With Time

Chapter 11

After hearing the heated exchange between Ben and Brielle. Miranda came down the stairs with a smirk.

"Okay, Mr. Warren,  I see you have some grit to your parenting style. I like it, it made me wanna do some crazy things to you. You're sexy as hell when you're mad, that vein in your forehead is killing me softly." She said walking up to him and peppering kisses on his face and neck.

"You alright?" She asked feeling his heartbeat was high.

"I've never had to do that before. I'm calling my mom right now and asking her how she managed to have that much patience when I was growing up." Ben said sitting on the couch and bringing Miranda to his lap.

"Love, the love you have will always overpower any anger, disappointment, or sadness you could ever have toward your child. As mad as they make you, they are the very thing that makes your heartbeat. Nothing in this world is worth that." Miranda said caressing his face.

"I guess you're right. Even right now as mad as I am, I'd still jump in front of a bullet for her. That's my baby girl, sometimes she's just an emotional terrorist." Ben said laughing

"Just like her father." Miranda said chuckling

"I'm nothing like that." He said

"Oh, but you are. It's almost an exact copy. She can't help it, she got it honest." Miranda said

"I tell you one thing, she yells at me like that again the only thing she gon have honest is my belt on her behind." Ben said shaking his head

"I don't think you have it in you to spank her. She got you wrapped around her finger, soon as the waterworks hit you'll be ready to hug her and spoil her." Miranda said before leaning in to whisper

"But you could spank me to get some practice..."

Hearing that Ben lifted her and trotted to the bedroom.

"I'm bout to smack it, flip it and rub it down girl. You not ready for this." He said before dropping her on the bed and beginning to undress.

"No, you not ready for this."
Miranda said lowering to her knees and grabbing hold of his belt to take it off. Soon as Ben felt contact, a chill went up his spine.

"Oh shit, maybe I'm not ready." He said feeling his knees get weak from the work Miranda was putting in. Hearing a giggle and a moan.

"Well, you better get ready." Was the last thing he heard before she sent him into a new dimension.

A few hours later into the day, Miranda walked into her parent's house announcing her arrival. Walking deeper into the house she went to the kitchen.

"Hey mama, where's daddy?" she asked sitting down at the table.

"He claims that he's fixing the showerhead in the upstairs bathroom. You know your daddy can't do no handyman work." Elena said

"What brings you by and how's life as a shacker?" she asked making fun of her daughter's living situation.

"Mama just because Ben and I aren't married don't mean that we're shacking up but life is a little weird. Ben and Brielle are finally getting to know the real versions of each other and I'm just stuck in the middle because I know them both better than they know themselves." Miranda said filling in her mother about her life

"Here help me pick these greens but what's wrong with Ben and Brielle? I thought those two were stuck by the hip." Elena asked

"They were until Brielle realized that Ben wasn't all fun and games. She wanted Ben to quit firefighting even though he loves it and he wouldn't. So she called herself punishing him for not giving in to her and gave him the silent treatment. Then today all hell broke loose, Brielle and Ben basically had a screaming match and now she's realizing he's her father and not her friend. He's officially joined the bad guys of parenting." Miranda said

"Well, that's nice to know he's willing to go there with her. Some parents don't know when to cut the bull." Her mother said looking at her daughter from across the table.

"You and Ben, anything new there? I can tell you've reconnected in more ways than one with that skin Miss thing." Her mother said making efforts to make her daughter embarrassed

"Mama, please don't start. You are a grandma for god's sake you knew I was going to sleep with him. There's nothing innocent about me." Miranda said rolling her eyes. Sometimes her mother could be really irritating but it was just a sensitive issue.

"So do you think he'll propose or anything? You know the young kids call it stuffing season. I don't know I heard that from the boy that comes by to do the yard work, Joey he said it the other day while he was in here." Elena said

"Mom, it's cuffing season, and stop eavesdropping but I don't think we're there yet. I mean we know each other very well but married is a place we're just not at. Especially not with our child acting like she lost her mind. Plus I don't think Ben will try to marry me. He knows I'm not going anywhere whether I have a ring on my finger or not. That's just our relationship." Miranda said chuckling then filling her mother in

"Don't you want to get married? Baby, it's more than a ring. It's a sign of respect for your time. A commitment that shows you how much you mean to him. Your love to be United as one. A Symbol of his soul being joint with yours. The ring doesn't mean a damn thing, it's the value behind the intention of the marriage and your partner." Elena said enlightening Miranda

"Now I know I'm biased but sometimes this ring is the only thing that saves the stubborn man you know to be your father. Sometimes our history and our love are just enough to make up for anything he could do to make me mad." She continued

Miranda sat and listened to her mother and really thought about what she said.

"I guess I already do that even when Ben switched jobs once again I was indifferent. Do I need to bring up Marriage? I think we're fine but I don't want to be just dating forever. I guess because we already know the things we'd learn about each other in the early stages of our relationship we never bring it up. After all, we just have an understanding." Miranda expressed to her mom as she helped prepare dinner.

"Well, the unspoken things are usually the ones that cause hell in relationships. Maybe it's time to bring it up." Elena said leaving Miranda alone with her thoughts. Elena walked back to her stove and began cooking and Miranda sat there with her mind going 100 miles per hour with endless thoughts.

It has never crossed her mind, Marriage with Ben would be wonderful but she was scared things would change for them and it wouldn't be good. 

"I don't mean to make you nervous but I know you're not thinking about these things while you caught up in La-La land with Ben. Things are technically new between you two but your situation is unique because you're dating your best friend." Elena said

"I'm going to talk to him about it later. I really don't have much of a choice but to bring it up. Maybe things will just work themselves out. Maybe it'll be okay." Miranda said leaving her mother's kitchen.

Elena watched her leave and felt bad for her daughter.

"My poor baby she's worried half to death." She said to herself watching her daughter leave from the porch.

The only thing that could happen now is fate.