Now she looked him in the eye. “You mean it?”
“I mean it,” he said, reaching for her hand. “You are my family now.”
“What about your business? And your dad?”
“I’ll figure it out. I’ll find a way.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can’t bear to be away from you – or my children. I missed so much with Rory. The thought of missing more memories with either one of them breaks my heart.”
Akemi looked at him for a long moment, a new feeling buzzing beneath her skin. The possibility of building a life with him – areallife, and a real relationship – was electrifying… but she was afraid to let herself hope.
“Lorenzo, do you mean it? Really mean it?”
“Do you want me here?” he asked quietly.
“I do.”
He stepped forward and kissed her. It was the first real, passionate kiss that they had shared in well over a year – and it felt like the start of something.
“I owe my parents my life,” he said after a moment, still holding her in his arms, “but sometimes it feels as though my whole heart is here. They’ll understand.”
Kaleo woke with a sudden cry. Akemi broke away and picked him up, rocking him and shushing him. He quieted but still clung to her, frightened by whatever nightmare had disturbed his sleep.
Lorenzo moved towards the door.
“I’ll let you rest,” he said – but there was reluctance in his eyes and in his voice.
“Stay,” she said, reaching for him. “Please.”
He silently closed the door and moved towards her again. Gingerly, he sat next to her on the edge of the bed and put an arm around her.
Kaleo stared up at both of them with wide black eyes. The side of his mouth curled up in a smile. Then, slowly, he drifted back to sleep.
Akemi leaned into Lorenzo, taking in his warmth, letting him support her. And for the first time, she let herself believe that they might be able to make a real go of things.
She let herself believe that he would stay.
15
Oakley
Not long after celebrating the first birthday of their youngest member, the Kalama family came together again for a day at Honoli‘i, the black-sand beach that had been a cornerstone of their childhood. Oakley loved that beach, with its oversaturated hues and wide-open spaces. They all did.
One end of the beach was all bright green grass and deep black sand. At the other, dark green vegetation gave way to a deep sapphire sea. A bridge soared high above the river, which paused in a huge, clear pool behind the beach before continuing on to the sea.
They weren’t all there – Halia had to work, and Zoe was covering for Laurie at the bookshop – but near enough.
All of the grandkids were together, splashing and playing in the water, gathering driftwood for a fire. It was exactly the sort of day that Oakley had dreamed of when she imagined moving to Pualena and homeschooling her girls. This was the quality family time that she had wanted to create more of while they were still young, and she had succeeded.
Transitioning to life in Pualena had been more difficultthan she had expected. She didn’t like the house that they were renting, and waking up in a musty room that didn’t feel like home made it hard to start the day off right.
Then there were their homeschool lessons… more often than not, both of her daughters reacted to her carefully chosen lesson plans in roughly the same way that they would approach a trip to the dentist.
But as soon as they got outside, they could all breathe again.
Daily stressors melted away beneath clear blue skies and strong Hawaiian sunshine. Oakley made sure to spend time outside as a family every day, even if it was just a walk along the cliffs at dusk.
