Raj was attempting not to smile. His grandfather wasn’t even doing that much—he had a full-out grin on his face. “Kushla! This one is like you!”
His grandmother sniffed again. “At least she knows how to be loyal.”
“What, she’s perfect and I’m not?”
“Jesus, Komal, let it go.” Navin sounded tired. “I asked Komal for a divorce,” he announced to the room. “That’s why she did it.”
Komal turned on her husband, all fury and wet eyes. “Why does she get to have the happiness?” Pointing at Nayna. “Why can’t you love me like Raj loves her? What is so wrong with me that you have to go out night after night without me?”
Navin stared at her, stricken. “There is nothing wrong with you,” he said. “I was just immature when we got married and I made mistakes and then you got so angry and I couldn’t fix it and it was easier to avoid the problem and then it got worse and worse.” Thrusting both hands in his hair, he stared at his wife. “I don’t know what went wrong with us, K, but you know it’s gone wrong.”
Tears rolled down Komal’s cheeks. “I loved you so much. And for your information, I never cheated. Not even when handsome, rich men hit on me while my husband wasn’t around.”
Navin swallowed. “I didn’t either. I just… I wanted you to be jealous, so I pretended.”
Nayna’s fingers squeezed Raj’s. When he angled his head down toward her, she whispered, “Masala picture, complete with dramatic reconciliation. Aditi is going to be so mad she missed this.”
Raj would always be angry at Komal on some level. That type of breach of trust wasn’t forgivable in his book. But when his brother got up and took her into his arms, he silently wished them luck. “Drama’s fine for the movies, but loving you every day works better for me.”
Nayna’s eyes welled up. Pretending to punch him on the arm, she said, “Ditto.”
“I think we need some privacy.” That was Navin, about to lead Komal out of the room.
“Wait.” Raj’s mother stood up again. “First, I wish you both all the luck in mending your marriage. I’ve only ever wanted happiness for you.”
Both nodded.
“But something else needs to be said,” Raj’s mother continued. “I was too angry before to do it. I’ve calmed down, but I still cannot believe our daughter-in-law would disrespect us by going to my in-laws after we specifically made our feelings on the matter clear.” Her voice was cool, calm. “Is this what your parents taught you, Komal? To talk behind your elders’ backs?”
Eyes swollen, Komal shifted restlessly. “I’m sorry. I was angry and sad and I struck out.” She swallowed hard. “I won’t ever do it again.”
“No, you won’t,” Sangeeta Sen said, a tone in her voice that had Raj paying intense attention. “I wish I could trust you to keep your word, but just as Navin has to win back the faith of his family, that’s a trust you’ll have to earn. Until then, I’ll just say one word: Taveuni.”
Komal went sheet-white under the brown of her skin, swaying on her feet. Navin grabbed her before she fainted, held her upright.
In the silence that followed, Raj’s father scratched at his head and said, “Isn’t that the island off the coast of Vanua Levu?”
No one answered.
When Komal could speak again, she blurted out a string of words. “I won’t say anything else and I’ll tell my friend who saw Madhuri not to say a word either.” She was all but hyperventilating.
“Just in case you have another spike of meanness and temper,” Raj’s mother said, “you should know that I’ll be sharing what I know with Nayna in the next few minutes—and I’m going to tell Raj too. Remember that the next time you want to make trouble for them.”
Then she turned toward him and Nayna and, voice as scarily calm as it had been through the entire exchange, said, “Come on, I have to tell you Komal’s secret.”
A whimper of sound from Raj’s sister-in-law.
49
We Told You So (and Two Weddings)
Nayna sat curled up in Raj’s lap, his gorgeous, warm, naked chest cradling her while she fed him ice cream and ate twice as much herself. He stroked her thigh, her legs bare—she’d pulled on lace panties after they’d made love but hadn’t bothered with pants. Up top, she wore a simple camisole. Raj was wearing his boxer briefs and nothing else.
She approved.
When she misjudged a spoonful and a drop hit his chest, she leaned over and licked it up.
He groaned. “You’re a devil woman.” He slid his hand up under her camisole, spread it on her stomach. “I can’t believe you threatened to kick Komal’s ass in front of everyone.”
“I was so mad.” Nayna fed him a little more ice cream. “But at least I remembered to say posterior instead of ass.” Her lips twitched. “And your grandpa likes me now.” The older man had given her a big hug before they left.
His grandmother was withholding judgment, but that was all right. One thing at a time. “I don’t want to tell my parents we’re officially engaged, complete with a romantic proposal.”
Raj raised an eyebrow.
Pointing a spoon at him, she said, “They’ll smirk and be all ‘We told you so’ and ‘We found you the perfect man.’”
He grinned at her description of him, and she stuck out her tongue. “Be quiet.” Then she kissed him because she couldn’t help it when he smiled. “Your parents won’t say anything?” She’d felt drained after the drama and emotion of the day, needed some time alone with Raj.
“No—they know we’re doing that tomorrow night, and they’ll wait for everything to happen at a proper pace,” Raj said. “Do you think you can take two or three hours off tomorrow during the day?”
“Sure, I’m not backed up anymore. Why?”
“I really want you to wear my ring.” Solemn, intent words.
He could have anything he wanted from her when he got like that, his love an open secret in his voice, his eyes, his hands.
And that was how she found herself ring shopping with her sexy hunk the next morning, while trying to avoid being spotted by any aunties who might be prowling the malls and boutiques.
At one point she hissed at Raj to hide. “Babita Auntie’s just over there.”
Since Raj was too big to take advantage of the potted plant behind which she’d ducked, he bent down and pretended to tie his shoe, face averted from Batty Auntie’s sharp eyes, until the danger was past.
“Phew.” Nayna pressed a hand to her racing heart. “My mother wouldn’t talk to me for a year if Babita Auntie learned we were ring shopping before Ma saw my ring.”
Over the time that followed, she tried on lots of pretty rings, but nothing spoke to her. “I want color,” she’d told Raj before they began. “Nothing too traditional.”
“Any ring you want,” he’d said, but in the end, it was Raj who found it. “Nayna, did you see this one?”
The tears came again the instant she laid eyes on the ring he’d pointed out, because he’d listened to her. This was no sedate, elegant, expected diamond. Set in two twists of platinum, it was a deep, deep pink ruby positioned at a sharp angle and bordered by equally angular diamonds cut to refract light.
“Yes,” she whispered. “That’s my ring.” And this was her man.
* * *
It was past eight by the time they pulled into her parents’ drive that night. Raj had arrived late after being held up on a site due to an emergency. The good news was the outcome had been positive. And now he looked incredible in formal black pants and a crisp white shirt under a black jacket. She kept staring at him.
“You like the suit, huh?” He smiled that quiet, sinful smile at her as he came around to open the door.
Smoothing her hands down his lapels, she sighed. “I like the suit.” Another unnecessary smoothing. “But I also like the jeans and the tool belt—and the naked.”