Nick hauled her to him and rained kisses on her face. “Oh, you just wait and see where I take you next time.”
Rena gave him a saucy smile. “I have a few ideas of my own.” She kissed him deeply, then said, “I love you, Nick Andrade. I will marry you today, tomorrow, wherever, or whenever you want. I don’t care. As long as we’re together.”
Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. When he opened it, Rena recognized the simple diamond solitaire inside and gasped. Nick said, “Your mother said this was her mother’s ring. She said your grandparents were married for fifty years so it has to be full of a lot of love. If you want a new one, I’ll buy you one, but I thought . . .”
Rena slid the ring on, then went up onto her knees and kissed Nick again. “No, this is perfect.” Then she stopped as a thought came to her. “How did you get this ring? Did you go see my parents? Did you tell them you were going to ask me to marry you?”
Nick nodded and grinned.
Rena looked down at the ring in shock. “How did that go?”
“We sorted a few things out, but in the end we agreed the most important thing in all this was your happiness. And I can make you happy, Rena. I know I can.”
Rena kissed him, then hugged him tightly. “You already do.”
***
A short time later, when Nick and Rena were back in the car, Nick sent a text: We’re on our way.
Rena peered over and asked, “You’re texting someone now?”
Nick wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Your mother wanted to make sure everything was ready when we arrived.”
“My mother?”
Nick smiled. “You have one more surprise today. I hope it’s what you wanted. I think it is.”
Even though Rena tried to pry hints out of him, Nick refused to say more on the long drive. The street leading to her parents’ driveway was lined with cars. Rena sat up and craned her neck so she could see better as they approached. “Are my parents having a party?”
Nick kissed her shoulder. “Technically we are, but they’re hosting it.”
Rena looked back at him, her eyes round with wonder. “An engagement party?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a bold move. What if I had said no?”
He pulled her back against him and buried his face in her neck. “I didn’t let myself consider that possibility.”
They pulled up to the front of the house and Rena gripped Nick’s arms as she looked around. “Nick, there has to be a hundred people here. Who did you invite?”
He took her hand and led her toward the house. “I started with your family, then my brothers, and some of my friends I’d like you to meet. Then I called Uncle Alessandro and asked him if there were any Andrades around who wanted to come celebrate our engagement. Apparently there are a lot of them.”
A pack of children ran past them like a stampeding herd. Rena laughed. “Do you know all of them?”
Nick pointed to a man who ran past after the children. “That’s my second cousin Tino.” Another man called for the first man to get his child back in the yard too. “Or that’s Tino. I’m still learning all their names.” He put a hand on Rena’s back and guided her closer. “I’m hoping you can help me sort them out.”
Rena shook her head in amazement at the number of family who had come out to support Nick and said, “It might take a while.”
Nick leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “That’s okay, we have a lifetime together to figure it out.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later, Rena had a cab drop her off in front of the impressive Corisi home where Maddy had requested her presence for what she said was an important family meeting.
Keep your friends close, and your wacky family members closer, Rena thought. With someone like Maddy, it wasn’t a bad idea to attend her meetings just to keep abreast of what she was up to.
Abby Corisi opened the front door of her home and graciously welcomed Rena with a warm hug, beckoning her to enter. Nicole Andrade, Nick’s cousin through marriage, rushed over to also hug Rena.
Maddy joined them with a cautious smile. “Thanks for coming, Rena. I wasn’t sure if you would.” The sad eyes she gave Rena reminded her of the momentary contrition of a puppy who had been caught shredding something and would soon be off to shred something else. It was a clear act of manipulation, but one that was impossible to resist. Maddy’s father had hit the reason dead on the head when he’d said his daughter was all heart. She might be impulsive and have a penchant for meddling, but she meant well.
Rena reluctantly smiled. “I’m not angry with you anymore, Maddy.”
Maddy threw her arms around Rena and gave her a bone-crushing hug. “I never meant to hurt you, Rena. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
Rena hugged her back. “I realize you didn’t know what Patrice was capable of.”
Abby requested they follow her into one of the house’s side salons. As they walked, Maddy linked arms with Rena and said, “She can’t be as awful as you think she is. She’s Nick’s mother and my aunt. Sometimes people go through things that give them a bitter outer shell, but everyone has good in them.”
Rena pulled Maddy to a halt and bore into her with her eyes. “It’s nice to be optimistic about people, Maddy, but not when it endangers the ones you love. Don’t trust Patrice. She has very few allies right now and if she can use you, she will. I may not be related to her, but I’ve seen her up close and in action for a long time. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
Maddy let Rena’s arm drop. “I’m not an idiot, you know. But I also don’t write people off just because they’ve made some mistakes.”
Nicole touched Maddy’s arm gently. “I don’t think you’re an idiot, Maddy. You’ve lived a blessed life where you’ve never had to deal with anyone like Patrice. My father was an angry and vindictive man. I regret not cutting my father out of life. It took his death for me to admit what he’d put my family through. Be careful with your aunt. Stephan says she’s an unhappy woman who seems hell-bent on sabotaging her own sons. Listen to what Rena is saying. She’s speaking from a loving place, too.”
With uncharacteristically sad eyes, Maddy asked, “So, what are you suggesting, that I ignore her when she calls? That I stop going to see her?”
“Yes,” Rena and Nicole said in unison.
“I don’t know if I can do that,” Maddy said seriously.
Their talk was cut off as they entered a room full of other women. Julia put down the cup of tea she was sipping when she saw Rena and patted the open space next to her on the couch. She joked, “Yay, now I’m not the only newbie here.”
Nicole stepped closer to Rena. “They will appear crazy at first, but you’ll never meet a more supportive or genuinely loving group of women. I married into some of this, but all of them are family now.”
Abby smiled warmly at Nicole. “I don’t remember life before all of you. I don’t want to.”
A beautiful woman with similar but leaner features and an easy smile walked over and put her arm around Abby’s shoulders. “It was just you and me.”
A tall, stunning redhead flipped her hair over one shoulder and said, “Don’t forget me, Lil. I was right there with you, driving Abby nuts.”
Abby waved a finger playfully at the redhead. “You certainly were, Alethea. Someday you’ll have children and I will enjoy watching them put you through your paces.”
Alethea smiled unabashedly at Abby. “Marc will keep them in line.”
Nicole laughed. “Rena, as you probably know, Abby is married to my brother, Dominic. Her sister, Lil, is married to Jake Walton, Dominic’s business partner. Alethea is Lil’s best friend. Never lie to her, she’s on Dominic’s security force and probably already knows your bank account balance to the penny. It’s a little scary, but you’ll get used to her. The woman sitting in the chair beside Julia is Marie Duhamel. She’ll tell you she’s my brother’s personal assistant, but really she’s lik
e a den mother around here and a genius when it comes to solving problems. Keep her number handy. I don’t know how she does it. Sometimes I think she has a magic wand she won’t tell us about. Either way, if you need anything, she’s the one to call. I believe you know that I’m a first cousin to Maddy through my husband, Stephan. And, of course, you already know Julia.”
“Wow,” Rena said with a chuckle. “I’ll try to remember everyone’s name. Please be patient with me—I’ve met a lot of people recently.”
Abby took a seat beside Marie. “Marie, I told you about that, right? Nick called Maddy’s father and asked if there were any Andrades who wanted to attend an engagement party.”
The very properly dressed older woman slapped her lap and laughed. “He didn’t.”
Maddy and Nicole sat down across from them. “He did,” Maddy said with a huge smile.
Alethea and Lil sat together on the end of a chaise lounge. Alethea shook her head at the group in amusement. “No one thought to warn him?”
Lil leaned against her friend in camaraderie. “Now where would the fun be in that?”
While Nicole poured herself a cup of tea, she said, “It’s funny, but it’s also heartwarming to see Nick reaching out to the family the way he is. Stephan’s father called and there was no option except going, but we didn’t mind. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank the powers above for bringing all of you into my life.”
Marie dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “Don’t, Nicole. I don’t want to start bawling and ruin my makeup.”
Maddy uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “See, this is why I called a meeting. Family doesn’t just happen. It’s a choice we make. Uncle Victor understands that. Many families stop gathering because it’s inconvenient or because someone is arguing with someone. Yes, we argue, but Andrades don’t give up on each other. We’re so close to our goal. We can’t stop now.”
Rena looked across at Julia. She mouthed silently, “This is a meeting? What goal?”
Julia shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
With sudden insight, Rena asked, “Is this about the bet you all have going about who is the best matchmaker?”
“It’s more than a bet,” Maddy said earnestly. “And it’s already working. Julia, since you met Gio, he’s spending more time with his brothers, isn’t he?”
Julia nodded, but she didn’t look comfortable agreeing.
Maddy turned to Rena. “And look at what happened when you and Nick got together. That was the first time one of George’s sons invited the rest of the family to one of their events. You did that, Rena.”
Rena shook her head. “Technically, Nick did.”
“Because being with you made him see how important family is,” Maddy countered. She looked around the room and stared down each woman one at a time. “Is there anyone here who doesn’t agree with that? Hasn’t the love that has come into your life brought each of you to a better place?”
Abby glanced at Marie. “I am always most afraid when I find myself agreeing with Maddy. I want to tell her to stop, but her track record is irrefutable.”
Alethea tapped her long nails on the side of the cup she was holding. “I have to disagree. Julia wasn’t one of our plants. She met Gio on her own. Rena has known Nick for most of her life. We’re not responsible for any of this.”
Maddy rolled her eyes. “Alethea, you can sit there and toss your facts around—”
Alethea raised one of her perfectly groomed eyebrows. “It’s called reality.”
Lil gave Alethea’s leg a pat. “Remember the filter we talked about?”
Abby started laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes. “Lil, are you honestly lecturing Alethea about filtering what she says? I’m sorry, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Do you hear yourself?”
Marie sighed. “Ladies, we’re not here to discuss us. Maddy is trying to make a point.”
Nicole looked across at Rena and Julia. “They bicker like this all the time, it’s harmless.”
Maddy smoothed her dress over her legs and cleared her throat. “As I was saying, regardless of how it is happening, we are trying to bring the family back together by finding wives for my cousins and it’s working. Do you disagree, Alethea?”
Alethea waved a hand in concession. “I concede that point.”
“And as new members of the family, Julia and Rena, I thought you should join one of our teams,” Maddy added.
“Teams?” Rena asked. She was starting to doubt that this conversation was real; in fact, she half expected that at any moment one of them would break down and admit it was all a prank.
Lil smiled at Alethea. “Al and I are a team.”
Abby hugged Marie. “I snagged Marie.”
Maddy took Nicole’s hand in hers and raised it up triumphantly. “Nicole and I are a team and, being Andrades ourselves, we have inside information.”
Lil blurted out, “Probably not as much as Alethea has.”
Abby frowned at her sister. “Please tell me you’re not using Jeremy for any of this.”
Lil shrugged. “Not use Jeremy? That’s like asking Superman not to fly. You can’t start making up rules now, Abby.”
Julia placed her cup down on the table in front of her. “Who is Jeremy?”
Marie said, “A wonderful, talented man who should be allowed to enjoy his time out in California with Jeisa.”
Alethea sat up straighter and narrowed her eyes. “If I hadn’t involved him last time, we wouldn’t be here discussing the love lives of two grown men as if we actually have some control over them. We wouldn’t care about any of this.”
Abby shuddered. “You’re right, Alethea. We’re all grateful for what you do, it’s just scary sometimes what you’re able to uncover.”
“Some secrets add to your life. Like finding out about Gigi. I want to invite her to spend Christmas with us. What do you think?”
Nicole asked, “Have you met her yet?”
“No,” Maddy said cheerfully. “But she’ll love us once she meets us.”
Julia grimaced. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Gio is in contact with her now and it’s a little rocky.”
“See, secrets make things worse instead of better.” Maddy cocked her head to one side and said, “My father said there is a reason Aunt Patrice is as bitter as she is. He won’t tell me. Would you be able to find out, Alethea? Are you that good?”
“Oh, she is”—Lil said emphatically, then changed course when her sister glared at her from across the room—“not able to get involved in anything like that anymore.”
In a kind tone, Marie interjected, “Maddy, there may be a very good reason your father doesn’t want you to know. Some things are better left in the past.”
Looking up at the ceiling with impatience, Maddy said, “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t tell me that I don’t know someone well enough to know how to behave around her and also that I shouldn’t try to learn more about her. I want to know what happened between Patrice and my family. It kept my cousins away from me. I want the truth.” She turned to Alethea. “If you can uncover it, please help me.”
Alethea looked around the room, studying the expressions of the women who watched her closely. Finally, she said sadly, “I keep my investigations purely business related now.”
Maddy gave a delicate snort of disbelief. “So, you haven’t been looking into the Andrades as part of this game? Is Lil wrong?”
Alethea didn’t say anything.
Maddy pushed, “Yes or no, Alethea? Are you a hypocrite or a liar?”
Alethea stood, her temper also rising. “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do, Maddy. No one is ever grateful for what I uncover. They say they are, but people always blame the bearer of the bad news. I don’t want to be that person anymore.”
Maddy pursed her lips angrily. “So, you won’t help me?”
Alethea looked down at Lil, then back at Maddy. “No, I won’t. Sorry, Maddy.”
An aw
kward silence fell over the room.
Marie moved to stand behind Maddy and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Maddy, tell us why you asked us here today. Didn’t it have something to do with Max?”
Maddy crossed her arms across her chest and took a deep breath. She shook her head a few times in disappointment, then sighed and said, “Max didn’t go to Rena and Nick’s engagement party.”
Rena said, “He’s still out of the country.”
Maddy countered, “He would have flown in if he’d wanted to. Julia, he said he might not come to your wedding, either.” She sounded more than a little disheartened when she added, “I thought we should focus on him next. We have a few months. Are you planning it around Christmas?” She blinked quickly and tears filled her eyes when Julia didn’t immediately answer. “Or maybe we should forget the bet. Maybe it’s just another one of my stupid ideas.”
Julia walked over and squished herself into the small space between Maddy and the arm of the couch. “We haven’t picked a date yet. I admire what you’re trying to do, Maddy, and I’d like to join your team, if you’ll have me. I agree with Nicole, not a day goes by that I’m not grateful to have you and your family in my life. And if you think helping Max find love will bring him home, I’m in.” She smiled across at Alethea. “It’ll help even the odds, too. I was also in security.”
Alethea choked and Lil elbowed her.
Rena stood. “Way to put my feet to the fire, Julia. I guess I’m in, too.” She looked back and forth between the two remaining teams. Abby and Marie were definitely the saner choice, but there was a group that might need to be reined in. “I choose Lil and Alethea’s team.”
Lil let out a happy whoop. “You won’t regret this. We may have had a slow start, but we’re honing our skills. There are two brothers left. It’s anyone’s game.”
Rena sat down next to Alethea.
Alethea looked her over and said, “It’ll be interesting getting to know you.”