Love on the Line (Beaumont Legacy #2)

23. Maya

Chapter twenty-three

Maya

B uzzzzz. Buzzzzz.

Maya groaned, an eye opening as she realized her phone was vibrating on her nightstand. Cooper, who was already awake and scrolling through what looked like news sites, chuckled and smiled at her as he passed her the phone.

“Ah, shit,” she mumbled. “It’s Colt.”

Cooper was already shifting. “Want me to go downstairs?”

Maya shook her head. “No, no. Maybe just don’t talk?”

Cooper huffed a laugh, and Maya answered. “Hey, Colt.”

“Hey, Mai. I know you’re a busy bee with the charity, but we haven’t talked since the fundraiser, so I’m just checking in.”

“Hi. Did you see my text about Nani and Nana?”

“Yeah, was also checking in about that. You sure you’re okay to go by yourself? ”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll be fine. I’m excited to talk to them, especially about Mom. I think it’ll be good for me.” She paused. “For us.”

Colton was quiet, and Maya couldn’t be sure what he was thinking. “Yeah.”

“How was Italy?” she asked, changing the subject. Cooper stretched, and a long, muscular arm settled over her stomach.

“Beautiful. Lucia had a great time, which is all I cared about.”

“Aw. Did you guys take lots of pictures? I’d love to see them all.” She’d only seen the couple that Lucia had posted to her socials.

“I’ll send you some, but Lucia can show you the rest when you’re here next. Speaking of which, are you coming to Charleston to celebrate the Buck Isaac Award? I think I texted about it a couple of weeks ago.”

Maya remembered having to look up the award being presented to her brother for his leadership, then had immediately used points to buy her tickets. “I’ll be there. The charity will be up and running by then, so I won’t be able to stay as long as usual.” When she looked over at Cooper, he was frowning, but Maya couldn’t tell if it was at her words or his phone. She squeezed his arm.

“I get it. I’m glad it’s coming together for you so quickly, and we’re just glad to see you.”

“Thank you! I’m excited too.”

After a pause, “Alright, well, call before then if you can. And stop stealing my best friend.”

Maya laughed uncomfortably, and Cooper shifted like he’d heard. She knew Colton was joking, but it was a little too close to the truth.

Colton continued. “I miss you. Love you to the moon.”

“Love you to the moon,” she echoed softly, and it was Cooper’s turn to squeeze her.

When Maya set her phone down, he pulled her into his body, her head resting against his chest. “Okay?” he whispered into her hair.

“Okay.”

“Want to go back to sleep until I have to go to the airport?” She was dropping him off at eleven, right before she met up with her grandparents.

“A man after my own heart. Yes, please.”

Maya stared at her grandparents’ two-story stucco house from her car, mind clouded with all the questions she had for them. She wanted to know anything and everything that could teach her about her mom—her culture, her home life, the people she’d loved outside of Maya’s siblings.

But she was nervous. What did she say if they asked why she hadn’t reached out? Maybe this was a bad idea. Her stomach turned over and over, and not in the way it did when she was with Cooper.

No. She’d thought this through, and this was what she wanted. She’d started making a network of friends in Los Angeles—okay, mostly just Viola—and she wanted to have more people she could talk with. Her breakdown over the phone with Cooper a couple of days ago had come from being alone in the house too much, she was sure of that. She needed a bigger network if she was going to be putting down roots here. And the charity was one very large root.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

When her head was clear, she stepped out of the car and made her way to the door. A few seconds after knocking, the door opened wide, revealing a smiling woman dressed in an Indian-style shirt.

Maya smiled back. She hadn’t seen her nani in a very long time, but it was astounding how her grandmother looked practically the same.

“Hi,” Maya breathed out.

She was gathered in a hug quickly, squeezed so tightly, it was almost uncomfortable. When her nani pulled away, she placed a gentle hand on Maya’s face.

“You always looked a bit like your mom, but now I see even more of her in you.”

Maya’s eyes watered at that. She’d always thought she was a mix of her parents, not looking much like either of them. And as she got older, she cursed the bits of her father that she saw in herself. But to know that she still carried her mother’s features put the most bittersweet of feelings into her chest.

Behind her nani was her grandfather, Nana, who also looked nearly identical to her memory of him.

“Come, come. Come inside.” Nani ushered her through the foyer of the house, past the living room, and into the dining room. Small casserole dishes sat on top of towels, their glass lids made opaque from the steam of the food. The house smelled like spices and incense, and just like when Maya was little, there were statues and banners of Hindu gods everywhere she looked.

When Maya sat down, her grandmother set a plate in front of her and began spooning rice and vegetables from two of the dishes, as well as a yellow liquid which she put over the rice.

Maya wasn’t very hungry, her nerves suppressing her appetite, but she had a vivid memory of getting in trouble for refusing her nani’s food when she’d been younger, so she thanked them both and began taking bites of everything.

It was incredible . She’d had some Indian food growing up and had even had it at restaurants and when she’d played in the Mumbai Open the year before, but she was used to the creamy curries over rice. This was completely different but just as delicious.

It felt like being home, even though her mother never made Indian food for them.

“Thank you so much. It’s all amazing.”

They made small talk for a few minutes as she tried to eat as much as she could without exacerbating that lingering nervous-pukey feeling.

Her grandparents asked about her brothers, and she told them, including about Colton and Lucia. Maya asked how they had been and why they’d decided to move to LA, learning they’d wanted to live in a warmer climate, and that her cousins were nearby.

A thought that excited her greatly.

When she’d finished what she could of the food, they moved to the living room, her on the couch, them in the leather rocking chairs in front of her, smiles on their faces. She couldn’t help but feel a little awkward in their home, years of distance between them.

What does one say to long-lost grandparents besides small talk?

Luckily, they seemed to know what was warring inside her.

“Nana has recorded all your matches. We watched as much as we could when we learned you started playing outside of college. And the boys—Nana always makes sure to have their games on when they’re playing.” Nani’s smile hadn’t dropped since Maya had entered the home, and Maya began feeling more at ease.

“Thank you. I’m so glad you guys got to watch me play before I—” She faltered. Shaking her head, she backtracked. “Well, I’m thankful you watched me.” And she was thankful they hadn’t asked about her injury .

“Of course we did! We’re so proud of you three.” Nani’s voice broke on the word proud , and Nana reached his hand out to place it on hers.

“How many people can say their grandson has two championship wins, eh?” Nana asked, clasping his wife’s hand.

Maya chuckled. “Right.”

She looked around the room while she waited for them to speak, noticing the beautiful and intricate tapestries hung on the walls.

When they didn’t reply, Maya turned back and said, “I really am sorry I didn’t reach out sooner. We didn’t have your number, but I’m sure I could have found it if I tried a little harder. With college and then the tour, I just never…” She trailed off, embarrassed.

It was quiet, and she was convinced she’d said something wrong when they exchanged a glance.

Finally, Nani murmured, “Troy told us you three didn’t want to see or speak to us after Kavya passed. He told us we reminded you too much of your mother. We weren’t sure if we believed him, but we wanted to respect your wishes just in case it was true.”

Maya sat up straighter at the words. Her father had been causing problems for the three of them for a long time, but she’d had no idea that he had gone to such lengths to keep the boys focused on football.

That had to be his reasoning for this .

And what was his excuse for keeping her away from them? He’d never cared about what she did before. Any rage she’d felt toward them was sapped, funneled right back into her growing hatred for her father.

Once, not so long ago, she’d really tried hard to get him to see her. Until Colton had finally set boundaries with the man, she’d tried to get dinner with him any time she was in town. She’d called him at least once a week, even after he’d refused to pick up or stay on the phone with her for more than five minutes at a time. She’d stayed with him and tried to be the perfect houseguest, hosting her brothers for family meals.

But now, all she would see when she thought of him was her grandparents believing their grandchildren didn’t want to talk to them. And she hated him.

Her mouth opened and closed. Then it opened again. “I—He lied. I never said that, and Colton and Landon never would have said that either.”

Nani smiled sadly, as if she’d already figured that out. “We tried to contact Colton, but we never heard back, so we thought your father had spoken honestly. We’re glad to have you now, though.”

Colton hadn’t responded? She’d have to ask him about that. “But why would Dad have said that? It seems like something he would do to make sure Colton and Landon focused on football. But why me? I…I needed someone then.”

Her grandparents exchanged another glance .

Nana spoke quietly. “Your father is…well, he always tried to keep you away from us. We wondered if he didn’t want his children, the boys especially, to be too interested in the culture. Like he was hoping to keep you…Like he wanted American children and he worried what might happen if you looked to your roots.”

Nani nodded. “He told Kavya she couldn’t give you Indian names. She wanted to give each of you an Indian middle name then, but he said no to that too.” Her smile had disappeared during the conversation, but it was back as she whispered conspiratorially, “Your father doesn’t know Maya is also an Indian name.”

Maya’s head reared back. “It is? What does it mean? Mom…she never told me that.”

“In Sanskrit, it means illusion or magic. Kavya liked it because it’s another name for one of our goddesses— Lakshmi.”

Lakshmi. Maya often regretted not knowing more about her mom’s culture. She’d gone to temple with her mother once when she had been much younger, but that was the extent of her experience.

She smiled at her grandmother, who was pulling a thick book from a cabinet below the television. “I’d love to learn more about the gods. And the food. Everything. I wish I’d learned earlier, but…”

“Kavya wanted to teach all of you. But you were always the one she was sure would want to learn.”

Maya closed her eyes for a moment, vowing to herself to do better for her mother. Learn more about her roots.

Nani sat beside her, setting the thick book onto Maya’s lap. When Maya opened it tentatively, she realized it was a photo album with pictures of her mother, grandparents, and others. She flipped through the photos wordlessly, tears in her eyes.

She saw a picture of her mom, dressed in a Crestview swimming T-shirt with a swim cap on her head, a huge grin on her face as she lay across the ground in front of her family. Maya let out a watery laugh and looked between her grandparents. “You guys seem so close here.”

Nani leaned over and looked before nodding. “We were still living in Michigan then. That was the last time we were all together like that,” she said, and Maya could read between the lines to figure out what she wasn’t saying. Her mother probably met her father soon after, and then they’d barely gotten to see her or their grandchildren.

Trying not to think about all her mother had sacrificed, she responded, “She must have been a great swimmer. I had friends on the swim team at Crestview, and they were nationally ranked.”

Nana nodded, still in his chair across from her. “She was like a fish from the moment she was born, that one. Learned how to swim faster than her brother and sister. They didn’t want to race with her anymore after a while. Tall, too. Just like you.”

Maya remembered her mother giving up on Maya learning how to swim. She had been the opposite of a fish, struggling in every facet, every stroke, to the point that her mother had decided to find a new sport for her. “Mom knew I wouldn’t be any good at swimming pretty early. We took Mommy and Me tennis lessons, and when she saw how quickly I progressed, she kept taking lessons so I would always have a hitting partner.”

Maya’s eyes hadn’t stopped watering since the photo album had come out, and now she felt a tear slide down her cheek.

“I miss her.” She knew they would understand. Her brothers had had their mother for longer, and of course they missed her, but her mother had been Maya’s best friend . She was sure no one except her grandparents could understand that pain.

Nani laid an arm on her shoulder, pulling her body closer and rubbing her arm soothingly. “Us too, bacha. Us too.”

Maya continued flipping through the pages of the album, wiping her tears with her shirt so she didn’t damage any of the photos. By the end, her mother was no longer in the pictures on family vacations, even as her siblings had little children in their arms.

She started to ask about them, her cousins, right when the doorbell went off. Nani removed her arm from Maya’s shoulders, walking the few feet to the front door.

Maya looked up as Nani and a beautiful Indian woman about Maya’s age walked in. She wore a blazer buttoned in the front, long black pants, and heels. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but Maya couldn’t place her.

“Maya, this is your cousin, Devika. She’s your mom’s sister’s daughter. You met…Prana, when would they have met?” Without waiting for Nana to answer, Nani said, “You met when you were much younger.”

“Maya! Nani and Nana told me you’d be here, so I thought I’d stop by during lunch.” Devika walked toward the couch with her arms outstretched, and Maya set the album down, standing and walking into her cousin’s embrace. She didn’t remember anything about the last time she’d seen her, but it felt like hugging a friend.

“It’s nice to see you again, Devika,” Maya declared as they pulled apart.

“Call me Devi.” She turned to their grandparents. “Did you already eat?”

Nani spoke in another language, and Devi ran into the dining room. Maya and her grandparents sat down and continued talking as Nana put family home videos on, and Devi joined them with a plate of food shortly after.

“Maya wants to learn about Hinduism. You should take her to temple and to that restaurant down the street,” Nani said to Devi.

“Yes!” Devi exclaimed. “There are tons of events in LA all the time. And there are some restaurants I’ve been wanting to try in the area.”

“I’d like that.” Maya smiled. This would be good for her. She’d been wanting to learn more about her mother, more about herself, and this was the perfect way to do it.

Maya spent another couple of hours with her grandparents and cousin, watching home videos of her cousins and talking about her mother. After she finally said her goodbyes, a box of food in her hand, she checked her phone.

She had a message from Devi, who she added to her contacts. Cooper had also texted her that he was back home and ready to call for the evening whenever she was. They’d taken to going about their evening routines together on the phone, her reading a book and him playing video games, or sometimes syncing up a movie they wanted to watch together.

Maya missed him already, especially after meeting her family. She wished he could hold her while she told him everything she’d learned, but she was also thankful to have a life apart from him. It felt healthy and safe, and she was glad to be relying on herself again and finding people to spend her time with so she didn’t spend her whole life wishing she were with him.

She hopped into her car, knowing that feeling would only last so long, and that someday, if they wanted to stay together, they’d have to find a way to shed the distance.

A problem for later, she supposed.