The Baby Proposal

by Andrea Laurence

  “Well, considering this is my brother, Kalani, on the phone, I’ll exclude romantic engagements from the list of options. Have you impregnated your tennis instructor?”

  Kal bit his lip. This news really would blow Mano out of the water. It was very unlike Kal. He hadn’t so much as mentioned a woman he was dating to his brother by name in years, much less talked about one like there was future potential with them. Mano knew how he felt about commitment. And knowing he’d married Lana of all people... “I gave up tennis two years ago. And my tutor was a man.”

  “You’re growing out your beard,” Mano guessed.

  “How is that big news?”

  “You’ve never had a beard. I don’t know. Just tell me. I’m no good at the guessing games.”

  “Okay, fine,” Kal relented. “I’ll tell you, but for now I need you to keep this between us. I don’t need the whole family going crazy over it.”

  “Hmm...” Mano said thoughtfully. “This is going to be good. I promise not to share it with anyone but Paige.”

  “I said not to share it with anyone,” Kal pointed out.

  Mano sighed. “When you’re a couple, telling me is like telling her by default. If Paige can’t know, just don’t tell me. I’m physically incapable of not telling her. She won’t spill the story to anyone, I promise. So lay it on me.”

  “All right. I’ve gotten married.” He spat the words out as fast as he could. “And we have a six-month-old little girl staying with us for a while.”

  There was a long silence as Mano processed his words. Kal waited for the questions, the confused exclamations, but there was nothing. “You always have to one-up me on everything,” Mano complained at last. “I get engaged, you get married. We’re expecting a baby, you come up with one already born. You can’t let me have anything, can you?”

  “I’m not kidding, Mano. Lana and I got married yesterday. We got guardianship of her niece today.”

  “You and Lana?” His voice went up an octave in surprise. Mano had met Lana once when he came to the grand opening of the Maui resort. He knew they were close friends, but married? Even Kal couldn’t believe that. “Wow. I mean, you told me she was an amazing person and crazy gorgeous, but I thought you two were just friends.”

  So did he. Then they got married. And then they kissed and he questioned everything he’d believed about their friendship. “She is amazing and gorgeous and a great friend. It’s a long story.”

  “You also swore up and down that you’d never marry.”

  Kal’s jaw tightened. It was true. And it still was true in terms of a real marriage and family. But he couldn’t say that. “I realized that I wanted more and so did she. She changed my mind about the whole thing. We decided to just take the plunge before one of us chickened out.”

  As much as Kal wanted to tell his brother the truth, he couldn’t risk anyone finding out the marriage was a sham. If they lost custody of Akela for lying to the judge, he’d never forgive himself, and neither would Lana. Everyone had to believe the story for it to work.

  “And how does the baby come into play?”

  “It belongs to her sister. I’d already proposed when we found out that she’s in rehab and the father is in jail for selling drugs to a cop. We went ahead and got married sooner than later so we could take the baby.”

  “Wow. Married with a baby...a sister-in-law in rehab... There’s a lot going on over on Maui.”

  Kal chuckled. “You have no idea. It’s a ton of information to process, I know, but I wanted to tell you so you heard it from me and not the staff.”

  “Thanks for that. You know how they love to spread gossip. I feel like I should say congratulations, and yet I’m not certain. As a man recently in love, I find I don’t hear that edge of panic in your voice that’s usually associated with love and marriage. Are you sure you’re excited about these sudden developments? You’ve asked me not to tell anyone, which seems weird for a joyous event. No one has blackmailed you into doing this, right?”

  Not exactly. A little arm twisting perhaps, but he’d given in easily for Lana. “I married Lana of my own free will, I just don’t want the family swarming yet. It was a lovely ceremony.”

  “That’s good to know. I never imagined you getting married, but now that you have, I’m glad it was because you wanted to. I have to say I’m a little disappointed to miss out on the major event. It’s less than an hour’s flight, you know. Paige and I could’ve come. Or are we part of the pesky swarm you’re avoiding?”

  Kal tried to ignore the slight sound of hurt in his brother’s voice. They teased each other so much it was hard to tell if he was messing with him or seriously regretted missing the wedding. “Of course not. It was just the two of us. Not a big deal. You didn’t miss anything. I’m sure your wedding extravaganza will far outshine ours.”

  Mano made a grumbling sound under his breath. “I have no doubt of it. Paige keeps meeting with Tūtū Ani, plotting and planning. We want to get it done before she has the baby, but I can feel the ceremony and the budget growing exponentially every time they get together.”

  “Got a date in mind?”

  “Valentine’s Day, I think. Probably at the new house. The yard was big enough.”

  Kal needed to note that on his calendar. It was a busy time in Hawaii, with everyone desperate for a romantic getaway somewhere that wasn’t covered in snow and ice. He wondered how he’d explain to his brother when he showed up without a wife or a baby. Or how would he explain it to everyone else if he did? This relationship had an unstable timeline, and that made it hard for him to plan. It wasn’t forever. It was fake. But how long would they fake it? He had no idea.

  If Mele screwed up and Lana got the child for months, even years, would she expect them to continue this marriage? He wasn’t sure, but it certainly would complicate things. Considering they were two days into their marriage, he opted not to worry too much about it.

  “Let me let you go,” Kal said at last. He didn’t really want Mano pushing for too many details. As soon as Paige got wind of the news, Kal was sure Mano’s fiancée would start asking questions neither Mano nor Kal could really answer.

  “Enjoy the honeymoon phase,” Mano said with a snicker.

  “You bet I will,” Kal said, trying to sound like an excited new groom. He wasn’t sure he pulled it off. As Mano said, he was missing that edge of panic. “Aloha,” he added, hanging up.

  Now that was done, he had to face another uncomfortable situation—climbing into bed with his wife again.

  Six

  Lana noticed when Kal finally came to bed that night after eleven, but she was too tired to care. That baby had worn her out completely. She rolled onto her side away from him and snuggled into the blankets, falling back asleep before his head likely hit the pillow.

  It seemed like only minutes later that she rolled onto her back and found herself in bed alone. This time, sun was streaming in through the windows. It was morning. She looked at the clock by the bed. It was just after eight. She didn’t expect Akela to let her sleep this late.

  She sat up and picked up the baby monitor to make sure it was working. It was turned off. The nursery was far enough away that she might not hear the baby crying if she’d accidentally forgotten to turn it on or the battery died. In a panic, she flung back the blankets and moved quickly across the wooden floors of the hallway to the nursery. To her surprise the door was open and there was no baby, crying or otherwise, in the crib.

  Then she heard the distant sound of baby giggles. Lana followed it back down the hallway and through the living room to the kitchen. There, she found Akela in Kal’s arms and Kal shirtless in those blasted pajama pants again. This time, putting together a bottle for the baby with one hand.

  “Good morning,” she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “Good morning,” Kal replied. He held up the bottle to her. “It turns out that baby cereal isn’t really cereal. I mean, it is. When they’re older you can feed it to them wit
h a spoon, but since we aren’t sure if she’s been eating a lot of solids yet, you can add some to the formula and it gets a little thicker and more satisfying. Who knew?”

  Lana crossed her arms over her chest and eyed Kal with suspicion. “And who told you that?”

  “My grandmother.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You told your grandmother about Akela? Did you tell her we were married, too?”

  “No.” Kal tightened the nipple and gave the bottle to Akela. She reached up for it and helped him hold it to her mouth. “I told her that I was helping you babysit for your sister. There was some in the diaper bag the foster mother gave us, so she said this was the best way to start her off if we aren’t sure. She said we could also try some smooth baby foods and even Cheerios to see how she does.”

  Lana just nodded blankly as he spoke and was wondering if she had actually woken up or if this was all some weird dream. It didn’t feel like a dream. And yet the events of the past week had culminated in a moment that didn’t seem real. This moment felt so domestic, so unlike the life she was used to living. She was married, living in a home with Kal and they were caring for a baby. It was everything and nothing she’d wanted all at once. All she could do was stand dumbstruck in the kitchen while he fed Akela.

  After their first awkward night together in the house, they hadn’t had a moment like this. They’d quickly gotten it together in the morning and gone straight to court. Now everything was settled into a domestic bliss that she didn’t entirely mind. It was certainly better than living alone in that hotel suite. But she wouldn’t let herself become too comfortable. All of this was temporary. The minute she started liking the idea of being married to Kal and having this little family, it would all fall apart. She couldn’t get wrapped up in the fantasy they’d crafted for Judge Kona.

  “Would you like some coffee? I just brewed a pot.”

  “Sure.” Lana found a mug in the cabinet and poured herself a mug of black coffee. Normally she put cream in it, but she needed a straight shot of caffeine to face another day of motherhood without any help. She wasn’t sure how people did it. Generation after generation had managed, so she could, too, but working at the same time would make things complicated.

  Kal leaned back against the countertop and watched the baby happily suck down her formula. “So, I called the employment agency today to ask about getting a nanny.”

  Perfect. It was as though he’d read her mind. “When can they send someone over?” She hated to sound anxious, but she’d missed a lot of work. Given she hadn’t taken a sick day in all the years she’d worked at the Mau Loa, she hated missing performances now.

  “They’re sending over a couple candidates for us to interview tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? That means they probably won’t start until the next day at the earliest. I’ve got a show tonight and rehearsals the next day. We were working on a new South Pacific routine before all this came up. Are you going to watch Akela while I work?”

  “I could. Or we could get someone to watch her tonight. But I don’t think it’s a big deal for you to stay home with her if you want to. It might be the best thing to help her adjust to a new situation.”

  “Kal, I missed the show on Tuesday as it is. I can’t miss another night.”

  “I know your boss,” he said with a sly grin. “He’s not going to fire you.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Okay,” he relented. “I’ll get someone to watch her this evening during the show, okay? I’m sure I can get a volunteer on staff who would much rather babysit than clean hotel rooms or bus tables.”

  She felt better. A little. She didn’t know why it was bothering her so much. She was the one who insisted on getting custody of Akela. Did she think she could put the baby in the cabinet when she was too busy to deal with her? Kal had signed up to marry her, not to take on caring for an infant. He was already going above and beyond for her.

  “Thank you.” She reached out her arms. “Here, give her to me. I know you need to get in the shower.”

  Kal nodded and handed the baby over to her. “I’ll text you when I get someone pinned down for tonight. What time do you need to leave to get ready?”

  “No later than six-thirty.”

  Kal turned to head toward the master suite when the doorbell rang. He frowned and looked at her. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  Lana shook her head. “No one I know realizes I’m living here.”

  He went to the door and looked through the peep hole before shrugging and opening the door. “Hello. Can I help you?”

  When it opened all the way, Lana could see a petite woman in a frumpy black suit standing on the doorstep. “Hello, I’m Darlene Andrews with Honolulu Child Services. I’m here to conduct a random review of Akela’s home environment.”

  They hadn’t waited long. Kal took a step back to allow her inside. “Please come in, Ms. Andrews. I was just about to get in the shower.”

  “Please, go ahead,” the woman insisted. She pointed to Lana where she was standing with Akela in her arms. “I can speak with Mrs. Bishop while you’re getting ready.”

  Kal looked at her, obviously not wanting to leave Lana alone with the woman, but she shrugged him away. The bigger deal they made out of this, the stranger it would look. “Go on, honey. I don’t want you to be late to work.”

  He reluctantly disappeared and Lana turned to the woman with a smile. “Would you like some coffee? Kal just brewed a pot.”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  She followed Lana into the kitchen, where Lana made her a mug and placed it on the counter. “Is there anything specific you need to see while you’re here?”

  “Since this is our first visit, I’d like to do a quick walk-through of the house, especially the nursery, to make sure you have adequate facilities for the baby. Then just a few short questions and I’ll be out of your way.”

  “Okay. Follow me and I’ll show you Akela’s room.” They wandered through the living room and down the hallway to the nursery. Lana opened the door and stepped inside so Ms. Andrews could get a good look at it. There was no way she wouldn’t be impressed with the room. It was the prettiest nursery in the history of nurseries.

  Ms. Andrews didn’t react, however. Instead she made notes and checked off items on some form attached to her clipboard. She examined the crib closely and then the stroller and car seat combination that was near the closet. “Very good. And where do you and Mr. Bishop sleep?”

  Lana pasted on a smile. “We’re on the opposite end of the hallway, here.” She checked the bedroom before she pushed the door all the way open, and the bathroom door was shut. She could hear the shower running. “You’ll have to excuse the mess, we just got up.”

  Ms. Andrews paid particular attention to the unmade bed and the two places where Lana and Kal had obviously slept together the night before. She never imagined they would pay that much attention, but she was thankful she hadn’t taken to sleeping in the guest room. Then again, maybe Ms. Andrews was looking at the baby monitor and Lana was just paranoid. She couldn’t be sure.

  When they returned to the living room, they took a seat opposite each other on the sofa. “How are you and Mr. Bishop adjusting to caring for a baby?”

  “The last day has been a steep learning curve for both of us, but I think it’s going well so far. Kal has a large family on Oahu and they’ve been just a phone call away for support and questions.”

  Ms. Andrews nodded and made a note. “My file says that you told the judge you were planning on hiring a caretaker for Akela while you work?”

  “Yes. We have interviews scheduled for tomorrow. I’m hopeful we’ll find just the right person to take care of her.”

  “Will she be a live-in or part-time nanny?”

  Lana had no idea. “She will be full-time, but as for whether she moves in with us, I guess that depends. I have some late hours at work, so if Kal can be home, it’s not an issue. Having someone around the clock would certai
nly be a help, but I think that will be something we have to discuss with the nanny we end up hiring. We do have a guest suite if we need it.”

  The woman seemed to take notes for what felt like an eternity. Lana hoped she said and did all the right things, but she couldn’t be sure. She kissed Akela on the top of her head, drawing in her sweet baby scent, and tried not to worry about it.

  Finally the social worker looked up and smiled. “I think for now that’s all I need. Akela seems to be doing well so far and you’ve set up a nice home for her with the two of you. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was yours.” Ms. Andrews organized her paperwork and slid it back into her leather briefcase bag. She stood and shook Lana’s hand. “Thank you for your time.”

  Lana walked her to the door and stood there holding Akela as she stepped out into the morning sunlight. “You’ll be hearing from me again,” she said with a polite, detached smile.

  Lana returned the smile and stepped back inside. She was certain they would.

  * * *

  Tonight was the first night that Kal had watched Lana perform in the luau as his wife. Less than a week ago, he’d stood in the exact same spot and done the exact same thing, but everything was different now.

  Before, when Lana had danced sensually onstage, he’d tried hard not to notice. She was his best friend and employee, so the shimmy of her hips and the hard muscles of her exposed core weren’t his to admire. But now they were. Sort of.

  The pulsating sound of the drums as she moved her body made a bolt of liquid heat surge through his veins. Each flash of thigh from between the large ti leaves of her skirt made him wish it crept just the tiniest bit higher. He wanted to run his hands over the smooth skin of her inner thigh and press a kiss against the belly that was exposed to the crowd.

  Just the image in his mind of doing that made every muscle in his body tense up. He was overwhelmed with need, driven by it for the first time in his adult life. He felt like an overstimulated teenage boy, aching almost to the point of pain to reach out and touch her. He had managed to keep his hands to himself the last couple nights, but he couldn’t imagine sleeping beside her again without reaching out to her.