The Baby Proposal. Andrea Laurence
that Lana wasn’t beautiful. She was exactly his type. Therein lay the problem. The day they met, Kal knew she could very easily be the one to make him throw caution to the wind and fall in love. Since they had such different priorities for their futures, he knew better than to let that happen. Instead he’d placed her in the friend bucket. It was the smartest thing to do considering how important their friendship was to him and that she was technically his employee.
Knowing that Lana just wanted a wedding for show had been both a relief and a challenge for him. A part of him had always wondered if they would be as great together as a couple as they were as friends. He suspected so. Being this close, having to touch her and kiss her to keep up their public facade, and yet to still have to maintain that friendly distance when they were alone would be difficult. It was like letting himself have a single bite of his favorite dessert—just enough to whet his appetite, but not enough to satisfy him. It was easier to just avoid the dish entirely, especially when the dish was as sensual and tasty as Lana.
Giving himself one last glance in the mirror, Kal stepped out of his house and drove his Jaguar to the hotel. His home was on the far corner of the property, with a sprawling golf course separating it from the rest of the resort. Most days he would walk or take the golf cart, but it seemed wrong to have his new bride hop on a golf cart after their ceremony.
The wedding pavilion was right on the beach. The bright white gazebo had room for a wedding party of ten and seating for up to a hundred guests on the lawn in front of it. It was raised up, overlooking the ocean and surrounded by lush plants to give some privacy from the tourists sunbathing nearby.
Kal had built it because he thought it was good business. They didn’t have room for one at the Waikiki location, so he’d been certain to reserve a place for it to be built here. Hawaii was a huge destination wedding locale and they needed to get in on the action. Not once had he ever thought he would use it for himself.
The traditional Hawaiian officiant, the kahuna pule, was already there, waiting under the pavilion to start the wedding. The short, round, older man with snow-white hair wore the traditional crown of haku lei. A small table in front of him was already set up with everything that was needed for the ceremony—the conch shell, the white orchid and green maile leis, and a wooden Koa bowl filled with ocean water and ti leaves to bless the rings.
Kal felt his breast pocket in a moment of panic and realized that he did remember the rings. Earlier that morning, they’d gotten their marriage license and taken care of all the legal details at Dexter’s office. They’d then stopped at a jewelry store to select two simple but attractive wedding bands. Lana had insisted that he’d already spent too much already and flat-out refused a diamond. It felt odd not to buy one, although buying a wedding ring at all was odd enough.
All that was left was for the kahuna pule to perform the ceremony and sign the paperwork, and he and Lana were married. The thought sent a momentary surge of panic though him. He’d tried to suppress it the last few days, focusing on details and plans, but things were suddenly getting very real. Every step he took toward the pavilion made it even more so.
His family was going to kill him when they found out about this, especially Mano. His tūtū Ani would likely chew his ear off over the phone. He wished he could just keep it a secret, but since they had to play this relationship as real, he had to tell them. Dexter had warned that Child Services would not only come by the house but could conduct interviews with family and friends. That meant everyone needed to believe that they were husband and wife in every sense of the word. That seemed cruel to do to his family, as they waited anxiously for him to find a wife. Considering he would be divorcing in a short time and this was all a sham, he hated to get their hopes up for nothing. Hopefully he could get away with just telling Mano for now and wait to tell the rest of the family, if necessary, after the New Year.
“Aloha, Mr. Bishop,” the Hawaiian holy man greeted him as he stepped up into the pavilion.
“Aloha and mahalo. I want to thank you for coming on such short notice.”
The older man shook his head. “I always have time in my day to bring together a couple in love. Your hotel is one of my favorite places to perform ceremonies.”
Kal felt a pang of guilt, but he knew he’d better get over it. This man was just the first of many they were lying to to get guardianship of Akela. “I appreciate that. I tried to build something our guests would be willing to travel to Maui to have.”
“Do you have the rings?”
Kal reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the two wedding bands. “I do. Here they are.”
“Very good. I will be ready to start whenever your bride arrives.”
Kal looked down at his watch. They’d agreed on four in the afternoon. It was a minute till. He took a deep breath and tried not to be concerned about Lana’s punctuality. Kal wasn’t in a rush to marry anyway, but he did want this part to be over with quickly.
“Ah, there she is.”
Kal turned to look in the direction the kahuna pule indicated and felt his heart go stone silent in his chest. It was like he’d hit a brick wall at full speed when he saw her. His whole body tightened when he took in his bride, and his tuxedo chafed at his collar and other unmentionable places as though it had suddenly shrunk two sizes.
Lana looked...amazing.
Traditionally Hawaiian brides wore a flowing white dress that was cut in the style of a muumuu. He was extremely thankful at that moment that Lana had opted for something more modern and formfitting on the top. The white lace gown had a deep V neckline that accentuated her shapely décolletage and plunged all the way to the waist. There, the dress flowed down in soft layers of organza that moved in the breeze. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she was wearing a traditional ring of haku flowers on her head.
Everything about her was soft, romantic and made him long for a wedding night he wasn’t going to have. It was possible that Lana was the most beautiful bride in the history of brides. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Everything around them faded away as though she were all there was in the whole world. In fact, when the kahuna pule blew into the conch shell to announce the arrival of the bride and summon the elements to bear witness to the ceremony, Kal nearly leaped off the ground in surprise.
Lana grinned wide with rosy-pink lips as she walked up the path to him. He reached out to take her hand and help her up the stairs. Despite her joyful demeanor, her hands were ice-cold. He was relieved to know he wasn’t the only nervous one.
“Are we ready to begin?” the holy man asked.
“Yes.”
“Very well.” The kahuna pule opened up his prayer booklet to the marked page. “The Hawaiian word for love is aloha. Today we’ve come together to celebrate the special aloha that exists between you, Kalani and Lanakila, and your desire to make your aloha eternal through the commitment of marriage. As you know, the giving of a lei is an expression of aloha. Kal and Lana, you will exchange leis as a symbol of your aloha for each other. When two people promise to share the adventure of life together, it is a beautiful moment that they will always remember.
“Kal, please place the orchid lei around Lana’s neck.”
Kal reached for the white orchid lei on the table, and Lana tipped her head down for him to place it over her shoulders.
“The unbroken circle of the lei represents your eternal commitment and devotion to each other. The beauty of each individual flower is not lost when it becomes a part of the lei, but is enhanced because of the strength of its bond. Lana, would you place the maile leaf lei around Kal’s neck.”
Kal watched as she took the long strand of green leaves off the table. Her hands were trembling as she lifted it over his head. He caught her eye and winked to reassure her. They would get through this together because that was what best friends did.
“Kal and Lana, you are entering into marriage because you want to be together. You are marrying because you know you will grow more in happiness and aloha more fully as life mates. You