Chapter 10 #3
“Tutu, how about you go to bed and I’ll read K.J. the story?” Mia offered.
“No,” Tutu began. “You’re a young woman, and it’s a Friday night…”
Mia laughed. “You guys are my only friends. I’ll be staying right here so might as well help you if I can.”
Tutu cracked her neck before standing. “You are one good one, Mia girl,” Tutu said before putting a hand on Mia’s shoulder so she could lift herself up to be able to give Mia a kiss on the cheek.
“You be good for Aunty, got it?” Tutu asked K.J.
K.J. grinned. “Yes, Tutu.”
The older woman nodded before going down the hall.
Mia and K.J. got to work on the dishes, and it felt good to be doing something for Tutu. It felt even better to be doing it with K.J.
Tutu soon came back, her arms full of bedding. She put a sheet on the couch before laying a pillow and blanket on top of the sheet.
“K.J. likes sleeping out here more than in da guest room,” Tutu said.
“The guest room is for Uncle Keoni,” K.J. said matter-of-factly.
“My grandson who lives on Oahu wit his wife and three kids,” Tutu clarified for Mia.
Mia nodded before saying, “Tutu, it’s time for you to go to bed. K.J. and I have everything under control out here.”
Tutu pursed her lips, standing firm in the living room. “K.J.’s favorite books are…”
“K.J. can tell me, and I’ll read to him.” Mia rinsed her hands before going into the living room and gently pushing Tutu toward her bedroom.
“You going be good for him. For all of us,” Tutu muttered before allowing herself to be pushed across her bedroom threshold and then closing the door behind her.
When Mia got back to the kitchen, she saw that all the dishes were done. “K.J.! Thank you.”
K.J. beamed with pride.
“So now you need to brush your teeth and what?” Mia hadn’t understood the word Tutu had used.
“Oh yeah. I need to bocha. Take a bath,” K.J. translated.
“Ah.” That made sense considering the context.
K.J. hurried down the hall to Koa’s bedroom. Mia had assumed K.J. would use the guest bathroom, technically her bathroom, but it looked like someone had told him which bathroom he should use now that Mia had moved in.
The family continuously did little things like that, amazing her with their care.
Mia finished wiping down counters and with a sense of satisfaction moved to the bookshelf in the living room. She was pretty sure she could guess K.J.’s favorites.
The little boy was out in record time, sliding to a stop in front of the couch where Mia sat next to his made up bed.
“Do you want to smell my breath?” K.J. asked.
Mia raised an eyebrow.
“Mom smells my breath every night to make sure I brushed my teeth.”
Mia swallowed down a giggle.
“Did you brush your teeth?” Mia asked.
K.J. nodded.
“Then I believe you.”
K.J. smiled as he flopped onto the couch beside Mia, investigating the books.
“You know all my favorites!” he declared before holding one up to Mia for her to read.
Well into the third book, Mia could feel K.J.’s head getting heavy on her shoulder. Sure enough, when she finished it and looked beside her, his eyes were closed.
Not wanting to disrupt him until he was soundly sleeping, Mia softly put down the book and opened her phone, reading on her kindle app while she waited.
“Mia.” Mia felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, the gravelly voice that spoke cutting through her grogginess due to having nodded off.
Her eyes still closed, she felt her hair being tucked behind her ear as a calloused finger affectionately caressed her cheek.
A bloom of butterflies rioted within her.
She knew that voice and knew she had to be dreaming. But oh, what a dream it was.
“Mia.” The gentle hand was on her shoulder once more, and she blinked, suddenly realizing where she was and what was happening.
“Oh,” she spoke, knowing not to move too much since she still felt K.J.’s head on her shoulder.
She must have fallen asleep while reading, and Koa was now home. Somehow in that state between wakefulness and dreaming, she’d imagined his touch on her face.
“Let me,” Koa whispered as he shifted K.J. from beside her to lay him down on the couch.
Mia stood, checking the state of her hair. Funnily enough, some of it was tucked behind her ear.
“What time is it?” Mia whispered when Koa came back to stand in front of her.
“Late. I just got home from the luau,” Koa explained.
Luau?
“I fire knife dance at a luau down in Lahaina every other weekend,” Koa clarified further.
Mia’s mouth dropped open. Of course he did. She’d only seen video of the incredible feat and had always thought the men able to do so were in a class of their own. Apparently Koa’s class.
“You should come down and see it sometime,” Koa offered.
Mia nodded, knowing if she opened her mouth she’d say something like she’d love to, all too eagerly. Or worse, that she loved him.
Mia knew she was being silly. She didn’t love him. It was too much, too soon. But she was feeling things for him. More than she wanted to feel. More than she should feel.
“I was sad to miss dinner with everyone tonight. Looks like K.J. was able to get Tutu to agree to a sleepover?” Koa continued.
Mia nodded again, her sleepiness keeping her thoughts from forming fast enough. She knew words would be helpful but her tired mind couldn’t figure out which words.
“But you’re the one who had to put him to sleep?”
Mia shook her head, waking up a bit more. “I offered. He’s such a cute kid and so easy to care about.”
Much like his uncle.
Koa smiled. “He is. Well, thanks for that.”
“I put the leftovers in the fridge. The lau lau was amazing. If you’re hungry.” Mia now said too many words too fast.
“I ate at work, but I’ll be excited for leftovers tomorrow.”
Mia nodded again as she stood up and faced him. “You haven’t been around much.”
She almost slapped her hand over her mouth. Of all the things she could have said, why that?
She could blame it on her sleepiness but that didn’t change how she’d sounded like a lovesick teenager.
“Um, yeah.” Koa rubbed his neck. “I had a shift at the firehouse and a couple of lifeguarding shifts. Then the luau tonight.”
“Yeah, of course. I didn’t mean…I mean duh, you have work. You should be at work. People work. I work.” Shut up, Mia!
“Yeah,” Koa said slowly.
“I should go to bed,” Mia took a few blind steps back and collided with Tutu’s favorite chair.
Koa caught Mia by her shoulders before pulling her into his chest.
Smoke, cedar, and something completely manly filled Mia’s senses. How could a man smell so good?
Oh dear. Was she sniffing him?
She pulled back, this time stepping to the side so as not to kill herself with the chair.
“It’s sleepy. I’m late,” Mia began and then shook her head. “Reverse that.”
She turned to hurry down the hall to the safe harbor of her bedroom. She needed to get away from Koa. Stat.
“Night, Mia,” came softly from behind, but she didn’t respond. She couldn’t respond.
It wasn’t until she was in her room, her door closed behind her that she whispered the words, “Good night, Koa.”