Harlequin Desire January 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by Maisey Yates (free biff chip and kipper ebooks .txt) 📕

“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.

CHAPTER 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