Page 51 of Pretend for Me

“But—”

“Let’s just make one thing clear,” I interject before she can protest further, leaning in so my words brush against her ear. My breaths skate over her wet skin and a shiver runs through her. “The only person who needs those rules when it comes tous isyou. Because if I were to say yes, the only person who’d break all three . . .” I lift a brow, watching realization dawn upon her before her mouth sets in a hard line, “is also you.”

Setting her back on her feet, I whisper a truth I hadn’t even realized until now, a truth cloaked in a language she won’t understand.“Tu hare ya na hare, jeet toh meri pakki hai, meri jaan.”?1

1 Whether you lose or not, I’ll still be the winner, sweetheart.

nineteen

piper

Take Him Salsa Dancing

“This was the bridal jewelry my mother-in-law gave to me to wear for my and Deepak’s Indian wedding ceremony,” Claire says, handing me a large red velvet box. “You don’t have to wear it, but it’s yours, nonetheless.”

I hesitate taking it from her, feeling that same stirring of guilt inside my gut. “Thank you,” I whisper, brushing my hand over the soft fabric and the tiny aluminum clasps on one end.

We’re sitting in her beloved garden, watching some gardeners fertilize her rose bushes under the late September sun. With only two clients coming in earlier this morning, I’d decided to message Claire to see if she’d be up for visitors. I thought perhaps she would be sleeping or not in the mood for visitors, but she’d immediately responded with an emphatic,Yes!along with at least twelve emojis.

With Dev in Beijing this past week, our communication has been limited to texts. But with the wedding looming—caterers, music, cake, and a million other details demanding attention—I needed to wrangle out a firm date for our wedding. Even keeping it small enough to fit inside his mother’s rose garden, we still need to send invites and prepare. Thankfully, we settled on a date at the end of October.

And because I like pushing my luck when it comes to my fiancé, I also managed to get a promise out of him to come into the salon tomorrow morning for his first photoshoot to be the face of our company.

It’ll be the first time I’ll see him since he left me speechless and soaked—in more ways than one—in his swimming pool. The memory of him, his eyes searing against mine, his body pinning me to the wall behind me, and his words spoken like a threat as much as an invitation sends a shiver down my spine.

But now that the wedding date is finalized, I want to make sure I include Claire in any preparations she wants to take part in. Which is the reason I’m visiting today, to get an understanding of her wishes. Well, that, and the fact that I honestly couldn’t wait to see her again.

Given her deteriorating health, I know she won’t have the stamina to be a part of every decision, even if we were to meet with the vendors at the house, but my hope is that the wedding is everything she hoped it would be.

I open the clasps on the box to reveal a beautiful golden ensemble that looks like it was handcrafted. The substantial choker with pearl accents would likely cover most of my neck and décolletage, a pair of dangling golden earrings gleam under the sun, and a large gold, emerald, and pearl medallion at the end of a string of pearls looks like it might be a head piece fit for a queen. A pair of golden and pearl bangles complete the set.

“This is . . .” My breath catches as I look at Claire, bundled up under a blanket, sitting beside me. “You must have looked so beautiful on your wedding day.”

She smiles, her pale blue eyes looking off into the distance. “It feels both like it was yesterday and a lifetime ago.” She looks at the box in my hand. “I remember I needed helpgetting on mysareeand that head jewelry, but Deepak’s family was there to help, accepting me with open arms.”

I smile, sensing she might have more to say.

“It’s a big part of Indian culture to give the new daughter-in-law jewelry as a symbol of welcome and acceptance. And while Deepak came from humble beginnings, his mother had held on to this from her own wedding to give to me.”

“Wow,” I breathe, looking back down at the set that’s been passed on for multiple generations in my hands. “It’s beautiful.”

She nods. “We had two small ceremonies—one in the church my parents insisted upon and one in a Hindu temple. Neither Deepak nor I protested much about anything our parents wanted.” Her smile wobbles as if she’s in the throes of memories. “All we cared about was being together. He was, and still is, the love of my life.”

My throat tightens, my brows coming together as I ward off the prick of tears at the corners of my eyes. “I can tell how much he loves you.”

It’s not an exaggeration. The man worships the ground she walks on.

Earlier when I arrived, he gave me a curt nod—not terribly unwelcome—before walking me out here to her outdoor sanctuary. He’d then settled Claire into a chair cocooned in blankets, leaving a cup of hot tea at her side. The only reason he isn’t hovering out here now is because she’d shooed him away to give us time to chat alone.

“He’s a complicated man, my husband,” Claire muses, keeping her eyes trained on the roses. “He loves us all dearly, but he’s always had sky-high expectations of our children, especially Dev.”

She pauses, seeming to think for a moment. “Not that I’m making excuses for the way he’s been, but Deepak had to take care of his five brothers and sisters at a very young age afterhis dad passed away. His mom didn’t have much of an education, nor did she work, and Deepak was the oldest. I think some of the way he is with his children comes from the weight of that responsibility he never shed—always striving for more, always focused on the next thing.”

I swallow, both of us silent for a beat.

“Despite his hard exterior and his impossible standards, he is proud of his children. He just has a hard time showing it, and that’s created a rocky path between Dev and his father. One I’ve tried to pave wherever I could, but . . .”

Melancholy plays on her features as she trails off, shaking her head. “I’m sure Dev has opened up to you about him?”

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