Книга - The Baby Proposal

The Baby Proposal
Andrea Laurence


Faking a marriage for baby’s sake…When Lana Hale asks hotel tycoon Kal Bishop to marry her, he can’t let his best friend down! To keep her sister’s baby out of the foster-care system, Lana needs Kal to pose as her husband. Soon his luxury Hawaiian resort sets the stage for an unexpectedly passionate honeymoon…Before they know it, playing the part of lovers turns into the real thing. And once the need for their ruse ends, Kal faces losing a wife he didn’t even know he wanted. Will the reluctant husband take the ultimate risk and make a proposal of his own?







Faking a marriage for baby’s sake...

When Lana Hale asks hotel tycoon Kal Bishop to marry her, he can’t let his best friend down! To keep her sister’s baby out of the foster-care system, Lana needs Kal to pose as her husband. Soon his luxury Hawaiian resort sets the stage for an unexpectedly passionate honeymoon...

Before they know it, playing the part of lovers turns into the real thing. And once the need for their ruse ends, Kal faces losing a wife he didn’t even know he wanted. Will the reluctant husband take the ultimate risk and make a proposal of his own?


“Kalani Bishop, would you do me the honor of being my fake husband?”

He pressed his lips together for a moment, then he finally nodded. “I guess so.”

“Yay!” Lana leaped into his arms and hugged him close. She buried her nose in his neck, drawing in his cologne. The familiar scent of her best friend drew a decidedly physical response from deep inside her that she wasn’t expecting.

She pulled herself out of the romantic fog she’d let herself slip into accidentally. “Are you really okay with this?” she asked.

“No,” he said, ever honest, “but I’m going to do it anyway. For you.”

She leaned in to hug him again and spoke softly into his ear. “Thank you for being the best friend a girl could ever have. I owe you big-time.”

Kal chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated against her chest and made her want to snuggle closer to him. “Oh, you have no idea.”

* * *

The Baby Proposal is part of Mills & Boon Desire’s No. 1 bestselling series, Billionaires and Babies: Powerful men... wrapped around their babies’ little fingers.


Dear Reader (#u7e5f3ed9-1439-5bba-819e-82231a9b6fd7),

Last year, I took a trip to Hawaii and I knew immediately that I wanted to set a duet of books there. The beauty, the history, the culture...it captured my imagination. When we stepped foot in Maui, I was immediately in love. It was so different from Oahu and the bustle of Waikiki. On our drive to the hotel from the airport, we could see humpback whales breaching. I was hooked. Our hotel was on Ka’anapali Beach and although the weather wasn’t always on our side, it was a lovely place—perfect for my hero’s new hotel. We attended an amazing luau in Lahaina and I knew the characters were set—the hotelier and the hula dancer. Best friends who never anticipated more until one adorable baby girl turned their world upside down.

If you enjoy Kal and Lana’s story, tell me by visiting my website at www.andrealaurence.com (http://www.andrealaurence.com), like my fan page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Enjoy,

Andrea


The Baby Proposal

Andrea Laurence






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


ANDREA LAURENCE is an award-winning author of contemporary romances filled with seduction and sass. She has been a lover of reading and writing stories since she was young. A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, she is thrilled to share her special blend of sensuality and dry, sarcastic humor with readers.


To My Dancing Queens

Theresa, Jaime, Lucretia & Amanda

Thanks for all the girls’ nights,

the Soul Train dance parties,

beach time and laughs.

I’m not going to thank you for the tequila.

Tequila is the devil. Even the good stuff.


Contents

Cover (#u21f68aac-1878-5c7a-8eb1-c12878bfd784)

Back Cover Text (#ub59a407e-a5d4-5018-9263-744a707a313b)

Introduction (#ufcfe6d0a-b67b-5963-b609-1a9ba553117f)

Dear Reader (#ubc22ede9-aaba-58ac-ab44-46917fd5eaaf)

Title Page (#u86441878-1c53-5415-bab3-b1aeb8589ac1)

About the Author (#u9c22cd10-56cf-5569-954a-615811337f2d)

Dedication (#u605b5b12-8928-551c-b38e-f08535c7d8c2)

One (#uf9eddee4-abc2-586d-9a9b-2f69b883caf6)

Two (#u39019d48-9b52-5409-b00e-318a17852261)

Three (#u9cef917d-1618-5e65-9a2b-8218fca9e369)

Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


One (#u7e5f3ed9-1439-5bba-819e-82231a9b6fd7)

Showtime.

The rhythmic sound of the drums pounded in the distance. On cue, one spotlight, then another, lit up the stage at the center of the open courtyard. With loud whoops and cries, the Mau Loa Maui dancing troupe took the stage.

Kalani Bishop watched the show begin from the dark corner of the courtyard. Spread out across the lawn of his resort were hundreds of hotel guests. They were mesmerized, as was Kal, by the beautiful movements of the traditional Hawaiian dancers onstage. He had no doubt that he had the finest traditional dancers on the entire island of Maui. He could have nothing less at his hotel.

The Mau Loa Maui had been the brainchild of Kal and his younger brother, Mano. Their family hotel, the original Mau Loa, was located on Waikiki Beach on Oahu. Growing up, they had dreamed of one day not only taking over the Oahu location but expanding the resort chain to other islands. First—Ka’anapali Beach in Maui. Kal had fallen in love with the island the moment he arrived. It was so different from Oahu—so lush and serenely beautiful. Even the women were more sensual, in his opinion, like ripe fruits waiting for him to pick them.

It was without question the most beautiful hotel on the island. The look on his grandparents’ faces when they arrived at the resort the first time was proof enough that they approved of his work. The tourists certainly did. Since they opened, the resort had remained at capacity and had reservations booked solid a year in advance. They made vacation fantasies come true.

Part of the Hawaiian fantasy included attending an authentic luau with the kind of dancing seen in movies. At the Mau Loa Maui, the luau took place three nights a week and included a full dinner of kalua pork, poi, fresh pineapple, mango rice and other traditional Hawaiian foods. The guests sat on pillows around low tables that surrounded the stage.

Kal had worked hard to craft the perfect atmosphere for this hotel. Flames leaped from torches stationed around the wide lawn, lighting the area now that the sun had finally set into the sea beyond the stage. The fire cast shadows that flickered across the faces of the dancers and the musicians who beat drums and chanted along with them.

One of the female dancers took center stage. Kal smiled as his best friend, Lanakila Hale, commanded the attention of every person in the courtyard. Before she even began her solo dance performance, she had captivated the audience with her traditional Hawaiian beauty. She had long, wavy black hair that flowed over her golden brown skin. A crown of Plumeria flowers sat atop her head and circled her wrists and ankles. She was wearing a skirt made of long, green ti leaves that showed the occasional flash of her upper thighs and a bright yellow fabric top that bound her full breasts, leaving her stomach bare to highlight her toned core.

He couldn’t help admiring her figure. They were friends, but it was impossible to ignore that Lana had an amazing dancer’s body. It was hard, sculpted and lean after years and years of professional dance training. While she specialized in traditional Hawaiian dance, she had studied dance at the University of Hawaii and was well versed in almost every style including ballet, modern dance and hip-hop.

As the drums continued to beat faster, Lana kicked her movements into high gear. Her hips gyrated and swayed to the rhythm as her arms moved gracefully to tell the story of that particular hula dance. The hula wasn’t just entertainment for tourists; it was his culture’s ancient storytelling method. She was amazing, even better than she had been the night he first saw her dance in nearby Lahaina and knew he wanted her at his new hotel as the head choreographer.

Lana was the human embodiment of contradiction. She was both an athlete and a lady: strong and feminine, hard and yet with womanly curves in abundance. He couldn’t imagine a more physically perfect specimen of a woman. She was an amazing person, too. Smart, quick-witted, talented and not afraid to call him on his crap, which he needed from time to time.

He turned away to focus on the crowd as he felt his body start to react to her physical display. He didn’t know why he tortured himself by watching the show when he knew what it would lead to. With each beat of the drum and thrust of her hips, his muscles tensed and his pulse sped up.

Kal reached up to loosen his tie and take a deep breath to wish away his attraction to Lana. It happened more often than he’d like where she was concerned, but who could blame him?

She might be his best friend, but she was undeniably his type. She was every red-blooded male’s type, but she specifically checked every one of his boxes. If he had a list, and he didn’t, because Kal didn’t do relationships. Even if it wouldn’t damage their friendship—and it would—there were other issues at play. Namely that he wasn’t interested in the family and the white picket fence, and of course, Lana wanted the whole shebang more than anything. He couldn’t risk sampling the forbidden fruit because she’d want him to buy the whole fruit basket. Giving in to his attraction for her could be a disaster, because if she wanted more and he didn’t, where did that leave them?

Former best friends.

That wasn’t an option, so they were to be friends and nothing more. He just wished he could convince his erection of that. They’d been friends for over three years now and he’d been unsuccessful so far. That meant the occasional cold shower to keep things in check, but he was managing.

The other female dancers joined Lana after her solo to complete the routine. That was a helpful distraction. When they were finished, the male dancers took the stage and the ladies made a quick exit to change into their next dance costume. At the Mau Loa, the show went through the whole history of hula, covering years of styles and dress as it evolved. Kal didn’t just want some cheesy performance to entertain the hotel guests; he wanted them to learn and appreciate his people and their culture.

“Do we meet with your approval, boss man?” a woman’s voice asked from beside him.

Kal didn’t have to turn to recognize Lana’s low, sultry voice. He glanced to his left and found her standing beside him. As the choreographer, she did some dancing and filled in for ill or absent performers, but she didn’t participate in the majority of the numbers herself.

“Some of you do,” he noted, turning away from the show to focus all his attention on her. To be honest, the only dancer who could truly hold his interest was standing right beside him. “Alek is looking a little off tonight.”

Lana’s head snapped around to the stage and she narrowed her gaze at the performers. She watched the male dancer with her ever-critical eye. “I think he’s a little hungover. I heard him talking to one of the other dancers about some wild night in Paia during practice this afternoon. I’ll talk to him in the morning. He knows better than to mess around the night before a performance.”

That was one of the reasons that Kal and Lana were such good friends. They both had a drive for perfection in all they did, Lana even more so than Kal. Kal liked everything to be just so, and he enjoyed his success, but he also enjoyed his play time. Lana was superfocused all the time, and really, she had to be to get to where she had in life. Not everyone could pull themselves up from poverty and turn their life into exactly what they’d wanted. It took drive and she had it in spades.

Sometimes he liked to point out faults just to watch her head spin like a top. Her cheeks would flush red, her nostrils would flare and her breasts would heave against her tight little tops in anger. It didn’t help lessen his attraction to her, but it certainly made things more interesting.

“Everyone else looks great, though,” he added to soothe her. “Good job tonight.”

Lana crossed her arms over her chest and bumped her shoulder into his. She wasn’t the most physically affectionate kind of person, never one to hang on other people. A bounce off the shoulder or a fist bump was about all she was comfortable with unless she was upset. When something was bothering her, all she wanted was a hug from Kal. He’d happily hold her until she felt better, enjoying what little affection she was willing to share.

The rest of the time, Lana was a no-nonsense kind of woman. He was actually kind of glad he wasn’t one of her dancers. He’d seen her drill them in rehearsals, accepting nothing less than the perfection she herself was willing to give.

He was pretty sure that friends or no, if he ever got fresh he’d earn a stinging slap across the face. He liked that about her. Most of the local women he encountered on Maui knew exactly who he was. That meant they also knew exactly what he was worth. Like flies to honey, they’d do whatever he wanted to get close to him. He liked Lana with her tart vinegar to break up the sweetness from time to time.

The stage went dark and silent for a moment, catching both their attention. When the lights came back on, the men were gone and the ladies were returning to the stage in their long grass skirts, coconut bras and large headdresses. Kal lovingly referred to this routine as “the bootie shaker.” He had no idea how the women moved as quickly as they did.

“There’s a good crowd tonight,” Lana noted.

“We always sell out on Sunday nights. Everyone knows this is the best luau in Maui.”

Lana’s dark gaze flicked over him and returned to the stage. Kal was bored with the dancing and instead focused on her. A light breeze carried the fragrance of her Plumeria flowers along with the sweet smell of her cocoa butter lotion to his nose. He drew it into his lungs, enjoying the scent that reminded him so much of nights laughing on the couch and sharing platters of sushi.

They spent a lot of their free time together. Kal dated periodically, as did Lana, but it never went anywhere. Him, by choice. Lana, because she had horrible taste in men. He loved her, but she was a loser magnet. She’d never get the husband and family she wanted with the kind of men she spent her time dating. That meant they spent a lot of time together. Kal’s family was all on Oahu. Lana’s family just wasn’t worth the effort. Occasionally she would go visit her sister, Mele, and baby niece, Akela, but she always came back to the resort in a surly mood.

Thinking of family and free time jogged his memory. “Do you have plans for Christmas?” he asked. It was less than a month away, but the time would go by quickly.

“Not really,” Lana answered. “You know it’s so busy around here at Christmas. I’ve got the musicians working on some Christmas songs to do caroling, and we’re adding a new holiday dance medley to the luau next week, which means extra rehearsals. I wouldn’t ever presume to ask for time off around the holidays. What about you?”

Kal chuckled. “I’ll be here, of course, helping guests celebrate Christmas at their tropical home away from home. Shall we carry on our annual holiday tradition of Christmas Eve sushi by my new fireplace while we exchange gifts?”

Lana nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

Kal was relieved. He didn’t know what he would do if Lana ever found the man of her dreams. If she were to fall in love, start a family and build a life outside the Mau Loa, he would be all by himself. She’d been at his side since they broke ground on the hotel and he’d gotten used to her always being there.

Finding out his brother was engaged and expecting a baby with his fiancée made the worry crop up in his mind lately. His brother, Mano, had been fairly dedicated to not getting seriously involved with a woman, and yet Paige had gotten under his skin. Before he knew what hit him, he was in love. Kal didn’t expect anything like that to ever happen to him—he was too stubborn to let anyone get that close.

But Lana...she deserved more than sushi with him on Christmas Eve. She deserved the life and family she wanted. He knew her childhood sucked. She wouldn’t say as much, but he knew that having a family of her own was her way of building what she’d never had. He’d just have to find an outlet for his loneliness and jealousy when she was gone.

He glanced over and noticed Lana was leaning against the wall. She looked tired. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said as she stared intently at the stage. “It’s just been a long day. I’m going to go back to my room and change. Are you up for a late dinner after the show?”

“I am.” Kal nodded in agreement. He actually couldn’t remember when he’d eaten last. He could lose himself in work so easily.

“I’ll meet you at the bar in half an hour. Let me know how the show goes.”

“You’ve got it.”

* * *

Lanakila made her way upstairs to her suite in the farthest corner of the hotel. It was, for all intents and purposes, her home. Kal had recently completed the construction of his private residence on the other side of the Mau Loa golf course. The sprawling home had taken quite a while to complete with its four bedrooms, large gourmet kitchen, three-car garage and tropical pool oasis in the backyard. Prior to that, he’d been living in a suite in the hotel so he could oversee every detail of operations.

Once he moved out into his new home, he’d opted to let Lana stay in his suite instead of remodeling it for a hotel room. She used to keep a small studio apartment up the coast in Kahakuloa, but she gave it up and sold all her furniture when she moved into the hotel. She stayed late most nights at the resort and was usually too exhausted to bother with the long drive home, so it was perfect.

It was actually bigger than her studio apartment had been anyway, and had a view of the ocean. She opened the door with her key card and slipped inside. Lana turned on the light in the tiny kitchenette before continuing through the living room into the bedroom. There, she slipped out of her costume and put her regular clothes back on.

She didn’t like wandering around the hotel in her dance clothes. It made her feel like a character in a Hawaiian theme park or something. Besides that, she could tell it made Kal uncomfortable when she wasn’t fully dressed. He averted his eyes and shifted nervously, something he never did when she was in street clothes.

Lana supposed that if Kal walked around in the men’s dance costume all the time, it would make her uncomfortable, too, although for different reasons. The men danced in little more than a skirt of ti leaves. She had a hard enough time focusing on Kal’s words when he was fully dressed in one of his designer suits. They covered every inch of his tanned skin, but they fit him like a glove and left little to the imagination.

Kalani Bishop was the most amazing specimen of male she’d ever laid her eyes on, and she’d gone to dance school, so that was saying something. And yet that was all she’d say on the subject. Longing for Kal was like longing for a pet tiger. It was beautiful and, if handled properly, could be a loving companion. But it was always wild. No matter what, you could never domesticate it. As much as she liked to live dangerously from time to time, she knew Kal was a beast well out of her league.

Clad in a pair of jeans and a tank top, she returned to the living room and picked up her phone where she’d left it during the performance. She noticed a message on her screen showing a missed call and a voice mail message from the Maui Police Department. Her stomach sank. Not again.

With her evermore violent father and her older sister, Mele, always getting into trouble, a call from the police station was not as rare as she’d like it to be.

Her mother had died when Lana was still a toddler. Their father, at least so she was told, had been a good man before that, but lost it when she died. He struggled after that, both in caring for his two young daughters and in coping with the loss. He turned to the bottle, a habit that released his temper. He’d never hit Lana or Mele, but he would shout the house down. He was also prone to getting in fights at the bar and getting arrested.

Lana had done everything right in an attempt to keep her father happy. That was how she got into dancing. Despite everything, her father was a proud Hawaiian man who believed they should honor their culture. Lana started taking hula as a child and continued into high school. Her father had never looked at her with as much pride as he did when he watched her dance.

Mele hadn’t been as concerned. In her mind, she was going to be in trouble no matter what, so she might as well have some fun. That included dating every boy she could find except for the native Hawaiian ones whom their father would’ve approved of. When she finally did start dating a Hawaiian, he was nothing to get excited about. Tua Keawe was a criminal in the making. Mele met him while he was hustling tourists, and he only escalated his illegal activities from there. Lana stopped visiting her sister when she was home from college because Mele was always high or drunk.

Last year, Mele had found out she was pregnant and she really seemed to clean up her act. Lana’s niece, Akela, was born free of addiction or side effects from fetal alcohol syndrome. She was a perfect, beautiful bundle that Lana adored more than anything. She’d always wanted a daughter of her own. Sometimes she wished the little girl was hers and not Mele’s, if just for Akela’s sake. Mele’s model behavior hadn’t lasted long past her delivery. She slipped back into her old habits, but there wasn’t much Lana could do about it without risking Child Services taking the baby away.

One thing Lana had never confided in Kal about was her sister and her criminal lifestyle. He knew about her father, and that her sister was prone to get in trouble, but she tried to keep Mele’s arrests under wraps. It was embarrassing, for one thing, to tell him. She knew he would understand and not judge her for their actions, but he was part of such an important and well-respected family. She was...not. Lana tried to pretend that she wasn’t from poor trash most of the time, but her family always saw fit to remind her.

Lana also avoided the topic because she was always hoping that Mele would grow up and start acting like the older, responsible sister she was supposed to be. So far her hopes for a big sister she could rely on instead of keep an eye on hadn’t materialized. Instead she leaned on Kal to be her responsible older sibling. She could go to him for advice and he would help her in any way he could.

Glancing at the screen, Lana worried that this time would be the one that her family had gotten into a mess that even Kal couldn’t help her clean up. It was coming sooner or later. She finally worked up the nerve to hit the button on her phone and listen to the message.

“Lana, this is Mele. Tua and I got arrested. I need you to come get us out of here. This whole thing is just a load of crap. It was entrapment!” she shouted. “Entrapment!” she repeated, most likely to the officer nearby.

The line went dead and Lana sighed. It sounded like she was going to spend another night waiting to pay her sister’s bail. Before she drove over there in the middle of the night, however, she was going to call the station. It had been a couple hours since her sister’s message and she wanted to make sure she was still there.

She pressed the key to call back the police station. The switchboard operator answered.

“Yes, this is Lana Hale. I received a call from my sister, Mele Hale, about bail.”

There was a moment of silence as the woman looked something up in the computer. “Yes, ma’am, please hold while I transfer you to the officer at the holding desk.”

“This is Officer Wood,” a man answered after a few moments.

“This is Lana Hale,” she repeated. “I got a call from my sister about coming to bail her out. I wanted to check before I came down there so late.”

The officer made a thoughtful noise before he answered. “Yes, your sister and her boyfriend were arrested today for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute. Apparently they attempted to sell heroin to an undercover police officer.”

Lana bit back a groan. This was worse than she thought. She hadn’t realized her sister had moved up from pot and LSD to a higher class of drug felony. “How much is her bail?” she asked.

“Actually your sister was misinformed when she called. There’s no bail set for either of them. They’re being held until tomorrow. Miss Hale will be meeting with a court-appointed attorney Monday morning prior to going before the judge.”

That wasn’t good. It sounded like their constant run-ins with the police were catching up with them. “Which judge?”

“I believe they’re scheduled to see Judge Kona.”

This time, the groan escaped Lana’s lips before she could stop it. Judge Kona was known for being a hard nut. He was superconservative, supertraditional and he didn’t tolerate any kind of crap in his courtroom. It wouldn’t be Mele’s first time before Judge Kona, and that wasn’t good news. He didn’t take kindly to repeat offenders.

A sudden thought popped into Lana’s mind, making her heart stop in her throat. “What about their daughter?” Her niece, Akela, was only six months old. Hopefully they hadn’t left her sleeping in her crib while they ran out to make a few bucks. It certainly wouldn’t surprise Lana if they had.

“The baby was in the car, asleep in her car seat, when the drug deal went down. She’s been taken by Child Protective Services.”

Panic made Lana’s chest tight even though she knew her niece was technically safe. “No!” she insisted. “What can I do? I’ll take her. She doesn’t need to go to be with strangers.”

“I understand how you feel,” Officer Wood said, “but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait and petition the judge for temporary guardianship while the legal guardians are incarcerated. In the meantime, the child will be placed in foster care. I assure you the baby will be well looked after. Perhaps more so than she was with her own parents.”

Lana’s knees gave out from under her and she sank down onto the couch. The rest of the call went quickly and before she knew it, the officer had hung up and she was staring blankly at her black phone screen.

She turned it back on to look at the time. It was late on a Sunday night. She’d have to wait to contact an attorney. Akela would be in foster care overnight no matter what, but if Lana had anything to say about it, she’d be with her by Monday afternoon.

It was a scary thought to leap unexpectedly into motherhood—she was completely unprepared—and yet she would do it gladly. Mele could be going to jail for months or years. Lana wouldn’t be watching Akela overnight or for a weekend this time. She would be her guardian for however long it took for Mele to serve her debt to society.

She would need help to pull this off. Lana didn’t want to do it, but she knew she had to tell Kal about what happened. Maybe he knew an attorney who would be better for Mele than the public defender or at the very least help her get guardianship of Akela.

Getting up from the couch, she slipped her phone into her back pocket and headed out to the bar to meet Kal. If anyone could help her out of this mess, it was him.


Two (#u7e5f3ed9-1439-5bba-819e-82231a9b6fd7)

Kal sat back in the chair at his lawyer’s office the next day trying to keep quiet. They weren’t here about him. They were here for Lana and Akela. Still, it was difficult to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing.

Lana had met him at the bar late last night, her eyes wild with panic. He’d never seen her like that. He’d forced a shot down her throat, sat her in a chair and made her tell him everything. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized exactly how much Lana had kept from him about her family. He knew her father was a mess, but it seemed her sister was even worse. The thought of Lana’s little niece being with strangers had made his blood boil. He’d only met her once, when Lana had her for an afternoon, but she was adorable, with chubby cheeks, long eyelashes and a toothless grin. Lana had been a fool for that baby, and now the baby was in trouble.

He’d called his attorney right then. When you had a six-figure retainer with Dexter Lyon, you got his personal number and permission to call him whenever you needed him. While Kal had never personally had a reason to summon his attorney from bed in the middle of the night, Lana did, and that was what mattered. He agreed to see them first thing Monday morning.

“It doesn’t look good to be honest,” Dexter said.

“What do you mean?” Lana said. Her face was flushed red and had been since the night before. She seemed to be on the verge of tears every second.

“I mean Judge Kona is a hard-ass. Yes, it absolutely makes sense for you to get custody of your niece. But let me tell you why he’d turn your petition down.” Dexter looked at his notepad. “You’re a dancer. You live out of a hotel room. You keep crazy hours. You’re single. While none of those make you legally unfit to have children, adding them all together makes you a hard sell to the judge.”

Lana frowned. “Well, for one thing, I’m a choreographer. I do stay in the hotel for convenience, but I can get an apartment if that’s what it takes. I am single, but I can afford day care while I’m at work.”

“And at night?” Dexter’s brow went up curiously. “I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. Judge Kona will ask these questions, so it’s best you be prepared for them.”

“I just don’t understand how Lana can be considered unfit when the baby’s actual parents are drug dealers. Even if she was an exotic dancer that lived in a van down by the river, she’d be more fit than Mele and Tua.” Kal was getting mad. He wasn’t used to being told no, especially when he called Dexter. Dexter was supposed to fix things. His reluctance to handle this made Kal more irritated by the second.

The attorney held up his hands in surrender. “I get it. I do. And I’ve gone ahead and filed for temporary guardianship. We’re on the judge’s docket for Wednesday.”

“Wednesday!” Lana looked heartbroken. Kal imagined that if his niece was with strangers, he wouldn’t want an hour to go by, much less a few days.

“There is no such thing as ‘hurry’ in the court system. We’re lucky we got in Wednesday. Look at this time as the opportunity it is.”

“Opportunity?” Lana repeated, skeptically.

“Yes. You’ve got two days to make yourself more fit. Find a place to live. Arrange for a nanny. Buy a crib. If you’ve got a serious boyfriend, marry him. All of that will help the cause.”

Marry him? “Now, wait just a second,” Kal said. He couldn’t be quiet about this any longer. “You’re recommending she just run out and marry someone so she can get custody?”

“Not just anyone. But if she’s with someone serious, it’s a great time to make the leap.”

Lana sat back in her chair and dropped her head into her hands. “Just the way I’d always pictured it.”

Kal didn’t like seeing her like this. She looked totally defeated. He wasn’t about to let her feel that way. “That’s a nice idea, Dexter, but not everyone is in a relationship that can go to the next level on a day’s notice.”

Dexter shrugged. “Well, I figured it was a long shot, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. Focus your energies on an apartment and a caregiver, then. A nice place too. A studio isn’t any better than a suite at a hotel.” He stood and walked around his desk to lean against it. “I know that it seems like a lot of changes just for a temporary guardianship, but your sister and her boyfriend are in a lot of trouble. It might not be as temporary as you expect it to be.

“Life will get really complicated in a cramped apartment with a small baby after the first few weeks. My house is three thousand square feet, and when we brought our son home from the hospital, it felt like a tiny cardboard box. Baby crap everywhere. Everything is complicated by a factor of ten at least. It takes twenty minutes just to load up the car to run to the grocery store.”

Lana groaned aloud. “Are you trying to talk me out of doing this?”

Dexter’s eyes widened. “No, of course not. Kids are great. We have four now. My point is that I need you to do whatever you can to make it an easier transition. I have every intention of winning the motion Wednesday. I just need your help to make it impossible for the judge to say no. Every little thing you do can help.”

A soft knock came at the door.

“Yes?” Dexter asked loudly.

His assistant poked her head inside. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lyon, but Mr. Patterson is on line two and he’s very upset. He refuses to speak to anyone but you.”

Dexter looked at Lana, then at Kal. “Do you mind if I take this call in the other room? It should only take a minute.”

Kal nodded and Dexter slipped out the door with his assistant. He couldn’t shake the irritation that furrowed his brow. He didn’t like any of this and he certainly didn’t like this judge. Who was he to impose his value system on others? Lana shouldn’t have to rearrange her whole life for this. There was nothing wrong with the way she lived. She wasn’t a drug dealer or a heroin addict, so she was a step above her sister as a fit guardian, easily.

He wanted to say something, but Lana’s pensive expression gave him pause. He didn’t want to interrupt her. She got the same look on her face when she was working out a dance routine. The whole thing would play out in her mind like a film as she thought it through. If you spoke to her, she’d have to start over from the beginning.

Finally her brown eyes came into focus and she turned to look at him. Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail today that swung over her shoulder as she moved. While her long, thick hair was beautiful and he often fantasized about running his fingers through it, he knew it annoyed the hell out of her. She kept it long for the show, but if she wasn’t performing, it was usually pulled back from her face. Thankfully that relieved the temptation. Most of the time.

“So I’ve got an idea,” she said. “It’s a little out there, so do me a favor and just go with it for a second.”

He didn’t know that he liked the sound of that. It usually meant trouble where she was concerned. “Okay.”

She held out her hands to count her points on her fingers. “So, obviously my job isn’t going to change and there’s no reason that it should.”

“Agreed.”

“I can find a day care for the days I work with the dancers and a babysitter for the nights of the luau.”

“That’s true. I can also give you some time off, you know. I think you have about two hundred hours’ worth of vacation you’ve never used.”

Lana frowned at him. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, and he didn’t like it. He wanted to reach out and rub away the crease between her eyebrows and kiss the pout of her lips until she smiled again. Or hit him. As long as she stopped looking so upset. Instead he kept his hands and mouth to himself.

“While that’s a nice idea, it’s Christmas. We’re super busy. There’s no way I’m taking off the whole month. Besides, if what your lawyer says is true and I have Akela longer than a month or two, I’m going to need my leave for when she’s sick or has doctor’s appointments. No one I know with kids under the age of three has any personal leave accrued, especially if the child goes to day care. They catch all the bugs there.”

Kal hadn’t really thought about that. If this did turn into a long-term arrangement, Akela would take up a huge portion of her time. He felt a pang of jealousy at the idea that he might be losing his best friend for a while. He totally understood, but he wondered what he would do while she was consumed by caring for her niece. “Okay. I just wanted to let it be known that your boss says it’s all right if you have to do it.”

Lana nodded. “Thanks. He’s usually a jerk, so I’m glad he can be reasonable about this.” She grinned for the first time since she’d gotten the call from her sister, and he felt a sense of relief wash over him at last. That smile gave him a little hope, even if it was at his expense.

“A bigger apartment in Maui...now, that’s a hard one. I can’t afford anything like that on the west side of the island. And if I move any farther east, the commute will be awful.”

Real estate in Maui really was ridiculous. He tried not to think about how much he’d paid for the land his hotel sat on. There were so many zeroes in that check that he had a hard time signing it and he had the money. He couldn’t imagine trying to live here on an average income. Lana made good money, but she didn’t make beachfront condo money.

He’d forgotten her old apartment was so small. She’d noted how big the hotel suite was when she moved in, so he should’ve considered that. It felt tiny to him now that he was living in such a huge house. Huge house...that was a thought.

“What about moving in with me?” He spat the words out before really thinking them through.

Lana looked at him, narrowing her almond-shaped eyes. “That would help a lot, actually. Are you sure, though? It’s going to be a major cramp on your bachelorhood to have me and a baby in the house.”

Kal shrugged that off. He rarely had time for anything aside from work this time of year. Plus, if Lana was in the house with the baby, he wouldn’t miss out on his time with her. He’d never admit to his selfish motivations, however. “I’ve got three extra bedrooms just sitting empty. If it will help, I’m happy to do what I can.”

Lana beamed at him. “I’m actually really glad you said that, because I was just about to get to the crazy part of my plan.”

Kal swallowed hard. She had something in mind that was crazier than moving in together with a baby?

Just then Lana slid off of her chair and onto one knee in front of him. She took his hand and held it as he frowned down at her. “What are you doing?” he asked as his chest grew tight and he struggled to breathe. His hand was suddenly burning up where she held him in hers, the contact lighting his every nerve on fire. He wanted to pull away and regain control of himself, but he knew he couldn’t. This was just the calm before the storm.

Lana took a deep breath and looked up at him with a hopeful smile. “I’m asking you to marry me.”

* * *

Lana looked up at Kal and anxiously waited for his answer. The idea had just come to her and she acted on it before she lost her nerve. It was crazy, she knew that, but she was willing to do whatever it took to get guardianship of Akela. So now here she was, on one knee, proposing marriage to her best friend, who had no interest in ever marrying.

Judging by the panic-stricken expression on Kal’s face, this wasn’t what he was expecting and he didn’t want to say yes. She clutched his hand tighter in hers, noting that his touch strengthened her even when he’d much rather pull away. He was her support, her ideal, her everything. This could work. It had to.

“I’m sorry I don’t have a diamond ring for you,” she started rambling in the hopes of breaking the tension in the room. “I wasn’t planning on getting engaged today.”

Kal didn’t laugh. His eyes just grew wider as he subtly shook his head in disbelief. “Are you serious?” he asked.

“Dead serious. You just said you were happy to do whatever you could to help me get Akela. If we’re married and living together in your big house when we go into court on Wednesday, there’s no way the judge will turn down the request.”

Kal leaned forward and squeezed her hands. “You know I would do anything for you. But married? I never... I mean...that’s kind of a big deal.”

The fact that Kal hadn’t flat-out said no to this whole thing made her love him even more. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal,” she argued. “Listen, I know how you feel about marriage, and I get it. I’m not asking you to stay with me forever or fall madly in love with me. We’re not going to sleep together or anything. That would be crazy talk. I just want this marriage to be for show. We spend so much time together that no one would find it suspect that we’ve quietly fallen in love and eloped. It’s the perfect cover. We get married, stay married as long as we need to to make the judge and Child Services happy. Then we annul it or divorce or whatever when it’s all done. At most, you’ll have to kiss me a couple times in public. That shouldn’t be too horrible, right?”

A flicker of what looked like disappointment crossed Kal’s face for a moment. Lana wasn’t sure what that was about. It wasn’t possible that he might relish the idea of them being man and wife. The thought alone sent a thrill through Lana that she refused to acknowledge, but it was all obligation on his part, she was certain.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and then he nodded. “So we get married, move you into my place and play the happy couple for the general public until Akela can safely return to her parents. That’s it?”

Lana nodded. “That’s it, I promise. If you so much as try anything more than that, I’ll be sure to give you a good slap to remind you who you’re dealing with.”

That, finally, brought a smile to Kal’s face. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was going to go along with her harebrained plan even though it involved a major life milestone that he never expected to achieve with the kind of woman he’d never lower himself to love.

“So, Kalani Bishop, would you do me the honor of being my fake husband?” she asked again, since he hadn’t truly responded the first time.

He pressed his lips together for a moment, and then he finally nodded. “I guess so.”

“Yay!” Lana leaped into his arms and hugged him close. She buried her nose in his neck, drawing in the scent of his cologne. The familiar musk of her best friend drew a decidedly physical response from deep inside her that she wasn’t expecting with everything else that was going on. Her heart started racing in her chest as she held his spicy male scent in her lungs and enjoyed his arms wrapped tightly around her. No one held her like he did, and there was no one she wanted to hold her more than Kal.

Then she felt him stiffen awkwardly against her. She pulled herself out of the romantic fog she’d let herself accidentally slip into. This wasn’t the reaction of someone who was comfortable with his decision. She drew back and looked at the lines on his face that reflected conflict and shame instead of excitement and confidence. Lana needed to remember that this was all for show. It might be her innermost secret fantasy coming to life, but he was only doing this for her because it was important and they were friends, not for any other reason. She needed to save her physical reactions to him for public consumption or she’d scare him off.

“Are you really okay with this?” she asked.

“No,” he said, ever honest, “but I’m going to do it anyway. For you.”

His words nearly brought tears to her eyes. She leaned in to hug him again and spoke softly into his ear. “Thank you for being the best friend a girl could ever have. I owe you big-time.”

Kal chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated against her chest and made her want to snuggle closer to him. “Oh, you have no idea.”

The door of the room opened again and Lana pulled away from Kal to turn to Dexter. “We’re getting married,” she announced before he could change his mind.

Dexter looked at Lana, then curiously at Kal and his pained expression. “Excellent. Shall I draw up a prenup? I presume that assets won’t comingle, and everyone keeps what they have going into the union?”

“Sure,” Lana said. Part of her thought that Kal might balk at the idea of a prenuptial agreement, but she wanted him to have that protection. She didn’t want any of his stuff and she wanted to make sure he knew it. “I don’t want him getting his hands on my old-school hi-fi system.”

Kal turned to look at her. “Your what?”

“It has a turntable. Records are cool again.”

He just shook his head. “Draw something up and we’ll come back to sign it in the morning. We’ll get married tomorrow afternoon assuming the wedding pavilion at the hotel isn’t booked. That should be good enough for the judge, right?”

“The two of you married and living in that big new house...oh yeah.” Dexter nodded enthusiastically. “Then you’ll just have to put on a good show for Child Services when they come for home visits. If you can pull this off, it will make my job ten times easier.”

“Okay,” Kal said, pushing up from his seat. “We’ll see you in the morning, then.” He reached out for Lana’s hand, something he’d never done before. “Come on, honey. We’ve got a lot of plans to make if we’re going to get married tomorrow afternoon.”

Lana twisted her lips in amusement. The stiff way he said the words was proof enough that he was really uncomfortable with the situation but was too good of a friend to say no. She didn’t say anything, though. Instead she took his hand and they walked out of the attorney’s office together.

They were silent until they got back to the car. Kal had parked his F-type Jaguar convertible in the shade on the far side of the parking lot. Lana had always loved Kal’s car. It was the kind of vehicle that motor-heads fantasized about. Lana drove an old Jeep without doors, so this felt superluxurious. As she climbed in beside him and looked around this time, however, she realized they had an issue.

“Kal?”

“Yeah?” he asked as he started the engine and it roared to life.

“You drive a two-seater convertible and I drive a Jeep Wrangler without doors or a roof.”

Kal pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the main highway. “And?”

“And...I don’t think we can put a car seat in either of those.”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully as they went down the highway. “You’re probably right. It’s never something that’s mattered before. I’ll have someone bring a car over. I’ll lease one for as long as we have Akela. What do you think is responsible enough? A minivan? An SUV with all the airbags? Or would you rather have a sedan of some kind?”

She hadn’t really thought that far ahead, as evidenced by this predicament. “Not a minivan. That’s all I ask. Other than that, as long as it has a backseat I can put a car seat in and will protect her from the elements, I think I’m good. Thank you.”

“No problem.” Kal looked past her toward the shopping center they were coming up on. “Since we’re discussing the ways we’re completely unprepared for marriage and parenthood, I think we need to make a pit stop.”

Lana held on as he whipped the car into the parking lot and came to a stop outside a baby supercenter. She’d only set foot in it once, to buy a baby shower gift for Mele. “I don’t know what we need yet. I’ve got to go by Mele’s apartment and see what she has.”

Kal shook his head and turned off the car. “No, you don’t. We’re getting all new stuff. Come on.”

Lana leaped out of the car and jogged to catch up with him. “Are you serious? I can’t afford to buy all new baby things.”

Kal pulled his dark sunglasses down his nose to look at her with an expression that could’ve melted a woman’s panties right off. Lana had learned early on that when he looked at her that way, it wasn’t smoldering, it was irritation.

“You’re not buying it. I am.”

She suspected he might say that. “This is too much, Kal,” she complained. He simply ignored her, going into the store ahead of her. “Kal!” she finally shouted with her hands planted on her hips.

He stopped and turned around to look at her. “What is the problem?”

She narrowed her gaze at him. Women she’d had as friends over the years had asked her how she could be friends with a man as hot at Kal and not want more. While she convinced herself she didn’t want more, she used this as exhibit number one: he was stubborn as an ox. “It’s too much.”

“We’re already getting married and moving in together to pull this off. What is too much, exactly?”

She knew he was right. “I don’t want you to buy a ton of things. We might only have her for a few weeks.”

“Or we might have her for years. Either way, she needs a place to sleep, food, clothes, diapers... If it makes you happy, I’ll donate everything to charity when we’re done. It won’t go to waste, okay?”

Lana bit at her bottom lip but knew she’d lost this battle before it started. Kal wasn’t about to decorate the baby’s nursery with the thrift store finds they collected from Mele’s apartment. “Fine.”

Inside the store, Kal waved his finger at the manager standing behind the customer service desk. “We’re going to need some assistance.”

The woman came forward, polite, but curious about his forwardness. “What can I help you with, sir?”

“With everything. We’re buying it all, so I need someone to jot down what we choose as we go through the store and have it delivered to my home.”

The manager seemed flustered but grabbed a clipboard and the registry scanner and went straight to leading him up and down the aisles. Lana tried not to roll her eyes. Why Kal couldn’t just get a cart and shop like a normal person, she didn’t know.

She figured it out soon, however. There wasn’t a cart big enough. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he was going to buy everything. It took about two hours to go through the entire store. They bought a complete bedroom suite with a crib, changing table, dresser, lamp and rocking chair. They got bedding, a mobile, a car seat, a high chair, a stroller and a swing. Diaper bags, bottles, cases of baby food and diapers, medicine, shampoo...you name it. They even bought about twenty outfits and pajamas.

It was exhausting, but Lana had to admit Kal had good taste. Everything he selected was beautiful. The furniture for the nursery was a soft gray color that complemented the star and moon bedding set. It was enchanting for a baby’s room. Hopefully Akela would love all her new things as much as Lana did. She was so young, she probably couldn’t appreciate most of it, but the toys Kal purchased last would be a big hit with the baby at least.

As they finished selecting the last few things, Lana took a step back and counted her blessings. There was no way she could make any of this happen without Kal. He was an amazing friend and person. Not just for agreeing to marry her, but for all of it.

She really didn’t understand why Kal was determined to stay single. He insisted he was too busy for that sort of thing, but she didn’t believe it. He was the kind of man who could make any dream into reality. If he wanted a family, all he had to do was snap his fingers and women would line up to volunteer for the job. He was tall and muscular with a build they would clamor to run their hands over. His hair was dark and wavy, and his skin was golden brown. His smile could melt her defenses. Honestly, when he was wearing one of his expensive suits and marching around the hotel like a man on a mission, she had a hard time figuring out why she didn’t just throw herself at him.

She joked about what a pain he could be, how stubborn he was, what a playboy he was to go through women the way he did. The truth was far different. She loved Kal. He was the best thing in her life, where she didn’t have much outside of her job and her friendship with him to rave about. If she really let herself think about it, she probably would want him. It was just a ridiculous thought, so she never let herself have it.

Kal was simply too good for her. He was educated, rich, cultured and from an important family. Yes, they could be friends and even fake husband and wife, but a real relationship with a woman like her? Even if he was open to marriage, he wouldn’t choose her. She was really surprised he agreed to fake marry her considering her sister was in jail and her family was such a mess. Their friendship made it possible and she would cling to that for dear life. It was better than any romantic relationship, anyway.

It sure made dating hard, though. Where would she find a man to measure up to Kal? It was impossible, and she’d certainly tried. Over the last few years, she’d gone through a steady stream of losers. None even came close to Kal. Not only was he handsome and ridiculously rich, but he was funny, kind, thoughtful... She couldn’t have chosen a better best friend. And come tomorrow, a better husband, even if just for show. All she’d expected him to do was sign on the dotted line, hold her hand in court and act like a loving husband in public. Instead he was paying a small fortune, fully committing to making this work. All to make Lana happy.

Lana didn’t know why Kal was single, but it was easy to see why she couldn’t commit to someone else.


Three (#u7e5f3ed9-1439-5bba-819e-82231a9b6fd7)

Kal straightened the bow tie of his white tuxedo and looked himself over in the mirror. He certainly looked like a groom. He was as nervous as he imagined a groom would be. But that spark of excitement was missing. It just all felt awkward. Backward. Definitely not how he’d intended to spend his Tuesday.

Marriage hadn’t always been an alien concept to Kal. When he was younger it was something he knew he would do someday, but reality intruded. When he was twenty, a car accident claimed the lives of his parents and left his brother blind. Kal realized then that no one was invincible, including him. He’d grown up so sheltered and privileged that he almost thought nothing bad could ever happen to him. Then, in an instant, he’d lost the most important people in his life. No warnings, no goodbyes, just gone forever.

Suddenly he had more responsibilities piled on him than most kids his age. His grandparents helped with the hotel while Kal finished college and Mano adjusted to his disability, but Kal eventually stepped up to lead the family when he graduated. That was enough family and responsibility for him. Marriage was not in the cards for Kal. He wasn’t sure he could go through something like that again—getting attached to someone else just to lose her...or to leave a family behind to pick up the pieces after his death. It seemed like too much risk for the potential reward.

So why, then, was he pinning an orchid to his lapel and heading out the door to the Mau Loa’s wedding pavilion? Well, because he just couldn’t say no to Lana.

When she’d looked up at him, her dark brown eyes pleading with him to say yes...there was no question that he would do whatever she asked of him. He just wanted to make sure she was serious and set boundaries for this “marriage.”

It wasn’t 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 will belong entirely to each other, one in mind, one in heart and in all things. Now please hold hands and look into each other’s eyes.”

Kal took her hands in his and held them tightly. He didn’t know if it was the situation or how beautiful she looked today, but touching her was different than before. He felt an unexpected thrill as he took her hand, and it raced all the way through his nervous system like the burning fuse of a firecracker. He was suddenly very aware of the scent of the flowers in her hair, the subtle sparkle of her lipstick and the silky softness of her skin.

“Do you, Kalani, take Lanakila to be your wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward? For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health? To cherish with devoted love and faithfulness till death do you part?”

Kal swallowed hard and found his mouth so dry he could barely part his tongue from the roof of his mouth. He wasn’t used to being nervous, but this had certainly done the trick. “I do,” he managed at last.

That was the easy part. Now he just had to try to live up to the impossible vow he’d just taken.

* * *

The holy man repeated the vows for Lana, but she was hardly listening. How could she hear what he said over the loud pounding of her heart?

She’d been okay until the ceremony started. She’d had butterflies in her stomach, but she’d held it together as long as she focused on each little task—finding a dress, doing her hair, applying her makeup. In the mirror of her suite, she kept repeating to herself that this wasn’t about love, this was about Akela. The ceremony itself was the only real part of this entire marriage. Perhaps that was the problem. As she stood here looking into Kal’s dark brown eyes and let his warm hands steady her shaky ones, it felt real. Too real.

Lana let a ragged breath escape her lungs, then realized both men were looking expectantly at her. “I do,” she said quickly, and hoped that was the correct response.

It was. The kahuna pule continued with the ceremony by blessing the wedding rings. He placed the ti leaf in the koa bowl that was filled with seawater. He then sprinkled the water three times over the ring and repeated the blessing before handing the smaller of the two rings to Kal.

Kal repeated the required words, all the while looking into Lana’s eyes as though there were no other person on the whole planet. There was a twinkle of mischief there in his dark gaze that she recognized and appreciated. He was trying to calm her nerves by acting as though he wasn’t nervous. She knew better. His right eyelid kept twitching. It hadn’t done that since opening day of the resort.

“Lana, please place the ring on Kal’s finger and repeat after me.”

Lana slipped the platinum band onto Kal’s finger and pledged to be with him until death. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and tried not to let the doubts creep in as the words left her lips. She only had seconds to change her mind and then she would legally be Mrs. Kalani Bishop.

It’s not real, she repeated silently to herself as the kahuna pule continued to speak. She was not Kal’s blushing bride, he wasn’t in love with her and there would be no wedding night fantasy come to life tonight. Lana needed to shut down her brain and her libido before it was met with a great deal of disappointment.

“Lana and Kal,” the kahuna pule continued, “you have pledged your eternal aloha to each other and your commitment to live together faithfully in lawful wedlock. By the authority vested in me by the laws of the state of Hawaii, I pronounce you husband and wife. Kal, you may kiss your bride.”

And just like that, it was done.

With that worry aside, Lana suddenly had a new one. Kal was moving closer and the charade was about to get physical for the first time. Repeating vows was one thing, but the line between friend and lover was on the verge of being irrevocably blurred.

Kal’s hand rested against her cheek and drew her lips closer to his. Lana’s breath caught in her throat as the panic threatened to seize her. She vacillated between wanting this kiss more than she should, dreading it, and hoping they managed to convince the holy man it was authentic. With no other choice but to go through with this, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.

Half a heartbeat later, she felt Kal’s lips against her own. They were soft and gentle as they pressed insistently to hers. Lana couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her body or the prickle of energy that shot down her spine. She hadn’t intended to, but she was having a genuine physical reaction to his kiss.

Before she could stop herself, she climbed to her toes to get closer to him. Her palms pressed against the massive wall of his chest. The scent of his cologne mingled with the tropical flowers and the warmth of his skin, and they all combined to draw her in.

Lana had never quite understood why women threw themselves at Kal when they couldn’t keep him. Well, she understood he was handsome, charming and rich, but she watched as time after time they fell under his spell and lost all their good sense. She’d always thought that those women were silly. Yes, her best friend was a great catch, but he was also a blanket hog and he always ate the last piece of sushi. There was no reason to make a fool of themselves over him. Especially when he had no intention of taking their relationship much past the bedroom.

The bedroom.

Lana felt a pang of need deep inside her at the thought. No matter how often she reminded herself about how fake this all was, her body clearly ignored her. It had decided that she was married, so she would be getting a little action tonight from the tall, dark piece of man kissing her. Not so.

With her hands still pressed on his chest, she pushed back and ended the kiss. Certainly that was enough to satisfy the holy man and make this official. There was no need to go overboard, right?

When she looked up at Kal, he seemed affected by their kiss, as well. His dark eyes were glassy and dilated. His skin seemed a little more flushed than usual. Good. It wasn’t just her. She’d feel like an idiot if she got all worked up over that simple kiss and he treated it like just another day at the races.

She expelled the air and his scent out of her lungs slowly and looked back toward the kahuna pule before she tried to kiss Kal again. This had all happened so fast she hadn’t truly allowed herself to prepare, mentally, for the change in their friendship.

“Ho’omaika’i ’ana,” the kahuna pule said with a wide smile across his face. “Congratulations to you both.”

“Mahalo,” Kal said, thanking him.

The next few minutes were a blur. They all signed the marriage license, making it truly official. Then the kahuna pule gathered up his things and was gone, leaving them alone in the pavilion. Man and wife.

Lana looked out at the ocean for a minute, waiting for the surreal feeling to pass. It wasn’t going to. No matter how many times she pinched herself, she would still be married.

“That went well, I think.”

Lana turned to look at Kal. He was standing with his hands shoved casually into his pockets, as though they hadn’t just gotten married a moment before. He had the same smirk on his face as always.

“I suppose. We’re married, so that was the most important part.”

He sauntered over to where she was standing and eyed her with a curiously raised brow. “That kiss was pretty convincing.”

More convincing than she’d anticipated. She didn’t want to admit that to him, though. The potential for things to be awkward between them was high enough without that. “We’re pretty good actors, aren’t we?”

The smirk disappeared. Was he disappointed because he thought that he could nearly melt her knees out from under her? Lana could tell her best friend many things, but that wasn’t one of them. She’d promised him this would just be for show and short term at that. If he knew he could turn her on without even trying, she’d never live that down. He still liked to remind her of the time she’d had too much to drink and groped his rear end.





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