Page 139 of Resorting to Romance

“Mila,” Kai’s voice is scratchy with emotion. “You’re everything to me. We had to go through faking a relationship to wake ourselves up to what was evident to everyone who knew us well. And once I realized how much I loved you, it was like a curtain peeled back and I saw all the moments, all the tiny, seemingly insignificant ways I had fallen bit by bit for you over the years we were friends.

“Then I knew. I had never been pretending to love you. What we have is real. And when you find something real, you risk everything for it. You toss out your shoulds, and your rules, and your expectations, and you jump in headlong. Because when it’s real, you can leap, knowing someone will always be there to catch you. So I risked, and I wrote you the letter.”

“The one I framed and keep on my bedside table,” I say with a smile that feels like it comes from all the way inside my heart—from the place that used to feel unreachable and broken.

Kai smiles and his eyes crinkle at the edges.

“I never felt so nervous as I did that night. I filled an entire wastebasket with wadded attempts at getting my words out. It felt like my entire future and our shared happiness hung on my ability to show you my heart in that letter.”

“Oh, Kai.”

“The truth was, that letter would have only been my first attempt. I realized later, if you hadn’t said yes then, I wasn’t going to give up. Because I knew. Somewhere deep inside, I knew we’d get to this day somehow. And here we are.”

He reaches up and dabs a tear from his eye.

Then he continues. “I asked Noah earlier today if he’d give me permission to ask for your hand in marriage. He gave us his blessing.” Kai chuckles. “That’s a story for another day.”

Kai swipes another tear from his eye with his thumb. And I can’t help myself. I drop to my knees in front of him and pull him into my arms.

“I love you, Kai Kapule.” I sniff away the tears formingin my eyes.

Kai murmurs a declaration into my hair as we kneel together, embracing on the sand. “I love you, Mila. You’re everything to me. My sunrise and sunset, and the sweetest ocean breeze. You’re the warmth of home and my place of comfort, laughter, and desire. I love you with an insatiable ache—one only you can quench. I never knew it could be like this.”

Kai puts his hands on my upper arms and holds me away from him just far enough so he can look into my eyes. And then he asks me the question I have been dreaming of hearing for months.

“Mila, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, sharing a home with you, and parenting Noah together.”

“Yes! Oh, Kai! I love you so much!”

Kai’s smile fills his face, he closes his eyes like he’s savoring one of my chocolate tarts, and then he pulls both of us to our feet. He reaches out and cups my face in his hand. When he leans in, the kiss he places on my lips is tender and reverent, full of emotion. I loop my hand behind his neck and hold him to me. He tugs me close and we kiss like we’re the only two people on earth, and this small piece of beach with tikis and shells and flower petals is our universe.

Just Me and Kai, alone.

Until there’s a shout from above us on the dock—more like a whoop.

“Oh yeah, boss! That’s how it’s done! Proposing like a boss!”

Kai looks up at Ben, who is leaning over the railing waving his cell phone. “I got it all on video. I’ll airdrop it to you so you’ve got this memory forever!”

“You’re fired!” Kai shouts up at Ben.

“Am I fired too?” Jamison’s head pops over the railing next to Ben’s.

I cover my face in mortification, but I’m laughing.

“You gonna fire me too?” Bodhi joins his friends, looking down at me and Kai andwaving.

“Work at watersports, they said,” Kai looks at me shaking his head. “It’ll be fun, they said.”

I laugh. “You love them.”

“No,” Kai corrects me. “I love you. I barely tolerate these yay-hoos.”

“You love us. Admit it boss!” Ben shouts down.

A woman’s voice carries down the dock from further up the beach. “Ben Hayes, what are you doing?”Summer. Coming to get her husband.

Kai and I look at one another and laugh.

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