CHAPTER 33
Five years Later...
"Julie!" I hollered. "It's time to go."
"Give me a minute Mom. I have to write something down but I can't find a pen," she hollered back.
"Check Dad's desk drawer. He should have a few spare pens in there for you to use."
I heard her rifle through the desk drawer. "Mom? Dad? Can you guys come here?"
We sat the twins at the table with colouring books and crayons. "Anna, Ricky, please stay here while Daddy and I help Jules."
"Okay Mommy," they chimed. The twins were mostly well behaved. Ricky was the instigator and Anna willingly followed along with his plan. They were a handful at times, but the Merry Men always stepped in to assist. As they say... it takes a village...
We entered Ranger's office to see what Julie wanted. "Mom, Dad, I found this thumb drive in the drawer. I plugged it into Dad's laptop to see if it was empty. It's filled with pictures of Stephanie."
Carlos and I moved around the desk to get a closer look. Older pictures appeared to be scanned from a developed photograph. They were likely taken with the older style film cameras. I noticed I was between 5 and 11 when those photos were taken. The remaining pictures, up to a month before Morelli's death, were digital. Based on the file sizes, most were taken using a digital camera or on a mobile phone. Carlos appeared in the photos at Point Pleasant. Joe was compiling these photos for nearly all my life.
"Thanks Julie. Can you see what the kids are doing? I need to talk to your Dad." I waited for her to leave before I asked, "Where did this drive come from Carlos?"
"It was in our Hampton cottage," he replied. "Morelli must have stashed it in that hidden compartment."
"I can't believe he took all these photos. As creepy as it is, I would like to keep them. I don't have many photos of me when I was younger. This was the best gift from him."
He pointed out a picture of me at age 5. "If I didn't know better, I would swear this was Anna. She looks so much like you." Ranger stored the flash drive in the safe. "These photos are irreplaceable. I agree. Even though the intent was misplaced, this was the best gift he could have given you." He glanced at his watch. "We need to leave in the next 15 minutes or we'll be late," he reminded me.
I grabbed the empty flash drives for Julie. "Jules, these are empty. You're welcome to take them."
She smiled, "Thanks Mom. I'll be able to back up my school work easier." Her laptop didn't have a CD burner and she was looking for another way to back up her work.
Tank arrived to grab Julie's luggage. I helped Anna buckle her Mary Janes while Carlos helped Ricky tie his shoes.
We followed the convoy of SUVs to the church in the Hamptons. Ram and Cal were impatiently waiting for us to arrive. I smiled when I saw the sharply dressed men. "You look handsome," I told each man as I kissed their cheeks.
"Tina's looking for you Steph. You better hurry. We'll keep an eye on Anna and Ricky," Hal said.
I walked into the church and was quickly grabbed by Robin. "Oh thank goodness you're here. We've been waiting for you." She led me to the vestry.
"Why are we in here?" I asked.
"It's the only place with enough room for us to dress," she answered as if it was obvious. I helped Tina button her gown as Robin helped Melanie step into her dress. We took turns helping each other dress. Once the brides were ready, they pulled out a gorgeous blue dress, complete with matching shoes, for me to wear.
Melanie spoke for her and Natasha, "Nat and I were talking a few days ago and decided we needed a matron of honour. Steph, will you please stand up with us?"
I looked at the two beautiful brides and nodded. "It would be an honour to stand up with my friends."
After I changed into my dress, Carlos knocked on the door. "It's time ladies."
We opened the door to Roger, Phil and Carlos. Roger reached for Melanie's arm. "We're up first kitten."
Phil held out his arm for Natasha, "Are you ready to do this again sweetie?"
"Yes Daddy. I'm ready."
I led them from the room and lined them up outside the door. "Anna, Ricky, when the music starts, you need to walk down the aisle as you practiced last night. Daddy's standing next to uncle Ram. He'll show you where to stand." Turning towards the women I said, "Remember ladies, keep to the side until you hear the cue to take your turn walking down the aisle. I'll see you in a few minutes ladies." I gave each a hug before taking my place behind Robin, Tina and twins.
The soft music began and the doors were opened by Tank and Lester. Anna and Ricky walked down the aisle. Ricky was carrying a large pillow with 4 sets of wedding bands tied with different coloured ribbons. Anna lightly tossed red, white and pink rose petals down the aisle. Robin made her way down the aisle, followed by Tina.
I waited until Tina was half way down the aisle to begin walking towards Carlos. His smile was radiant as I walked towards him. Our wedding was in the conference room at Rangeman, but I wouldn't trade those memories for anything in the world. It was a perfect wedding for us. As I took my place to the left of the altar, I mouthed, 'I love you.' He quietly replied, 'I love you more.' Anna moved from her position to stand in front of me. Ricky remained with his dad.
We watched as Roger walked Melanie down the aisle towards Ram. I watched the tears roll down his face as he saw his beautiful bride. The priest asked, "Who gives this woman away?"
Roger replied, "I do." He placed her hand in Ram's before taking a seat at the left.
Melanie and Ram moved to the right. They stood in front of a bench to wait for the remaining bride. I wasn't surprised when Ram and Cal decided to exchange their vows on the same day. They were Rangeman partners and very close friends.
Natasha held her father's arm as he walked her towards her groom. The priest asked, "Who gives this woman away?"
Phil answered, "Her mother and I do." He kissed her cheek, then placed her hand on Cal's hand. "Take care of my girl," he whispered to Cal.
He replied, "It would be my pleasure."
Bobby lightly laughed as sat next to his wife Sophia and their 2 year old boy Robert. "Those guys have to do everything together," he whispered to Sophia.
"I'm so glad we eloped," she quietly replied.
Each couple wrote their own vows. I cried as the men said their vows. It was such a beautiful service. Most of my favourite Merry Men were married.
My Rangeman family was growing. Robin was still Eddie's right hand man, Sophia now works at Rangeman as the in house shrink. Melanie finished her last tour and will begin working at Rangeman once she returns from her honeymoon with Ram. Natasha works part time at Shorty's with Cal's uncle. She also helps Tank with the paperwork at Rangeman. I'm head of the Fugitive apprehension and research unit. I've been training Sophia and Natasha on searches. Both women proved to have excellent intuition.
The reception was held at our cottage in the Hamptons. Carlos rented the surrounding cottages for the night to accommodate his staff. A makeshift reception dining area and dance floor was constructed on the beach, beneath the largest canopy I have ever seen. We placed contract workers at Rangeman to handle emergency calls. Our other branches sent men to provide security for our party. I personally arranged for the permits to have the reception on the beach. With our generous 'donation', the city officials were more than willing to comply. Their only request was for our guests to keep the alcohol consumption to a minimum.
I must have danced with every one of my Merry Men at least once. Lester kept dancing with Natasha's cousin Cameron. You could see the sparks fly between them. Tank was dancing with Bobby and Tina's cousin Tory, who works in our accounting department at Rangeman. She was nearly 6 feet tall and had a bit more weight than Lula. He was clearly enamoured with her. I wonder if we'll have a few more weddings soon. If I was reading her correctly, she had a secret crush on the big guy. I was hoping this wedding would bring them together.
Julie, Ricky and Anna pulled me onto the floor to dance with them and Carlos. Ricky had his legs wrapped around my waist, sitting on my left hip and his little arms wrapped around my neck. Anna had her arms around her father's neck and was sitting comfortably on his right arm. Carlos and I had our arms wrapped around Julie who was squashed between us.
She laughed as we circled around the dance floor. "I'm so happy Mom and Dad. Moving in with you two has been the best decision of my life. I'm going to miss you while I'm at Columbia."
"Jules, we are so proud of the woman you became. Study hard and keep up the excellent work. You'll be back home before you know it. Christmas is only a few months away."
"I know Mom. It's just going to be difficult being away from Anna and Ricky."
Ricky and Anna reached out to hug their sister. "We love you Jules. Skype us when you get lonely."
"I love you too Ricky and Anna. I'll Skype every Sunday," she promised. We kissed her goodbye when Tank arrived to announce Celia's arrival.
"Are you sure you don't want us to drive you?" Carlos asked.
"Daddy, we talked about this already. Aunt Celia is driving me to the airport. You need to stay and party with your friends." She gave me another hug and whispered, "I love you so much. You are my Mom, forever and always."
"And you are my Daughter, forever and always," I whispered back.
We watched as our oldest daughter left the room, on her way to the next greatest adventure. Our newest and youngest Rangeman addition, Nick, watched Julie exit the room. Julie and Nick were officially dating. They agreed to not rush their relationship. I could see they found their soul mate in each other. He knew at the young age of 22 what he wants in life. Nick wanted to marry her before she left, but Carlos and I talked them into waiting. She wears his high school football ring as a promise for their future nuptials.
Nick was forced to leave his career with the military following a hip replacement. He's the youngest brother of our very own Binkie. Sparks flew between Julie and Nick when they first met 6 months ago. They've been practically inseparable. However, Julie said having an education was important to her. Nick was willing to wait for her as long as necessary. Julie confided in me last month, after she spent her first night with Nick. I know Carlos suspects their intimacy, but it really was not his business. Julie had been receiving the birth control shot since she started living with us. Nick is a wonderful young man. He's exactly the person I would have chosen for my oldest daughter.
We gave our babies hugs and kisses before Ella and Luis left with Anna and Ricky. They were tired and asked their grandparents to take them home. I laughed when Ella said, "Anna and Ricky are ready for bed now. They want you two to stay and party with their aunts and uncles." We watched as our children were led into the cottage holding Ella's hand.
The newlyweds are being flown to Hawaii tomorrow afternoon for their honeymoon at our resort. We're giving them their own suite as a wedding gift.
Carlos wrapped his arms around me, understanding the emotions as they crossed my face. I took a few minutes and looked around at all my Rangeman family. This is exactly how I envisioned my life. Surrounded by everyone I love, forever and always.
