Carlos' POV
I watch as Stephanie enters the hall with Joe, and I can tell that she's uncomfortable. She's smiling, but the smile isn't reaching her eyes. I know that she was scared to be near Joe. I can see that even though they are arm in arm, she is trying to keep maximum space between them. Based on what he did to her last year, I don't blame her for being apprehensive. Steph dances with Joe, as is required as Maid of Honor, but I see that her body is tense. I watch as Joe keeps trying to pull Stephanie closer to him, and I see her pulling way. I also observe him talking to her, and based on her expressions shown through her eyes, she wanted away from him yesterday. The DJ calls for everyone to join the happy couple on the dance floor. I make my way over to Stephanie and Joe, politely asking to dance with Stephanie. Joe, being the Burg 'gentleman,' lets me dance with Steph. The moment we are away from him, I feel the tension leave Steph's body.
"Babe, are you okay? You seem tense, upset."
"I'm fine now. Thank you for getting me away from him. I don't want to be near him again. He keeps quoting his sick poems. I know that if he gets the chance, he's going to try for an encore, he's already tried for one on the way over here."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, in the car that we rode in over here, it was just Joe and I, he tried to put his hand up my dress, but I sat down in such a way that there was no room to go up the skirt. Then, he decided to try to touch my chest, but I use one of the self-defense moves you showed me and twisted his wrist. He was angry and told me that he will have me again before the night is over. I'm scared, Carlos."
"Babe, you're safe. I'm here with you now, and I won't let him near you. You are going to sit with us." I continue as Steph tries to protest, "no, I don't care what your mother thinks or wants; I won't allow you to sit near the bastard. I swear, if he touches you again, I'm going to beat him to a pulp."
"No! You mustn't do anything. As long as I stay away from him, I'll be fine. My parents wouldn't hesitate to have you arrested. Then, you'll throw your future in the Army away. Joe Morelli is not worth it."
"No one should feel they have a right to touch you if you don't want it. Steph, you are my girlfriend. It's my job to protect you. I won't back down from doing what's right. You getting hurt again would be worse than me not going into the Army."
"What did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Babe," I respond, smiling at her. I know my one-word response of 'Babe' frustrates her. She's a good sport about it though. "You look beautiful, even though the color is interesting."
"Thanks. Grandma Mazur did a great job picking out this dress. It's what I wanted to wear. I'm sorry that you are here instead of at our prom."
"Steph, I'd rather be here, with you, then alone at the prom."
"You wouldn't be alone, Carlos, there are about fifty girls who all would have loved to be your prom date."
"That may be the case, Steph, but you are the only one I'd want to be with. I will always choose to be with you, Stephanie."
We continue to dance together, with Lester joining us when some more up-beat songs come on. We are then joined by a few of Stephanie's friends. Mary Lou is by far the coolest, and I can see why they are such good friends. There are few more girls, Shirley, Tina, Catherine, Lucille, and Nicole who join us, along with a couple of guys, Carl, Eddy, Sal, and her cousin Vinny, who is strange, to say the least. Everyone seems friendly enough, and genuinely glad to see Stephanie. Being that she is with other Burg teens, her parents are leaving her alone, but I know that they aren't happy that I'm part of the group. The girls head off to the bathroom for their group ritual that I'll never understand. However, this gives me a chance to size up the competition.
"Are you fucking Stephanie?" The one name Eddy asks.
"Excuse me? What right do you have to ask me that question?"
"Stephanie is one of my best friends. She was already hurt once by that prick Morelli; I'd hate to see her destroyed yet again."
"Look, the status of Stephanie and my relationship is none of your business. Stephanie is under my protection. Nothing will happen to her as long as I'm with her."
"And what happens when you go to college, and she's back here. Then what?" Carl asks.
"That's not an issue. We're going to the same college. I won't let Stephanie down the way you did last year."
"Oh shit, this isn't good," Carl said.
I turn around to see an arrogant and pissed off Joe Morelli coming over to us.
"Who are you, and what do you want with my Cupcake?"
"Your Cupcake? To whom are you referring?" I ask.
"Stephanie Plum. I was her first. She is mine. You need to keep your hands off. I've been promised her hand in marriage. Nothing you say or do will change the fact that Stephanie Plum will be my wife this time next year."
"I don't know what world you're living in, but it is not in reality. Stephanie wants nothing to do with you, and in fact, will be my wife someday. You are a nobody who raped Stephanie, stealing her virginity. You think she belongs to you, think again. You won't have any access to her from now on."
"You just wait a minute," he starts, but I interrupt him.
"Now, Stephanie is on her way over to us. Don't upset her. It wouldn't make her parents happy now, would it to make a scene?"
Joe and the other guys looked behind me, seeing that I was right and clearly confused about how I knew that she was returning. They don't get our connection, but maybe now they will. The DJ plays 'Bailamos' by Enrique Iglesias. I take Steph's hand, leading her to the dance floor where we start to salsa. It is the perfect excuse to get her away from Morelli. The Latin dances have become second nature to Steph since we dance them often in Miami. She was a natural, even when she first started taking lessons, so Lester said. But, as with all Latin dances, the more connected the dancers are, the more sensual the dance.
When the song ended, Mrs. Plum looked ready to shit a brick. She was clearly embarrassed, though I'm not sure why, as we were dancing further away then we normally do. She has a stick so far up her ass that I'm surprised she can walk. A different song comes on, so Stephanie and I return to non-Latin dancing. I can see Stephanie slump her shoulders, losing her confidence and her joy.
"Babe, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Carlos."
"Babe, it's something. You know you can tell me anything."
She sighs before responding. "My parents will never accept us. They will never accept you. You are the antithesis of what they want for me. They want me with someone like Morelli, Eddy, or Carl. Someone who is from the Burg, preferably Italian or Hungarian, and white. They don't want me with you. You are, in their narrow minds, black. They don't care that you are Cuban. They don't care that somewhere in your ancestral line, you have European blood. They don't care that I love you and you love me. All they care about are appearances. I disappoint them by not conforming. I was hoping that they would accept me for me, but I realize that will never happen. I realize that after I tell them I'm going to West Point Military Academy tomorrow, I may lose my family forever. While all in all, it doesn't bother me all that much since I have your family, it still hurts that my own flesh and blood don't understand me."
"From everything you have told me, and from what Lester had shared, your parents never treated you right. You've been mentally abused by them your entire life. You have no idea how wonderful you are, how magnificent you are. You don't understand all the great things that you can do. You are such a special person, Babe. You accept me, with my dark past. You trust my family and my friends, who are so different from the people you have grown up with, without hesitation. You are the best person I know, Stephanie Plum, and nothing can ever change the way I feel about you. While I would love for your parents to accept me as mine accept you, I won't lose sleep if they don't. They are prejudice, only looking at the cover, not reading the story. It's their loss, Babe, not mine, and certainly not yours."
"I love you, Carlos. Te quiero."
"Te quiero, Babe," I respond before our lips meet. We kiss each other, getting lost in each other, not remembering we are in the middle of the dance floor at Steph's sister's wedding. Fortunately, Lester's whistle breaks up the moment, and I immediately push Stephanie behind me, protecting her from her irate father and an irate Joe Morelli.
"Stephanie Plum, get into the bridal suite now. We must talk NOW."
"No, Dad, I'm not going. I did nothing wrong."
"You are acting like a slut. What does Joseph think? Your mother told you that he agreed to marry you once you turn eighteen. He's a good match for you. You need to stop this craziness and settle down with Joseph."
"Yes, Cupcake, you need to stop. You are my girl, and always will be. I shouldn't have to stand here watching you screw around with this loser." Joe adds, pointing to Ranger.
"Dad, I will not marry Joseph Morelli. I can't stand him. He raped me. Yes, he raped me on the floor of the Tasty Pastry. I didn't ask him to touch me. I told him, no, but he ignored my pleas. You and mom didn't bother to hear what I had to say. I will not put up with your lack of support any longer."
"What do you think is going to happen when you graduate? Do you think you are going to stay in Miami forever? We are not paying for you to go to college, so that's not an option. Your only option is to get married."
"I've applied to and have been accepted to a school. I will be starting in July, a special program they have for freshmen."
"I told you, I'm not paying. There is no way that you earned any scholarships."
"Actually, Dad, I was offered a full-tuition athletic scholarship from six different schools, but I turned them all down. I'm going to West Point, Dad. I'm joining the Army. There is no tuition for any student. I don't need your money, and I don't need you."
"What do you mean you're joining the Army? That is not what a proper girl does. Are you a lesbian? You are such a disgrace. Why me? Why are you ruining Valerie's day. Frank, do something. I just can't. No one will marry you if you go into the Army. I'm a failure all because of you. You taint the Plum name."
"Stephanie, you better rethink you decisions. You need to marry Joseph." Her father chimes back in.
"No, Dad, I don't. Goodbye." I watch as Stephanie turns away from her father, grabbing my hand and pulling me along with her. This assertive Stephanie is a huge turn-on. She leads me to Tia Celia and Uncle Paul. "Tia, I think it's time for us to go. We seem to have overstayed our welcome."
Tia smiles, nodding her head in agreement. Lester approaches as we are gathering our things. I can tell that the Plums don't want to allow Steph to leave with us, but they don't have a choice. Mr. Plum is following us when Joe Juniak steps up to him.
"Frank, let her go. She is happy with Celia's mother in Miami. She is a wonderful woman. I will not let you interfere in her life and hold her back any longer. Your Stephanie, your little girl, is meant to fly."
"How did she get in? You need someone to vouch for you. Who did she get?"
"Frank, I got her in, and I don't regret it. I will give her whatever she needs to succeed. You named me her Godfather, and I take that role seriously. If you try to marry her off to that scum Morelli, I will convince her to press charges against him, as she has the right to do."
"Joe, you overstepped your boundaries. Get out of here."
"Fine, I'll leave, but your son-in-law can kiss his political aspirations goodbye. I'll make sure that he's never more than a gopher for someone else. You don't want to fuck with me, Frank."
"Fine, I'll leave Stephanie alone. After tonight, she's no longer my daughter."
We exit the hall. As we are waiting for the valet to bring us our car, none other than Joe Morelli comes prancing outside.
"Steph, you have no chance in the Army, and neither does he. I'm in the Navy, you know. I survived basic. You never will. Why don't you do what's right and come back inside? He won't remember who you are in a year, and you'll be my wife."
"Joe, get away from me. I want nothing to do with you."
"Cupcake, stop being so silly. You enjoyed the way I touched you in the car. If the ride had been a few minutes longer, you would have been riding me like you did a year ago. Come to one, Cupcake, you know I'm good."
Joe reached to grab Steph's arm, but Lester and I stepped between him and Steph.
"Morelli, I prevented you from hurting Stephanie when she was six, I won't let you hurt her now. You know if I were still in town, you never would have gotten Steph alone last year. The only thing I regret about moving to Miami is that I left her vulnerable to you."
"Get off your moral high-horse, Santos. I know you banged your share of Trenton chicks."
"No, Morelli, that's you who has notches on his bedpost. I don't. I'm not like you."
"Cupcake, you better come with me. Your mother will forgive you if you come with me now. You can be a good daughter, like Valerie."
I walk up to Morelli and stand in his face. I wasn't going to let him berate or belittle Stephanie any further. I feel my fists clench, and I'm getting ready to throw a punch to wipe the smirk off his face.
"You listen to me, Morelli; Stephanie and I will both be in the Army and will both be successful. I will be Ranger, the best there ever was. You'll be lucky to get an honorable discharge. If you ever think about going near Stephanie again, it will be the last thing you do. Stephanie is mine. I don't share. Find your own Burg girl, because Stephanie does not fit that bill. Now get out of my face."
Morelli started to laugh. I bring my hand back and get ready to punch.
"Carlos, no," Steph says as she gently places her hand on my arm. "He's not worth it. Come on, the car is here. We're going home. Please, Carlos."
She said please. Shit. "Fine, but the next time I won't back down."
I let Steph get into the car before me, then I get in, followed by Lester. Uncle Paul and Tia Celia are already in the car. Once the door closes, we drive off.
"Babe, I won't stand by and let someone mistreat you again. Please don't ask me to back down."
"Carlos, he wanted to get a rise out of you. He wanted you to throw the first punch, so he could have you arrested. Your record would be smeared and he'd rise even higher in the eyes of the Burg. He'll get his due. Someday, I'll pay him back for what he did, someday when he has more to lose than we do."
"Fine, querida, but if he ever throws the first punch,"
"Let him land it then beat the shit out of him," Steph replied.