Bethany Meets Her Match

Chapter Eleven

“Relax,” Bethany ordered. “My folks are looking forward to meeting you. It’ll be fine.”

He wasn’t so sure about that. This was the first time he’d ever done the “meet the parents” thing and he was in uncharted waters. This visit was happening over Bethany’s very strong objections. Apparently, her mother had insisted on meeting him and even Bethany couldn’t best Pam Lee in a battle of wills.

Ethan took a deep breath and tried to ignore the knot in his stomach. “I still think I’m dressed wrong,” he muttered, looking down at his polo shirt and jeans. At least he had put his foot down and was wearing brogues.

Bethany rolled her eyes as they walked up the block to her parents’ brownstone. “Trust me you would have looked ridiculous in your Armani suit. We’re having dinner with my family, not a gala or state dinner for God’s sake.”

“You need to stop. I absolutely cannot afford Armani suits.” At her pointed look, he relented. “It was Hugo Boss. What can I say? They cut a nice suit.”

“You’ll thank me later,” she said with a snort. “Trust me, I’m doing you a favor. Nate will get chocolate stains on it within ninety seconds flat.

“Nate?”

“My nephew. My brother Alex and sister-in-law Allie are visiting. And Phoebe will probably throw fairy dust aka glitter all over you.” At the look of horror on his face, Bethany snickered. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest a rain check on the meal, but the front door opened and two little kids ran down the steps.

“Auntie Beth!” they yelled at top volume. They made a beeline in their direction and launched themselves at her. They were so fast that they almost knocked her over. Beth took it in stride and just gathered them close with a huge grin.

“Hey, you rug rats. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be wreaking havoc inside the house?”

“We were going to ride our bikes but then Daddy said you were here!” Nate said, showing off three missing teeth.

“Hmm, guess someone got a visit from the Tooth Fairy,” Bethany teased.

Nate nodded vehemently. “I got five whole dollars!” he announced.

“Seriously? Guess inflation must be a hell of a thing,” she muttered under her breath.

Phoebe meanwhile was studying the rest of the group quietly and sucking her thumb.

“Who are you?” she asked, looking at Ethan.

Without missing a beat, Nate piped up. “You must be Unca Ethan!” he said happily. He turned and hugged Ethan around the legs. After a brief hesitation, Phoebe followed her older brother’s example.

And he was willing to bet Bethany’s look of shock mirrored his own.

“Uncle Ethan?” she choked out.

Nate looked at her, all innocence. “Yeah. Daddy said we were going to meet Uncle Ethan today at Amah and Agong’s house. We asked him who that was and he said he was your new boyfriend and our new uncle.”

“Oh really?” Bethany’s tone was mild, and she was still smiling for the children’s sake, but the look in her eyes told him Alex was in for some painful retribution in the very near future. “I’ll have to thank your daddy for that.”

He for one couldn’t wait to see that.

“Do you want to play with my Barbies?” Phoebe asked around her thumb.

Despite himself, he softened and gave the little girl a smile. “Maybe later. How old are you?”

Popping her thumb out of her mouth, Phoebe extended a sticky hand and held out three fingers.

“No one wants to play with your stupid Barbies,” Nathan said with typical elder brother scorn.

“He does too!” Phoebe insisted. She ran over and laced her hands with Ethan’s for support. He did his best not to dwell on the sticky hand and how it had gotten sticky. But then she turned her big brown eyes at him with her lips trembling and he forgot all about it.

“Hey, you two! What are you doing out here? I thought you were going to ride your bikes,” a harried voice said from behind them. He pulled up short when he saw who else was with them. The man was a few inches taller than Bethany but even if Ethan hadn’t just seen him coming out of the Lee family home, he would have known this was one of her relatives. The family resemblance was strong—they had similar bone structure and big eyes.

“Hey, stranger!” Beth made her way over to her brother and hugged him.

“Good to see you, sis,” he murmured while mussing her hair. Ethan bite back a chuckle at Bethany’s elbow to Alex’s stomach and the resulting “Umph!”

“Daddy, Nate was being mean!” Phoebe pouted.

“Was not! I was just telling the truth. No one wants to play with your stupid Barbies. They’re for babies!” Nate stuck out his tongue.

“Enough,” their father insisted. “Let’s get back to the house so we can let Amah and Agong know Aunt Bethany is here, and so Phoebe can get cleaned up,” he said with a glance at his daughter’s face and hands.

Then he gave a pointed cough and look in Ethan’s direction. “You planning on introducing us?”

“Behave,” Bethany warned. “Alex, this is Dr. Ethan Wu. Ethan, this is my annoying brother Alex.”

“Ah my future brother-in-law,” Alex murmured with a smirk and glint in his eyes.

“Shut up, Alex,” Bethany growled.

His brother threw up his hands and gave an unrepentant grin. “I’m just going by the latest family gossip.”

“So the kids told me. Did Ma put you up to this?”

“I admit to nothing.”

“Interesting. It’s like you’ve forgotten who is more likely and willing to cause you the most pain and make you pay for this—me or Ma,” Bethany said archly, jaw firm and eyes hard.

“For God’s sake, you just got here. You couldn’t even wait to threaten me?” Alex put a hand to his heart and assumed an injured air.

“You started it.”

“That excuse doesn’t work for Nate and Phoebe. You gotta do better.”

They all walked through the front door while the kids burst through and made a beeline toward the kitchen.

“Amah! Can we get some snacks?” they asked in unison.

Pam Lee turned and gave her grandchildren a fond smile. “Say please,” she reminded them gently. “And of course. Amah made some chocolate chip cookies, just for you.”

Phoebe and Nate clapped their hands in glee and smothered their grandmother with hugs and kisses.

“You’re the best Amah ever!” Nate declared with relish.

“You charmer,” Pam said with an indulgent smile. Then she looked up and saw him.

“Bethany, you said you’d be here at two. It’s only one thirty. What were you thinking?” With a shake of her head, she headed straight back to the kitchen.

“I guess I didn’t give her enough time to whip the house into shape.” Beth grimaced.

Ethan looked around. The brownstone was small and cozy and looked well lived in. There was some wear and tear around the edges, but this was a home filled with warmth and love. He saw family photos everywhere, toys on the living room floor for the kids, and knick-knacks on the coffee table. This was a home, somewhere someone could feel comfortable. People lived here and it showed. It wasn’t an impeccably clean, sterile living space that looked staged for a showing or a magazine cover. In other words, this was a completely foreign experience for him.

“It looks lovely,” he replied honestly.

“Have a seat,” Bethany said, pointing to the couch. “I need to go talk Ma off the ledge so that she doesn’t empty the pantry and fridge and freezer to impress you.”

Ethan made his way to the couch and sat on one end, unsure where to look or what to do. Nate and Phoebe were munching on their cookies and the crumbs were spraying everywhere. He tried not to wince, thinking about the cleanup. Then the two children turned in unison to look at him.

“My birthday is next month,” Nate announced out of the blue.

“That’s exciting. Good for you.” Was that the proper response?

“I’m going to have a big Lego birthday party. Daddy said we can go to Legoland.”

“That sounds fun,” he ventured.

“You can come if you want,” Nathan offered generously. “But you have to bring me a birthday present. And Mom said we can have a big ice cream cake. You can have some of that too.”

“I apologize for my mercenary children.” Another woman, tall, wearing leggings, a topknot, striped long-sleeved T-shirt, and a harried expression walked into the room, giving Nate the look of death. “Nathan Lee, apologize for your poor manners right now. You know better.”

“Nate is in trouble,” Phoebe chanted in a song-song voice full of glee. Nate turned to his sister, poised to exact revenge but a pointed clearing of the throat from his mother stopped him in his tracks.

“Sorry, Uncle Ethan,” he mumbled, head hanging in a most pitiful display.

“Apology accepted.” Really, what else could he say? What kind of monster would say no to a face that looked so sad?

Then Mom turned to him and in a one-eighty that would make anyone’s head spin, stuck out her hand and gave a friendly smile. “Hey, I’m Allie, Alex’s wife, and Mom to these monsters. Welcome to the zoo.”

How did they do that?

With a sigh Allie sat down on the couch and pulled Phoebe onto her lap. Smoothing her daughter’s hair, she gave Phoebe a little kiss on the cheek and gave her a block to keep her busy.

“Remind me later to scold her about taunting her brother.”

“Okay.”

Allie then turned her attention to Ethan. “I’m glad you’re here. It’ll be nice to have some backup.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband, and the family is great. Couldn’t ask for better in-laws. But they’re a lot. A lot a lot. So it’s good to have someone else to commiserate with who gets it.” Then she paused with a bit of a frown. “To be honest, I think Jeffrey’s the best of the bunch. But that may be because he’s out in California so we don’t see him that often. Maybe two, three times a year. And CeeCee may have married into the family, but she grew up next door so she’s basically a Lee anyway. It’s just been me and Ryan. And now you.” She beamed.

Ethan struggled to make sense of that soliloquy.

“The best part is you two are here in New York so you’re nearby. Ryan and Becca live down in DC, so Ryan isn’t available for backup that often. I mean we text, but it isn’t quite the same, is it?”

Allie got distracted as Phoebe squirmed and insisted on being put down so she could run off to chase after her brother. Then she looked back at Ethan and gave a chagrined wince at his expression.

“I’m blurting, aren’t I?” She laughed self-deprecatingly. “Hope I didn’t scare you off. Because if I’m making it sound worse than it is, I didn’t mean that. It’s just that because we don’t live that far we spend a lot of time together. We were in Boston until Alex’s company transferred him back here last year. We got a place out in Rye but it’s still close by. Not that I mind,” she rushed to add. Then Allie paused again. “Though it also means Pam and Martin are available to babysit anytime and that is definitely a plus.” She shrugged. “Life’s all about trade offs isn’t it?”

“You two getting acquainted, honey?” Alex asked as he came into the room. He plonked down beside his wife and gave her a kiss on the head.

“I think I may have scared the poor man off.” Allie grimaced.

“No, not at all,” Ethan hastened to reassure her. But then honesty compelled him to add, “Though she was sending off some mixed signals. I didn’t know if she was trying to make me feel welcome or warning me to run away while I could.”

Alex raised a brow. “Anything you need to tell me?” he queried his wife.

“I plead exhaustion. It was meant to be a welcome, not a warning. Promise.”

“Alex, clear the table.” Pam Lee walked back into the room with a platter of cut fruit and other snacks.

A few minutes later, everyone was sitting around the living room eating and looking around at everyone else.

Finally, Martin broke the silence. “So, Ethan, tell us, where is your family from?”

“Don’t interrogate him,” Bethany groaned.

“It’s your fault,” her mother scolded. “If you had done the right thing and introduced us properly, this wouldn’t be happening.” Then she turned to Ethan with an expectant look on her face.

“My parents live in Taipei, but we also have relatives in Kaohsiung and Hualien.”

At that, the elder Lee’s eyes lit up.

“Kaohsiung, that’s where I grew up,” Pam said. “And I used to visit my uncle in Taidong. We would pick all sorts of fruits and vegetables at his farm. The pineapple was so sweet, and we would eat the corn fresh from the cob. So delicious.”

Bethany frowned. “How come I don’t remember any of this?” she demanded.

“You were too little. And once you got older, there wasn’t as much time and money. You and your brothers and sisters had school, and after-school activities.”

“Besides, your Mandarin is terrible, and your Taiwanese is barely decent,” Alex joked.

“Hey! That’s not true.”

“Please. You can’t read or write it. You’re basically illiterate.” Alex looked at his sister and gave a superior smirk.

Bethany huffed and her expression turned mutinous.

“I suppose it’s a good thing that most rail and subway and streets in Taipei are labeled in English too,” Ethan mused out loud.

“You’re all ganging up on me and it’s unfair,” Bethany fumed. “And besides I’m an American! I can’t remember the last time I even visited Taiwan.”

“All those Saturday morning Chinese school classes, a total waste,” Martin said with a sigh.

“Well don’t worry, Mom and Dad,” Alex responded in perfect Mandarin. “You have one son who won’t shame the family. And I can talk to all our aunties and uncles in Taiwan.”

“Hey! Stop that,” Bethany said, her arms crossed.

Allie gave Ethan a look. You see what I mean?

“If I wanted to learn Mandarin I would,” Bethany insisted. “And Taiwanese too, and I’d be able to speak it a thousand times better than you.”

“Sure, sis.”

“Don’t you patronize me.”

“Bethany!” Pam snapped, lethal warning in her eyes. “We have a guest. Behave.” She gave a small nod when she saw her daughter back down, albeit with poor grace. Then she turned to Ethan, company smile firmly back in place.

This was shaping up to be a hell of an afternoon.

*

Desperate for adistraction, Bethany looked around the living room for something, anything, to change the current topic of discussion. Her eyes drifted to a familiar cabinet and a calculating grin began to spread on her face. Perfect.

“How about a game of Guess Who?” she suggested sweetly. Her whole family rolled their eyes and ignored her, which was beyond rude. Ethan, as ever, took the bait, just as she’d hoped.

“Don’t know Guess Who but I’m up for it. I learn quickly.” The challenge in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Simple. We each pick a character and try to guess who the other’s is by asking questions. First one to guess correctly wins.”

“Let’s play.”

In short order, the coffee table was cleared and the battle lines were drawn. Bethany pursed her lips and contemplated strategy. She’d drawn Anita, which wasn’t ideal. No offense to Anita, but the gender ratio was heavily skewed against her so if Ethan’s first question was “Is your person a man or woman?” she was screwed. But that wasn’t what he asked.

“Is your person an obnoxious vegan?” he enquired politely.

What the hell kind of question was that? “How am I supposed to know?” she sputtered.

With a poorly disguised guffaw, her brother tried to help. “Ethan, man, I think you’re supposed to ask questions more along the lines of ‘Is your person a redhead?’ stuff like that.”

“Wouldn’t that make it too easy?”

Fine. If that’s how he wanted to be. Bethany scrutinized Anita, who didn’t strike her as the obnoxious vegan type, but who’s to say? What if she was a vegan, but not obnoxious about it? In the end she had to give her honest, good-faith answer. “I don’t think so, no.”

Nodding soberly, Ethan flicked some possibilities off the board, while Bethany pondered her first question. She almost cackled as the perfect one came to her.

“Does your person arrive at the airport two hours early, or are they rushing to the gate at the last minute and almost miss the flight?”

After a thoughtful pause: “Probably three hours early actually.”

Great. Using her best judgment, Bethany narrowed down her choices.

Then she looked at him. “Like you. I don’t see you cutting it close and risking being late. Wait. Did you say that because that’s the answer you’d give?”

“Why can’t it be both? Not all of us prefer to live life on the edge. Better to give yourself plenty of time so it isn’t stressful. I’d rather wait at my gate.”

“We ER doctors thrive on adrenaline and excitement. Gets the blood flowing.” But yeah, guilty as charged. She still remembered her spring break trip to Bermuda and she’d been stuck on the subway for forty-five minutes and had indeed made it on board the plane with five minutes to spare. Though how he knew was a complete mystery.

Now it was her turn again. “Night owl or early bird?”

“Early bird. Dog or cat person?”

“Doesn’t like animals. Who would they pick as their favorite Bond? Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, or Daniel Craig?”

“Pierce. Do they prefer reading physical books or using an e-reader?”

“Either. Backstreet Boys or NSYNC?”

“I have no idea what that means. Ask another question.”

And on and on it went.

Finally, Bethany was ready to make her first guess. “Is your person Robert?”

“No.”

Damn it. “Well, go on, ask another question.”

A noise from the far corner of the room drew her attention and her head popped up. Which was when she finally noticed that her entire family was watching the proceedings, barely concealing their enjoyment. With shit-eating grins on their faces.

“What?” she demanded.

“Oh, nothing,” Allie said a tad too innocently.

Before Bethany could pounce on that and force an answer out of her sister-in-law, Ethan finally asked his next question.

“Is your person left- or right-handed?”

“Left.” Shout-out and some love to the southpaws.

“Can I make a guess?”

“Sure.”

“Are you Anita?”

“How the hell did you figure that out?”

“Bethany, language,” Pam scolded.

She was so worked up she didn’t even hear her mother’s admonition. “How?” she asked again.

“I just made some educated guesses. Telling me Anita was a red wine person was quite helpful. Gave great insight.”

The man was beyond infuriating. Bethany gritted her teeth and reminded herself to be a gracious loser. Even if it killed her. “Okay, fine. Who were you?”

Ethan turned his board around and she became incensed all over again. “Tom? You were Tom?” She couldn’t help a glare. “You said your person is an early bird. Tom is not an early bird!”

“Of course he is. He reminds me of you. Up at five a.m. ready to tackle the day.”

How the hell would he know?

“He nailed you, Beth. Drove the rest of us nuts when we tried to sleep in, but she’d make too much noise,” Alex piped up.

“I may be, but Tom so is not. Just look at him!” She crossed her arms and turned to her family. “Back me up here. Tom isn’t an early bird, right? I should get a redo.”

To his credit, Alex at least attempted to appear as though he was taking it seriously. He walked over behind Bethany and looked at her board.

“Sorry, sis. Gotta agree with my man Ethan. The call stands.”

Bethany pouted. “You’re biased. Allie?”

Her sister-in-law just raised her hands up in surrender and mimed zipping her lips.

“Seriously, Allie?”

“Fine. If you ask me, you screwed up back at the phone question. Tom looks like an iPhone guy to me, not Android.”

The three of them began to squabble, and Bethany was defending her decisions to the death. Meanwhile, Ethan just sat there silent, like an anthropologist observing a brand-new culture and social group that was completely foreign to him.

Martin cleared his throat, and everyone turned to look at him. The expression on his face telegraphed that he found the whole thing absurd and was over the mayhem and foolishness.

“Maybe it’s time for you to move on to another game.” His tone made it clear it wasn’t a suggestion.

“Whatever you do, make sure it isn’t Connect Four. She’s a serial cheater at that game.” Alex rolled his eyes.

“I am not,” Bethany protested.

Alex scoffed. “You totally knocked over the thing on purpose.”

“I was six. It was an accident.”

“Calm down, you two,” Pam warned as she put down another plate of sliced fruit for everyone to share.

“I say we play again. I want a rematch,” Bethany insisted. Now it was a matter of honor and principle.

“If you’d like, that’s fine with me.” This from the man whose butt she was about to kick. Hard.

Alex took five dollars from his wallet. “My money’s on him.”

“Shit.”

“Bethany. Lee.” The whip in her mother’s tone told her she had three seconds to act right or her mother would handle her, and she very much didn’t want to be handled. Especially in front of Ethan.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“I’m not warning you again,” Pam cautioned, as she made her way back to the kitchen, no doubt preparing to pull out all the stops for their guests. “Besides, you don’t have time to play. I need your help in the kitchen.”

“Fine.” She would just have to find another time to be avenged.

Alex grabbed Ethan’s arm and lifted it high, champion style.

“All hail the winner,” Alex announced while Allie gave a round of applause.

Reminding herself being a sore loser wasn’t cute, Bethany pasted a smile on her face and offered her hand. “Congratulations. Well earned.” He held her gaze as he shook her hand and she suddenly felt slightly out of breath, and it had nothing to do with the heat of battle.

What the hell was wrong with her?

“Come on, pal, beers on me.” Alex, oblivious like most men, slapped Ethan on the back, and the two made their way to the kitchen. Leaving Bethany alone with her sister-in-law who was grinning like the world’s smuggest Cheshire cat.

“Don’t,” Bethany warned.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Just leave it.”

“Fine, be that way.”

“I will.”

“Ethan seems nice.”

“He’s on his best behavior.” At Allie’s look, she relented. “Yes, he’s not as horrible as I first thought. It helps when he removes that stick up his ass.”

“So you do like him.”

“Did I not say to drop it?”

“In all the years I’ve known you, I don’t remember you introducing anyone to the family. He’s the first. And he seems to suit you and fit in quite nicely.”

“I’m just helping him because he’s homesick. Besides, he’s the competition.”

“Competition. Which you notoriously hate. And for bitter rivals you two seem to get along and know each other quite well.”

Before she could rebut, the baby monitor app went off on Allie’s phone and she went up to check on the kids.

“Bethany!”

“Coming.”

As Bethany made her way to the kitchen, she passed Alex and Ethan making their way to the backyard to hang. He caught her gaze and she flushed and cursed her sister-in-law. Allie was nuts. Absolutely nuts.

*

“Well, that wasinteresting,” Ethan commented as they left the Lee family home.

“My family’s crazy. But congrats on surviving.” Honestly Bethany had not one negative word about how Ethan survived the baptism by fire. Not everyone could run the Lee family gauntlet and come out the other side intact. And he’d even appeared to enjoy himself, which was a minor miracle in and of itself. However…

“But seriously. What the hell?” She slid him the side-eye.

“What have I done now? I thought it went rather well.”

“Too well. My dad wants you to come back for a fried rice competition. Alex invited you to a Knicks game. And you’re meeting Amah.” The last had been the biggest surprise—Bethany was taken aback when Pam made the request for Ethan to join in the next visit. If someone met Amah, that was serious business.

She remembered the whole family was on pins and needles when Ryan faced the Amah test—the first of her in-laws. And the collective sigh of relief when Amah gave her seal of approval and told Ryan to eat more because he was too skinny. After advising him to dress better because high school social studies teachers needed to command respect. “Suits. Not khakis and polos. What are you, a car salesman? You’re the adult in charge, not their friend. You should look like it.”

The less said about Allie’s first meeting the better.

“I was wondering about that. Does she have a favorite flower or do I actually need to pick out a gift? Maybe some fruit. Pears are in season—I can bring six in a nice box.”

“You don’t have to go all the way to Flushing or spend any money. Besides, you heard what Ma said. Amah’s had some problems with her arthritis and was hoping you could take a look. Apparently I’m not good enough and they want a second opinion,” she muttered. It was a bullshit excuse, and everyone knew it. Her father’s shake of the head, and Alex and Allie’s beyond galling smug looks let her know that nobody was fooled by Pam’s ploy.

“You know my stance on first impressions,” he pointed out in that oh so reasonable tone that could be super annoying. “And don’t take it personally. We ask for second opinions and consults all the time. Besides, you know the rules about physicians treating family members.”

“It’s the principle of the thing.” At his look, Bethany relented. “Fine. Buy her some yellow daffodils. Those are her favorites.”

“Perfect. And you know I’m right about you and your grandmother.”

“Whatever. But we’re getting off track.”

“By all means.”

“How the hell did you wrap my whole family around your finger in one afternoon? Like at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if they all like you better than me. And that’s total crap.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not being silly,” she insisted. “I shouldn’t be surprised, really. Of course they love you. You win over everyone, why not my family? Still, it’s super annoying.”

“You should be grateful and realize how lucky you are.”

“I am. I do.”

“Do you, truly?”

Nettled, Bethany scowled. “What does that mean?”

“Granted, I only spent one afternoon with them, but it’s obvious your family is close.”

“Of course we are. We are in each other’s pockets constantly. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but you have to admit it can be a bit much.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied quietly.

Cocking a brow, Bethany threw him a look. “Let me guess, all of your family gatherings were dignified affairs. Did you wear a suit?” Much as she hated to admit it, she could picture it in her head. And the vision of a ten-year-old Ethan, somber and proper in a little suit was more adorable than she’d care to admit.

“That would presume we had family gatherings. I spent time with my grandmother but like I said, it was only in the summer. Other than that, it was mostly just me and my parents.”

“What about birthdays? Everyone comes for that, don’t they?” Surely. She couldn’t imagine the whole family not descending on the family brownstone with cake, presents, and noise. Not to mention the food—her mother’s five spice fried shrimp, shredded tofu salad, fried chicken, and green tea cheesecake from their favorite restaurant, the works. Lee family rules stated that the birthday boy or girl picked the menu, and ever since she was twelve that was what Bethany would ask for. A birthday wasn’t a birthday without all the cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. And it wasn’t even because she got more presents that way. It was all she’d ever known, and she would genuinely be heartbroken if the family didn’t assemble.

The look Ethan shot her gave her all the answer she needed. And suddenly the afternoon at Sunset Park took on a whole different complexion. What she took for granted as normal was brand new for Ethan. Not everyone was used to having family underfoot and all the noise and chaos, and he’d handled it incredibly well. His mannerisms and behavior began to make so much more sense. It brought into sharp focus the stark differences between their upbringings. Ethan may have had material and financial advantages growing up, but it sounded like there hadn’t been a lot of love and affection, which she’d had in abundance. Hard to say he’d really grown up better. For the first time she was staring to see what a blessing her family really was, even when they drove her up the wall.

“That sounds…” She was about to say lonely but stopped herself in time. For one thing, she hated pity, and was shocked that had been her first instinct. And she was willing to bet Ethan had the same policy. But she still couldn’t help her softening attitude, which horrified her. This was not The Bethany Way.

Her phone buzzed and Bethany was tempted to ignore it, but the non-stop ping ping ping annoyed her enough that she finally checked it. And was promptly treated to a string of texts from Allie.

First of all, just in case it wasn’t clear, Ethan is a doll. Alex and I both give two thumbs up. You chose wisely and well this time.

Nate and Phoebe are fighting over who gets to have Ethan at their birthday parties.

Alex asked me to relay the following message: “The four of us should have a game night. After almost ten years of marriage, Allie and I have basically mind-melded. We would kick your asses at Guess Who. Y’all are going DOWN.

Me again. As a supportive spouse I’m supposed to have my husband’s back, but I swear if Alex makes me play practice games, you are on my shit list. God save me from the insanely competitive Lee genes.

I shouldn’t say this but…I can’t help it. Ethan meeting Amah is bogus. Alex and I dated for six months before I was deemed meeting-Amah-worthy and Ethan gets the invite first time out?

“Everything all right?” Ethan inquired politely.

Bethany quickly stuck her phone back in her purse. No way in hell would she ever let him see those texts. Not only because of Allie’s ridiculous insinuations but it was galling to see more evidence of how easily he’d won her family over. She never had people eating out of her hand like that. How was it fair that everything seemed to come so easily to him?

“Fine,” she said, her tone too bright to sell it. She slid him a look. “I’m glad you enjoyed the afternoon,” she admitted.

“Very much. It was entertaining and surprising.”

“Let me guess, you were shocked and horrified they weren’t wearing formal wear like in Downton Abbey. I should’ve warned them to wear their best evening gowns and tuxedos.” Even though she was mostly kidding, Bethany couldn’t help but be a little defensive. If Ethan was about to make any sort of comment about her family, she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions.

“I have standards,” Ethan deadpanned. “I was more disturbed at the lack of Waterford crystal glasses and Wedgwood china. How does your family live like this?”

And just like that, she felt a little silly. She shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, even if it was habit. After all this time, he’d earned some benefit of the doubt. “Point taken. What did you mean by surprising?”

“Seeing your parents just reminded me how traditional mine were. My mother stayed home with me. I don’t think it ever occurred to her to find a job outside the home. It was my father’s responsibility to provide. Your parents shared the workload more evenly. I saw your dad do the dishes before we left. My mother would’ve been horrified.”

“Both my parents worked as long as I could remember.” Bethany nodded. Her parents’ mindset had always been that everyone had jobs and everyone had to pitch in to keep the house running smoothly. There was no time or room to be precious about adhering to archaic gender roles. “Well, each family has to figure out what works best for them. And a stay-at-home mom can be awesome. Always someone there to shower love and affection and attention.”

“A lot of attention,” he murmured.

Bethany tilted her head. “As an only kid, I can see how that could be a little overwhelming.”

“Especially if they have no other target,” Ethan agreed.

“No wonder you decided to find a job here halfway around the world,” she kidded. “Some much-needed breathing room, huh? I mean, there’s a reason I moved to a different borough. Yes, it’s closer to work, but some distance can be a good, healthy thing.”

The look Ethan gave her, the way his eyes lit up almost took her breath away. It was the look of someone who finally felt seen and understood and was relishing it.

“You understand.”

“Of course I do,” she assured him. “And no one blames you for wanting space and chafing if your parents have a hard time letting go.”

He nodded. “Perhaps I’ve become more Americanized than I thought, as my mother feared,” Ethan kidded.

“Not the first time I’ve been called a bad influence,” Bethany shot back, tongue in cheek. “But from what you’ve told me about your family and your mom I’d guess such a traditional background means the way she was raised, her only path was wife and mother. That was all that was expected of her, all she knows. And suddenly, here you are all grown up, out the door, with your own life to lead away from her. Her life purpose and identity are now gone. That could send anyone into a tailspin. No wonder she’s being a bit clingy.”

His mouth dropped slightly open, his eyes full of admiration. “You’re a bloody genius.”

“About time you noticed,” she teased. She blinked. How the hell had they suddenly waded into such deep waters? “I mean, Asian mothers are already clingy above the standard deviation. Add all that to it, you get Marie Barone on steroids.”

At his obvious confusion, she patted his arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond.”

“All right.” He took a deep breath. “This afternoon has certainly been illuminating in more ways than one.”

It had, and it was dangerous. Despite everything, the two of them were still in competition with each other and it wouldn’t do to forget it. She couldn’t allow her growing…whatever it was with Ethan and her sympathy for his situation and motives to cloud her judgment and cause her to misstep. That would be a catastrophic mistake—one she couldn’t afford. Just because they were no longer antagonistic with each other didn’t mean they weren’t still on opposite sides.

Eye on the prize, Bethany.

Looking for a way to get back on an even keel, Bethany slid him a look. “Just so we’re clear. Even though you met my family and they’re fond of you and I no longer hate you doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on you. I’m still gonna win and kick your ass.” It helped to hear the words spoken out loud as a stern reminder, a much-needed reinforcement.

“We’ll see who’s in the winner circle when the time comes,” he threw back with a cocky smile on his own. His shoulders dropped as they fell back into the easy, familiar rhythm.

“Like I said, it’ll be me. But you can show up to congratulate me with some flowers. I like sunflowers, just so you know.”

“You mean you can bring me a bottle of cognac. Remy XO is my brand of choice. It was my grandfather’s favorite.”

“Whatever, Mr. Fancy Pants.”

Better. Much better.