by Maisey Yates
“But I haven’t returned you safe and sound. I’m pretty sure I’ve marked my territory.” He wiggled his eyebrows and reached for her, but she slapped him away.
“Pay attention. You’re going to spend time with my family and get them to like you. Then I’m going to tell them that I’ve fallen in love with you. They are going to freak out and try to convince me that you are totally unsuitable. They will spend all their time trying to prove that you are a player, and they’ll bring up the whole Pooja situation. It’ll get ugly. Under no circumstances will you be rude to them. If you are, there’s no turning back.”
“Yes, ma’am!” He gave her a mock salute. “So how do I convince them I’m not just some ass taking advantage of their daughter?”
“You are going to go and buy the biggest, most outrageous engagement ring you can find in Vegas.” She put the black American Express card he’d given her on the table. “Use this if you have to,” she winked at him. “Money should be no object.”
“I get it. This is a con, isn’t it? You’ve been with me to get me to buy you an expensive ring that you’ll hawk later. I bet your family isn’t even rich. I bet they’re drowning in debt, and you’re going to sell the ring and save the family business.”
“Ethan!” She was trying to give him the stern look again, but he noticed her lips twitching. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that even if he followed her plan to a T, it was all going to go to hell.
“Are you really ready to get married?” He tried to keep his voice light. He wasn’t sure which part of her plan was real versus a joke.
“It’s not a serious proposal! In my family, showing up with an engagement ring is like asking permission to date me. You need to show my parents that I’m not just some hot piece of ass that you’re after. The ring shows how serious you are.”
“And this is the part where they’ll tell me that I’m not worthy of their daughter and to go back to the trailer park I came from.”
She shook her head. “My parents would not know the trailer-park reference.”
It was his turn to roll his eyes. “I’ve seen this movie, Divya, and it’s not going to end well. This is where the parents drug the daughter and fly her back to India, where they lock her in the house and marry her off to a bald guy who is twenty years older than her.”
Divya laughed. “First of all, I’m quite a catch. My parents would not have to stoop to getting a guy twenty years older than me. Second, if my parents tried doing that, my brothers and sisters would make sure I escaped and reunited with you. Bollywood romances always have a happy ending.”
“Do they also have hot sex in the heroine’s brother’s hotel?” he asked hopefully.
She crossed her arms. “No sex anywhere near my parents. They find out we’ve been sleeping together and they’ll lose all respect for you and me.”
He reached out and touched her hand. “We need to play this straight, Divya, tell them outright how we feel about each other and convince them of our love.”
She shook her head. “In my family, you don’t date unless there’s a prospect of marriage. At least, the women don’t. The boys are allowed to do whatever the hell they want.” The bitterness in her voice was palpable. “But one problem at a time. I don’t want them to see our relationship as frivolous. I need them to respect you and understand that we are both serious about continuing our relationship.”
“Are they really going to be okay with you being with me?”
“I’ll tell them I’m doing it anyway. But this is where you’re going to make sure that you charm and disarm them. That’s the key to this whole thing.”
“And how do you propose I do that? Do you have a ten-point plan for that? Maybe some tips from a Bollywood film?”
She shook her head. “Be yourself. I fell in love with you. They will too.”
She pointed to his phone. He took a breath and dialed the number she’d texted him. “It’s going to voice mail.”
She cursed under her breath. “Hang up.”
She held out her hand and he gave her the phone. She punched in another number. “That’s my brother Arjun.”
This time someone answered, and Ethan recognized the distinct voice of Brother Number One from the wedding. “Mr. Singh? This is Ethan Connors.” There was silence on the line. “As you know, your sister and I have been traveling together.”
“Where is she?” The voice on the other end was so quietly cold that Ethan shivered.
“She’s on my jet and we’re inbound to Las Vegas. I’ll bring her directly to the Mahal Hotel. I expect we will be there in about one hour.” Arjun was silent. “Look, Mr. Singh, as you know, me crashing the wedding was a big misunderstanding. I was under the mistaken impression that Divya was being forced into the marriage and just wanted to help her. Now that I realize she has to work out her family issues, I’m bringing her back, safe and sound.”
Divya raised her thumbs.
Silence on the phone. “You’re an idiot. We’ll be waiting for you in the lobby.” Arjun hung up.
“Well, that went well.” He told Divya what Arjun had said and she frowned.
“Maybe we should’ve left a voice mail for my father. Arjun is a tough nut to crack.”
Ethan shook his head. She wasn’t going to understand, no matter how he explained it to her. They had to face the firing squad and see if there was anyone left standing when the shooting stopped.
The Tesla was waiting for them when they arrived at the airport. He loaded their suitcases and got to the hotel in record time. His pulse quickened as they pulled into the driveway of the Mahal Hotel. He handed his key card to the valet and resisted the urge to tell him to keep the car close.
Ethan thought he was prepared for what greeted them when they arrived, but he was so wrong. Where normal hotel lobbies bustled with people, this one was empty. Divya’s entire family stood in the center of the entrance, in what could only be described as a scene from a mobster movie. Brother One, whom he now knew as Arjun, stood front and center. An older version of Arjun stood beside him with his arms crossed. A woman who looked remarkably like an older version of Divya narrowed her eyes at him. Brother Two, who he assumed was Sameer, stepped from behind Arjun. Behind them stood ten Men in Black–type guys with their hands on their hips as if they were just waiting for the mob boss to give the signal and they’d pepper the place with bullets.
“Divya!” her mother cried and came rushing toward her. She enveloped Divya in a hug and held on to her while letting out a stream of Hindi that Ethan didn’t need a translator to understand. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Arjun took it first and, to his credit, didn’t try to squeeze the living daylights out of it, even though his eyes shot daggers at Ethan.
Divya’s father was next. “Thank you for bringing her back,” he managed with practiced politeness.
Sameer kept his arms crossed, so Ethan retracted his outstretched hand.
“I know we have so much to talk about,” Divya gushed. “I’m sorry I upset you all, but I need you to know that Ethan was just trying to help.”
“I’m sure he was,” Sameer muttered.
Divya powered on. “Ethan, I can’t thank you enough. What are your plans?”
Oh boy, that doesn’t sound like a practiced question at all. He tried to appear nonchalant. “I have some business in Vegas so I’ll be staying a few days.”
“Where are you staying?” Divya asked.
“I’ll ask my assistant to book me into a hotel.”
Silence.
Divya looked pointedly at Arjun. “I can make some recommendations,” he said. Ethan suppressed the urge to laugh, not at all surprised at Arjun’s response. He was seeing right through Divya’s charade.
“Bhaiya, Ethan was very generous in lending me money to buy necessities and the like. Surely we should show him some hospitality.”
&
nbsp; “How much do we owe you?” Arjun asked coldly.
Ethan shook his head. “It’s no trouble at all. Divya and I have become friends. I was happy to help.”
Divya glared at him.
Sameer stepped up and whispered something to Arjun. Ethan got the distinct impression it was the Hindi version of “keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”
“Why don’t you stay here a night while we sort it all out.” There was absolutely no warmth or welcome in Arjun’s voice.
“Thank you,” Ethan muttered.
“My staff will show you to a room. Come on, Divya. We have some catching up to do.”
And just like that, her family whisked her away and Ethan was left in the lobby, holding both of their suitcases. He had a sinking feeling that the luggage was all he’d get to keep of Divya.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Chai for everyone,” her mom ordered as soon as they entered Arjun’s apartment. It had a beautiful two-story great room in the center and a second-story balcony that wrapped around the space. Rani had designed the apartment, and it felt exactly like their home in Rajasthan. When Divya’s parents weren’t here, it was serene and private. But her parents came with her mother’s attendants, who bustled about making sure everyone was constantly fed, whether they were hungry or not.
Rani came down the stairs holding eight-month-old Simmi. Her sister-in-law looked more beautiful than ever. Motherhood agreed with her. Her hair was held up with a clip in a messy ponytail and she wore a shirt with spit-up on the shoulder. Divya automatically held out her hands for her niece, and Simmi gave a little cackle and came to her. She hugged the baby tightly to her chest, enjoying the feel of the warm, squishy body and the smell of milk and diaper cream. They’d spent a lot of time together in the last several weeks while her wedding was being planned. One advantage of dating America-based Vivek was that Divya had gotten a chance to get to know her sister-in-law and niece. For a second, she wondered what her and Ethan’s baby would look like. Would he or she have his beautiful blue eyes?
Karishma and Naina raced down the stairs and enveloped Divya in a hug so tight that the baby protested.
Arjun plucked Simmi from her arms. “You, young lady, have a lot of explaining to do.” He pointed to the center of the room where two grand couches and chairs were set up in a square. No matter where she sat, she’d be in the hot seat.
She straightened her back and chose the couch. As predicted, her parents and Arjun sat across from her so she was sitting alone. All eyes were on her. Then Karishma and Sameer plopped down beside her, and she took each of their hands and squeezed gratefully.
One of her mother’s maids came around with a tray that held tea served in cups with saucers, along with snacks. Divya refused the tea, craving coffee.
She’d thought a lot about how she was going to approach this meeting, but her mouth was completely dry, and her heart thundered so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t hear herself think. She closed her eyes and thought about Ethan, about him holding on to her as they jumped off the plane.
She pulled out the phone Ethan had given her, scrolled to the audio file she needed and played the recording she’d made in LA.
“What’s this nonsense?” her mother exclaimed.
“This is my music. Songs I wrote and recorded.”
“It’s really good,” Sameer chimed in. “Who knew you had this kind of talent, sis. You should audition for American Idol, yaar.”
“Oh yeah, or that new Indian reality show about rich kids who give up their parents’ wealth to pursue their dreams,” Naina hollered, clapping her hands.
“Shut up.” Arjun glared at Sameer and Naina. “This is why you ran away?”
Divya waved the phone. “I left to explore a dream you would never support. Now I know this is what I want to do with my life. I want to work on my music, be a singer. I never wanted to marry Vivek, and if you guys had listened when I tried to tell you before, I wouldn’t have had to run away.”
Silence settled over the room, broken only by Simmi’s fussing. Rani took the baby and went upstairs, sending a sympathetic look at Divya.
“What is wrong with you, Divya? You are going to throw your life away to become a cheap bar girl?” Her mother’s voice was full of fury.
“Being a musician is not like being a bar girl. Look at Lata Mangeshkar.”
“Girls from our family don’t engage in such professions. You don’t want to marry Vivek, fine. We’ll find you another boy to your liking,” her father said. “Is this the reason you shamed us all by running away from the wedding mandap? Do you know all the horrible news stories that circulated about you?”
“I don’t want to get married,” she yelled, then took a breath. “I want to be independent. I want to make my own decisions, about who I marry, about what I do. I love all of you, but I feel smothered. I can’t breathe. I had to run away because none of you would listen to me when I tried to tell you I didn’t want to marry Vivek. You forced me into a choice I did not want to make. Now I am telling you what I want, what I need.”
“And do your new needs include that gora?” her mother asked, her voice dripping with disdain.
No, no, no, this is not the time to talk about Ethan. She didn’t want the focus to be on their relationship right now. She wanted to establish her independence with her parents and let them get to know Ethan before bringing him into the picture.
“Divya, it’s best to tell them the truth.” Divya looked at Arjun. He’d had a similar conversation with his parents when he’d fallen in love with Rani, and she knew he’d struggled with choosing between his family and the love of his life. He nodded encouragingly.
She took a breath. “Yes, Ethan and I are in love and I’m going to keep dating him.”
Clank! Her mother set her teacup down with extreme force on the coffee table, cracking the saucer. “This girl has gone mad. Mad, I tell you! You have known that boy for, what, five, six days, and you think you are in love with him?”
Divya looked to Arjun. “How long did it take you to realize you were in love with Rani?”
Arjun looked toward his parents and then at Divya. She silently pleaded with him to help. He’d always been her ally with her parents.
“Americans are not like us, Divya. An Indian boy understands that when he dates a respectable girl, it’s with an eye toward marriage. American men date for sex. You will not cheapen yourself like that,” her mother said matter-of-factly.
She wanted to tell her parents that their views of Indian men were antiquated, and the realities of modern Indian dating were that men and women pretended chastity in front of their parents and enjoyed themselves behind closed doors.
“How about we invite the dude to dinner and find out what he’s thinking? We all know Divya’s a little…” Sameer circled his finger near his head and whistled. “Maybe he finds her just as annoying as we do.”
Divya gave Sameer a grateful smile. Ethan would follow the plan she’d laid out and show her parents that he was serious and respectable.
“I don’t think we should encourage the boy any more than you already have,” her father said coldly.
Divya shot Arjun a desperate look, silently pleading with him. Arjun met her gaze and sighed. “I think we should invite the man to dinner, get a feel for him and sort things out.”
Her mother looked like she was going to explode, but Arjun stood and put his hand on her shoulder. Divya knew that Arjun would talk to their mother and calm her down before dinner.
Divya stood. “I’ll go invite Ethan.”
“You just got here,” her father said quietly. He stood and stepped up to Divya, holding his arms out.
She got up and collapsed into his arms, hugging him tightly. The tears she’d been holding back flowed down her cheeks.
“Please, don’t leave again, beti. Each day you were g
one felt like years to me. Like I was missing a piece of my heart, a chunk of my soul.”
Sobs choked through her as she settled onto her father’s chest and he held her tight, running his hand over her head, like he used to do when she was a little girl and had fallen on the playground. All of the emotions, the pent-up stress, bubbled over, and she felt unable to hold herself up. Sameer wrapped his arms around her from behind, and Arjun, Karishma and Naina joined in. They all held each other for a long time, crying. Divya soaked in their love. How did I ever think I could live without them?
When they finally untangled, Divya looked at her mother, who was still seated, drinking her chai. “You must be tired, Divya. Go rest. We will talk tonight at dinner.” The firm set of her mother’s jaw told her that the night wasn’t going to be easy.
“I’m going to go talk to Ethan and let him know about the plans for dinner.”
“No need. Arjun will call him and personally invite him. Your sisters have been crying themselves to sleep, missing you. You can wait a few hours to see your aashiq.” Her mother almost spat out the Hindi word for lover.
“But Ma…”
Her mother held up her hand and cut her eyes to Karishma, who gently took Divya’s arm and led her upstairs. Divya’s feet moved of their own volition, her eyes glued to the look of anger and disappointment on her mother’s face.
They went to the room she’d be sharing with Karishma, who talked nonstop and insisted on getting all the details. Five hundred rooms in this hotel and we all have to stay in the same apartment. But there was an advantage to sharing with Karishma: she could sneak off to go spend the night with Ethan and Karishma would cover for her.
Naina and Sameer joined them, and her siblings filled her in on everything that had happened immediately following her wedding escape.
“I swear, Divya, I thought Dad would have a heart attack when Arjun and Sameer returned without you after you ran out of the hotel gardens,” Naina said. Divya’s stomach soured. “But that was nothing compared to what happened after the social media posts started and they found out who Ethan was. I love that BrideSnatcher hashtag.”
