Previously-

Babe,

Be here to pick you up at 1900 for

dinner.

Love you,

R

My man of so many words. I showered and lotioned and put on minimal makeup with pink lip gloss, and put some shine product in my curls and finger dried them. The dress fit perfect and so did the shoes. When I walked into the living room, I gasped. Ranger was wearing a slim fitting Hugo Boss suit with his hair slicked back and Ferragamo shoes and he looked like a man straight out of the 1960's era. He looked like a male model. Wow, this was my man. All six foot of brawn and latin hot. Mine...

Chapter 16

"Hi."

"You look beautiful Babe."

"So do you. Channeling 'Mad Men' are you? It's a hot look on you."

"Does it make you want me?"

"You bet it does."

"Good. Can't wait till later."

"Where are we going?"

He took my hand and we headed to the fire door and stairs and up the the roof. The roof? He opened the door and I gasped. There on the helicopter pad was a little café table and chairs. Standing candelabras and small candles were lit all around the roof and flower petals were everywhere. In the corner of the roof was a big spotlight and the Batman signal was shining up into the sky. I put my hand over my mouth. "Where did you get that? It's great!"

"I had it made for you, for tonight." Soft music began to play coming from some speakers on the side of the building.

The door opened and Ella came through pushing a cart and stopped next to the table and smiled and walked back through the door. Ranger uncovered the food and nodded to the table behind me. The meal was like the seafood platter that we shared in Miami. It was delicious and Ella had made a key lime pie to go with it.

When we were finished, Ranger took my hand and pulled me to the center of the roof and put his arms around me. I lay my head against his shoulder and we danced slowly together for a long time and then he hit a button on his watch and smiled at me. He got down on one knee and looked up at me and pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it to show me a whopping princess cut diamond ring with small diamonds around it and down the band. "Stephanie, my Babe, will you marry me?" I turned and all the Rangemen were on the roof and Lula, Ella and her husband Luis.

"Okay, so you brought all these big scary men up here to intimidate me into saying yes, right?" He grinned.

"Well it worked. Yes!" I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. Everyone began clapping and whooping and whistling and I heard several, 'it's about damn times'.

Two months later we were on Ranger's plane with our closest family and friends on our way to New Orleans. There was Tank and Lula, Lester and Elisa, Bobby and his girl Cheryl, Mary Lou and Lenny, Connie and Gordon, Mom and Dad and Grandma and my sister Val and her boyfriend Albert. Ranger's brother Marco and wife and sister Lucia and her husband Nicolas and Ranger's parents and Abuela were on the plane and pushing its capacity limits. The pilots, Kevin and Jack were going to make another trip back to Trenton to pick up more Rangemen and all their girls so they could stay the weekend too.

I knew that I couldn't have a wedding in or near the Burg after what happened with Greg and I even had a problem when it came to choosing a wedding dress and I couldn't do it. Ranger took over everything and we decided to have a quiet and intimate ceremony with just very few close friends and family away from home.

Ranger had booked a famous Plantation outside of New Orleans on the Mississippi river. It was built in 1839 and was the most photographed and romantic Plantation in the south. Internationally renowned for its alley of twenty-eight evenly spaced and intertwined giant live oak trees leading to the house, believed to be nearly 300 years old. They had a cajun/creole restaurant on the grounds, nineteenth century bed and breakfast cottages and a truly romantic setting for a wedding and reception. Ranger booked the entire place for the whole weekend just for us.

The Plantation curators and staff had assisted Ranger with wedding decorations, flowers, reception decorations, photographer, food and cake along with a local New Orleans jazz band. We checked in and had a leisurely rehearsal dinner in the cajun restaurant that night and celebrated a little too much.

The next morning Ranger knocked on my door and woke me and sent me to one of the rooms set up for the brides party and there was a professional masseuse and a hairdresser and a couple girls from her salon. All of us girls squealed and the moms liked it too. Instead of being a pain in the sphincter, my mother was surprisingly on her best behavior and I'm guessing it was because she was thinking that my inner spinster was due to emerge soon and this might be my last chance at marriage.

Ranger had a little 'hair of the dog' tray delivered in the form of a pitcher of mimosas and champagne glasses. My dreamy man was da' bomb and I couldn't believe he was about to be all mine. I was about to get that future that I fought so hard for. I had kissed him goodnight and stayed with Connie last night and I was giddy thinking about him being my husband tonight.

I whispered to my mom, "I'm depending on you to keep an eye on Grandma today. We don't want a repeat of last night." My mother grimaced and shivered. Grandma was dangerous sober, but with a couple or three glasses of wine in her she was eighty years of disaster on wheels. Disaster? Wheels? Wow, it never dawned on me that my bad luck in destroying my wheels could be inherited.

Anyway, last night Grandma got blotto and decided to go for a table dance. She made it on to one of the tables on her hands and knees, but when she went to stand up she wobbled and fell off into Bobby's lap and went for a good grope. He jumped up and pushed her into Tank's lap and she got a real good grip on him and wouldn't let go and he jumped up and ran in a circle with her for a minute and wrestled her loose and tossed her into Ranger's brother Marco's lap where she got in another good pinch and he yelped when finally, Gordon barked at the stunned men and the chaos one little old lady had wreaked and picked her up by her red bikini panties and panty hose which were showing due to the scuffle and walked her out of the room like a sack of potatoes while the room of stunned faces watched the words 'Numero Uno hottie' on her little saggy butt disappear around the corner. Got to give it to Grandma for getting in the spirit and embracing my new latin family. However, every latin man in the room was either covering his eyes or grimacing. They evidently didn't quite appreciate her enthusiasm.

When Gordon came back and looked at the still stunned men, he barked, "At ease men she's sleeping it off." Drill sergeants were really good at restoring order. He looked at me and grinned and said, "Now I know where you get that crazy shit Plum!" I lost it then and bent over in a fit of laughter and then the rest of the girls did the same. Ranger started laughing, Lester was howling and eventually everyone was laughing it was so contagious and it lasted for at least fifteen minutes because as soon as one person would stop then another would start again.

We decided to see what Ranger had picked out for me before the hairdresser did my hair. We unzipped the white bag and I gasped at the dress. There was a note attached to the inside of the bag.

Babe,

When I saw this, it reminded me of your

short cascading curls when you first cut

your hair. So beautiful. Hope you like it.

Your sapphires will be lovely with this.

Blue, to match your eyes is my favorite

color on you.

My love,

R

The dress was simple and elegant. It was white and strapless with a sweetheart neckline and had little fluttery chiffon ruffles cascading from the waist all the way down to the hem. It had a beaded belt with a swarovski crystal bow in front. There was no veil. Just a little tiara matching the belt with the bow. I opened a box that said Benjamin Adams London and inside were a pair of bridal shoes to match the dress with peeptoe and a crystal wrapped bow. A bag with lingerie held a white corset with garter and thigh high hose with a little blue and white bridal garter with a bow. I couldn't have picked anything better myself and it made the ensemble all the more special because my man had chosen it because this was his vision for me on our wedding day. The hairdresser and I looked at each other and smiled and we both said together, "Hair definitely up."

My hair had grown a couple inches and she had pulled it back and up into a twist and let the top layers spring free and placed the tiara within the curls. I put my jewelry on and then the lingerie and finally the dress and without a fitting, it was perfect. It didn't have a big heavy train and it was light and comfortable and I felt like a princess. Walking into the next room and hearing all the girls gasp confirmed that it was a special dress.

Lula said, "Damn girl! You look like one of them Disney princesses. Batman picked that for you?" I nodded. Mary Lou had her hand over her mouth, Lucia was jumping up and down and Connie was shaking her head. Elisa said, "If Lester ever mans up and pops the question, Ranger is going to be my wedding planner…Mmm..mmm..mm..girl."

At 1600 hours on the nose, the patio doors opened and I stepped through on my Dad's arm and this time my groom was there and waiting for me with a smile and a gleam in his eyes. He was in full Armani tuxedo and blue tie. He had his hair cut to about his ears and it was loose and wavy. There were diamonds in his ears and pride in his smile. My beautiful man. I smiled back at him.

The guys were dressed in full Ranger dress greens with their medals on the lapels, braids and sash around the waist and white gloves at attention and drool worthy handsome. My girls had picked their own dresses and even Lula had chosen something both beautiful and appropriate. They had coordinated together and were wearing different colors of blue because Ranger likes blue. He had paid for everything.

My Dad kissed me and placed my hand in Ranger's. He looked at me and whispered, "So beautiful Babe." I gazed at him as my attention was turned to a Gordon in full army dress chaplain greens as he moved in front of us. "What? Gordon?"

He whispered, "I united lots of my boys before they went to war missy. These words were prepared with you in mind." He blessed us and then he looked at me and smiled.

"War is like fire…Love burns like fire…

In War, Lay down your arms or they can be used against you…In love, may your arms be used to protect and warm that which you hold dear…

Fight the war swiftly and don't allow the enemy to turn the war in his favor…Forgive often so your love continues to grow…

For the victor, capture the state...In capturing a heart you've won a great victory…

Position your army to deal with quick and changing conditons...In a marriage be prepared for good times and bad…

Plan your moves in a controlled environment...May your home be blessed and happy…

Then savor your victory and thank God that you live to fight another day…May your union not be entered into lightly but with faith and honor and love..."

Stephanie and Carlos you may exchange rings." Ranger placed a platinum and diamond band on my finger and I placed a matching band on his. Then Gordon asked us to repeat the words to one another that would seal us as man and wife.

"Carlos and Stephanie you are now man and wife. You have both claimed victory on this special day. May God bless you. Carlos kiss this woman and declare her finally yours."

Ranger grinned and did exactly that. He bent me over and kissed the shit out of me. My tiara almost flopped on the floor. When he raised me back up I was flushed and dizzy and a very happy woman. Everyone clapped as we made our way to the salon where dinner would take place. We were embraced by everyone before sitting down to our cajun wedding dinner of seafood gumbo or creole onion soup, tossed green salad, chicken esplanade or shrimp scarlet with andouille.

My gorgeous husband held my hand and kissed me in between bites. Oh joy, the spoils of war...

TBC