Thank you, LilyGhost

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I let my phone buzz three times before decreasing the brutal pace I'd set when my feet hit the pavement an hour before. I'd been running an excessive amount lately, according to Tank, but I reminded him it was better than many alternatives I could choose and it shut him up for a while. Until today, when he told me trying to outrun my problems was a mistake. Instead of asking from what issue he thought I was trying to run away, I tied my shoes and left the building at a sprint. I didn't want to admit I knew what he meant, and I definitely did not want to discuss it.

Riverside park was just ahead on the right so I diverted my course and entered the park at a slow jog. When I hit a group of picnic tables, I stopped completely and retrieved my phone from the zippered pocket of my sweatpants. I'd left strict instructions to not be disturbed unless it was an emergency and I really hoped there wasn't some kind of crisis.

I checked the display and saw all three missed calls had come from Tank. He was more than capable of handling any situation so something must be very wrong. I reached for the button to return his call but it rang in my hand before I could.

"What is it?" I asked, letting a little more annoyance seep through my tone than intended.

He hesitated too long before replying, which only darkened my already foul mood. "Tank," I warned, which got me a quick response.

"Where are you?" He asked and I had to bite the inside of my cheek so I wouldn't say the first thing on my mind. I silently counted to five before responding.

"I know you are looking at my GPS right now so tell me what the fuck the problem is because I have zero patience for these games."

I heard him inhale sharply but he wisely didn't keep up the feigned ignorance. "You need to get back to the building immediately."

"Why?" I demanded. "I'm an hour away on foot so whatever it is, I'm sure you can take care of it."

"No," he shot back. "I can't deal with this one. I've sent a car for you, ETA five minutes." He disconnected and I stared at the phone. It was the first time he'd ever hung up on me and I was simultaneously shocked and pissed off.

I spent the allotted five minutes stretching out my legs and trying not to think about the only thing I knew would have made Tank call me. I'd managed not to let it seep into my thoughts all day but now it niggled incessantly at the back of my brain.

The Rangeman fleet vehicle arrived right on schedule and I looked up to find Vince at the wheel.

When I slid into the passenger seat, I asked what was going on.

"No clue," he replied and cranked the wheel in a U-turn to exit the park. "I'd barely pulled into the garage after my shift when Tank called with orders to retrieve you."

"You didn't think to ask why?" I bit out and regretted it the second it left my mouth. I knew he hadn't. My men were trained to follow orders without question. "Sorry," I said when he cut me a look.

He turned out of the park onto Riverside Blvd, choosing not to respond. We rode the rest of the way to my building in silence and I thanked him for the ride when we exited the vehicle.

"I hope everything's okay," he said, heading for the stairs. I nodded and diverted to the elevator to save time. The door pinged open on the fifth floor and I went right to Tank's office. His door was closed but I didn't give him the courtesy of knocking. I pushed it open and found him at his desk signing his way through a stack of paperwork. He looked up and met what I was sure was an angry expression on my face.

"She showed up a half an hour ago," he started without me having to ask. "I tried to talk to her but she wouldn't say a word. Even Hector and Zip couldn't get anything out of her so I put her in your apartment and called you." He clamped his mouth shut after that and worked the muscle in his jaw. I glanced at the clock on the wall behind him and met his gaze again with my eyebrows nearly touching my hairline.

"I know," he replied to my silent statement. It was almost seven and this was the last place she should be right now especially at this particular time.

"She didn't say anything?"

He shook his substantial head. "Not one single syllable. You should probably get up there."

I didn't need the suggestion. I knew what I should do. I should have done it months ago. I turned my back to him and headed for the door but his voice stopped me in the threshold

"You've had a lot of opportunities," he stated quietly. "I fear this might be your last one…please don't run away from it this time."

I could count on one hand the number of times Tank said please so I felt I owed him a response. When I looked back and found his serious dark eyes, I made a promise.

"I won't."

He nodded and I caught the hint of a smile touching his lips before I left.

I chose the stairs for the last two flights to the penthouse hoping the extra time would help me decide the best way to say what I should have said before now, what I should have said before it got to this point, but it didn't work.

The second I saw her standing in my living room all the words I'd been trying to find got lost in a swirling fountain of emotions I didn't know if I could even define.

She looked absolutely stunning and my breath momentarily froze in my lungs. The gown was long, the hem brushing the floor, but it was simple; no lace or other adornments and the silky material hugged every inch of her curves sans her shoulders; they were bare and glowed with a late summer tan. In the center of her chest, just above the swell of her breasts hung a single round diamond, suspended from a sparkly silver chain. She'd left her hair loose, the brown curls cascading down her back and I didn't think I'd ever seen anything so beautiful in my entire life.

I hadn't been this close to her in a long time but I still ached to touch her. Only the fact the wedding dress she was wearing was to marry another man, to whom at this exact moment she should be pledging her love, kept me from pulling her into my arms. Instead, I balled my hands into fists at my sides and let a sardonic question leave my mouth.

"Did you get lost on the way to the church?"

Her eyes, those deep, infinite blue eyes filled with tears and I lost the internal battle I was fighting and reached for her. My fingers closed over her wrist and I yanked her to me. I never could stand to see her upset and wrapping my arms around her, I held her tightly as she began crying in earnest.

She stayed in my embrace for several beats and when the tears eventually subsided, I tried to get her to tell me what happened. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head against my chest but released the death grip she'd had around my waist, slowly backed out of my arms and began wringing her hands together. It was a nervous tic she had when she was distressed or didn't know what to say. I knew if I pushed, she'd run and I'd decided on the way up here we'd spent way too much time running away from each other so I switched tactics. "Do you want to change your clothes?"

Again, she didn't speak but did nod at my question so I gently took her hand, leading her into my bedroom and then into my closet. I moved to my dresser along the back wall and opened the second drawer, which held all my t-shirts. There used to be a stash of her clothes here but once Morelli put a diamond on her finger, everything changed, and now my closet was only its usual sea of black. I pulled one out with the Rangeman logo and from the next drawer, a pair of old sweatpants. Both would be too big, but it was the best I could do. When I turned around, tears were once again falling. I strode back and cradled her cheek in my palm, catching some with the tip of my thumb. Her eyes closed and she leaned into my touch.

"Babe," I murmured, unsure what else to say. I couldn't force her to talk to me but I wanted her to know I would listen whenever she was ready. Her eyelids lifted at the familiar pet name and those blue depths were swimming with sadness. I dropped my hand from her face and held out the clothes. "I'll let you change."

Stephanie took them but when I tried to leave, she snagged me by the arm and showed me her back. She lifted her hair off her shoulders, silently asking me to unzip her dress. My fingers found the tab to the zipper and I slowly lowered it, being careful not to touch her skin. I was afraid if I felt the silky softness there, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from touching her everywhere.

The zipper ended just above the curve of her butt and I immediately pulled my hands away when it met resistance. Stephanie spun around to face me and the wedding dress slid down her body, leaving her in only a white, strapless lace bra and a tiny matching thong. She stepped out of the dress and out of the white pumps and kicked them aside. It took a great deal of effort not to rake my eyes over every inch of her but I kept my gaze on her face.

Without warning she lifted on her toes and pressed her pink, gloss-covered lips to mine. The punch of lust was immediate and my arms went around her as if I had no control. I pulled her against my body and deepened the kiss. Even after nearly a year since I'd tasted her, a single touch of her tongue to mine had me rivaling concrete for hardness and I knew she could feel it against her hip. Her fingernails dug into my back and an erotic moan sounded from her throat. The sexy noise, the first she'd made since I walked through the door, set the warning bells off in my brain. This is wrong. Stop it before it goes too far.

I broke the kiss and rested my forehead against hers until my pulse settled back into a normal rhythm. "Steph," I said. "There isn't anything I want more, but not now. You're not in the right mindset and I don't want to take advantage and end up being something you regret tomorrow. Get dressed and we'll talk when you're ready."

I closed her inside my closet without waiting to see if she would respond and then I closed myself in the bathroom and took the coldest shower I could stand.

While I scrubbed the sweat from my body, I thought about all those missed opportunities Tank mentioned and silently cursed myself for not taking any of them. If I had, there never would have been a ring on her finger or a wedding for her to run from. She would be naked and in my bed and not crying in my closet.

But the fact she came to me after fleeing those ill-fated nuptials let me harbor some hope I hadn't lost all chance of having what I never knew I wanted until I met her.

When I was done with my shower she was still in the closet so I dried off and had to don my robe as all my clothes were in there with her. I went out to the kitchen and opened a bottle of merlot while I waited for her, hoping the wine would give her some liquid courage. I heard the closet door open as I tipped the bottle over a crystal wine glass. She came into the room and had apparently forgone the sweatpants and was clad only in my t-shirt. I bit the inside of my cheek, hoping the pain would keep my lower anatomy under control. I slid the glass to her when she settled herself on a stool at the breakfast bar and she grabbed it, immediately taking a healthy swallow and then another.

"I'm gonna go put on some clothes," I informed her. "Try not to drink the whole bottle while I'm gone." As I hoped, the comment brought a small smile to her lips.

I entered my closet and discovered she'd balled up her wedding dress and shoved it into the small trash can near the door. The shoes and her underwear were in there too and when I returned, dressed in my usual black cargos and Rangeman t-shirt, she had moved to the living room and I found her curled up in a corner of my couch, her smooth, tanned legs pulled up under her and cradling the wine glass in the palm of her hand. I filled the armchair directly across from her and she surprised me by finally talking the moment I sat.

"I'm sorry for just showing up here…I didn't know where else to go." She took a sip of wine and met my eyes across the coffee table. "And I didn't want to go anywhere else."

My gut twisted at the broken tone of her voice. "Don't be sorry," I said. "You know you are welcome here any time."

"Really?" She questioned. "Then why have you been avoiding me for the past year?" She brought that up sooner than I anticipated and even though I knew she knew the answer, I replied anyway.

"You know why, Stephanie."

"Yeah," she admitted and dropped her eyes to the one carat reason glinting on her finger. "I just didn't think we'd stop being friends too."

"We're still friends, Steph. That will never change," I assured her.

"It doesn't feel like it. I talk to my friends regularly. This is the first time we've been in a room together, let alone exchanged any words since…" she trailed off and her eyes dropped to the ring on her finger again.

I wanted to argue with her but she was right. The second she told me she was engaged I'd made a decisive effort to stay away from her. I didn't intend to completely cut off contact but the longer I kept my distance the easier it was for me to tell myself she'd made the right choice. It was a mistake, probably the biggest one I'd ever made and if I could take it back, I would. I opened my mouth to tell her, but she had more to say and blurted an abrupt subject change.

"I'm a runaway bride. My mother is going to kill me."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Only your Mother?"

Her eyes, red from crying, went wide as saucers. "Joe will know I've come here," she said and I nodded. I was honestly surprised he hadn't shown up already.

Stephanie finished the rest of her merlot and then peered into the empty glass for a few beats before telling me, "I'm gonna need more wine."

I went to retrieve the bottle, refilled her glass and then set it on the coffee table. "You're going to have to talk to him eventually, Babe," I told her gently, sitting on the couch beside her.

"I know," she agreed after taking a couple of sips. "But I don't know what to say."

"The truth is a good place to start," I suggested.

She sipped more wine before meeting my eyes again. "I've been running away from the truth for a long time."

"Me too," I admitted. I took her glass and set it next to the bottle. Taking her left hand in mine, I slowly slid the diamond off her finger as I said, "What's the truth, Steph?" She took two slow breaths and I put the ring into my pocket so neither of us had to look at anymore.

"I was at the church," she said. "We were in the dressing room; me, Lula, Mary Lou, and Valerie. I was sitting in front of the mirror, touching up my make-up and the three of them were talking all about what my life was going to be like after the wedding. It was all the standard burg stuff, white picket fences, casserole recipes, family dinners and lots of Morelli babies running around and do you know what I was thinking about?"

I knew what I wanted her to be thinking about, but I said, "No."

"You, Ranger," she confessed. "All I could think about was you. How could I possibly marry Joe when the only person on my mind was you? So, I told them I had to use the bathroom and then I left through a side door, hailed a taxi and came here. I had to borrow money from Binkie to pay the driver because I left everything behind."

My heart flipped at the confession but her next words had me pulling her into my arms. "I'm in love with you, Ranger. That's the truth."

"I'm sorry, Babe," I said as I held her against my chest. "We've spent way too much time running away from each other and denying our feelings and I'm not even sure I know what the reasons why are anymore. I'm in love with you too. Have been pretty much since the day we met."

She leaned back so she could see my face. "We have to stop running. I almost married someone else, Ranger. I don't even think I want to get married, but if I ever do, I'd want it to be to you."

"Me too," I said again and leaned into kiss her, but was stopped by my phone ringing. It was the landline on the end table and I reached around her to grab it. I was irritated at having the most important conversation of my life interrupted and let it be known through the tone of my voice.

"I'm supposed to be offline," I barked into the receiver and Tank replied right away.

"Detective Morelli is in the lobby asking to speak with you. Do you want me to handle it?" I wasn't surprised but I wished he'd waited another ten minutes so we could finish our conversation.

"Hold on," I told Tank and covered the mouthpiece.

"Joe is here," I informed Stephanie. "Do you want Tank to send him away?"

Her eyes went wide again. "Will Tank be nice?"

"Probably not."

"I should talk to him but I don't think I can right now," she admitted. Since she was sitting on my lap, wearing nothing but my t-shirt and had no other clothes here, I didn't think it was the best idea either.

"I'll be down in a minute," I said into the receiver and disconnected the call.

She moved off my lap so I could stand up. "I can't ask you to do this, Ranger."

"You didn't ask but someone needs to talk to him and I don't think Tank is the best option. You going down there dressed like this wouldn't be wise either, so I'll go, but the two of you will need to talk face to face at some point."

"I know," she said and I left her on the couch so I could get my boots, and my gun, just in case.

I took the elevator down to the fifth floor and poked my head into Tank's office.

"Do you need back up?" He asked before I had a chance to speak.

"I don't think so but keep an eye on the monitors as a precaution."

"Good luck," he offered with a nod, and I hoped I didn't need it.

The elevator door opened on the lobby floor and I stepped out to find Morelli pacing in front of the counter. He was still in his tuxedo but had removed the bowtie and it was dangling from his hand. Binkie was on desk duty and I saw the tension leave his shoulders when I stepped out into the room. Joe stopped when he spotted me standing there and his whiskey-colored eyes, wet with unchecked emotion, met mine across the short distance.

"Is she here?" He asked. His normally steady voice wavered a bit and I tamped down the flare of guilt at the question. I knew the gutted look on his face was partially my fault and I did feel bad about it.

"She's here. But she's not ready to talk yet."

He dropped his chin to his chest for a beat and let out a slow breath. "Is she okay?"

"No. Neither of you are but you will be, eventually. Why don't you come to my office so we can have some privacy?" Binkie was doing his best to pretend he wasn't listening but I knew better and I also knew everyone who was in the building was glued to the monitors in the control room.

Joe nodded and followed me into the elevator. We rode up to the fifth floor in silence and when it pinged open, I led him down the hallway to my office. Along with the living quarters and the bathrooms, it was the only space in the building not under constant surveillance.

When I opened the door, I gestured to the couch and he took a seat. I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and popped the cap of both. After handing him one, I lowered into the chair across from him. We sipped our beer in silence for a few minutes and then Joe said something I wasn't expecting.

"I've had a recurring dream the past couple of months."

Not sure where this was going, I shifted in my seat and lifted an eyebrow in question.

"It's usually the same," he went on. "I'm standing at the altar with Stephanie and all our friends and family are in the pews waiting for our vows and the pastor says, 'if anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace,' and then the door at the back of the church opens. You burst in and say, 'Yeah, I object.' I always wake up right then, drenched in sweat with my heart racing a mile a minute."

He took a long pull on his beer after that admission and I did the same, not knowing how to respond.

"I thought there was a good chance of it actually happening that way. What I didn't expect was her running away before we even got up on the altar."

He took another drink and said, "She's in love with you. You know that, right?"

"Yes, I know," I confirmed and took another pull of beer.

"Does she know you are in love with her too?" He asked.

I nodded and he blew out a sigh of resignation. "When you backed off after we got engaged I let myself believe we had a chance of making it work. I really should have known better."

"I'm sorry, Joe," I said sincerely. "I never should have let it get this far. It wasn't my intention to cause you or her any pain." And knowing it was going to hurt him even more, I took the ring out of my pocket and set it on the coffee table in front of him.

He closed his eyes for a beat, not wanting to look at it and then he tilted the beer bottle to his lips and drained the last of it. When he set it down on the table, he scooped up the ring and stuffed it into his pocket before he got to his feet.

"I'm gonna go home," he said and headed for the door. He yanked it open and turned back to say one last thing.

"I hope…I hope you can make her happy." He tugged the door closed and I gave him a minute to get to the elevator in peace before I left my office.

Tank was waiting just outside my door when I stepped into the hall. "That wasn't what I was expecting," he said. "I was sure one or both of you would end up bloody and bruised."

"Yeah, me too."

"He okay?"

I shook my head. "No. He's devastated and I'm guessing he'll be trying to drown all of his sorrows tonight so put Junior on him to make sure he gets home safely."

Tank nodded and asked one more question before leaving to follow my orders. "Is she okay?"

"Not yet, but she will be."

Before going back to the Penthouse, I went down to the residence level and knocked on Hector and Zip's door.

Hector swung it open a beat later and lifted a sculpted eyebrow. "She talking yet?"

"A little, but she wouldn't speak to Morelli when he showed up here."

Both his eyebrows hit his hairline. "Did he leave here unscathed?"

I bit back a smile. "Yes, but he's understandably upset so I sent Junior after him to make sure he stays out of trouble."

Hector nodded and then said softly, "You let it go too far, hermano."

I released a small sigh. It was the first time he'd said anything about it to me and I appreciated the restraint. Tank could learn a thing or two from Hector.

"I know. Hopefully I can rectify the mistake," I admitted. "She won't want to go home tonight – "

"I'd guess not," he interrupted, "since she moved in with Morelli two weeks ago."

That I didn't know. I'd have to have a discussion with Tank about what he did and didn't choose to tell me. "Yes, that would be awkward, but I don't think she'll want to be alone either so I'm hoping she can stay here."

"Why won't she be staying with you?" Zip wanted to know as he walked up to the door. He brushed a kiss across Hector's temple before his intense golden gaze met mine.

"Not a good idea," I replied, and Hector tried to hide a knowing smile.

"Do you want me to come get her?"

"No, I'll bring her down in a bit, but thank you."

"Anytime," Hector told me. We bumped fists and I headed back upstairs.

I didn't want her wandering the halls in only my t-shirt so I sent a text to Ella before I went inside, asking her to procure Stephanie some clothes.

She was still on the couch and still sipping wine when I arrived back in the living room. She did a quick scan, I was sure looking for the telltale signs of a fight, but finding none she breathed a sigh of relief. "How is he?" she asked tentatively.

"Not great, but time will help."

She gave me a nod and deposited her glass on the table as she got to her feet. "Thank you," she whispered and slid her arms around my waist. I wrapped her in a hug and held her while I steeled myself for the next part. She wouldn't be happy, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Babe. But…"

"But this is where you kick me out," she interjected and tilted her face up to look at me.

I didn't want to and if I was a complete asshole I would take her to bed and not let her leave for several days.

"I'm not kicking you out but if you stay here you will end up in my bed and as much as I want that, now isn't the time. I've made too many mistakes with you in the past and I don't want to repeat any of them. You need to have a conversation with Morelli and probably your family and you also need time to process. Jumping right into another relationship an hour after an abandoned wedding doesn't seem like the best plan."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away quickly. "You're being annoyingly logical but I still don't want to leave."

I brushed a chaste kiss over her perfect pink lips and pushed a stray curl off her forehead. "I don't want you to but it's the right thing and I think you know that. You'll deal with what you need to and then you and I can move forward together."

"And you promise you won't run away from me anymore?"

"I promise," I said and kissed her one more time.

"Me too," she agreed. "But can I at least stay in the building tonight? Is there an empty apartment?"

"No, but Hector and Zip are waiting for you. Ella will be here in a few minutes with some clothes and then I'll take you down."

That got me her first genuine smile of the night. "I love Hector and Zip."

"I know you do. I'm sure Hector already has margaritas made so don't over do it on the tequila."

She smiled at me again. "All this time apart and you still know me so well."

"You're impossible to forget."

"You too."

A knock signaled Ella's arrival and after Stephanie got dressed, I took her down to Hector and Zip. Before she knocked on their door, she said what I was thinking.

"No more running, Ranger, and I don't care how complicated this gets. I want to be with you."

The determined expression on her face almost made me take her right back upstairs but I nodded my agreement. "No more running and I want to be with you too."

She squeezed me in a tight hug, kissed me on the cheek and then rapped on the door.

I left her when Zip ushered her inside and after a quick call to Junior to make sure Morelli made it home, I went back up to my apartment. There was no question things would be complicated but since we finally stopped running away from our feelings, I was confident we'd figure out how to make it work.