Lily glared at my fiancé, fiancé! and said, “Oswald, I don’t think this is right, and I question your motivation and timing.” She turned and stormed off.

I shook my head. “I know Lily cares, but I tried it her way. Now let’s try it our way.” I clutched Oswald’s shirt and pulled him with me back into the room.

I maneuvered him into an armchair and said, “I intend to lick you all over.” I started with his excellent jaw and moved down to his warm throat. I pressed my tongue against the pulse there and then I nipped gently, making him groan and grab my hips.

I moved my lips to his ear and whispered, “Tell me something we liked to do.”

When I looked in his face, his eyes focused on mine.

“Milagro, you know how you like our savory cocktails? We liked to taste each other’s blood. Small cuts,” he said. “I dream of the way your blood tastes.”

It was complimentary, yet disturbing, and I leaned away from him. “If you or anyone tried to cut me, I’d slap the bloodlust right out of your mouth.”

“You asked what we liked. I would never do anything you didn’t want to do.”

I relaxed somewhat. “I’m sure you adore me for other reasons, Oswald, including my seriousness and sincerity.”

“Sure,” he said, while his clever fingers slipped under my wretched smock and ran up and down my back, sending ripples of pleasure through my body. “This time we won’t let anyone interfere with our wedding.”

I closed my eyes and rocked against him, saying, “We’ll do what I’ve always wanted, a wedding with friends and a kick-ass band in Mercedes’s club. Lots of fizzy drinks with tiny parasols and dancing, and I want to wear a slinky retro dress.”

“Or we could have a quiet formal event.” He moved me off his lap and stood up. “Your friend Nancy can arrange it. She’s a ditz, but she has good taste.”

“Nancy’s not actually ditzy, and her taste is excellent, but too ritzy. Ritzy as in booking the Ritz.”

“Don’t worry about the cost.”

“I’m worried about the glitz.” I had the ooky feeling that we’d had this conversation before. “I think we should avoid anything ending in itz.”

“Would you please be serious, Mil?”

“I am being serious.” We’d left the bedroom door open, and we heard footsteps coming up the stairs. A few seconds later, AG, Edna, and Gabriel appeared, talking over one another and asking if it was true, were we engaged, what was going on?

Distracted from my disagreement with Oswald, I showed them the giant, glittering ring. They reacted with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

AG seemed the happiest about our news and looked at my hips and said, “Those are child-bearing hips. I’ll finally get some grandsons who can go out in the sun.”