Tropical Kiss Or Miss (Tropical Kisses Book 1)

by Liwen Y. Ho

  Olivia’s eyes brightened and she smiled, this time more genuinely. “Sure, thanks. That would make things easier for me.”

  Micah ran over with a wide grin that revealed two front teeth flanked by gaps on either side. “Mom! We’re eating dinner together. I’m getting chow mein and potstickers. What do you want?”

  “Hi sweetie, I missed you.” She cupped his face with both hands and planted a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll have scrambled eggs over rice. With shrimp,” she added as she took off her heels. Looking to Matt, she asked, “I’m completely soaked. Do you mind if I get a towel to dry myself off?”

  After a year of separation, it still seemed strange to hear Olive be so formal. They had once shared everything. But sharing a home and a bed didn’t mean they were always in it at the same time. That was his fault, more than anyone’s. And these were the consequences of his actions. “Go for it, my place is your place, you know that. The clean towels are in the master bath.”

  Her brows drew together before she nodded and walked down the hall toward the bedrooms.

  Matt jerked his thumb in the direction of the dining room. “Come on, Micah, I’ll call in the order and you can do your homework.”

  A couple of minutes later, Matt grabbed a clean T-shirt from the laundry room and headed to his room to check on Olive. He heard the whir of a hair dryer as he approached the slightly open door and pushed it open. A king-sized bed filled the center of the room with a walk-in closet to his right and a large bathroom to his left. Other than a framed family photo sitting on the nightstand, the room remained as bare as the day he moved in.

  To his surprise, he found Olive in front of the vanity, her hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. She had her back to him and was busy drying off the sleeves of her purple blouse. A blouse she was no longer wearing.

  Swallowing hard, he let his eyes linger on his wife. He took in all the delicate curves he missed touching and holding. Even in her absence, he could remember every detail of her body, from the ones he could see now—the faint lines on her stomach left by the pregnancy—to the ones hidden beneath her skirt, like the tattoo of the word hope that she’d gotten after their separation. She was a beautiful sight to look at … but one he didn’t have the freedom of looking at anymore.

  His eyes met hers in the mirror and he dropped his gaze and turned away. The hair dryer stopped and Olive approached him. Staring straight ahead, he muttered, “Sorry, I should’ve knocked.”

  “Don’t be silly, it’s your room. Is this for me?” Not waiting for him to answer, she took the T-shirt from his grasp and slipped it on. “You can turn around now.”

  Matt did as she said, not expecting to see the girl he remembered from years ago wearing his shirt, its hem skimming the tops of her knees. For a brief moment, an innocence returned to her eyes. The smile playing on her lips reminded him of the teenager he fell for over a bag of chips. How he missed those days before life got complicated. Without thinking, he brought his hand to caress the side of her face and uttered the words he’d been wanting to say the past few weeks. “I’ve missed you.”

  She drew in a quick breath and shook free from his touch. “Matt—don’t. I can’t think straight when you touch me. Remember what happened last time ...”

  Of course he remembered; it was that memory that gave him the hope he needed to try again. “Olive, let’s start over. You, me, and Micah. I want us to be a family again.”

  Her eyes widened before she looked away. “We talked about this. I don’t know if I’m ready. What if things go back to the way they were?”

  He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “They won’t. I won’t. I’ll be the husband and father that you and Micah need. The one you both deserve. I promise.”

  She stepped out of his reach. “Don’t make promises unless you can keep them.”

  He doubled over as if he’d been punched; she might as well have hurt him physically because her words had the same effect. Was she still blaming him for the car accident? Yes, he was partly to blame. Not because he was the one who’d run a red light and gotten T-boned—that was all Olive’s doing—but because he was supposed to drive Micah to his softball game. When he couldn’t leave work as he’d promised, she had to cancel on her clients and break a few traffic laws to get Micah to the field on time.

  The air in the room turned cool. He rubbed the back of his neck and blew out a long breath. Okay. He could either get defensive or man up. For the sake of his family, he chose the latter. Before he could speak, he felt Olive’s hand on his arm.

  “I shouldn’t have said—”

  “No, you’re right. I put my work before you guys too many times before, but I won’t do it again.” Those big brown eyes he loved staring into softened when he placed his hand over hers. “Give me a chance to prove it.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip and nodded. “Maybe we can talk after the trip?”

  The doorbell chimed, breaking off their gaze.

  “That’s the delivery guy. I’ll get it.” Matt strolled out of the bedroom to the front door. He exchanged some cash for the bag of takeout boxes and set it on the dining table. “Dinner’s here. Let’s eat.”

  Micah and Olive reached the table at the same time and sat down, one on each side of him. She opened the containers and dumped the food out onto serving plates, and the rich, slightly sweet smell of soy sauce filled the air. Matt handed each one of them a plate and a pair of wooden chopsticks and sat down.

  “Yum, I’m so hungry!” Micah poked his chopsticks into a plump potsticker and brought it to his lips.

  Matt chuckled and reached for his hand. “Hey, buddy, let’s pray first. We need to thank God for giving us everything we have.” He held out his other hand to Olivia who responded with a quirked brow. The three of them bowed their heads as he said grace.

  “Thanks for remembering.”

  There was no sarcasm in Olive’s tone, only gratitude and a bit of awe. The gentle squeeze she gave his hand before letting go lifted Matt’s spirits. In the past, he’d always been too busy—to eat dinner with the family, to go to church, or to pray—and eventually she stopped expecting him to do so. It felt good to surprise her today. “I’m trying not to take anything for granted.”

  “Can we eat now?” Their son eyed the potsticker on his plate and licked his lips. “I can’t wait anymore.”

  Olivia laughed as she gave Micah a spoonful of chow mein, then offered some to Matt. “Of course. You must be growing today.”

  “He definitely is.” Matt added some fried tofu to Olive’s plate before piling it onto his own. “He ate a big bowl of cereal after school and five mandarin oranges.” Turning to Micah, he exclaimed, “I can’t believe you still have an appetite.”

  Micah shrugged, his mouth too full to speak.

  “I remember when you were two and the doctor told us to feed you butter because you weren’t gaining enough weight. Guess we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Olivia’s tone turned wistful. “You’re growing up so fast.”

  “Mom, I’m only eight,” Micah managed to say in between bites.

  Matt ruffled his son’s hair. “True, but it feels like only yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital.” He met Olive’s eyes in a shared smile. “That was a great day, wasn’t it?”

  “The best.”

  He couldn’t deny the trace of regret in her voice. And rightly so. All the anticipation and hope they once had for their little family became overshadowed by the stress of parenting. They’d lost their focus and retreated into their own corners instead of working together as a team. How he wished they had handled things differently. But it wasn’t too late to make changes, starting with the tone of this conversation. “So, are you excited about the trip? I bet Brian and Lani are looking forward to seeing you guys. It’s been, what, three years since they moved to Oahu?”

  “Five. They moved a year after they had Keoni.”

  “That long ago?”

  �
�For someone so good at remembering details, you have no sense of time.”

  It was a jab, but a playful one that accompanied her grin. “Yeah, well, that part of my brain’s a little weak. So, how old is Kailee?”

  “Three. I can’t believe we haven’t met her yet.”

  “Well, life got busy for all of us.” Busyness was a better excuse for the distance between their families than the real reason. Sure, he had appeased Brian by marrying Olive, but he'd always be the guy who knocked her up. Now he was also the no-good jerk who’d left his wife and son. Even if he won Olive back, her brother might be harder to convince.

  “I'm full,” Micah announced as he set his chopsticks on his empty plate. He wiped some sauce from his mouth with the back of his sleeve and looked at both of his parents. “Can I go finish my homework?”

  “You've got all Christmas break to do it.”

  “But, Mom, I'm going to be at the beach every day. I don't want to bring my homework there.”

  “Good point.”

  Micah scrambled out of his seat and headed to the kitchen.

  “We’ll have dessert when you're done,” Matt called after him.

  Micah stopped in his tracks and spun around. “Ice cream with chips?”

  “Yep. Taro chips, of course.”

  “Cool!”

  Matt grinned as he watched his son run off. He was one of the best things in his life and he had so little to do with how he’d turned out. “He’s a great kid. You did an amazing job, Olive.”

  “I think he got his studiousness from you. You know I prefer watching TV to reading books any day.” She pushed some rice around her plate before taking a bite. “And it’s not like I had him by myself. I couldn't have done it without you.”

  There she was, the girl he had fallen for. Her eyes held a secret glint, one that she reserved only for him. “That was the easy part—” he paused to clear his throat “—enjoyable of course, but easy. You did all the hard work afterward, dealing with morning sickness, the thirty hours of labor, those sleepless nights. That was all you.”

  “I don’t mind taking the credit, but you did change your share of diapers. Or at least tried to.” She threw her head back as laughter tumbled out of her. “I remember catching you one time with swim goggles on. I’m surprised you weren’t wearing gloves, too.”

  “I wasn’t worried about my hands. My eyes, yes. Once you’ve been squirted in the face with pee, you learn to take precautions.”

  Olivia’s brows furrowed as she struggled to keep from smiling. “I don’t know if you’re the best person to be talking about taking precautions.”

  He chuckled, thankful they could joke about the past. “You’re right. But the end result wasn’t so bad, was it?” He asked the question in a rhetorical tone, knowing that Olive had never doubted their decision to have Micah. “The result was good, very good.” He rushed on before she could interrupt. “Well, not the entire nine years of our marriage were good, but certainly the first few. I know we can get back there, to where we were when we started. Please, Olive, let’s try again.”

  Olivia set her chopsticks down on the edge of her plate. “What do you have in mind?”

  “For starters, we go to counseling.”

  “Counseling?”

  The disbelief in her voice made him grin. “You know, that thing you do every day to help couples have a better relationship.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Of course I am. I’ve seen how much it’s helped Micah. I think it could help us, too.”

  “Okay.” She drew the word out in such a cautious manner that it sounded like two separate words. She nodded slowly, as if in a daze. “I’ll ask Nancy for a list of referrals and we can pick one together.”

  “Great.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I’d like to move back—”

  A loud ring interrupted his words, surprising both of them.

  What terrible timing … or maybe perfect timing. He hoped it was the news he’d been waiting for. “Sorry, I need to get that. I’m expecting an important call.” Matt got up to locate his cell phone, which he found on the kitchen counter. He took one look at the name on the screen and immediately answered. “Mr. Larsen, thank you for calling me back. I was hoping to hear from you before Friday.” He retraced his steps to the dining room and held up his index finger, gesturing for Olive to wait.

  She nodded and resumed eating, an obvious look of wariness on her face.

  Matt returned his attention to the animated voice on the line, pacing and listening at the same time. As the call continued, his excitement grew and he decided to hide away in his bedroom. He knew Olive would easily put the pieces together if she overheard his side of the conversation, but this was something he wanted to surprise her with. Minutes passed and with all the details finally in place, he hung up the phone with more hope in his heart than he’d had in a long time. He rushed back to the dining room, eager to share his news with his family … but they were no longer there. Their empty plates sat in the sink and Micah’s overnight bags were gone.

  Alone again in his apartment, he had the sinking feeling he’d just lost his chance to win Olive back.

  Distance

  Four years ago

  Olivia

  “Hey, let’s take a break. Come on, Micah’s finally sleeping.”

  To Olivia’s surprise, Matt placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in to nip at her earlobe. He’d been sitting across from her at the kitchen dinette typing away on his laptop while she had her head buried in a thick Psychopathology textbook. When had he gotten up to come to her side? She turned to her right and felt his lips brush hers before they kissed a warm path down her neck to the collar of her flannel shirt. Without intending to, she cringed and pulled away. “Don’t you have an article to write?”

  “I do, but I also can’t stop staring at you. And thinking about taking you to bed.”

  Talk like that used to make her giddy, but lately it just reminded her of the ever-growing to-do list hanging on the fridge door. “That’s sweet, Matt, but I have to finish reading this chapter. It’s like thirty pages long. After that, I have to analyze a case study,” she sighed, already feeling her eyelids starting to droop. She was twenty-six, but she was feeling as tired and cranky as their preschool son when he didn’t sleep enough. Micah was in the stage of fighting naps, which meant she’d spent half an hour chasing him around the house. She had only just sat down to study. “I can’t right now. It’s not a good time.”

  Matt straightened and crossed his arms against his blue sweater. He frowned, then reluctantly returned to his chair. “When will it be a good time for you?”

  Olivia switched her focus from the sentence she’d been reading and rereading for the past few minutes. This “mommy brain” that people talked about was real. She couldn’t multitask as well as she used to. That was probably a good thing because Matt’s serious tone told her he wanted her full attention. She couldn’t distance herself from the conversation any longer. Using body language, she leaned forward and made eye contact to show her interest. “I don’t know. There’s so much I need to get done. It’s just not a good time.”

  “When will it ever be a good time? We hardly spend any time together these days. I’m at work all day and you’re at school most nights. Sometimes I feel like we’re nothing more than two roommates who share a kid.”

  Olivia’s hands clenched into tight fists and she closed her eyes to calm herself. It was times like this when she’d rather throw a tantrum than behave like an adult. A dozen thoughts raced through her mind of how to respond. She wanted to take the defensive route, but that would only escalate the situation. She knew Matt was on edge these days due to his job. Working for a print newspaper wasn’t what he’d imagined it to be now that readers preferred online media. He was likely projecting his worries over a layoff onto her. Good thing her studies were useful not only for her future career, but also for the present. What was that skill she l
earned last semester? Ah, yes. Reflective listening. She looked into his eyes and kept her voice even. “I’m hearing that you’re feeling frustrated with the current situation.”

  A vein in his temple pulsated. “I don’t need you to practice your psychobabble on me, Liv. Just talk.”

  So much for being civil. “Okay, fine. I wish you’d try to put yourself in my shoes and understand what I’m going through. I finally get to focus on myself instead of Micah—” she stopped herself short from adding the words and you “—and get to do what I want. I need to pass my classes so I can get an internship next semester. Most of my classmates are already halfway through their hours and I haven’t even started mine. I’m trying my best to catch up, but it’s a lot harder than I thought it’d be balancing my studies and being a mom. I need to use every free minute I have to study. Is that too much to ask?”

  “What about being a wife?”

  His accusing tone should have irked her, but there was a vulnerability in his expression that softened the blow. He was admitting something deeply personal. He needed her. She’d always loved that about their relationship, how secure Matt made her feel. She never had to worry about him straying or leaving like her dad had. He was exactly the kind of husband her mama had told her to find: a man who loved her more than she loved him. Not that she didn’t love Matt; she adored him, and more importantly, trusted him. But she knew he needed her more than she needed him. “I’m still your wife, Matt. But I’m also a mom and a student. I just need time to adjust to my new schedule. Give me a while to figure it out.”

  Matt’s features hardened, but he took the hand she offered him from across the table. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and sighed. “Yeah, sure, I get it. You’ve sacrificed a lot for Micah. You deserve to have your dream, too.”

  “Thank you for understanding.” Olivia hoped he heard the sincerity in her words because she meant it. She had too much on her plate already to add more to it. This was only temporary. After graduation next year, she’d have the time and the energy to reconnect with him more regularly. Lifting his hand to her mouth, she placed a soft kiss on his palm. “You’re the best. I’ll make it up to you.”