“Let’s have dessert in the kitchen,” Rani suggested. Divya shot her sister-in-law a grateful look. It hadn’t been easy for Rani to fit into the family, but she’d found a way to take control of her house. It would eventually be okay with Ethan too. Wouldn’t it?
The kitchen island was far more informal than the dining room table and it would help Ethan relax. She’d felt the tension in his muscles all through dinner. She’d tried to warn him about how difficult her parents could be, had told him how to handle things. But he was ignoring her advice. Did he want to sabotage this dinner?
It was a large island with several counter chairs. Rani excused herself to put the baby to sleep. The staff served chai, coffee and kheer, an Indian rice pudding that Ethan seemed to enjoy. Divya made a point to keep the conversation in English. She hadn’t realized just how much they spoke in Hindi. Sameer made a gallant effort to keep the conversation on neutral topics. It felt stilted, as it had at dinner. Divya thought about Gauri’s comments about her American sister-in-law. Would it always be awkward to have Ethan around her family?
After dinner, Arjun directed Divya and Ethan to the study for a nightcap. From the look on Ethan’s face, he would rather have drunk more whiskey. The study was cozy with book-lined shelves, a couch and two leather chairs around a coffee table.
Ethan and Divya were left alone. She didn’t need to hear what was going on outside the study to know that her siblings were being dismissed and her parents were plotting.
Ethan reached for her hand, but she eyed the door. “While I’d like nothing more than to throw you down on that couch and kiss you senseless, I know PDA is not okay. I just want to touch you for a second.”
She smiled and took his outstretched hand. He pulled her closer to him.
“You’re doing great,” she said.
He smiled. “You’re a really bad liar.”
She looked into his impossibly blue eyes. “You can do this.”
“And what if I can’t?”
“You have to.” She’d meant it as a joke, but her voice held a high, desperate note. He placed his forehead on hers and she leaned into him.
“Divya!” Her father’s shout as he and her mother entered the room made Divya jump away from Ethan like he was radioactive.
She took a seat in the leather chair, forcing Ethan to take the other chair. He couldn’t resist touching her, and her mother’s eagle eyes wouldn’t miss how physically comfortable they were with each other.
“So, Ethan, what do you know about Divya’s new singing career?” Her mother could teach a class in making a loaded question sound friendly.
Ethan exhaled while she tensed. He had no idea what was coming. “I think she’s incredibly talented.”
“Do you think it’s a respectable profession?”
Ethan frowned. “I think it’s a legitimate career, just like being in business. Entertainers in this country are highly valued.”
“So you’d be okay with Divya wearing skimpy clothes and dancing around a stage while drunk men ogle her.”
Ethan took a sharp breath. “That’s a stereotype of entertainers that doesn’t have to be true. Divya can do what she’s comfortable with, and I’ll support her.”
“So you’re the one who’s been encouraging Divya to pursue this crazy plan to give up her law career and become a singer,” her father said accusingly.
“He helped me understand what I wanted. He generously bought studio time so I could explore my musical abilities,” Divya interjected.
Ethan turned to her parents. “Divya has an amazing talent and deserves our support to pursue a new career.”
“Singing is a hobby. Divya, if you really want to pursue this, we can buy you all the studio time you want.” Her mother leaned forward. “You had your fun. It’s time to come back to real life.”
Divya bristled. Her parents didn’t get to decide what she wanted for her real life. “This is something I have to do for myself, Ma. I want to live my life on my terms. The way I want.”
“Just a few days with this American and you’ve forgotten your whole upbringing,” her mother muttered.
“Mrs. Singh, I respect your culture and your point of view, but Divya is an intelligent, independent woman. She has the right to make her own decisions, to choose what she wants to do with her career and whom to date.”
“And as her parents, we have the responsibility to protect her from bad influences,” her father said pointedly. “Look, Ethan, in our family, you don’t get to date our daughter. We believe in old-fashioned values. You talk about respect. A man who cares about our daughter would show more respect for her family traditions.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched.
Divya tried to catch his eye, silently telling him that now was the time to pull out the engagement ring she’d asked him to buy and ask her parents for her hand in marriage. After a heavy silence that seemed to weigh them all down, her mother turned to Ethan. “Let us get to the point of this conversation. What is your relationship with our daughter? What are your intentions toward her?”
He straightened and looked both her parents in the eyes. “I love your daughter.”
Divya breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that the romantic way to do things was to propose to the girl on bended knee, but that’s not how it was done in Indian families. Ethan knew what a big deal it was for her to introduce someone like him to her parents. They needed to see that he wasn’t a stereotype, that he held the same values her family did.
“I hope we’ll have a future together. With your permission, I’d like to keep seeing her.”
Divya glared at him. What is he doing?
“Excuse me, Mr. Connors, our daughter is not someone you try out to see if she is to your liking,” her mother said icily. “Clearly, you don’t understand or respect our family values.”
Ethan stood. Every muscle in his body was rigid, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. “Excuse me, Mrs. Singh, Divya is not your property, and she does not need to put up with this. You have no idea what we share, and I will not let you insult her like this.”
Divya jumped from her seat and looked from Ethan to her parents and back again. What are you doing, Ethan? They had talked about this very scenario, and she’d reminded him that under no circumstances could he be rude to her parents.
Ethan had done everything she’d asked him not to do. It was as if he was purposely sabotaging the whole thing. Then it hit her.
She thought back to something Rajiv had said to her in New York. Now the words haunted her.
It’s not that he’s American. It’s that he doesn’t take relationships seriously. For him this is a game, an amusement.
When he’d gotten to Pooja’s wedding, he’d realized that he had been impulsive and didn’t really want to marry her. The same thing was happening now. He’d done what he always did when things got real. He’d pulled the safety parachute.
* * *
This was the moment when he’d find out whether their love could withstand the ultimate test. He had come with every intention to win over her family, but now he was clear on the fact that he would never win her parents’ approval. Not only that, it wasn’t the right environment for her. She loved singing; the day they had spent at the studio had energized and exhilarated her. Divya wasn’t a corporate lawyer, and if she stayed with her family, they would crush her spirit.
But could she stand up to her family? Could she give them up for him? If she had to choose, would she choose him?
He held out his hand to her. “Come with me, Divya. My plane is ready to take you anywhere you want to go, and I’ll be with you. I’ll take care of you.”
Time stopped. Their eyes locked and he tried to tell her how much he loved her, how badly he wanted her to choose him.
He didn’t know if it was a few seconds later or several minutes when Divya slowly shook her head and backed away from him.
“Divya, now’s the time to take a stand. Run away with me. Again.”
Her eyes shone. “Ethan, I can’t.” Her voice broke, and along with it, his heart shattered.
She’d made her choice, and it wasn’t him.