Page 45 of Big Island Weddings
Lani shook her head.
Emma went quiet for a moment, and they sipped their lukewarm tea. Then she asked, “Is he taking it hard? Is that why you had the tow truck bring your truck here?”
She swallowed and nodded.
“How did he react when you told him?”
“Rory beat me to the punch.”
“Oh no.”
“She was babbling on about it before I got the chance… or the courage.”
“And?”
“And… that’s it. We’ve barely talked about it. He’s working crazy hours when he really doesn’t need to be. His mom swooped back in and started picking Olivia up from schoolagain, so he must have said something to her. I don’t know if he wants us to move out or if he’s so scared of the possibility that he pulled back. Both?”
“Not both,” Emma said firmly. “There’s no way he wants you to move out.”
“That’s not how he’s acting.”
“He’s scared.”
“Of what?” Lani demanded. Sheknewwhat, but that didn’t make her feel any less hurt and defensive. “He’s an adult! If he wants me there, he should say so! He should be leaning in, not away.”
“Is that what you’re doing?” Emma asked gently.
That took the wind out of her sails. Lani slumped back, breathless.
“He’s always been the one pushing in this relationship, hasn’t he? The poor guy’s probably terrified that you’ve got one foot out the door. Heck, he might be worrying that you only stayed out of guilt after he got shot.”
Lani clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at her cousin in horror.
Emma met her gaze, unrepentant.
“He doesn’t think that.” Lani lowered a shaky hand and wrapped her arms around herself. “Does he?”
“You won’t know unless you talk to him.”
“Right.” Lani slumped in her chair, holding herself tightly.
“What’s stopping you?”
“I don’t even know.” She wrapped both hands around her mug and took a long sip as she tried to marshal her thoughts. The mamaki and citrus grounded and uplifted her, both at the same time. “I guess I have trouble understanding why he wants me around in the first place, when he could find someone with so much less baggage. After everything that happened with Zeke, maybe I was scared that another man showing up would be toomuch for him. I don’t know, Em. It doesn’t make sense when I try to put it into words.”
“That’s exactly why you need to talk through it. More often than not, our fears look absurd when we finally drag them out into the light.”
Lani nodded and took a shaky breath. She finished her tea in silence, and Emma refilled the mug with another brew; this one was a deep royal purple.
“Hibiscus and butterfly pea?” she guessed.
“And a bunch of other things for flavor,” Emma said.
Lani took a sip. The tang of hibiscus was balanced out with smooth honey and delicate spices she couldn’t quite place. Licorice maybe, or star anise. “That’s delicious.”
“The girl’s a mad genius.”
“When does she start selling these at the markets?”
