by Amy Woods
It was a day he’d like to forget.
It didn’t escape his understanding that he was bringing Jessica’s polar opposite with him this time, fully aware that she would be met with a completely different reaction.
They would love June’s sweetness, her easy smile, her softhearted nature and her sense of humor.
All the things he loved about her.
That thought crashed into him like a sucker punch, and he thanked his lucky stars when the door opened and his mother wrapped him in a bear hug.
“Ethan, sweetheart, I’m so glad to see you,” she said far too loudly into his ear.
“No need to shout, Mother. I’m right here,” he said, grinning.
Melanie Singh whacked him in the side and turned her attention to the woman next to him.
“And you must be June,” his mom said, folding her hands together in front of her. He knew that meant she was trying not to be too huggy and it made him cringe. Jessica had complained about his family being overly physically affectionate, a trait he’d never noticed until it had been pointed out to him. A trait he happened to treasure.
He’d grown up feeling loved and surrounded by affection. Of course, he’d apologized on their behalf when Jessica had complained, hating himself for doing so when, even at the time, he’d known it was she who’d been too cold.
A smile spread over his lips as he watched June hold out her arm, as if to invite his mother in. The two women embraced like they’d known each other their whole lives, and seeing their instant connection set off butterflies in his stomach.
“I’m so happy to meet you, Mrs. Singh,” June said, holding his mother at arm’s length, her eyes sparkling as she chattered easily. “Ethan’s told me so much about you. I’ve heard lots of stories about all the places you’ve visited as a family, and I’d love to hear more from you if you have the time.”
“Absolutely. Oh, I’m so glad. I think sometimes we embarrass our boy, and I hope you’ll forgive us if we roped you into something you weren’t wanting to do, but we’re just so proud of him and we’re so excited he’s met someone new.”
His mother gave him a pointed glance that said a thousand things all at once—the topmost being that she instantly liked this girl he’d brought into her home.
And though he did not like what such a thing implied, not in the least, knowing that his mom approved of June pleased him an inordinate amount.
He would have to keep that to himself. If his mother knew, she’d have the two of them married before Neena’s party concluded.
“Come inside, you two, and let me get your coats. How silly of me, letting you freeze out here while I yammer away.”
June laughed and followed his mom inside, tossing a smile over her shoulder as he closed the door behind them.
Inside his parents’ home, after their coats were taken, they were met with a flurry of friendly chaos as siblings and their children, aunts, uncles and anyone else collected along the way descended upon them. June’s eyes glowed at the rainbow of saris worn by some of the Indian women in his family. Several others wore jeans and T-shirts, but June’s eyes were drawn to the rich jewel-toned fabrics of his father’s place of birth.
“They’re all so beautiful,” she whispered when they had a second without anyone’s attention on them. “I feel so plain in my outfit.”
“Nonsense. You look amazing.” He pulled her close so that his lips touched her ear. “I thought I made that quite clear earlier.”
He loved the rosy apples that instantly blossomed in her cheeks at what he’d said. Images flooded his mind of all the other areas her skin might turn pink for him in exchange for whispered words.
She looked at him, her eyes huge under bright fairy lights that were strung all over the house. “I mean it, though. Are you sure I’m dressed okay?”
“Absolutely.” He touched her elbow to soothe her. “You would look beautiful in traditional Indian clothing. Don’t get me wrong. But no one expects you to wear it. I would have told you if that was the case. See,” he said, holding a hand out to encompass the room. “Plenty are dressed similarly to you, so you fit in just fine.”
“Good,” she said. “I was a little worried I’d underdressed.”
“Not at all. Just breathe, June. They already think you’re wonderful—my mother in particular, and that’s not a common occurrence.”
Me, in particular, he’d really wanted to say.
She looked down at her feet. “I’m so glad.”
“Ethan!” He turned from June to see his brother, Harry, hurrying across the room with open arms. Harry grabbed him, then greeted June with his usual, friendly bear hug, making her laugh.
“Is my brother bothering you?” Harry asked, sending June into giggles. If the man wasn’t already happily married with two excellent children, Ethan’s hackles might have risen. Harry was stupid-handsome and taller by several inches than any of the other Singh men. But he was also too sweet and goofy to invite jealousy. He teased June for several minutes until she was almost doubled over in laughter. Finally, Harry’s wife, Amani, caught Ethan’s eye, rolled her own and came over to join her husband.
“Take my advice,” Amani fake-whispered to June, “and stay far away from this family, unless you want to become crazy like the rest of us.”
As she spoke, Amani tossed adoring eyes at Harry and he gave her a big smooch on the cheek. The four of them bantered for half an hour about the couple’s recent vacation, how Ethan was managing the clinic, Amani’s work in civil rights law and their children, Neena and Suresh.
“Neena’s having a blast,” Harry said. “But I’m afraid she’ll be disappointed when she finds out she’s not getting the present she asked for.”
Amani’s soft eyes met Harry’s. “She’ll be all right. I think between the cake, her grandparents and aunts and uncles spoiling her and her friends, she’ll forget all about it.”
Harry glanced at Ethan and then June. “Neena’s been asking for a puppy since she first started to talk. I would love to look in to getting one for her, but Amani insists that she and I are too busy to take care of a pet for Neena. Between you and me, though, I think she’s at just the right age to start learning the responsibility of caring for a pet.”
Amani gave Harry a worried look, but he brushed off his wife’s concerns.
“You worry too much, my love. The best way to teach her responsibility is to give her some. What do you think, Ethan?” Harry asked.
Ethan glanced between the two.
“Ordinarily I’d say not to drag me into it, especially when I know Amani will always win—” he winked at his sister-in-law “—but in this case, I’m inclined to agree with you, Harry.”
“Well, that would be a first,” his brother teased, gently punching Ethan in the shoulder.
“No, I mean it. I think you might be on to something. There are plenty of studies supporting the idea that children who are given pets to care for at a young age—with their parents’ supervision backing them, of course—become more caring, conscientious and reliable adults.”
Amani tilted her head. “Truly?”
Ethan nodded.
She put a finger on her chin. “Wow, I had no idea. I mean, it makes sense, but I didn’t know there was evidence to back it up. You might have to send me some of those articles, Ethan.” She leaned closer to him and June. “And don’t you dare tell my husband this, but if you’re right, I might have to consider changing my mind,” she said, plenty loud enough for Harry to hear. “Besides, you know I love dogs.”
Ethan looked at June to see if she was tracking his line of thought, but her eyes were aimed down at the glass of champagne someone had placed in her hand earlier.
“And it so happens that I may have just the puppy for her.”
At that, June’s eyes snapped up to h
is.
Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t read her expression. He would ask her as soon as they had a moment alone. It was possible she was just feeling a little overwhelmed; his family could have that effect on new people.
Harry and Amani seemed interested in hearing more, and he had two puppies to find homes for, so he went on. “As a matter of fact, that’s part of how June and I got to know each other. It’s a long story, but the short of it is that she came into the clinic during the storm the other night and was carrying two puppies with her.”
Amani put a hand over her heart and her face softened as he told them about June’s rescue, unable to hide his pride in her.
“Anyway, if you’d like, June and I can bring the pups by later this week and Neena can meet them.”
As he spoke, Ethan’s brother and sister-in-law nodding in agreement, he noticed June’s skin had turned a little pale. As Harry and Amani discussed the idea of their daughter getting to see the dogs, he took the opportunity to ask if June was all right.
“Me? Oh, yeah,” she said, her voice faltering a little. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure, June?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Look, if this is too much, being here with all these people you haven’t met before... I mean, it might be too much, just let me know and we’ll get out of here.”
“No, Ethan, it’s not that, it’s just...”
“All right,” Harry burst in. “We’ve talked it over and we think it’s a great idea. As long as you don’t tell Neena what the plan is. I just want you to make sure you don’t say anything about her possibly getting to keep one, since my wife isn’t completely sold on the idea yet.”
Ethan pulled his eyes away from June for just a second.
“Hang on one sec, Harry.” He turned back to her, and her features had released some of the tension that had been in her face. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, um, yes.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking again. “Yes, I think I will be.”
He touched his fingertips to her elbow, willing her to feel his tenderness toward her, to know that her will was his command. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like to step outside and get some fresh air?”
June shook her head and he forced himself to let go of the issue, hoping that by now, she would surely tell him if he’d done something to bother her.
It shouldn’t matter, he knew.
They were merely friends, destined to end that friendship when they parted ways in a short time.
But something was changing between them, something that made him believe it did indeed matter. The puppies, what she thought of his family, and of course—most of all—how she felt about him.
Warm awareness prickled up his neck.
All of it mattered.
Chapter Ten
The ride home from Neena’s party was the epitome of awkwardness, and June kicked herself for being the cause of the uncomfortable silence. Ethan had asked her what was wrong more than once, but had given up the third or fourth time she told him it was nothing.
But how could she tell him what was really bothering her? He would think her silly, or worse, she might scare him off if she opened up her heart that much. What had been bugging her for the week since they’d met, since she’d been the main caretaker of two new little lives, had only become crystal clear to her as of that night when Harry had brought up giving one of the puppies to his daughter and Ethan hadn’t objected.
She knew it was nothing personal, knew he wasn’t deliberately trying to hurt her by rushing to find homes for the puppies—he was only doing his job and trying to make sure they were cared for—but it made her heart ache nonetheless. She’d finally figured it out, and she wanted to share her thoughts with him, but she wasn’t brave enough. If he knew what she’d realized, it would be too much for him, too serious, and he’d run.
Ethan pulled his SUV to a stop outside her apartment and walked her to Ainsley’s unit to pick up the puppies. Once they were back inside June’s home and had put the dogs to bed, there were no buffers left; she would have to face him.
He took her hand and led her to the couch, his eyes tender as he brushed a piece of hair back from her cheek, rubbing the auburn strand between his fingers before tucking it behind an ear. The way his gaze held hers the whole time made butterflies gather in her stomach, their wings tickling her insides.
“June, look, I know something’s been on your mind.”
She pulled her eyes away from him and down into her lap, focusing on the sad state of her nails.
“Look at me, June, please,” he said, tilting her chin up toward him. “I know that this—” he waved a hand between them and she understood that he referred to their odd pseudo-relationship “—is weird. But the fact is, well, I’ve begun to care for you.” He swallowed, his nervousness out of character. “Quite a lot actually.”
Her eyebrows lifted and one corner of his mouth kicked up in response.
“I know. I didn’t mean for it to happen, either. It just did.” He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, and as he let it out, the impact of what he was trying to tell her pummeled into her.
“We don’t have to discuss the way I feel, or if...if you’re feeling something similar—” she opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a palm to give her pause “—and, in fact, I’d rather not do it tonight. There’s always time for that later.”
She closed her lips. They both knew there wasn’t going to be time later, not if he left Peach Leaf and they both went their separate ways.
“But as I said, I care for you, June.” He reached out and took her hand, flipping it over to rub a finger against her palm.
The touch resonated all the way up her arm and sped up her breathing.
“So I do want to know what’s been on your mind that you’ve not been telling me.”
June swallowed and took some time to gather her thoughts. She wasn’t ready for this, especially after hearing his confession that he’d developed stronger feelings for her than he was supposed to have let happen. If he hadn’t stopped her, the chances were high that she would have blurted out the fact that she was going through the very same thing, if not something even more.
She wasn’t ready to put a label on it, was most certainly not ready to call it...love. But that flutter under her ribs each time she saw him, that gravitational power he seemed to have over her that made her want to get as close to him as possible—none of it could be denied anymore.
Add to that the new knowledge of how sweet he was around his family, how much she’d enjoyed watching him play with his nieces and nephews and the way he supported his brother and sister and welcomed any stranger as a new friend, and the evidence was clear. Maybe it wasn’t quite love, not yet at least, but one thing was for sure; she absolutely adored Ethan Singh.
Still, she couldn’t tell him the truth just yet—that she’d begun to think of the puppies as a symbol of the new life she was trying to build. That, somehow, even though it didn’t entirely make sense, she’d begun to believe that if she failed the animals, she would fail herself. She knew she didn’t have the resources or the time to nurture them and be there for them the way she should, but neither was she willing to let them go.
If she gave up on them, she felt, it would be as if she’d given up on herself.
Worse, selfishly, she knew that once the puppies were no longer her responsibility, Ethan would have no real reason to see her anymore.
A week ago, she hadn’t known the dogs or Ethan Singh, and now the loss of all three was a real threat, a specter of darkness hanging around her future.
Imagine if she told him all of that; she wouldn’t blame him for wanting to disappear from her life. And she wasn’t ready to face it herself.
Still, he stared at her, waiting for a r
esponse, the question of what was on her mind hanging thick in the air between them.
Maybe it would be safe to tell him just a fraction of the truth, especially since, for whatever reason, it seemed to be almost impossible for her to lie to the man. He acted as her own personal truth serum.
“You said you don’t want to talk about this tonight, and, well, I guess I’m feeling some of the same things you are. I think that this thing between us just overwhelmed me a little tonight, meeting your family and all.”
“I’m sorry, June.” He smoothed a hand across his forehead. “I shouldn’t have pushed you into going.”
She shook her head. “No, don’t apologize. I agreed to go and you didn’t push me. It’s just that I hadn’t imagined how much I would enjoy being around them and I guess the thought of never seeing them again—after you’re gone, I mean—is a little sad to me.”
His lips formed a thin line and his eyes narrowed as he considered her words.
“Maybe it doesn’t have to be like that,” he said. “But let’s not talk about the future.” He leaned in until his lips were mere inches from hers. “Right now, I want to know only one thing.”
“Mmm,” she mumbled, apparently unable to form whole words when he was that close to her.
He smiled and ran his tongue along his lower lip, moistening it. “What can I do to make you feel better tonight, in this moment?”
“Anything?” she asked.
“Anything.”
Instead of spelling it out, she wrapped a hand behind his neck and slowly, tentatively, pulled him in, pressing her lips against his, relishing his signature taste—cinnamon, as always, from the chai he drank so often, layered with a hint of champagne from the party. Emboldened by his hungry response as he wrapped his arms around her waist, she parted his lips with her tongue, deepening the kiss, smiling against his mouth when he gave a soft little groan.
