Obligation(22)

“I know there is much to talk about, but if we could put all of that off until another time, I would be grateful. Myla has been very stressed since we got married, and I really don’t want my wife to spend the first few weeks of our marriage depressed,” Kai says.

My face goes soft, and I lean deeper into his side.

“This should be a happy time for us, makamae,” he adds, tilting his head down towards me.

I look up at him in wonder and know that this is one more reason why I could fall in love with him so easily. He has a way of reading me that no one has ever had before.

“I agree,” my mom says quietly, and my eyes go to her. She is looking up at Kai with her eyes shining. “We have plenty of time to talk about everything. Let’s just have a good time while we’re here.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I whisper.

She smiles at me and reaches out to gently hold my cheek before dropping her hand to her side.

“I, for one, am starving,” my dad chimes in, and the energy in the room becomes lighter.

Kai presses another kiss to the side of my head then leads me over to the table and pulls out a chair for me before taking a seat at my side.

“Thank you,” I whisper, looking at him when the servers come in to take the breakfast orders.

“Any time.”

He leans in and I tilt my head back without thinking, accepting his kiss. When our lips part, his eyes stay locked on mine and the look I have been trying to decipher appears on his face again before he turns away, not giving me a chance to figure it out.

*

“I’m glad you found a good man.” My dad smiles at me as we walk down the beach.

After breakfast, we decided to take a walk while my mom went to lie out in the sun.

“You have always put everyone before you. I’m glad you found a man who makes sure you’re taken care of.”

“He’s good to me,” I say while taking in a lungful of ocean air.

“You can see it when he looks at you that he adores you.”

“Really?” I question, then wonder if I should have said something different.

“When you picked us up at the airport yesterday, your mother and I paused the moment we saw you at the baggage claim. We were, quite frankly, in awe. Kai is…well, kind of intimidating.”

“No, he’s not.” I shake my head. Kai is beautiful to me.

“He is, but he was looking at you with a softness in his eyes that I have only ever seen once before, and that was from you father when he looked at you or your mother,” my dad whispers.

My head swings his way. I’m in shock because we have never, not even once, spoken about my father before.

“You were his star.” He shakes his head before he looks out at the water and then back at me with a deep sadness in his eyes. “When he asked me to take you in, I knew how hard it was for him to do. Your mother and he loved you. You were the reason they were put on this Earth.”

“I hate that I don’t remember them,” I say through tears.

“You do…” He pauses, takes my hand, and then places it over my heart. “In there, you remember them. They have always been with you, will always be with you.”

“I know they loved me,” I tell him after a moment, when I finally find my voice again.

“I know they did too,” he says as his face softens.

“No, I know, because they gave you and Mom to me.”

“Oh, Myla.” He shakes his head and tugs me into a hug. “We miss our girl.” I can hear tears in his voice, and it kills me that I have done this to him.

“I miss you guys too,” I sob, wrapping my arms tighter around him.

“Let’s make this the last time we wait so long between visits.”

“Okay,” I agree, holding on to him tighter.

We stay like this for a long moment. I have missed both of my parents, but my dad and I have always been close, so not having him in my life over the last few years has really hurt.

“Love you, Dad.”

“Love you too.” He pulls away then looks at my tear-stained face. “You need to stop crying before we get back to the house and your husband sees you.”

“I’m done,” I smile at him through watery eyes.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders, and we walk the rest of the way back to the house in silence. I feel like, over the last few weeks, I have been bombarded with things from my past—some good, and some bad. But I’m also grateful for the closure I’m getting from it.





Chapter 6




Tethered to Him


“I told you the moment we got them together it was going to be bad,” I growl at Kai, who has the nerve to smile at me.

After my dad and I got back from our walk on the beach, Kai’s mom showed up and instantly began talking to my mom about weddings and how she believes we should have another ceremony where everyone can come to witness us exchange vows. Then my mother started telling her that they would only be able to stay until the weekend but she would love to have some kind of celebration before she went home. So now, my mother and Kai’s have just told us what is going on and how we will be having a party with over one hundred and fifty people.