“Language,” Dev reminded his cousin, but it was drowned out by Luna’s whoop of victory.
His niece held out her hand. “Pay up.”
“No gambling.” Dev sat in an armchair close to the bed. God, he was boring, but he didn’t know any other way to be.
“Don’t worry, we’re playing for candy.” Arjun pulled a wrapped sweet from his pocket. “I’d be broke if we were playing for money. Did you have a good dinner?” There was no animosity in his voice for not being invited.
Was good the right word for going from a rushed engagement to a rushed wedding? “Yes, we did.” He paused. “Arjun, can you excuse us? I need to speak with Luna.”
“Sure.” Arjun tousled their niece’s hair affectionately. His face was softer than Dev had ever seen it. “See you later, beti.”
Dev smiled at Luna once his cousin was gone. “You had fun with Arjun Kaka?”
“Oh yes. When Baba was around, he came by once a week, at least, and always played with me.”
She’d seen Arjun more than she’d seen him. Had Luna and Arjun also been close? Had he taken her away from two people who had loved her? “Do you ever wish we’d stayed in India?”
Luna tossed her controller to the bed and curled her legs under her. “Sometimes. Mostly I miss Aji and Arjun Kaka. It’s nice that they could visit.”
Do you wish you could have lived with them instead of me? Only that was far too heavy a question to lay on his niece right now, before he’d talked to her therapist. “I have something I need to tell you. Jia and I decided that we’d like to hold the wedding tomorrow.”
She froze. “Your wedding?”
“Yes.”
“Your and Jia’s wedding?”
“Yes.”
The famous Dixit muscle ticked in her small jaw. “Why? You said there would be time.”
“I know. And there will be, but we thought . . . it’s convenient, to do it now, while your grandmother is here. This will purely be to make things legal. We’ll have a big reception later down the road.”
Her face darkened. “She’s going to live with us right away?”
Luna was jumping ahead of them with logistics. He didn’t know what was going to happen after the wedding. Was Jia planning on moving in? Her home was big, but she had roommates, and they couldn’t all move in with her. Did she want some time to herself? She’d never even lived on her own. Perhaps she needed a taste of independence before she launched into wedded life.
Later. He’d deal with that later. “Do you honestly see her as a wicked stepmother?”
“You don’t know what someone’s like right away!”
“I would never bring anyone into our home who would hurt you,” Dev said simply. “You’re my number one priority, Luna. I’ll put you first. Do you trust me?”
The naked longing in her gaze broke his heart. He got up and came to sit next to her, pulling her close to him. “I don’t want to lose this.” Her voice was muffled.
There was no way he would let her lose her stability. “You’re not losing anything. You’re gaining someone who is going to do their best to love you and care about you as much as I do.”
Her answer was a skeptical hmm, and he squeezed her. “Give her a chance? Please?”
Luna’s sigh was long, but there was acceptance in it. “Fine. No promises, though.”
JIA HAD TRIED to sleep, but after talking some more with her parents and then calling her older sisters and navigating their surprise and dismay—though Noor had been pretty pumped about that inheritance—she’d been too wound up to settle down. Plus, one of Dev’s texts had worried her. Can you please include Luna tomorrow?
It was too much to hope the child would welcome her with open arms. Of course she’d include Luna when they were getting ready. Hopefully, she’d warm up quickly.
Around midnight, Jia crept downstairs. She quietly opened the back door and slipped outside, taking a deep bracing breath of the chilly night air. She stopped at who was seated at the patio table.
“Auntie,” she said, surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect anyone to be out here.” She pulled her sweatshirt tighter.
“I actually feared you and Dev might be out here together in a tryst. Truly, he’s nothing like the other men in his family,” Shweta said dryly.
Jia tried to resist the urge to smooth her clothes. She and Dev hadn’t done anything yet, so there was no need to get embarrassed in front of his grandmother. Except for the parade of thoughts that ran through her mind about Dev’s arms and legs and back and everything every time she saw him. “I came out for some air. If you’ll—”
“Have a seat.” Shweta nodded at the chair next to hers.
There was no way to avoid a direct order from an elder, so Jia walked over and sat down. Shweta produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her flowing nightgown. “Do you smoke?” she asked Jia and lit up.
“No.” Not your place, not your place . . . “Should you be smoking?”
Shweta took a long drag. “You should have asked me that question thirty years ago. A little late now, hmm? Might as well enjoy a cigarette now and then before I go.”
Jia bit her lip. “I’m sorry you’re sick.”
“I’m sorry, too. Of course, Dev told you I may have exaggerated my condition for your parents?”
“He did, yes.” Jia had been relieved for Dev’s sake. Who faked a medical illness to get their own way?
She thought Shweta might apologize, but instead, the older woman stared out at the sea. “Is Burbank far from here?”
“An hour, maybe?”
“Ah. I slept with a dashing producer at his home there thirty-five years ago or so.” She cast a glance at Jia’s face and chuckled. “Don’t look so shocked. You should have seen me then.”
“I’m more shocked that you’re telling me you did it, not about the act. And I saw you then. You were stunning.”
“I was. I thought I wasn’t. At that age, I was playing the mother of men who were older than me, while my husband was still playing the hero with nineteen-year-old actresses.” Shweta shook her head in disgust. “He played the hero with them offscreen too.”
“I’m sorry,” Jia said, though she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say anything at all.
“I fear Arjun, Arjun’s father, and Rohan followed in Vivek’s footsteps. Philanderers. I told myself boys will be boys, but I should have done a better job with them.”
Jia shifted. This was getting into deeply personal territory, and she didn’t think she was supposed to be listening to it.
“You know Rohan’s the reason Dev left Mumbai, don’t you? After Rohan died, you could see how guilty he felt for not grieving him more. I don’t blame him for running away. I often dreamed of starting fresh somewhere, but I didn’t have the courage. That’s the man you’re marrying, Jia. Resourceful and clever and brave. He takes after his father.” Sadness darkened Shweta’s eyes. “Possibly his mother, too, though I didn’t know her well.”
“You care for him deeply.”