Hope's Angel (29 page)

“Brat.”

His eyes turned serious once more. “I love you, Connie. Don’t scare me
like this.”

Connie frowned. “Scare you? How am I scaring you?”

“Because I want you to marry me.” His eyes remained fixed on hers as he
reached into his pants pocket with one hand and pulled out a small white box.
“I was going to wait until we were in the car, but maybe now’s the time.”

Connie stared at the box, the blood draining from her face. She had
told him she wasn’t ready for this.

“I spoke with your father already,” he said, watching her. “I asked his
permission, and he said yes.”

Connie looked up at him in shock. “You spoke with my father?”

Greg nodded, his eyes full of concern once more. “That’s what he would
have expected, right? It’s the proper thing to do.”

“But you and I haven’t really talked about it officially—”

“Connie, you know how I feel about you. And it doesn’t mean we have to get
married before we graduate. Garrett and Emily were engaged for two years. I
love you, and I want to make it official.”

Something just didn’t feel right. Connie tried to read his face. “Why?
You don’t trust that we’d stay together without a ring?”

“Of course I do. I just want to tell the world that we love each other,
and you’re mine.”

Suddenly everything was clear. “This  is about Paul,” she said.

A flash of anger crossed Greg’s face. “Paul? No, it’s not about Paul. What
the … Should it be?”

Connie looked away from his eyes, ashamed for transferring her own
confusion to him. Greg lowered the box into his lap. “You don’t want this, do
you?” he asked quietly.

Connie bit her lip to keep from crying as she looked into his eyes once
more. “I love you, Greg. But I’m not even twenty-one yet. I’m not ready to make
a commitment like this. Not yet.”

“Because Paul is still a possibility,” he said.

Connie shook her head. “No. Because I’m too young. I’m still figuring
out what I want to do. I don’t even know if I want to be a nurse or a teacher
or what. Maybe I want to go to grad school. I’ve thought about being an army
nurse.”

“An army nurse?” Greg’s voice rose as he scowled. “What are you talking
about?”

“Greg, can’t we just keep things the way they are? I don’t want to hurt
you, and I don’t want to lose you. But I‘m not ready for this!”

Greg withdrew his arm from behind her and slipped the box back into his
pants pocket, then leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his face out of her
sight. “David is going to ask Gianna to marry him.”

Connie swallowed. “I know. They’ve talked about it.” She rested her
hand on the curve of his back, a small nag of fear beginning in her chest. “Is
this going to ruin it for us?”

Greg shook his head. “That would make a lie out of everything I just
said.”

“It doesn’t mean I don’t love you. Because I do.” She did love Greg.
She just wasn’t ready to commit to a lifetime with him. “I’m sorry. If this is
embarrassing or anything, please don’t let it be.” She watched the back of his
head, wishing he would look at her. “Do your parents know? Did you talk to them
already, too?”

“No. We would have told them tomorrow. They have no idea.” He glanced
back at her, a frown creasing his brow. “This isn’t about them, Connie.”

“I’m not saying it is.” She gently rubbed his back with one hand. “I
know it’s not. Just give me some more time, Greg, okay? Let me get used to the
idea.”

He sat back, and she was relieved to see a small smile softening his
features.“Maybe this is better,” he said. “When you say yes, I’ll know it’s about
us and not just the dream wedding you and your sisters used to talk about.”

“When we weren’t talking about being nuns,” Connie said, smiling into
his eyes.

Greg’s eyes shone with amusement. “Seriously? You didn’t tell me that was
you, too.”

“I do love those long habits.”

He grinned at her. “That’s kind of sexy to think about—making love to you
in a nun’s outfit.”

Connie laughed, then leaned toward him and kissed his lips. He pushed
himself from the couch and offered her his hand. “We’d better go see what we
can do to help,” he said.

They drove to Nonna’s duplex in the Mustang, stopping before Mass to
drop off pizzas and desserts.  Cousin Tony had apparently just driven away, for
a vacant parking space conveniently awaited them in front of the duplex, and
Greg parked the Mustang there. The porch light was on at the Cefalu house to
their left, and Connie’s eyes went to the lace-covered front windows. The
living room was brightly lit, and a crowd of people could be seen moving about
inside. She glanced down the street. Paul’s car was nowhere in sight, but that
didn’t mean he wasn’t there with the rest of his family. The probability that
they would end up in church together was high.

She and Greg turned in the opposite direction, taking the small
sidewalk which ran alongside Nonna’s duplex between the house and the
neighbor’s property on the right side. They followed it around the corner of
the house to the back door and down the stairs to the quiet basement kitchen
that stood ready for the family party.

The rich perfume of simmering marinara sauce greeted them as they
stepped into the warm room. Three huge pots sat on the burners of a black and
chrome restaurant-sized gas stove, two of them holding water waiting to be
brought to a boil when it was time to cook the pasta, the third containing
several gallons of sauce. An oversized, homemade table sat along one wall
between a long bench seat that ran its entire length and eight chairs lined up
on its outside edge. Three ornate bottles full of burgundy-colored homemade
wine were spaced along its surface, and several large pottery serving bowls sat
among them, ready to receive the mounds of food necessary to feed the extended
families of Nonna and her sisters.

They left the unbaked pizzas on a work table in the far corner and went
back up the stairs, into the frosty freshness of the clear night air. Connie
guided Greg back along the side of the house, onto the public sidewalk. The
church was four blocks away, and they welcomed the opportunity to walk it
together. A powdery blanket of new snow sparkled in the glow of the streetlight
and muffled the sounds of passing cars as they strolled past houses gaily lit
with Christmas lights. A deep peacefulness settled over Connie as she took
Greg’s gloved hand in hers and leaned into him. He gave her a long, slow smile that
conveyed his contentment, and love for him filled her heart. She thought about the
ring in the box, a ring she had yet to see, and pondered if she had been too
hasty in refusing to accept it. What was she waiting for?

Cars were parked along the curb in front of the church as they
approached. The church’s stained glass windows poured colored light out onto
the snow-covered bushes beneath them, and a welcoming, golden glow spilled from
the building’s open double doors. Assorted people in hooded coats and winter
jackets were arriving from all directions, sharing joyful greetings as they stamped
the snow from their boots before going inside.

Connie and Greg entered the brightly lit foyer. Gianna and David stood
off to one side, holding hands and watching the door. Gianna’s face lit up with
delight when she saw them, and she immediately headed their way. Her dark eyes
were shining as she thrust her left hand toward Connie.

A small, teardrop diamond glittered on her ring finger.

Connie gave a stifled shriek of excitement, then looked up into
Gianna’s glowing face. And she knew at that moment that she had made the right
decision. Her time to be the center of attraction would come later. Right now,
the moment should belong to Gianna. She gave her sister a tight hug and
whispered her heartfelt congratulations, then moved on to give David a hug.

“Hey, brother-in-law-to-be,” she said with a wide grin as she wrapped
her arms around his torso. He was taller and sturdier than any other man in her
life, and hugging him was a new experience for her. They laughed together as
she pulled away, and the happiness on his face was unmistakable.

Gianna left them to go upstairs to the choir loft, and David joined
Connie and Greg as they entered the church proper and walked down the long
center aisle to find a place midway in. Her parents and Angie were coming separately,
and they would find
their
own
place to sit in the rapidly filling
church. Nonna was already up front with her sisters, occupying the first row
pew where the three women and Tony always sat.

David and Connie genuflected before entering their row of choice, while
Greg stood by and waited, totally unfamiliar with their rituals. He followed
Connie and sat on the lacquered wooden pew while she and David knelt
side-by-side on the padded kneeler to pray. Connie took the opportunity to look
around at who else was visible. No member of the Cefalu family was in sight.
Perhaps they were simply enjoying their Christmas Eve together and would attend
Mass in the morning. She stopped worrying about running into Paul and
concentrated on the beauty of the festively decorated church around her. The
glistening, gray marble altar with its gold leaf trim was covered with
poinsettias of white and crimson, and in the alcove above it, Christmas
garlands festooned the statue of Our Lady in her robes of cream and brown. The air
smelled of incense and burning candles, and all felt right with the world.
Connie said a quick prayer of thanks for all that was good in her life, then
slid back onto the pew beside Greg and slipped her hand into his where it
rested on his lap. Behind them, the pipe organ began to play, and she smiled into
his eyes, then settled in to enjoy the pageantry of Midnight Mass on Christmas
Eve.

***

The snow had stopped, and the night air was brisk when Mass ended.
People streamed out of the church and headed for their cars with shouts of
“Merry Christmas!” as Connie and Greg began their one a.m. walk back to the
duplex.

“You didn’t go to Communion,” Greg teased as Connie pulled up her
collar and tightened the scarf around her neck.

She slipped her arm into his. “Neither did David. I was in good
company.”

“We haven’t done anything that bad, you know.” Greg looked worried, and
Connie laughed as she squeezed his arm.

“It’s okay. Not everybody goes to Communion at Midnight Mass. Nobody will
judge us.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this Catholic thing,” he said.

Connie glanced at him. “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Greg wrinkled his nose. “It was a little long, but other than that, I
actually enjoyed it.”

“Good, because you’ll have to convert if you want to get married.”

His eyes widened as he stared at her, and Connie laughed again. “Okay,
maybe not convert, but we will have to go to marriage classes with the priest
first.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Everybody does, even two Catholics. And you’ll have to agree to
raise our kids Catholic.”

Greg frowned at her. “Are you trying to discourage me or what?”

“No, I’m just telling you the gory truth. Might as well get it all out
there now.”

“So then, does this mean you’re considering it?” A small smile played
around his mouth.

Connie fluttered her eyes at him. “Of course I’m considering it.”

“Okay.” His smile widened. “So, what else do I need to know?”

“We’ll have to get married in the Catholic church.”

Greg gave her a questioning look. “Who makes all these rules?”

“The pope, I guess. I don’t know. I just know they’re really strict
about it.”

He looked pensive. “So, if our minister is a family friend, and I want
to have him marry us, I can’t?”

Connie grimaced at the reasonableness of his question and the answer
she would have to give. “Maybe we can arrange for a joint thing where he’s part
of it, but a priest has to marry us or it’s not recognized by the church.”

“And then what?”

“We’d be living in sin.”

“You’re kidding.”

“And my parents would disown me.”

Greg’s face had gone serious. “You’re not making this up, are you.” His
words were a statement, not a question.

“I’m afraid not.”

He was silent as they covered the remaining blocks between the church
and the duplex, and Connie worried about what he was thinking. The more she
thought about it, the more she knew she would accept his ring and his offer of
marriage, just not on this day when Gianna deserved to be the center of
attraction.