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

should trust our daughter to you?” Apparently her mother wasn’t going to give Ethan a chance to settle in.

Divya silently pleaded with Ethan to go with the story she’d concocted: that Pooja was his best friend and had asked him to save her from the wedding. Ethan was facing enough judgment just being American.

“There’s this notion of love at first sight. It seems irrational to believe in something like that. It feels like it only happens in films. I was indeed trying to break up my ex-girlfriend’s wedding, but that’s because I’d talked myself into wanting to love her. I’d lost hope that I’d find the kind of love I was looking for. And then I met Divya.”

Divya sighed. She knew Ethan meant well. He was trying to be genuine, but he had no idea what he’d just done.

* * *

“Wah! Karan Johar couldn’t have written a better line.” The sarcastic comment came from Divya’s father. Ethan had no idea who Karan Johar was, but now was not the time to ask.

Divya had warned him to expect her parents to be blunt, and they clearly weren’t wasting time. Not even a minute or two of polite small talk? He didn’t want to play the games Divya had suggested. He wanted to be honest with her parents. If he and Divya were going to have a future together, he needed to develop a relationship with her parents too. He’d spent his entire life feeling like an outsider in his family; he would not be the man who created a rift with hers. He would win them over. He had to.

“How do you know this time it’s real, and you’re not mistaken again?”

“Dad,” Divya said pleadingly.

“Why don’t we sit down to dinner?” The soothing compromise was offered by Rani, who was struggling to hold on to her wiggly baby while carrying a bowl of baby food.

Divya took the baby from Rani’s arms, expertly turned Simmi around and settled her on her hip, giving her a kiss on the head, all in one move. The baby giggled and extended her pudgy little hands to touch Divya’s face. Ethan’s chest constricted. Everything he ever wanted was right there next to him. He just had to be strong enough to get it.

Rani took the baby back from Divya and settled her into a high chair. She waved for everyone to take their seats. Divya motioned to Ethan, who took a seat next to her and grabbed her hand under the table. She quickly pulled it out of his grip. All eyes were on them.

“If the whiskey isn’t to your liking, we can order some beer,” Arjun said, nodding towards the still-full tumbler Ethan had set down on the table.

“It’s great,” Ethan responded and lifted the glass to his lips, his stomach curling at the smell of the whiskey. He could almost see his dad sitting at the dining room table, glass in hand, barely looking at him as he signed the papers disowning him. His own father hadn’t wanted him. How did he expect Divya’s family to accept him?

Six waiters appeared, each carrying a different dish. They went from person to person, ladling food onto their plates. Ethan swallowed the bitter-tasting whiskey.

“So, tell me, Ethan. Why do you want to date a girl from India? Surely there are plenty of American women who’d be interested in you. Someone you have more in common with.” Divya’s dad’s tone was friendly but his eyes stared Ethan down.

Ethan took a breath. “Divya and I have a connection, we understand each other. Where we’re from doesn’t matter as much as how we feel about each other.”

“That is a very naive view of the world. Do you think it won’t matter that you two come from very different worlds, that your culture, your traditions are nothing alike?” Rani’s mother could freeze lava with the ice in her voice.

“Culture and tradition don’t define who we are. Our values do. I was also raised in a very close-knit family. No matter where I am in the world, I always go home for all family birthdays and special events. My parents have an incredible relationship, and that’s what I want.”

“How long did your parents date before they got married?” Divya’s father was not cutting him any slack, but Ethan was no slouch. He hadn’t built his company into a billion-dollar empire by being a pushover. But the stakes had never been this high.

“How long did you and Mrs. Singh date before you were married?” He knew the answer to that question, which is why he asked. Divya’s parents had an arranged marriage. They had never gotten the chance to date, but from what she’d told him, her parents genuinely loved each other and had built a successful life together.

Divya’s mother didn’t miss a beat. “Our marriage was based on a firm grounding of shared values and expectations. Our families knew each other. We were raised with the same traditions, wanted the same things out of life, understood how our lives would work.” She took a breath. “Tell me, in which country will you live? Where will you raise your children?”

“Ma, we’re only dating. We haven’t even talked about marriage. These details aren’t that important right now,” Divya said, exasperated.

“No, Divya, these are the decisions that tear families apart. This is exactly why we prescreen boys for you. We have generations of experience in these matters, but you kids only think about today. Now you are dating, tomorrow you will want to get married and then you’ll have children. Will your children be raised Hindu or Christian?”

“We will teach them both of our religions,” Divya said.

“I’m agnostic,” Ethan answered at the same time.

“You see. These are not trivial things,” her mom said smugly.

“Ethan, why don’t you tell us a little more about your family,” Arjun said diplomatically, and Ethan released a breath, glad to be on to a safe topic.

When he was done with describing his family, Divya’s siblings asked him impersonal questions about