“He’s the best of us,” she admitted softly. “Him and Luna. I want him to be happy. I apologize for pushing the two of you this evening, but I have spent a lot of time lately thinking of the things I regret. Ensuring his future is set will give me ease.”
“I understand. My parents want the best for me and my sisters too. But you can’t push someone into doing what you think is the best for them. You have to kind of hope that they just find the best.”
Shweta’s gaze was unwavering. “Are you saying you’re not the best?”
Jia scoffed. “I’d never say that.”
“I wouldn’t either. In spite of your background and inability to speak our language, I believe I will be getting a decent granddaughter in you.”
“You’ll get someone who won’t tolerate you speaking that way about her.” Jia lifted her chin. “I’ll try to learn your language, but all of me is more than decent.”
Shweta laughed, the dry bark turning into a cough. She shook her head when Jia almost came to her feet. “I’m okay,” she wheezed.
Jia drummed her fingers on her leg. “You won’t be staying in California for long?”
“Oh no.” Shweta looked out at the ocean again. “I don’t belong here. I only came to see my grandson taken care of.”
Anticipation and nerves fluttered in Jia’s belly. “I’ll take care of him.”
Shweta smiled faintly. “I believe you will. I’ve watched your videos, you know. If you wished it, you could go into acting. You have a very expressive face.”
That was high praise, coming from Shweta. “Acting’s not a part of my plan.”
“What is?”
“I want to have my own line of makeup, especially focused on girls of color.”
“Then why don’t you?”
Jia shook her head. “Not yet.”
Shweta nodded. “Be careful how many times in your life you say not yet, beti. You’d be surprised how quickly time flies.” Her long fingers stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray on the table. “I suppose I shall go rest now. I won’t be able to stand it if I have puffy eyes tomorrow.”
“I know a great trick for that.”
“I’m sure you do.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“ARE YOU sure you want to do this?”
Jia paused in curling her hair. Her mother stood behind her. Her hands had probably gone numb from all the wringing she was doing.
Jia was anxious, too, but for other reasons. They’d decided to hold the ceremony around sunset to capitalize on golden hour lighting—her insistence—and though that was hours away, she had a ton of things to do before then.
She’d called Rhiannon and Katrina in the morning to break the news to them. They’d been shocked, but rallied quickly to support her decision and take down her instructions on what clothes to pull from her closet.
She’d texted Lakshmi, too, after a brief hesitation, and invited her to the ceremony. They weren’t besties yet, but she hoped soon she’d be able to count the other woman a vital member of her girl group. Unfortunately, Lakshmi was out of town, but had conveyed her congrats. She hadn’t seemed surprised at all.
“Jia?”
Jia tried to focus on her mother. “Yup. Hand me the pins from over there?”
“You sound calm,” Ayesha remarked and fetched the pins.
“Too calm,” Farzana said grimly.
“I thought you’ve always wanted me to be calm.” Jia placed the curling iron down and used her fingers to loosen up the waves. She twisted the tamed strands into a bun and pinned them into place.
“I didn’t want you to be calm about having a shotgun wedding.”
Ayesha covered her mouth when she yawned and plopped down on the bed. Her hair was still wet from her shower. “I think for it to be a shotgun wedding, she’d have to be pregnant.”
“Don’t even joke about such things. Jia, we can work through this, figure out what to say to put off Shweta without insulting her. I haven’t had practice dealing with many pushy potential in-laws, but I watched my mother manipulate the mothers of every suitor who came to my door. I shall leave the window open for a future marriage between you and Dev while still ensuring that it doesn’t happen now.”
“I want it now.”
Her mother’s smile slipped. “Dear, be reasonable.”
Ugh. Yet another phrase Jia had heard a lot in her life. “I am being reasonable.”
Farzana started pacing, like she hadn’t even heard Jia. “I will still not sacrifice my daughter’s happiness. You are my priority, just as her grandson is hers.” Farzana shook her head. “Of course, the inheritance complicates things, but he has the capacity to earn money. You’ll be taken care of one way or another. Your father and I have discussed this. It is unacceptable to shove you into a marriage with a man you barely know.”
“I can take care of myself.” Still, Jia was touched. She’d misjudged her mother and how much she wanted rich husbands for her daughters due to her own leftover immigrant trauma of arriving in a new country broke and hungry. This level of ferocious mama bear protection was so heartwarming.
Too bad it was coming at the wrong time. There was a certain amusing irony in the fact that her mother was dead set against Jia marrying the man she’d originally fake dated to impress her. Later, when she had time and didn’t have to think about which eyeshadow palettes she needed, she’d laugh at this. “I know him. Don’t worry about it.”
Farzana released a deep sigh and leaned back against the poster of the bed. “I swear to God, child, I will never understand you.”
Jia grimaced. “I know. I wish you could. I’m sorry I’m disappointing you. Again.” She was sorry, and yet, the panic she might normally feel at disappointing her parents was nowhere to be found. Did she not need anyone’s approval anymore?
The heroine swans offstage to do whatever the hell she wants, Teflon courses through her veins.
Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Bless Lakshmi.
Farzana’s chest rose, and her next words surprised Jia. “I learned many years ago that any disappointment I feel with any of my daughters is my issue to deal with, not yours.” She walked over to the vanity and touched Jia’s face. “I love you. I want you to be happy. Your heart is so kind and precious. I suppose that’s why we’re all so protective of you. We never want to see you hurt.”
Jia curled her hand around her mother’s, holding it to her cheek. “I always thought you were hovering over me because you thought I was a goofball who couldn’t tie my own shoes without help,” she said lightly, though she wasn’t joking. Her chest had gone all tight.
“No. You can do anything you put your mind to.” Farzana dropped a kiss on her head. “We’ve known that from the time you were a baby. You dream so big, but dreams don’t always come true.”
“I don’t see much point in putting dreams away on the off chance they won’t come true.” She noticed Ayesha freeze in the mirror. “Right, Ayesha?”
Her twin cleared her throat. She busied herself folding a shirt. “Right.”