The characters and location based on this story are created by Janet Evanovich, the Stephanie Plum series. I take no credit except for the plot.

Living My Dream

Part One

My name is Stephanie Plum. You just received an invitation to my wedding. I'm about to marry the man of my dreams, sit back and join me, as we embark on a suspenseful journey.

At this moment I'm waiting in the back of the church for my cue to walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Joseph Morrelli. Joe and I have known each other most of our lives. We used to be playmates when we were five years old. Mostly we played the "Train Game." He was the train, and I was the tunnel. In high school he was labeled as a stud muffin, meaning he screwed anyone who wore a skirt. When I turned 16, he took my virginity behind the cannoli counter at a bakery where I worked. After that, I didn't hear from him for months. One day I saw him crossing the street and ran him over with my father's car. He broke his leg, and now he throws it up in my face when we have a fight. I don't think he will ever forgive me. I hadn't seen him for, ten years, but three years ago we started dating and had an on and off again relationship. He asked me to marry him eight months ago, and I said "yes." Which leads me to today.

The time was coming close, my father, Frank, looks debonair in his navy blue tuxedo, but he's complaining his bow tie was too tight around his neck. He's continuously pulled at his collar until my mother Helen, adjusted it for him. My 50- year- old heavy silk wedding gown had a long train and weighed a ton. It's not what I would have chosen, but I am making Joe's mother happy. She asked me to wear her wedding dress, because she doesn't have any daughters, and this would keep up with Sicilian tradition. My veil was poofy, which doesn't do me much justice. I suggested to Joe when we became engaged that we should elope and not endure the headache of planning a wedding. He said he couldn't do that to his mother, and he felt it was worth the trouble. She asked to be included in some of the wedding plans also. You know how Italian men are with their mama, they feel whatever makes mama happy. I agreed with it because my thoughts were - What the hay, it's not like I haven't done this before. I say that because my first marriage turned out to be a hoax. My ex- husband Dick, the jerk, ended our marriage within a year when I caught him screwing my childhood enemy, Joyce, on my new dining room table.

The organ music began to play. My bride's maids lined up at the entrance of the open church doors, and my two nieces started to walk down the long aisle. They looked adorable in their junior bride's maids dresses, one of them sprinkled rose pedals on the silk runner. Lula and Connie wore a navy blue strapless gown. Lula even dyed her hair blue to match her dress, and it was typical of her, she changes her hair color every week. She is an eccentric dresser and loves to wear tight clothes. The top of her dress was so snug that it made her boobs pop out. I made her wear a shawl in church, knowing Joe's Aunt Joan, would have had a heart attack if she saw Lula's breasts showing themselves to the Priest. Valarie, my older sister, was my Maid-of-Honor, and her dress was silver to offset the bride's maids.

Grandma Mazur approached me to compliment how beautiful I looked and wished me the best of luck. She dressed in a fancy red pantsuit, the color red always looked good on her. She looked into my eyes and pulled me aside asking if I was sure I wanted to go through with this charade.

"Of course grandma, there is no backing out now," I said not looking directly at her.

"Stephanie, you won't be the first or the last bride to ditch the groom. You can't fool me; I know you are in love with Ranger. You need to marry him, and this is your last chance, there is still time to catch that plane and fly to Miami. You can be his wife by the end of the day. Tank is waiting for you outside, just picture how exciting this will be. One thing, though, make sure you take me with you."

Ranger popped into my life right before Joe and I started dating. He was my mentor, while I worked for my slim ball cousin Vinnie, who owned a Criminal Recovery Agency. Vinny hired me to recoup criminals who were arrested and set back on the streets by posting their bail. If they missed their court date, I had to recover them, and I bought their sorry asses to the police station. My friendship with Ranger became complicated over the years. At times we would sleep together which always wound up unforgettable. He's the founder and president of a high-class security company and is unbelievably handsome. He's made it his job to protect me because people seem to want to kill me. My history speaks for itself. He calls me Babe, and I'm not sure when that began, I guess after the first time I slept together.

I wondered how grandma found out about Ranger's proposal? I never told anyone about that night, he flew into my apartment like Batman in the middle of the evening last week and asked me to marry him. He said he could make me happy and I will forget all about Joe. I was taken back by his persistence and asked him what changed his mind. He always told me he wasn't into marriage and commitment, and I thought he was still working on his bad karma. He said he wanted to start having a family. He's been married before and has a daughter Julie who lives with her mom in Miami. In the past all these things I'm mentioning was taboo. He tried to convince me that he's had a change of heart and couldn't bear for me to be Joe's wife. He says he loved me and had fought his feeling all these years, but it didn't work. He then knelt on one knee and continued telling me I am the woman for him and he can't live without me. Then he popped the question. I refused. But now he's all I think about, I have tried to put him out of my mind and concentrate on Joe and I. I'll never forget as he walked out the door, he said he wouldn't interfere and respect my decision. Then he left the ring on the table and said,

"It's goodbye for now, but you feel the same way as I do. You'll be wearing my ring, not Joe's. You will change your mind, Babe." He left, but not before he gave me a deep kiss that curled my toes.

"How do you know this?" I whispered to grandma?"

"I know everything; you can't hide something like this from me, it's too important. Besides, Tank and Hal told me Ranger asked you. I knew all along he gave you a ring. Mr. Gorgeous hadn't given up and is waiting for you in Miami. He's taken care of all the arrangements, so don't worry about a thing. All you have to do is board Rangeman's jet and get ready to fly to paradise. Come on, your wasting precise time, you can do this, people will be buzzing, and it will probably make the local newspapers, but who cares. These old cronies won't know what hit them. I can see grandma Bella flipping out, casting a spell on our family. Boy, I would hate to miss it, but I rather stay with you."

The thought of Grandma Bella made me squinch and sent chills down my spine.

My mother came up to me and said,

"It's almost time. What are you two whispering about?"

I looked down the aisle and felt I was about to walk to my death for execution. I looked at my mother and said,

"I can't do this," I stood there with tears running down my cheeks and shaking my head. "I'm sorry." I took my veil off and handed it to her with my bouquet of flowers.

"Oh my God, what are you thinking! You can't do this to Joe." She said with her stern voice while sweat formed on her brow.

"Mom I 'm not marrying Joe, I'm flying down to Miami, Florida and marrying Ranger. He is waiting for me. Please tell Joe I'm sorry and give my regrets to his family. Today I am Ranger's Bride."

She took a tiny flask out from her evening bag and took three gulps and said,

"Don't do this Stephanie, everyone here is expecting to go to Joe's and your wedding. We won't be able to show our face around the Burg ever again. We'll have to live in Alaska somewhere in an igloo and eat whale blubber. To make matters worse that gypsy of a grandmother is going to put the horns on us for sure."

"I'm sorry mom, Hal will send one of the men to come and pick up anyone who wants to join me. They will drive you to the plane. I love you. See you in a while."

Then I kissed her on the cheek and left her to deliver the earth shattering news. I bolted out the church doors, never looking back. I threw up my arms feeling liberated and free, I defied the ties of morality, and it felt great. Grandma was quick on my heels and stood on the church steps putting her two fingers in her mouth and whistled. I never knew how she did that. Tank pulled up with the Rangeman's black SUV. I felt like I just robbed a bank and leaving in a getaway car. Grandma and I hopped into the back seat. Tank floored the gas pedal and blended into traffic almost hitting a bus, then hurried to the airport. I took off Joe's engagement ring, which I planned to return to him, and replaced it with Ranger's."

"I told Ranger we would be there in 4 hours, he is ready and waiting. I haven't heard him this excited in years. He even promised to give all the guys a raise." Tank said.

My cell phone rang continuously after a half hour. There must have been twenty calls that came in. Ten of them were from Joe, and I made his calls go to voice mail. The others were from my mother, Valarie, Lula and Connie. I asked grandma to answer my phone, and she invited everyone to join us on the plane and attend the wedding. She told them Bobby and Lester would pick them up at the church. I stepped out of the car at the airport and boarded the plane. A woman named Nancy, dressed in a black stewardess outfit with the Rangeman logo on her shirt greeted me. She told me that Ranger picked out a wedding gown for me to wear, he didn't want me to marry him in Joe's mother's dress. I have to give Ranger credit he has fabulous taste, it was perfect. The lightweight silk gown was a champagne color and had just enough sequence around the neckline and sleeves that fell off my shoulders. It looked stunning on, and I felt like a princess. Instead of a veil, the hairdresser threaded delicate flowers through a French braid and placed a tiara on my head, that had encrusted chocolate diamond chips.

My stomach sunk when my family started boarding the plane. I had a lot of explaining to do, but I refused to answer any questions till tomorrow. Today I'm living out my fantasy wedding, and I kept our wedding night in my mind. The thought made my heart jump when I imagined how wonderful I'm going to feel. I can hardly wait.

There was a lot of chatter as my family, and bridal party boarded the plane. I couldn't blame them; there was a lot of turmoil today. The only two people that hadn't uttered a word was my Mom and Dad. I think they were in shock because my mom kept giving me one of those looks. After they had settled in, Mom opened her purse and asked the stewardess if she had any liquor on board to fill her canteen. She does this when she is upset and has no control over the situation. Dad just sat there with his tie undone. Eventually, he spoke to grandma, questioning her why I had a change of heart.

Lula said,

"So you decided to marry "The Man," you lucky girl." As the stewardess walked by Lula, asked if there were any fried chicken and ribs, because of the hunger pains in her stomach.

"You know. There was a lot of stress today, and I'm starving. I need to keep my strength up for my friend Stephanie." She told Nancy, who then smiled and explained to Lula there was food coming out once we were airborne. The pilot announced over the loud speaker we will be taking off in five minutes and requested we should take our seats and buckle up. He said the flight was three hours, but he hoped we had the tailwind working to our advantage and we would land at Miami International Airport a little earlier. As I sat in my seat, I dreamed of how this day would turn out. A minute later, I saw three police cars and a Green Dodge Van pull beside the plane. Police lights swirled and flashed, and then I saw Joe Morelli getting out of the van. He stood in front of the aircraft waving his arms yelling my name. I heard Tank yell,

"Just flatten him, and let's get the show on the road!"

The pilot got out of the plane spoke with Joe, then he returned to the jet and talked to Nancy. She came over to me and said,

"Mr. Morelli wants to talk to you. He won't let us leave until he does."

I decided to face Joe and get all the awkward feelings out of the way. I left the plane and kept myself calm. I decided not to stir his anger, he is a detective and carries a gun. I don't want him to waste me in front of everyone. So I will eat crow letting him blow up. I walked down the steel steps, and he stood at the bottom of the stairs. His big brown eyes frowned at me. He looked like as if he lost his best friend. I felt sorry for him, don't get me wrong. I love Joe, but what I realize now is that I'm not in love with him. Not like I'm in love with Ranger.

"Stephanie." He sounded surprisingly calm,

"Are you out of your mind? He continued but began to scold me like a child. "What you did today, must be the most ridiculous stunt you ever pulled. I heard you're flying down to Florida and marrying Ranger! Is that true!" I shook my head "yes."

"My God, honestly Stephanie?!"

He looked away and then he faced me, when I saw his face he had turned dark red, he held his chest and let out a disgusting belch. He paced back and forth and continued lecturing me.

"What do you expect me to do with all the people that have traveled here from out of the country and from other states to attend our wedding. Don't you love me anymore Cupcake." His voice raised when I didn't answer,"I guess you had a change of heart! What about our honeymoon to Venice. What do you intend for me to do? I think you have lost your mind!" He just kept pacing, yelling and throwing his hands up like he was fed up with me.

As he ranted tension escalated, Grandma Bella came running up to me and spit on the ground by my feet. Her veins popped out of her neck when she jumped up and down shouting,

"I always knew you were no good hussy and you're not good for my Joey! You embarrassed him in front of the family! You are nothing but a two timing whore, and I hope you have a miserable life. May you have nothing but heartaches!"

Then she pointed her right index finger and pinky at me, spat on the ground again and gave me the Sicilian horns, One of the police officers ushered her away,

"Joe," I said hesitantly. He threw up his hands again and interrupted me,

"I don't want to hear it, go, go have a wonderful life, just know you ripped my heart out! I hope you can live with that. You and Ranger deserve each other! You know what?!" His steel eyes cut through me when he starred me down. "I am telling all the guests to attend the reception. I paid for it, and I am planning on getting shit faced, and after that, I'm getting laid."

My heart stung a little when he said that, but I had to focus and excuse him. I knew he was hurting and lashing out, but the calmer I stayed the madder he got. He had every right to feel like he did. Then he came closer to me and said,

"Maybe I'll have a threesome with Terry Gilmore and Joyce, and then I'm taking Terry on our honeymoon to Venice."

Now, that was a direct hit, and I could have gotten nasty too, but, at this point, it didn't matter, nothing mattered. If I get through this, I was about to become Mrs. Carlos Manoso, and there was nothing he could have said or done to change my mind. I handed him his engagement ring, and Nancy brought him his mother's wedding gown. I kissed him on the cheek, and apologized, wishing him well. I kept repeating to myself, I not heartless. I should have done this differently. As the guilt crept into my bones. I started up the steel steps and entered the aircraft. I said nothing to anyone, I just wanted to get out of here. The traffic controller cleared the jet for takeoff, and before I knew it, we were 30,000 feet in the air, and all my feelings of doubt vanished.

We landed on an airstrip for private jets in Miami' International Airport, two hours and forty-five minutes later. As we exited, I saw there was a black bus waiting for my guests and family. The trip down here was interesting, to say the least. Complimentary champagne and food were set out. Mom was feeling no pain, by the time we arrived, but I have to say she held it together. Lula told me she would have never figured someone like me would have the nerve to leave my groom at the altar. Connie said to me; Joe took the news on the chin when he first was told. Ater the announcement, the single women who wanted to become Morrelli's wannabe wife, were there to console him. I laughed when she said that and all I thought of was Ranger. Today I'm living my dream, I've dreamt about this for a long time. Lester told me not to board the bus, and then a white stagecoach pulled up beside me with a Batman decal on the side doors. Leading the coach were two black horses were pulling the carriage. My prince sat on the black velveteen seat, looking at me with a sexy grin on his face, holding a bouquet of white roses. His smile lit up the world, and then he winked at me. From that moment forward I felt all the tension leave my body. I knew now everything was going to work out.

He hadn't dressed in his tuxedo yet. When I eyeballed him my insides turned into mush, he looked so hot with his skin tight black tee-shirt showing every muscle in his arms. Tank helped me up into the coach, and we rode away to the docks following the black bus. We kissed all the way to the waterfront almost doing it, for all I cared it could have gone on forever.

A cruise ship was docked at the pier and Ranger said,

"We are going to get married in the ship's chapel and have our party in the ballroom."

It was okay with me, I would have married him on a rickety old raft. I stepped down from the coach and Nancy accompanied me into the vessel. Ranger called out to me,

"I'll see you at the altar, Babe. . ."

I turned around and gave him a thumbs up.

Thank you for reading, let me know if you want me to continue.

Will Ranger and Stephanie ever tie the knot? If they do will their wedding night be as unforgettable like Stephanie had dreamed? When returning home will Joe's ego allow him to forgive Stephanie for ditching him at the altar? Or will his ego be so damaged and try to seek revenge?

If you want me to continue with this story, let me know, and give suggestions, I will try to include them. I will keep writing, about the complicated world of Ranger and Stephanie. . .