Chapter Ten #2
“Reese, honey! It is so good to see you again! I heard that your cousin’s dog is doing much better.
Have you eaten today yet? Are you hungry?
We have some snacks on the table. Do you enjoy card games?
We can teach you!” She spoke at a lightning pace as she grabbed hold of my arm, peeling me away from Kelly and leading me towards the table.
“Mom, they just got here. Let her come up for air,” Kalani said from her seat.
Lilly giggled as she sat me across from Kalani. Kelly took the seat to my right while Lilly took the spot next to Kalani, sandwiching her between the other women.
I looked down at the table and appreciated its unique wood. In front of Kelly, I saw his name etched into the table, and I couldn’t help but brush my fingertips over it.
Kelly noticed and laughed quietly. He leaned down to whisper, his mouth teasing the shell of my ear, “You would not believe how much trouble I got in for that.” I looked up at him, and his eyes danced with mischief.
“Kelly may look sweet, but he was wild as a child. My other children were much calmer than him.” Lilly smiled over to Kalani.
Kalani caught me staring at her and smiled as if she had just caught her prey. “It’s good to see you again, Reese. You know, I’m surprised you didn’t mention anything to me about dating my brother when you showed up at our clinic the other day,” she said, her face skeptical.
If Kelly was even a little bothered by Kalani or on high alert, I couldn’t tell. He reached forward and calmly started to munch on some of the snacks, the absolute epitome of relaxed.
I swallowed hard. “I didn’t know if he had mentioned me yet. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you if Kelly wasn’t ready,” I said, just like we had rehearsed it.
Even to my ears, it sounds like I was reading off a script. I had been here less than thirty minutes, and I was already blowing it. I wondered for a second if I should just go rejoin Tutu and watch Bob Barker give away a dune buggy.
Did you and Kelly ever get to use any of the pineapple-flavored condoms? Or did Pickles eat all of them?” Kalani asked as nonchalantly as you would ask about the weather.
I felt Kelly stiffen at the mention of the word ‘condom’ in front of his mom as the food in his hand paused in mid-air. The other woman at the table covered her smile with her hand.
Unfortunately for Kalani, I had anticipated this.
“I wouldn’t know if the condoms got used, seeing as they are my cousin’s. It’s not polite to ask about people’s intimate moments. I’m just glad I was there to help Pickles when he needed me,” I said confidently.
Kelly relaxed and turned his head slightly to wink at me.
“I don’t think we have officially met.” The mystery woman waved to me from across the table. “I’m Emily. I’m married to Kahale.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled back.
Emily had soft caramel waves that stopped just at her collarbone. Her beautiful, dark eyelashes draped over chocolate-brown eyes, and her cheeks seemed naturally rosy. She appeared to be a few years younger than me.
“I saw you at the beach that day, but I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself. How are you liking it here?” Emily asked.
My face felt hot as I remembered seeing Emily.
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry I didn’t stick around to talk.
I think it’s beautiful here so far. Kelly has promised to show me around, and I’m excited to get a tour from a local.
” The tension in my shoulders started to melt slightly as I was finally able to say something true.
“Yeah, Reese. How long have you been here?” Kalani was back on the attack.
“It’s been a week,” I tried to say easily.
“And you guys are already dating?” Kalani pushed.
Kelly wrapped his arm around the back of my chair, not quite touching me, but the heat of his body melted into me. “I know, it’s fast. But I’ve never met a woman like Reese. She took my breath away from the very beginning,” Kelly said, his tone so convincing that even I believed him for a moment.
But I had to remind myself this was all a ruse.
“Oi!” a booming voice interrupted us. I turned in my chair to see a large native man with a ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron walk through the back door.
He looked like he was probably in his early fifties.
The native gene was strong in this family, except for Kelly.
“The burgers are almost ready. Tell me what kind of cheese you want.” His gaze swept over us, and his gentle eyes landed on me. “Ah!” He boomed. “You must be Reese.”
I waved from where I was sitting. “You’d be correct.”
“I’m Kimo, Kelly’s dad.” He strutted forward, and while I offered my hand to shake, he bypassed it and gave me a tight hug, despite my seated position.
“N..nice to meet you,” I stammered slightly.
I looked around at the people around me and noticed that no one looked like Kelly. I had been thinking that Kelly probably took after his dad, but then my mind went back to the photos in the living room. He had been the only non-native in the group.
Suddenly, it clicked in my mind. Kelly had to be adopted.
I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t mentioned this before we came over, especially since we were trying to convince everyone that we were together.
I looked over at Kelly, and he stared back at me with a knowing look.
He knew I knew, and he appeared to be anticipating the worst. I couldn’t figure out why this would be a bad thing.
Kimo released me from his bear hug and headed back into the kitchen. Kelly got up to help his dad get some cheese out of the fridge, now completely ignoring eye contact with me.
“Are you a vegetarian, Reese?” Kimo brought my attention back to him. I had completely forgotten that other people were surrounding us.
“No, sir. I am not,” I said, almost in a trance.
“Oh, please, you don’t have to call me sir.” Kimo chuckled to himself, balancing the cheese in his enormous hands along with other condiments.
Kimo had dark brown hair, cut longer, stopping just before his chin. I noticed he had a similar tribal tattoo on his left arm, just like Kelly and Kahale.
“Sorry,” I said, “old habits die hard. I come from a military family,” I said as Kelly busied himself with slicing some tomatoes. I tried to catch his eye, but he was utterly engrossed in his task.
“Oh, really? What branch?” Kimo was now standing right next to Kelly.
Kelly was taller by several inches, but Kimo was far wider. Their skin looked like yin and yang in contrast.
“My stepfather is now retired from the Air Force,” I said, trying not to let the resentment show on my face.
“Please thank him for his service for me next time you speak with him. You know, I told all my kids to join the military out of high school, and not a single one listened to me.”
“You’ll find that all our kids are stubborn,” Lilly sighed.
“Kelly isn’t even the most stubborn one. He might be the whitest, though.” Kimo laughed, and everyone else joined in. Well, everyone except for Kelly and me.
Kelly slumped his shoulders. There were a lot of things he was leaving unsaid. Things that bothered him.
“What restaurant do you think is a must for me to eat at while I’m here?” I said, changing the subject.
I felt Kalani’s eyes on me and braved a glance over. I expected to see her scowling at me, but instead, she had a slight curve to her lips. Was she smiling at me?
Kelly chuckled, and I turned my attention back to him. He was looking right at me now, like the last few minutes never happened. “Did I not mention my parents own the best diner on the island?” He made his way back over to me, putting one hand on the back of my chair again.
“Oh, please,” Lilly blushed. “It’s a humble restaurant. Not one of the top places you should visit while you’re here.”
“I had no idea. The family diner sounds like a great date idea.” I smiled at Kelly, surprised by how natural it felt to nudge him with my arm.
Kelly lowered his head and whispered in my ear, “We’ll see if you still want to go out after tonight.” I felt intoxicated by the smell of him so close to me. The smell of spicy rain was slowly becoming one of my favorite scents.
“No whispering!” Kalani waved a finger at us.
“I’m not one of your kids. We’ll whisper all we want. Reese,” he reached out his hand for me. “Do you want to go meet the others?”
I wasn’t sure what else was waiting for me, but something about Kelly made me feel daring enough to grab his hand.