Sighing, he shows me how to tie the ribbon and then we sit at the table tying bows for the next twenty minutes until Ella and Lila walk into the kitchen. Ella stops just short of the table and crosses her arms. Her hair is loose at her shoulders in waves, her eyes are lined with black, and her lips have a tint of pink to them. She has heels on that have straps that wind up her ankles, and between the shoes and the short dress her legs look nearly endless.

“Well, look at you two,” she says with hilarity in her voice. “All crafty and tying bows.”

I rotate in the chair and scan her amazingly perfect body, picturing how later her long legs will be wrapped around me. “You better watch it, Ella May, or you won’t have any ribbons at your wedding.”

“Good,” she says, tugging the bottom of her dress down.

Lila pokes her in the back. “Hey, I thought you liked the ribbons.”

Ella pulls an apologetic face. “No, I said out of all the silly, frilly decoration stuff you guys were throwing at me, the red and black ribbons were the least annoying.”

Lila frowns disappointedly. “So you don’t like it?”

Ella sighs. “No, I do. Sorry, I’m not being very nice right now. You’re helping me and I should be more grateful.”

Now Lila sighs. “Don’t lie to me. If you don’t like the ribbons then you don’t. We can do something else.”

Ethan shoots me a funny look and then reclines back in the chair with his arm draped over the top of it. “You know, if I didn’t know any better I’d think it was you two who were getting married.”

Lila’s heels click against the floor as she walks over and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “All right, it’s time for you to get back to your bow tying,” she says as she walks toward the back door and Ella follows her.

As Ella’s passing by me, I snag her elbow and pull her back, drawing her down so her head lowers and then I put my lips beside her ear. “Don’t get into any trouble please.”

She tilts her head to look at me. “When have I ever gotten into any trouble?”

“If you want me to ramble off the list,” I reply, “then I will, but it’ll probably take the rest of the night.”

She attempts to restrain a smile as she scowls at me, but then it slips through and she kisses me deeply. “I’ll do my best not to get into any fights,” she says, backing away, a little breathless from the kiss. “Or any other trouble.”

“And try not to wreck my car,” I call out as Lila opens the door.

“You’re letting them take your car?” Ethan asks, looking at me like I’m insane.