Page 27 of Intrigued By Love

I swore, Papa’s side of the family was utterly nuts and had no filter.

“Yes, Kailani. Tell us about Jax and his bedroom games, or show us how it’s done. Wasn’t it Shakira who said hips don’t lie?” a cousin from Mama’s side added.

Strike that, my whole family was nuts.

That was when my mom’s younger sister, Auntie Kata, pulled out the big guns and said, “You need to make your Tutu Nima proud by showing us that all of the hours she spent teaching you hula weren’t for naught.”

I glared at her. ”Using Tutu Nima against me is punching below the belt.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I use any and all ammunition at my disposal.”

When I was born, Tutu Nima had still been in relatively good health and as the eldest female on my mother’s side, she’d taken it upon herself to pass on Hawaiian traditions that dated back for generations. This included the hula.

She’d had me in apa‘u, a hula skirt, as soon as I could walk. She wanted me to learn the “real” hula as she called it before I learned thehula ‘auana, the dance most of the world associated with hula.

“Come on, Kai. You know you’re a kickass dancer. I’m the one who was dubbed hopeless by Tutu Nima.” Kiana dramatically sighed. “Although it never got me out of lessons.”

Ani nodded her agreement. “Yeah, she really sucks. Come on. Show us novices how it’s done.”

I narrowed my gaze at her. “I was really happy you finally arrived. Now, I’m having second thoughts. You’re as big of a pain in my ass as Kiana.”

“Of course, she is. That’s why we’re perfect for each other.” Kiana beamed in my direction. “Are you going to woman up or not?”

Technically, I wasn’t a guest, and it felt awkward to participate even though this was for my sister.

I looked around, and it felt like all the women on the beach had grown quiet and watched me. Thank God none of the men were around for fear of death.

For the women of my family, the bride night was a sacred time to celebrate the passage of a female from girl to woman. It was sexist as hell, but getting married meant a girl was no longer a maiden. The only males allowed were toddlers or babies who needed to be with their mothers.

According to my aunts, the presence of men took away the intimacy of the evening and added an unnecessary stress, since men required “attention” or they’d pout. Therefore, my aunts had threatened anyone with a penis with severe bodily harm if they dared to trespass.

“Come on, baby girl. Do it for me.” Mama touched my chin. “Do it for old times’ sake.”

Damn, this was peer pressure to the max. It wasn’t as if I was embarrassed, but I was in work mode. Then again, this was my family, my friends, my staff.

“I’m not dressed for it.” I tried one more time to let logic reign. “Linen pants aren’t going to move the way we want. Besides, we have a group of experts waiting over there to perform and teach everyone.”

I pointed to where the resort dancers stood.

Instead of helping my cause, they brought forward threepa‘uskirts.

One of them went as far as to shout, “Show us those moves your Tutu Nima taught you, boss. I’m sure we can learn something from you.”

“Well, that settles it,” Lina said as she grabbed our outfits and ran toward me. “No excuses. Let’s go, big sis. It’s my wedding, after all. Besides, it’s been forever since the three of us danced together.”

She was right. The last time Lina, Kiana, and I danced was three years ago after Tutu Nima’s funeral. It had been her wish for us to dance at the beach fire in her honor. It had been bittersweet. We’d laughed, cried, and remembered the amazing woman who’d been our grandmother.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” I studied Lina.

She gave me the innocent face that she’d give me when she was five and taken something she wasn’t supposed to. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You just happened to have apa‘uskirt and top ready for all of us to change into?”

“Does it matter? Let’s go put them on and have some fun. You’ve become a workaholic. It’s time to cut loose.”

I glanced at Cora for help, but she just waved me toward the dressing tents. “I’ll join you at the end. This belly isn’t ready for your level of hula unless we want to change this to a birthing party.”

“I seriously get no respect,” I muttered to myself. “It’s not appropriate for me to wear a bikini top in front of the hotel guests.”

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