Chapter 19 What of the Future?
What of the Future?
Tāwera smiled so wide it hurt his mouth. “I worried you wouldn’t like me as much, that we might’ve grown apart.”
Nyree pressed a soft kiss to his mouth, her eyes shining as if she wanted to cry while her lips smiled.
He thought it was happy emotion, but he found it better to ask because he didn’t always pick up on social cues.
“I am becoming better at reading people, but men and women differ from my time. Manu told me this is because we value different things and have more opportunities now. We can travel as you did on a plane. I wish to do that one day, but I must wait until my passport arrives. Are you happy? I can’t tell. ”
“I am thrilled. These tears are happy ones.”
Tāwera hesitated, impatience simmering through him.
He knew his mind, and he preferred to govern his future with positivity rather than remaining unsure.
“Since I left you in South Georgia, I have been thinking about my future. The first thing that came to my head was you. I wish to have you standing at my side.”
“I am standing at your side.”
“No, you misunderstand. I want marriage. With you. You are a good person, and you are beautiful. You saved me from the curse and gave me a second chance at life.”
She tugged from his loose embrace and took a step back. “My saving you didn’t come with obligations.”
Ah, he hadn’t explained well enough. He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled. “I love you. I wish to share my life with you, and at a later time, have children. Say you’ll step into the future with me, Nyree.”
For long seconds, she remained stiff in his arms, her eyes stormy and uncertain. Then she relaxed. “Are you sure? You might change your mind.”
“My mind is positive. I hope to explore this unknown world with you. I want to stay at your side and grow old with you.”
“It will be a long life if you change your mind. Taniwha live longer than humans.”
He met her eyes as he caressed her cheek. “If you’re trying to frighten me, you’re doing a poor job.”
Nyree snorted and turned her face into his hand, nuzzling his fingers and palm.
His heart flip-flopped before it resettled and continued with its regular beat.
“Manu believes you and I are mates. His theory is our lives can still diverge because we come from different times, but the more days and months we spend together, the tighter the connection will become. He believes this is why I have missed you so much.”
Nyree met his gaze directly. “I ached for you, but I also missed your company and our talks.”
“It was the same with me.” Manu had also been correct when he’d told Tāwera he’d need to talk to explain himself rather than act. Tāwera had never spoken like this with Aroha and bared what was in his heart. “You are my heart, my soul, my very breath, and I am a better man when I’m with you.”
Nyree raised on tiptoe and silenced his next words with her mouth. Her fingers crept behind his head and anchored him. Not that he wanted to move. He was right where he wanted to be.
When their lips parted, they were both breathing hard.
“Shower,” he said. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” she said, sounding surprised.
“Go. I shall bring food, and we will speak a little more before we have those naked hugs.” His pulse jumped as his mind leaped ahead.
Manu had told him he must explain the sexual aspect of his moonlust, that Nyree must know the entire truth, so she understood what their future entailed. He strode into his compact kitchen, taking pleasure in the clean counters and the abundance of food in his pantry and fridge.
Earlier, before Nyree’s arrival, he’d asked Emma and Jessalyn what he should get to make Nyree a celebration dinner.
They’d informed him she’d probably not want an enormous meal but guided him toward cheese and crackers and fruit along with a nice bottle of wine.
Bubbles, they’d called it, and shown him how to open the bottle.
They’d given him other advice too, which upon reflection, he’d decided was perfect.
Honesty.
Determination.
Romance.
Operation Nyree was underway, and she wouldn’t stand a chance.
Nyree stepped under the warm water with a sigh of relief. Her body ached after sitting for ten hours, and she hadn’t slept well for several nights, her mind full of Tāwera and what she’d find here in New Zealand on her arrival.
He loved her.
She hugged the sizzle of happiness and hurried through her shower. Five minutes later, she was drying herself.
“There is a robe hanging on the back of the door,” Tāwera called down the passage. “Use that.”
She pulled the black robe off the hook and slipped it on. It smelled of Tāwera, and the bit of remaining anxiety released. He’d told her he loved her. He’d missed her as much as she’d ached for his presence.
Nyree padded from the bathroom toward the kitchen. Tāwera had the radio playing, and he sang to a tune she didn’t know.
“There you are.” He beamed at her, his open joy tugging at her emotions.
She smiled again, anticipation thrumming through her as he spoke.
“What would you like to drink? I have water, juice, wine, beer, or I have learned how to make leaf tea. Your arrival is a celebration. I think we should have the special wine Emma and Jessalyn helped me choose. It will go with the food I have prepared.” He gestured at the table.
It bore three kinds of cheese—blue, cheddar, and brie—nuts and grapes, along with fresh bread and a small bowl of pickle or relish.
“Wine, it is. Where shall I sit?”
“Here.” Tāwera pulled out a chair for her, and she sat.
“This reminds me of our picnic after you turned visible.”
“Yes. We must talk.”
“About what?”
“Moonlust.”
He produced a bottle of bubbles and opened it with a professionalism that had her mouth hanging open. Tāwera poured the wine into flutes and handed her one.
“A toast.” He lifted his glass. “To us and the future. Our future.”
“To us and our future,” she repeated. “What about moonlust?”
“My moonlust differs from yours.” His brown eyes studied her reaction.
It was his scrutiny that had tension rising to settle on her shoulders. “How is it different?”
“With me, to control my taniwha, I must have sex. Flying at the full moon is only possible after I have a regular sexual release.”
Suspicion came to the fore, and her knuckles whitened as she squeezed her flute.
She set it on the table, not wanting to break the glass and spray champagne in all directions.
“How did you cope after you arrived here?” Her pulse raced while she waited for his reply, and she tried to rein in her imagination.
“Ah! Manu said it was most important for our relationship that I tell you everything.”
Nyree swallowed hard. Could she forgive him if he’d used another woman to sate his moonlust? She’d witnessed the pain he’d suffered while trying to fly. She could hardly blame him—no, she had to listen and give him a chance. If Manu had advised him, perhaps her brain had jumped to overdrive.
“After Manu and I worked out what the problem was, he suggested I find an agreeable woman to help me.”
Nyree stared, waiting to hear more, even as she dreaded the truth. Despite his strength and abilities, he still had an innocent quality about him.
“I couldn’t do that when you filled my mind. That would not be right. I told Manu this, which made him positive we were mates.”
“What did you do? How did you get through the full moon?”
“I thought of you and used my hand. It was not the same as holding you in my arms.”
Nyree frowned. “Did Manu think this would pass? Did you try shifting as well?”
“Manu has never seen or heard of this problem before. He thinks the curse interfered with my taniwha. The flight was more painful than the one after we were together. Nyree, I can read your fear. If you have any doubts, we can wait before we love each other. I will cope by myself and refuse to force you to act against your will. I am not like Rāwiri or Ari.”
His instant offer and his willingness to wait blasted away her lingering doubts.
“This looks delicious. Which is your favorite cheese?”
“I like this one.” He pointed to the brie. “Shall I cut you some?”
“I see you’ve developed a liking for French cheese and champagne.”
“It reminds me of my time on the ship when I was still ghostlike. I had a delicious meal aboard the French cruise ship.”
Nyree laughed. “Our picnic that day was tasty too.” She sipped her wine and savored the faint tickle of bubbles on her palate. Tāwera handed her a plate with a selection of bread, a sliver of fruit paste, and a chunk of brie.
While they ate, Tāwera told her some of what he’d done since arriving in New Zealand.
“Manu had to grasp my arm to stop me from fleeing when I first saw the roads with all the traffic.”
“But you have learned to drive.”
“I wanted to make you proud.”
Nyree took his hand and squeezed. “I was proud of you before you left South Georgia. Few people would cope with these changes as well as you have.”
“That is what Manu told me.”
“What do you do for Manu?”
“I am teaching some of his tribe to carve and create items we made as warriors. Weapons and other carvings. While I was not a master, I am competent. Manu says the old ways are attractive to some, and it is a way of keeping the culture alive.”
Nyree listened to Tāwera speak of his teaching and his work for George Taniwha & Sons. His enthusiasm shone through.
“Jessalyn says I should teach the traditional haka we used to do before going to war.”
“Do you remember them?”
He nodded. “It seems like yesterday to me. We will have plenty of time to talk.” He stood and held out his hand.
Nyree set down her flute and stood. She didn’t take his hand but jumped at him. His arms drew her close, and it felt like coming home. His warmth and scent surrounded her as he walked down the passage to his bedroom.