“We don’t need it, son,” Bill said firmly. “I can take care of my family.”
My family. Bill’s family. Blood pounded inside his ears. It had always been like that. While Bill called him son, the fact that Ethan was in truth his stepson was always just under the surface in their family. He would always be the boy looking down from the staircase.
“Fine. I’ll take the car back.” Ethan took a breath as he walked into the house and to the backyard, where Divya was helping Heather set the table.
Jake came running toward him, and Ethan scooped him up. He was getting too big to really carry, but Ethan couldn’t resist. He’d seen how fast Allie had grown up.
“Uncle Ethan, where’s that Poo lady?”
Ethan caught Divya’s eyes and saw that she was barely suppressing a laugh at Jake’s question.
“Her name was Pooja and she won’t be coming around anymore, buddy,” Ethan answered. He set Jake down and the boy went in search of a soccer ball.
“Exactly how many women do you bring home?” Divya said, her voice weirdly high. He turned to her, ready to make a snarky comment, but the look in her eyes stopped him. He didn’t want to tell her what he told his family each time he brought home a new woman: that he wanted them to see that he came from humble beginnings.
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “It helps to have someone in my corner.”
Divya gave him a kiss, and he was grateful he didn’t need to say any more, that he didn’t need to verbalize his insecurities. He knew from the look in her eyes that she understood.
“Did you bring us anything, Uncle Ethan?”
Ethan disentangled himself from Divya and looked affectionately at Allie. He’d had Roda pick up the latest iPhone for his niece and a gaming console for Jake. He still remembered being the kid at school who didn’t have the coolest new toy.
“Of course I’ve got something for you.” He gave them the gift bags Roda had handed him in New York. The kids excitedly opened them and squealed in delight as they found their requested items. “You are the best, Uncle Ethan.” Jake beamed.
Allie screamed. “Oh my God, my friends are going to die when they see I have this.”
“Ethan, we’ve talked about the expensive gifts.” Matt’s weary voice broke into the kids’ excited chatter. When the kids were out of earshot, examining their toys, Matt turned to him. “Ethan, you’ve got to stop buying them such expensive things.”
Ethan rubbed his neck. “I’m their uncle, I have the right to spoil them.”
Matt exchanged a look with Heather, who shook her head imperceptibly at him, and he turned away from Ethan. Ethan looked to his parents for support, but they were exchanging glances of their own. Ethan’s breath stuck. Then he felt Divya’s hand on his arm.
“You’ve got me in your corner,” she whispered.
Thirteen
Marilyn broke the tension by asking everyone to come to the outdoor table for dinner. Divya had watched the exchange with Ethan’s parents and then his brother, and her heart ached for him. He was trying so hard to find his place, his role in the family, and he was doing it all wrong. He thought he could do it by being the rich uncle who spoiled the kids and provided for everyone.
The conversation at dinner was easy as the kids excitedly filled them in on the happenings at school. Ethan engaged in genuine conversation with the kids. He knew the names of their friends and their favorite teachers, and even the supersecret code name of the boy Allie liked but her parents didn’t know about. They asked Divya about herself, and what it was like living in India.
It was exactly the kind of dinner her family had when they were together. There was a lot of laughter and good-natured ribbing, and the love was palpable across the table.
“Marilyn, can you pick up the kids from school tomorrow? I have to work late and Matt has a PTA meeting,” Heather said.
“What’s a PTA?” Divya asked.
“Parent Teacher Association,” Heather responded. “Matt volunteers as the room parent for the kids.”
Divya raised her eyebrows. “Most of my friends have kids, and I don’t think a single one of their husbands volunteers at the school.”
Heather smiled and leaned over to kiss Matt. “He is an amazing guy. When we had Allie, I was in medical school. I couldn’t postpone residency, so he stayed home with Allie. Now I’m doing my surgical fellowship and my schedule is crazy. There’s no way I could do it if it weren’t for Matt.”
“So you gave up your career for her?” Divya slapped her hand to her mouth as soon as she said the words. She hadn’t meant to sound so incredulous.
Matt smiled. “I’m an accountant. I do some consulting on the side to keep up my skills. When the kids are a little older, I can easily go back to my job. It’s much harder for Heather to take a break in her medical training. This is the time to focus on Heather’s career.”
Divya couldn’t imagine her father saying something like that. She almost laughed at the thought of her father giving up his career so her mother could become a dancer. She looked at Ethan and pictured him in the audience cheering for her at Café Underground.
“Anyway, can you pick them up?” Heather asked Marilyn.
Ethan’s mother sighed. “I’m sorry. I have a double shift.”
“We can do it,” Divya piped up.
Ethan looked at her in surprise but then chimed in, “Yeah, in fact we will pick them up and feed them dinner if you and Matt want an evening to yourselves.”
Everyone looked at him in surprise. Heather and Matt exchanged a look.
“Mom, can we, please?” Jake said excitedly.
“Sounds like a great idea,” Marilyn said.
“It’s a very nice offer.” Heather looked at Ethan and then Divya. “Are you sure?”
They both nodded enthusiastically, and under the table, Ethan squeezed Divya’s hand. The kids whooped and began discussing where they wanted to go eat the next day.
Divya excused herself to go get a jacket. The evening was getting chilly for her, especially after the hot day in the Keys. As she came down the stairs, she heard Marilyn and Matt talking in the kitchen.
“You need to talk to him, Mom. A week ago, he told me he wished he’d proposed to Pooja, and now he’s here with someone else. I don’t know what’s going on with him.”
His mother sighed. “He’s so damn impulsive. I knew Pooja would never marry him. The last time she was here, she pretty much told me that her parents would never accept someone who wasn’t Indian. I swear, he purposely picks women who’re going to break his heart.”
“You know he met Divya while trying to crash Pooja’s wedding? I saw it on social media. Divya was marrying someone else four days ago and got cold feet. I’m worried about him, Mom. I don’t want to see him get hurt. It’s obvious he cares about her.”
Marilyn sighed. “He’s been like this all his life. I don’t know whether he’s faster at falling in love or out of it. I’ll try talking to him tomorrow.”
Divya’s stomach dropped. Marilyn had just put into words the thing she feared the most. When Ethan told her he loved her, she wanted nothing more than to say it back to him. To tell him that she had been picturing what it’d be like to introduce him to her family, to have him dress up in an Indian sherwani and celebrate the upcoming Diwali holidays with them. She had started thinking of things that she’d never considered before. But she’d never told anyone she’d loved them. Not even Vivek. The best she’d been able to tell him was “ditto” when he’d said it to her, and she hadn’t truly meant it. For her, love was something that happened once in a lifetime. With someone that made her heart explode. That someone was Ethan. But she didn’t want to be yet another girl that he was in free fall with. He’d said that he expected her to break his heart, but somehow she knew he’d be the one shattering hers.
She heard p
lates clinking, then the door open and close. She waited a few more minutes, then quietly slipped back into the backyard.
“Wow, this pie is amazing, where did you get it?” Heather exclaimed.
“Divya brought it from the Florida Keys.”
“Mmm, why haven’t you brought this for us before, Ethan?” Matt cut himself another piece. “Did you take her skydiving with Buck?” The way he said it, Divya got the feeling that it was something Ethan did all the time. Maybe it was his standard date for all those girls he’d fallen in love with.
Everyone pitched in to clear the table, and Divya liked the easy way they worked together. The kids carried the plates to the kitchen while Marilyn and Heather packed up the leftovers, and Matt, Ethan and Bill moved the extra dining room chairs back inside. Divya stood back and watched, listening to their banter, watching Ethan light up from the inside.
Matt, Heather and the kids left to get the kids to bed. Ethan began loading the dishwasher, and Bill wiped down the kitchen counters.
“Coffee, Divya? Or do you prefer tea?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
Marilyn started the coffeemaker. Divya watched Ethan load the dishwasher, arguing with his dad about the best way to position the dishes. Her brother Arjun liked to cook, but she’d never seen him clean. Rani was working hard to teach him how to wash dishes. Divya and her siblings had grown up with servants who did the cleaning after family meals, under her mother’s supervision while her father and brothers retired to the living room for a nightcap.
Marilyn handed Divya a coffee cup, and they went to the front porch and sat in the rocking chairs.
“You know, I really don’t mind you and Ethan sleeping in the same room,” Marilyn said.
Divya’s cheeks burned. “My parents are very old-fashioned. It wouldn’t feel right.”
Marilyn smiled. “I can tell your mother raised you well. Thank you helping with the kids tomorrow.”
“It’s my pleasure. They seem wonderful.” Divya meant it. Two of her closest friends were married with kids, and while she adored her pseudo nieces and nephews, they were spoiled. Matt’s kids seemed to be well-grounded, the way she’d like to raise her own kids. The thought stopped her cold. Why was she thinking about children?
Marilyn looked toward the Lexus with the bow on it. “I don’t know what Ethan was thinking with that car.”
Divya bit her lip. She hadn’t heard the full exchange between Ethan and his parents regarding the car, but from the face he carried with him to dinner, she knew they’d rejected it, just as she’d suspected they would. It wasn’t her place to say anything but what did she have to lose? It wasn’t as if she was trying to impress his parents or audition for the role of his wife. She might as well help him as a friend.
“You know, he was really excited to give you the car. It would mean a lot to him if you’d accept it.”
“I don’t know how many times we’ve tried to explain to Ethan that we don’t want money or gifts, and yet he doesn’t seem to get it,” Marilyn said irritably.
Divya’s heart clenched. “Do you know that during the pandemic, he donated most of the money he earned to people who had lost their jobs and healthcare workers? He still pays the salaries of those employees who died from the virus or can no longer work so their families are okay. He goes around giving ridiculous tips. He’s not like the other billionaires in the world who spend their money buying mansions.” Her voice nearly cracked as she thought about how excited he’d been to give his mother the car. “He’s not trying to throw his money around. He feels lucky to have it and wants to share it with the people he loves most.”
Marilyn blew out a breath. “We don’t want to hurt his feelings. It’s just that the money seems to have changed him. He used to take the kids to the park, and now he wants to take them to Paris and London. That’s not how I raised my boys, and it’s not how Matt wants to raise his kids.”
Divya chewed on her lip. She didn’t know Ethan’s parents and maybe she should keep her mouth shut and stay out of the whole situation. “Ethan loves the way he grew up. This is not about passing judgment on what you weren’t able to give him. The money is meaningless to him unless he can enjoy it with you. When you don’t accept his gifts, it makes him feel like he’s not a part of this family.”
Marilyn stared at Divya and she shifted in her seat.
“You and Ethan really only met a few days ago?”
Divya nodded.
“Then, how is it that you know my son so well?”
Divya shrugged. “Maybe because we met each other at a vulnerable time, or maybe because we’re going to be together for such a short time, we don’t feel the need for any pretenses between us.”
Marilyn sipped her coffee. “Maybe we’ve been hard on Ethan. But the money seemed to change him overnight. He was never into private jets and luxury condos.”
“I have never had pot roast, but after dinner tonight, I’m going to want to learn how to make it.” Divya warmed her hands on the coffee mug. “I’ve been around spoiled rich men all my life. Ethan is not one of them. He’d give away all his money if that’s what it would take for things to be right with you.”
They sat in companionable silence, drinking their coffees, then Marilyn reached out her hand and patted Divya’s. “You’re a good girl, Divya. I hope you’re not just around for a short time.”
Divya dropped her gaze to the coffee cup. She tried to imagine Marilyn with her well-worn sweater and jeans sitting next to her own mother, who was always in designer clothes. She couldn’t. Nor could she imagine Ethan sitting with her father in his study, dressed in a kurta pajama, with a crystal tumbler of whiskey.
Ethan’s parents retired to their bedroom and Divya joined Ethan on the couch in the family room. He turned off the TV. “Are you tired?”
“It’s only nine o’clock. This is usually when we eat dinner at my house,” Divya said.
He shrugged. “My mom is usually up early to get to the diner before breakfast is served, so we’ve always been an early-to-bed household.” He put his arm around her and she snuggled into him, enjoying the warmth of his body. “Thanks for breaking the tension with my brother. You don’t have to babysit tomorrow. I can take care of it.”
She touched his arm. “They seem like nice kids. I’d like to get to know them.” And she meant it.
“I don’t know why my brother has such a chip on his shoulder about me getting them expensive presents. Heather has some serious medical-school loans to pay off, and she’s still in training, so she doesn’t make that much money. With Matt not working, I know he can’t afford that stuff. I’m only trying to help,” Ethan said wearily.
She sighed. “My college friend has a five-year-old who I love to spoil. She asked me to stop buying him expensive presents because it undermines what she and her husband can provide for him. It’s hard for them that he has a rich auntie. Think of how your brother must feel about the fact that his kids are more excited about what you give them with your spare change than what he sacrifices every day to provide for them. It’s hard being the parent who has to buy clothes and books, while you get to swoop in and be the hero giving them cool toys. If you want to help, ask your brother what he needs for the kids. Give them the things they need every day.”
Ethan rolled his head back and closed his eyes. She reached over and rubbed her thumbs over his forehead.
“Hmm. Is that a head massage?”
“Kind of. My mom does it when I’m stressed and angry. It calms me down.”
He smiled. “It’s working.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers. “You know, there’s something else that would be really de-stressing right now.”
She pulled her hands back. “Oh no, you’re not tempting me into doing that in your parents’ house.”
He pulled her close to him. “They sleep really soundly.” He turned her
hand and kissed the inside of her wrist, then began working his way up her arm. Delicious tingles worked their way from his mouth all the way to her core.
She pulled her arm back. “How about we watch a movie?”
He let out a sigh of frustration but grabbed the remote. She placed her head on his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart. She was asleep before the movie even started.
She woke when she felt him carrying her up the stairs to the bedroom. He set her gently on the bed, gave her a kiss on the forehead, placed the blankets on her and left the room. After he’d left, she sat up and turned on the light. There was little furniture in the room, just a bed, nightstand and a bookshelf that held a picture of two young boys with their arms around each other, grinning widely. She picked it up. It reminded her of a photo at home of her and her three sisters, all with the same pigtails and school uniforms. Her heart clenched painfully. What am I doing here? She was in Minnesota, a state she hadn’t even known existed a few days ago, with a family that wasn’t hers and a man who made her body sing in ways it never had before and had wormed his way into her heart when she’d least expected it.
Seeing Ethan with his family just made her miss hers even more. She clicked on the phone Ethan had given her. She opened her email. There were several messages from him, her sisters and one from Sameer. Her pulse quickened as she clicked on his message.
Yo sis! Cool move. I’m pretty sure this trumps all the idiot things I’ve ever done. Passing my bad boy trophy to you. I’m doing well. Stay away as long as you need. You deserve a break. I’m good. Really.
PS—Vivek is a maha bore. Why did you ever want to marry him?
She laughed and read the message several times before deciding Sameer really was okay. The messages from Arjun and her sisters weren’t as comforting. Her parents were taking things really hard. Arjun begged her to come back and promised that he would make sure she didn’t have to marry anyone she didn’t want to. He’d gotten rid of Vivek. There was also an email from her best friend, Hema, telling her how much she missed her. Her sisters had written long messages that spanned pages. Divya closed her eyes, unable to read them.
Running Away with the Bride--An opposites attract romance with a twist Page 11