'You sure we have time for this today, bro?' Ryan asked his partner as they climbed the stairs out of the Fifth and Fifty-Eighth subway station. 'This is the kind of decision-making that takes some time.'

'We've already done some looking at bands on the on-line store, so this is more like narrowing down choices as opposed to starting from square one. Plus, my cousin Frannie already has an idea of what we want since I bought Meredeth's ring here.'

Esposito turned the stairs, felt his heart stutter a little when he saw Meredeth already waiting for them . She looked like a fashion plate today in her early spring fashion - a powder blue trench coat with a white skirt and her soft-heeled knee-high black leather boots, and her Ralph Lauren sunglasses shielding her eyes as she texted on her iPhone. She glanced him and her smile was easy and sweet as she saw him approach.

'Hello Detective,' she said, kissing Esposito in greeting as he took her hand.

'Hello Party-Planner. How's everything going?'

'Exhausting. I spent the morning with Officer Brandt, the woman whose organizing the venue and stuff for the Care-aoke, and she told me they've sold almost two hundred tickets in a week, at fifty bucks a head, and she's anticipating there'll be double by the time we close the sales next Friday.'

'Wow, guess your idea really hit a nerve,' Ryan commented. 'A lot of the times it's just another dinner with drinks and dancing, so I think a lot of people are curious as much as anything to see what this is going to be like.'

'Either way, in between wedding stuff and promotional work for the miniseries, I've spent every other waking moments putting out tweets and emails and texts to people I've worked with on the miniseries seeing who is interested in attending.'

'Tell me Laura Harper will be there and my life is be complete. You know, aside from marrying Jenny, having a son and being good at my job.'

Meredeth laughed as they walked into Tiffany's. She remembered the first time she'd been in there - her grandmother had taken her shopping for her sixteenth birthday and bought her a Roman numerals pendant. She'd never felt more glamorous in her life as when she'd tried on that necklace, but she had a feeling today would probably top it.

They were immediately approached by Francesca - Meredeth recognized her from family photos - who pulled Meredeth in for a tight embrace. 'So good to meet you, finally! I was so sorry we didn't make down to San Juan for Easter, I hear you two had quite the time.'

'Let's just say that rum punch has a lot more kick than I remembered.'

'Ah yes, the famous Huertas plonk. Mami's abuela first made that stuff and the recipe keeps getting stronger and stronger every generation.' Looping her arm through Meredeth's she tugged her towards the counter. 'I was just absolutely bowled over when Javi emailed me about information on diamonds. I was the only person in the family he told, aside from his mother, that he was popping the question.'

'And with good reason.' Meredeth glanced down to study her ring, her jeweled flower winking in the light.

'After I sold it to him, I made a little file of things I though would compliment your rings quite well.' Ever the jeweler, Francesca picked up Meredeth's right hand, studied the engraved band she wore there. 'Who's Pablo?'

'Oh, that was Javi's one-year gift to me in October. 'Something funny Pablo' were the first words I ever said to him.'

Beneath her silk blouse, Francesca's romantic heart sighed. 'So sweet. Okay, to business.' Going straight to the display case, she pulled out samples. 'I went out on a limb and guessed you don't want a mixed look, or the yellow and white gold bands,' she ventured.

'Your limb guessed correctly.' Esposito leaned over, examined the bands. He wasn't one for jewelery but this was something he would wear with the utmost pride, his symbol of his love and commitment to the best woman a man could dream of. 'Oh, that one's good.'

'Platinum bands, smooth polish finish, very easy to have engraved.'

'Like mine.' Ryan twisted his own off his finger, held it out for his partner's inspection. He remembered going to pick it out with his wife on the first day of their honeymoon in Dublin at a charming little shop around the corner from their hotel. 'See, I had Mo Chuisle done on the inside, so does Jenny's.'

'Mo Chuisle?'

'It means 'my darling and my blood' or more accurately 'my pulse' in Gaelic,' Meredeth said off-handedly as she studied the other options, then glanced over to see Ryan's mouth hanging open. 'What? Didn't you ever see Million Dollar Baby?'

'Unfortunately, if you choose this set only Javi's band could be done.' Francesca tapped her manicure on teh glass counter nervously. 'Our engraver won't do any rings three millimetres or narrower.'

Meredeth turned to Esposito. 'Is it necessary to get it engraved though? They're already going to be lo-jacked. Doesn't the whole act of wearing it carry the most promise?'

'You can always get it done for your anniversary or something,' Francesca pointed out.

'I like the idea of getting them engraved, though, it's like keeping part of that wedding vow promise with you all the time.'

'Okay, then. We'll get them engraved.' Meredeth saw the look on his face, knew this compromise was a necessary one. He knew how much he'd been working on his vows and wanted to get them absolutely right. 'Which rings both be engraved?'

'These ones, this is white gold with smooth-groove detailing five and four millimetre width respectively, and these ones, platinum with milgrain, six and four millimetre width respectively.' Francesca pointed to the other sets she's selected.

'Oh I like those, very much,' Meredeth said. 'What do you think, Javi?'

'I dig it. Not too prissy, and a little funky,' Esposito agreed.

Francesca smiled. 'This might be a little unconventional, but if you've got your song already picked out for your first dance, you could get that engraved on your rings. Joe and I have 'Truly Madly Deeply' on ours.'

Meredeth thought of the song they'd picked out, a beautiful R&B hit that suited them to T. 'For You I Will. I think that'd be great.'

'Agreed.' As Esposito had listened to the song in the car on his way to the station that morning, the lyrics were fresh in his mind. 'That'll fit on both won't it?'

'Absolutely. Okay, we've got the bands picked out, and we've already got your information on file from your engagement ring, Mere, so I just need your ring size, primo.' Francesca picked up her sizing tool from a drawer behind the counter, slide the band around Esposito's finger to make her notations on the file. 'Hmm, lucky girl Meredeth.'

'That's sick, prima, sick and wrong,' Esposito said.

'It's a compliment, Javi.'

'Not one you want to hear from your cousin, Frannie. You can bill it to my credit card, same one I used for Meredeth's engagement ring.'

'Sure thing. You doing any down payment like before?'

'No. We've got our finances for the wedding already sorted, that would just mess it up.'

Francesca nodded, knowing that her customer, particularly her cousin, was always right. She made her final notations on the file, tilted her head to the side. 'You all set, Detective Ryan?'

'Yeah, I'm good.'

Esposito turned, barely remembering Ryan had come with them. So silent had been his exit that he felt a little startled to see him standing right behind him, a dainty Tiffany-blue bag in his hands. 'What is that?'

'Birthday gift for Jenny. I wanted to get her jewelery this year, and she'd been sighing over the pendant she lost at work before she went on maternity leave, so I figured upgrade. How it go here?'

'Excellent. Got our bands picked out, got an inscription chosen, and got them paid for.'

Ryan looked impressed. 'Wow, you weren't kidding. You guys have this planning thing really well in hand. Which reminds me, I have to change the date on my tux fitting.'

'Why?'

'Appointment with Dell's pediatrician.' The lie tripped easily off of Ryan's tongue, and felt no guilt about it whatsoever since it was only to cover up planning his partner's bachelor party with Castle, and he knew that Jenny would cover for him. 'You guys good to go?'

'Everything's all set, Javi. They'll be ready for pick up on May twenty-fifth. Our engraver's got a lot on his plate, getting things ready for the slew of June weddings coming up.'

'Thanks again, Francesca.' Meredeth shook her hand, not at all surprised when Esposito's cellphone went off and he took the call, his demeanor all business. 'You guys have to go?'

'Yeah, sorry to cut this short babe. Lanie's got something for us and needs us at the morgue pronto.' He paused to give Meredeth a kiss. 'I'll call if I'm going to be late. Love you.'

'Love you too.' Meredeth watched as her beloved grilled Ryan over shopping while they were on duty and making him keep his purchase in the trunk of the car for safe-keeping before turning back to Francesca. 'Can you show me what you'd got in the way of cuff-links?'

R&R&Enjoy.