by J. P. Comeau
They were curves that had grown before my very eyes with the food we took in from our adventures.
“It’s getting a bit tight, you know,” she said as she kissed my cheek.
“My God, you’re breathtaking.”
She blushed. “You’ve always had a way with words. You know that?”
“You bring that out in me.”
She sat down in front of me. “I’ve always loved this little beach shack. But, why are we staying at the bungalow resort when we could be--?”
I took her hand. “I thought a redo of this place was in order. You know, since we had such a rough start here.”
“A do-over, of sorts?”
I nodded. “Of sorts.”
Her eyes turned toward the water. “I love the view from this place.”
I kept staring at her. “Me, too.”
“I could sit here all night and watch those waves.”
I saw the ocean reflecting in her emerald eyes. “Me, too.”
“I know you’re still staring at me.”
“Me, too.”
She giggled. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Crazy for you.”
She looked back at me. “I love you too, Zane.”
Nerves gathered in my gut as I held her hand across the table. The bartender winked at me as he placed our drinks down. A Pineapple Doozy for her, and a whiskey on the rocks for me. I watched her sparkling eyes turn back out toward the ocean. Witnessing, her worries melt away with every sip of that drink brought me a great deal of pride. I knew both of us needed to get away. After all the stress of moving her into my place and helping her on board with her new position, things had been crazy.
It felt nice to simply relax.
“How do you like your new job?” I asked.
She giggled. “You mean, how do I like heading up your H.R. department?”
I shrugged. “I mean, you were well-qualified for the position.”
“And your former head of H.R. was embezzling from you.”
“I’m sure you won’t do that, though.”
“To be honest? She didn’t strike me as the kind of girl that was smart enough to embezzle. I’m a bit impressed.”
I chuckled. “Brenden was too, to be honest.”
“I think you guys went too easy on her.”
I shrugged. “She only embezzled a thousand bucks.”
“Still! I think you should’ve pressed charges.”
“I made that money back thirty minutes after she was fired.”
“Go ahead. Boast about it more, handsome.” Karina rolled her eyes.
“I mean if you’re giving me permission.”
She barked with laughter. “This is the most relaxed I’ve felt in weeks. Let’s not ruin it with work talk.”
I didn’t feel relaxed. “Take a walk with me.”
She looked over at me. “Do you ever ask for anything?”
I stood up, her hand still in mine. “Get your drink, and take a walk with me.”
I picked up my whiskey and threw it back as I helped her stand from her seat. Nervousness racked my gut as we walked away from the beachside cabana-restaurant and along the wet shoreline. I slid my free hand into my pocket as Karina mindlessly sipped her drink. The firelight came into view, and I saw her eyes narrow, trying to figure out what it was.
A voice wafted over the ocean waves. “Karina!”
She paused. “Is that--?”
“Girl! Finally! We were wondering when you’d get here!”
“Kelly? Roxy!?”
Karina looked up at me, and I smiled.
“Go get ‘em,” I said.
She handed me her drink before she gathered up her dress. She took off toward her friends, who wrapped her up tightly and spun her around. The closer I walked to the bonfire, the more nervous I became. Just as I had suspected, everyone had shown up. Brenden. Kelly and Roxy. Karina’s parents. Traditional Hawaiian music played in the background as the bonfire crackled with a pig roasting on a spit over its flames. A bartender had already doled out drinks to everyone, and I walked over to him, watching him slip me the little red velvet box.
As Karina hugged everyone’s neck, I turned to face her, drinking her in one last time before I made a decision that would either make us or break us.
“Zane? What in the world?” Karina asked.
She trotted up to me in the sand, and I decided now was the best time. So, as she approached me, I sunk to my knee.
Her hands flew to her mouth.
“Zane,” she gasped.
I held up the small red box and cracked it open, revealing a sparkling canary diamond surrounded by emeralds that sparkled like her eyes.
“Oh, my--.”
I swallowed my nerves down. “Karina Rosehill, I love you. In some ways, I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you in that club. I’ve loved you since the moment our lips first met. And even through the moments when we both wanted to walk away, I’ve loved you still. More, and more, with each passing day. The truth is, I can’t be without you. I can’t live this life without you. I want you to have everything you’ve ever wanted in this life. I want you to have your white picket fence. I want you to have your perfect home. I want you to have the average two-and-a-half children with a rocking chair on the front porch. I want you to have everything you’ve ever needed from this life, and then some. And I want to be the one to give it to you.”
I saw tears dripping down her cheeks as the entire world silenced itself.
“So, Karina Rosehill. Will you marry me?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Of course, I’ll marry you!”
She threw herself at me as everyone clapped and cheered for us. I held her in my grip against my body, feeling her fluttering heartbeat in time with mine. I kissed her cheek and her neck. I kissed her shoulder and her arm. I kissed any patch of skin I could until she leaned up, and then I captured her lips.
“I love you so much,” she whispered.
I plucked the ring from the box and let the box drop into the sand.
“Let me at that finger, gorgeous.”
Karina giggled as she held out her left hand to me. I slid the white gold band against her skin, watching it settle perfectly beyond that second knuckle. It sparkled in the setting sun, casting soft rainbows in the expanse of her gorgeous green eyes. I cupped her cheek, softly tilting her head so she could find my gaze again. As I wiped away a tear threatening to streak her cheek, I kissed her forehead.
“Are you happy?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “I can’t remember a time when I was this happy.”
“Good.”
She swallowed hard and looked back up at me. “But, there’s something I kind of have to tell you.”
I paused. “What is it?”
Her eyes danced between mine. “I’m going to need the bartender to make my drinks virgin for a while.”
I blinked. “Why?”
As she shook her head with a smile on her face, it finally clicked. “Wait. You don’t mean…?”
She nodded. “I had to tell the bartender at the shack to make me a virgin of whatever you ordered for me once I sat down.”
I stood up, bringing her with me. “You’re pregnant, Karina?”
She cupped my cheek. “We’re pregnant, Zane.”
“Oh, my God!”
I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up. I swung her around as people clapped and cheered, showering us with love and excitement. I settled her back down into the sand and captured her lips, letting my tongue flood her mouth. She cloaked me with her arms. I bent her back as I kissed her slowly beneath the setting sun. And as nighttime streaked itself across the sky, the stars came out to applaud us.
To applaud the journey we were taking together.
“I love you so much, you beautiful, perfect, outstanding woman.”
She laughed. “I love you too, handsome.”
As I gazed into her eyes, bringing her bac
k upright, I saw my future rushing behind them. I saw the children we’d have. The home we’d build on the twenty-something acres I owned. I saw her swollen with my child and rushing around behind them in the mornings. I saw her body beneath mine, sagging with age and still as beautiful as the first time I’d ever laid my eyes on her.
Karina was the one for me. Despite everything that had happened. Despite everything we had endured. Despite everything we had been through, and experienced, and fought over.
She was mine for the rest of it. A true Happily Ever After
MR. BIG MISTAKE
1
_____
KELLY
“Girl, you have got to dish us the juicy details,” Roxy told Karina.
I nodded in agreement. “Seriously. You’ve been withholding shit from us since this all started. How are you and Zane!?”
“We’re good.” Karina smiled, batting her eyelashes.
My sister rolled her eyes. “Stop that…That’s what you always say.”
“We want the goods, girl,” I insisted.
“Well, you’re not getting the goods. Not the kind of goods you want, anyway.” Karina shook her head.
My head fell back as Roxy groaned, but in the pit of my soul, I was happy for Karina. Roxy, Karina and I had been best friends since, well, forever. We had always been in one another’s lives in some form or fashion, and to see Karina finally move on and find a guy that loved her made me so happy.
Part of me was jealous, though.
I nodded toward her growing belly. “How are you feeling nowadays?”
Karina pressed her hand against her tummy. “It’s touch and go. The nausea still comes over me sometimes.”
Roxy’s eyes bulged. “You’re kidding. You told us that was only a first-trimester thing.”
I shook my head. “I’ve been reading up. While most morning sickness symptoms have a certain trimester where they are worse, the nausea doesn’t necessarily have to go completely away, even in the later months.”
“And just exactly how much have you read?” Roxy asked.
“She’s right, though. I haven’t really had intense cravings for anything since I hit my second trimester. But, this nausea? It’s for the birds,” Karina said with a giggle.
Roxy held up her mimosa. “Better you than me.”
“Trust me. You say you don’t want kids, Roxy. But, you’ll end up with the most kids out of all of us.” I barked with laughter.
Roxy grinned at me. “Says the girl who tears through men more than she does thongs.”
I tried to fake a smile, but her words hurt. To the outside eye, that’s probably what it looked like. I mean, Roxy was pretty rough on men. She practically chewed them up and spat them out on a monthly basis. Breaking hearts wherever she went. And, yes, I had a tendency to bounce around as well. A date here, a weekend spent at someone’s place there, but there was a reason why these budding relationships, if that’s what you call them, never went past a few dates.
Multiple reasons, actually.
“So, Kelly,” Karina said.
I focused my attention on her. “Hmmm?”
“When are you going to come over so we can decorate the nursery? Zane’s chomping at the bit to get started, but I told him we weren’t touching it without you.”
I sighed. “I’m so sorry. Work has me slammed, and by the time I get home, I’m crashed out on the couch without even eating dinner.”
Roxy gasped. “That’s why you look so thin. That’ll suit you well in the fashion world.”
“Or, you could embrace the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes,” Karina said, wrinkling her nose.
I giggled. “Girls, girls. Settle down. Yes, I’ve lost some weight. But, I don’t intend to keep it off. You know how I am with food and being lazy. It’ll come back once I can get through this initial launch set-up. Because I’m telling you, starting my own fashion line? Not as easy as I thought it would be.”
Roxy cackled. “Not as easy? Girl, you went to Stanford for business. How the hell did you think this was going to be easy?”
“Not ‘easy’ easy, I mean. There’s just a lot of moving parts that I can’t outsource because I don’t have the money, and--.”
Karina jumped in. “Didn’t your dad say he would--?”
“I don’t want his help.”
Roxy groaned. “Don’t get her started. We have a father who’s set aside accounts for us to do this kind of thing. Money he’s socked away for us he’ll never miss, and she won’t touch it.”
I sipped my water. “Look, I don’t want to be known as the fashion guru who got a hand-out from her father in order to make it work. I want to make this business a success on my own. I really do.”
Karina nodded. “And I can respect that.”
Roxy leaned back. “Well, I can’t. This would be so much easier on her if she just--.”
I rolled my eyes. “Would it help if I told you I had other plans for that money, anyway?”
Roxy slowly looked over at me. “And just what are these plans?”
“I think it’s time you filled us in on some stuff, don’t you?” Karina leaned forward.
All eyes were on me, but I locked up. Why was it so hard to talk about this kind of personal stuff? I wanted to use the money in my trust fund for my future. And not my vocational future. I wanted to use it for my wedding. For my wedding dress. I wanted to use it on my children. On a nursery or two. I wanted to use it for a honeymoon suite somewhere, or romantic vacations every summer. I wanted to use that account to spoil the man in my life.
That man was a very specific one if I could ever get him to seriously look my way.
Then, Roxy put it together. “Oh. My. God.”
“Fuck.”
Karina paused. “What?”
Roxy squealed. “You’re saving it for someone!”
“Can we not do this right--?”
Karina pointed at me. “Are you seeing someone? Are you holding out on us?”
Roxy took my hand. “Please tell me he’s treating you to some romance. Because that last guy you were with thought romance was tying a bow around his dick.”
Karina blinked. “Wait, what?”
I ripped my hand away. “No, you guys. I’m not seeing anyone right now. So, can we drop it?”
We paused in silence as we sat around the table before Roxy finally reached for a piece of fruit. “So, that’s why you’ve been so grumpy lately.”
Karina took a bite of her eggs. “I bet if you got laid, you’d feel so much better.”
“Yeah. You’re right, I’m sure.”
Roxy talked with her mouth full. “I mean, sex is imperative. You know?”
Karina scolded her. “Let’s chew and swallow before we speak, okay?”
I nodded slowly. “Probably a good thing.”
Roxy swallowed hard. “All I’m saying is that I get it at least a couple of times a month, no matter what. And when I’m in a relationship? Hell, that’s how I wind down every night.”
“Amen to that,” Karina said with a chuckle.
The two of them slapped hands across the table as my face turned beet red.
“And, just so we’re clear? The deeper your relationship is, the crazier your sex is,” Karina said.
My eyes snapped to hers. “What?”
Roxy gasped. “You sneaky little bitch! You’ve been holding out on us!”
Karina belly-laughed. “That’s directed at you, too, Roxy. It’s worth it to find someone you want to stick it out with. Not bouncing around from month to month.”
“Hey, I’m better than my sister over here. She only makes it through a few dates.”
I shook my head. “Can we not talk about me like I’m not sitting right here?”
Karina looked me dead in my face. “Fine, Kelly. When was the last time you got laid?”
Roxy turned to face me. “I bet it’s been at least two months.”
I scoffed. “Look, this is private for me. I just--I
don’t want to--I don’t know if I can--.”
Karina scrunched her eyebrows. “I’ve got a story if you tell me.”
Roxy gripped my arm. “Tell her, woman. For the love of all that is holy. Tell me! I’m your sister!”
Karina smiled. “It’s a good story, too.”
“Please, Roxy. I’ve never needed you more than at this moment,” I bit my lip.
“It’s a funny story, too.”
Roxy gasped. “You’re killing me, Kelly. Just spit it out why don’t you!”
Then, I lost it. “I’ve never had sex, okay!?”
It felt like the entire restaurant came to a dead standstill. Karina’s jaw dropped to the floor as my sister’s hand slid away from my arm. I wanted to die, right there. I wanted to melt into a puddle and be absorbed into the carpet. That wasn’t how brunch was supposed to happen. We were supposed to be having fun.
Now, people were peered over their shoulders at me, I buried my face in my hands. I wished for my own damn death.
“You know, I think I’ve always known that,” Roxy said.
I slowly looked over at my sister. “I hate you.”
Karina flopped back into her chair. “It makes so much sense now.”
“I’m sure.”
Roxy rubbed my thigh. “I mean, it does. You’ve never made it past the third date with a guy. You always come home early if you have a date at his place. It’s because they want to have sex, and you don’t, right?”
I didn’t want to say anything, but she hit the nail on the head.
“Why did you never tell us this?” Karina asked.
I laughed bitterly. “Why? So I can be humiliated by my two best friends?”
Karina furrowed her brow. “Is that what you think we would have done?”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing here, right now?”
Roxy squeezed my knee. “If we knew what you were talking about, we wouldn’t have done this, no.”
I looked over at her. “And yet, sex is somehow a different topic? What if I was having sex, and I just didn’t want to talk about it? What, then?”
The table fell silent again, and I reached for my water. At that moment, I wished I had ordered, literally, anything else but water.
