Ranger was still in bed when I woke up the next morning. It was nice to see him sleeping in. He was usually up at five every morning, showering and getting ready for the day. The wedding didn't start until six in the evening, so we had all day to do what we wanted until it was time to get ready. I hadn't put my clothes back on after the late-night activities, so I grabbed the complimentary bathrobe and wrapped myself in it. There was a menu for breakfast on the desk in the room and I perused it. We had the option of going down to the dining room or eating in our room.

"Let's do room service," Ranger said sleepily from the bed. I glanced over to find him watching me. I handed him the menu.

"Tell me what you want, and I'll take care of it through their app," I replied, climbing back into bed while I picked out my own breakfast of French toast stuffed with cream cheese, a side of bacon, and orange juice.

"Vegetable omelet, fruit cup, and wheat toast," Ranger replied. I rolled my eyes. They had stuffed French toast and this loser was having a vegetable omelet.

"Our food should be ready in half an hour," I told Ranger once the order was completed.

"Plenty of time for a shower."

After a satisfying joint shower, Ranger got dressed so he could accept our food order and I worked on my hair routine. By the time I was done, Ranger had our breakfast laid out on the table on the balcony.

"What's wrong with your French toast?" Ranger asked as I took my seat.

"It's stuffed with cream cheese."

That got a smile out of him. "Babe."

"I'm on vacation," I justified.

"What about all the other days of the year?"

I gave him the finger. "I don't eat like this every day."

We ate our breakfast and watched people on the beach below us. Children were running around like lunatics, picking out spots to build sandcastles. Tired parents dragged chairs, towels, umbrellas, and bags to the place where they would stay for the next few hours. I recognized a couple of people from the wedding party as they walked down the beach, soaking up the sun.

"What is the wedding party doing all day?" I asked. "Especially you men since you only need five minutes to get ready."

"The women are going to a spa. The men are going golfing."

I fought a laugh imagining Ranger on a golf course. "Are you going?"

"What do you think?"

"No, but I would pay good money to see you in golf clothes," I said, trying not to laugh.

"I'll let you see me naked."

"You do that all the time," I reminded him. "Not that I'm complaining. But I've never seen you in golf clothes."

"And you never will."

We went down to the beach after breakfast and rented a jet ski. Ranger drove while I held onto him, enjoying the speed and being close to him. We stopped at one point because of a pod of dolphins that were swimming around. I rested my chin on his shoulder as we watched them come up for air and chase each other. I kissed his neck just under his ear, thinking about how he always did things like that for me, but I never returned the favor. He leaned back against me and rubbed my leg.

"Did you like that?" I asked quietly, like I thought the dolphins were listening.

"Yeah, do it again," he murmured. I kissed his neck again and moved my mouth down his shoulders. He had his eyes closed and looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him.

I rested my head against his and we sat in silence for a few minutes. The dolphins continued to circle us, clearly used to humans and unphased by the proximity. The gentle bobbing of the jet ski in the water plus the close contact with Ranger was as good as any massage.

"I love you," I murmured. The words had come out before I could stop them, and I mentally kicked myself for giving into the moment. I'd never said the words to him before, even though I felt them.

He rubbed my arms gently with his left hand. "I love you," he replied. There wasn't any sarcasm or anxiety in his voice. He had said it as genuinely as I had.

We hadn't said anything else to each other by the time we returned to the rental dock half an hour later. We walked along the beach, holding hands, soaking up the sun the way I'd seen people doing earlier in the morning. I realized after a while Ranger was leading me back to the hotel. I thought about the few hours we had left before we needed to get ready for the wedding and what I wanted to do with them. Ranger was always the one in charge in bed. He was solely concerned about my pleasure and what I wanted. I never took charge, and in some ways didn't feel like I knew his desires the same way. Once we were back in the hotel room, I tossed my beach bag down and pulled him towards me.

"I'll be the one making you happy," I told him as I pulled his shirt off over his head. "You just enjoy it."

He seemed genuinely surprised but didn't say anything as I stripped him out of his swim trunks and pushed him back on the bed. I took off my own clothes and straddled him. I made sure to kiss and touch every part of his body the way he usually did with me. I would feel his breath catch in his chest or hear a slight moan when I reached a particularly sensitive spot. I would look up from time to time to find him with his eyes closed, relaxed and happy. Once we were both dying from anticipation, I reached into the condom box and found our very last packet. It didn't take either of us very long to finish. Once we were done, he pulled me off his lap and held me close.

"How was that?" I asked.

"Amazing."

We slept for a while with our bodies intertwined. I loved the feeling of being there with him. I had finally given into the emotions I'd been trying to keep at bay the last two days. I knew it would hurt once we got back to Trenton and I experienced the full force of his distance again, but I would get through it. I had every other time. Sometimes the pleasure was worth the pain.

"It's four," Ranger eventually informed me. "We should probably get up."

We climbed out of bed and gathered up our clothes. I headed to the bathroom to do my hair and make-up while Ranger began changing into his suit. I was in my black lace bra and matching underwear doing my hair when Ranger walked into the bathroom fully dressed. There was nothing like Ranger in a suit.

"You look great, but isn't it bad manners to upstage the bride," he commented.

I pointed to the emerald dress hanging from a hook on the bathroom wall. "Don't worry, I won't be."

Ranger gave it the once over. "You'll look good, but not as good as you do right now."

He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. "I've had fun with you today."

"Me too," I said, meeting his gaze in the mirror. "We'll have fun tonight too. Are you ready to walk Sarah down the aisle."

Ranger groaned. "I'd been able to put her out of my mind today."

I turned around to face him. "You'll be fine. You have a loving girlfriend here with you, so even if she throws herself on top of you naked, you can use me as your excuse to turn her down."

He didn't say anything as we continued to look at each other. There seemed to be so many things we both wanted to say but held back for our own reasons. I eventually turned back to the mirror and started on my make-up.

"Or you can sleep with her, and it'll be the justification for why I'm not your girlfriend after this weekend," I said, not looking at him directly as I applied concealer.

"That's not happening."

"Well, regardless of who you sleep with tonight, we used the last condom earlier," I told him.

"I'll get some more," he said before leaving the bathroom. I heard the door to the hotel room close a minute later. Whatever intimacy had been there a minute ago had cooled off quickly. I regretted my comment about him sleeping with Sarah. I wasn't even sure where it had come from. I would apologize when he came back.

It was almost five-thirty when Ranger returned to the hotel room. I was putting the finishing touches on my outfit and walked out to find him putting a new box of condoms in the bedside table.

"You were gone a while," I said.

"I went to get condoms and stopped by Julio's room. I need to get back there," he said, turning to leave again.

"Hey," I said, stopping him at the door. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, about you sleeping with Sarah. I don't know why I said it."

Ranger looked me over, his expression neutral. "Eduardo will look out for you," he said. "He promised to keep you company while I'm busy with other things." And with that, he left the hotel room.

I spent the walk down to the wedding trying to pump myself up. We were at a wedding on New Year's Eve. We would have fun and put it all behind us. He didn't have a lot of time to talk. We could always talk later. Besides, I needed to be the same confident girlfriend I'd been presenting myself as this weekend. It would be fine.

I found Eduardo and his girlfriend, Louisa, waiting for me.

"I told Carlos we'd keep you company while he does wedding shit," Eduardo said, extending one elbow out to his girlfriend and the other to me. "Besides, I get to walk into the wedding with two hot women on my arms. I got the better deal."

I ended up with an aisle seat six rows back which meant I had a perfect view of the wedding. A woman wearing a silver dress was officiating and the aisle was decorated with flowers and lanterns as the sun began to set over the water. The music began at six on the dot and groomsman began walking down the aisle escorting various women to their seats. Ranger was escorting Julio's elderly grandmother, who he seated in the front row. He then took his place in the front of the room. He glanced around and caught my eye. I smiled. He met my eyes but didn't smile back. Not that he usually smiled, but I wasn't sure how to interpret the look.

The bridesmaids were next to arrive. Each woman wore a sapphire blue dress, though they had different styles. It seemed like each woman had chosen what suited her best. Sarah was wearing a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and her hair was pulled up in a sleek twist in the back. Her eyes were locked on Ranger, who was passively watching the women walk down the aisle. The crowd was instructed to rise as the bride was escorted down the aisle by her father. She wore a sleeveless dress with a lace overlay, her own blonde hair wore in loose waves. I looked over at Julio, who was wiping tears from his eyes as he waited for his bride.

The wedding was a short, but meaningful ceremony. They had each written their own vows, which had been delivered through emotion-filled voices. They were clearly overjoyed to be married as they made their way back down the aisle after being presented as husband and wife for the first time. The wedding party followed behind them, Sarah clinging to Ranger's arm like he was a life preserver. He gave my arm a gentle rub as he passed by.

Everyone left the beach and made their way to congratulate the couple as the bar was opened and people lined up for drinks. I didn't see Ranger anywhere, so I stayed with Eduardo and Louisa. I congratulated Julio and Jasmine and got in line for a drink. I glanced around but still didn't see Ranger anywhere. I also didn't see Sarah. I ordered a glass of Merlot and walked around the reception area eating an appetizer while I waited. Circular tables were set up for the guests while the bridal party sat at a long table at the front of the area. A separate area nearby had been set up as a dancefloor.

"Where the hell is Carlos?" Eduardo asked as he took a sip of Jim Beam.

I shrugged. "Maybe he's helping out with something."

Thankfully there was no assigned seating and Eduardo, Louisa and I made our way to a table at the edge of the crowd. It was eventually filled with other friends of the couple, some of whom I had met at the barbeque at their house on Thursday. The wedding party eventually made their way in before Julio and Jasmine were announced. Sarah looked like she had been crying and Ranger looked tense. It was clear something had happened between them, and it hadn't been good. We sat through best man and maid of honor speeches and a toast to the happy couple before servers began bringing out salads. I pulled my phone out of my purse and texted Ranger.

Everything okay? Sarah looks upset.

I started in on my salad, occasionally glancing up to see if he had checked his phone. He was busy talking to the people on either side of him. On the bride's side, Sarah was busy looking at her salad like it was the most interesting thing in the world. I was just beginning to think I'd have to wait to hear back from Ranger when my phone vibrated with a text.

No. I'll tell you later.

It was clear that Ranger wouldn't be over to see me for a while, so I got lost in conversation with the people at my table while we ate dinner. They were an interesting group of people. We laughed at their recollections of high school and discussed careers. Everyone seemed to find mine fascinating. I decided to entertain them with some of the less horrifying disasters I'd encountered. I thought Eduardo might wet himself as I described the time Lula and I were confronted by a drug dealer's guard alligator.

"You are making this up," Jasmine's friend Lisa said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I swear I'm not," I replied. "You can ask Carlos."

"What can they ask me?" Ranger said, taking the empty seat next to me that had been vacated by Lisa's six-year-old son.

"I told them about the alligator guarding the drug dealer's house."

Ranger smiled. "True story. You can't make that shit up."

"Your girlfriend is cooler than you," Eduardo informed Ranger. "I hope your ego can handle that."

"I accepted it a long time ago," he replied. "She's better than me in a lot of ways."

I reached over and grabbed his hand. "It takes a big man to admit that."

Conversation carried on for a few more minutes before it was announced that the couple would have their first dance, followed by a mother-son and father-daughter dance. Most people kept talking but brought the volume down. No one really cared about those dances except the people involved. I snuck a glance at Sarah, who was looking anywhere but at Ranger. I was dying to know what had happened.

Eventually the dance floor was opened to everyone and most people made their way out. Ranger and I stayed behind at the table.

"What happened?" I asked in a hushed voice. I couldn't take the suspense anymore.

"After we walked out of the wedding, she asked to talk to me privately. We went over behind that fence, and she kissed me. She told me she has never stopped loving me and asked what it would take to get me back. She even offered to move to Trenton," he said, casually glancing around to make sure no one could hear us. "I told her nothing would ever happen between us. I didn't love her, and I didn't want to be with her. She asked me how serious things were between us and I told her you were the only woman for me. She kept wanting me to justify why you could be something to me that she couldn't. I gave her a few reasons. I think she finally gets it."

I glanced up at Sarah again, who was putting back wine like it was water.

"I feel bad for her," I replied. "It's clear she's held on to her feelings for you all these years. And she thinks she doesn't stand a chance because you led her to believe you want a life with me. You should have just told her the truth about us."

"That was the truth," Ranger said. "You are the only woman for me. And every reason I gave her for why you were better for me than her was also the truth."

"But our relationship isn't the truth. You should have told her I'm not really your girlfriend, but that you brought me as your date this weekend."

Ranger scooted his chair closer to mine. "What if I want you to be keep being my girlfriend after this weekend?"

My eyes nearly fell out of my head. "What?" I probably looked like a fish out of water, with my mouth attempting to formulate words that didn't appear.

"I'm serious," he said, a hand on my bare knee. "I'd like to give an actual relationship a chance."

"But you've always said—,"

"I know what I've always said. I've been afraid of disappointing you and not being what you want me to be, but this weekend made me see that you seem to have a pretty good grasp on who I am. I figure if you can't handle it, you'll tell me."

I felt tears sting my eyes. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

I leaned over and kissed him. "Then I would love to be your real girlfriend. Is it any different than being the fake version?"

That made Ranger laugh. "Not that I'm aware of."

We ended up on the dance floor together and spent the next couple of hours drinking, laughing, and dancing, enjoying the warm night and the shared joy around us. Eduardo eventually asked if he could dance with me because Louisa was tired and didn't especially like to dance. I danced with Eduardo through a few songs before I needed a bathroom break. I excused myself and made my way to the restrooms. I found Sarah sitting in a chair on the patio outside of the hotel. She was clearly drunk and had been crying. I told myself I should keep walking and let her have her privacy, but empathy got the best of me.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She looked up at me through glassy eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, holding up her whisky glass. "Really."

"Okay, I just wanted to check," I said, stepping back to walk away. I could rest easy knowing that I had at least tried.

"He loves you a lot," she called to my back. I turned to face her. Tears were pouring down her cheeks. "I'd give anything for him to love me like he loves you."

I felt my throat tighten. I didn't know what Ranger had said to her, but it was clearly meaningful.

"You'll find someone," I told her. "Don't give up."

I walked towards the bathrooms without another glance back. I couldn't help her. I was still in shock over the fact that Ranger wanted an actual relationship with me. I took my time in the bathroom, hoping Sarah would have left by the time I had to walk back to the reception. She was gone from the patio as I walked back, and I glanced around to see where she had gone but didn't spot her. I hoped she was okay. She was drunk, which made her vulnerable to both predators and the ocean.

"Did anyone see Sarah come through here?" I asked once I rejoined Ranger, Louisa, and Eduardo at the table. "She's really drunk. I'm worried about her."

No one had seen her come through the reception area. I tried to relax and tell myself that she would be okay, but I couldn't help feeling like someone should be looking out for her. Eduardo called her a loon and said she was probably off having drunken sex with someone. Louisa seemed to share my concern.

"Why don't we go look for her?" she suggested. I nodded and we both stood up. We headed towards the back of the reception area and towards the beach. It was dark, but lights from the hotel reflected off the water. We circled the perimeter of the wedding activities, looking through the crowd to be sure she wasn't on the dance floor. We moved further out, looking along the shore. We had walked about a hundred feet from the reception when we saw a lump laying in the sand, the water crashing in around her. Louisa and I ran over to Sarah, who was passed out. We dragged her away from the water and checked for a pulse. She had one, but it was weak. Her breathing didn't sound good either, like she had inhaled a bunch of water.

"I'll do compressions to see if she coughs up the water," Louisa said, pressing hard on Sarah's chest between her breasts. I shined a light on Sarah so Louisa could see what she was doing. She had done about ten compressions when Sarah's eyes opened wide and she began vomiting. We rolled her onto her side as water, food, and alcohol were left in the sand. She continued to cough and vomit for another couple of minutes, but eventually struggled to sit up.

"What happened?" she asked weakly.

"It looks like you passed out and fell into the water," I told her. "Do you think you can walk or do we need to call the paramedics?"

Sarah shook her head. "No paramedics. This is embarrassing."

We helped her up and she wobbled but didn't fall. We walked her around the reception to avoid the stares and questions and into the hotel. I went to the desk to inform them of what happened. They had an in-house medic who was paged.

"Thank you both for helping me," Sarah said as we waited for the medic. "I would have died."

"Stephanie was worried about you," Louisa said. "She mentioned you had been drinking and had been asking if anyone had seen you. We decided to go look for you. I'm glad we did."

The medic took Sarah to a private room to examine her, and Sarah asked us if we would go find her mother and described her. I knew who she was talking about and found the woman sitting at a table near the front. I told her what had happened and where to find her daughter. She thanked us and hurried off.

"Did you find her?" Eduardo asked once we rejoined him and Ranger at the table. We filled them in on the details.

"I'm glad you found her," Ranger said, putting an arm around me. So was I.

The reception was due to last until shortly after midnight so the group could ring in the new year together. I felt my eyes drooping at eleven-thirty and wondered if I would make it to the new year. The alcohol in my system was getting to me. Ranger went to check on Sarah and had been told she was being evaluated at a nearby hospital.

"I'm not sure I can make to midnight," I told him, resting my head on his shoulder. I saw the untouched piece of wedding cake sitting in front of him. "Unless maybe I can eat your cake. That might give me some energy."

"Eating your cake usually helps me," Ranger said. I picked up the fork and took a bite, trying not to smile at the image of Ranger eating my own cake.

"I can't imagine you eating cake," Louisa said from her seat. "You don't seem like the dessert kind of guy."

I snorted and a piece of cake got stuck in my throat. I coughed several times and had to drink half a glass of water. Ranger and Eduardo were both laughing.

"I don't think that's what he meant, baby," Eduardo said to Louisa. It took her about a minute for the innuendo to sink in.

"Oh, I get it. Sorry, I'm a little drunk," she said, finishing the rest of her wine. "You won't be getting any of my cake tonight," she told Eduardo. "My cake is going to sleep after this."

"I get this cake," I said, indicating the multi-layered lemon cake on my plate. "Because he wants my cake after we get back to the hotel room."

"Gotta keep your energy up," Ranger said. "Do you need some coffee?"

"That'll keep me awake all night!"

"That's the point," he whispered. I elbowed him in the side.

Midnight eventually rolled around and the people who had managed to stay awake were given flutes of champagne as the countdown began towards midnight.

"Last chance to terminate my contract as girlfriend," I told Ranger as the crowd around started counting backwards from twenty.

"Not a chance," he said, pulling me closer to him.

"Are you sure you can handle me?" I asked him.

"I may be the only man who can."

Ranger's kiss was deep and meaningful as the clock struck midnight. We drank our champagne and said goodnight to Eduardo and Louisa. We walked back to our room and boarded the elevator with a few other people calling it a night. I felt Ranger's hand moving up and down my back in an odd manner. I gave him a quizzical look.

"I'm trying to figure out how your dress comes off," he whispered in my ear. "I don't want to have to fight with it or destroy it."

I indicated the hook at the base of my neck which helped secure the zipper. I felt Ranger unhook the top before we even stepped off the elevator. We weren't even completely into our room before Ranger started unzipping my dress.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" I asked as he pushed me towards the bed.

"I'm eager for dessert."

It didn't feel like I'd been asleep very long I heard an alarm go off. I covered my head with my pillow.

"Why do you have any alarm set on New Years Day?" I asked Ranger, my voice muffled.

"Because brunch starts at ten and we have to be checked out by twelve," he replied. "I figured you would want to be ready to leave after we eat."

He had a point. I dragged myself into a sitting position, unbothered by the fact that I'd never managed to put on any pajamas. Ranger was also naked, but that never bothered him.

I took care of business in the bathroom and gathered up my make-up, hair supplies, and other toiletries to pack in my suitcase. Ranger was already dressed and finishing the last of his packing. It was easy for him. He'd brought one suitcase. I had my suitcase, the extra duffle bag he had given me, my beach bag, and my purse.

I pulled on a t-shirt and jeans and put my hair back in a ponytail. I kept my coat out of my suitcase since we would be flying back into frigid New Jersey later that day. I triple-checked the room to make sure I hadn't left anything behind before we hauled our luggage down to the car.

We arrived at brunch at ten on the dot. Most of the wedding party was already there. Julio and Jasmine looked the most well-rested of the group. They probably hadn't drank as much as everyone else. Louisa was wearing sunglasses in doors and looked like she might be asleep behind them. Eduardo looked like death.

"How are you not hungover?" he asked Ranger.

"I didn't drink much."

Eduardo said something under his breath in Spanish.

"Are you alive, Louisa?" I asked.

"Barely," she murmured. "I can't remember the last time I drank that much."

Brunch was a much more subdued affair than any of the previous gatherings. Those who weren't hungover were simply tired from going to bed late. Sarah was noticeably absent from the group. Julio and Jasmine came over to sit at our table.

"Any update on Sarah?" I asked.

"She was kept overnight for observation," Jasmine said. "Thank you for looking out for her. It could have been so much worse."

I suppressed a chill remembering what Sarah had looked like on the beach when Louisa and I had pulled her out of the water. I felt Ranger's touch on my back and the chill subsided.

We talked about the couple's plans for a honeymoon to Greece later in the spring and their intention to start a family once they returned. Louisa eventually came back from the dead after ingesting some food and water, but still looked like she had a miserable day ahead of her.

Ranger and I said our goodbyes shortly after eleven. The private airline that was flying us back to Trenton had called to ask if we could leave forty-five minutes earlier due to incoming weather. Otherwise, we would need to wait until later in the day. We drove straight to the airport from the resort to meet the timeline. A Rangeman vehicle waited for us when we arrived and one of his employees climbed out of the passenger seat to take Ranger's Porsche back to the office.

We boarded the plan and were on our way home by one-thirty. I sat next to Ranger on the way home. He hadn't taken out his laptop to do any work but sat with me and talked the entire trip back. I could tell he was trying to be an attentive boyfriend, and I made sure he knew I appreciated it.

"I figured you would want some time to yourself once we get back, so I'm planning to work late," he said. "But I can come over when I'm done if you want."

"It's up to you," I told him. "I'm sure you might like to have a night at home."

"Then I'll be at your place when I'm done," Ranger said. "It's only a home if you're there."

Maybe my whispered words had gotten through to him and allowed him to believe in his ability to be a good boyfriend.