Marc Baptiste

On a chilly Los Angeles morning, Naya Rivera arrives at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf looking every inch the star in a black wool DVF coat over a camouflage print dress, Saint Laurent boots, and oversize Chanel sunglasses that never come off. Her thick black hair, which has been blown straight, cascades over her shoulders. What really turns heads, though, is her ginormous engagement ring, a cushion-cut sparkler, which looks like a six-carat stunner, surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds. In October, her boyfriend, rapper Sean Michael Anderson, a.k.a. "Big Sean," proposed, and Rivera is still basking in the excitement of her news. "I think he's going to be an amazing husband, and he'll make a great father someday," she gushes. "He's so kind to people, but he also wears the pants in our relationship, which I love. We Latinas are very independent and strong, so it's even sweeter that I've found somebody who can let me out of that role for a minute."

The two met in the most modern of ways: on Twitter. Bored at work, Rivera decided to follow the rapper, whom she'd recently admired in a sexy GQ spread. Anderson, who was touring overseas at the time, was alerted to the nod by her million-plus followers, as well as his assistant, an avid Glee fan who also happens to be Puerto Rican. "She told him, 'I'm Puerto Rican, she's Puerto Rican; it sounds like you'd have so much fun with her,'" Rivera recalls. Anderson pulled up an episode of Glee to check Rivera out, liked what he saw, and sent her a private message. At first, Rivera was skeptical that he was the real thing: "Even though he had the verified check mark, I kept thinking, this could be a fan. I have to be careful what I say."

More from Rivera's interview:

On indulging her domestic side:

"Latinas are really great nurturers who are great to our men; we love hard and we love to cook. The other morning I woke up and was like, 'I need china — this table needs to be set all the time!' Focusing on those things is where I'm at right now."

Marc Baptiste

"I was very resourceful when it came to getting a job. I was the ultimate liar on a resume. At the tender age of 19, I said I had a bachelor's degree; they never checked! Even when I didn't have much, I always acted as if I had everything I wanted. Latin women are go-getters by nature. We have a certain charm and finesse that gets us what we want."

On understanding Spanish better than she speaks it:

"It sucks because I have no one to [speak Spanish] to, but it's something I need to learn when I have kids. They need to be fluent."

Marc Baptiste

For more, pick up our spring issue, on newsstands Feb. 4. Check out a behind-the-scenes video of Naya's shoot, below:

Photos: Marc Baptiste

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