Page 25 of In Love with a Ranger

She had climbed into the bed to sleep, collapsed, and had felt the bed move slightly because he said he was lying down, too. Did he? Was he actually in the bed with her? Cracking open a single eye, she stared into a pair of brown ones watching her.

“Hey,” she began hoarsely, trying to play it cool.

“Hey yourself,” he murmured quietly, almost as if he was afraid to break the stillness of the night air. It was getting dark out, and she was a little surprised no one had come looking for either of them. “Did you sleep well?”

“I’m sorry about any of that…”

“Don’t apologize. We’ve both been sleeping badly for a while now, and something had to give.”

“My sanity?” she retorted in a hushed, embarrassed voice, only to see him smile tenderly at her, surprising her. He had the loveliest smile and looked almost gentle like he actually cared.

“I think your sanity is intact,” he began. “Just like everything else. You know we can do this and be adults about it. We don’t even have the Wall-of-Crutches between us, and it managed to work.”

“True,” she admitted, meeting his smile as they lay there on the bed facing each other, whispering in the darkness. “But what about your mother tanning your hide? What would my cousin say? I mean, Mom would probably flip out and want to meet you thinking we were in a relationship or something weird like that, but…” and her voice trailed off as his smile faded. “Let’s not go there, right?”

“Actually, this is nicer than I imagined waking up with a friend to talk to.”

“It is,” she confessed quietly. “It reminds me of sleepovers with my best friend, where we used to hide under the covers and whisper secrets all night long until one of us fell asleep.”

“We’re friends, doing the same thing, except a little taller.”

“Again – true,” she smiled and saw his lovely one return. “I should probably get up or…”

“Stay, and let’s keep whispering together,” he urged softly, not moving. “Maybe for a little longer because this is probably the best thing I’ve done since jumping from that plane that fateful day.”

“You know,” she chuckled softly, teasing him and remaining where she was as he’d asked. “Planes normally have landing gear, and you don’t have to jump.”

Gideon chuckled deeply, his eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement.

“I know that,” he said, looking chagrined and amused for a brief moment as his smile faded. “Doing something wild for the adrenaline high was what pushed me into becoming a ranger. I guess that’s over, and those happy, wild moments are gone.”

“What am I?” she teased again, wanting to see his smile. “Am I chopped liver? I mean, what is wilder and crazier than sleeping with a stranger – even fully dressed.”

“You’re not a stranger now that we’ve decided to be friends,” he reminded her and hesitated. “But if word gets back to my sister and leaks to my mother, that is not an adrenaline high I want to experience. I’ve been chased with a flip-flop before for acting badly.”

“Oh, I want to hear this…”

“I put my sister’s dolls in a tub full of water and bluing…” he chuckled guiltily. “I had a G.I. Joe action figure named Shipwreck – and well, they were in the ‘ocean’ of my making.”

“Oh noooo,” she began laughing as he continued.

“My hands were stained; my clothing was ruined… and our toys…?”

They were both laughing, sharing a look, before laughing some more. Gideon was right, she realized. It was indeed nice to share stolen moments like this between them.

“My mom was so mad because my sisters were carrying on like it was the end of times… and here I was with blue hands that nobody acknowledged,” he continued between bouts of laughter. “So when I grabbed Giselle, threatening to dunk her in the bathtub, I crossed a line. My mother yanked off her flip-flop so fast that we began scattering in every direction.”

Christina was nearly crying with laughter, wiping her eyes, and treasuring the fact that her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. Him sharing a part of his childhood, realizing just how normal it seemed, and being here was more than she could have ever asked for.

“I smarted off and told my mom, ‘You’ll never catch me,’” he paused dramatically. “And she did. Let me tell you, a flip-flop can hurt almost as much as a switch. A cheap foam flip-flop makes an unholy pop that only adds to the fear.”

“Oh, Gideon,” she laughed wildly, holding her side as their eyes met.

“I think you have the prettiest smile,” he said suddenly, his eyes taking on a strange look at that moment. “My mother would absolutely love you if you ever met her.”

Christina’s laughter faded as the air surrounding them seemed to change perceptibly. He was looking at her differently. Like something had just struck him in the moment that the words were uttered aloud. She never really had anyone say something so sweet or unexpectedly personal like that and was touched.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly.

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