Evangeline
“Hello, Mrs. Trassato.” I leaned my hip against the doorframe. “Gian’s not here. He’s working late tonight.”
“Call me Helena.” She squeezed my arm, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “And I didn’t come to see Gianluca.”
I blinked. “Oh. Okay.”
She tilted her head to the side, her stiff dark hair brushing the collar of her pale pink blouse. “Are you going to invite me in, or are you busy?”
“Right. Sorry.” I shook my head. “Gian didn’t tell me you were planning to stop by today. So, um, yeah…” Heat climbed up my face. I sounded like an absolute idiot. I wouldn’t be surprised if she called Gian the minute she left to tell him all the reasons she didn’t think we were a good fit. Not that it mattered. Gian and I weren’t really…anything.
A heart-clenching wave of panic thundered through me, and the thoughts I’d fought to keep at bay rushed forward like vomit. I’d done my best to beat back my feelings for him, but I wasn’t deluded enough to think I’d succeeded.
She cleared her throat, and I realized I’d been hopelessly trapped in a mental quagmire of my making.
“Sorry, it’s been a long day,” I mumbled and opened the door wider.
She dropped a stack of magazines on top of the black coffee table and perched on the edge of the gray sectional. “I didn’t tell him I planned to stop by.”
My mind whirled through hundreds of reasons why she’d want to talk to me alone, and none of them were good. “Did I do something wrong? Because I’m really sorry about ruining the engagement party. I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t like me at all. I never faint.” I’d met Kevin’s family a hundred and one times, and I never felt close to this level of anxiety.
Mrs. Trassato stared at me with a condescending look. Clearly, I hadn’t impressed her one bit. “Sit down. I want you to look at these so I know what kind of things you like. We really need to get a jump on the wedding plans if you want to walk down the aisle without advertising to the whole family that you’re pregnant.”
“Wait.” I held up my hand. “I am not pregnant.”
Her brows scrunched together. “You’re not?”
“God, no.” A nervous giggle bubbled from my lips. “I hadn’t eaten a thing that day, and my nerves got the best of me. That’s it.” Doubt flashed across her face. “I promise. There’s no reason for me to lie about it.”
Her amber eyes, so like Gian’s and Carmela’s, seared through me, scooping up my secrets. “Well then, I apologize for jumping to conclusions. It’s just that everything seemed so sudden. I’ve heard a little bit about your relationship with your ex from Carmela, and then suddenly Gian announced that you’re engaged. When you fainted at the engagement party, I thought I’d put the pieces of the puzzle together. I guess I was wrong.”
At a loss for words, I picked up the top magazine and thumbed through the glossy pages. She had earmarked pages and slapped sticky notes here and there. I couldn’t focus long enough to take in any of her comments.
“So do you have any ideas in mind for the wedding, or you planning to reuse some of the ideas from the one planned with your ex?”
I winced. She didn’t need a knife to cut me. Her words were more than capable of doing the job.
“Um…Gian and I aren’t rushing into anything.”
“You’re not.” She raised her eyebrows. “You’re engaged and living in his home. That seems pretty rushed, but maybe that’s just me. I grew up in a strict Catholic family. I never dated anyone except my husband. I always thought Gian would marry a nice Italian girl with a similar upbringing. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
My eyes bulged. Wow. Direct hit. Gian’s mom certainly didn’t pull her punches. If only the floor would open up and I could disappear into oblivion. “I’m sorry I’m a disappointment.”
“Well.” She stood and brushed imaginary dirt from her tailored pants. “I still don’t see an engagement ring, and you’re not pregnant, so I guess there’s still hope that my son will come to his senses and see you for what you are.”
My back straightened like someone had shoved a steel rod down my spine. As much as I wanted to play nice with Gian’s mother, I refused to be insulted. I didn’t do anything wrong. Without a doubt, I was the victim in all of this. When I stormed in Gian’s office that night, I only wanted my purse. Instead, I became a witness to a crime and snagged a fiancé who tied me in knots in both good and bad ways.
“What exactly are you implying?”
She lowered her eyes, which I hoped meant she regretted her harsh words a little.
“While Carmela only has good things to say about you, I’m having a hard time stomaching your arrival in my son’s life. I’m sure you’re a nice girl, and under other circumstances, I’d be happy to have you in our life, but I don’t understand how you could go from being engaged to one man to being engaged to my son in the blink of an eye. Gian needs someone who’s strong and will stand by him no matter what, and all the evidence suggests you’re fickle.”
All the anger drained from system, and my shoulders slumped. I couldn’t blame this woman for her misgivings. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t be able to overlook the circumstances either. “I-I…” My tongue thickened with the confession itching to roll off my tongue. I wanted to reassure her, but Gian obviously hadn’t confided in her for a reason.
I peeked at her from the corner of my eye, and I saw a woman ready to fight for her family. Ready to defend them no matter the cost, and I respected her. I didn’t think my mom would fight for me when push came to shove. My family orbited around each other, never connecting, and always keeping each other at arms’ length. In the last few years, we behaved like acquaintances who checked in on each other every couple of weeks more out of obligation than love.
“It’s not real.”
The declaration echoed unnaturally through the room.
“What?” Her voice was a hoarse rasp.
“Our engagement isn’t real,” I repeated.
A mask of equal parts horror and relief slipped over her face. “Do you care to explain?”
“No.” I gnawed on my lower lip. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Just know that I won’t do anything to hurt your son or your family. I’ll leave when he tells me I can, and I won’t cause any waves. I won’t tell anyone what happened or why. Ever.”
She pressed a hand to her chest, her face as white as a sheet of paper. “Oh my God. What did he do? Who else knows?”
Coming to my feet, I grabbed one of her hands. “No one, and I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t want something to happen to Gian because he helped me.” The words tasted like ash on my lips, and my stomach heaved. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to him. Carmela is my best friend, and Gian, means a lot to me too. I will do anything in my power to keep them safe. I promise. Okay?”
She nodded, her eyes glassy and her lower lip wobbling. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you, for everything, but mostly for being the mother of two of my favorite people.”
She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me flush against her. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I swallowed. “Please don’t tell Gian I told you anything. He wanted me to keep it secret.”
“I won’t.” She stepped back, a slight frown on her face. “I’m glad I came here today and not only because you told me the truth. You’re a good person, Evangeline. I’m sorry I said those things to you.”
“Thanks.” My voice cracked.
She picked up the stack of magazines and tucked them under her arm. “Call me if you need anything. I can be a formidable opponent when necessary, and you have an ally in me.”
I didn’t doubt it.
She raised her eyebrows. “These men think they can handle the world and keep us in the dark all the time, but we’re far from the wilting flowers they think we are.”