As a reward for getting 98.5 per cent on my first assignment, I allowed myself to write this chapter. I'm not sure how good it is, given that I had to reboot my brain to figure out where I was going with it from the last chapter, but it's here, and I'm as happy as I'll ever be with it. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Nine

The colours were more vibrant than I had ever noticed before. The greens were greener, the pinks pinker and the yellows looked like the sun shining. I took a long deep breath and let it out slowly, glorifying in the relaxed feeling I had all through my body. In a matter of days I would be married to the hottest guy on the planet, the father of my child, the one and only for my heart, and I was not the least bit nervous. With Dickie I had been nervous as all get out; doubting my decision right up until the moment I signed the paper. A week later I learned that there was a good reason for me to be nervous about marrying him. Damn Joyce. Although, if it hadn't been for her I would never have divorced him, which means I probably never would have lost my job as a lingerie buyer, which means I probably wouldn't have become a bounty hunter, which means I probably wouldn't have met Ranger, which means I probably wouldn't have had my beautiful Laura, which means...

"What are you thinking?" Ranger asked by my ear, interrupting my thoughts.

I turned my head to capture his lips with my own before answering, "Nothing much, just that I should be thankful that Joyce slept with my husband a week after my wedding because then I wouldn't have all the wonderful things I have now."

"Is that so?" he asked, pulling me to my feet on the picnic blanket and turning me in his arms. I nodded my reply as his hands travelled down my back to cup my ass. "And what would these wonderful things be?"

I chuckled a little. "You and Laura."

"Wonderful, am I?" he asked. "Don't let Les hear that, he'll be jealous."

"Too late," came Lester's voice from behind us. "I heard."

I spun out of Ranger's arms and wrapped myself around Lester. "Don't worry, Les, you're wonderful too. I don't know what I would have done without you over the years." I kissed him on the lips briefly and felt his hand move lower on my back. Before I had time to warn him not to, Ranger's hands were firmly at my waste pulling me from his brother's grips.

"See this?" he said in a menacing tone, thrusting my left hand under Lester's nose. "It means she's mine. Hands off."

"Woah bro, chillax!" Lester exclaimed, stepping back with his hands held up in an 'I surrender' gesture. "I know she's your territory. I even brought her back to you, remember?"

"I know, and that's why you're the best man, remember? But you can't just kiss her."

"She kissed me."

I propped my hands on my hips and waited for them to stop. It didn't seem like it was going to happen any time soon, so I spoke up. "I'm right here guys."

"I know you are, Babe," Ranger said, turning a smile my way and pulling me to him. "And I never want to see your lips on his face again, got it?"

"Loud and clear," I replied, saluting him mockingly.

He pulled me to him, crashing his lips down on mine in a bone melting kiss that lasted a long time; I'm not sure how long exactly, but I'm sure Lester could give you an over exaggerated estimate if you asked him. Tongues were mingled and lips were bitten, hands moved to inappropriate places for a children's playground and suddenly there were smoochie sounds from somewhere nearby. It was me who broke off the kiss (probably, Ranger would have kept going until we both fainted from lack of oxygen) and looking around I found the peanut gallery (ah, what a wonderfully annoying sight it was to behold). Lester was holding Laura up so that she was at his level and they both had their lips pursed in fake kisses, complete with noises.

Julie was nowhere to be seen.

"Knock it off you two," Ranger said, following my gaze, but never once loosening his grip on me.

"Where's Julie?" I asked.

Laura shrugged, hopping down from Lester's arms and digging in the picnic basket for a snack. "We was playing Hidey Sick but I can't find her."

Ranger turned a confused gaze on me and I chuckled. "Hide and Seek," I explained. "Honey," I addressed the young girl. "What did I tell you about the rules of Hidey Sick?" Laura shrugged again as she pulled an apple out of the basket. "You're supposed to yell, Ollie Ollie oxen free, remember?" Her beautiful curls bounced from side to side as she shook her head, no.

#

My eyes were closed as the make-up artist went about her work. The hairdresser was putting curlers in my hair ( yes, I was determined to have curls on my wedding day) and Laura was hyperactive. It wasn't bad enough that I had the normal pre wedding jitters, but I had to deal with the three year old's antics as well. Admittedly, I was not alone in my battle, but I was the only one who knew just how to deal with her and the only one whom she would listen to anyway. She sat still long enough for her nails to be painted and dried and now she was practically bounding off the walls.

I sensed as much as heard her galloping by my chair and thrust an arm out to stop her, catching her in the chest. She was in her pyjamas because we didn't see the point in dressing her twice today and her feet were clad only in slippers. As my arm struck her chest she let out a slight groan, but allowed me to pull her over toward me.

"Sweetie, Mummy needs you to sit still. Can you do that for Mummy?" I asked in the sweetest tone I could muster. She nodded and went and sat down somewhere. I'm not sure where; I couldn't see. I beckoned Mare over with the same hand that had caught Laura's chest. "How much sugar has she had?" I asked my maid of honour.

"I haven't seen her eat anything, Steph," she replied.

I let out a small sigh. "She needs to run."

"Run?" Mare asked incredulously.

"She has excess energy that she needs to burn, that's why she's been bouncing off the walls. I don't want her running all over the place during the ceremony. It's a wonder she hasn't said that she needs to run."

Mare chuckled. "Maybe she realises that today is about you. She's an amazingly perceptive kid."

"Call Lester and get him to take her to the park and do a few laps. Just enough so that she doesn't have all this energy. When he brings her back, then they can get started on her hair."

"Wouldn't Lester be busy with guy prep this morning?" Val asked from one seat over. Where she was getting her own face made up.

"He did offer to take her off my hands for the morning, but she still needs to have her hair done. Use my cell, Laura should have it."

A few minutes later, Lester waltzed into the salon, frightening the hair stylist and make up artist. They thought he was the groom. As the rest of us laughed, Les came over and kissed the top of my now curly head. He was in jeans and a t-shirt and in his hands he held a pair of rubber gloves. He must have noticed my curious gaze, because he chuckled.

"Hey Loza, gots to run?" he called. She nodded enthusiastically and ran across the room into her uncle's arms. As he hoisted her into his arms he picked up one of her hands. "These are pretty nails, you don't want to ruin them before the wedding do you?" he asked. When Laura shook her head with a glance at me he held up the gloves for her to slip on. "There, that should protect them. Let's go for a run shall we?"

As he strode out the door I breathed a sigh of relief and gave a momentary glance to Mare to confirm that she had told him to bring the gloves before moving my gaze to my mother. She had been sitting quietly all morning, too quietly if you asked me, and I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong. It just didn't feel right without my mother giving me last minute pointers and trying to control everything. Now, I saw there was an odd expression on her face.

"Are you alright Mom?" I asked.

She simply nodded at first, and I thought that was all she was going to give me as an answer. "You're so beautiful," she finally whispered. "And so at ease. I remember the morning of your joining with Dickface. You were a mess." My mouth hung open. Did she just say what I think she said? SHE DID!! She called Dickie 'Dickface'. That must be one the proudest moments in my life, my mother finally built up the courage to insult my ex. I could have wept. No I mustn't get teary, I'll ruin my beautiful makeup. "Don't look so shocked, Stephanie. He was an absolute bastard and you know that. I can't believe you married him in the first place."

Okay, deep breaths, it's okay. She was the one pressuring me to marry him in first place, but it's okay. It doesn't matter. Val was watching the exchange through the mirror as the artist applied her lipstick. He eyes were wide and she kept giving me weird sympathetic glances. When the artist was finally happy with her appearance she scuttled (yes, she literally scuttled, like a crab; and it looked HI-larious) over to my chair where the stylist was now arranging my curls in an unrefined, yet elegant manner. "Steph, I'm so sorry. When I picked her up this morning she was already half way through a brand new bottle of scotch. I know it was brand new because she only bought it yesterday." Her hands were on my shoulders, giving a slight pressure as if to reassure me. I must admit, it was a refreshing new side of my sister that I don't think I had EVER seen before. "Everything will be okay, I promise. Albert is going to keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't sneak anymore alcohol." Oh now I feel reassured, Albert's on the case. Nothing can go wrong now. I mentally rolled my eyes as she returned to her seat and I returned my attention to the hair on my head.