Page 75 of A Game of Ruck
Faces growl and tongues stick out.
“Ka mate, ka mate!Ka ora!Ka ora!
Ka mate, ka mate!Ka ora!Ka ora!
Tenei te tangata puhuruhuru
Nana i tiki mai whakawhiti te ra
A upane, ka upane!
A upane, ka upane, whiti te ra!”
Their eyes blaze.
Their hands slap against bare thighs and arms.
It’s mesmerizing.
It’s like nothing I have ever seen.
And he did it all.So very publicly.Just for me.
The rhythm, the energy—it crackles through the air like lightning.
I can feel it in my bones.
And Luca?
He’s at the front.
Fierce.Proud.Mine.
I press a hand to my chest.
My heart is pounding so hard I think it might bruise my ribs.
This isn’t just a performance.
This is a declaration.
A vow.
A promise.
A question.
Themostimportant question of my life.
My heart is pounding in my ears, my hands trembling slightly, the world spinning a little too fast—and then?
“Well,mija.What do you make of this one?”
I jump at the sound of my father’s voice.
“Papa?” I whirl to face him, startled.“What are you doing here?”
He lifts an eyebrow like I’ve just asked a silly question.“I couldn’t miss my daughter’s firstrealproposal.What kind of father would that make me?”
