Aloha

by Laurie Roma

  “If I’m going to run anywhere, it will be to hurry Vivienne down the fucking aisle. She’s still upstairs with her dad. If they’re not done soon, I’m going to go up there and drag her down here.”

  “Because dragging your bride down the aisle is exactly the right way to start your marriage.” Zane rolled his eyes. “I can’t wait for all of this wedding business to be over. It’s making all of you insane. Kade, help me out here.”

  “I don’t see any problem with hurrying things along.”

  Zane threw his hands up in the air. “You’re no help.”

  “That’s because he’s probably considering doing the same thing,” Griffin snickered.

  Kade figured that was the perfect segue. He just hoped the last Doyle brother took the news as well as the other two had. “I’m going to ask your sister to marry me.”

  Like his brothers, Zane took the news fairly well. There were no warnings, exclamations of disbelief, or dire threats given.

  Instead, he just hung his head and groaned, “Fuck! Not another wedding!”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The wedding was absolutely beautiful.

  A rush of excitement swept through the crowd when Griffin and Vivienne walked outside and announced that their engagement party was actually a surprise wedding. After the guests took their seats on the chairs that had been set up on the tiered sections of lawn in the backyard, the ceremony began.

  Griffin and Vivienne exchanged vows standing in the gazebo he had built for her down by the bay. The plain white structure had been decorated with an array of colorful flowers, and the sun reflecting off of the sparkling water was the perfect backdrop for the poignant moment.

  Vivienne looked magnificent in her gown and her face glowed with happiness as she professed her love for Griffin. In return, his voice had been hoarse with emotion as he said his vows, then he made the crowd laugh when he’d shouted with joy and kissed her before the priest could declare them man and wife.

  Elle wasn’t the only one to shed a few tears during the ceremony, but no one else had Kade Kapono sitting next to them holding their hand for comfort. He pulled a handkerchief out and winked at her, then surprised her by leaning down to brush his lips over hers, making it clear to everyone watching that they were now officially a couple.

  She noticed several women shooting hostile glares her way, but she was used to that. The overall increase in scrutiny made her a little uncomfortable, but it was difficult to care what anyone else thought when she was so damn happy.

  After taking family pictures and enjoying a delicious meal, Elle did her duty and walked around the party to mingle with guests. At her mother’s urging, she made a point of checking on their out-of-town relatives to make sure everyone was having a good time.

  Since Griffin and Vivienne had wanted a casual ambiance for their wedding, the dinner had been served buffet style. While the majority of people had enjoyed the food, others had gone straight to the dance floor. Those who had wanted a quieter setting had retreated to the lounge by the pool where the music wasn’t as loud.

  As the sun began to set, tiny fairy lights flickered to life and the chandeliers inside the white tent lit up with a soft, amber glow. Elle excused herself from a group of friends and set her empty glass of champagne down on the table. She glanced around, searching for Kade, then she smiled when she saw him dancing with her mother.

  Her heart sighed a little as she watched them. She loved how close he was to her brothers, but it gave her all the feels to see how sweet he was to her mom. He didn’t talk about his own parents much, but she knew he missed them. Their passing had left a hole in his heart, and she was glad he had chosen the Doyles as his second family.

  “Come on, brat. Let’s dance.”

  She grinned at Griffin and took his hand, letting him pull her onto the dance floor. Since he had been glued to his new bride’s side for most of the night, she was surprised to see him without her. They both glanced over at the sound of Vivienne’s laughter and saw Zane spinning her around.

  Griffin frowned. “Why does he look like one of those contestants on Dancing with the Stars?”

  “He took dance classes with some girl he was dating a few years ago. I think he broke up with her after she wouldn’t stop nagging him about entering some sort of competition with her.”

  “Our brother, the Renaissance man. I should’ve known it had something to do with a woman. It’s like they want him even more after they realize he has no intention of settling down.”

  “It’s the challenge,” she said dryly. “He’s too charming for his own good. They want to be the one to change him. Same goes for Brennan.”

  Griffin snorted in derision. “No one can accuse his surly ass of being charming. I pity the poor woman who gets stuck with him.”

  That made her laugh. “He needs someone even scarier than he is.”

  He pretended to shiver in fear. “It’s hard to imagine such a woman exists.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she’s out there. I have faith Zane will find his perfect match, as well.”

  “What kind of woman would you put with our charismatic brother? By the way, is it just me, or is it kind of annoying how good he is at everything he does?” he asked as Zane and Vivienne swept by doing a perfect waltz.

  “Except singing.”

  They both laughed since they’d spoken the words at the same time.

  Elle took another moment to think it over, then said, “Zane needs someone who can’t stand him.”

  Griffin’s laugh boomed out. “Damn, you’re vicious. It’s a good thing I found Vivi when I did. Who knows what kind of woman you would have cursed me with?”

  “She’s perfect for you. I’m so happy for you, Griff. Thanks for my amazing new sister. It’s nice not being so outnumbered anymore.”

  “Ha! Don’t fool yourself. We still control the remote.”

  “For now,” she said in her best scary voice. “The day will come when we will seize control of your TV.”

  “Never going to happen!”

  “I’m telling Vivi you said that!”

  “Damn it, that’s not playing fair!”

  It felt good to joke around with her big brother like she had when they were younger. So much had changed, but there would always be a small part of her that remembered the joys of their childhood banter.

  Grinning at him, she said, “I hope you get stuck with a house full of daughters someday.”

  He groaned. “I’d never be able to say no to them.” Flashing a grin, he leaned down and whispered, “One might already be on the way.”

  Her jaw dropped open, then she wrapped her arms around him in a strangling hug. “Oh, my god! Griffin! Really?”

  “Shh,” he said with a laugh. “I just found out today. It’s still really early, so we want to keep it quiet. I told mom, and you can fill in our core group later, but keep it to that for now.”

  “Of course. I’m so excited! I’ll be the best auntie in the world. I promise!”

  “I know you will.” He sobered and said, “So, you think you’ll be ready to do all of this someday?”

  “I’ve been ready since I was sixteen,” she said seriously.

  “It’s a good thing that didn’t happen. I would have had to kill him.”

  Kade had told her he had spoken to her brothers earlier, but she needed to make sure everything was okay between her and them. “Are you mad?”

  “At you? Never.” He sighed. “I guess I kind of saw this coming. Still, you were too young back then when you first met him. Luckily, I know Kade is an honorable guy, so I didn’t have to worry…much. He might be one of my best friends, but damn it, you’ll always be my little sister.”

  She hugged him tight. “I love you, big brother.”

  “Love you, too, brat.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll still kick his ass if he hurts you.”

  “He won’t,” she said confidently.

  Griffin glanced around. “It’s nice to see mom finally relaxing and
enjoying herself a little.”

  “You know why she’s been acting so crazy with all of this wedding stuff.” She huffed out an exasperated breath when he just stared at her with a blank expression. “Griffin, it’s because of dad. She’s been trying to keep herself busy so she doesn’t think about all of the things he’s missing.”

  Groaning, he hung his head. “I’m a fucking idiot. I’ve been struggling with not having him here, but I didn’t think about how difficult all of this has been for her. I should have realized it sooner.”

  “He would have loved Vivienne,” Elle said softly.

  “I know.” He smiled proudly. “I imagined him wearing that big ass grin of his and winking at me during the ceremony.” He changed his voice to a thick Irish accent, and said, “You got lucky, boyo. See that you keep her happy or you’ll end up sleeping on the couch.”

  That made her laugh even as her heart ached a little. “You sounded just like him.”

  “I’m going to go smooth things over with mom before Vivi and I sneak off to start our honeymoon. You know that we’ll be back in plenty of time to be at your graduation, right?”

  “I know. I just hope I don’t trip and fall on my face before I get my diploma.”

  “If you do, we’ll take lots of pictures,” he promised with an evil grin.

  “Get out of here. I won’t miss you at all.”

  “I won’t miss you either.” He kissed her forehead, then hugged her hard enough to make her squeak in protest.

  “I’m cutting in.”

  It was so like Kade to simply announce it instead of asking.

  Elle chuckled as he and Griffin hit each other’s shoulders in some sort of masculine greeting before her brother disappeared into the crowd. Once he was gone, Kade pulled her into his arms and leaned down to kiss her. Her gentle giant wasn’t much of a dancer, but she sighed in contentment when he wrapped his arms around her and swayed to the beat of the music.

  “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?”

  She’d worn a royal blue strapless dress that hugged her curves and made her ocean blue eyes look even more vibrant. With seduction in mind, she’d made sure to wear something that would be easy to take off. She’d wanted to cut down on chances of humiliating herself later. It might have been fun to let him rip another dress off of her, but she didn’t want to risk having another embarrassing moment.

  “Several times, in fact.” She played with the collar of his shirt. “Have I told you how handsome you look?”

  His dark eyes gleamed with amusement. “You can tell me again.”

  “You always look handsome.” Since he had pulled his hair up in a messy bun, she stroked the back of his neck with her fingertips. “It used to drive me mad with jealousy seeing all those women vying for your attention wherever we went.”

  “I don’t see anyone but you.”

  That made her melt against him. “At least now that we’re dating, I can tell them to keep their—”

  “We aren’t dating, ku’uipo. Dating is something that has the potential to come to an end. There is no end to us.”

  She let out a shaky breath and leaned against him. “How do you always manage to say the right thing?”

  He shook his head, and his deep chuckle was filled with wonder. “You’re the only one to ever accuse me of that.”

  “Take me home, Kade,” she whispered. “I want to be alone with you.”

  Without saying a word, he stopped dancing and grabbed hold of her hand. She blinked in surprise when he began weaving through the crowd, and she barely had enough time to grab her clutch purse off of the table before he was pulling her out of the tent. Several people tried to engage them in conversation, but Kade never even paused. Elle knew she was blushing, but she didn’t try to stop him.

  Instead, she willingly followed him into the night.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Elle was quiet as Kade started up one of the golf carts they had rented to use during the wedding. It had been comical watching him squeeze his massive body into the small cart, but it was certainly easier to maneuver around the parked cars filling the street than it would have been in his usual vehicle.

  Once they got going, she discovered that it was fun riding around in the golf cart. “We should get some of these.”

  “A cart?” He nodded in agreement. “We could.”

  “They would come in handy since most of us live so close. Is it even legal to drive this thing on the street?”

  “As long as the street is posted with a lower speed limit.” He shot her a look. “What color would you get?”

  Leaning her head on his shoulder, she smiled. “Pink, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “Where are we going?” She was confused since they were going in the opposite direction of their condo building. “I thought we were going home.”

  “We are.”

  A few minutes later, she realized exactly where he was taking her. Moonlight shined down on the enormous house, and the dark roof contrasted nicely with the white stone and wide windows. The exterior of the multiple tiered building had definite Asian-inspired style and was an intriguing mix of classic architecture and modern lines. Sheltered by a massive rock wall that protected his portion of the bay, the property included a private beach and a coach house that was separated from the main building.

  Normally, Elle ran to the rock wall every day, but she had been so busy lately that she hadn’t been sticking to her usual workout routine. She hadn’t even had a chance to stop by and check out the progress of the construction, so she was surprised to see that the house was finished.

  As they made their way down the long driveway, she could see that all of the work hadn’t been completed yet. Although the landscaping still had to be done, she could imagine how everything would look. It was going to be absolutely perfect.

  “From the look of things, you are way ahead of schedule,” she said, staring up at the impressive structure as he turned off the cart. “Your house is nearly finished.”

  “Our house,” he said softly. “This was always meant to be our house.”

  She turned to stare at him with wide eyes. “But I…we…”

  “You’ve been a part of every phase of its construction, from choosing the property to picking out the furniture. This is our home, the place where we will one day raise our children. All you have to do is say yes.”

  “Yes,” she whispered without hesitation.

  Was he really asking her to move in with him?

  It all seemed like some sort of wonderful dream. If it was, she hoped she never woke up. She wanted to scream in excitement, but she tried to keep her cool. He gifted her with a brilliant smile, then helped her out of the cart. Keeping her hand in his, he led her toward the front door.

  “The interior of the coach house isn’t finished yet. The underground walkway that connects the two buildings has been temporarily blocked off until the construction is complete, but the main house is done. Most of the furniture you picked out has already been delivered, but we can rearrange things if you’d rather use some of your stuff.”

  Since he didn’t usually ramble, she figured he was as nervous as she was. Squeezing his hand, she said, “The only things I really need are my personal items and my clothes. I’m not really attached to any of my furniture. We could keep the condo furnished for guests or visitors, or we could just donate everything.”

  “Good idea. We can pick up our stuff tomorrow.”

  She wanted to stop and gape at him, but she forced herself to continue walking. It was all happening so fast, and she wasn’t sure what the rush was. It was almost as if he was trying to get her moved in before she changed her mind.

  Silly man.

  “So, what are the plans for the coach house?”

  “Dan and Libby will be moving in after it’s finished. Consider it a perk of their employment.”

  She wanted to laugh, but just nodded. Of course, her crazy man had built an extra
house to keep their security team close by. She glanced up at him through lowered lashes and saw him watching her warily.

  Deciding not to comment on the security arrangements, she said, “We’re going to have to get a dog.”

  “Okay.”

  “This is way too much house and land for us not to share it with a dog. We can wait until we connect with one at the rescue center.”

  “Fine.” Once they were inside, he locked the door, then swept her up in his arms. He wanted to give her time to explore the house, but he needed her too damn much to wait anymore. “First, a dog, then a kid.”

  Kade wanted to laugh at the startled look on her face. He knew Elle’s greatest wish was to be a wife and mother just like her own mom. She often commented about how old school she seemed compared to some of her friends, but he didn’t see anything wrong with it. He loved who she was. If she wanted a dozen children, he was more than willing to give her exactly what she wanted.

  He didn’t bother turning on any lights as he carried her up to the second floor and entered the master bedroom. Frosted shoji screens covered part of the wall of windows, blocking out some of the moonlight spilling into the room. He had chosen the gray wall color, but she had picked out the dark furniture and the deep purple duvet covering the massive bed. He liked that the bedroom was a mix of their styles and wished he had placed candles around the room to give her the romantic atmosphere she deserved.

  Feeling bold, Elle tossed her purse on the floor, then moved his face toward her and claimed his mouth in a passionate kiss. She let out a breathless laugh when he tossed her on the bed, then moaned as he covered her body with his. She kissed him again, and wrapped her legs around him, telling him without words that she was ready and willing.

  Her body was on fire, and she needed him to ease the ache that was building inside of her. She loved the way he growled when she slid her heated core against his thick erection in sensual invitation and did it again just for the pleasure of it. Breathing hard, she broke the kiss.

  “Please, Kade.”