His mother placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Ned—”
“Mom, I’m fine.” Daniel turned to his father, his lips mashed together as if keeping in words that were better off not being said. “I’m here now.”
“Yeah, well. It shouldn’t be that hard for a man to come see his family every so often. Your sister here talks of nothing but you. And her kid, does he even know who you are? I mean, I know you’ve had it rough, but you aren’t the only one who—”
“Dad!” Daniel’s voice was hard and firm as he cut off his father. “Let it go.” He made a small motion toward Annika.
Daniel wasn’t the only one whowhat?What didn’t she know? Annika studied his family, but both his sister and mother were looking between Daniel and his father as if waiting for the inevitable storm to rage.
His father stopped and glanced at Annika, as if seeing her for the first time, and nodded. “Yeah, okay. I don’t suppose we should be airing dirty laundry when Daniel has finally seen fit to bring a girl home.”
Daniel clenched his fists, staring at his father. It was Emma who brought life back to the room.
“Everyone, this is Annika.”
“Annika? What a lovely name.”
Annika spun around at the sound of a voice with an Indian accent. The tension in the room all but melted away as the newcomer drew them all in. An elderly woman with paper-thin brown skin, white hair and pure love in her black eyes rolled into the kitchen in an electric chair.
“Ba!” Daniel caught Annika’s eye and raised one eyebrow as he brushed past her to greet his grandmother. Annika gaped when he bent down to touch the older woman’s feet in greeting. But Ba stopped him halfway, and Daniel leaned over to embrace her. “What’s with the wheels, Ba? Getting lazy?” he chuckled, and Annika almost fell over.
Ba? Touching of feet?What the hell was happening here?
“Bahu waqt ti na dekayoo, beta.”Which Annika understood perfectly as she, too, was fluent in Gujarati. She should be—it was all they spoke in her home when she was growing up. “And my foot is broken. I’m sure you heard.” If Annika wasn’t mistaken, the old woman rolled her eyes and shot a look at Daniel’s mother. “Which means that I can’t go to weddings!”
“I’m sorry. But I went. And you didn’t miss much. Just an amazing dol, great food, fun people.” Daniel laughed and ducked his head, but not before his grandmother managed a playful smack on his head.
“Ba, there’s someone I want you to meet.” He stood and held out his hand toward Annika. “This is Annika. Annika, this is Ba.”
Annika tried to keep the astonishment from her face as she automatically pressed her hands together and bowed slightly in namaste.“Kem cho?”
Daniel’s grandmother beamed. “Ha! You got one that speaks the language.”
Annika’s heart was racing, and her mind buzzed with incomprehension. She was still trying to wrap her head around what was happening when Daniel spoke.
“Hoon tho bolu chun, neh?”
He did speak it. He had an accent, but still.
His grandmother harrumphed as grandmothers do and continued in Gujarati. “Yes, but how often do you come to see your grandmother?”
In contrast to his father asking this question, Daniel grinned and answered her back in Gujarati. “I’ll try to come more.”
“So has your father met Daniel yet?” Ba addressed Annika with a slightly crooked smile.
“Ba—” Daniel sounded a bit like a teenager “—can we not do this?”
“You hush, I’m talking to Annika. Besides, you brought her here.”
“Ba...”
She turned to face her grandson. “Isn’t she your girlfriend?”
Daniel flushed bright red. “Umm...we’re...”
“Friends. Ba, we’re just friends.” Annika helped. Is that what they were? Kissing-type friends?
Ba narrowed her eyes at her grandson. “You did not bring a booty call here to meet your family, did you?” She saidbooty callin English, and Annika could barely contain her gasp.
