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

“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.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Divya set her bag down and sat wearily on the old couch that she’d gotten at a yard sale. At least the temperature in New York City was much cooler than in Rajasthan.

She looked around the small apartment. Her bathroom at home was bigger than the entire five-hundred-square-foot efficiency, which included a galley kitchen, bathroom and bedroom/living room. The entire closet wasn’t even big enough for her shoe collection, but luckily all she’d come with was a suitcase worth of stuff and a Martin guitar.

This was the best she could afford right now, and she was fine with that. Arjun had offered to give her money, but she’d refused. Rajiv and Gauri had invited her to live with them. They were centrally located in Manhattan, and it would’ve made her life easier than commuting into the city more than an hour each way on buses and the subway. She had a small advance from the contract she’d signed with East Side Records, and for now, it was enough to pay the rent on this small place in New Jersey.

She ran her hand over the guitar. It was her only connection to Ethan. After he’d walked out on the dinner with her parents, she’d gone knocking on his hotel room door only to find the room empty. He wouldn’t answer her calls, texts or emails. Why wouldn’t he even give her a chance to explain?

The answer was plain as day. He’d realized he’d been impulsive again and done what he did best: give up.

It had been six months since that fateful dinner and not a day went by when she thought about whether she should have gone with him. But how could she have? She’d seen Sameer drinking that night at dinner, and she couldn’t leave without making sure he was okay. Her worst fears had come true when she’d found Sameer in bed the next morning, clearly hungover. She’d