The Baby Proposal

“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

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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