to him.”
“What would I say?” she asked. The uncertainty in her voice caused my heart to clench. What happened to the confident and passionate woman from an hour ago?
“Well,” I began. “You could start by demanding an explanation for his moving to Miami and not telling you.”
A frown claimed her features as she appeared to consider my words. “Oh yeah. I was pissed at him for that-”
“Before I sidetracked you,” I smirked.
Her lips immediately tipped into a grin, and I relaxed just a little. “And a fine job you of it did too.” Then, just as quickly as her smile appeared, it disappeared. “So, what’s gonna happen with us? I mean with regards to work and the guys. Does this mean we have a relationship now? What if something goes wrong between us? I don’t want to lose you as my partner.”
It was obvious that she was spiraling. So, I did the one thing I knew would stop her. I leaned down and covered her mouth with mine, silencing her fears. After a moment, she groaned, and her arms slid around my neck, pulling me down to her. My arousal, sated only moments ago began to build again and I fought to maintain control. Now wasn’t the time to travel back down that path.
Steph had legitimate concerns that needed to be addressed before she could accept our relationship on its own terms.
When I pulled back, her eyes were heavy-lidded, and her creamy skin had taken on a nice pink flush. “Okay, now that we broke that spiral of unproductive thoughts, let’s take your concerns one at a time.”
The look of confusion that crossed her face was damn adorable. “What?” she murmured as her mind slowly began to engage again. “My concerns?”
“Yes.”
She frowned. “Now?”
Damn. It was just too easy to derail her thoughts, and if we continued to lay naked together in this bed, I would have us both sidetracked again in no time. I sighed, “Come on, Beautiful. Let’s get dressed, so we can talk.” Without waiting for her reply, I climbed from the bed, located my cargos, and pulled them back on.
She followed suit. Only to grab my shirt and pull it over her head. My heart stuttered to a stop as I watched the fabric fall into place, draping over her curves. Over the years, we’d all seen her in Ranger’s shirts. My black t-shirt was a standard Rangeman uniform and was no different than Rangers. Yet, knowing it was my shirt she was wearing did something strange to my insides. Maybe it was the pure male pride I was feeling. Or maybe it was a possessiveness that was new and unfamiliar to me. Whatever it was, deep down, I knew she was now mine and she was gorgeous.
She paused and cocked her head to the side. “What?”
“You’re stunning,” I replied.
She grinned and slowly advanced on me. “You’re pretty handsome yourself.”
When she leaned into me for another kiss, I nearly gave up and took her back to bed. Thankfully, her stomach growling caught both of our attention and she began to giggle. “So, much for romance.”
I wrapped an arm around her waist and angled us toward the bedroom door. “Come on, Beautiful. Let’s feed the beast while we talk.”
We made it as far as the entrance to her kitchen when she promptly stopped and looked up at me. “I don’t have anything here to eat.”
“Okay,” I replied. “Let’s do this. I’ll call Shorty’s and place a delivery order. You call Ranger.”
Her face screwed into a frown. “Ranger? Now? Why?”
“Because,” I began. “I know he’s the biggest obstacle clouding your thoughts. So, you need to address your issues with him first.”
“Okay,” she murmured, her voice once again hesitant.
“I know you’re worried,” I continued. “But you really shouldn’t be. He has no right to take issue with you looking for happiness with someone else and honestly, I don’t think he will.”
But what if he does,” she argued. “I don’t want to be what comes between the two of you.”
“If he does, then that’s his problem, not yours or mine, and if he’s too selfish to put your happiness first, then too bad for him.” When she started to speak, I held up a finger, stopping her. “Before you jump to any conclusions or allow your mind to conjure any more fake scenarios, I want you to call and talk to him. That is the only way you’re going to settle this in your head.”
After a moment she nodded. “Okay, but what about the guys?”
“Ranger first,” I replied. “Call him. I’ll go back in the bedroom and call Shorty.”
Five minutes later, I’d placed our food order and was now standing in her bedroom doorway listing to her talk to my cousin on speakerphone.
“You’re not answering my question,” she pushed. “I’m supposed to be one of your best friends. Yet, you couldn’t be bothered to call me personally? Why, Carlos?”
“I’m sorry, Babe,” Ranger’s voice carried through the speaker. “I was wrong for not calling you, but I knew you were out with Lester running down FTAs. I had planned on calling you tonight, but…well…circumstances didn’t work out the way I’d planned.”
I folded my arms and shifted to lean against the door frame and shook my head. He was so full of shit.
“Let’s suspend reality for a moment and pretend that I actually believe you,” she replied, causing me to arch a brow. Apparently, she was calling bullshit on his piss poor excuse too. “You still haven’t explained why you decided to move back to Miami.”
That’s it, Beautiful. Don’t let him off the hook.
“It was better for you if I stayed here,” he replied, and I found myself wanting to get closer, so I could see her expression. I wasn’t sure if she’d appreciate me hearing this conversation, but it wouldn’t go over well with her if she found me eavesdropping. Deciding it would be best to make my presence known, I crossed the tiny foyer and moved into the kitchen.
She looked up from where she sat at the table with the phone in front of her. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked. “How is my best friend and mentor leaving better for me?”
“Babe, you needed the space to continue to grow and explore your relationships with the guys. My presence was stifling that growth.”
“I can’t even pretend to understand what you just said,” she snapped as she stared at me. “What’s there to explore when I’ve already established friendships with your men?”
“Stephanie,” he replied. “You and I both know that your feelings for Lester go way deeper than that of just friends. You also know I speak the truth when I say that you were avoiding your feelings because you were worried about how I would react. My staying in Miami gives you the space and the freedom to explore your love for him without worry over my reactions.”
Her eyes widened as she looked up at me. I had to give him credit. He’d manage to explain his reason why in a manner that would, no doubt, lead to her forgiving him for being a giant ass. When she didn’t immediately reply, he asked. “Babe, you still there?”
“Yeah, Carlos. I’m still here,” she replied as I crossed to her. Then I moved in behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder for support. “I just don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he replied. “I want you happy, Stephanie. If Lester can give you that happy, then you already have my blessing.” He paused and chuckled. “Not that you need it.”
“Thank you, cuz,” I replied over her shoulder. “You’re a true friend for taking the initiative and stepping aside.”
She glanced up at me, then back to the phone. “You’re really okay with me and Lester…” she let her sentence trail off.
“Becoming a couple?” Ranger asked. “Yeah, babe. I am. I meant it when I said I want you happy.”
“Thank you, Carlos,” she murmured as she reached up to cover my hand with hers.
“No thanks needed,” he replied. “I promise, I won’t stay way too long, okay?”
“Okay. Take care of yourself,” she said. “Be careful and don’t get shot.”
“Don’t go crazy, Babe,” he replied. “And, Primo.”
“Yeah, Ric.”
“Take care of her.”
“You know I will,” I replied right before the line went dead.
Several seconds of silence filled the air before she let out a long sigh, then turned to look up at me. “I want to be angry with him, but…”
“I know,” I replied as I pulled her up from the chair and wrapped her in a hug. “Do you at least feel a bit better now?”
She nodded. “About, Carlos, yes. But there’s still the issue of the guys.”
“Refer back to my previous answer,” I said. “If they’re too selfish to put your happiness first, then it’s their problem, not yours.”
“It’s not that easy,” she protested.
“You’re right,” I replied. “A lot of the guys will be disappointed, and some will be angry with me for having the guts to make a move when they didn’t, but, baby, if they really love you, all of them will eventually get over it and be happy for us.”
“I guess,” she said on a sigh. “But what about working together? I don’t want to lose you as a partner.”
While the wasn’t any official policy in place for couples working together in the field, I knew Tank and Ranger would never allow it. Honestly, I had to agree. After taking her to bed, my feelings for her are even more intense. I know they could have the ability to impair my judgement in crucial situations. “Unfortunately, it would be in our best interest if we weren’t partnered together anymore at work, but you have to look at the bigger picture. We’re now going to be partners together for life, instead.”
She opened her mouth to object.
“Stephanie,” I said, stopping her protest. “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you and in the grand scheme, whether we work together or not really doesn’t matter.”
Her eyes widened as she looked up at me. “Okay, either this is all a dream or I’m hallucinating.”
I frowned at her statement. “Why?”
“Because that sounded an awful lot like a proposal,” she said, causing me to pause. I played the words back in my head and realized she was right. I also realized, the idea of proposing to her didn’t freak me out at all. “What if it was?” I asked. “What would you say?”
“Is it?” she challenged.
I hadn’t meant it as one, but damn it, I couldn’t find a good reason to say no. After all, I meant what I said and eventually I would have proposed anyway. Maybe it was good to put everything on the table right now. “Yes,” I replied as I stared down at her.
“Yes?” she questioned, giving me a look of disbelief.
“Yes,” I repeated, refusing to change my mind. Knowing her aversion to marriage, it’s a calculated risk. Dickie and Morelli had both used marriage as a trap to try and tame her into what they wanted in a woman. I’m counting on her understanding that I would never clip her wings.
“Don’t you think it’s too soon to be talking about marriage?” she asked.
“Not really,” I replied. “I’ve known you for years, and for all intents and purposed, we’ve been pseudo dating for the last six months.”
“How do you figure that?” she challenged, a touch of humor in her voice.
“Look at all the hours we’ve spent, working together on surveillance jobs, chasing skips, and spending time running searches and background checks. The surveillance work and searches have given us a lot of time to talk and get to know each other. Chasing skips gave us the opportunity to learn to read each other’s body language and emotions.”
“True,” she said after a moment. “But don’t you think we should talk about a few things first?”
“Like what?”
She gave a shrug. “Oh, I don’t know. Like where we would live, for one.”
“Wherever,” I replied. “You can move in with me at Haywood, or we can buy a house somewhere else.” I grinned. “I draw the line at living here.”
She rolled her eyes, then quickly forged ahead. “What about kids?”
“What about them?”
“I’m still not sure I want children. That wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“This isn’t a matter of being fair, Steph. If you don’t want kids, I’m okay with that and, if at some point, you decide to make me a daddy, then I’m okay with that too.”
Apparently rejecting my answer as not good enough, she shook her head. “How can you be so blasé about this?”
I gave her question a snort. “You’ve seen the Manoso and Santos clan.”
“Yeah? So?”
“So, you know that there’s no shortage of children to carry on the lineage. My not having kids won’t cause the name to go extinct.” Though it probably would make my mother a little sad, but that’s not something I plan on sharing. No, need to make her feel bad for her decisions.
I could tell by the look in her eye that she still wasn’t ready to concede this argument and I braced for the next round of questions.
“Not that I want one, but you don’t have a ring, do you?”
Well shit! She had me there. I’d actually spent quite a bit of time recently, dreaming about marrying her. However, knowing her confused feelings and ability to hide from the truth, I hadn’t been convinced anything would ever happen between us. So, I hadn’t bothered to purchase a ring. “Actually, no, I don’t,” I admitted.
“So, that tells me you didn’t intend on proposing, today.”
Fuck! Now’s a fine time for her to finally get her head on straight and start thinking logically. While she does have me backed into the metaphorical corner, I’m still not ready to admit defeat. “I didn’t intend on taking you to bed tonight either, but I don’t regret it. In fact, I’m beyond happy that I did, and I don’t regret proposing either.”
Before she could reply there was a knock at the door, pulling my attention away from our discussion. “That will be the food.” Breaking eye contact with her, I turned and headed for the door. Sadly, I was starting to get a bit discouraged at how hard she seemed to be fighting for reasons to say no.
After accepting and paying for the food, I closed the door and turned back to the kitchen to see her now standing just a few feet from me. “Yes,” she replied then looked at me expectantly.
It took a second for the word to register, but when it did, I nearly dropped our dinner. Quickly dumped the bags on the counter and turned back to her. “Yes?”
She grinned as she began to nod.
Laughing, I reached for her, dragging her to me before taking her lips in a kiss. When I pulled back, I grinned down at her. “Tomorrow, we’ll go together and pick out a ring.”
“I don’t need a ring,” she replied. “I just need you.”
“I want you to have a ring,” I said. “I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
She rolled her eyes again. “You’re not going all Alpha male on me with this mine shit, are you?”
My grin widened. “Oh absolutely. I want everyone on the planet to know you’re mine and I’m yours.”
I expected another battle over my domineering male tendencies. Instead, her smile returned. “Good. Can we pick out our wedding bands too?”
Good? While it wasn’t the answer I expected to get, I wasn’t going to question her either. “Anything you want, Beautiful.”
“Perfect. Because I don’t want to wait. I want to get married as soon as we can.”
My brow knit as I stared down at her. “You don’t want a real wedding?”
She shook her head. “I married catholic the first time. I can’t get married in the church again and I don’t really want a big wedding anyway. I’m over all the fuss that everyone will make. I just want to be with you.”
“Okay, I replied even as I thought about my mama and sisters and Ranger and his family. Oh boy, would they be mad if I ran off and got married without telling them. “I will have to arrange for a small ceremony, at least. I don’t want my mama to kick my ass for getting married without telling her. How about we plan to fly everyone we want to participate with us, to Vegas?”
“If we’re going to do that, can we take my Grandma and maybe Mary Lou?”
I shuddered at the thought of Edna Mauzer coming along, then shuddered again when I realized she was about to become my relation. “Of course,” I finally replied. “After we find our rings, we’ll start working on the plans. I think we can make it happen within the month.”
“What about Ranger?” she asked.
“What about him?
“Should we invite him? I mean wouldn’t us running off to get married without telling him be the same thing as what he just did staying in Miami and not telling us?”
She had a valid point. “It would. So, I say we invite him and leave it up to him to show.”
“Do you think he will?”
“I do,” I replied as I pulled her close. “He loves you as much as I do and because it's important to you, it will be important to him. Besides, he’ll want to see you make an honest man out of me.”
She sighed and shifted her head from side to side in an obvious attempt to let go of some stress. “Okay. Since that’s settle, let’s eat. I’m starving and I think we’re going to need to refuel since when we’re done here, I have plans for you, Mister.”
My grin returned even as parts of me came to attention once again. “And just what would those plans entail?
Her face turned the cutest shade of pink as she met my stare. “Well, I’ve had this fantasy about you for a while now.”
“Oh, you have?” I asked as I pulled her tighter to me, grinding my front against her as I palmed her gorgeous ass. “And what happens with me in this fantasy?”
Her lips tipped into a mischievous grin. “Let’s just say, its involves me being naked and the use of handcuffs.”
As I stared down at her, I matched her smile with one of my own. I had a feeling my future wife was about to make a very…happy…man.