30 Years Ago

It was another spring in Trenton, and the gray hues of winter were finally starting to disappear under subtle hints of greenery and a new layer of Jersey smog. I was looking in the mirror debating the best strategy for my unruly hair when I heard a knock at the door. I was debating about ignoring it, but I had woken up in a pretty good mood (due in part to a very exciting good morning kiss-and other good morning activities-from Morelli), so I decided to answer it. A USPS worker stood in the doorway with a package.

"Does a Stephanie Plum live here?" he asked. The question threw me for a moment, but I still managed a nod and signed for the package.

"Thanks," I said as I shut the door.

I set the package on the counter and pondered the question. Did I live here? I had an apartment that wasn't too far away, but lately I had been staying with Morelli and his lovable dog, Bob. In fact, I couldn't remember how long it had been since I had last slept in my own bed.

I walked back to the bedroom and looked in the closet. Sure enough, most of my wardrobe and laundry were on the hangers and in the drawers. I went in the bathroom. There was makeup scattered on the counter, my toothbrush was in the holder, and my razor was in the shower. And it wasn't a disposable. Feminine products were in a drawer.

I walked back out to the living room where I had left my morning coffee. Rex, my pet hamster and confidant, was running on his wheel. I leaned over his cage with a cracker. "When did this happen?" I asked him. He stopped running to eye the cracker then continued with his morning exercise routine.

Things had been going unusually well between me and Morelli lately. According to our usual chain of events, we should have hit a snag by now, had an explosive yelling session, and returned to our own separate residences…at least for a few weeks. The last thing I remembered yelling about was who ate the last of the ice cream, and the argument didn't last all that long because we managed to figure out another form of dessert we both wanted.

It was kind of a nice change of events for us. But it was also very weird. "Don't do this," I said to myself slamming my palm into my forehead. "Anytime things are going well, you go and freak out and ruin everything. This is totally normal. Commitment doesn't have to be a scary thing. Maybe this is a sign that you're finally growing up and maturing."

Maturity had been a difficult thing for me to master. But maybe it really was time to bring up the "M" word again. Maybe we could really make this whole thing work and be happy. I could feel a smile start to emerge at the thought.

My phone buzzed and I glanced at the caller. Oh yeah. Here was part of my commitment problem: the other man in my life.

"What's up?" I answered.

"Babe," came the familiar response. It was Ranger. Ricardo Carlos Manoso, also known to many as Ranger, has known me in a professional capacity for several years now. As a former bounty hunter himself, he's shown me some tricks of the trade and has developed an almost mother-like need to keep me under constant surveillance and protection. Although annoying at times, his overprotective nature has saved me from a premature trip to the pearly gates on numerous occasions, so I let him continue with his slightly invasive surveillance practices.

All of this would amount to peanuts if it wasn't for the crazy attraction between us and the few times we've spent the night together. It hasn't happened in a really long time, and I'd like to keep it that way, which sounds easy enough except for the fact that Ranger is tall, dark, and way beyond handsome. And he's quiet and mysterious, which only adds to his extreme amount of sex appeal. He's not really interested in relationships, marriage, or any of that long-term mumbo jumbo, so I've tried my best not to get too attached.

Occasionally I think he forgets his anti-marriage campaign because he's said some things about me, about us, and they don't always sound short-term to me. It keeps our relationship on every possible level of ambiguous, so I claim we're friends, occasional coworkers, and lie through my teeth about not wanting to sleep with him again.

"Is there a particular reason for this call?" I asked. "It's been a while." There was some silence.

"I've been busy," he replied. "Just wanted to know if you got a package today." I looked over at the counter.

"Yeah, actually," I said. "Just showed up a little while ago. Why?" He seemed like he was searching for the right words to say.

"Do me a favor and don't open it," he said.

"You sent me flowers, didn't you?" I asked teasingly as I made my way over to the package.

"Stephanie, don't!" I heard as I cut the corners and lifted the lid.

"What the…oh my gosh!" My jaw dropped in disgusted horror and I passed out on the floor.

I'm not sure how long I was out, but I woke up with a bag of frozen vegetables pressed against my head. Tank, whose name covers most of what you need to know about him, was hovering over me with a worried expression. Normally giant, muscular men standing over me was major cause for concern, but I knew Tank belonged to Rangeman, the security firm that Ranger co-owned and ran, so I was in good hands.

"Must've been in the neighborhood?" I asked rubbing my head.

"Ranger was worried when the call dropped," Tank said. "I was closest, so here I am."

"Morelli's going to be pissed if you broke down his door," I frowned. Tank laughed.

"No need. I think you left it unlocked when you got the package." I couldn't remember if I'd locked it again after getting the delivery. Probably not. Regardless, I was now worried some psycho could have been in the house. Tank was watching me with a worried expression. "Ranger will be by in a few to check things out." I sighed.

"Perfect."

My head wasn't throbbing anymore by the time Ranger showed up. He slipped in quietly and was suddenly leaning up against the counter in the kitchen dressed in his usual all-black attire.

"What's with the vegetables?" he asked tugging at the bag I still had held to my head.

"Tank was playing mom. I hit my head on the counter when I passed out. Thought they might be fun to heat up for lunch," I said with a smirk.

"No you didn't," Ranger said flatly. Normally I could at least get a hint of a smile with a joke like that, but apparently Ranger wasn't in the mood for joking. He nodded to Tank who made his departure, and the two of us stood silently in the kitchen for a moment.

"Where's the dog?" he finally asked.

"Morelli's got Bob out with him today. What's with the twenty questions?" He turned his head to look at the package still sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Things like this don't usually sit well with me, especially when you're involved."

"You got one too," I frowned finally putting the pieces together. He nodded. The subtle smell from the deteriorating animal organs was making my stomach churn. "That's beyond disgusting," I cringed. "Any ideas who might be behind it?" He shook his head.

"I'm going to have a forensics guy take a look. Maybe he'll find something useful." He looked doubtful. "In the meantime, be careful. I brought over the watch with the panic button as an extra precaution. And do me a favor and don't talk about it with your boyfriend yet. I don't need him breathing down my neck about your safety." I felt some extra tension with the boyfriend comment.

"He's probably going to want to know how I got this lovely goose egg," I said pointing to my forehead. "You want me to lie about it?" Ranger shook his head.

"Do what you want, Steph," he said. "You always do."

"Well you make everything complicated," I said getting defensive. Ranger was being unusually short with me, and I wanted to know why. Poking the angry bear wasn't the safest idea, but sometimes it got a reaction, and occasionally that was more satisfying than getting answers.

"I make things complicated?" he asked whipping around. "I wasn't the one who opened the damn box. You make everything complicated. You…" he stopped and stared at the floor. He glanced up, grabbed my arm, and pushed me up against the wall. Our eyes locked and he kissed me. I wanted to be mad, but my huffy disposition melted when his lips pressed against mine. Eventually, he pulled away, and his eyes went back to the floor. The sudden outburst and averted gaze were very un-Ranger.

"I need to go," he finally said grabbing the package and heading out the door. "I'll be in touch." And without even a backward glance, he was gone.

I was still leaning against the wall several minutes later when I finally snapped back to reality. The morning had already been a complete disaster! First there was the near panic attack from the realization that I'd officially moved in with Morelli followed by the revolting gift from my new "friend," and then there was Ranger who was cryptic as usual but also annoyed and grumpy. For someone who didn't show much emotion, this was an odd turn of events.

And what was with that kiss? We hadn't even texted for over a month much less talked, and he had the audacity to kiss me like that? There was too much weird going on for me, so I decided to skip plans for the day and go take a nap. It was the one thing I knew that could always clear my mind.

I must have napped longer than I planned because I woke up when I heard the front door shut. At first I panicked wondering if I'd left the door unlocked again, but then I heard the familiar clank of keys on the counter and a voice call up the stairs.

"Cupcake, I'm home," Morelli hollered.

I rubbed my eyes and smoothed out the wrinkles in my shirt. Footsteps clunked up the stairs, and the next thing I knew, Morelli was standing in the doorway. "What are you doing up here?" he asked. "Rough day on the job?"

I rubbed my forehead remembering the knot I'd acquired earlier. "Something like that," I replied trying to avoid a flat-out lie. He came and sat next to me on the bed.

"Want to talk about it?" I shook my head and fell back into the crumpled comforter. My thoughts were still fuzzy from the nap. Unfortunately, it hadn't been successful in helping me resolve any of my problems.

"How was your day?" I asked in an effort to take the focus off me.

"Not bad," he replied. "Tied up a few loose ends on the case I've been knee-deep in for the last month. Paperwork should be a bit lighter for a while. At least until the next crazy does something stupid in this town." We both smirked. You could throw a rock in Trenton and hit any number of weirdos who probably had a chip on their shoulder and a gun in their pocket. They always kept the Trenton PD up to their ears in excitement.

"If you want, I can start dinner," he said. "Or if you're feeling impatient, I can order something in. Anything sound good?" It was a good thing Morelli could hold his own in the kitchen. The last time I tried to make dinner, I nearly burned the house down.

I was still contemplating food options when Morelli started nuzzling my neck. His hand slid under my shirt and his lips brushed my ear sending shivers to the very tips of my fingers and toes, not to mention other fun places.

"Or we could just skip straight to dessert," he whispered. I turned to look at him. His eyes were liquid pools of chocolate growing darker by the minute, and as usual they were totally hypnotizing me to the point of doing whatever he wanted. They were the very same eyes that sweet talked me out of my underpants behind the counter of the Tasty Pastry back in high school. It was a good thing I no longer held a grudge about that.

An hour later, we were finally eating dinner, and I furiously devoured three slices of pizza. The day had been exhausting. Morelli was watching me in amazement.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked putting his hand on my forehead. "You only eat like that when something's bothering you."

I sighed. "I missed lunch today." He raised an eyebrow. "Honest," I protested with my hands raised. "Well, that and…" I stopped.

"And what?"

"It's been over two months." His eyes grew big.

"You're pregnant?" he sputtered. I nearly choked on a bite of pizza.

"What? No! It's been over two months since I've slept back at my apartment. I think I've officially moved in here." Morelli smiled.

"And that's a bad thing?" he laughed.

I shrugged. "I guess not. It's just a little weird. I hadn't really noticed until today."

"I have to admit, the lack of fighting between us is a little uncharacteristic, but I'm ok with it if you are. In fact, we should probably take advantage of the situation and just get married already. What do you think?" I got a sudden wave of indigestion and a hint of nausea. Not a very good sign. But then again, it could have been the pizza.

"I'll think about it if you will," I said. And there it was; one of my problems was solved…sort of. One down, two to go.