Chapter 56

"So, you're like 007, James Bond, licensed to kill?"

I nipped Steph's ear as I nuzzled my face into her hair and then rolled onto my back, taking her with me. Correll had left hours ago and in true Stephanie fashion she'd been mulling over everything that had been said.

"Is that all that you got from Correll being here?"

"It's important"

I wasn't sure what she saw as being important, if it altered how she saw me and that had some of those old fears come back to me. Was I good enough for her, after all the things that I'd done did I deserve this happiness with her?

"Hey, whatever you were thinking forget it. You have such a solemn look that it worries me. I know who you are, what you've done and to me you are still Batman, saving the world from everyone evil. Even now you are saving me. I understand why you would take responsibility for shooting Elaina, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it"

And that was what she'd been worrying about until now, that I would have another black mark against me for someone like Correll to pass judgement from.

"I've finished doing any contracts for the government, so it doesn't matter"

Well, I hoped so anyway, I still had to hear from Raynor and receive the paperwork.

"Why?"

I realized that I'd never told Steph that, it was something that I'd decided on when I'd first taken on the mission to find Elaina.

"Because I don't want to be called away from you and our child, I don't want to worry whether or not I don't come back or get seriously injured. I want to be in control of what I do and be here with you"

I saw her raise her eyebrows as though what I'd said had surprised her, now why would she be surprised?

"You love the chase. I can't see you retiring to sit behind a desk and I'm not going to put up with you being cranky when you're feeling frustrated"

Maybe she had a point but what about her?

"So being barefoot and pregnant and then being a mother and housewife is going to satisfy you?"

I watched as she opened her mouth and then closed it. I suppose what I'd been thinking today was going to be discussed sooner than I thought, because I could already see the frown on her face.

"I hadn't really thought ahead. I mean at the moment I'm thinking about marrying the love of my life. I'm not sure what to say other than what you said isn't going to happen. We can be parents and us at the same time, can't we?"

Maybe that was something that had worried her in the past, the vision of what a parent should look like had been engrained into her by her mother for years.

"Babe, we don't need to change who we are to be good parents, as long as whatever we do, we do it safely. I wouldn't appreciate you deactivating a bomb with our baby strapped to your chest"

Yeah, we definitely needed to consider what our life would look like in the future.

"Let's take one day at a time. Our future will evolve as we want it to"

That was as much as I wanted to talk about, so I made sure that she was sufficiently distracted as I ran my hands from her hips to her breasts, watching as she closed her eyes. To be honest being pregnant had made her hyper sensitive to me touching her so I loved the sounds that touching her elicited. Even as she ground herself against me I could feel how wet she was but I was always careful how we made love. After using my fingers to bring her to climax I rolled her over, knowing that I didn't want to move too deeply too quickly.

Being inside her, feeling her hands move over me and tasting her skin as I licked and nipped at her neck had my senses in overdrive. As I rubbed against her folds I could feel her tensing, feel as her body anticipated what was to come and with my final thrust, I felt as she clamped around me, both of us feeding off the orgasm to take us to new heights. I turned once more so that Steph was laid next to me and feeling her relax, I whispered to her.

"I love you Babe, for always"

"I love you too"

Came back on a sigh as she fell asleep.

The time passed all too quickly before the Friday that we were due to leave. I was surprised how calm Steph had been and that she had totally given up on trying to tease from me where we were going. I held out regardless of some of the tactics that she used. Ella was a godsend in keeping her occupied during the day and we now had plans for what the house would need to have done. After the wedding I'd planned for us to be away for two weeks before returning, though that also meant that we would have to host a dinner with our parents.

I'd had a visit from Lizbeth at Rangeman and yes, the men had been extremely wary of her being in the building. I'd taken her to my office so that we could talk undisturbed because I was curious why she was there. As with her father she'd spoken about her actions and as her father had apologized.

"Lizbeth, as far as I'm concerned, we've all made mistakes. The secret is to learn from them and move on"

"How's Steph?"

I was surprised that she hadn't spoken to Stanley because that was always the first thing that he asked me.

"She's good"

Was all that I said not wanting to say more because I was curious where she was going with this.

"I know that the two of you are getting married and that I need to congratulate you"

"But"

I asked even more sure that there was somewhere that she was going with this conversation.

"I wanted your opinion"

It seemed to me that Lizbeth was nervous, something that I hadn't expected from her. The times when I had come across her here in Trenton ,she'd been a very forthright woman, so what was making her so nervous and in need of my opinion?

"I wanted to ask Steph if she might want to work with me"

I sat back to look at her not understanding what it was exactly that she was asking.

"Doing what?"

Because at the moment there was no way that Steph was going to be chasing down skips or going after international villains.

"I want to set up an investigation business. I've tried to talk to my father, but he doesn't really understand what I was trying to say"

I knew that I had no right to dictate to Steph what she could or not do, it was up to her. Between the group they had managed to resolve two very difficult cases but the one in Monterey hadn't been without danger.

"I'm not sure what you're asking me Lizbeth or what advice you expect from me"

I really needed for Lizbeth to be more concise with what she was suggesting.

"I've muted the idea with Stanley and he thought that it was a way forward for me, in fact he said that he'd be more than willing to help. He gave me the contact for Ethan and I spoke to him. I know he's still raw from what happened with Ellie but he said that he'd think about it. There was someone called CJ there and he was really keen so I was wondering if I should ask Steph"

I didn't say anything as I considered what Lizbeth was saying. I had hoped that CJ and Ethan might come to work for Rangeman, but they had declined with their reasoning being that the work that they'd end up doing could be too constricting for them and without a challenge. It was certainly an interesting idea and with several people working then there would be times when Steph could be an active participant, in fact maybe it was something that would interest me. A challenge where I could pick and choose the jobs that we did.

"What if I was to consider making that a reality?"

I saw the frown cross Lizbeth's face and wondered if I'd assumed too much. I was sure that she hadn't come here expecting me to muscle my way into her proposal.

"What exactly are you saying? That you would want to be part of that team?"

"I suppose I am. You do know that Steph can't be involved in anything that would put her in any danger?"

"Yes. But she's amazing at researching and the way that she talks to people, well she makes them feel comfortable. I know being a parent will put constraints on what she could do"

Was I jumping into something that I might regret at a later date, I didn't know. What I did know was that her idea had sparked something inside of me.

"What I suggest you do is to come to me again with a business plan and for the people who definitely want this to work, present. Steph has some family issues to resolve first so if we met in say a months time?"

I saw her smile and knew immediately that she would do her best to present me with an extremely well thought out plan and no doubt she would have the support of the men that she'd mentioned.

"I'll talk to Steph before then and see what her reactions are"

"I err, have something in mind to help Steph, but that will be a surprise for when you get back"

I hated surprises so was slightly annoyed that even after asking her several times that she wouldn't tell me what she was planning. My annoyance was mainly my concern that she didn't end doing something that would hurt Steph emotionally.I pushed that meeting to the back of my head because I wanted to be totally focused on Steph for the near future.

Between Stanley, Santos, Tank, Bobby and Hector, yeah there was no way that those men could help but get involved, I felt that everything was organized with military precision for the event in Belize. Stanley was on the island with Hector making sure the property was secure and Ella and Louis had left early on the Friday morning to take charge of decorations and food. Tank and Bobby were collecting our guests from various locations and flying them down on the private jet. Santos, well he insisted on being the one who would accompany Steph and me. That Steph had asked him to give her away was the excuse that he was using but I knew that he wanted to be with us as backup.

It was the afternoon when we were finally sat on a second jet and on our way. I'd spent the morning ensuring all the details for the next day were finalized. Maria was aware of what we were doing and understood our need for keeping the arrangements away from our parents. She was happy to be organizing the surprise dinner with our families for when we returned. Her excuse for the visit was to check in with Steph and ensure that she was fit enough to travel though I could tell by Steph's initial reaction to that visit that she wouldn't be taking any notice of what Maria was going to say. I'd been given a full list of what she could and couldn't eat, what she could and couldn't do. I agreed with Steph, she was pregnant not ill. What had surprised me was when Maria had given me a small jewelry box, one that looked quite old.

"Abuela gave this to me after Abuelo died. She decided that she wanted to be alive to see it being used as a symbol of love, a love as deep as she'd had with him"

I know that I was frowning as I'd opened the box and seen the ring inside. It wasn't the original ring that my Abuelo had given to her, I knew that because Abuela still wore that one. It was the ring that he'd given to her on their fiftieth anniversary. It was a beautiful ring, unique in its design with a large diamond set in the white gold amongst a swirl of smaller diamonds. The main stone didn't protrude from its setting, no doubt to protect it, and would have been exactly what I would have chosen for Steph. I'd felt guilty because whilst I had the two white gold bands packed safely away for tomorrow, I hadn't thought about an engagement ring. Things had happened so quickly. I'd contemplated the ring that I'd given to Steph in Hawaii but quickly returned it to the vault in my office. This was a new beginning, and I didn't want memories of that week to jinx us.

"Didn't Celia want it or you for when you meet the right man?"

I'd asked confused as to why Maria would be giving me the ring.

"No. Abuela made me promise that it was to be for you. She always knew that you'd find the right woman, that you were so much like our Abuelo and that she would be your soulmate. Just as they were"

I was glad that we were going to be flying back into Miami and that one of the plans that I had was to visit our Abuela. I was pretty sure that she would love Steph and I wanted her to see that ring on Steph's finger, for her to know that she'd been right.

I could never understand why Steph always seemed so nervous with flying and was quick to hold her hand as the plane accelerated for take off.

"Thanks. I don't know why but the take off and landing make me feel so nervous"

As I leant forward and kissed her forehead, I felt the tension in her ease. It was something that I could do to help ease that worry.

"Maybe we need to fly more and then you'd get used to it"

I saw as she raised her eyebrows at me as if to say, yeah right.

"When I was in Istanbul, I couldn't help but think of you. How much you would enjoy being there and then all the places that I would to take you to"

Maybe the fact that Steph had actually been in Istanbul when we were there hadn't gone unnoticed by me. Maybe that was why she was on my mind, maybe I could sense that she was there.

"I liked Istanbul but we never really got to see everything. Where else were you thinking of?"

"Paris, Rome, London. But I think that there are places closer to home to explore first"

And yes they were on my itinerary for after our wedding.

"Where would you want to go Babe?"

I knew that Steph's experience had been limited to that one time in Hawaii and her recent trip to Serbia and Cyprus. Those didn't count. Yes, Hawaii had amazing memories, but they were like some fantasy dream that had been marred by Morelli's arrival. Thinking about our time there I had been a coward. I'd been so wrapped up in the illusion of what we had and then I'd dismissed it as soon as reality had hit me.

"Somewhere quiet yet with a feeling of history. I'm not sure about cities"

I was pleased with her answer because where I intended to visit before returning home would fit in with her ideas exactly. Belize was two hours behind us so while it would be late according to our body clocks, I knew that people would still be enjoying the evening. We had a buffet planned for our arrival so that Steph could talk to the people that were going to be there.

"This is going to be a long flight so maybe you need to try and sleep"

"A long flight?"

I watched as she frowned trying to work out where we were going.

"Miami was one of the places that I was guessing was where we were going to, or maybe the island"

I wasn't falling for that statement so instead just kissed the end of her nose seeing the look of annoyance that she gave me.

"Six hours. Sleep and then you'll feel like eating and socializing"

Yeah, the magic words that had Steph smiling before she reclined her seat and curled up against my arm. Steph didn't wake up as we were approaching the runway at John Greif Airport an airport that served San Pedro and Ambergris Caye. Being a shorter runway though the force of the brakes coming on had her eyes suddenly opening.

"What happened, is everything okay?"

I could see that she was disorientated, and the sudden deceleration had shocked her. Maybe I should have woken her sooner. Santos was soon on his feet and it was him who was giving her the answer that she wanted to hear.

"We've arrived Beautiful. Are you ready for this? There's still time to change your mind?"

There were times when I could easily hit Santos for what he said but seeing the smile on Steph's face maybe this wasn't one of them. He was the one to take her hand and pull her from the seat and then lead her to the open door and steps. I watched as Steph paused to look around her, as though she might recognize where we were. I doubted that she would and was relieved as she started to walk down the steps to the jeep parked at the side of the plane. The driver wasn't someone that I recognized so I assumed that he worked for Stanley and that he was trustworthy. Half an hour later we were walking down a shale pathway when suddenly Steph stopped and looked around us.

"Are we, no that's a stupid idea, but I'm sure that I recognize where we are"

I let go of her hand and watched as she went ahead of us down the path that would lead onto the beach. It was the sound of squeals and shouts that assured me that Steph had come across our guests. As I passed through the trees I watched her, taking in the happiness that I saw on her face. She was surrounded by people but was in the middle of women that she hadn't seen for an age. Edna, Lula, Mary Lou and her sister and nieces. I know that Steph had expressed that she didn't want her sister here, but Edna had assured me that her sister Val had cut ties with their parents as well. Val was totally disgusted with her mother and the lies that she was perpetuating around the Burg. Her and Mary Lou were good friends now and whilst Steph seemed a bit wary of Val being here, I watched as Mary Lou was talking to her and hopefully explaining the situation.

After her initial meeting with those friends Steph was soon back by my side.

"Thank you, I never expected for my grandma and sister to be here"

"They love and trust you Babe. They have never believed the lies, so they deserve to be here"

They were all part of her family just as the men were who were slowly heading toward us. Hector, Ram, Tank, Bobby, Cal and Hal. They were the ones that had helped Steph over the last few months, the ones that were closest to her. Okay, the men back at Rangeman were also good friends to her but I couldn't remove all of the men without compromising the business. Stanley and Lizbeth were in the background talking to Ella and I was sure that I spotted Ethan and CJ somewhere. Those people were new to me but I knew that with Steph they had built up a strong bond.

The evening passed exactly how I wanted it to. Relaxed with food to graze from and company to talk to. Steph never left my side the entire evening. She'd changed from the trousers and blouse that she'd travelled in and was wearing a long flowing dress that reached the floor. It accentuated her breasts, which had increased in size, drawing the eye to her shoulders and the radiant smile on her face. To be honest while she was carrying a small bump I didn't think that many people would see it.

A look at my watch and I knew that we needed to catch some sleep. Being on the east coast of the island we were going to be catching the sunrise for our ceremony. To me that welcomed the dawn, the start of a new day and the start of our lives as husband and wife. I slowly extracted Steph from the conversation that she was having with CJ and started to walk toward the small cabin just beyond where the evenings activities had taken place.

"What time is it, I've totally lost track of time talking to people"

"Ten o'clock"

Ensuring that I used a time that Steph would understand.

"It's still early then. Are you going to take advantage of me seeing as we're on the beach and hopefully have that cabin to ourselves?"

I could hear the playfulness in her voice and felt the trousers that I was wearing tighten. That sounded like a good idea to me.

"Always an opportunist Babe"

With our arms around each other we were walking slowly through the sand when voices came from behind me. I stopped and turned, curious as to why someone was behind us and to be honest feeling slightly anxious. I couldn't understand why we had an entourage of four women.

"Say goodnight to her Ranger. You'll see her in the morning"

I stood open mouthed as Mary Lou took Steph's arm and as Lula took the other and they started to walk her away from me. What the hell was going on.

"Bad luck for the groom to see the bride"

Was muttered by Edna as she and Val walked past me. Even Steph seemed disappointed with what they were suggesting but shrugged her shoulders to imply that there was nothing that she could about it. I turned and saw Santos smiling at me, giving me the impression that he knew that would be happening.

"The mighty Manoso outsmarted by four women. We've got some cold beers down by the water's edge"

I spent some time sat on the sand with most of the men here. It felt weird to be part of such a large group of men yet in some ways comforting. We laughed and joked, swapped stories and reminisced. In fact we ended up falling asleep on the beach to the sound of the waves and the gentle breeze blowing over us.

"Time to move gentlemen, things to do"

Was the harsh voice that woke me. It was still dark, but I could never fail to recognize the loud shout from Ella. Everyone was immediately awake, and I was relieved that no one seemed hung over from too much drink, in fact they all seemed remarkable sober and alert. Stanley led us over to the new premises that he had renovated so after a shower, shave and dressing in the white trousers and shirt I was soon outside watching the scene before me change. Chairs had been moved to face the sea and a small arbor had been erected that was covered in flowers. Torches were lit all around giving a romantic feel to the atmosphere. Shit, when had the word romantic become part of my vocabulary? Slowly men and some of the women emerged dressed in smarter clothes and as they started to take their seats, I knew that the time had arrived for me to take my place.

Tank beckoned me so I walked down the beach to where he was stood, in front of the arbor. He patted the pocket on his shirt so I knew that he had the rings in his possession and I had that special ring safely tucked into my trouser pocket. Stanley was standing with a gentleman who I assumed was here to officiate the ceremony and I extended my hand as we were introduced. Being part of Belize the ceremony would be carried out in English. As a hush fell over the crowd behind me I turned and my eyes instantly fell on the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. The flames danced across her face and dress, highlighting her smile as she walked down the beach and between the chairs. Santos, well he was grinning from ear to ear and I suppose it was contagious. I knew that I was smiling as Steph looked at me, her white dress flowing around her legs in the gentle breeze, her hair flowing in waves around her face making her look like an angel to me. As Santos released Steph's hand and I took it we turned to face the minister and the sea beyond, the first glimpse of the sun rising in front of us.

I was lost in her eyes as I spoke my words of love, lost in her face as she spoke of her love. I was lost in her touch as we placed the rings on each other's finger and totally lost in the kiss that confirmed our marriage. If anyone were to ask me what happened, I hadn't clue. I was only aware of the feeling of total love and calm that surrounded me. Before we turned to the expectant crowd behind us I held Steph to me with one arm while I removed the engagement ring from my pocket. I was sure that Steph was confused with what I was doing but she held her silence allowing me to explain.

"This ring belonged to my Abuela, a symbol of a long and loving marriage. She wanted the woman who I married to wear this knowing that that woman would be my soulmate as her and her husband had been"

I pushed the ring onto Steph's finger next to her wedding band, smiling as she continued to look down at it.

"It's beautiful"

Tank's voice made me aware of everyone watching us so as he made his announcement, I had no choice but to turn us around and face our guests.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr and Mrs. Manoso"