Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem engaged

Those who know them say their relationship is quite often fiery, but Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem seem to have worked out their demons…because they’re engaged.

And you can’t really say it’s too soon – the new couple have been hanging together for seventeen years. They met while filming Penny’s 1994 comedy-drama, ‘Jamon Jamon’ in Barcelona, then did a re-run by appearing in Woody Allen’s ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona,’ which won Penny her first Oscar as ‘Best Supporting Actress’ in 2008.

Engagement rumors have been swirling for weeks and we reported it two days ago — beating some of the tabloids to the romantic punch. But when Penny was asked back in 2007 if they were even a item she didn’t help much, “I don’t talk about that. He’s a friend and the best actor in the world,” was the obtuse reply.

People reports that Javier, 40, and Penny, 35, are believed to have been dating for roughly two years, but they kept it real quiet — No red carpets together, no dramas, and no stunts to gain press….These guys should give classes!

But although they’re engaged, friends say a wedding is not high on Penny’s ‘to-do’ list. In fact, she seems quite against it. “I don’t know if I believe in marriage,” she told a British magazine back in August. “I believe in family, love and children.”

Close friends say that that Penny really does want to get married — if only to comfort her deeply Catholic parents.

A few unkind souls had hinted the pair got engaged because Penny is pregnant? Not true, we are told. “I started getting presents from friends saying, ‘Congratulations, you’re pregnant!’ And I say, ‘No, I’m not,’ so I return the presents,’” she told Elle reporters in August.

When they do add on children, Penny’s made it clear she’d opt for adoption, “Of course I want to have kids,” she told Marie Claire in 2007. “I want to have my own kids, but also adopt. I want to do it really well. I want it to be my best project in life.”

Well, she won an Oscar for her last one, so this could be good!