“Well, I love it all, but if I had to pick, Auntie makes the best Poke on the Island.”
“Back off my woman,” Cade said with a grin as he came up behind Chris, his arms circling his waist as he lifted his friend off the ground.
“We were just talkin’ food,” Chris protested with a laugh, then clapped Cade on the shoulder when he was released back to the ground. “Good to see you again, brother. Congrats to Alani. I can’t believe she’s all grown up.”
“Hardly, she’s still a baby,” Cade said, still in denial.
“Hey, am not,” Alani called from where she was standing with some of her friends from school.
Cade waved away her protest and turned to drop a kiss on my lips.
“You good, darlin’?”
“Very good,” I answered. “Chris was just explaining the spread to me.”
“Pops cooks a mean pig, you’re in for a treat,” Cade promised. “And Ma’s Poke…” He shook his head and said, “No words.”
“That’s what Chris said,” I replied, then reached for a plate and said, “I think I’ll try that first.”
“You’d better at least try everything, or you’ll hurt their feelings,” he warned.
“Really?” I asked. “Even the squid?”
Cade chuckled and bent close to whisper in my ear, “If you don’t try it, and she asks, lie.”
I nodded and, since he was there, pulled him in for a quick hug, just cause I could, then turned and began filling up my plate. Once I had more food than any one person could possibly consume, I went to the table where Elin and Elena were sitting with Pops and a couple of people I hadn’t met yet.
“Mom, this pig is awesome,” Elin said excitedly as I sat down.
“Yeah, we took a picture next to the head,” Elena added. “And, Auntie and Uncle brought the best banana cream pie ever.”
I turned to the couple she was talking about and said, “Hi, we haven’t met, I’m Lila.”
They introduced themselves, and we chatted for a while. I don’t know how long I sat there, or how many people I met as they came to greet Mama and Pops, but I felt like I ate for hours. And everyone was right. The pig was awesome, the pie delicious, and the Poke was the best thing I’d ever eaten.
At Cade’s raised voice everyone got quiet and turned to where he was standing. He and Alani were in the middle of the backyard. He was holding on to her, and she was struggling to get away, obviously embarrassed by her brother calling attention to them.
“Everyone, I just wanted to thank you all for coming, and to congratulate Alani on her graduation today,” he began, standing still while Alani wiggled in his arms. “She’s a young woman now, ready to go out and take over the world. So, if you could all raise your glasses to my baby sister … To Alani.”
A rousing answer of, “To Alani,” was given, and she finally stopped struggling. I saw him pull her close, give her a hug, and whisper something in her ear that had her head ducking, before she burrowed into his arms.
The party started to wind down after that, with everyone except those closest to Alani and Cade taking plates of food to go.
We were putting away the things that needed to be refrigerated, having already decided to clean everything else up the next day, when I turned to Cade and asked, “Were all of those people really your aunts and uncles?”
Cade shook his head and replied, “Not by blood. Growing up here, auntie and uncle is what you call your elders. It’s a sign of respect.”
“Ah,” I said, happy that I hadn’t been confusing family members. “It was quite a party.”
“Great, right?” Cade replied as we took large containers to the overflow refrigerator outside the back door. “This is how we celebrate every life-changing event. I miss it.”
“I can see why,” I said, grabbing two beers out of the fridge and handing one to Cade as we went to join the others.
We’d just walked into the living room when he replied, “I’m glad you think so, because I’d really like to have a pig roast at our wedding reception.”
Come again?
I stopped in my tracks, sure I misunderstood what Cade just said.
“What’s that now?” I asked, afraid to move. Afraid to speak. Afraid to breathe.
Cade turned in the middle of the room so that he was facing me, his expression one I’d never seen before. He put his beer on a nearby end table, then put his hand in his pocket and pulled something out.
I was mesmerized, my gaze focused on that hand. My heart pounding as I waited to see what was in it.
“My senior year of high school, I took an art class, figuring it would be an easy A and help me when it came time for schools to award scholarships. It was actually really fucking hard, and I hated it, but the teacher was pretty cool. She made jewelry and sold it at the market every weekend, so our final exam was to make a piece of jewelry. I made this.” Cade opened his palm and I gingerly stepped forward to look down at the ring he was holding. It was silver, with a gorgeous blue gem in the center.
I gasped, my eyes shooting up to his as I fought against hope that he was doing what I thought he was doing…
“It’s sea glass, and after I got that A, I brought it home and told my Ma that I wanted to save it for the woman I was going to marry. See, I knew even then that the kind of woman I wanted to marry would be wild like the sea, with a calm at her center, a generous spirit, and the kind of beauty that makes people stop and look. Not just one the outside, but because they know what’s underneath the surface is just as magical as what’s on the outside.”
“Cade,” I whispered, his words making my eyes prick with tears and my heart stutter in my chest.
“I also knew I wouldn’t marry the kind of woman who needed a big fancy diamond to be happy spending her life with a man like me. That she’d appreciate this ring more, because I’d found the stone and welded the silver by hand.”
Cade took a step closer and I waited with baited breath to hear what he’d say next.
“The first time I looked into your eyes, I thought of this ring. Twenty years, and no woman came close. I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, Lila.”
I wiped a wayward tear off my cheek and pursed my lips, trying to hold back a sob.
“I need you, Elin, and Lena, and you need me. I know you’ve been down this road before, but not like this. Not with me. No matter what happens, I’ll never let you go, and I’ll never give you reason to want to let me go.”
I turned my head to see Elin and Elena sitting on the couch, hugging each other, their faces conveying their hope and excitement. Pops, Chris, Jun, and Ripper were all watching with big grins on their faces. Then, I noticed Cade’s mom sitting on the edge of her seat, her hands clasped in front of her, and laughed.
Focusing back on Cade, I tilted my head and took him in, wanting to memorize everything about this moment.
“Marry me, darlin’,” he said, not asked.
“Absolutely,” I replied instantly, then launched myself at him.
He caught me, just like I knew he would, and I grinned down at his face before lowering my head to give him the kiss of a lifetime. His mouth opened and his hands came to squeeze my ass as he took my mouth greedily.
I didn’t even care that he was grabbing my ass in his mother’s living room, with everyone there to see.
It was the happiest moment of my life.
“That’s the most I’ve ever heard come out of Cade’s mouth,” I heard Jun say as I fisted my hand in Cade’s hair and moved my mouth against his.
“I didn’t think he knew that many words,” Chris added, and I heard all the guys chuckle.
Cade lowered me to the floor, slow enough that my body brushed against his in all the right places on the way down. When my feet hit the floor, he kissed me one more time, and with his lips on mine, I felt him slide the ring on my finger.
I bit his lips lightly before pulling back enough to look down at my hand in his.
“Perfect fit,” he
whispered, his breath hitting my forehead. “See … you’ve always been mine.”
Overwhelmed by his sweetness, I choked back tears and replied roughly, “You’ve got that right,” then I looked up into his dark eyes and said softly, “I love you, Cade. Always.”
I could tell he was about to lower his head again, but the sound of faraway female screams had me turning my head. Alani was sitting in a chair, my iPad on her lap and facing me, so I could see Amy May, Bea, and Carmen all squished together in the screen.
They were screaming their heads off.
I turned and gave Cade a big smile, then a quick kiss before I walked up to the screen with my hand held out in front of me and started jumping up and down.
“We’re getting married,” I squealed, which caused an uproar on the screen.
It looked like they were in Amy May’s kitchen. Carmen and Amy May were crying, and Bea was grinning from ear to ear.
“Yes, we get to have a wedding!” Carmen screeched.
“I’m making the cake,” Amy May added.
“Congratulations, Lila,” Bea said softly. Out of all my friends, it had taken Bea the longest to warm up to Cade, but now she was one of his biggest supporters.
Turning again, I threw myself into Cade’s arms, hugging him tightly.
“Thanks for having the girls here,” I managed without losing it.
“I knew you wouldn’t want it any other way,” he replied, and I felt his lips on the top of my head.
That was the final straw. I lost it.
While I was crying happily in Cade’s arms, I heard Pop’s bellow, “I’m roasting the pig!”
“Oh my god, you’re so fucking good at that,” I cried out after I finished coming down from a fantastic orgasm.
Maybe it was the fact that we were having sex in the ocean, the sun rising and the sounds of waves and early-morning crows of chickens filling the air, the thrill of being outside in public making it that much better.
Or, maybe it was the ring on my finger, and the knowledge that this was my first time having sex with my fiancé, that made it spectacular.
Probably, it was because it was me and it was Cade, and together, we made magic, no matter where or when we were coming together.
It was the morning after Cade’s big proposal, and the day we were leaving paradise.
Although there was a lot I would miss when we left the island of Hawaii, I was ready to go home. To see my friends and the dogs, and get back to normal. But it sucked leaving, especially since we lived so far away.
I’d come to care for Cade’s family and friends, and was excited at the prospect of visiting once a year.
Cade kissed me one last time, then we let the ocean clean us off, before walking out of the water and throwing on our bathing suits. This time, there was no awkward interruption from his parents, thank God!
“What time are we leaving for the airport?” I asked as I toweled off my hair.
“I think Pops said ten; that should get us there in plenty of time,” Cade replied, then crossed to give me another kiss.
I placed my hand on his chest, and when he pulled back, the sun hit the sea glass in my ring, letting off a burst of color.
“I love my ring so much, Cade,” I said for probably the hundredth time since he’d put it on last night. “It’s so beautiful.”
He grinned and lifted my hand to his lips, kissing first the ring, then the top of my hand, before turning it and kissing my palm.
Jesus, I think I just came again…
“We should get back,” he said, and since he’d made me breathless, I simply nodded.
We walked back hand in hand, and every few seconds, Cade’s thumb slid over my ring finger, as if he were just making sure it was still there.
I didn’t know how to handle this new, uber-romantic side of Cade. I was going to have to start stepping up my game.
“There they are,” Cade’s mom said as we rounded the corner to their house. She was outside feeding Boone and watching us with a twinkle in her eye.
Jeez, she always seems to know when we’ve had sex. I guess it’s true what they say, moms know everything. At least, Cade’s does.
I tried not to blush and failed, but still walked up to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, future daughter-in-law,” she replied happily.
I laughed, and Cade shook his head.
“Morning,” he said, kissing her on top of her head.
“Morning, Hiapo,” she replied, then frowned. “It’s a sad day.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back.”
“What if I don’t want to wait that long?”
“Then get on a plane and come to us.”
“Don’t think I won’t,” she warned, her frowning leaving her face. I could tell she enjoyed arguing with Cade, even though it was tearing her up that we were leaving.
“I dare you,” he replied, then cupped her face and dropped a kiss on her lips. “I love you, Ma.”
“Aloha nui loa.”
We walked inside to utter chaos.
“Mom, I can’t find my bathing suit,” Elena called from somewhere in the middle of the large pile of clothes in the center of the room.
“Did you check the bathroom?” I asked.
“No.”
“Well, go check,” I replied, then looked at Cade and said, “Guess I’d better help the kids pack.”
“I’ll make sure we’ve got everything out of my room,” he said, then disappeared. Quickly.
I looked at the large mound of clothes and wished I could also disappear. Instead, I sighed and started sorting and folding.
We’d thrown everything into the wash this morning, then transferred it to the dryer, thinking it would be easier to pack once it was clean. Somehow, though, it seemed like we’d doubled what we’d arrived with.
“Lena,” I called out.
“Yeah?”
“See if Alani or Tutu have a bag we could borrow for the trip home. I don’t think we have room for everything.”
“Okay,” she called back.
“Do you think I can take this on the plane?” Elin asked, holding up a snow globe he’d gotten at the aquarium.
“I think so, there’s not too much liquid in it. Just wrap it up in a shirt or something, to protect it so it doesn’t break.”
“What about this?” he asked.
I looked up from the shirt I was folding and almost swallowed my tongue.
He was holding a purple dildo.
“Where did you get that?” I choked out, because it sure as hell wasn’t mine. I hadn’t exactly travelled with a dildo.
Elin shrugged. “I think Lena got it out of the drawers when she was emptying them out.”
Oh God!
I grabbed a hand towel out of the laundry and took the purple people pleaser out of his hand, wondering if he knew what was, and praying he wouldn’t ask me any questions about it right then.
“Uh, Alani,” I said quietly as I stepped into her room after making sure the coast was clear. “Is this yours, the kids found it.”
“Ew, no,” she replied, her face wrinkling in disgust.
I turned to walk back into the hallway, then stopped when Cade’s mom started coming down the hall. I didn’t have enough time to hide the dildo behind my back, so I just stood there like an idiot in the doorway, holding it out in front of me.
“Oh, that’s mine,” Cade’s mom said, plucking it from my hand as she kept walking down the hall.
“Gross,” Alani said, throwing herself face first onto her bed with a groan.
I said nothing. Instead, I went silently back into the living room to finish packing.
“I miss the days when you could walk your people all the way to the gate, and stay with them until their plane took off,” Cade’s mom was saying as she gave us all our second round of hugs.
“Wahine, let them go,” Pops said, pulling Cade’s mom a couple steps back and putting his a
rm around her shoulder.
“I’ll facetime you,” Elena was saying to Alani, and then we were off.
Well, we walked a whole three feet away to get in the long line and go through security. Cade’s family stayed until we were safely through the checkpoint, then we all turned and waved and followed the signs to our gate.
“I’m gonna stop here and grab a beer,” Cade said, gesturing with his bag toward the closest bar.
“I want to go find our gate first,” I argued. I liked to actually see the letters of my destination on the little board at the gate, so I knew for sure that we were in the right place.
“Okay, go find the gate, then come back. I’ll be here,” he insisted, then went to sit at the bar.
“I’m going with Cade,” Elin said, wheeling his suitcase as fast as he could to catch up.
“I’ll go with you, Mom,” Elena said.
“Thanks, honey,” I replied, grateful not to have to go by myself.
Once I confirmed where our gate was, and that it was the correct gate, Lena and I went back through the terminal to where we’d left Cade and Elin.
“Ordered you a martini, and some chicken fingers for you, Lena,” Cade said as we hopped up on the stools next to them.
“Thanks, honey,” I said, feeling bad for the names I’d been calling him in my head all the way to the gate and back.
I took a sip of my dirty martini and moaned. Perfect.
Placing my hand on Cade’s impressive bicep, I leaned over to kiss his cheek. He was such a good man. Sure, he didn’t jump to do what I wanted him to all the time, but he didn’t stop me from doing it, and if I was honest, I didn’t always cater to him either. And yet, I could still count on him to think of me and my kids, and anticipate our needs.
He is definitely a keeper.
That thought lasted about twenty minutes, until we boarded the plane, got settled in our seats, and Cade turned his head, promptly falling asleep.
I scowled at his sleeping face, annoyed that he’d once again dropped right off to sleep, and we hadn’t even left the gate yet. I gave side eyes to Elin and Elena, who were luckily putting their things away quietly, and not getting on each other’s nerves yet.
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