Zoe smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes. Oh my God. Wait until Sean hears about this. I’m going to marry a real FBI agent. How cool is that? Do they have an FBI family Christmas party because I’d love to go to that?”

Conner laughed and shook his head. “What am I getting myself into?”

Not wanting a long engagement, Conner suggested they do something simple. A month later, with Sean managing the entire event catered from Villa d’Luna, they got married in Zoe’s living room surrounded by a half-dozen of Conner’s FBI colleagues, about twenty of Zoe’s friends from the restaurant and a few old friends from high school.

Filled with baskets full of white flowers, candles and ivy, Zoe’s cavernous living room had been transformed into a magical wedding venue. Wearing a cream-colored silk chemise gown that hugged her sinewy body in all the right places, fresh flowers had been woven into a headpiece and fastened into her thick dark-brown hair. Large South Sea pearl earring drops, borrowed from her boss Miranda, dangled from her ears. Beside her stood a smiling six-foot tall Conner, his tuxedo fitting him like a second skin. When she looked over at her handsome groom Zoe thought he looked like a poster boy for a wedding cake topper.

After the ceremony, Zoe introduced her new husband to all her friends. For most of them, the wedding was the first time they had laid eyes on Conner.

“He’s totally cute,” whispered a high school friend, “and you met him at a bank robbery?”

“No,” said Zoe, laughing. “I was in a bank during a robbery and Conner was the FBI agent assigned to the case. I met him afterwards.”

“Lucky you. He’s hot,” said the school friend, “and obviously totally into you. Nice work.”

Conner’s mother and brother had flown in from out west for the wedding and met Zoe for the first time that week.

“You’ve got quite the place,” said Conner’s mother, while Conner showed her and his younger brother around his new home. “Looks like one of them New York apartments you see on TV. Ain’t got nothing like this where we live, do we, Jeremy?”

Conner’s brother Jeremy shook his head. “No, Ma, ain’t got nothing like this. Your place is real nice, Zoe.”

“As of today, it’s our place,” said Zoe, looking up at her groom. “Mi casa es su casa.”

Conner leaned over and kissed the top of his wife’s head.

After the festive wedding celebration, the newlyweds left for a short honeymoon in Key West, Florida. Conner was in the middle of a complicated undercover investigation, and could only take five days off. Longer time away would have raised suspicion with the players in his case. His unit director promised he could take another week off once the investigation wrapped up. When that would be, he didn’t know.