Page 7 of Big Island Weddings
“Will you color with me?” Cassie begged, pulling on Juniper’s hand.
A familiar car pulled up out front. The dark gray paint blended in with the road, but the two surfboards on top were hard to miss. Nell looked between the surfboards and her daughter, hesitant to leave.
“I would love to color with you!” Juniper gave Nell a wink and settled down at the coffee table with Cassie and her stack of coloring books. They were mostly Lani King originals; Cassie loved the leaping dolphins and life-sized hibiscus flowers.
With a fortifying breath, Nell grabbed her beach bag and walked out the front door. She’d had some practice with leaving her children for hours at a time these last few months, but most of that had been under stressful circumstances. Walking away from them still required a hefty dose of self control, and leaving them just to go on a date felt frivolous.
She felt lost without Everett’s comforting weight and baby babbling, without Cassie’s hand in hers. She wasn’t sure who she was anymore, outside of motherhood.
And that was a problem.
It was one thing to make her children her world now, when they wanted her undivided attention. But before long they would be more interested in spending time with their friends than their mother. She didn’t want to hang on so tightly that she stunted their growth… or hers.
What’s more, she wanted to give her children real community. Maybe even more family than what they had now, just the three of them. She had worked at building friendships with other mothers in Pualena, and now… well, now it was time to give love a chance.
Hugh stood waiting just past the front gate. His smile was warm and real, and her nerves settled. All of her brain’s nervous chattering faded away in the reassuring steadiness of his presence.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She had a bathing suit on under her sundress, and her pulse sped in nervous anticipation. “I haven’t gone surfing in years.”
“It’s a good day for it.”
“Surf’s up?”
“Yeah,” he said with a chuckle, “but not too big.”
Nell had surfed waves twice her height in her early twenties, but after so many years it would be good to start small. Hugh opened the passenger-side door for her, and she climbed in.
As they drove north along the highway, she realized that this was the first time she had left her children behind and actually felthappyabout it. That realization was accompanied by a twist of guilt, but it faded quickly beneath the blue skies and lush greenery of Hilo.
Her kids were safe and happy. They adored Juniper, and Emma was right there in the main house if anything went wrong. She was with her babies twenty-four-seven; they were together at New Horizons during the week and they slept in one bed every night.
She refused to feel guilty for taking half a day to go on a small adventure that they couldn’t possibly join her on – at least not until they were much older.
Surfing aside, the truth was that she wanted the chance to get to know Hugh away from the kids… and outside of court.
After so many years in an abusive relationship, it was hard to wrap her head around the fact that she had found such a strong connection with a good man… who just happened to be her family law attorney. With court proceedings over and done with, they finally had the chance to explore whatever this was between them.
The weather was gorgeous, so it was no surprise to find the limited parking at Honoli‘i Beach Park full to bursting. Hugh drove past the long line of cars and snagged a spot down the road in the shade. Then he put both surfboards on his head, heedless of Nell’s protests that she could carry her own, and walked back up the hot road in his bare feet.
When they reached the top of the steps, the last of her anxiety gave way to excitement. The view from the clifftops wasamazing, and an expansive feeling filled her chest at the sight of the waves breaking below.
It was a glorious day, vibrant blue skies and dark blue water contrasting against the green foliage below. White waves rolled onto the beach, brilliantly bright against the black sand.
There were at least two dozen surfers out in the water, and she would have felt too intimidated to paddle out on her own. But Hugh was already halfway down the steps with both of their boards, and she hurried to catch up.
At the bottom of the steps was a narrow path that led past the bathrooms and showers and down to the beach. Nell had taken Cassie to the rivermouth a time or two, back when she still had a car, but she had never surfed here.
Back in her surfing days, she had lived on the other side of the island. But she had seen the surfers at Honoli‘i when she used to come with Cassie, and she was eager to get out on the water.
It was hard not to stare when Hugh pulled off his shirt – she had always thought that her attorney was built like a surfer – but she turned away to hide the blush in her cheeks. It was hard too not to feel self conscious as she pulled off her sundress. Once upon a time she had pretty much lived in bikinis, but that was two babies ago. She quickly pulled on the rashguard she had packed to hide her pale skin from the midday sun.
Hugh waited patiently while she painted her face with thick white sunscreen, and then they were off. Instead of fighting the waves that crashed into the black sand beach with its countless rocks and driftwood logs, they launched their boards into the river and let its current carry them past the rocky shore.
She felt a flash of exhilaration as they rode the river current, even though the steady movement was nothing compared to the heady rush of a breaking wave.
Once they were out far enough, they paddled out of the current and into the lineup. Her muscles burned with the half-forgotten motion, but she was able to keep up. Carrying her son around all day long had kept her arms strong.
