“I thought you moved out to Jersey,” I said. “You got married, right?”
She nodded. “I did, yeah. But, um, it didn’t work out. I’m back home for a bit now.” She gestured with pink-tipped fingernails toward a couple I recognized as her parents, who were chatting up Father Deflorio near the exit.
“Who’s this?” she asked, nodding toward Nina, who had dropped my hand and was standing quietly as she removed her gloves. “Your girlfriend?” The last word dripped with disdain.
“Hello,” Nina said loud enough that everyone could hear her. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Nina de Vries.”
She offered a handshake, and when Sherry took it, Nina closed her left hand over both of theirs, as if to give an extra grip. But no one paid attention to that. Not when we were practically blinded by a flash when a stream of light caught on a diamond that was no longer hanging from her neck, but in its rightful place on her ring finger.
Sherry’s mouth dropped as Nina pulled back her hands. “Is that—is that your grandmother’s ring?”
I pressed my lips together, trying and failing to hold back a giant fuckin’ grin. Suddenly, I felt giddy. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”
“I’m not his girlfriend,” Nina confirmed. “I’m his fiancée.”
“What?” Sherry blinked furiously as she glanced between Nina and me. “I—you’re—”
“Engaged,” Nina said. “That’s correct.”
Sherry frowned. “I was talking to Matthew, actually. Not you. It’s been a long time. We have some things to resolve, fiancée or not.”
I frowned. “Sherry, we don’t need to do this. It’s fine. Really. I’m over it. I moved on a long time ago.”
“Maybe you’re fine, Matthew, but I’m not.”
Nina took a subtle step forward. It was a small movement, but it put her squarely between Sherry and me, and I watched in surprise as my generally calm, reserved heiress became every bit the lioness as the women standing behind us.
“I know who you are,” Nina said evenly, in a voice that wasn’t loud or sharp, but was somehow as ominous and heavy as the stone around us. “And I know what you did.”
“What I did…excuse me?” Sherry flailed. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but you don’t know me—”
“I know you’re the kind of woman who cheats on the best possible man there is. I know you’re the kind of woman who lets her lover go to war and cheapens his sacrifice by opening your legs to any other man who comes your way.”
“Oh, listen, now,” Kate murmured behind us.
“Mattie—” Lea started.
“Hush,” Frankie’s voice came clear, quieting the rest so that Nina could continue.
“But,” Nina said as she drew her terrifyingly icy gaze up and down Sherry, who practically shivered in response. “I also know you’re the kind of woman who regrets it. So I’ll say this to you nicely the first time, but next, the gloves will really come off. You don’t deserve him. Now, in case you’ve forgotten, he also has an entire family of fierce women who don’t take kindly to people who hurt him. Nor do I. Like Matthew, I come from a family who will do absolutely anything to protect the people they love. And I do mean anything.”
She took another step forward, forcing Sherry to look up at her, which, given the difference of nearly a foot between them, meant that Nina pretty much towered over my ex-girlfriend.
“I suggest you don’t test me on that point,” she said, her voice low and menacing.
Sherry, though, was no slouch. Her fingers clenched and unclenched repeatedly, and her eyes squinted with fight. For a moment, I thought they might literally come to blows in the middle of the church.
But then she stepped back, flickering glances at me and the rest of my family, who remained perfectly silent.
“I see,” she said. “Well, I’ll be going. Mattie, I’ll um, see you around, I guess.”
I tipped my hat at her. “You have a nice day, Sherry.”
We all watched her leave, shoulders slumped in defeat. When Nina and I turned around, we found the rest of my family staring at her, expressions torn between irritation, shock, and respect.
“You’re engaged?” Lea’s loud voice finally interrupted the awkward silence.
Nina’s hand found mine again and I squeezed it tight. “This wasn’t really the way we were planning to tell you, but yeah, Lea. I asked Nina to marry me. And she said yes.”
“Signora Zola,” Nina said as she returned to my side. “I realize it’s a surprise, but I would very much appreciate the chance to…explain everything. Please.” She glanced at me, but even in that split second, her deep gray eyes were full of so much love, I thought my heart might burst in the middle of the church.
Right back at you, baby.
“Please, Nonna,” I said. “Just give her a chance to say her piece. Fair’s fair.”
Everyone waited for what seemed like the length of the entire Mass we had just sat through while my grandmother looked us both over.
“Yes,” Nonna said, breaking her silence at last. “I think so. We need to talk. With Matthew and you.”
Nina nodded, and to my surprise, none of my sisters argued. Instead, they filed out of the church, following Nonna obediently. Her word, apparently, settled the issue.
I turned to Nina with awe. “Where did that come from?”
“When you’re faced with lions, you can be eaten or learn to tame them. I choose the latter.” She shrugged.
I had to smile. She really had been listening throughout the whole sermon, which had, in fact, been on the famous parable of Daniel and the lion’s den.
“You’re not in the clear, though. You should have told me they would be angry.”
I turned with a hand on Nina’s back. “I’m mad at myself, doll. I should have predicted this, and I didn’t. You sure you want to go? We can still make our escape.”
But Nina just shook her head. “No, there’s no going back now. And I wouldn’t want to anyway.”
I took her hand and kissed her fingers, lingering over the ring that still gleamed
