“You’re right, I do,” he chuckles before gesturing to a wooden buffet placed along one wall. “Do you notice anything?”
Immediately, I begin to laugh like a maniac.
“OMG, the candlesticks!” I squeal, nodding at a pair of long, silver candlesticks displayed prominently on the side table. “Where did you find those?”
“When we were cleaning out your old apartment, I grabbed them from the mantelpiece,” he growls in my ear. “They’re going up in a place of honor because I want everyone to know what my girl can do,” he adds mischievously. “You’re a woman of many talents, Sydney.”
I merely giggle again.
“Yes, but I won’t be doing that anytime soon because guess what?”
“What?” Ranger asks, taking the plate from my hand before taking a big bite of cake. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”
I giggle again.
“Well, I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive, so you’re going to be a daddy, Ranger!” I wink. “Aren’t you excited?”
My man looks so surprised that the cake almost falls out of his mouth, but then he sets his plate to one side before leaping up and spinning me around.
“Hell yeah! I’m going to be a father!” he bellows before leaning down to give me a kiss. “And you’re going to be the most wonderful mommy ever.”
I merely wink.
“It’s just the next phase in our crazy lives, Daddy-O,” I tease. “We have an insane life already, but trust me, this baby is going to ramp things up tenfold.”
My lover merely chuckles before leaning down to seize my mouth again.
“Tell me about it. But I’m ready, Syd, because I’ve wanted to be a father for a long time now, and this is the answer to my dreams.”
My gorgeous boyfriend leans to smooch me again and soon it becomes quite passionate, but that’s when I break away for a moment.
“Oh, so you remember my best friend, Clara, right?”
Ranger groans.
“No, no gossip,” he mock-complains. “Not now!”
I merely giggle.
“Stop, Ranger. You’ll want to hear this because it’s insane. You know Clara’s absolutely terrified of flying ever since she found out what happened with us, right? The hijacking and all?”
There’s an amused look in Ranger’s eyes as he shrugs those big shoulders a little.
“Okay, but? What’s the catch?”
I giggle again.
“Well, so Clara has been going to therapy about dealing with her fears, and I guess her therapist is one of those hippie-types who recommends “facing your fears,” “leaning in,” and that kind of bullshit. So Clara quit her job as a teacher and she’s now working as a flight attendant to confront her hang-ups head-on.”
Ranger looks stunned.
“Really?” he asks. “That seems a bit extreme.”
I nod.
“I know, right? But Clara and her therapist think that this is the best way to address her anxieties. Except now, things have gone off the rails because she’s gotten really into it. Actually, Clara’s taken to luring male passengers into the lavatory for hot times.”
Ranger’s jaw literally drops open.