It was four o'clock Friday afternoon, and I was wearing a plum-colored cocktail dress that fell to about two inches above my knees. It had one strap over my right shoulder and an empire waist with a silver band of fabric dividing the bust from the rest of the dress. I'd bought a pair of silver strappy heels and a silver clutch to match. I thought I looked pretty good, though I debated about whether to put my hair up or leave my hair down. I ultimately decided to wear it pinned up, with a few curls left loose for effect. I hoped that I wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb next to a delectable Ranger.

My make-up was more than natural, but less than tramp, and I wore simple cubic zirconium earrings. I was assessing my look in the full length mirror on my bedroom wall for the umpteenth time when Ranger walked in. He looked like he had been ripped from an Armani catalog with his black blazer, black shirt and black pants. Concern for messing up the look I'd just spent two hours on was the only thing that kept me from tearing his clothes off. I was slightly frustrated because once I looked at Ranger, and then checked out my own reflection again, I felt subpar.

"Can't you ever look just averagely attractive?" I asked him.

Ranger looked down at his clothes and did a palms-up. "What?"

I waved a dismissive hand. "I've been trying to make the difference between us as minimal as possible. But it looks like I didn't make much of an impact."

Ranger stared at me for a moment. "I think you've been having part of this conversation in your head without me."

I gave up a sigh. "Haven't you ever seen couples where one of the partners is ridiculously good-looking and the other is either just plain or plain ugly, and you think 'how did they end up together'?"

Ranger looked at me as if I'd just asked him to recite the Pledge of Allegiance backwards in Swahili.

"I guess, but I'm still not sure I'm in on this conversation," he replied slowly.

I rolled my eyes. "You're the ridiculously good-looking partner, and I'm the plain one that people look at and think 'Good God, how did she end up with him?'."

Ranger put his hands on his hips and stared at me for a full minute. "I've never known you to be insecure about your body."

I shrugged as I turned to check my hair again in the mirror. "I'm not usually. It may just be nerves about meeting your family. I don't want them to think you could do better, even though you could."

I had the feeling I sounded like a raving lunatic and wondered if Ranger wouldn't decide to go to Newark alone this weekend.

Ranger walked up behind me, put his arms around my waist and met my eyes in the mirror's reflection. "Steph, I think you're incredibly sexy, and I'm not alone in holding that opinion. Don't worry about what other people think and try to focus on enjoying our weekend." He kissed me just below my ear and pulled back. "We need to leave in ten minutes. Is your bag packed?"

I nodded to my black duffle bag by the door. "Where will we be staying?"

Ranger picked up my bag. "I have an apartment in Newark. I know my parents would prefer us to stay at their house, but they're more conservative and would make us sleep in separate rooms."

I chuckled. "That would certainly be a tragedy."

"It would be, especially after having to see you in that dress all evening. I'm going to have to work hard to not let my mind wander too much this evening in front of my family or I could really cause a scene."

I smacked him on the arm as I walked past him out of the room. "How many safe houses do you have? I know you have one in North Trenton, but didn't know you had one in Newark."

I walked down the stairs ahead of Ranger, careful not to trip and fall in my tall heels.

"It's not a safe house," Ranger said as we reached the bottom step. "I guess it's what you tend to call 'the Batcave'."

I came to a sudden stop at the base of the stairs, causing Ranger to bump into me, but he put an arm around my waist to keep me from falling over.

"What?" Ranger asked, walking around me towards the door. "Did you forget something?"

I had been frozen in shock since his pronouncement that we'd be staying at the Batcave. I had wondered about this illusive place for four years, but had no idea where it was. I hadn't thought about it being in Newark before, but it made sense.

"I just can't believe I'm going to see the place you consider your home," I told him, grabbing my house keys of the sideboard.

"You're one of very few people in my life to get to know me that well. And you'll get to know me better than anyone, if you keep me around."

I gave a fake, nonchalant shrug. "We'll see."

My leg bounced nervously as the Turbo sped north on Route 1. We were having dinner at Esmeralda, an upscale restaurant in downtown Newark that was owned and operated by Ranger's brother Emilio and sister-in-law Lucy. I was glad I'd chosen a nice dress to wear, as I'd looked up Esmeralda on UrbanSpoon and found that it was liked by ninety-seven percent of reviewers and came with a $$$$ tag, which indicated it was considered 'fine dining'.

"Do all of your sisters still live in Newark?" I asked, trying to take my mind off my nerves.

"Sofia and Celia do, but Silvia lives in Brooklyn and Aurelia is in Manhattan," he told me, his demeanor calm as a truck likely doing thirty miles over the speed limit honked and gave us the finger. I took a peak at Ranger's speedometer. It read that he was fifteen over the limit, which was typical for Jersey.

Now I knew all of his siblings' names, which was a start, but I was hoping to have a little more background before we got there.

"Who's the oldest? Where do you fall in the line?" I asked as I tried to repress my bouncing knee by crossing my legs. The result was a jiggling foot.

Ranger put his hand on my leg. "They're going to love you, Steph, don't worry about it. As for the birth order, Celia is the oldest, Emilio and Sofia are twins, Aurelia, Silvia and me."

"Wow, really? You're the youngest? I always pictured you as the oldest, given how strong and protective you are."

Ranger snorted. "I put up with shit from my older siblings and got my ass kicked by neighborhood kids. That's how I learned to fight and defend myself."

It was hard to imagine a little Ranger being teased and beaten up by other kids, particularly given how attractive and fit he was as an adult. I squeezed the hand that rested on my leg as we merged onto the Turnpike headed towards Newark. Ranger responded by moving his hand up my thigh, making my dress ride up.

"Hey buddy, you're driving," I told him, giving his hand a light smack.

Ranger smiled. "Babe, I can drive a car and make you happy at the same time."

I moved his hand back down my leg. "Another time. I'd rather not be flustered going into dinner with your family. Speaking of your family, who else will be there tonight?"

"All of my siblings and their spouses, my Grandma Rosa, who lives with my parents, and my Grandma Bella from Miami. I believe the kids are staying with babysitters tonight."

"You have a Grandma Bella?!"

"Yes, but she's nothing like Bella Morelli."

"Just the name gives me the chills," I told Ranger, fighting the urge to make the sign of the cross.

Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up outside of a ten-story building. As soon as we stopped, a man in a black suit came out to the car. He opened my door and I stepped out of the Turbo. The man handed Ranger a valet ticket, got in the Turbo and drove away. I imagined he'd take the longest way possible to the parking garage, just to enjoy his time in the expensive sports car. Ranger took my hand guided me to a set of double doors. He opened the door and I walked inside to a two-story lobby with black marble floors and cream-colored walls. There was an elevator to the right and a large marble staircase to the left that led to a walkway across the second floor. In front of us was a set of French doors with the name Esmeralda etched in dark red across the glass above the door frame.

"We're in the upstairs banquet room," Ranger said. We took the stairs up to the walkway and to another set of French doors. He opened the door and I walked through it with Ranger close behind me. A large round table was set up in the middle of the floor. It looked to be mahogany, but was covered in a dark red tablecloth and surrounded by chairs of the same style. Two older women were sitting at the table speaking animatedly while they sipped red wine. A group of men stood around the bar in the corner, laughing and holding drinks. A red-headed woman wearing a loose-fitting black dress was giving instructions to two waiters, who were taking hasty notes on pads.

"Oh Carlos, you're here!"

I turned to see a woman in her early-sixties walking quickly our way. She looked to be about three or four inches shorter than me, with dark hair cut in a short bob. She wore a blue wrap dress that came to her knees and matching heels. When she smiled, it was the same mega-watt smile as Ranger's.

"Hola," Ranger said, kissing his mother on the cheek as she hugged him. When his mother released him, she turned to me.

"Mom, this Stephanie Plum. Steph, this is my mother, Lola Manoso."

I smiled, putting up my best Burg manners. "Hello, Mrs. Manoso. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She pulled me into a surprising hug. I patted her awkwardly on the back, looking over at Ranger, who gave me a small grin.

"Please, call me Lola. Mrs. Manoso makes me feel old," Lola said, pulling back from me. She held me at arm's length and appraised me for a minute. "You are absolutely beautiful, Stephanie."

I was taken aback by Lola Manoso's lavish praise, but before I could respond, I was approached by more women. The first was Celia, who was my height and had blonde highlights in her brown hair. She also hugged me, told me I was beautiful and instructed Ranger not to let me go. By the time their sister Sofia did the same thing, I was beginning to think it was a Cuban custom.

Javier Manoso had greeted me warmly with a smile and handshake. He had the same intelligent eyes and dimples as Ranger. He was still a very handsome man in his sixties, so I imagined he looked a lot like Ranger when he was younger. It was no wonder they had six kids.

Aurelia was more restrained, merely shaking my hand and giving me a small ''hello''. Ranger's brother, Emilio, gave me a big hug, lifting me slightly off the ground. Once he put me down, the red-head I saw earlier smacked him on the back of the head.

"Honestly, Emilio. You'll have to forgive my husband, Stephanie, he has no impulse control. I'm Lucy, and I'm so thankful to see another non-Cuban," she told me, grinning behind her at her family-in-law.

"Ouch, that wounds us," Emilio said, putting a hand over his heart.

"John's not Cuban," Aurelia offered, at which Lucy rolled her eyes.

"John also spends any time he's around us glued to his cell phone. I've had better conversations with Grandma Rosa, and she doesn't speak English," Lucy muttered so only I could hear her.

Ranger came to my side at last, putting his hand on my back. "Feeling better about yourself?" he whispered in my ear.

I nodded and smiled. "They certainly know how to make a girl feel special."

"Where's Silvia?" Ranger asked, looking around the room. "I thought this was a mandatory event."

Celia cleared her throat, catching Ranger's eye with a significant look.

"I'm not sure," Lola said, checking her watch. "Maybe we need to call her."

"I'll check on her, Mom," Celia offered. "Why don't you go sit down?"

Lola, Aurelia, Lucy and Sofia went to the table, and Emilio had wandered off to talk to the men by the bar, leaving Ranger and me standing with Celia.

"What's going on?" Ranger asked Celia in a quiet voice.

Celia looked around to make sure none of the family was around.

"Silvia called me earlier to tell me she didn't know if she would make it. She and Michael had a huge fight last night and they were trying to work things out, though she didn't want to tell me why. I finally got it out of her that she's been having an affair and he found out about it. I don't want to tell Mom and Dad about it this weekend because I don't want to upset them, but I'm afraid they'll either try to go see her or call her if I don't come up with a good enough excuse," Celia finished.

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "I can't say I'm surprised Silvia had an affair."

Celia's eyes widened. "Me neither, but you know how she has the wool pulled over on Mom and Dad. I doubt the 'good girl' will be able to keep this a secret. But come on, help me make up an excuse. You're an excellent liar."

Ranger snorted. "It's a good skill to have. I think you need to confirm with Silvia that she definitely won't be coming tonight first. We don't want to make up an excuse and then have her show up. If she won't be here, then she needs to know the story as we're telling it until the truth comes out or gets swept under the rug. We could go with a migraine, say Michael is there to take care of her, and that she hopes to be over it by the party tomorrow."

Celia thought about it for a moment. "Sounds good. I'll go make the call now."

I stood with Ranger after Celia left. "Wow. I've been around ten minutes, and I'm already in on the family gossip. I feel honored."

"Yeah, you should, especially when it's about Silvia. Our parents think she's our version of Valerie when she's actually more like Joyce Barnhardt."

Ranger guided me over to the table and pulled out a chair next to one of the older women. "Steph, this is my Grandma Bella. Abuela, this is my girlfriend, Stephanie."

Grandma Bella smiled sweetly at me. "Hello, Stephanie. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," I replied, taking my seat. Ranger made an introduction in Spanish to the other older woman, his Grandma Rosa, who smiled and waved. I returned the smile and wave.

The dinner table conversation flowed naturally, with everyone carrying on more than one conversation at a time. Celia had come back to the room to announce that Silvia wouldn't be making it due to a migraine, and within minutes of this announcement dinner began being served. I noticed Ranger was more relaxed around his family, smiling and talking more often than usual. I was peppered with questions about how Ranger and I met, why it took us four years to end up together, and if we had plans to get married. Ranger had handled the last question, luckily, the way I had with my own family. I didn't figure his family ever referred to him as Ranger, so anytime I said his name, I called him Carlos, though I tended to stumble through it the first couple of times. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch each time.

By the end of the evening, I had learned more about Ranger's family from observing and participating in different conversations. I found out Lola worked as a nurse and Javier was a contractor who owned his own business. Celia taught third grade, and her husband Andres worked with Javier. They had two children. Sofia was a stay-at-home-mom to four kids while her husband Tony practiced family law. Aurelia worked as an accountant at a large bank in Manhattan while her husband John, a tall blonde man around fifty, who indeed did not look up from his cell phone, worked on Wall Street. Silvia, I was told, worked as an interior designer and likely had a migraine from exposure to fabric glue and her husband Michael was a doctor. Emilio and Lucy owned the restaurant, but hadn't managed to have any children after three miscarriages.

"You were also the one that helped get Julie back when she was kidnapped," Celia mentioned as a flan was being brought out for dessert.

I took a sip of water, having had one glass of wine already and not trusting myself to have another. "Well, I made myself an easy target to get kidnapped by the same person, but other than that, I'm not sure I was much help. I was more terrified during the situation than I think Julie was. Carlos was the one who tracked down the guy, got in his head, and then got shot so that Julie and I could be saved."

Ranger put his hand on my leg and squeezed. "Stephanie doesn't realize the impact she made in Julie's rescue. She has this uncanny ability to get people to open up to her, which led us to finding out the guy's real name and ultimately tracking him down. I believe that if Steph hadn't been involved, I wouldn't have been able to find the guy in time before he lost interest and killed Julie."

My mouth fell open at this statement. I couldn't believe he was giving me so much credit for saving Julie. In reality, my kidnapping was inevitable because Scrog had wanted me. It wasn't like I'd pulled some Mission: Impossible-style break in to where Julie was being held.

I put my hand on top of Ranger's and squeezed, not quite sure how to respond. Celia, ever the leader, stood and faced her parents.

"Before we start dessert, I thought we should recognize Mom and Dad for the forty years they've been married, working hard to create a life for their children and staying in love the entire time. I can only hope that Andres and I have the same amount of time together and experience even half as much happiness. I honestly can't imagine your lives when the six of us were growing up. We all managed to get into some sort of trouble at some point, except for Silvia, yet you loved us and you supported us in whatever way we needed you to in order to get through it. We all came out on the other side better for the experience, and now you have six children, five children-in-law and seven grandchildren who are here because of your love and sacrifice. We tried to figure out what we could give you to show you how much we appreciate you and we realized nothing can come close to thanking you. We have, however, decided you deserve the honeymoon you never had, so you will be spending ten days in Hawaii at a luxurious resort where you will be taken care of in every way possible. We love you."

Everyone raised their glasses towards Lola and Javier, who looked stunned at the gift their children had just given them. Lola wiped tears from her eyes as she looked affectionately at her family. As I watched Lola and Javier, I wondered if that would be Ranger and me in the future. I could imagine him in his sixties when I looked at his father, though when I thought of myself in my sixties, I could only picture a taller and younger version of Grandma Mazur.

Once Celia sat down, Emilio stood up. "I have to say that Celia made a mistake in her speech. She said there are seven grandchildren, when there are actually nine, but the youngest two won't be making an appearance for another five months."

A collective gasp ran around the table as Lucy smiled brightly. "We have not only made it through a first trimester, but we've made it almost halfway through the second trimester with two babies, no complications and I've managed to keep it a secret until now. Now that's an anniversary present," she quipped, making everyone laugh.

Lola jumped up and ran around the table to hug her daughter-in-law and put a hand on her abdomen, which was now obviously rounded when the dress was pressed against it. The grandmothers were crying and speaking excitedly in rapid Spanish. I looked over at Ranger.

"This is the first time I'm meeting your family, and I've managed to get in on a family secret and a major announcement. Have all of the girls you've brought home been privy to such special treatment?" I asked, lacing my fingers in his.

Ranger smiled and brought my hand up to his lips. "Babe, the only other woman I've ever brought to meet my family was Rachel, and that wasn't a normal situation."

I smiled at him. "You are full of surprises. I suspected you hadn't brought many women home, but to be the first girlfriend you've brought home makes me feel pretty important."

I hadn't realized that we'd gotten lost in our own conversation and each other, because I suddenly became aware that it was silent in the banquet room and everyone was staring at us.

"Did we miss something?" Ranger asked, apparently as confused as I was.

Lola had walked around the table from where Lucy was sitting and came over to Ranger, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"No, Carlos. We were just admiring you and Stephanie, and how obviously in love you are with each other. I've always wanted you to find the happiness your father and I have had, and I think you have," she told him, kissing him on the top of the head.

I tried not to blush and Ranger patted his mother's hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Mom."

Conversation resumed around the table as people began enjoying their flan. Lucy and Celia had disappeared at some point, and Andres and Tony had gone back to the bar to get fresh drinks. I excused myself from the table and went in search of the restroom, which Ranger told me was down the hall. I found the ladies' room and walked into the lounge area, where a large mirror with lights and chairs was set up for refreshing make-up and hair. There was another door, which led to the restroom. I could hear voices coming from the room and realized as I was retouching my lipstick that it was Lucy and Celia.

"I don't think I've ever seen Carlos look so happy," Celia was saying. "Earlier when he kissed her hand and smiled at her, I nearly started crying. It was about the sweetest thing I've ever seen out of my little brother."

"Oh I know. These pregnancy hormones are making me emotional, and I wanted to start crying as soon as they walked in and I saw how he was watching her. He is so in love with her," Lucy replied as I heard water start running in a sink. "I hope they get married. She's different from him, and it brings out the best in him. Not to mention, I think she'd be a great addition to the family."

Celia laughed. "You also like that she's another non-Cuban. Too bad she isn't a red-head, or I think you'd be holding Carlos at gun-point to marry her."

Both women laughed, and I gave it a minute before walking into the restroom, not wanting them to know I'd been listening.

"Hey, we were just talking about you," Celia said when she saw me. "We are amazed at how sweet my brother is with you. Is he always like this?"

I thought about how Ranger had been with me around his family, and found I was surprised that it had been no different than he normally was around me, with the exception of keeping the oozing sexuality under wraps. "Yeah, I guess he is. I'm so used to it, I don't think about how it appears to other people."

Celia looked surprised. "I thought you guys had only been together about a month?"

I nodded as I started washing my hands. "Yes, but he's been this way with me for a long time. We always seemed to be somewhere between friends and boyfriend/girlfriend, but we never got to the dating part until recently."

Lucy caught my eye in the mirror and grinned. "Really? So you'd had a taste of the goods before you started dating then?"

Celia covered her ears. "Hey, that's my baby brother. I don't want to know."

I shook my head. "And I don't want to talk about it either, so we're good."

Lucy sighed. "You two are no fun."

The three of us walked out of the restroom together and headed back to the banquet room. We ran into Aurelia and John leaving. John was talking in what sounded like Chinese, and Aurelia was texting on her phone behind him as they walked. Neither of them bid us goodbye, or even acknowledged our presence. Lucy, Celia and I stared after them for a minute.

"I wonder if they ever talk to each other," Lucy said. "I think in the entire time I've been married to Emilio, I've seen them say five words to each other. They never smile, hold hands or appear remotely affectionate. I don't get it."

"I bet it's because he isn't Latino. Latinos are full of love and passion. He's Polish, I think," Celia said, peeking over the railing at her brother-in-law.

"Are the Polish not good lovers?" I asked, having no experience with one myself.

"My one experience was far from spectacular, but that may not be indicative of the culture as a whole. I just know I've had much more fun with my Puerto Rican for the past fifteen years," Celia said with a wink.

We walked back into the banquet room and found the rest of the family preparing to leave. Ranger was giving his each of his grandmothers a hug and kiss on the cheek when I walked over to him.

"You must bring Stephanie down to Miami sometime, Carlos," Bella said. "I want to get to know her better. She's clearly very special."

Ranger put an arm around my waist. "She is, Abuela."

I said goodbye to Lola and Javier, promising to see them at the party the next day. I told Celia and Lucy we were leaving for the night.

"Are you guys staying with Mom and Dad?" Celia asked Ranger.

"No, we'll be at my apartment," he replied.

Lucy winked at me. "Have a good night."

Ranger looked from Lucy to me, but I shook my head. He wouldn't be interested in the knowledge that his sister-in-law wants to know what he was like in bed.

We all walked down the stairs together, giving over our car tickets to the valets that were standing around the lobby. Ranger held my hand and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. He had a look in his eyes that told me we'd be barely in the door of his apartment before I was being peeled out of my dress. I noticed Celia watching us, so I leaned over to whisper in Ranger's ear.

"You need to get that look off your face. Your sister is watching, and I don't think she wants to know how badly you want to get me in bed."

Ranger moved his head so his mouth was next to my ear. "Babe, we're Cubans. We always want to get our women in bed. Besides, I was thinking about the drive up, when I said I could drive and make you happy at the same time. I'll have to give you a demonstration on the ride to my place."

I tried to keep the blush off my face at the thought as Ranger kissed me just below my ear.

"Who had the Turbo?" asked one of the valets.

Ranger pulled me towards the door, giving a wave to the rest of the family still waiting in the lobby. We got in the car, and Ranger pulled away from the curb. I was nearly squirming with the idea of getting diddled in the Turbo, which seemed more exciting than the time Ranger and I had sex in it.

At least my ass won't be on the horn, I thought as Ranger drove with his left hand and began running his right hand up the inside of my thigh.