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Kiana laid a hand on Dev’s arm. “He did me a favor. He showed me what love wasn’t so that when I met you, I’d know what it should be. Now, when are we going on that date you promised me? I want to get to know you better, even though I already know I’m going to love you.”
“Let’s plan on a day after you get your sister situated. After all, she just lost her father. I think she needs you right now. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve found the one for me, and I’m not going to let you get away.”
Epilogue
Three months later...
“Hey, gorgeous.” Dev’s strong arms wrapped around Kiana and pulled her up against the solid wall of his muscular chest.
“Hey, yourself,” she murmured and turned in his arms. “I’m sweaty.”
“You’re sexy,” he said, brushing a damp strand of her hair behind her ear. “You shouldn’t be working so hard.”
“I’m completely recovered and doing so well you’d never know I gave up half of my liver. I even signed up for a 5K race next month.” Kiana grinned. “Tina, Meredith, Tish and I have been training. Tina and Tish will be walking it, but Meredith and I will be running.”
“Are you sure it’s not too soon?”
“The doctors say my liver is practically back to its normal size. I’m as good as new. Maybe even better since half my liver is newly regenerated.” She smiled across at Tina, who was resting in a chair on the lawn next to their Uncle Joe. They’d been laughing over the stories he’d been telling about growing up with their mother. “Look how much color she has in her cheeks. She’s beautiful.”
Dev didn’t shift his gaze from Kiana. “Yes, she is.”
Kiana laughed. “You’re not even looking at Tina.”
“No, I’m looking at the sister I love, thinking how lucky I am to have found you and how I don’t want another day to go by without you in my life.”
“Even when I smell of sweat and have dirt smeared across my face?”
“Especially when you’re sweaty and dirty. You’re a smart, capable resort manager. You can stand up for yourself, take down a grown man by breaking his nose and a rib, and you’re not afraid of doing grunt work.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “And you had a big enough heart and the determination to raise the money and bring together all these people to help rebuild your uncle’s house. When we’re done, it’ll be like new and more accessible for his disabilities.”
Kiana smiled as she looked at the progress they’d made in just two days. With the help of the Brotherhood Protectors Hawaii and the SEAL team who’d helped crack a drug ring and save her life and those of her sisters, they’d done a lot.
Day one had been demolition day. They’d cleared Joe’s house of all his belongings, sending much of them to the huge dumpster parked on the road. The rest they’d stored in a portable storage box. That same day, they’d gutted Joe’s home from the roof to the floor, taking it down to the studs. He’d been a little emotional seeing his house rendered unrecognizable. However, the festive atmosphere created by the men and women working together for a cause lifted his spirits, giving him hope.
Having Tina spend a lot of time getting to know him had helped even more. She’d enlisted his help sorting through old photographs to come up with images they could enlarge to use as artwork for when they finished the remodel. By the end of the first day, he’d been smiling and feeling like a contributing member of the home’s transformation.
Today, they’d rewired, replumbed and had all the drywall hung before noon. While some of the guys were hanging the drywall inside, another group had worked on the outside, scraping away flaking paint, pulling down the old awning and deck, and replacing them with fresh studs and decking boards. Hawk, Rex, Logan and George were on the roof. After rolling out tar paper, they were quickly laying shingles, one after the other, having established a rhythm.
Dev tipped his chin toward the guys on the roof. “They’ll have the roof done in the next hour at the rate they’re moving.”
“Good,” Kiana said, turning back to the decking boards stacked in a neat pile. “They can work on the landscaping next while we finish laying in the deck, stairs and ramp.” She took a board off the top, laid it across a couple of sawhorses, ran her measuring tape the length of the board and marked where she needed to cut. “Hold that end,” she ordered.
While Dev held one end of the board, Kiana cut the other with a circular saw, carried the board to the deck and nailed it in place.
“Perfect fit.” Dev said as he carried another board he’d just cut to lay it down beside hers. “Is there no end to your talents, woman?”
“I don’t know,” she said, sliding into his arms. “You tell me.”
“No,” he said. “Every day, I discover something new and exciting about you. You continue to acquire new skills.”
“I like learning, growing and giving back to my community.” She smiled happily.
“Did I tell you that I heard from Silas?” Dev whispered into her ear.
“No, you didn’t.” She turned and rested her hands on his chest. “How is he? Does he still like his job as a ranch hand on Hank and Sadie’s place?”
Dev chuckled. “He does, though he says riding a horse is a lot more difficult than riding a motorcycle. The horses have minds of their own.”
Kiana laughed. “I’m so happy he’s making the transition from gang member in Hawaii to ranch hand in Montana.”
