“I don’t think something like that is something you just get over,” she says cautiously.
“I suppose you’re right.” I want so badly to be able to erase that entire night from my memory. More, I want to go back and make it so that that night never happened, but, if it didn’t, I would have never come to Hawaii.
“Have you thought about telling Kulani the truth?”
“I want to, Layla. He deserves to know, but I’m petrified that he won’t understand, that he’ll hate me for lying to him.”
“Kulani would never hate you,” she says with one hundred percent certainty. “If you explain everything to him, he’ll understand.”
I remain quiet because I’m not so sure I believe he’ll understand. It’s long past the time I should’ve been honest with him. I’ve already made plans to try and get hold of Kendrick to get an update on the case and see if they’ve found the other two men who were with Sal that night. I want to ask for his permission to tell Kulani the truth.
“He was here earlier,” Layla mumbles sleepily.
“Who was?”
“Kulani. He wanted to talk to you, but you were in the shower. He looked pretty beat up. He thought your freak out was because of him.”
The pit of my stomach twists into a ball of anxiety at the thought of Kulani blaming himself. I climb out of bed and slip on my shoes before I even know what I’m doing.
“Where are you going?” Layla asks.
“To see Kulani.”
“In your pajama shorts and white shirt?” She smirks
“He’s seen me in less.”
“Touché.”
Chapter Fifteen
This Day Couldn’t Get Any Worse
When I get to Kulani’s, it’s clear he’s not home. All the lights are off and his van is nowhere in sight. I remember him telling me about his spare key under the flowerpot on his front porch, so I let myself in.
I’m so exhausted from everything that happened today that I can’t resist climbing into his bed to wait for him there. At some point, I must have fallen asleep because I startle awake when I feel his arms wrap around me from behind.
“Mm. What time is it?” I mumble when he begins kissing the top of my bare shoulder.
“Late. I was hanging out with Pika. I would have come home sooner if I knew you were here.”
“It’s okay. You’re here now.”
I feel Kulani release a slow breath. I can tell he needed to hear that last sentence to let him know I’m not mad at him.
“Shit, Aria. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have lost it like that in front of you. I just seen the way you looked…and then him coming out of the closet. I just didn’t think.” I can feel his anger rising again the more he tries to explain himself.
I turn in his arms and cup his face. “Hey,” I say softly to get his attention. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I should have been in control.” He shakes his head. He doesn’t believe a word I’m saying. I have to let him see a little bit of me so he can see the truth.
“You protected me.” I can’t stop the memories of my childhood from playing through my mind, nor can I stop the tears. “You protected me. That’s something I’ve never had. I’ve had people—well, a person, try—But, as much as it kills me to admit it, it was useless. I still have the scars. You’ve broken down walls that no one before you managed to break down. You lost it, and it was scary to watch. I don’t want to see you that angry again anytime soon, but you protected me, Kulani.” I managed to hold my tears back until the last sentence. A lone tear escapes.
“Always, baby. I’ll always protect you,” Kulani says before giving me a quick kiss. “Seth isn’t going to be a problem for much longer anyway. Tomorrow morning, I’m taking you to the police station to report him.”
I look down quickly. I don’t know how to tell him that’s not happening without telling him everything. “Actually, I’m not going to report him,” I blurt. Then I wait for the explosion.
“Did I just hear you right?” Kulani asks, just barely containing his anger. My silence is enough of an answer. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” He stands up from the bed and paces the floor.
“Nothing technically happened, Kulani. Plus, it’s his word against mine.”
“Fuck that! Did you forget about the crowd that gathered? All of those people saw you come out of that closet. They saw your shorts torn, and they saw Seth come out after you.”
“And what about you, Kulani?” I ask as I sit up at the end of the bed on my knees.
“What about me?”
“You beat the shit out of him. You think that if I report him, he’s not going to report you? And trust me, his face is enough evidence.”
“I don’t care about me, Aria. First, it was Layla. I should have done something then. If I would have, then this would have never happened to you. I don’t care what happens to me. We’re going to the police.”
Fine. If he won’t listen to reason, I guess I’ll just have to put my foot down. “Kulani, we will all lose our jobs. You’ll lose the surf school. No, I’m not going.”
We both glare at each other, willing the other one to give in, but I’m not budging and he knows that. “Fuck!” He roars before turning and storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I spread my arms out at my sides when I hear the front door slam and plop back down on the bed. I guess we just had our first fight. This day can’t get any worse.
Kulani isn’t gone for long before he comes storming back in the room. I sit up with my back against the headboard to look at him. The expression on his face is a mixture of defeat and anger.
“You need to promise me that you’ll stay away from him, even at work,” he says.
“Of course.” That’s easy. I have no desire to be anywhere near Seth ever again, alone or not, but if he needs me to say that I’ll stay away, I will.
“No, Aria. I said promise. I need you to mean it. I don’t want to be lied to. If you refuse to go to the police, you need to do this for me and mean it. I don’t have time for people in my life who lie.”
“I promise,” I answer breathlessly. This satisfies him enough for him to drop the subject and give me a hug.
I wish I felt more relieved, but Kulani’s last sentence plays in my head on a loop. I don’t have time for people in my life who lie.
***
I burst through me and Layla’s bedroom door on a mission.
“Hey, I thought you were getting a ride with Kulani?” Layla asks.
“I was supposed to, but I needed to grab something,” I mumble while tearing my side of the room apart.
“Want to tell me what you’re looking for?”
“Ah-ha! Found it!” I pull the manila envelope that Detective Kendrick handed me what seems like so long ago.
After Kulani fell asleep last night, I stayed up all night tossing and turning while trying to figure out what I should do, but then I realized I don’t really have a choice. He’s made it clear how he feels about liars…about me.
I’ve already lied. The damage is done, but if I tell him the truth before he accidentally finds out, I may be able to get him to understand, which is why I don’t have time to wait to talk to Kendrick. It’s also why I was searching for the paperwork to show him.
“You ready?” I ask Layla with the best smile I can muster. Her eyes land on the manila envelope in my hand and they widen.
“What are you doing with that?” she asks.
I don’t answer her question. I grab my leather bag off my bed, shove the envelope in, and head for Layla’s car with her hot on my heels.
“Ready to tell me what you’re doing with that?” she asks again once we pull up to the resort.
“I’m telling Kulani the truth,” I finally answer before climbing out of the car.
“Why? I mean, it’s great you’re telling him, but what’s causing the change of heart?” she asks as we walk into the employee locker room.
/> I steal a quick glance around the room. “Last night, Kulani basically told me he hates liars and doesn’t want anything to do with them.”
Layla’s mouth forms an ‘O.’ “Yeah. So, you see how that’s a problem for me, considering that I’ve, you know, lied to him from the moment I met him…about everything.”
I collapse in a chair against the wall. “I don’t know what I should do, but I know that I can’t continue to lie to him. I mean, what am I going to do when I leave for trial? Besides, he doesn’t deserve to be lied to.”
“Well,” Layla begins as she drops in a chair next to me, “then you’re doing the right thing.”
“Yeah. Let’s just hope he doesn’t hate me after.”
***
“I don’t know where it could have gone,” I cry while frantically searching through my leather bag.
“Just calm down. We’ll find it,” Layla reassures me.
Calm down? She wants me to calm down? So much is in that folder, and if it falls into the wrong hands…I don’t even want to think about the consequences. I begin tearing my small locker apart. “I know I left it here before work and I haven’t been back since.”
Work ended a few minutes ago and I’m supposed to be meeting Kulani at his house in an hour to talk.
“Maybe it fell out in the car or house without you realizing,” Layla says.
“You’re right.” I grab her hand. “Let’s go.”
After a thorough search of the car, we drive back to the house to do another thorough search of our bedroom. If I don’t find it there, I’m out of options. I jump out of the car in a rush as soon as Layla parks it.
Unfortunately, all thoughts of the envelope and finding it vanish as soon as we open the front door to the house because, on the other side of it, is Kendrick and Camille, kissing.
“Oh. My. Gosh,” I whisper to myself for the hundredth time since climbing back into Layla’s car.
I’m freaking out about what I just saw. Kendrick and Camille kissing, if you can call it that. In truth, they were one strap of clothing away from…well, you get the picture.
I always knew that they had history. It was clear from the moment I saw them together that there was something between them, but never did I expect to walk in on them doing that.
I look at Layla, who’s been quiet this entire time. I’m surprised to see that she’s not surprised at all. In fact, there’s a ghost of a smile on her lips.
“You don’t look surprised by this.”
“I am,” she replies, then immediately shakes her head. “Well, I am, but I’m not.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Well, you already know that Kendrick was in the navy with my dad and that, after my dad died, he came back and helped my mom raise me. What I didn’t tell you was that he and my mom have been in love all this time.”
“No, you didn’t tell me, but I kind of figured that out.”
“Yeah, well, I guess you would have. It’s pretty obvious when they’re within a hundred feet of each other.” She sighs.
When she doesn’t explain any further, I ask the question I’m most curious about. “Why didn’t it work out?”
“I don’t know. Technically, I’m not even supposed to know about them, but if I had to guess, I would say it probably has something to do with my dad. Maybe they felt like they were betraying him.”
That I can understand. She was his wife and Kendrick was his best friend. “What do you think?”
“I never met my dad, but I love him. Mom used to tell me about how in love they were. He treated my mom like she was his entire world. I have to believe that my dad would want her to be happy and loved. What better man can do that than Kendrick? I don’t feel like it would be a betrayal. She still loves my dad. She just loves Kendrick too.”
She said it perfectly. Why does love and life have to be so complicated? “I agree.” I smile. “It seems like they definitely are working out their feelings.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. In love or not, she’s my mom and I don’t want to relive what I just saw.” We laugh. “I really hope they are working their crap out. One thing is for sure, I’m sick of seeing my mom so sad.”
Chapter Sixteen
It’s Time To Come Clean
“So, how long are you staying, Kendrick?” Layla asks while we help clear off the dinner table. When we got back to the house, both Kendrick and Camille were in the kitchen, cooking. They both acted like nothing happened, and Layla and I were happy to play along.
I don’t miss Kendrick’s quick glance at Camille. “Um, I’m going to be around for a while, at least until it’s time to take Aria back,” he answers evasively before turning to me. “Actually, I wondered if you had a minute to talk?”
“Sure,” I reply nervously.
We walk out on the deck and sit down in chairs facing the ocean. “What’s up?” I ask.
“Well, I have good news and not so good news,” he says, almost reluctantly. The nervousness I’ve been feeling turns to dread. “The good news is, on top of Sal, we got one of his right hand men, Vinny, but the other, Tony, is still on the run.”
My heart sinks and I can’t stop the tears that gather in my eyes.
“Hey,” Kendrick says softly. “We will get him, Aria. We have Sal and Vinny.”
“Am I stuck in protective services until Tony is arrested?”
“Actually, we think Tony is way more interested in staying out of prison rather than extracting revenge. The way it looks, you only have to be in protective custody until after the trial.”
For the first time since we started this conversation, I feel relief. Soon, I’ll finally be able to tell everyone the truth.
“I have to ask. From what I’ve seen and what Camille has told me, it seems like you like it here in Hawaii. Is there a reason you want to leave so bad?”
I release a frustrated breath as I stand up and walk across the deck to the railing. “I love it here, Kendrick. It’s beautiful. For the first time in my life, I have friends and a job. I’m in love. I feel like I have a future.” I smile and turn back to face Kendrick.
“That’s great. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is I’m lying to everyone. No one even knows what my real name is.”
“I know this isn’t ideal, but we’re at the finish line. Two more weeks and this will all be behind you. Justice will be served, and you’ll finally be free to live the kind of life you want.”
He’s right. Two more weeks and all of this will be over. Two weeks and I can end this lie and tell Kulani everything. I can wait two weeks…No, I can’t wait two more weeks. The weight of this lie is just too much to bear.
I love Kulani, and if I’ve learned anything from my papi, it’s that you don’t lie to the people you love. I face Kendrick again. “I need a favor. I need to be able to tell Kulani the truth.”
As soon as I say the words, I see the answer all over his face. No.
“Please. I can’t keep lying to him. He deserves to know the truth.”
For what feels like forever, I watch Kendrick fight with himself.
“Aria, when we were at the police station, I promised you that I’d keep you safe, that I’d get justice for your mom. I’m taking that promise seriously. I can’t let you put yourself at risk. I don’t even know this guy.”
“I know him, Kendrick. And I know that he would never do anything to put me in danger.” Kulani would never hurt me, no matter how angry he might be when he finds out the truth. Whether he forgives me or never wants to look at me again, he wouldn’t ever put me in danger.
Kendrick is quiet for so long that I’m just about to give up hope, but my hopes quickly sky rocket when I see a ghost of a smirk on his lips. “Him. Only Kulani knows the truth until after the trial.”
He doesn’t even finish the sentence before I’m giving him a quick hug and heading for Kulani’s house.
***
“Hell, baby. I will never get enough of this pus
sy,” Kulani growls in my ear as he thrusts inside me from behind.
I had every intention of telling him the truth about me the moment I walked through the door, but he had his lips on me the instant he opened his front door. As soon as I was in his arms, all intentions went out the window.
That’s why I’m naked in his bed while he makes me feel the best pleasure I’ve ever felt. “Harder, Kulani,” I beg.
I almost whimper when he pulls completely out of me. He grabs my hips and flips me around until I’m back on my back. I don’t have a moment to catch my breath when he pushes back inside of me. “You want harder, baby?” he purrs in my ear.
“Yes, please,” I moan.
“Hold on to the headboard,” he demands, but he doesn’t give me a chance to comply before grabbing my hands and guiding them up over my head and onto the headboard.
As soon as he has me where he wants me, he grabs my hips and begins pounding into me with reckless abandon. It takes no time at all for that familiar blissful pressure to build. My body withers underneath him. The feeling he gives me when we make love is phenomenal. I yearn for it. I crave him.
“Oh God!” I groan. “I’m so close.”
“Not yet.”
“Please. I need to come.”
“You’ll come with me, baby girl,” he growls while continuing his long and hard thrusts in and out of me. “I’m so close. You’re so tight. You feel like fucking heaven.”
“Kulani!” I moan, almost as a warning. It’s too intense. I no longer have the ability to fight off my climax.
“Shit. Come, baby. Come all over my dick,” he yells.
“Oh God, yes!” I scream.
“Fuck. Aria, fuck.” Kulani moans as he empties inside me. I hiss when I feel Kulani pull his softening dick out. “Damn, baby. Every time with you is amazing,” he says in my ear after he pulls me back into him.
I hum an agreement and smile but don’t say anything. My eyes drift shut as he rubs a soothing line down my side.
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