Chapter 39
Ranger's POV
I contacted my attorney when we got back to the house and arranged for the RangeMan plane to fly him to Puerto Rico with all the necessary paperwork. I made a few other quick calls to Trenton, putting another surprise into motion for Steph.
After that, I called the owner of a local bridal boutique and arranged for him to bring his entire bridal selection for Steph to choose from. I called in a favor on the marriage license and had the blood tests fast tracked. No way was I going to wait a week to marry Steph just because some lab tech was dragging his feet.
Last, I discussed the situation with Marisol. She was overjoyed and quickly called her cousin who just happened to make wedding cakes for a living. It would be a sin for Steph to get married and not have a wedding cake. She would probably have the marriage annulled.
Steph and I decided to have the wedding at sunset, two days after we got back from the yacht. I told her to spend the next couple of days relaxing, promising that I would take care of everything. Except for taking the blood test, signing a few papers, and picking out her wedding dress, she wouldn't have to lift a finger.
The surprises began the morning after we got back to the house. Before Steph had woken up, I was outside waiting for the SUV to pull up. The owner of the bridal shop would be here in three hours and I had to get everything set up and Steph ready by then.
Finally, the gates opened and the black SUV pulled up. I couldn't help but grin as the doors opened and Connie, Lula and Mary Lou bounded out, followed by Tank, Lester, Bobby, and my attorney, Robert Calloway. Calloway looked a little uncomfortable being thrown in with the women. It probably had something to do with the zebra print spandex that Lula was sporting.
"Batman finally got his head out of his ass!" Lula announced, moving closer to Tank.
I narrowed my eyes, but couldn't stop the grin from returning. Hell, she was right.
Mary Lou ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck, shocking me and everyone else. "Thank you for doing so much for Stephanie! I can't tell you how great it is to finally see her so happy!"
I hugged Mary Lou back, her words warming my heart. I hoped I would always make Steph happy.
"Steph doesn't know I called all of you," I warned them when Mary Lou finally pulled away. "I wanted to surprise her. I'll have Marisol show you where to go until I can get Steph out of bed and ready."
They nodded and followed me into the house. Connie, Lula, and Mary Lou looked around the great room with their mouths hanging open. A lot like Steph's first reaction.
Marisol appeared then and herded everybody away. I led Calloway to my office on the first floor and told him I would be with him in a few minutes. Leaving my attorney behind, I took the stairs two at a time and made my way into the bedroom. Steph was sound asleep, her wild curls spread out all over the pillow. I looked down at her and couldn't help but touch her face with my fingertips. She was so beautiful.
I leaned closer and brushed my lips across hers. "Time to get up, Babe."
She groaned and rolled over, curling into fetal position. I sat behind her and moved my lips to the back of her neck. "Come on, Steph. I have a surprise for you."
Magic words. Steph's eyes popped open and she turned to look up at me. "Another surprise?"
I laughed as she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Yeah, but I can't give it to you until you get up and take a shower."
She leapt out of the bed and ran to the bathroom. Thank goodness her morning sickness had decided to give her a break, or her quick retreat from the bed would have made it a miserable morning for her.
I heard the shower start and I returned to my office to look over the paperwork that Calloway had brought with him. Nothing more exciting than signing wills and power of attorney documents before getting married, but I wasn't one to procrastinate. I also wanted him here to make sure that there wouldn't be any problems getting the marriage license and blood tests fast tracked. I wanted everything to be perfect for Steph.
About ten minutes later, Marisol peeked into the room with Steph behind her. I held my arm out to Steph and nodded over at Calloway.
"Babe, this is RangeMan's attorney, Robert Calloway," I told her as she stepped closer to me. She nodded at him politely and took his outstretched hand.
"Good to meet you, Mr.Calloway," she said.
"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Plum," the attorney smiled brightly, another man fallen victim to Steph's charm. "I hear congratulations are in order."
Steph grinned up at me and I pulled her closer. "Yes, sir."
"I called Robert here so we could fill out all the paperwork now and get it out of the way," I told her. I couldn't resist giving her a wolf grin. "I'd hate to have to spend valuable time worrying about documents on our honeymoon."
Steph blushed and Calloway chuckled.
"It won't take long, Miss Plum. Just a few things we need to go over before the big day."
We sat down and went through the documents. Last year, when I had purchased Steph's engagement ring, I had also named her as the primary beneficiary in my will. No matter where our relationship had taken us, I wanted to make sure that Steph would have financial security when I died. Except for a large trust fund for my daughter, Julie, and half of RangeMan going to Tank, everything else had been turned over to Steph. When she read that part of the will, her eyes widened in surprise.
"When did you put me in here?" She asked, looking over at me.
"Around the time I bought your ring." I admitted, watching her mouth drop open.
"Pretty sure I would say yes, huh Carlos," she teased, elbowing me in the side. I shook my head.
"I hoped you would someday. Even if you had said no, I wouldn't have changed a thing." I grasped her hand tightly, rubbing circles into her palm. "I just wanted to make sure you would be taken care of."
I could see the unshed tears in her eyes and she quickly cleared her throat. The topic of wills was not an enjoyable one and she sat forward in her seat.
"You will need to sign the documents with the name you will be using after the wedding," Calloway told her, handing her a pen. I watched as my Babe leaned toward the desk and signed every line with "Stephanie Manoso". God, I loved that name. I took the pen after her and signed my name beside hers, admiring our signatures side by side. I was becoming too sentimental for my own good.
It only took about fifteen minutes to go through everything. Finally, Calloway took the stack of papers and put them back in his briefcase.
"We're all done here," he said, standing up. "I'll get back to Trenton and get these filed right away."
"You mean you just flew all the way out here for fifteen minutes worth of paperwork?" Steph looked surprised. "That doesn't sound like any fun!"
I threw my head back and laughed. Calloway looked stunned for a moment before joining me. Steph blushed.
"The life of an attorney is rarely pleasure, Miss Plum," he finally managed to choke out between laughs. "And this was a business trip."
Steph didn't look too pleased at the idea of flying all the way here to only spend a total of an hour on solid ground. Once I told her that Calloway had been given a large bonus for his troubles, she seemed to look a little better.
"I assure you, Miss Plum, it was no trouble."
"Please, call me Stephanie."
Calloway grinned. "Okay, Stephanie." He turned to me and held out his hand. "Carlos, congratulations. And I will send the updated copies to your office in Trenton."
I shook his hand and thanked him and Steph and I showed him out. Tank was back out in the SUV, waiting to drive him back to the airport. Steph stared hard at the vehicle, trying to see who was behind the wheel. She looked up at me in surprise.
"When did Tank get here?" She demanded.
I pulled her back and closed the door behind us. "Right before you woke up, Babe."
"Was that my surprise?" Steph looked confused. I hoped she wouldn't consider signing official documents as my idea of a surprise. Makes me sound like a pretty un romantic kind of guy.
"Definitely not, Steph." I assured her, steering her towards the back door. She followed quietly until I led her out onto the porch. At the sight in front of her, she let out a squeal of excitement.
"HOLY SHIT!" She shrieked, hands at her cheeks. It was almost comical.
"Girl, you'd better not think we'd miss you getting married to Batman," Lula said loudly, hands on her hips.
I stepped back quickly to avoid being stampeded by screaming women. They charged each other and started jumping up and down, talking a mile a minute. How they understood a word is beyond me.
Bobby and Lester came up to me and the three of us watched the scene with pained expressions.
"They sure are loud when they get together," Lester mused, trying to follow the conversation.
I shook my head. "I can't even hear myself think."
Marisol ran back and forth, carrying trays of pastries and little sandwiches to the buffet table she had set up.
The noise was mind-boggling and I retreated into the peaceful quiet of the house, with Bobby and Lester quickly following.
Steph's POVI can't believe that Ranger flew my friends out here for the wedding. I had suggested the small ceremony on the beach because it was the easiest way to get married without my mother's interference. How did he know that I really wanted Lula, Connie, and Mary Lou to witness our nuptials? Duh, he's got that ESP thing going for him.
I was feeling a little guilty about my family not being there, until Mary Lou pulled me aside and handed me an envelope. I recognized my father's handwriting on the outside and the word "Pumpkin" on the front instead of my name. A lump formed in my throat at my father's childhood nickname for me. With trembling hands, I ripped open the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper.
Pumpkin,
I want to tell you how very proud of you I am. Carlos called me and told me about your upcoming wedding. Don't ever feel guilty about us not being there. I understand and I need you to do what is best for you. Your first wedding was more for your mother than for you and that wasn't how it should have been, kiddo. I'm grateful that finally, you will be marrying the man you are meant to be with. And this wedding needs to be about you and your husband, not about your mother and me.
You have found your match in Carlos. I will be proud to call him my son. He is good for you and I can tell that you are good for him. This marriage will last.
Congratulations and best wishes, Pumpkin. I will see you when you get back.
Love,
Dad
P.S. I couldn't stop your grandmother from telling the old bats at the beauty parlor about you getting married. Don't worry, though. I'll take care of it.
By the end of the letter, the words were swimming on the page. I wiped the tears from my eyes and held the paper to my chest. Not only had Ranger flown in my friends for our wedding, but also he talked to my father to explain the situation. Daddy was right. I had finally found my match.
"You're getting married tomorrow, Steph!" Connie exclaimed, putting her arm around my shoulders. "You're going to be Batgirl. You can't cry now!"
"Happy tears, Connie." I couldn't help but laugh at the Batgirl comment.
Sorry about the delay, but I was having a case of writers block. I'm not too excited about this chapter, but I'd love to know what you think. Good or bad, please let me know : )