Page 18 of Big Island Sunset
“Mamama!” he demanded.
“More?”
“Ma!” he repeated earnestly, hazel-gold eyes wide.
“Do you want to try drinking from the straw?” She put it back into the coconut and held the top of the straw still so that he could drink from it. After a couple of false starts, he figured it out.
“Is that good?” she asked when he paused for breath.
“Guh!” he said, and drank more.
“I think he’s got a few words already,” she said, smiling at Ethan.
“He’s getting there,” Ethan said. There was a shadow of grief behind his smile that made her heart ache; he must be thinking of all the milestones that Theo’s mother would never see.
Fern wasn’t sure how best to love someone through their grief, especially a loss as fresh and life-altering as the one that Ethan had endured just a few months prior. She didn’t know how to balance his need for space with her desire to support him, or how to honor her own needs within a partnership without putting too much pressure on him.
She only knew that she wanted to try.
It would take a lot of patience; she knew that much. But she was in no rush.
They were on island time, after all.
Finally, once the seats were cooler and Theo had been given enough time to stretch and move, they got him back into the truck and drove the short distance home. He was sound asleep in the five minutes it took to drive to their street.
“Your only class today is at six, right?” Ethan asked as he parked in front of the house.
“That’s right.”
“I can finish your bookcase today, if you want to hang out with Theo upstairs.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“And I can make dinner while you teach, if you’d like to eat with us.”
“Lasagna again?” she teased. It was just about the only thing he knew how to cook.
“A curry tonight, actually.”
“Trying something new?”
“I’ll have you know that I’m an old pro when it comes to curry.”
“Are you really? I never would have guessed.”
“There’s a lot you still don’t know about me.” His voice held a promise, and he leaned in for a kiss. Then his phone rang, and he leaned back with a sigh. “Sorry, it’s Jun. She’s been dodging my calls for days – I haven’t even seen her since the camping trip.”
“Pick up,” she said quickly.
“Hey Junebug,” he answered in a sunny voice. His smile faded to a frown as he listened.
Fern couldn’t hear what Jun was saying – just the low murmur of her voice on the other end of the line.
“Sure,” he said after a moment. “I’ll be there in a few.”
He disconnected the call and put the phone back in his pocket.
“Is everything okay?” Fern asked.
