Stephanie Manoso.
Stephanie whispers the name to herself and blushes a little. She recalls the phone conversation she overheard inside Tasty Bakery and blushes even more. She toys with her sea glass ring and thinks about her and Ranger. They are both in their 30s. The invisible clock won't stop ticking. And Ranger, the always calm and assertive Master of Control, doesn't do stupid things. Love. Ring. Condoms. No price. No strings. No relationship. The cars he loaned her. The money he spent for her. The blood he bled for her. He loves her in his own way. And she's now living in his apartment. With him.
Marriage and babies. Every—well, not every, but surely a lot of women's dream. A tall dark handsome husband. A sweet cozy home. A dog. A cat. Or a hamster. And a couple cute kids. Was she...is she one of those women? Does she share the same dream and want the same things? Why did she marry Dickie? Why did she start her unhealthy relationship with Morelli? She thought she loved Dickie and expected him to love her back. But instead he cheated on her with Joyce Barnhardt. She thought she shared something special with Morelli. But the sad truth is it was nothing but a lot of bad judgement and an ugly history. And they simply couldn't commit themselves to each other no matter what. She'd never seen past Dickie's facade as an ambitious fun-loving charming young lawyer until it was too late. She'd talked herself into believing she and Morelli belonged to each other because he was her first in just about everything. She thought she knew what she really needed and wanted. And both times she was wrong. Terribly wrong. Yes, she had been happy for a while in the beginning. But reality caught up with her eventually and laughed out loud in her face.
And Ranger is different. She trusts him like no one else. She loves him like no one else. It thrills her that he loves and trusts her too, and that he will never lie to her or hurt her. And it feels so good to be loved. protected and cherished...
Stephanie Manoso.
Ranger ends the call and silently whispers the name to himself. Yes. he's aware they are both in their 30s. Yes, he understands the invisible clock won't stop ticking. He's happy with his life right now. He still doesn't do stupid things. But he always does the right things and is almost never allergic to changes. And Stephanie Manoso does sound cute. He's more than certain he'll have a lot of fun teaching Stephanie to pronounce the family name. He unlocks the door and steps into the apartment, places his keys onto the silver plate and smiles as he sees the dreamy look on Stephanie's face. He's not ready for a second marriage. But he knows he does love her deeply. And he has a surprise for her. What has to come has to come.
5 minutes later, Stephanie widens her eyes and starts hyperventilating. She's going to meet Ranger's family. On Grandma Rosa's birthday dinner. This coming weekend.
And she has nothing to wear!
~End of Kiss 37: Someday~
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