Despite my attempts at keeping Ranger and Stephanie's wedding only one chapter long, it quickly turned into two. The second chapter is already written, and I hope to have it ready to post this week. All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine.
Chapter 22
I've spent the better part of two days pretending to be a grown up, keeping another set of eyes on Julie and the guys at all times. Which, let me tell you, isn't easy. Thank God Ranger made sure his schedule was light during the week of Julie's visit and the wedding, so he was around to tell the guys when to tone down the child's play. There was always one or two of the men shadowing Julie when she ventured out of our apartment, making sure she had a good time and had free rein over the building. One of the days turned into a combination of gym class and show and tell.
"Lester," Julie said, gesturing towards Bob, our resident punching bag with abs second only to Ranger's,"is this where you're supposed to hit?"
"You got it, Jules," Lester said to her."You nail a guy in the kidneys and he's toast."
"Umm, I don't think Rachel is going to appreciate this," I said to Lester.
"Why not? Who wouldn't want their daughter to be able to defend herself?" Lester asked.
It doesn't happen very often, but Lester did have a point. If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be able to locate every pressure point on the body and know every cheap shot in the book so she'd have a chance at getting herself away from any kind of attacker. Still, I checked with Ranger to make sure it was okay. I didn't want gym time to turn into mat time for the guys.
"We're cleared," I told everyone."Okay, Julie, let me show you a few of my patented get away from a bad guy moves."
Lester automatically put his hands behind his back and turned so his groin wasn't in kneeing range.
I tried to bite back a smile at Lester's reaction, but no such luck. He's been on the receiving end of at least one of them, so I grinned evilly at him before concentrating solely on Julie. I showed her everything the guys and Ranger have taught me over the last couple of weeks, along with the things that have helped me save my own ass in the past.
Forty minutes later, I felt that Julie could handle a school bully as well as an assassin. Of course, Julie's already shown that she can handle herself under pressure. I could tell from the expressions on the faces of the guys as they watched Julie in the gym, they didn't expect anything less from a child of Ranger's, even if Julie hadn't been raised by him.
"Lester, you're treating for ice cream, right?" Julie asked him.
Score one for me, I thought to myself. I'd put the idea in Julie's head to mention an ice cream run to Lester after we were done in the gym, knowing that Lester wouldn't be able to resist her or her dimples. We all have our strengths, and manipulating Lester is one of mine. I know Ranger would've paid for all of us if I'd asked him, but this is way more fun.
"I'd be happy to buy you ice cream, Julie," Lester told her, looking sideways at me, knowing full well that I was behind the ice cream prompt.
I smiled at Lester and hoped that made us even. It didn't.
"But to make things more interesting, I think the last one to make it to the lobby should pay," Lester said to us.
Shit. I may be in better shape than I've ever been, but I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of beating anyone here. The guys are taller, stronger, and used to shit like this. I was totally and completely screwed. That knowledge didn't stop me from giving it my all though.
I grabbed Julie's hand and tugged her towards the stairwell. Then I gave her the best strategy I could come up with at the time.
"Run!" I shouted, as I pulled open the door and dragged her with me through it.
As expected, we were passed by everyone before we'd even reached the third floor. To make my defeat a little more humiliating, Bobby scooped up Julie and took her along with him, leaving me in the dust. Hector, God love him, took pity on me and stayed one step behind my panting body the entire way so he wound up footing the bill in the end despite my many protests. Hector would've kicked all our asses if he hadn't been feeling chivalrous that day.
Ranger met us in the lobby when we got back to Rangeman. I was still licking 'Icing On The Cake' ice cream off my lips when Ranger pressed his to mine.
"Sweet," Ranger said.
"Thank you," I told him, smiling.
He looked like he wanted to give me an eyeroll, but he restrained himself.
"Rachel is on her way over," Ranger told us.
"Uh-oh," I said."Are we going to be in trouble for giving Julie ice cream?"
"No. You'd probably be in more trouble for not getting Rachel a pint of whatever it is you just had."
I let out a relieved breath."I can pick her up some tomorrow," I told Ranger.
"I was kidding, Babe. You don't have to buy Rachel anything."
"I know. But giving anyone a gift of ice cream heavily laced with frosting bits and cake chunks can't hurt."
"That is true. Many cease-fires have occurred due to large quantities of sugar mixed with artificial flavors being distributed."
"Someone's got a sense of humor today," I said to Ranger.
"I try, Babe."
I have no problem rolling my eyes. And to prove it, I rolled both of mine before turning to Julie.
"Even though you couldn't find out where Ranger's taking me either, and Lester didn't end up paying for our ice cream, I think we did okay today."
"Me, too. I wish your wedding was a little further away, so we can have more days like this one."
"You will, Julie," Ranger said."We'll work on something as soon as Stephanie and I get back. If you want to visit over the summer, and your parents agree to it, I'll arrange things here around it."
"Did you catch that, Lester?" I asked him, giving him a taste of a good old-fashioned Burg glare."You're buying next time."
"You wish, Plum."
Ranger cut him a look while I shook my head at Julie.
"You heard him, Julie. We have our work cut out for us."
"Don't worry, Steph, we'll smoke him on my next visit," she said, reminding me so much of Ranger at that moment my chest hurt.
"Dream on, Martine," Lester told Julie, drawing her in our friendly-ish Rangeman rivalry.
"Did I forget to mention that stand-ins are allowed and Ranger will be running for me?" I said, not bothering to check with Ranger ahead of time."You'll be eating your words instead of ice cream, Santos."
Julie giggled and Lester groaned. Ranger never loses anything, and everyone in Trenton knows it.
Ranger gave his head an imperceptible shake."What am I going to do with you, Babe?"
"Love me?" I asked.
"Already done," he told me.
The sun was shining on the day of our wedding. I'd kept one eye on the weather most of the week until I finally told myself to quit being an idiot for worrying about something I have no control over. The wedding is indoors anyway. The hours for the ceremony and reception were set for four to eight. Not too late for the girls or the men who'd want to hit the casino afterwards.
Ranger and I spent the day with Julie until it was time to leave for Atlantic City. Hearing her talk about school, her friends, and what she plans to cram into her summer vacation, took my mind off of what could potentially go wrong today. A face-to-face meeting with my mom, tripping over my dress at some point and landing on my ass, making my vows sound like I'd been drinking right before reading them ...
"Are you nervous, Steph?" Julie asked me.
"Not exactly," I told her."I think I'm more worried about Martin's plans getting messed up."
"Babe."
"Yeah ... I know. They're my plans, too."
"I bet everything will go okay," Julie told me.
"They will. Ranger has a way of ensuring it."
"I won't have to threaten anyone, Steph," Ranger said."Martin appears capable of holding his own."
"Yup. He's a force to be reckoned with."
About wedding stuff anyway.
A little after noon, Rachel came to get Julie and I gathered all my stuff together, then followed Ranger to the garage. It seems stupid to leave the building since most of the people invited are from here, but Ranger drove us to the venue without commenting on the distance we were traveling. We separated with a quick kiss and I went with Martin to the area set aside for the bride and all her crap.
I soon found that aside from being able to now kick some serious FTA ass, working out everyday made my dress fit me perfectly. The combination tulle, organza, and lace sheath hugged my curves, and I couldn't help but love the gown more than the day I first saw it just for making me feel even better about myself today. The scar from Homer Ramos's bullet is visible if you really look for it. And there's now a very pink start to a new scar from my fence run-in when I'd gone after Dusty Webber, but neither one bothered me. I dabbed a bit of concealer on the latest one to lessen the 'newness' of it, and then quickly forgot about them. These marks are now as much a part of me as my curly brown hair and blue eyes.
Instead, I thought about last night when Ranger had completely surprised me with a gift. And I was wearing it today. Ranger's observational skills are at their peak around me, and he apparently noticed my expression while looking at a bracelet I'd seen at the mall the day he shocked me by coming along. It was the same bracelet I was thinking about when we were visiting Julie in Miami.
"I saw how affected you were by a single word, Babe," Ranger told me, holding up the delicate silver chain with a small oval connecting it with the word 'loved' engraved in script across it."And I want you to know that you are loved. By me, the men you work with here, and also Julie, Ella, and my family. Any time you question that, I want you to just look down at this."
I'd just convinced myself that I wouldn't cry at all during the ceremony, and there I was bordering on choked up because of Ranger's pre-wedding present. I never would have called myself one, but turns out I am a big 'ol sap. I swallowed hard and looked up at Ranger.
"I don't know what to say to this," I told him.
"Good. Because you don't have to say anything. I made sure this one was designed so it can be worn on your wrist or your ankle. I bet Hector can figure out a way of also making it into a necklace or some kind of weapon if you ask nicely."
"Hector is a man of many talents."
"He is. And some of his talents are even legal," Ranger said to me.
I remember Ranger saying something like that about his own work ethic and moral code.
I'd chosen to wear Ranger's gift today around my ankle as my something new. My something borrowed is from Coleta. Or I should say ... Coleta and her mother. They were small diamond drop earrings that were given to Rosa before her wedding, which she then gave to Coleta on her wedding day. I tried to politely decline, because there was a lot of history attached to those diamonds and I didn't want to lose, drop, or damage them in any way before they were returned, but Coleta and Rosa tag-teamed me and my concerns went unheard.
The something blue came courtesy of a shopping trip Mary Lou had with her boys. It was a temporary Batman tattoo that I'd put low on my hip before I'd slipped on my wedding dress. Hopefully it'd last long enough for Ranger to see it. Somehow I don't think he'd mind this Batman reference once he sees where I decided to put it. Something old was from Grandma Mazur. It was a ribbon from her own wedding bouquet that I'd wrapped around my own today. I'm just thankful it wasn't a garter or something else I didn't want to think about Grandma wearing.
That made me look down at the bouquet I'll be carrying. It was a mix of white roses and calla lilies, but instead of greenery and different colored flowers, there were tiny black flowers made out of gemstones tucked in between the white flowers to add a bit of color without taking away from the simplicity of the arrangement. Shit. Now I'll have to figure out how to subtly ditch the thing when I get out there since I won't be able to just hand it off to the person standing next to me.
The room I'm using has been extremely busy today. I'd talked to the photographer a few days ago and told her that I didn't want just standard, boring, or completely staged photos. I wanted all the chaos and fun of the day captured, too. So I could see Alison McKenney's graying hair bobbing and weaving between everyone in the room with me, snapping photos, and laughing when she got caught at it. I know she's already been outside on the terrace taking ocean shots, and was busy earlier taking a lot of photos of our friends and family arriving. When the time comes, she'll be pointing that camera at me and Ranger as we become husband and wife. That's one thing I have no issues with. I do want one or two special pictures of the two of us.
Completely behind Ranger's back, I did ask Alison if she could somehow get a picture of just Ranger and Julie together, and she promised to do her best. I know that particular request will get me a raised eyebrow and an internal eyeroll from Ranger, but I don't care. I think both Ranger and Julie need to be reminded that they have each other.
Mary Lou, Valerie, and Ella have been with me since they got here. While Kloughn got Lisa duty, Angie and Mary Alice were running in and out, periodically updating us as to what was going on outside the door. Connie and Lula were in here, too, 'helping' me decide how I want my hair and makeup done. Mostly I ignored them, since the only things natural on them are their boobs. I can't compete with them in that area, so I was determined to stand out in other ways.
My makeup was simple, I paid a lot more attention to my eyes and tried to make them stand out more than usual. My cheeks were flushed enough with the excitement of the day, so I didn't do much to them. My lips weren't left alone, but I didn't want Ranger to be wearing what I put on, so I'd taken that into account and tried a lip pencil trick I'd seen in a magazine. I had Coleta's earrings, the anklet/bracelet from Ranger, and my engagement ring as my only jewelry for the day. Which reminded me, I looked around the room for Julie. She was with Rachel, talking to Valerie and the girls.
Julie was wearing a pale blue lace overlay dress, with a thin satin ribbon attached at the waist. She looked absolutely beautiful and also a little more grown up. She's dipping her toe into fashion, but I'm glad Julie isn't attempting to look years older than she really is. I'm sure Rachel shopping with her had a little something to do with that, too.
"Hey, Julie," I said, walking over to her, as Valerie nudged her girls a few feet away to give Julie and I the illusion of privacy,"can you keep this safe for me until after the ceremony?"
I slid off my engagement ring, all three and some carats of it, and handed it to her. Julie's eyes bugged out, making me think briefly of Lula's usual oh shit! expression.
"You want me to wear your ring?" She asked.
"I will want it back, but I'll feel better with you watching over it for me until I do."
"Umm ... sure," she said."I can do that. I promise I won't lose it."
I smiled. Losing that particular ring isn't an option, since I'm pretty sure Ranger wasn't joking about hiding a tracker inside it somehow. The ring was too big for any of Julie's fingers, but the way her other hand closed over it, keeping it where it was, told me I had nothing to worry about.
When Julie went to show Angie and Mary Alice what she'd been entrusted with, Rachel moved closer to me, having witnessed the entire exchange.
"That was a nice way of making Julie feel special," Rachel said to me.
"I do feel a little guilty about not having bridesmaids or a flower girl so Julie could be in the wedding," I told Rachel,"but I want Julie to know that I trust her with something important to me."
"Just like I had to trust you. I don't know if I've adequately expressed just how grateful I am to you for what you did - and were willing to do - for Julie."
"Like I told Ranger," I said to Rachel,"I didn't do anything that a million people wouldn't have done if asked. And there's a whole room full of people out there to name just a few. No thanks will ever be needed for that, Rachel. Anyway, this day isn't supposed to be about me ..." I stopped when what I was saying sank in."Okay, so maybe it is supposed to be about me, since I'm the bride and all, but it feels weird when people thank me for doing the right thing."
She looked at me for beat, me standing there in my wedding gown about to marry the guy who gave her Julie. It could have been uncomfortable, but I think both Rachel and I decided on our own to respect each other and the connection we have to Ranger, and not turn bitchy towards one another. We both love Julie, and that's the only thing we are going to focus on.
"Carlos is lucky to have found you," Rachel told me, finally.
"I'd say it's the other way around."
She gave me a small smile and went back to Julie and the girls.
"I can't believe you're minutes away from having a kid," Valerie said, when Rachel was out of earshot.
"Julie's the kind of kid I can handle," I told Val."I got to skip right over the entire potty training thing. You and Mary Lou really should have thought about that."
"Actually, potty training isn't bad compared to what you have to deal with when they hit school age," Mary Lou said, materializing next to us.
"Tell me about it," Valerie told her in commiseration.
"Please ... don't," I said to them."I've got to make sure I look presentable before I go out there, and I don't want my face stuck on grimace, thinking about another puking up cereal in the nurse's office story. You know, I might have been really stupid not having any of you with me out there. Now everyone will be looking only at us."
"Steph," Mary Lou said,"they'd be looking at you two anyway."
"You do look beautiful, Steph," Val said."Ranger's going to be very happy."
"Ranger will be happy when they land wherever it is they're going after this," Mary Lou told Val."I've always thought that the wedding is for the bride and the honeymoon is for the groom."
"Albert and I didn't go on a honeymoon," Val said.
"You guys went to Disney World to escape your own wedding," I told her."That sort of counts."
"That was a nice trip. It was the first time we were able to relax since I'd decided we were getting married."
"I would have left Albert for Goofy if it'd been me there instead of you," I told Valerie.
"This coming from the woman who's about to marry an Avenger."
"The I Dos are getting closer," I said to them. "I hope I don't make an idiot of myself."
"You'll be fine, Steph," Mary Lou said."As soon as you see Ranger, you'll forget all about the hundred other people in the room staring at you."
I rolled my eyes."That's just what I needed to hear, Mary Lou. Thanks."
"What are best friends for?"
"Stephanie," Ranger's mom Coleta said, coming into the room with my own mother."Look who wanted to come say how sorry she is for missing your dinner the other night."
Yeah, right. I casually looked over my mother's pastel, floral print dress with coordinating satin jacket to see where Coleta had stuck the gun. No way is my mother apologizing except under duress.
"Stephanie, I am sorry I didn't join you. I had a prior engagement I couldn't get out of."
Yeah, like a meeting with God to hopefully get the wedding called off probably.
"You missed out on a great night," I told my mom.
"I'm sure I did. Mrs. Manoso has been very ... generous ... in telling me all about it."
"Helen seems to be lucky enough to have multiple dates tonight. I've seen your father, Cal, and also Hector paying special attention to her, not letting her out of their sight."
Boss's orders, I thought to myself. God, I love the boss.
"I know this whole wedding concept isn't really your cup of tea, Mom," I said,"but I'd hoped you'd be able to fake your way through it and find some way to enjoy yourself."
"While I'll admit to it being different," my mom said,"it seems lovely so far."
So far? What does she expect to happen? Ranger and I rappelling into the room? A paintball war breaking out after the vows? Laser tag over cocktails, maybe?
"Our wedding planner, Martin, worked very hard to make sure the wedding stays lovely," I told her."You might not agree with me, but I know what I'm doing here. You and I both know this isn't my first wedding go 'round."
My mother's lips thinned.
"Stephanie, being divorced is nothing to be proud of," she said to me.
"Maybe it's not," I told her,"but the wedding and marriage to Dickie you were all for, and we all know how bad that turned out. This is how Ranger and I wanted our wedding done, and I know our marriage is one that will stick."
Coleta looked between me and my mom, accurately sizing up the situation.
"My son," Coleta said,"doesn't commit to something unless he's absolutely sure it can be done. If he asked Stephanie to marry him after swearing he'd never get married again, there will be no divorce."
"Your son certainly appears to love Stephanie," my mom said,"but marriage is hard work ..."
"That's where you're wrong, Mom," I told her,"everything with Ranger has been easy. Joe is the one I would've struggled every day with."
"You got that right," Grandma Mazur said, coming in behind my mom."You two fought more than cats and dogs."
"We had a few differing opinions," I told her.
"You bet your patooty you did," she agreed."Plus, you had the hots for Ranger all along, which didn't help things."
"My son is a very handsome man," Coleta said to me, beaming with pride.
Coleta can brag all she wants to about Ranger, I know I definitely won't mind.
"No kidding," I said, smiling at her."Your genes should be bottled, but there is way more to Ranger than his physical appearance."
"Yes, there is," she said."A lot more. And I'm glad he found someone to appreciate that."
"Stephanie loves everything about Ranger," Grandma said to Coleta."I ain't ever seen her this happy before, and this calm before something this big."
"Grandma ..." I warned, not exactly comfortable discussing my feelings with my family.
"It's true," she told me."You haven't run away from Ranger or Rangeman once. If anything, you run to them."
Could be Ranger isn't the only observant one here. I really can't imagine wanting to leave Ranger or his building over anything, never mind over something as stupid as a fight about peanut butter which led to another Morelli/Stephanie time-out.
"Maybe Joseph wasn't right for you," my mom said, trying to make amends I guess.
But it'll take a lot more than that.
"Joe and I weren't compatible for a number of reasons," I said.
"Yeah, not like me and the looker I snagged for a wedding date," Grandma Mazur said to us, redirecting the conversation to a safer subject.
As safe a subject as a Grandma date can be anyway.
"You have a date?" I asked.
"You're darn right I do. Turns out he was invited, too, so we didn't step on your no date rule."
Now I was curious.
"Who is it?" I asked her.
"That sexy Santos guy," Grandma told me."Imagine that hunk of man candy asking me to be his date. I had a hunch he was sweet on me when he took me out for the afternoon when you were being followed by that Tavish schmuck."
I looked over at Mary Lou and Valerie."Lester Santos, the quintessential man-whore with a heart of gold."
They laughed while Grandma's eye lit up.
"Don't get your hopes up, Grandma," I told her."Even Lester has limits."
"Too bad," she said."I could have taught him a few things."
Yeah, like how not to swallow your dentures during sex. I shuddered. Now is definitely not the time to be thinking about that.
"Mother ..." my mom said to her, glancing briefly towards Coleta.
Guess public opinion still matters to a degree.
"You really need to relax a little, Mom," Valerie told her.
"Yeah, Helen. Get a grip," Grandma said."We're almost family now, and Coleta here doesn't mind me being honest."
"No, I don't," Ranger's mom said."In fact, I think honesty is important in any relationship."
A trait passed down to her children, it seems. Ranger was brutally honest even if it hurt sometimes.
Martin poked his head in."We're counting down," he said to me."Are you going to make it?"
"Yep," I told him.
"We should get out of here," Mary Lou said,"and let Steph have a little peace and quiet before she goes out there."
I smiled my thanks as Mary Lou all but shoved people out of the room.
"You'll be fine, Steph," Mary Lou assured me."Just remember that today is about you and Ranger. Don't forget that."
"I won't. That's what got me here."
She squeezed my arm in encouragement and followed everyone out.
I was left questioning my judgment in letting everyone leave. It took me a few minutes, but then I was ready to join Ranger before we both stepped into the room where the ceremony would take place. Shit. My heart was beating too fast again. Stupid organ. To calm myself - and it - down, I thought about a few of the highlights of mine and Ranger's relationship. Our first kiss in my building's lot when I'd been scared Ranger would be mad at me for getting his car stolen, the time he wrapped his jacket - and his arms - around me when I was being an idiot at Mama Mac's funeral, and the look in Ranger's eyes when he realized I hadn't been killed and my body stuffed into a cabinet at Spiro's house. Ranger and I have been through a lot together, and we're about to legally be facing the rest of it together, too.
I blew out one last deep breath as my heart rate returned to normal. I mentally kissed my single life goodbye ... or maybe I'd actually told it good riddance. I've been ready for this day almost since the night Ranger proposed. The dress, fancy dinner, and this place were just window dressings on a life I'd already decided I wanted. Who knows, if Ranger hadn't of asked me to marry him, I might have asked him ... eventually ... after downing a bottle of wine.
I left the room and immediately saw Ranger. When Ranger caught sight of me, my feet slowed on their own as I moved towards him. Apparently you don't need to walk down an aisle to have this moment. His dark eyes started at my carefully arranged curls - half of them up, and half left down - then leisurely slid over my face, stopping briefly at my mouth, before he ran his heated gaze all over my white-encased body. Ranger was looking like he wanted to devour me, and I knew my expression was giving him permission to.
It's a good thing the Justice of the Peace was nearby or I could have had a few problems. Like all the color on my lips being kissed away and my wedding dress sporting a few Ranger-sized wrinkles before we even got this wedding started.
"You look amazing, Stephanie," Ranger said quietly, taking in the sleeveless, deep V-ed dress I didn't have to shoehorn myself into.
"And you look amazing right back," I told him.
Ranger in a tux are what fantasies are made of ... orgasms, too.
"Are you ready to marry me, Babe?" Ranger asked, holding out his hand to me.
"It's funny, I was just thinking that I've been ready for a lot longer than even I'd originally thought."