Getting Lei'd (17 page)

“There’s a chance it is him, though.” Ruthie is gazing wistfully in the direction he went. “I have to find out,” she adds, already following in his footsteps.

“I think he’s married,” I yell after her, but she’s already in hot pursuit. “I guess she’s over the heartbreak of losing Curtis,” I say aloud to no one in particular. Even though I’m shaking my head, I can’t help but admire her resilience.

The music starts in the reception tent, so I head in that direction. Victoria, looking mildly rumpled, is serving the wedding cupcakes. From the change in her looks, I’d have to say that Ruthie was right about what was going on in Curtis’s bungalow. Victoria’s slightly sex-tousled hair and rosy cheeks are a definite improvement over her previous perfectly sleek look. She had looked like she needed to loosen up, and by the looks of things, she definitely has. It’s amazing what a great roll in the sack can do for an uptight woman.

My eyes search the white tent for Kai to no avail. I’ve never wanted to talk to someone so much in my entire life, and he’s frustratingly absent.

I do see Honi and Leilani slow dancing in the sand in front of the small band. Leilani gets on her tippy toes to whisper something in Honi’s ear before giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. I wonder if she shared the news of her pregnancy. After the kiss, he smiles from ear to ear, which I am thrilled to see. As far as I know, this is the first public acknowledgment either of them has made of their feelings for each other. I earnestly hope the two of them are able to make things work.

I’m also surprised to see my parents dancing with each other, which is a definite first. They normally find opposite corners to complain about each other to anyone who will listen. Mother even has her cheek resting on Dad’s shoulder. She has to bend her head at an awkward angle to make it work, but they both look content.
Maybe there really is magic in the air here
, I think as I look at them.
That or Nana Lana slipped them some kind of love potion, which is also a distinct possibility
,
I snigger to myself
.

Suddenly, I feel him behind me. “Hi,” he whispers near my ear. His closeness sends a shiver of delight up my spine.

“Hi,” I respond turning my head. Our lips instantly find each other’s as I lean back into him.

“Did I hear a rumor that you love me?” he asks when our lips finally part.

“Oh, it’s no rumor.” I turn to kiss him fully on the mouth. When the kiss ends, we keep our faces close together, our arms wrapped around each other. “I was miserable at home,” I confess. “I don’t know what I was thinking when I left here and left you.” I look down when I say the last two words, still uncertain if he’s angry with me for bailing the way I did. “I am going to be here with you for as long as you want me around.” It’s an incredibly bold statement for me. I don’t usually wear my feelings on my sleeve.

I want to hear his reaction. I need to know if he wants me here. I have poured my heart out to him, and now it’s time to find out if he feels the same way about me, or if I have been delusional.

Unfortunately, Baggy chooses this moment to grab the microphone from the singer to make an announcement. “I’d like to thank you all for coming and sharing in this joyous time,” she says. Just when we start to think that she might make a coherent and rational speech, she adds, “Today, I’ve made a husband out of my best friend and spy partner.” Seeming to realize that she has just shared something she shouldn’t have, she adds, “Don’t tell anyone about the spy thing. It’s top-secret.” Some amused chuckles escape from around the tent. No one seems to be certain if she is serious. My mother rolls her eyes dramatically.

“We have been called out on a mission, and we will need to head out soon,” she stage whispers into the mike as if she’s sharing a great secret with us. “We got lei’d during the ceremony”—she holds up her flower necklace to clarify her meaning before continuing with a naughty twinkle in her eye—“but we’re leaving now so we have time to really get . . .”

Thankfully, the rest of her sentence is drowned out by the whirring blades of a helicopter landing on the roof of the resort. We all know where she was going with that statement, and none of us want to think about that. She blows a huge kiss to the group before taking off with Howie toward the helicopter.

We cheer and wave them off. Kai and I exchange curious looks after the helicopter whisks them away. It’s a much more dramatic departure than either of us had been expecting. “You don’t suppose they really have some sort of legitimate mission, do you?” I ask him.

“Nah,” we both say in unison.

“Baggy is much too outlandish and loud to be able to blend in like a wallflower and not be noticed,” I point out.

“Which might just be the perfect disguise,” Kai adds, making us both consider the idea again.

We give each other a long, pondering look before we both say once more, “Nah.”

Kai takes my hand and leads me to the sandy dance floor. I watch my mother swaying to the music in my father’s arms. Her sandals are dangling from her finger. She looks lovely and relaxed—more relaxed than I have ever before seen her.

The sand feels cool on my feet as Kai and I slow dance to the reggae tune the band is playing. I’m glad that Baggy insisted that Ruthie and I go with bare feet (like her) for the ceremony. The sand in my shoes would have been driving me crazy by now. As I look around, it’s easy to see that pretty much everyone has given up on wearing shoes.

“My feet are going to be so soft. This sand is better than any loofah scrub.”

He stops dancing and looks down at me with a look that I can only describe as pure adoration. I have never before had anyone gaze at me like this, and it makes my heart melt. I’m sure I am giving him the same sweet look. He stuns me by saying, “Marry me, Roxy.”

My eyes immediately dart to my mother as if they are seeking her approval. I can’t process what Kai has just said. I look back to him, assuming that he must be joking. He looks completely sincere. I can feel myself blinking way too frequently and my chest feels heavy like I can’t quite take in enough air. His words don’t make sense. We barely know each other. We can’t promise to spend the rest of our lives together after such a short period of time—it’s not logical.

It may not be logical, but the thought of spending the rest of my life with Kai is thrilling, and the idea makes my heart race with happiness. It would be a dream come true. He is sweet, kind, thoughtful, funny, beyond handsome, and his kisses make my knees quiver, but I can’t marry a man I’ve known for such a short amount of time. My mind is warring with itself. The rational side of me says
no way
; but the recently found, whimsical, seize-the-moment, be happy, and live-life-to-the-fullest part of me says
go for it
.

“You want a wife with soft feet, huh?” I joke, trying to buy a little time and make light of the timing of his comment. Dodging the subject will give him a chance to think about what he is saying. I don’t want him to rush into something he will regret later.

He gazes steadily at me, not accepting my implied offer to laugh off his proposal. My heart is slamming into my chest as I give him another out. “You just want to have sex,” I accuse, smiling to let him know I am teasing him.

“That would be an amazing perk.” He chuckles, leaning in to nibble on my ear. “But the truth is, I just don’t want to waste another minute without you.” His wonderful words tell me that he is not going to take me up on this second chance to laugh the topic off as a momentary lapse in judgment. When he continues, I can barely manage to breathe in and out. “I know that you are the one for me. If you feel the same way about me, let’s throw caution to the wind and do what we know is right for our future.”

Verifying that he is sincere, he gets down on one knee in the sand. My mind is swirling as he begins speaking. “Roxy, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are the happiest woman on Earth. Will you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?”

I am in shock and my mind feels sluggish—like my thoughts are wading through Jell-O—but I am coherent enough to know that this is exactly what I want and need. It may not make sense, but it makes me happy. What more could a lady ask for?

“Yes,” I say to Kai, and he rewards me with an enormous, slightly gap-toothed, yet perfect smile. He stands and pulls me into his arms for a knee-bending, soul-shattering, and mind-numbing kiss.

When we finally break apart, I am practically incoherent with giddiness—until I look around at the attention we have drawn and see my mother’s face. She is clearly not pleased. The other reception guests smile and give us a spontaneous round of applause. Honi appears at Kai’s side and hands him a vibrantly colored lei to place around my neck.

As Kai tenderly eases the flower necklace over my head, I can’t keep the flicker of thoughts about my previous engagement out of my head. It had featured an enormous diamond ring and a fancy restaurant. Gary had executed the ideal proposal perfectly—according to what societal customs dictate a wedding proposal should be. It should have been a dream come true, but if I’m completely honest with myself, I knew even that night that our whirlwind of an engagement wasn’t right. It didn’t feel at all like Kai’s proposal feels. Kai didn’t present me with a fancy ring or have a string quartet on standby to serenade us after my acceptance, but it is perfect—perfect for us. I know in my heart that this is right.

Several people give us congratulatory hugs. We smile and say “Mahalo”—the Hawaiian version of thank you—to everyone. When Nana Lana approaches us, she shakes a bony finger at me. “You take good care of him,” she warns me sternly, implying that I’ll have her to deal with if I don’t.

“I’ll do my best,” I reassure her.

When she reaches up to give Kai a hug, he stoops down to speak to her. I try not to eavesdrop, but I am secretly thrilled when I overhear him say the words, “the one I’ve been waiting for.”

Just as I’m wondering if it’s possible to actually burst with joy, I see my parents approaching us. Nana Lana floats away just before my mother’s voice intrudes on our bubble of happiness. “Have you two thought this through at all?” she asks incredulously. “There are so many things to consider—like where do you plan to live?”

“Here,” we both say in unison, then smile at each other.

“I can move if you would prefer it,” Kai offers sweetly, “but I thought if we stayed here, we could set up an artist’s studio for you right over here.” He points to an unused corner of the resort. “It should get great light all day, and you can sell your masterpieces on the beach.”

“Perfect,” I tell him, and I mean it. I couldn’t have conjured a better solution if I were to have a genie who would make all of my wildest dreams come true.

“What about your job?” Mother asks. “Your
real
job,” she clarifies when she realizes that we have just decided on my vocation. She has never taken my art seriously, and her insinuation that it isn’t “real” proves that she still feels like it is a silly hobby.

“I’ve never liked being an accountant, Mother,” I inform her, although I’m pretty sure she already knew that. “Painting is my calling, and I’m good at it. For perhaps the first time, I’m going to listen to my inner voice and follow my intuition. This is how I want to spend my life.”

Not to be deterred, Mother tries another angle. “You two barely know each other,” she points out. “Have you even discussed any of the big decisions?” At our blank stare, she prompts, “How many children do you want to have?”

“Two,” I say at the exact same time that Kai says, “Four.”

We look at each other in surprise, before both of us say, “Three.” We beam at each other.

Mother throws her hands up in the air as if we are completely doomed. “We’ll figure it all out, Mother,” I tell her. “We are committed to this, and we are going to make it work.”

Her lips are still pursed, but she evidently decides that she won’t be able to change my mind tonight because she says, “Well, as long as you have a nice, long engagement to truly get to know each other, I guess we can figure it out.”

I’m certain that she’s thinking she will be able to talk some sense into me once the euphoria of the evening settles. I know that I am meant to be with Kai, and she will never be able to change my mind about that, but I’ll wait until a more appropriate time to inform her of these facts.

“About the length of our engagement,” Kai says. “We couldn’t ask for a more picturesque setting for our wedding, and all of our loved ones are here . . .” He smiles down at me, and I can tell where he is heading with this. “If you want more time to think it over, I’ll understand, but tonight seems to me like the perfect time to get married.”

“Perfect,” I answer him, and I mean it.

My mother’s glasses, which she always has perched on the tip of her nose, slide down her face. “What? Why? How?” she blusters. “You don’t even have a marriage license,” she finally tries.

“We’ll take care of that later,” Kai shoots that argument down. “We will tie ourselves to each other forever in our hearts in front of our family and friends this evening. The paperwork is just a formality. It can wait.”

“You’re rushing into this because you know it’s a mistake.” She glares at me.

I don’t point out that her logic doesn’t make any sense. Instead, I say, “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” Kai and I gaze at each other, and I know without a doubt that I am making the right decision.

“Your father and I do not support this marriage.” Mother drops her trump card.

I suck in a breath, but it’s my dad who speaks. “Stop it, Caroline.” My quiet, reserved father steps in. I have rarely seen him stand up to my mother, and I am overflowing with joy that he still has it in him. “Roxy, you are our daughter, and we love you unconditionally. If you say this is right, then we are wholeheartedly behind you.” My mother’s mouth opens and closes a few times. She looks like a hooked guppy gulping for water, but she remains silent.