A Burg Girl

by WannaBeBabe

Ever wonder how Stephanie Plum became the woman we know? This is the story that follows Stephanie Plum's raging hormones, friendships, and the loves that changed her life before the books...and after. **Warnings for smut, language, and adult situations, note this is for adults only, not a teen romance**

21. The Church--Part 4

Continued…same day, same place

I looked out the window of the bride's room and smiled. It was a beautiful day for March. I was glad we had an early spring this year, it was a good sign for new beginnings and all that. That's what this was for all of us. A new beginning. A new family. A new life.

My friend Bitsy came over to the window and looked outside with me. She looked so beautiful in the pale blue satin bridesmaid dress she was wearing. It stood out again her dark skin and silky, long black hair. After all these years she still looked like she could be a model. The strapless gown hugged her perfect chest and followed a fitted line down her trim body, all the way to the floor. I felt kind of frumpy next to her, but what was I going to do? I was four months pregnant and I had to get my dress made to accommodate the little one.

"Anthony grabbed my bottom," she told me.

I looked up at her and smiled. She was standing up with Anthony Morelli. He was a married man, but it never stopped him from looking or apparently touching a beautiful woman. "Just threaten to tell his wife, no his Grandma Bella," I told her.

"The witch? Lester told me about her." I rolled my eyes. Lester was sure she really could cast spells after she gave him the eye six months ago. He ended up meeting a girl he really liked and wanted to date, exclusively. He blamed Bella Morelli for it.

"I should go check on everything," I said looking up at the clock. It was only twenty minutes until the ceremony was scheduled to start.

"He'll be fine," she said patting my back in a comforting way. I nodded back to her. I knew he would be fine, but I'd still like to put my eyes on him to be sure.

I slipped across the back of the church toward the front doors and the groom's waiting area. Mary Lou and Valerie were talking quietly and both smiled as I approached. "You look beautiful," Val told me. I was sure she was just humoring me, but I thanked her anyway. She quickly excused herself to go check on the girls. I wondered if I'd be able to use my kids to get me out of things like conversations someday. In Val's case she was probably reporting to my mother or Angie Morelli that I was hanging out in the vestibule. She always did like getting me in trouble.

Once she was gone I asked Mary Lou how I really looked. She smiled at me and adjusted the one wide strap that attached to the dress on my left shoulder, letting the fluttery net fabric flutter over my skin. The bodice of the dress was a simple sweetheart neckline with the soft net fabric ruched in a diagonal pattern over the satin. A wide band synched around me just under my breasts giving me a false high waist line and allowing the dress to fall loosely to the ground where it floated around my feet in the front and pooled into a small train in back. It was pretty and elegant, but it wasn't sexy or hot like I had originally wanted.

Mary Lou reached out and fixed a few of my curls. It was all softly curled and pulled back on the left side with a large clip containing flowers and feathers that matched the dress so it looked like it spilled over my right shoulder in a fall of curls. Mr. Alexander spent almost two hours taming it, but that wasn't necessarily his fault. I had certainly rolled into the salon with a fresh fucked look, and on me that usually meant my hair was crazy.

Mary Lou stepped back and smiled. "You look beautiful in that dress."

"You're not just saying that? I don't look like a whale?" I asked.

She looked at my stomach a laughed. "That is the cutest little bitty baby bump I've ever seen."

"You look stunning, Steph," Eddie said walking over to join us. I couldn't help but smile at him. The three of us together again. Together in this same spot. I shook my head as I thought about all that had happened in this church over the years.

"I can't believe we're back here again." I looked out at the church full of half The Burg and frowned. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

We all stopped talking as Angie Morelli walked toward me. I saw the scowl on her face. She clearly disapproved of me being out here with my friends, but I didn't give a shit what she thought anymore. She didn't say anything either as she handed me a big, hand tied bouquet of white lilies. Then she settled a look on me that gave me her final seal of disapproval. I don't even know why she was so mad at me. Yeesh. Joe's the one that asked, all I did was agree to do it, but she never could be mad at her Joey. So I pressed my lips together and raise an eyebrow at her, it was my best RangeMan disapproving-look imitation.

Eddie started laughing as she walked away in a huff. At least she wasn't giving me the eye like Bella did every time she saw me. I wonder if she'll stop now that we'll be family, by marriage. "It's a little unorthodox, but you never did stick to the rules," Eddie agreed looking out at the church too. I laughed at the understatement.

"True." I suddenly felt nervous. I wondered how Joe was feeling. "I hope Joe doesn't try to jump out a window. I should go check on him."

"He'll be fine. You know he wouldn't be here if he planned to run," Eddie told me like it was already a done deal.

I just didn't know. He had seemed really nervous this morning. I didn't think he'd run, but he was unpredictable when he was overwhelmed. That's why I needed to check on him and make sure he was alright. It would probably officially start World War III if he ran. "God, Ric would probably kill him if he did, after all the three of us have been through. I'd just hate to see them go back to fighting."

Eddie and Mary Lou both nodded back. "How's Ranger actually doing with this?" Eddie asked as he looked over at him.

I looked over at Ric. He was standing at the window, just looking outside like he was thinking. I understood that. We'd gone through a lot together over the last year and a half. I knew he was having problems dealing with the marriage, but he'd get used to it and probably come around to actually liking Joe, eventually. "He's fine. We talked about it this morning and I made him promise to not shoot anyone. I think he's just more pissed off about Joe winning than anything." I hoped I didn't blush too much when I thought about our talk this morning. It had ended rather, naked, but one thing I had learned about Ric was the best way to help him work out his aggression was in bed, or on the floor, or in the shower.

"So I don't need my Taser?" Eddie asked. I laughed then, if he only knew I was actually carrying pepper spray for the occasion, with Joe and Ric I never knew if things were going to get out of control.

"No, we're all good. I promise. You should go sit down before Shirley thinks you ran off with me," I teased. It had become a joke, after all these years. I didn't know how many times I thought about how I should have run away with Eddie, not just from my wedding to Dickie, but from my feelings for Joe or my feelings for Ric. He was right when he told me that I didn't love him that way, not that I didn't love him, but he was right, loving someone that way was a one of a kind thing and well worth waiting for.

I watched Eddie walk away before looking back at my husband. His eyes caught mine from across the room. He probably knew I was thinking about him. It was always that way with us, always had been I guess. I smiled and pointed at the groom's room. I needed to check on Joe. I knew Ric wouldn't like it, he never did when we were alone, but he trusted me, even when it concerned Joe. I pressed my finger to my lips to warn him not to tell Angie Morelli where I'd gone.

I was forbidden from being alone with Joe before the wedding. Bella had some sort of weird vision that she swore meant if we were alone together Joe's baby would be illegitimate. I wasn't sure how I could affect Joe's baby one way or another. It certainly wasn't like he could knock me up, Ric took care of that about two months after our own wedding.

I knocked on the door and yelled, "It's just me, don't shoot." I liked to tease him about shooting me last year, plus it annoyed him. I stuck my head in and saw Joe pacing the room. He looked like he was going to be sick.

I smiled at him. I knew what would cheer him up. I grabbed the chair and pulled it over to the door and wedged it under the knob. Then I turned to him and gave him my best sultry look. "Cupcake, what are you doing?"

"Taking your mind off the church," I answered as I walked toward him.

"Manoso know you're in here?" he grinned. I nodded yes and he laughed. "Good." He lifted me and sat me on the back of one of the leather club chairs. I laughed as I remembered him doing the same thing in the bride's room before I married Dickie. "You look like Cinderella in that dress. It brings out your eyes."

I smiled back at him. While the bridesmaid's all had the light, icy blue my gown was a dark, inky sapphire color. It was hard to decide what to wear, not a lot of best men need a gown. "Thank you. You look very handsome in that tux. This cut manages to not make you look like an extra on The Sopranos."

He laughed then and grabbed my dress, pulling it up above my knees. "Don't you dare wrinkle my dress, Joe."

"Come on, I've been looking up your dress since I was eight. It's tradition. Besides I want to know what you have under here." He grabbed my foot and grinned. "No glass slippers. I'm kind of disappointed." I wasn't, I was wearing black Jimmy Choo FMP's that made my calves look delicious. In fact, I planned to wear nothing else when I finally get my husband home tonight.

"God," he moaned. I guess I must have shared that out loud.

I winked at him and put my hands on his shoulders. "Now help me off this chair, will you?"

He closed the distance between us and hugged me against him. "I always dreamed that I'd be here with you someday," he told me.

"And you are," I whispered back. I had always thought we would too. He was my first love and lover in the physical sense, but I'd realized that emotionally those titles had always belonged to Ric. We both knew we'd always love one another, but as the best friends we had become since the shooting. "I'm so glad that you asked me again."

"I'm glad that it only took three times for you to say yes," he grinned. Then he pressed his lips to my forehead and kissed me gently before he lifted me back to the floor. "So what did you really come in here for?"

I held a finger up and walked over to where I'd left my bag earlier. I pulled out my iPhone and started some music. I figured the song wouldn't be lost on him, Journey's Open Arms. He smiled at me and pulled me close, rocking us back and forth to the music. "I never pegged you for the sentimental type, Steph," he said with laughter in his voice.

"Mm, well, even though I hated you the night of that cotillion I probably loved you already then. I'd never forget the first song we danced to," I told him.

"That was also the first time we…" he started before I clamped my hand over his mouth.

"Don't ruin a nice moment," I warned him.

He laughed. "I'll behave myself." I laid my head on his shoulder and smiled as we continued to dance.

I woke in the hospital bed for the second time. I squinted my eyes looking around for Ranger, but he wasn't there. I heard movement to my left side so I turned my head and saw Joe standing next to me. He picked up a glass with a straw and held it to my lips so I could slowly take a drink.

"Hey Cupcake. I've never been so happy to see those pretty eyes of yours," he told me with a little smile. I nodded back to him. I wasn't sure what was happening or how much of my memories were real at that point. "I shot you, accidently."

I blinked at him as the memories of the fight with Ranger and Joe coming in with gun drawn flashed through my mind. I looked at him more closely. He was wearing a blue tee shirt and had his right arm in a sling. "You were shot?" I asked in a raspy voice, my throat was really sore.

"He got me in the shoulder," he said. "I'm fine. I guess it's a good thing he doesn't aim to kill, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. I knew Joe was convinced Ranger was some crazy, madman running around hiding all the bodies he's killed, but he should have figured out by now he wasn't. "Is Ranger alright?"

"Yeah, not a scratch on him," Joe grumbled. "You jumped on him. Took the bullet in your back."

I closed my eyes as I remembered. "Were you aiming to kill?"

"If my gun arm hadn't been hit my bullet wouldn't have gone that low," he answered. I nodded back. He was trained to shoot to kill if he was fired upon. "I could have killed you."

"But you didn't."

He shoved his left hand through his hair like I'd frustrated him again. "Why did you jump in the way?"

I stared at him for a moment before answering. "Instinct, probably, but I'd do it again."

"Christ, Steph," he grumbled. "Don't ever get in the way of a bullet again."

"Don't shoot at Ranger anymore."

"He shot at me first," he bitched.

"You came in with your gun drawn," I yelled back. "You know with his job it was just an instinct."

"Just like yours to save him?"

"Something like that," I agreed.

"Fuck," he grumbled. "You're really in love with him, aren't you?"

I closed my eyes again. "We first met when we were thirteen. He was the first boy I ever kissed," I told him. "We met again when we were nineteen. He was the first man to ever make love to me." Joe pushed his chair back and started to pace the room. "Then we met again two years ago."

"And you fell in love with him," Joe answered. "I don't like him."

I laughed. "I know."

"I wish you loved anyone but him."

"I know," I answered again.

"So I'm going to have to go down to the station and get him, right?"

"The station?"

"Questioning. I'll have to go too. We got you shot," he reminded me.

"I didn't forget. You'll have to promise to never shoot at one another again," I told him.

"We'll see," he said with a big grin. "Question, the bruises, he didn't hurt you did he?"

I glanced at my wrist. There were finger shaped marks from where he had held down my arms last night. I felt my face starting to heat up. "No, he didn't hurt me. We, uh, just got a little rough," I muttered. Joe made a face like he was going to yell, but then just sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We called it quits before I went undercover," he grumbled. "I wasn't exactly celibate either." This time I made a face back at him. "That's going to take some getting used to, won't it?" he asked.

"Definitely," I agreed. He smiled and leaned down to kiss my hair before he got up to walk toward the door. "Joe?" He turned to look back at me. "I always loved you. Since we were little kids, I always loved you."

"Me too," he agreed. "You'll always be my Cupcake."

I chucked at that. "So we're alright? Friends?"

"Yeah. Friends. Always," he agreed before walking out of the hospital room.

As the song ended I stepped back from him. "You're going to be alright? This is really what you want?"

"Yeah. This is exactly what I want. We'll be happy together. I promise," he told me with a smile. "As long as I live through the news of the baby. Did you remind Ranger that we agreed not to shoot at each other?"

"He won't shoot you. I don't even know how it's still a secret. She's starting to show you know?" He shrugged then. "Anyway, it's almost show time. I should get out there or Ric will come in here looking for me."

"I wouldn't want that," he answered sarcastically.

"Oh stop, you'll practically be brothers soon," I grinned before running off toward the door.

He grabbed me just as I got the door open. Then he pulled me back and smacked a kiss on my forehead. "I hope he loves being an uncle as much as I love this baby," he told me.

"You'll be the best uncle in the world," I told him. "I love you, Joe."

"I love you too, Steph. Thanks for being my best woman today." I nodded before walking out of the room. He closed the door behind me. I knew he'd be alright. So I thought I should probably check in on the bride.

Before I got to the bride's room my new mother-in-law and step-daughter caught me. Maria crushed me in a tight hug. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" she asked.

"Good. The morning sickness has passed and I've been feeling her move a little," I said with a smile.

"Can I feel her move?" Julie asked fairly bouncing with excitement.

"I don't know. It's still pretty early, but she might like to kick her big sister," I told her. I took her little hand in mine and placed it over the baby bump.

I spent nine days in the hospital for observation, probably because they didn't believe I'd take it easy when I went home. It wasn't the first time I'd been in that hospital, they knew me. The surgery was pretty straight forward though, they were able to remove the bullet that was lodged in my hip bone and unable to exit. It did some damage though. They did have to remove part of my small intestine to repair it and they also removed my right ovary which had been damaged. So I was on a special diet until everything healed and the doctor told me I'd have a decreased chance of getting pregnant since I wouldn't be releasing as many eggs anymore. I tried not to think about what either of those things would mean when I got out of there, but I was faced with it soon enough.

Ric drove me home from the hospital. He'd been with me most of the time I'd been in the hospital, which hadn't been all that pretty. I'd had intestinal surgery, enough said. He didn't seem to mind, he never mentioned anything, he just stayed there, and kept me company.

When we got back to my apartment I saw he had already dropped off his stuff and looked to be staying, indefinitely. "Are you moving in with me?" I questioned.

"Just until you're feeling better or you kick me out," he said with a little grin.

I nodded back to him. We still hadn't really discussed the future of our relationship. It was more like we were both tiptoeing around figuring out how to make it work. "If I would have known we were going to live together I would have moved in with you. You have nicer sheets," I told him. "And Ella to cook."

"I can cook," he argued. "My sheets are better though."

I laughed at him before sitting down onto the couch. "You really cook?"

"Yeah, nothing fancy or anything, but pancakes, grilled cheese, frozen pizza, mac and cheese," he said listing a bunch of stuff that he would never eat. I know I made a face at him. "What I'm a single guy, Steph, what did you think I ate before Ella came along?"

"Salad," I muttered.

He laughed then. "I did, a lot, but my true gift is grilling. I can grill steak, burgers, chicken, fish, lobster, potatoes, vegetables, you name it."

"Where the hell do you grill?" I asked still stunned that he could cook at all.

"The Batcave. I have a beautiful grill on the patio." I looked up at him and frowned. Was he making fun of me now? I always assumed he had a real house somewhere, the real Batcave, but he'd never even give me a hint as to where it was.

"So you really have a house?"

"RangeMan has a lot of houses," he said avoiding my answer. I tossed a pillow at him then. "But I do have a house that doesn't belong to the company." He tossed the pillow back at me. "You want to see it?"

Was he kidding? "Yes." He stood and held his hand out then. "Now?"

"Now," he said. "Unless you've changed your mind." Now he was just confusing me again.

"About the seeing the house?"

"Babe, I told you once this place is forever and I meant it. If you come with me now there's no going back. I won't let you go again."

"Good," I answered before stepping against him and kissing his soft lips. His hands found my hair as he pulled me against his body and kissed me more deeply. "I'm not going anywhere, neither are you."

"No, I'm not going anywhere without you again," he agreed. "Grab some clothes. We'll stay for a couple nights."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but he wasn't giving anything else away. I went and packed an overnight bag and we headed back down to his Porsche. He dialed Lester and told him that he'd be offline for a few days, he was going to the house. That was it, not even a hint of where 'the house' was located.

An hour later we were driving into Point Pleasant and heading toward the shore. "You have a beach house?" I asked kind of surprised by the revelation.

"I have the beach house," he answered. I think at that point he stunned me again. A few minutes later we pulled up to the beach house that we had spent the night together in all those years ago.

"This is yours?"

He wrapped his hand around mine. "It went on the market five years ago so I bought it. I had imagined someday I'd be sitting on the deck and I'd see you on the beach and we'd fall in love all over again," he told me with a little laugh. "Until you walked back into my life, then I always imagined that someday I'd bring you here and it'd be our home, together."

I got out of the car and walked up to the front door. He punched the code into the keypad and turned the lock on the door. "The code is the date we met, zero eight two one eight six," he told me as he pushed the door open so I could walk inside.

He had warned me that to find the Batcave I'd have to work a little harder, but that wasn't exactly true. All I really would have had to do is remember him, this place, the day we met. He'd given me access to his life if only I'd opened my eyes and saw what was there waiting for me.

The house had been redecorated from the last time I'd been there, but structurally it was all the same. "Did Celia decorate here too?" I asked.

He nodded, "I wouldn't know what to do."

"Me either," I agreed.

He settled me in on the couch and ran the bags upstairs. When he came back down he sat next to me. "So how are we going to do this, Babe?"

I looked up at him surprised. He was business Ranger in that moment, ready to knock out a contract and make a deal. "I don't know."

"Sure you do. What do you want from me? What will it take for you to give me a chance?"

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch cushion. "I'm already giving you a chance or we wouldn't be here."

"Touché," he agreed. "But in the long term, Steph, what do you want?"

I shook my head then. "I want a future with you. I know you always told me that you weren't relationship material, but I can't be with you half way."

"So it's all or nothing?" he asked.

"I guess so. I can't be a booty call. I can't be in your bed waiting for you to toss me aside when you've had enough."

His hand closed around mine. "I'd never have enough of you. I doubt one lifetime would be enough," he said softly.

"Then I need you to be willing to commit to me. I don't mean marriage and babies. I might not even be able to have babies anymore, who knows, so if you want more kids I'm not sure I'm the right woman for you either," I said quickly. It'd been something weighing on my mind the last week, but I hadn't been able to bring it up.

"You're the only woman I want to be with. I have no problem committing myself to you. One thing I can promise you is fidelity," he answered. "Someday when we're ready we'll try to have children. If we're blessed with them so be it, if not we can always adopt a child." I nodded back to him. "What else Steph?"

"No more secrets, from either of us."

"Alright, what else?"

"No more walking away."

"From either of us," he added as he squeezed my hand. "What else?"

"Your family," I answered. "You need to repair things with them."

"I've been speaking with Mama," he said.

"And your father and Celia," I told him. "And Julie."

I felt him stiffen, his fingers tightening, but he didn't pull away. "I don't know how to do it."

"You go to them and tell them that you've made some mistakes, but you love them and you would like another chance to have them in your life. You allow them to know the man that you hide behind your Ranger walls," I told him. "You need to be Ric again."

He nodded then. "I'm scared to be Ric again."

"I know, but I'll be by your side and we'll do it together," I said trying to reassure him. "I also think you need to go to confession. Ask God's forgiveness. You've never done that have you?"

"No," he answered. "I've never done that."

"What do you need from me?"

"Honesty, fidelity, trust," he answered. "If we're going to do this you're going to need to agree to my safety steps, not fight me on them."

"Like the gun?"

"That's RangeMan policy. I'm talking about you being in my life. We both work with criminals, there's no telling who will target you because of me, even if you're not in the field," I knew he was right so I agreed. I doubted his stalkers could be worse than mine anyway. "You agree to not take off tracking devices, carry a panic button, take a bodyguard when needed, stay in a safe house when I tell you, and carry some type of weapon at all times, on your body, not your purse."

"Yeesh," I grumbled.

"I can't allow anyone to hurt you or threaten you because of me. This is a deal breaker for me," he said quite seriously. "It's one of the reasons I've stayed away from my family for so long. I can't lose you. I love you too much."

"Alright. I won't fight it anymore. I'll let you keep me safe," I said holding out my hand. He shook it with a little smile. "I'm ready to give you the rest too."

"You'll come with me to church?" I nodded back. "We'll go as soon as we get home."

"I love you, Ric," I told him. He leaned in and kissed my lips softly.

Just then the baby moved a little, it felt like little fluttering wings inside my stomach. "I felt her," Julie said giggling. "When she comes out can I call you mom too, so she's not confused?"

"If you want to I'd love that," I told her as I pulled her against me and hugged her. She was the most precious thing ever. She was like a little mini-Ranger, he didn't like to think she was anything like him, but she was. She was beautiful and smart and so strong. It didn't take me long to fall in love with her.

I remembered the first time I'd met Julie. Ric and I had flown down to Miami to check on her. There had been a stalker that decided he wanted to take over Ranger's life. He had plans to kidnap me and Julie, then kill Ric to make the identity theft complete. Luckily he came after me first. He grabbed me in the parking lot outside the mall, but before he got me into his van I was able to pepper spray him and hit my panic button, which Ric made me carry at all times. The guys responded and picked up the stalker within minutes. Afterward Ric needed to see with his own eyes that Julie was safe and the security team he had on her were the best fit. He needed to make sure she was safe, even though the stalker was going to be in jail for a long time.

I was glad Ric and Julie were as close as they were now, but he put a lot of work into getting back into her life. He spent a lot of time talking to his ex-wife and her husband until they agreed to allow him more than the occasional, supervised visit with his daughter. Rachel said she always hoped he'd get his life together enough to want to know Julie and was happy with the changes that he'd made to bring her into his life. For five months he'd been going down to Miami every two weeks to spend the weekend with her, but I had never gone before. I didn't like being away from him, but that was his time to build a relationship with his little girl and I didn't want to get in the way.

I remember being really nervous. If she didn't like me I didn't know what I'd do. She was his child and the most important person in his life, even if he'd only just realized that recently. It turned out I was worrying for nothing. Julie was ten when we met, but we both enjoyed shopping and shoes and ice cream. It was practically love at first sight for us.

After spending two days with her at the beachfront condo he had purchased for them to spend the weekends at, he drove her home. When he came back to the house he seemed very serious. "Stephanie, would you like to walk on the beach with me?" he asked.

I smiled at him, but he didn't smile back. I immediately thought maybe I had been wrong about Julie liking me. "Sure, is everything alright?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I just think we need to talk," he answered before he reached out for my hand. I let him lead me out onto the beach, but I was terrified at that point. We need to talk never ends well, that's the break up saying. I was trying to not to cry at that point, but he didn't seem to notice. He finally got to the shore, so the water was just washing up over our feet.

Then he stepped closer, moving behind me, pressing himself against my back while wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned into him as we stood there quietly looking out at the Atlantic. Just touching him like that put me in a state. I wasn't sure how his body still did this to me after all these years, but the tingles that went through me left me fairly certain that my panties were completely ruined and he hadn't done more than hug me.

"The first time I kissed you was on the beach, the first time we made love we walked in this ocean, so I thought this would be a perfect place to tell you that you amaze me. You've changed my life over the last six months," he whispered in my ear. I knew the tears were starting to spill down my cheeks at that point, but I didn't care. "You've given me my family back, my parents, my sisters, my daughter." Then he turned me to face him as he knelt down in the water and pulled a ring from his pocket. "But the only thing that will make my life complete is to make a family with you. Babe, will you marry me?"

I was full on bawling by that point, but I managed to wrap my arms around him and squeeze his face into my chest before saying, "Yes."

I fell to my knees kissing him deeply. He kissed me back as we knelt there in the surf. "Make love to me?" I asked him.

"Here?" he asked back with a laugh. I looked around and noticed a few people on the beach in the distance.

"Mm, that would have been a fantastically romantic story, but we should probably go up to the house," I told him.

He lifted me in his arms and carried me back to the house. "You never looked at the ring, Babe."

I looked down at the large diamond solitaire on the platinum band. It was beautiful, perfect really, but I wouldn't have cared if it'd come from a quarter machine. "It's beautiful," I told him. "I love it."

"Good," he grinned. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ric."

"You'd better go get your husband ready. The girls are going to be lining up," Maria told me.

I looked back at Ric and smiled at him. I gave him one of my little finger waves so he'd know it was time to put on his happy face whether he liked it or not. As soon as he got near me I grabbed him and wrapped my arms around his waist and inhaled his scent. God, how just the scent of him totally turned my insides to jelly I'll never know, but it always did.

His arms slipped around me and I smiled as I felt him smell my hair, maybe I wasn't the only one that craved a scent? I leaned back to look up into his face. I smiled as I thought about how lucky I was. I finally had the family I always wanted with the man I always loved. He lightly kissed my lips in return. "I love you," I told him.

"I love you too, Babe. Forever," he told me as he dabbed at the tears in my eyes. I knew he did, so I nodded back to him. "Can you handle the clowns?" he asked nodding toward Anthony and Mooch Morelli, who I had to stand next to as the Best Woman.

"Yep. I have pepper spray in my bra," I told him with a grin.

"Always armed, that's my girl," he said making me laugh. Of course I was armed, it was RangeMan protocol, just like the panic button being armed was one of Ric's only relationship deal breakers. Turns out it really did keep my safe so I couldn't even argue about it.

I tightened my hand around his arm and we started our way up the aisle. Lester and Tank started smiling and winking at us and I almost laughed, but turned my head in time to see my mother frowning at me. I smiled even brighter when I thought, No one else's daughter is the best man at her former lover's wedding. As we got closer to the front of the church Maria snapped some photos of us and Julie did her cute little Burg finger wave. I glanced up at Ric and saw the look of love in his eyes as he winked back at his daughter. I was definitely a lucky woman.

My own wedding had taken place the last weekend of August, just over six months ago. We didn't have the big Burg wedding my mother had hoped for. We were married on the beach at our house in Point Pleasant with our friends and family around us. Neither of our mothers were thrilled that we weren't getting married in the church, but they got over it, I think.

We didn't want formal, so Ric wore a linen suit in a sandy tan color with a button down white shirt that he didn't button up all the way. He looked absolutely edible with his wind tousled hair and dark skin against the colors he'd chosen. I wore a simple knee length, strapless dress of ivory satin covered in ivory floral lace.

My bridesmaids, Mary Lou, Lula, Bitsy, and Connie wore simple pale yellow sundresses and carried handpicked daisy bouquets. While the groomsmen, Lester, Tank, Bobby, and Eddie wore tan slacks and white button down shirts similar to Ric's. Even though they were all a little too old, Julie, Angie, and Mary Alice were flower girls with little white sundresses.

I stood at the top of the stone stairs that led from the house to the beach. I looked down at my friends and family seated in the little white folding chairs. In the distance I could see Ric standing with Lester at his side. My father slipped am arm around my waist and squeezed me. "You ready, Pumpkin?"

"You're not going to ask if I want to go to the bar?" I asked with a tight smile as I thought about his offer at my last wedding.

"Not this time," he smiled. "I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you down to him if I have to. He's not like the last one. He'll be good to you."

"Thanks Daddy," I told him.

"So we're going to do this?"

"Yep," I grinned. "We are going to do this."

Dad kissed my cheek as he moved to link my hand through his bent arm. As we made our way down the stairs and entered the aisle between the chairs everyone's eyes were on me, but the only person I cared about was my groom. Our eyes met and held as I walked down the aisle. I'd never felt anything like this before. I was so, happy. I felt the tears start as Dad shook Ric's hand then placed my hand into his.

Ric fingers closed over mine and we walked the rest of the way to the make shift altar. We turned to look at one another as the ceremony started. I know our guests were welcomed and everyone listened to the pastor talk about marriage, but it all seemed like a blur. All that was real to me were Ric's hands in mine. It wasn't until we were asked to exchange vows that it really registered that this was it. We were really getting married.

"Ric, I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. I vow to love you know matter what challenges might carry us apart, because I know we'll always find our way back to one another. I promise to give all of myself to you as your faithful wife for the rest of my days," I said.

"Stephanie, Babe, I vow to love you and to love this life we have together, to always hold you with tenderness, and have the patience that love demands. I will speak when words are needed and share the silence when they're not. I will treasure the warmth of your love and protect your heart, because it has always been and will always be my home," Ric told me.

"Holy crap," I whispered to him. "I love you so much." I closed the space between us and kissed him then.

When we broke apart everyone was laughing, the pastor just smiled and said, "We weren't to that part yet. You need to exchange rings first."

"Oops, sorry," I whispered. "Do the rings. I'm ready."

The pastor laughed again and shook his head. "Moving along, Stephanie do you have a ring for Ric?" Mary Lou handed me the ring with a wink.

I repeated the words as I slipped the ring onto his finger, "With this ring, I wed you, and pledge you my love, now and forever.

Ric took the ring that Lester held out to him and slipped it onto my finger, it slipped around my engagement ring as he said, "With this ring, I wed you, and pledge you my love, now and forever."

"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Stephanie, you can kiss your groom, again." And I did. I wrapped myself around him and pressed my lips to his almost immediately.

I looked back to the front of the church and smiled back at Joe. I hoped he had the perfect day today, just like I had. I squeezed Ric's hand for support before I stepped up and took my place next to Joe. He took my hand and kissed my cheek. I smiled at him as he smiled back at me. This was it, he was about to become my brother.

I looked down the aisle at Miguel and Celia Manoso. She was a vision on her father's arm. She didn't go simple with her gown at all. She was wearing a full ball gown made with miles of tulle. The white fabric fairly glowed against her mocha latte skin. Her long dark hair was twisted up on her head and she had tucked white lilies in as decoration over her ear. She was probably the most beautiful bride I'd ever seen.

I glanced over at Ric and smiled when I noticed his almost grin in place. As much as he grumbled about being Man of Honor I was glad he gave in to Joe's demand that he be on Celia's side of the church and I be on his. This was where we were meant to be, beside the people we loved. I smiled to myself as I thought about the night it all started.

After the ceremony, Tank, Eddie, and Bobby grilled out on the patio while Lester played bartender at the table he'd set up on the corner of the deck. Ella had made all the side dishes and appetizers and I had a huge cake from The Tasty Pastry delivered, they said the cake would feed three hundred, while we only had forty or so guests one of them was Lula, my former bounty hunting assistant, and she could eat cake.

Ric had the guys put together a little dance floor on the beach, not too far from where we had a fire blazing and some tables and chairs set up for our guests. Connie and Lula were in charge of the music, they borrowed a sound system from Connie's cousin who used to do some party DJ work and Lula had a friend in the 'film' industry who had some good 'lights and shit.' Honestly, it looked perfect and sounded perfect. Plus, it got Lula off my case for letting Bitsy plan the shower and Mary Lou plan the bachelorette weekend.

"Yo, Ranger get your woman on the dance floor," Lula called over the microphone, which she didn't really need to be heard. "Everybody sit down and watch the bride and groom dance."

I laughed as Ric took my hand and smiled. "Only your friends, Babe," he said shaking his head. He was right, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. "What are we dancing to?"

"I don't know. I told the girls to pick something," I answered with a wink when he got that 'oh shit' look on his face.

"Our mothers' will never forgive us if it's a rap song," he grinned. "I'd love to see your mom's face though."

"Exactly," I smiled back.

We got to the center of the dance floor and waited for Lula to proceed. "Mr. and Mrs. Manoso, we picked this one out just for you," she grinned and started the song.

I didn't know what to expect, but the slow song started and Ric smiled as he pulled me into his arms. We wrapped our arms around each other and moved to the music. Turns out they picked a song called A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. The words made me smile. It was exactly how I felt about him. I have loved him forever and always would.

By the end of the song I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes, I think everyone of the women were crying and I swear I saw both Eddie and Tank wipe their faces. "I love you," he whispered in my ear. "That was perfect, Lula surprised me." As if on cue a loud Pitbull song pumped out of the speakers. "There it is," he grinned.

"I knew she wouldn't let me down," I commented with a smile.

"I'm going to go check on the bar," Ric told me before he gave me a kiss that melted my underpants.

I watched him walk away with a big grin on my face. "You and Daddy are so mushy," Julie grumbled. "Come dance with us."

"Someday you'll be mushy too," I told her.

She crinkled up her nose and said, "Gross." I laughed and dragged her off to the dance floor. I danced with the girls and Grandma Mazer to the club beats until Lula slowed things down again.

"Dance with me?" Joe asked as he walked up behind me.

I smiled and nodded at him. He pulled me onto the little dance floor and held me in perfect cotillion form while we swayed to the music. "Don't want to get too close, huh?" I teased.

"While I trust your husband not to shoot me on your wedding day he has a dozen armed men that are staring holes in my back right now," Joe grumbled.

I couldn't contain my laughter, he was right. My Rangemen were awfully protective of me sometimes. "Did you want to talk about something?" He seemed a little out of sorts.

"Okay. So I met someone last week, at the little café downtown," he said quietly. I knew the place well. I grinned when I thought about how I'd first met Ranger there. "It was like magic. I got these tingles down my back when our eyes locked. I never felt anything like that before."

I giggled again. This was the girl for him, I knew it, tingles never lied. "Did you get her name? Number?" I asked.

"Sort of," he answered. "We just agreed to meet back there next week at the same time."

"That's kind of sweet," I told him, and totally unlike Joe.

"Problem is, I know her name now and I'm not sure what to do about it." I looked at him and he really did look like he was stressed out.

"Why? Is she married?"

"No, worse," he grumbled. "She's your new sister in law." I think my mouth dropped open in shock. "Celia Manoso. I think I fell in love with Manoso's sister."

My shock started to wear off as his words sunk in. Joe just said he had fallen in love. "Holy shit," I muttered. "You love her?"

"I don't know. It's ridiculous. I've only known her a day. Who falls in love that quickly?" he shook his head. "It was probably my dick. The boys are lonely."

"Joseph Anthony Morelli," I yelled at him. He flinched at my tone. "Those feelings that are real. Don't you dare write that off as being horny. Go over there and talk to her for God's sake."

"If I get shot it's your fault," he grumbled before stalking off toward the patio. I smiled to myself before I was nabbed around the waist and twirled into another dance.

"What has you all smiles?" Lester grinned.

"This beach is magic," I told him.

"You're just all in love and shit," he laughed. "There's no such thing as magic."

"It's a good thing you think that or getting the eye yesterday would have scared you," I teased. Bella Morelli had run into Lester and me picking up my dress at the bridal shop. She immediately started in on me, and Lester told her off. Poor guy, he didn't know what the eye could really do.

"That bitch is bat shit crazy," he grumbled.

I nodded my agreement. "Joe thinks he's in love with Celia," I whispered to him.

His smile grew tenfold. "Oh, this is gonna be good. I should see if Carl and Eddie want to put money on this shit."

"No, you can't tell," I said. I knew Lester he was going to tell anyway. "You tell and I'll share my story about the first time I saw a penis. It happen right on this very beach. Didn't Ric dare you to strip and go for a swim?" I asked. I saw the realization in his eyes. "I don't think women really understand what shrinkage is. It'd be terrible if I misrepresented you, wouldn't it?"

"You're an evil woman Stephanie Manoso, evil," he grumbled.

I smiled back at him. "Stephanie Manoso," I said. It was the first time someone had called me that.

He just shook his head. "Fine, I'll keep your secret if you keep mine, cuz."

I laughed and kissed his cheek then. I really did love my new family. "Are you getting fresh with my bride?" Ric asked as he moved behind me on the dance floor.

"I was just remembering the first time I saw a naked man and Lester here was trying to explain to me what shrinkage is," I explained.

Ric roared with laughter. "It can only shrink so much man."

"Fuck you, Ricky Ricardo," Lester bitched back at him.

The next thing I knew Lester was in a head lock while Ric held him effortlessly. "Would you like to show the rest of the ladies here what shrinkage is, Lester?"

"Fuck, no, shit, Ric don't you do it," he shouted back. "I was just teasing."

"You know I don't like that name," he said calmly. It was true, it's why he tried to go by RC when he was a kid, getting called Ricky Ricardo drove him crazy.

"It's just a little teasing, at least I'm not trying to tap your sister like Morelli is," Lester shouted.

"Lester," I yelled slapping him as Ric dropped him to the ground.

"What? Come on Ric, don't be too pissed it's better than him trying to tap your wife again? Right?" Lester said rubbing his head. I hit him again. "Damn, Beautiful, did Tia Maria teach you that?"

Ric was already stalking off toward Joe and Celia while I ran after him. "Ric, stop," I shouted after him making everyone stop and look at us. "If you pick a fight with Joe I'm going to be mad."

He turned and lifted an eyebrow at me. "You'll be mad?"

"Yes."

He grabbed me around the waist then. "I feel like I need to fight or at least pound something really hard right now."

"Mm," I moaned softly as his lips bit my neck.

"You want to help me out with that?" I know I moaned again as his fingers found my ass and pulled me against his hard length. "Good, because I want to fuck you so hard right now."

He swung me up into his arms then, "Ric, our guests," I halfheartedly protested.

"Lula," he yelled.

"Yeah, what you need Batman?" she yelled back.

"Keep that music turned up. I don't want to disturb the party with my wife's screams," he yelled back before turning to go into the house to clapping and catcalls at our backs.

Turns out we stumbled upon a really good way to control his temper, at least until a few weeks later when we stumbled upon Joe and Celia kissing at Pino's. There were a few punches thrown before I got him out to the car and helped him get himself under control. Since then there has been a weird tension between them that Celia and I just couldn't get them to let go of.

The ceremony ended with Joe dipping Celia back to kiss her almost as well as I kissed Ric on our wedding day. We followed them out of the church to everyone blowing bubbles at us. It was cute, but Ric didn't seem to enjoy it much. "What were you smiling about up there, Babe?" he whispered to me.

"Just thinking about our wedding day," I whispered back.

"Mm, yeah, I was thinking more about our wedding night," he answered with his wolf grin. "I think we should take the Cayenne for a drive before heading over to the VFW."

I grinned back at him. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

He laughed as we walked out the front door of the church. Celia and Joe were holding one another on the stairs in front of us. "Morelli," Ric said holding out his hand. Joe gave him a cautious look, but shook his hand. "Welcome to the family. Take care of her, she's a special one."

Joe smiled back at him as he squeezed Celia against his side. "We're lucky men," Joe answered.

"That we are," Ric agreed. "And on that note, we'll meet you over at the reception." He said with his best Lester-style eye waggle. "Oh, and Morelli, you better come up with a story about why my niece or nephew is going to be born two month early."

I laughed as Ric pulled me down the stairs. "How long did you know?"

"Babe," he answered with a little laugh of his own. Right, duh, he was still Batman.

After a detour back to our apartment at RangeMan, so my husband could repeated show me how much he remembered our wedding night, we made it to the reception only slightly late. "Stephanie Michelle Plum, what will people say about you coming in late, looking like that?" my mother scolded me as she met us by the door.

"They'll probably say that, Stephanie Manoso is a lucky woman to have a husband that loves her so much that he can't go an hour without touching her," I grinned at my mother. I looked at my husband's fine backside and grinned. "Or maybe that's the other way around."

"Why me? You're turning into a sex fiend just like your grandmother," she grumbled before walking away.

"I should talk to Frank about properly giving her the dick, maybe it'd knock the stick out of her ass," Grandma Mazer commented as she watched Mother walk away. We both laughed. "And no one blames you for sneaking off with Ric, they're mostly just jealous." She winked at me as she took my arm. Ric met us at the door and escorted us, one on each arm to our tables.

Since Joe and Celia opted to have sweetheart table for themselves, we were seated with the Manoso family. Ric leaned back in his chair settling his arms along the backs of Julie's and my chairs.

I looked around at everyone filling the tables and smiled to myself. Somehow we'd become one big family, the Manoso-Plum-Morelli families, the guys from the TPD, the men for RangeMan, the girls from the bond's office, Mary Lou and Lenny, and Eddie and Shirley. All the people the people that cared for me, in their own ways.

The night of my surgery Eddie walked into my hospital room and smiled at me. "Hey Plum," he greeted. "You said I had until the end of the day to find someone that had a reason for you to stay. You ready?"

I rolled my eyes at him, but obviously I couldn't go away so he had a captive audience. "Go for it," I grumbled.

Mary Lou walked in and came over to my bedside and looked at me. "You know I love you?" I nodded yes. "You're my sister and I'd do anything for you. So if you try to run away from the man that you've been in love with since we met him on the beach twenty years ago I'll kick your ass. That was the night you started your lives together, you just didn't know it yet. He's the one Steph, your one true love, you both knew it the moment you met, and re-met, and re-met again. You always found your way back to each other. He's your soul mate, your first love, your first kiss, the first man to make you feel like a woman. It's every Burg girl's dream to be loved like that, he's your dream, don't give up on him."

By the time she was finished speaking we were both crying. "I love him so much," I sobbed.

"I know you do, sweetie. He loves you too, I can see it when he looks at you," she agreed. "He's your reason to stay."

"Write that down so you can say that again when you give my Maid of Honor speech," I whispered to her and she laughed.

"You got it."

"You alright, Babe?" Ric whispered in my ear.

"Yep," I said smiling at him. "Just remembering. You know how much I love you, right?"

"Yeah, I think we covered that earlier," he said with a wolf grin. I laughed and slapped his arm before he leaned down and kissed my lips. "I know you love me as much as I love you and our girls." His hand settled on my stomach and we smiled at each other.

He always was my reason to stay. He was my reason for being. He was my life. Turns out Mary Lou was right, he was everything I ever wanted. I guess I always had been a Burg girl at heart.