“I have never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
I stare at her, unsure of what to say and not wanting to get my hopes up. But the feeling I have had in my gut since the moment I met Kai is causing a warm feeling to spread throughout my body.
“Anyways, you already know he’s in love with you.” She smiles then jumps off the bed. “Okay, go shower, We have a lot to do.”
I get off the bed, stumble to the bathroom, and shower quickly. When I come out, the room has not only Meka waiting, but also my mom, Kai’s mother, and a large woman wearing a very bright floral dress that accentuates her dark skin and fuller figure.
“You’re here! Let’s get started.”
I begin to take a step back from the woman when she starts towards me holding a bag in her hands.
“Come on, child. We don’t have all day.” She rolls her eyes.
I look at Kai’s mom, but she just smiles.
“Marcy is going to get you dressed and make sure your dress fits you. She can size it while we go out and get your hair and makeup done.”
“Um…I thought we were just doing a small get-together.”
“We are, but there will be a photographer and I would like to have some pictures of you and Kai,” my mom says, making me feel guilty.
I swallow down my own personal feelings and walk towards the woman. “Where would you like me?”
“Here is just fine.” She stops in front of me, sizes me up, and then opens the garment bag, pulling out a white dress. “You’re much smaller than he normally likes,” she mutters to herself.
I shake off the feeling I get from her words and look at my mom.
“You’re going to look beautiful.” My mom smiles then begins talking to Kai’s mom and sister.
Even though I’m in a room full of people, I feel alone. I close my eyes and wish that I were back in bed with Kai again.
*
“Makamae.”
I lift my head and my eyes crash with Kai’s. His eyes run over my hair and body then land on my feet before meeting my gaze again. When I looked in the mirror after his sister and Marcy finished with me, I was shocked. I looked like a model—nothing like myself at all.
My long, blond hair had been highlighted, with caramel lowlights added in too, and blown out completely straight so that it hangs down to the middle of my back. My skin, which has gotten darker from the Hawaiian sun, now glows from the lotion they used.
The dress I have on shows off my figure and does this crazy lift to my breasts that makes them look like they are fake, and the heels I have on make my legs look a mile long. His eyes look me over again, and when they meet mine again, I can feel the heat in his eyes.
I inhale a deep breath and take him in for the first time. His hair is back and his jaw is shadowed, making him look even more warrior-like than he normally does. His hands flex at his sides, and I notice he’s not wearing his typical suit, but a pair of light dress pants and a white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone. His eyebrows pull together, and he walks towards me when he realizes I’m not coming to him.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, stepping up to me.
“I… Well…” I pause and look behind him at the closed door. When I decided to do this earlier, it seemed like an okay idea, but now that I’m in the moment, I’m not so sure.
“If you don’t want to go, we can get undressed, put in a movie, lock the door, and put Aye and Pika on guard,” he says, looking concerned.
I feel that feeling in my gut expanding further, making me warm all over. “You would do that, wouldn’t you?” I lean into him, place my hands on his chest, and look into his eyes.
“Of course.”
I swallow and let the feeling coursing through me settle in before I start to lean back.
“Where are you going?” he questions, snaking one arm around me while his other hand cups my cheek and his thumb runs over my bottom lip.
“You’ll mess up my lip gloss,” I complain.
He smirks then lowers his mouth, kissing me wet and deep before pulling back slowly, leaving me panting.
“Now, what were you going to say?” He leans back, and my fingers go to his mouth, where I wipe my lip gloss off his lips.
“I…” I clear my throat, feeling nervous all of a sudden. “I have something for you,” I say, taking a step back, needing to have a little space between us. “I just want you to know you can always say no or that it’s stupid—”
“Myla,” he cuts me off, pulling me closer. “What is it?”
I bite my lip and step away from him again. This time, I go over to the dresser and open the top drawer, pulling out the small, black box I placed there earlier.
I realized this morning that the ring Kai had given me tethered me to him. I had a constant reminder of him with me, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted him to be tied to me in a way that could be seen by anyone who happened to be in his presence. I could lie and say that I wouldn’t be disappointed if he told me he wouldn’t wear the ring I was about to give to him, but I knew deep down that this was going to be one of the moments that defined us and where we were going.
I turn towards him, and his eyes drop to the box in my hand. When his gaze comes back to mine, his eyes are filled with confusion. When I’m finally standing in front of him, I hand the box to him and he opens the lid.
“It’s okay if you don’t wear it,” I whisper, unsure of what to say because I can’t read his face as he removes the ring from the confines of the box.
“Put it on me,” he says, lifting his eyes to meet mine.