A/N: The following story contains spoilers for Dirty Thirty.

"There's something I need to tell you," I said to Morelli.

"Me first," he said. "When I was in Miami, I realized that I hated being away from you. I don't want to live like this anymore. I gave the pool table to my brother. He's making a rec room in his basement. I want a dining table. I want kids of my own. I want to get married."

My heart stopped dead for several beats. I didn't see this one coming. "Excuse me?"

"I want to marry you."

Oh boy! Holy crap!

"I can't," I blurted out.

"If you're not ready—" he began.

"I'm engaged." What the hell was wrong with my mouth? Why can't I stop blurting things out? This is so not the way I wanted to tell Morelli my news.

"What do you mean, you're engaged?" he asked, confused.

"Uh…Ranger and I are engaged."

"What are you talking about, Cupcake? When I left town, we—you and me—were in a relationship. How are you engaged now to a man who isn't me?" Morelli seemed calm on the surface, but it was a controlled calm. He had his cop face on, the one he wore when he didn't want to reveal anything.

I stayed silent, looking into his whiskey-brown eyes. "It just happened," I mumbled, looking down.

He swallowed hard a few times. "Cupcake?" He waited until I was looking directly at him again. "Do you want to be engaged to Mañoso?"

Here it was. The moment of truth. Did I want to be engaged to Ranger? We were planning to get married on Wednesday. We planned it out. I loved him. I was in love with him. Sure, sometimes his intensity scared me, but he would never hurt me. I knew that. Finally, I nodded. "I do. Joe, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he was close to losing control. But I knew he'd never hurt me either. "If that's what you want, Cupcake. I guess this is goodbye, then. Thanks for taking care of Bob."

With a heavy heart, I slowly walked out of the kitchen, out of the house, and into my car. I wanted to cry, but I wouldn't do it here, where he could see me. I'm the one who broke up, and I wasn't allowed to be the one who got to break down now. Not where he could see me, anyway.

I drove to Rangeman on auto-pilot. When I stopped and turned off my ignition in the parking spot I'd long claimed as mine, I laid my head on the steering wheel. I was pretty sure I was doing the right thing, but why did the right thing have to hurt someone else? Someone I loved, but just not enough.

I don't know how long I stayed there with tears streaming down my cheeks, but a while later, Tank was pulling my driver's door open and looking uncertainly at me. "Little Girl?"

I looked up. "I'll be okay. I was just trying to get some energy to get out of the car."

"Are you hurt? Do you need help?" His eyes scanned me quickly. I didn't think he was asking about emotional hurt.

"I don't need help. I just need to be alone for a while. Do you think Ranger would mind if I went to his apartment?"

"He never has before. Go on up."

I slowly clambered out of the car, Tank watching me anxiously. I smiled weakly when I was standing directly before him. "Thanks, Tank."

He nodded gruffly. "Let me know if you need anything." He watched as I waited, then got into the elevator, and I gave him a little finger wave before the door closed. I leaned against the back wall and closed my eyes. Too soon, the elevator ride was over, and I dragged my weary self to Ranger's door and fobbed my way inside. I pulled off my boots and faceplanted into his leather couch.

If there were a way I could have avoided hurting everyone, I would have done so. But try as I might, I'd either hurt Ranger or Morelli. There were no other ways around it. It would have hurt Ranger if I had rejected him after previously accepting his offer, though I don't know if he would have ever shown it. And it would have hurt me deeply to hurt him. While I didn't like hurting Morelli either, it wasn't the same. I didn't get that panicky, elephant-standing-on-my-chest feeling that happened when I thought I might hurt Ranger.

My cell phone rang from the depths of my purse on the floor at the end of the couch. I considered not answering it for a moment, but it was the Batman ringtone I had assigned to Ranger.

" 'Lo," I mumbled after rummaging through my purse.

"Babe, are you okay?" Ranger's voice sounded concerned.

"Not really," I admitted. "Tank call you?"

"Yes. What happened?"

"Morelli came home. When I returned Bob, we had a conversation. I don't particularly want to get into it, especially on the phone, but it wasn't a good conversation."

"Babe."

"When are you back?"

"If I push, I can come back tomorrow afternoon. Do we need to talk? Have you changed your mind?"

My heart leapt into my throat. Did Ranger want me to change my mind? Had he changed his? "Not if you haven't," I replied cautiously.

"I haven't. Wednesday, right?"

"Wednesday," I agreed.

"I'll come home tomorrow, Babe. Will you have dinner on seven with me?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"We'll talk then, Babe." He hung up, and I tossed my phone back into my purse. I turned over until I was lying on my back and stared at the ceiling.

I stayed at Ranger's that night. I could have gone to my apartment, but I didn't want anyone to have the opportunity to track me down. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to wallow. Before bed, I took a shower to wash the tear tracks off my face and the sad weariness from my bones, and then I snuggled down and fell asleep in Ranger's thousand-thread-count sheets.

On Sunday morning, I woke up with a bit of an emotional hangover. I felt groggy and out of sorts, but since I had no plans, I didn't much care. I figured I was due a day of doing absolutely nothing. I had no outstanding skips and no one I wanted to see. I didn't check my phone. If Morelli told people we had broken up, and worse, if he told them why, I'm sure my phone had exploded from the sheer weight of all those phone calls and texts, but it was blissfully silent. Maybe it actually had exploded, or maybe it was dead, or maybe, just maybe, Morelli had not told anyone. A girl could dream. Ella brought me some breakfast, and I thanked her gratefully for the whole wheat banana pancakes, which I smothered in syrup.

Later, I was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels, when I finally heard my phone make a sound. I checked the display. Ranger had texted me.

Babe, I've just landed in Newark. I'll be there in an hour or so.

Perfect. It's just time enough for a short nap.

I woke up to the feeling of kisses being peppered across my face and a tingle on the back of my neck. I smiled and moaned softly. "Ranger, you're back," I said, my eyes still closed.

"Hi, Babe." He stretched out alongside me, and I turned to bury my face in his chest.

"You okay?" he whispered into my curls.

"I am now."

On Monday morning, Ranger and I were enjoying breakfast in the dining room when he slid a black credit card across the table. "You can use that card for whatever you want, Babe, until I can get you your own card. I booked a suite at the Bellagio for Tuesday through Sunday, and then we fly back on Sunday afternoon. I thought we could have a mini honeymoon in Vegas before I have to come back for meetings on Monday. In a couple of months, we can go on a proper honeymoon anywhere you want."

I nodded. "Are we getting married at the Bellagio?"

He grimaced. "Unfortunately, they're completely booked for weddings right now. Do you want to find a chapel online?"

"I could do that. I was planning on telling Connie I need this entire week off. I want to keep our plans secret until after we're back."

"Why?"

"I told Morelli we're getting married, but I feel bad I hurt him. I don't want to rub his nose in it. I didn't tell him how soon the wedding would be."

He smiled softly at me. "You're so soft-hearted, Babe."

We finished breakfast, and I thoroughly kissed him goodbye before he departed for his day of meetings. I called Connie and told her I needed some time off after the whole Plover thing. She promised to take care of Vinnie if he made a stink, and I laughed and told her to threaten him with a visit from Ranger if he didn't like it.

I searched for wedding chapels online, and then I had a thought. I texted Ranger and asked him what sort of room we were staying in at the Bellagio. He texted back immediately. One bed lakeview suite, Babe

I navigated to the Bellagio website and looked for photos of that suite. Wow, it was beautiful. I thought he'd probably have booked a suite, and it seemed much nicer than the chapels I found. I changed my search to wedding officiants, and after scrolling through several websites and a few phone calls, I made arrangements for a Justice of the Peace to come to our suite at the hotel to marry us there.

I texted Ranger again. Going wedding dress shopping, be back later

Ranger texted back a moment later. Take the Porsche, Babe

Several hours and four stores later, I had my dress and shoes safely ensconced in the tiny trunk of the 911 Turbo. I had gone out of town to a wedding dress store, hoping to keep our upcoming plans secret until after we returned from Vegas.

My dress was a soft white and knee-length, fitted through the bodice and flared from the waist. The top was held up with spaghetti straps, and the skirt was pleated in the front and back. I chose a pair of ivory peep-toe heels with an elaborate jewelled detail on the back and a four-and-a-half-inch heel. They matched perfectly with the dress, and the height of the heel would bring me up to eye level with Ranger.

I parked in the garage in Ranger's parking spot but left the bags in the trunk. I didn't want the ever-observant men on the monitors to see the logos on the store bags and put two and two together. This was Ranger's and my secret, our delicious secret, and I didn't want anyone to intrude on it until after it was a done deal.

I took the elevator up to the seventh floor to shower before Ranger was done with work for the day. I was lathering up the pouf with the heavenly Bulgari shower gel when I felt a wash of cool air, and Ranger stepped in behind me. "Hi," I said, smiling. "How was your day?"

"Boring," he said, wrapping his arms around me while he nuzzled my neck. "But it's looking up now."

After a long, satisfying shower together, we dressed casually and walked into the kitchen. Ella had been by with dinner, and two covered trays were sitting on the breakfast bar. Ranger picked them up and took them to the dining table while I grabbed two water bottles from the refrigerator.

Ranger lifted the dome lids off our dinner plates, and Ella again nailed our tastes. Piled high on my plate was fettuccine alfredo with sausage, while in front of Ranger was a grilled chicken breast, steamed asparagus and wild rice. I shook my head sadly at his plate, smirking when he said, "That stuff will kill you, Babe."

"What a way to go, though!"

I told Ranger about the arrangements I had made for our wedding while we ate, and though he was surprised by my choice of having an officiant come to the hotel to marry us, he didn't seem displeased by it. I told him I'd left my wedding outfit in his trunk and said he'd add his tuxedo later. We could drive the 911 to the airport, and he'd have someone pick it up after we took off.

"Babe, do you want anyone to come as witnesses for our wedding?"

I shook my head. "No. There are too many people. If we invite one person, another will be offended that they weren't asked, and it goes on from there. Are you okay if it's just us?"

"I'll do whatever you want."

"That's what I want."

We finished dinner and loaded the dishwasher with the dirty dishes. Ranger poured two glasses of wine, and we took it to the couch in the living room, where I curled against him. We watched a movie together before retiring to the bedroom, though we didn't sleep until much later.

At three o'clock the following afternoon, Ranger and I were loading our suitcases into the trunk of his car. He drove us to the private airfield at Newark, and after we settled ourselves on the plane, the pilot came onto the PA system and let us know the details of our flight. One flight attendant, a smiling older woman, told us just to ring the little bell if we needed anything and then left us in privacy. Ranger and I held hands as the plane took off, and he rubbed circles on my skin with his thumb to keep me calm. Even on a private plane, I wasn't a big fan of taking off or landing.

We landed a few hours later, or so it seemed, with the time difference. A car was on the tarmac awaiting our arrival, and in no time at all, we were on our way to the famous hotel. Once we had checked in and were shown to our suite, I was exhausted from the travelling and the time change, and I desperately wanted a shower.

Ranger took me in his arms and said in a husky voice, "Let's shower together, Babe."

I smiled and bit my lower lip, then nodded. Ranger turned on the shower faucet and stripped me, then himself, while the bathroom turned steamy. To the Bellagio's credit, the hot water didn't run out despite our extra-long shower.

Later, when we were lounging on the suite's sofa, waiting for our room service dinner to arrive, he asked, "Babe, what time is the Justice of the Peace coming tomorrow?"

"Noon," I replied. "Last chance to back out."

He smirked. "This was my idea, remember? Do you want to back out?"

"Nope. I'm all in. But I do have questions."

"I'm surprised you haven't been bombarding me with questions since we started all this."

"Funny."

"What are your questions?"

"Where will we live? Rex can come, right? What do we tell people, and when? If you changed your mind about marriage, have you changed your mind about kids? What if I don't want kids? Or what if I do, but not for a while?"

"Breathe, Babe." He waited until I seemed to run out of steam, then continued calmly. "We can live in the penthouse. I have other houses, but the distance is too much for everyday commuting. Maybe, if you want to, we can live at my Point Pleasant house on the weekends. Rex can come to Rangeman. They can take care of him in the control room if we go away for the weekend. We tell people we're married and can do that whenever you're ready. You already know we'll have to be more security-conscious about that. I can go either way on more kids. If you want them, then I do, too. If not, I still have Julie. We can do whatever you want."

I thought about everything he said. It all sounded good. Even the thought of giving up my apartment didn't make me break out in hives. I could do this. Wecould do this.

Early the following day, we went to the courthouse and filled out an application for our marriage certificate. Everything went smoothly, and we returned to the hotel by ten o'clock.

I had a leisurely shower, taking care to exfoliate and shave everywhere. I carefully styled my hair into soft, loose ringlets that bounced around my shoulders and applied my makeup lightly, as I knew Ranger liked it. About half an hour before the Justice of the Peace was due to arrive, I put on my dress.

"Ranger?" I called.

He entered the bathroom within seconds, and his eyes softened when he took me in. "Babe, you are absolutely stunning."

"Thank you. Can you please zip up my dress?" I turned around and lifted my hair to expose my back. He stepped closer and ran his finger from the nape of my neck down my spine to my waist so softly it made me shiver beneath his touch. He leaned in and kissed my neck.

"It's too bad we don't have more time, Babe. I want to ravish you."

I smiled and leaned into his touch. "We have all the time in the world afterward."

He zipped up my dress, and I stepped into my heels. When I turned around, he said simply, "Beautiful."

I kissed him lightly, then patted his butt. "If you're going to have a shower, you have about twenty-five minutes before he gets here."

He dropped his lounge pants right there; of course, he was commando. I stared at him—his rich, golden-brown skin, broad shoulders, massive chest, eight-pack abs, his big, hard throbbing cock…

I turned around. "We don't have enough time. Stop tempting me!"

I heard a low chuckle as he entered the shower enclosure and turned on the water.

He was back in the bedroom with me in ten minutes, dressed in his immaculately tailored tuxedo. He handed me a small box and said, "That's my ring for the ceremony. I have yours."

We waited quietly, content to simply enjoy the other's presence. When the Justice of the Peace knocked on the door, Ranger stood to admit him. The man was tall with a ruddy complexion and a big shock of white hair.

He introduced himself as Robert Henry—"Call me Robert" and looked around the room. "You'd like to get married here?" he asked.

I nodded. "I wondered if you'd stand in front of the window with the lake view, and then we could stand before you."

"That sounds fine. Would you like to recite the traditional vows, or have you written more personal vows?"

Ranger interjected. "Our own vows, please."

I looked at him in alarm. He had not told me this, and I didn't prepare anything. He squeezed my hand lightly and whispered, "Just talk from the heart, Babe."

We arranged ourselves in front of that view, and Robert smiled. "Please take each other's hands." Ranger took my hands in his and smiled at me.

"Mr. Mañoso, you may go first."

"Babe, I never dared to dream we'd make it here. I have loved you for years but never thought I deserved anyone as good, kind, and beautiful as you. You are the light in my darkness and the love of my life. I promise to support you when you want to fly and to catch you if you fall. I will be your devoted, faithful husband for the rest of our lives. I love you, Babe."

I felt moisture prickle my eyelids but took a deep breath to prevent tears from falling. I didn't want to miss a second of this.

Mr. Henry nodded to me. "Stephanie."

"Ranger. Carlos. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. Even when the intensity of my feelings scared me, I could never imagine my life without you in it. I promise to listen when you need me to. I promise to honour, love, respect, and cherish you as my husband. I am completely yours, forever and always." The tears fell unchecked down my cheeks.

Mr. Henry said softly, "Do you have rings for each other?"

Ranger nodded.

"Please place the ring on Stephanie's left finger and repeat after me."

"With this ring, I, Carlos, take you, Stephanie, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me through all our years and all that life may bring us."

Ranger repeated every word perfectly and slid a wedding band on my finger. I couldn't take my eyes off his, drinking in the emotion I could see there.

"Stephanie, please place your ring on Carlos' finger and repeat after me."

"With this ring, I, Stephanie, take you, Carlos, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me through all our years and all that life may bring us."

I lifted Ranger's left hand and placed his ring on his finger. It was made of black titanium, and I stifled a smile at the sight. Of course, he chose a black ring. I repeated Mr. Henry's words and smiled.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," Mr. Henry said.

Ranger pulled me close, and we shared our first married kiss. We stopped short of indecency, but I wanted nothing more than to drag him back to the bedroom to have my wicked way with him. I stepped back reluctantly.

Mr. Henry smiled. "I wish you a lifetime of happiness together. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Mañoso. We just need to sign your marriage certificate, and then we're all done."

We signed the paperwork, and Carlos handed Mr. Henry an envelope. Once that was all done, we said goodbye, and after he left, Ranger turned to me, smiling. "Should we get started on the rest of our lives?"

The End

A/N: It's so hard to know where to end a story like this. Really, I could have ended it after Steph's conversation with Morelli and been perfectly happy, but I don't think anyone else would have felt the same! I hope you like my conclusion to Dirty Thirty. Let's hope JE doesn't go in the opposite direction.

Stephanie's wedding outfit:

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