From This Day Forward

Chapter One

The first Saturday of October ushered in a crisp and sunny autumn morning, the perfect day for traveling to a remote Turks and Caicos island. Padding around the bedroom in their high-rise apartment at Rangeman, Stephanie and Ranger were packing last minute essentials into suitcases. Resting on top of the bed, snuggled inside a separate garment bag, was Stephanie's wedding gown. The full length, champagne colored dress was cut from a soft, flowing chiffon material. The dress boasted a crinkled bust line and spaghetti straps that widened and crisscrossed at the back. Mother of Pearl beading accentuated the waistline, highlighting an elegant wedding gown.

A few weeks prior, with Lula, her mother and grandmother in tow, Stephanie had purchased the dress at a bridal boutique in the Burg. The dress had been on sale with a 30 percent discount, and after trying it on, Stephanie knew she'd found the perfect gown for her island nuptials. With a pair of borrowed tear-drop pearl earrings from her mother, and a blue lace embroidered handkerchief from her grandmother, Stephanie was all set for a private, unconventional wedding.

"Babe, did I pack my electric razor?" Ranger asked Stephanie, rifling through his carry on bag.

"I packed it inside your big suitcase," Stephanie said, tucking a pair of Via Spiga stilettos inside a shoe bag. The shoes were the same color as the dress.

Ranger offered Stephanie a half smile and said, "Already two steps ahead of me. You are on your way to being a perfect wife."

Laying the shoes inside the suitcase, Stephanie smiled. "Yeah, practice time is almost over."

Ranger walked to the other side of the bed and pulled his bride-to-be into his chest. Kissing her lips, he asked, "How do you feel?"

"All of this is kind of surreal. I can't believe I'm going to be Mrs. Ricardo Carlos Manoso in a few days. Honestly, I feel a little giddy."

"This is the real deal, babe. Believe it."

"How do you feel?" Stephanie asked.

Taking a moment to think about the question, Ranger finally said, "Fortunate."

"That's a nice way to put it."

"Yeah, I'm a nice guy."

Ranger grabbed two large suitcases and headed toward the bedroom door. "Tank's waiting for us in the garage."

"You're not going to sneak off and leave the country, are you?"

The corners of Ranger's mouth lifted a fraction of an inch. "With all those sex toys packed away for our honeymoon? Not a chance."

"Glad to see you have your priorities."

Smiling wide, Ranger said to Stephanie, "Our plane leaves in two and a half hours, babe. And I'll be sitting next to you when it takes off."

"That's comforting. I'll be down in a minute."

Stephanie and Ranger had decided to arrive in Turks and Caicos a week before their nuptials. There was a mandatory three day residency period before a marriage license would be granted on any Turks and Caicos Island. Plus, there would be another 48 hour waiting period in order to process the required documents needed for the license. The whole procedure would take five days, so Stephanie and Ranger would have a marriage license by Friday, and the ceremony was scheduled for Sunday.

During the last few weeks, Stephanie and Ranger had been in weekly contact with their Turks and Caicos wedding coordinator, a hired representative working for the island's hotel chain. Apparently, Caribbean weddings were big business, and most Turks and Caicos hotels provided affordable wedding packages that included personal wedding coordinators to guide soon-to-be-married couples through the local process.

For Stephanie, planning a second wedding had been stress free, and not half as expensive as her first trip down the aisle. Ranger had mailed off deposit checks and handled the travel arrangements, leaving Stephanie to fine tune every detail of the ceremony with the coordinator. The wedding would be short and sweet, no time consuming speeches or rituals. She and Ranger would deliver the standard catholic wedding vows, place the rings on the correct fingers, and Ranger would kiss his bride.

The wireless telephone on the nightstand chirped and Stephanie glanced at the caller ID display, answering on the second ring.

"Good morning, Grandma."

"We wanted to wish you and Ranger well before you left for the airport, and to make sure you packed everything you need."

"I'm all set. Everything's packed and ready to go. We'll be leaving in a few minutes."

"We love you, kiddo."

Stephanie felt a small pang of guilt stir in her stomach. Her mother and grandmother had not been very happy with the whole private ceremony idea. But planning the reception seemed to be enough to make them feel included in the process, and it also kept them preoccupied, which was a good thing.

"I love you all, too. I'll call as soon as we arrive at the villa."

"Okay. Here's your mother."

Stephanie's mother hastily passed on her well wishes and love and let Stephanie go. Hanging up the phone, Stephanie blinked back unwanted tears. She loved her family and liked being around them most of the time, but this wedding was meant to be a low-key, quiet event, with no drama or fan fare. So why did she feel so guilty?

Scooping up the garment bags shrouding her gown and Ranger's suit, Stephanie felt the remnants of spiced rum still metabolizing through her digestive system from two nights prior. Lula had thrown Stephanie a crazy wedding shower and bachelorette party, all in one night. After downing two glasses of wine while opening a variety of alluring sex toys and lingerie, in front of a few family members and friends, Stephanie and the group moved the party to a local night club on Franklin. At the club, the ladies enjoyed island drinks made from exotic fruit juices and rum. Stephanie's mother had participated in the shower, but skipped the night club. Grandma Mazur, on the other hand, had been a trooper, hanging with the party people until everyone was drunk and worn out.

Tank, Hal, and a couple of other Rangeman employees had planned a surprise bachelor party for Ranger, coercing him away from his desk around seven last night. Working on some last minute packing when Ranger had come in to shower and change, Stephanie didn't ask where all the guys would be celebrating. But her presumption that boy's night out would include a popular strip club in downtown Trenton had been confirmed when Ranger crawled into bed around two- thirty in the morning, his libido in overdrive. Strip clubs had that kind of effect on most men.

When Stephanie made it down to the garage, Tank and Ranger were loading the suitcases into the back of the SUV. Pulling the garment bags from her hands, Ranger draped them over the top of the suitcases.

"Is that everything, babe?"

"That's everything. Grandma and Mom called to offer their love and well wishes."

"We'll check in with the family when we get to the island," Ranger said, studying Stephanie's face. "You're not suddenly feeling guilty about the private ceremony, are you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Stephanie said to Ranger, waving her hand dismissively. "We definitely made the right decision."

Tank opened the front passenger door for Stephanie and pointed his thumb in Ranger's direction. "Are you sure you want to marry this guy?"

Stephanie angled into the car and smiled at Tank. "Positive."

Ranger slipped into the back seat and Tank took the wheel, starting the engine.

"You're a brave soul, Steph," Tank said, smiling at Stephanie. "But all jokes aside, I'm really happy for both of you."

"Will you be our babysitter when we have a baby?" Stephanie asked Tank.

"I don't watch over kids, just Rangeman employees and cats."

Ranger let out a soft bark of laughter from the back seat. "Let's roll."