Harlequin Desire January 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 Maisey Yates (sad books to read .txt) 📖

she didn’t want. But then she thought about jumping out of the plane. Of the raw fear she’d experienced standing on the edge. If she could do that, couldn’t she tell her parents that she didn’t want the life that they’d chosen for her?

She’d fallen asleep thinking about how to tell Ethan that she was ready to return. And extract a promise from him that they’d continue seeing each other. Not as friends but as lovers. But then she’d spent the whole night imagining herself in her bed at home, alone. It wasn’t fair to him, or to her. If she wasn’t willing to give him up, then she had to go all in. She had to see whether their love could withstand the ultimate test: her parents.

She bit his ear playfully. “Yes, Ethan Connors. Look, I’m not saying I’m ready for a permanent commitment.”

“Then, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I am willing to admit to my parents that I’ve fallen in love with a most unsuitable boy. I’m willing to see where things go with us. But I’m not ready to move into a redbrick house and have three-point-five kids. Can you accept that?”

His eyes shone and her chest constricted. “We can negotiate the number. I’d be happy with two-point-two-five kids.”

She slapped his chest playfully and he caught her hand. “There’s a lot that I’m willing to do for you, Divya. All those women I chased… I wasn’t going to give up what I wanted for them. I didn’t love them enough.”

She’d come to the same conclusion, but she wasn’t sure if he was really willing to give up his dreams for her, either.

“I took your advice and asked Matt if there was anything the kids needed,” he continued, seeming to change the subject as he brushed an errant hair out of her face. “Heather is pregnant. She’s still early and they haven’t told my parents. It wasn’t planned and they’re freaking out.” A small note of pride crept into his voice at the notion that he’d been trusted with something so personal. “They admitted that their house is getting really small for them. They only have one bathroom upstairs, and it’s getting hard for them to share it with the kids. There’s no bedroom for another child. With the school pick-up and drop-off schedules and after-school activities, and now a baby, Matt can’t go back to work. They’d pay so much in babysitters that it’s not worth it for him. Heather has these massive student loans from college and medical school, and it’ll be a while before she starts making real money. They can’t afford to buy a bigger house right now.”

“I think it’s great that your brother takes on the parenting responsibilities.”

Ethan pulled her closer. “I would do that for you in a heartbeat.” She had no doubt he would.

“So will they take money from you?”

“I’m not giving them money.”

She raised her brows.

“I gave them the redbrick house.”

She gasped. “Your house?”

Ethan took both her hands in his. “It was never my house. It was a dream. It’s not a house you want. It’s not the life you want. And I want you.”

Tears stung her eyes. “I love you, Ethan.” Her voice was thick and her heart swelled in her chest. She didn’t know when or how she’d fallen in love with the most improbable man, but she knew it was true.

He cupped her face. “I love you, Divya. More than anything else in this world.”

The kiss they shared was sweet and salty. She didn’t know if the tears were hers or his.

“Before we go back to your family, can you give me a day?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Only if you tell me what we’re doing. I don’t want to go mountain climbing or helicopter skiing or some other crazy sport.”

“You didn’t enjoy the skydiving?”

She raised her chin. “I didn’t say that.”

He leaned down. “Then, trust me.”

She smirked at him but felt her nerves ignite at the prospect of whatever he had planned and another uncomplicated day with him.

They left early the next morning. Marilyn and Bill both gave Divya a long hug and extracted a promise that she would stay in touch. Ethan slowed down as he passed by the redbrick house but resolutely refused to look at it. Divya’s heart squeezed painfully.

He took them to Los Angeles and her curiosity was peaked. Yet another assistant met them, this time with a limo and driver. “LA traffic can be horrendous, and I want to make the most of our time together.”

Why was he talking as if it was their last day together? He still wouldn’t tell her where they were going, but according to the GPS, the ride would take over an hour, so they chatted about her family.

“Karishma is my partner in crime. She and I are only two years apart, so we’ve always gotten into trouble together. Naina is a little younger, so we usually con her into covering for us, but she’s been getting smarter about wanting to be part of the fun.”

“Did they know you were planning to run?”

“Karishma did. She even tried talking to Vivek for me, but he dismissed her concerns just as he’d ignored mine. She and Naina have both emailed me begging me to come back. Even Hema, who supported this plan all along, said it’s time to return.”

“Who’s Hema?”

“She’s like an adopted sister. Her parents and mine were close friends. When they died, we took her in. She was actually arranged to be married to Arjun, but he fell in love with Rani and bailed.”

“So running away from an arranged marriage is a family tradition, then?”

She laughed. “I guess it is.”

They finally pulled up to a building with a large fountain in front and an enormous rotating record on the roof. Divya turned to Ethan, wide-eyed. “What did you do?”

“I called in a favor and bought some studio time so you can cut a demo.”

“Ethan!”

“You have a résumé for your career, don’t you? Artists have portfolios. If