Epilogue
Reese
Four Months Later
“Emily! Put down that box unless you are trying to induce labor!” I yelled at the nine-month-pregnant woman who was attempting to help me move the last of my things into Kelly’s place. Well, I guess it was now our place.
“I wouldn’t mind if the little guy decided to make his way out today. I’m done not being able to see my toes anymore,” she huffed.
“Reese is right,” Kahale said as he rounded the corner and grabbed the box from his wife’s hands. “I don’t know if I’m ready to be a daddy yet.”
“Not ready? You betta’ get ready, Kahale Iona!” Emily fumed.
“She’s right, Kahale. Don’t you know better than to argue with a preggo?” Kalani laughed.
“You would have thought by now he would have the phrase ‘Happy Wife Happy Life’ ingrained into that thick skull of his,” Jeremy joked, stroking his proud mustache.
After my impromptu plane ride back to the island, I moved back in with Beth. That was, until she got a court notice to vacate the property a month later.
We had found a one-bedroom apartment to split for a couple of months, but even that was hard for Beth to afford on her teacher’s salary.
Even though Derek had been the adulterer, it appeared their prenup was iron-clad.
Beth’s documented “violence” was continuing to be a point of focus between their lawyers.
Without a higher income, she had told me three weeks ago that she was moving to Arizona. The plan was to live with her parents until her divorce was finalized, and she could figure out her next move.
When I’d talked with her a few days ago, she had assured me that she was settling nicely in her hometown.
Her dad was the principal of a local high school and had offered her a teaching position in the meantime.
She was a week into her new position, and the only thing she could complain about was an old high school enemy who was also a teacher at this school.
Some guy named Chris, who Beth swore brought out the worst in her.
Without a roommate, I couldn’t afford the full rent for my apartment on my own.
Within a few days of my return, Kelly had begged me several times to move in with him, but I had wanted to take things slowly.
After a lot of discussion, mostly in therapy, I’d decided to move in with Kelly.
I spent most of my free time at his place, anyway.
“Ya know, Reese, you can still move in with me,” Tutu linked arms with me. She had been getting stronger with physical therapy and was now walking without her cane.
“As tempting as that sounds,” Kelly wrapped an arm around the back of my shoulders, “I think she’ll find the commute to Pacific East much faster from here.”
I had decided not to return to Pacific Central mostly because of the toxic work environment, but also because I hated the drive to Waikiki. Now, I was able to stay on the East side of the Ko’olau Mountain range and found coworkers I worked happily beside. Overall, it was a better fit.
“If you change your mind, you know my number.” Tutu winked as she took a seat on the couch.
Kelly wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.
“And you’re sure you don’t mind my mom and Paul staying with us?” They were flying out in only one week to spend some long-overdue time with me. We’d been talking on a more regular basis, but somehow, I was more nervous about their visit than Kelly was.
I wasn’t ready to reach out to my dad, a topic I brought up in therapy regularly. But I knew I had support behind me if I ever decided to take that next step.
“Of course! They’re family, and I’m excited to meet them,” he said easily. “Besides, they will have the best tour guides. Especially now that I’ve trained you.”
“Oh, you think you trained me?” I asked, amused.
“Reese, you seriously thought you could find better poke at a tourist trap,” Kalani said accusingly.
I laughed because I couldn’t deny it. “You have me there.”
“We’ll make you a local in no time,” Kelly said, giving me a soft squeeze.
“You’re not going to get tired of me when you see me every day?” I asked for only the thousandth time since agreeing to move in.
“Impossible. The ocean never gets tired of meeting the shore,” he whispered into my ear.
I leaned into his small embrace, and my mind drifted back to the other night when I had made an early trip to hide my vibrator from Kelly’s family.
As I stored it away, I discovered a small black box at the back of his closet.
My heart skipped a beat when I opened it and saw a sparkling diamond staring back at me.
However, moments later, I heard his footsteps approaching, and in a panic, I quickly threw the box back where I had found it.
I was determined not to bring it up, but that didn’t mean I could forget it was there. For the first time in my life, I felt hopeful about the future.
Kelly was hopeful, too, as he’d decided to take the first steps in finding his birth mom.
I had held his hand as he told his family, and they were more than supportive.
We hadn’t gotten many leads yet, but it had only been a month since we started the search.
No matter what Kelly’s birth mom had to say when we found her, Kelly knew he had a village behind him who loved him.
As for me, Kelly had been right all along. I belonged here, too. I found a place and a family that I couldn’t bear to walk away from. I was home.