My Beloved: A Thin Love Novella(32)
He’d forgiven Lalei for the pain she’d caused him, for the lies she’d told Kona, and because of that their relationship, although distant and strained, was healing. Keira was glad for it, glad that Kona and Ransom both could make their peace with the old woman, that they all now could move on.
“He did all this, you know.” Ransom nodded ahead to where Kona walked toward an altar made of palms and blossoms with a circle of flowers curved around the base. He didn’t look at Keira as they came closer and she smiled, her heart pounding as Kona followed the kahu, holy man, to the front of the altar. “He wanted it to be perfect. He wanted it to be your kind of perfect, Mom.”
And to Keira, it was. The cool brush of air rustling around them, the sun warming their skin, her beautiful boy walking her down the make-shift aisle and Kona, her perfect Kona, back to her as was tradition, looking large, relaxed and divine as the kahu next to him sang a low rasped chant as he led Kona to the altar.
“He’s not supposed to be looking,” Ransom complained when Kona looked over his shoulder, his cheeks dented deep with his huge smile. He was so beautiful, tall and wide and lovely in his linen shirt and loose fitting pants. Even his large bare feet had Keira biting her lips. “That’s for you.” Her son moved his chin toward the kahu as he blew on the pu, or conch seashell, welcoming her toward the altar, calling forth to the land, air, fire, and sea to be witnesses to the ceremony. It was a sound Kona had explained announced the beginning of something magical, something special.
Finally, with Ransom’s grip on her fingers loosening, they reach the altar and Keira’s heart worked hard, felt like it was inching toward her throat when Kona finally turned around and stepped toward her.
Those tears Keira had managed to keep at bay let loose, fell from her eyes when Ransom kissed her, then turned toward his father and let the big man kiss his cheek, wrapping their son in his massive arms.
Ransom stepped back and Kona greeted Keira with a kiss, seeming to not care that it wasn’t time for that part. “Wildcat,” he said, with his forehead against hers and those small tears got larger. Kona’s hand felt warm against her cheek, settled that wild rhythm of Keira’s heart as he looked down at her, kissing her knuckles before he brought her in front of the kahu.
Keira only managed a brief glimpse at the old man, his beautiful purple sash knotted at his shoulder and the vivid colors, purples, deep greens, of his haku lei, head garland, resting atop his white hair. But Keira didn’t notice too many more details about the man or the words he said after some kind of welcome that she thought was somewhat unnecessary since it was just Ransom that watched Kona and Keira at that altar.
Her attention instead was drawn to the big man in front of her, focused on the sensation of his large fingers over her arms, pulling her close. The wet gleam in his eyes told Keira everything she needed to know about what was running through his mind. This had been a long time coming, years, and it was finally here. This would finally be their always.
“Oh, I forgot,” Ransom said, pulling out his phone to play the low sound of a ukulele. “Ke Kali Nei Au” wafted melodic and soft from Ransom’s shirt pocket, another tradition Kona had told her they couldn’t skip.
And then, their son came to them, two leis in his hands giving Keira the long, green maile leaf lei and Kona the fragrant white ginger lei. Keira followed Kona’s lead, dipping her head when he settled the lei over her shoulders, then stretching forward when it was time to give Kona his.
The kahu prompted them, asking for the vows and Keira smiled. They’d discussed the traditions Kona wanted included in their ceremony before they left New Orleans. The wedding that almost happened was going to include the music, the leis, all the customary things they were now implementing at this small ceremony, but still Keira thought this was better, just their little family and the sea behind them. They didn’t need pedantic oaths about fidelity and honor and sickness and health. They’d planned vows of truth, of sincerity, and Keira was happy, relieved that those private vows would be spoken out here on the beach with no prying eyes, no confused minds tainting the promises they wanted to make to each other.
Kona smiled, touched her face again and this time, he let his hand rest there as though he couldn’t do without touching her for another minute. Inhaling deep, Kona’s voice was soft and that shimmering gleam in his eyes built, threatened to spill over the longer his gaze met Keira’s.
“My Wildcat,” he said, smiling when she shook her head, “I promise to pick up my shoes off the floor so your toes don’t get busted again.” Keira grabbed his wrist, holding her fingers around it, needing to touch his skin, and the glimmer in Kona’s eyes brightened. “I promise to never stop kissing you, like I really wanna do right now.” Kona cleared his throat when the kahu said something low and amused that Keira couldn’t make out. “I promise to put you first, to always remember that you are my breath, you are what makes all the bad disappear. You always have been, baby. God knows you always will be.” Kona exhaled, shoulders moving down and his thumb picked up a slow rub across Keira’s cheek. “I promise…” he cleared his throat again, dismissing the small quake in his voice that had interrupted his words, “you’ll always be my beloved.”
When he had finished, Kona didn’t move his hand from her face, couldn’t seem able to, so Keira kissed his palm, threaded their fingers together and placed their hands right against Kona’s chest, where his heart beat fast, where that small tattoo, the one he got for Keira all those years ago still marked him. It had faded, she’d noticed, those precious words gray now and surrounded by the intricate symbols and lines of the Polynesian tribal marking, meanings that he’d explained had detailed his life, his regret, his hope, over his chest, his shoulder and down half of his arm. It had all started with those words, Ku`u Lei, “my beloved,” and Keira held her fingers over it now, hoping he could feel what she did, wishing he could understand what his promises had meant to her, how they covered the fractures in her heart and made her whole.