NO KEIA LA, NO KEIA PO, A MAU LOA
MEL
The next morning, Mel found herself surprisingly awake. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, even. Quietly, she left Jason in the bed and snuck off to the bathroom to shower before meeting up with his mother in the kitchen. Barb smiled at her as she washed her hands in the sink. "Good morning, sunshine! Gotta be honest, I'm surprised to see you awake."
Mel was suddenly reminded of hers and Jason's secret midnight romp on the beach and felt the blood rise to her cheeks.
"Thought jet lag would have set in something fierce after the long day you two had yesterday," Barb continued.
Relieved, Mel smiled and took in a breath, looking around. "I don't know. There's a sort of energy here. I found it hard to stay asleep."
Barb smiled back. "Hawaii will do that to you. That's why I stayed and didn't move Jason to the mainland. So much more to life here, it seems."
Before long, Barb and Mel sat at the kitchen table, eating fruit and yogurt and making plans for the family luau that was to take place later that night. Mel was excited. She'd never been to a luau before and she was eager to spend the day helping to prepare.
The women heard whistling and looked up in time to see Jason entering the kitchen in a tank top and swim trunks. He plucked an apple from a fruit basket and tossed it around in his hands. "I'm headed out to surf with the guys, I'll be back later."
Mel's eyes widened in surprise. Not only had she not been aware that he was awake, but this was news to her, he hadn't even acknowledged a "good morning" to her or his mother, and he was just going to walk right out the door. She'd never known him to be so rude.
As if she and his mother shared a brain, Barb looked up at him and scolded, "Jason! I'm glad you're home, but how dare you be so rude?"
His eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks as he looked back and forth between Mel and his mother. Then his body relaxed and he shook his head. "Oh shit, I'm sorry." Then he leaned over and hugged his mother. "Morning, Ma."
"That's better," she said, rising from her seat and making her way across the kitchen. "You want me to make you something before you go?"
"No, thanks, I'm good," he said to her. Then he squatted by Mel's chair and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, gorgeous, I didn't mean to ignore you," he said quietly.
Mel shook her head, simultaneously shaking away her hurt feelings. "It's okay. You're at home, you're excited to see everyone. Go, have fun, I'll be here when you get back."
"Are you sure?" He asked, sweeping her hair off of her shoulder. "I don't have to go, I can stay--"
"No. Go. And if you don't come back all bruised and banged up, I'll send you right back out the door."
He grinned at her and he kissed her as he stood up. She stood with him and lay a playful slap on his backside. "Now, go, get out of here. Go catch a wave for me. We got things to do here."
As he headed out the door, Mel turned around and her eyes met Barb's. A smile crept across Barb's face. "You're gonna fit in just fine around here, you know that? Now come on, we have some shopping to do and a party to plan."
And with that, the two women started their day.
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JASON
Jason arrived at the beach to meet his four cousins and he smiled, breathing in the Oahu air as he walked across the beach. Man, it was so good to be home. And it was a perfect day. It was warm, the sun beat down on their backs, not a cloud in the sky, and all the men were in high spirits.
Approaching Kelani as he arrived to join the others, he fist-bumped him and said to him quietly, "Look no hard feelings about yesterday? We cool?"
"Yeah," Kelani's Hawaiian accent said to him. "We're cool. I get it. It was an emotional day for everyone. Just don't run that girl off by acting like that again."
Jason glanced down at the sand, then out at the water. "Yeah. Thanks for the advice."
"Anytime, bra."
After greeting the rest of his cousins with an emotional reunion, they wasted no time getting out into the water. Jason was the happiest and most free he'd felt in awhile. Everything was just--right in the world. He had the movie role of a lifetime, Mel was waiting for him at his mother's house just minutes away, and he was home, surfing with his cousins. All the things he loved, wrapped up into one, felt like all the stars just aligned in his favor. He felt a high that day that he hadn't felt in years.
Several hours had passed in what felt like mere minutes and Jason was ready to head back to shore for a break. Picking out a spot in the sand, he sat on the edge of the water, elbows resting on his raised knees, as his cousins messed around ahead of him in the distant waves. He needed to take a breather. He needed to feel the sun on his back and breathe in the clean beach air.
From nowhere, his cousin, Kona, barreled into the side of his shoulder and bounced off of him. Jason looked over at him as he fell over into the sand and laughed. "What the hell was that, brother?"
Jason was closer to Kona than he was the rest of his cousins. He was a few years younger than Jason and stood at a slim 5'10" with a close buzz cut and a deep Hawaiian, tan, at least two shades deeper than Jason's, partially due to the fact that Kona was full Hawaiian while Jason was only half. Kona had always been a little shy and under confident and Jason had taken him under his wing very early on.
Kona straightened up his posture and rested his arms on his knees to match Jason's seated position. Both men stared out at the ocean for a moment before Kona said in his Hawaiian accent, "Sorry about your old man."
"Don't apologize. You don't hear me apologizing."
Kona nodded, knowing Jason's situation all too well. "Okay. I got that. So word on the island is you brought a girl home to your ma yesterday."
Jason side-glanced at Kona. "Word on the island?"
"Yeah. The whole island is talking about it."
"The whole island, huh? New travels fast. Why is that?"
"Uh, well, your ma called my ma..."
"And your ma has a big mouth."
"You know how she is."
Jason nodded. "I know."
"That why you haven't been around?"
He looked over at Kona. "What? No, I've been working. You know that."
"Yeah. I know. So where'd you meet her?"
"New York."
"The big city, huh?"
"Yep."
"How long you known her?"
"Few years."
Kona looked over at Jason and raised his eyebrows. "And this is the first time you're bringing her to the island?"
"Time wasn't right then."
"But it is now?"
"Yep."
"You love her?"
"Yeah."
"You never been in love before, bra."
"I know."
"She the one?"
"Yeah."
"When did you know? That she was the one, I mean."
"First night I met her."
The two were silent for a moment as they listened to the crashing waves and distant laughing of their cousins. Then Kona spoke again. "Would you die for her?"
Jason furrowed his brow and turned to look at his cousin. "Why are you asking so many questions?"
"You know...we used to be close. You're like a brother to me."
Jason raised an eyebrow at him, offended. "We're still close."
"I know, but--you know. I wanna make sure you're okay. You know?"
Jason turned his head back to the water and nodded. "Yeah, I'd die for her."
"For real?"
"Wouldn't think twice about it."
Kona sighed. "Man. I wish I could have something like that."
Jason looked over at Kona and smiled. "You will, my brother. You will."
Kona smiled gratefully at his cousin. After another moment of silence, he asked, "So you gonna marry her?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah."
Kona's eyebrows raised. "You asked her yet? Does your ma know?"
"I haven't asked her yet. And Ma's pretty intuitive. Can't get much past her."
"You know how you're gonna do it? Or when?"
"No idea."
"Why not right here on the island?"
Jason raised an eyebrow at Kona. "What?"
"Right here, bra. It's perfect. You're home, you're surrounded by the people you love. You have beautiful water, sun, white beaches...bring her out when the sun sets, get down on one knee...it would be perfect, women eat that shit up. She'll say yes, no question."
Jason smiled slyly over at Kona. "I'm pretty confident she's gonna say yes no matter how I do it. And besides, Mel's not that kind of woman."
"Mel, huh? What's that short for? Melanie?"
"Melody."
"Ah. Melokia..."
"MY Melokia," Jason emphasized.
Kona nodded knowingly. "Gotcha. Okay. Explains the tattoo..."
Jason pursed his lips at his cousin, momentarily annoyed by his seemingly keen observation. "Anyway, I'm not sure the time is right yet."
"You got a ring yet?"
Jason nodded. "Yep."
Kona's eyebrows raised again. "For real, bra? How long you had it?"
"Long enough."
"So--man, what are you waiting for? She's the one, you love her--you'd die for her. What's the hold up?"
Jason sighed and smiled at his cousin. "When did you become such a romantic?"
Kona shrugged. "I've romanced a woman or two in my day."
Jason nodded. "Uh-huh. Okay."
"So, hey, why don't you bring her to the family luau tonight?"
"There's a luau?"
"Your ma didn't mention it?"
"Guess we haven't gotten that far yet. We just got in yesterday."
"Well bring her, everyone is dying to meet the one who finally stole your heart."
Jason looked at Kona and laughed. "The one who finally stole my heart?" He then pushed him over playfully. "Listen at you and your poetry."
"I'm a little hurt that Kelani got to meet her before I did."
Jason narrowed his eyes at him. "Did he tell you I nearly killed him yesterday?"
"He told me he was trying to help and you went ape shit all over him, accusing him of trying to take your girl. Said you were being all crazy, he never saw you like that before."
Jason glanced at his hands in shame, then back at the ocean. "I know. Yesterday was a weird day."
"You just can't do that stuff, man. You can't go around treating your family like that. Or your girl. It turns people off. And we're all here for you. We always have been."
Jason sighed and looked over at Kona. Good old Kona. Sure, he'd already heard it from Kelani that day, but leave it to Kona to just drive it on home. Kona was a little timid at times, sort of an underdog, but he was one of the very few people who had no problem telling Jason like it was without fearing him--the only other two who were capable of that were Mel and his mother. He respected Kona. And that was why he didn't argue with him.
"You don't have to be scared every time something good happens to you, bra," Kona continued. "I understand why you are how you are, but you don't have to be scared you're going to lose everything good that happens to you. You can't live your life that way. Nobody can."
Jason glanced at Kona one more time, then back at the ocean. "I think you're right. About asking her on the island. That was a good idea."
Kona was silent for a moment before he replied quietly, "You're welcome."
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MEL
Mel and Barb had been cooking all day and they had just prepared their last platter when Barb tossed her dishrag on the counter and leaned on it, looking at Mel. "Your first time in Hawaii and you've spent nearly twenty-four hours cooped up in this house with me."
Mel blushed. "Um, well, there was--"
"Funerals don't count. How about we take a break and go watch the boys surf for a few minutes? Then we can come back here and finish up before the party."
"Um--I don't want to invade Jason's...man time..."
"Nonsense, they won't even know we're there. I used to do that all the time, I love to watch them surf. I envy them. There's no way I could get out there and do that stuff. It's an art, you know."
Mel looked at Barb and smiled. "Um, yeah, okay. A few minutes on the beach would nice."
Barb smiled. "Perfect. We'll just grab us a couple of beers and a couple of chairs and we can be on our way."
Mel was head over heels in love with this woman.
When Jason said he was going surfing with his cousins, she expected him to be a thirty or forty minute drive up the road. Not a ten minute walk up the beach. As she and Barb picked a spot far at the back of the beach and set up their chairs, Mel sat down the cooler of beer and took off her shorts. She decided, being out with Jason's mother, not to go full bikini on her. Instead, she wore a modest pair of green, geometric-print bikini briefs and a loose, tan, short-sleeved shirt that she tied just underneath her breasts. She was modest and she could still catch a few rays.
As the women opened their beers, Mel settled herself onto a towel that she'd lain across the sand as opposed to one of the chairs. She liked to draw in the sand. It was habit. It gave her something to fiddle with as she talked. The sand they sat on now, however, was not for drawing. It was fluffy and warm and white and she couldn't resist digging her hand in the dryness of it and letting it fall back to earth through her fingers. It was like digging through silk.
"Look at them," Barb said as she took a swig of her beer. "It's like he's seventeen again. I swear, sometimes I think they just never grow up."
Mel wished she'd worn her glasses, and the sunglasses she wore on her face were no substitute. They were so far out in the water from them, she only saw five bodies. Normally, she could pick Jason out of a crowd, but not out of THIS crowd, apparently. Not from this far away. "I think he needed this," Mel responded, observing the action in the water.
"He's had a rough couple of weeks," his mother agreed. Mel turned to look at her and Barb winked at her. "He told me what you did for him."
Mel narrowed her eyes at her, knowing they couldn't be seen and focused her attention on her. "What else has he told you?"
Barb turned up her beer. "Um, he told me about you when he first came home from New York." She smiled as she looked out into the ocean. "He came home and he said, 'Ma, guess what? I met a girl. And she's amazing. And I think I'm going to marry her someday.' I was floored, it was the first time he ever said anything like that to me. Then I asked him about you and he said you were in love with another man. I asked him, I said, 'Son, if she's in love with another man, how can you be so sure you're going to marry her?' And he said to me, 'Ma, you just gotta trust me on this. I just know." Then she paused and smiled at Mel. "And now here you are."
Mel glanced down at her beer bottle. "I'm ashamed of myself," she said quietly. "Secretly, I was afraid to come here because I didn't know what you knew. Or what you would think. I don't want you to think I'm some...some flake or some floozy or...I was rich before he was, you know."
Barb chuckled. "I know what you've been through. I know what Jason's been through and I know what you've been through together. He tells me practically everything. And he's never said anything but good things about you. Always good things, no matter what. And I figure, through all the chasing and the heartache he's put himself through, if he still says nothing but good things, you must be pretty special. Jason is a lot of things, dear, but he's no liar. And he calls life as he sees it. You couldn't help where your heart was at the time. So you got a little confused along the way. It happens. But, from what I understand, you never promised him anything and you never led him on and that alone tells me everything I need to know about you." Barb winked at her. "I know my son. I know he can be a persistent little shit."
Mel couldn't help but giggle. She was beginning to see where Jason's personality came from. "Thank you," she said. "That means a lot."
"I like you, honey," Barb said. "Hell, I even think I love you a little."
Mel smiled again. "Well, I think I love you a lot, so no pressure."
This time Barb let out a hearty laugh as she finished her current beer and reached in the cooler for a second one.
Glancing out at the ocean, Mel's heart stopped and what was happening in front of her caused her to turn her entire body toward the water and remove her sunglasses. "Ay, dios mio," she muttered under her breath.
"I know that look," Barb said from her chair. "That's the same look I had when I first saw his father. Hey, do you guys not live on the beach?"
"This doesn't happen at home," Mel whispered nonchalantly, now barely paying Barb any attention.
It was like seeing Jason for the very first time again. It looked like a scene out of a movie. He came out of the water, carrying his surfboard at his side. The sun glistened on his caramel skin as the water dripped off of his broad, bare chest. His bicep flexed as he smoothed his wet hair back and his wet trunks clung to him in all the right ways. He sauntered out of the water like a model, observing his surroundings. Mel couldn't take her eyes off of him, not even to call his attention to them. She could merely stare.
"I think it's time to head to the house," Barb said.
"Oh. Okay," Mel responded as she stood to help Barb gather her stuff.
"No, I think it's time for ME to head to the house. Your dreamboat is headed this way and I'm sure you two probably want a few minutes alone."
"No!" Mel objected. "You stay. Or I'll come with you."
"Not arguing with you. I'll be fine. You'll be back soon. You have to be, we have more work to do."
Mel smiled at Barb and helped her fold up her chair, stealing a beer for Jason out of the cooler before his mother took off with it. As she watched Barb make her way down the beach, Jason was suddenly on his knees in the sand in front of her. "What are you doing out here?" He grinned.
"Um," she glanced at his mother, now a ways down the beach, then back at him. "We were just hanging out."
He glanced his mother's direction then back at Mel. "Uh-huh."
"We were. Honest."
"Okay," he nodded. "I believe you."
And then he attacked her and wrestled her down against her towel. "Jason, no!" She giggled. "Oh my god, you're soaking wet!"
He pulled his head up from her neck and smiled. "Are YOU?"
"Always," she answered flirtatiously.
Jason glanced down at Mel's hand, which was still wrapped around the neck of the beer bottle. "Whatcha got there?"
"Something for you," she grinned. He let her up and she handed it to him. "Thought my man might want a break."
He kissed her cheek and accepted the beer, taking a seat in the sand next to her. "I can't believe you're with me."
Puzzled, she turned to look at him. "How?"
"I was an ass yesterday. To Kelani. To you. Everyone saw it. And you're right, you're not an object. Looking back on it now, I guess I kinda treated you like one. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
"Jason," Mel sighed. "If I had to apologize to you for every single time I wanted to tear a bitch's hair out just for looking at you, I'd be saying I'm sorry for the rest of my life. Yesterday was--riding high on emotions, but--this right here, this isn't us. Feeling sorry for ourselves, begging each other for forgiveness. We're not desperate and we're not unsure."
"So you're telling me I shouldn't apologize for being an asshole?"
"I'm telling you that I understand. But I appreciate the sentiment."
He side-glanced at her and raised the bottle. "I appreciate the beer."
"I appreciate the way you looked coming out of that water," she flirted.
Jason blushed. "We're very appreciative today, aren't we?"
Mel smiled and scooted closer to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. The sun seemed to dry them in no time at all. "We haven't been here long," she said. "But I love it here. I love your mother. I feel so at ease here."
"I knew you would."
She pulled away from him and looked up at him. "Jason? I know I said I wanted to buy the house in Malibu with you. But what if I don't anymore?"
It was Jason's turn to look over at her. He looked hurt and she realized her poor choice of words. "What? I mean--I mean, it doesn't have to be right now--" He stuttered.
"No, not at all. I mean, what if we keep Malibu as a rental and bought a house here? What if we made Hawaii our home?"
He opened his mouth to speak and then he closed it again. "Um--uh..."
"I haven't bought anything, if that's what you're thinking."
That statement caused Jason to chuckle, which relieved Mel a little. "I think it's a little early to make a decision like that, don't you?"
"This is your home, how hard could it be?"
"I don't want you to make decisions based on how you think I'll feel about them. I want you to want things because you want them."
Mel was silent as she looked out into the ocean. He continued. "Just put some thought into it, okay?"
Mel was puzzled. She was sure Jason would jump all over the idea. Had coming to Hawaii been a mistake after all? Or was he simply just reeling from grief?
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JASON
Later that afternoon, much later after Mel had left him to go back to his mother's and after he had caught a few more waves and walked a bit of the beach with his cousins, he walked into a full kitchen. His mother and Kelani's wife, Leona, stood at the counter, putting together what appeared to be finger foods. Leona's sister and another of his cousin's wives stood at the sink, washing and cutting produce.
Greeting the women, he was about to ask where Mel was, when he turned his head to the left and saw a sight that hit him so hard, it nearly knocked the breath out of him. Mel beamed at him, proudly, as she held a small bundle in her arms. "I got put on baby duty!"
Jason was speechless. Seeing her sitting there, holding that tiny, brown-skinned baby--apparently very freshly born, stunned him. He'd never thought about having children before. He had, for a brief moment when she was pregnant with Taylor's kid, but after that he hadn't put any thought into he and Mel having any of their own. And now seeing her with this one--what she would look like holding his child--it made him want to take her to the bedroom right then and get her pregnant. In that moment, he wanted to spend his life raising a family with her. It was the most beautiful he had ever seen her.
"This is little Izzy," Mel cooed. "And she's just been dying to meet her Cousin Jason."
"Uh..." Jason couldn't form words. "Uh, I'm gonna go jump in the shower real quick, okay?"
He masturbated in the shower. He probably should have felt more ashamed, knowing there was a full house out there in the kitchen, but instead, he propped himself against the wall, letting the water beat on his back as he rested his forehead against his arm, pleasuring himself to the thought of Mel, in the bed, and him coming inside her. Her telling him she's having his child. There was something so raw and primitive and romantic about the thought of impregnating her--something so powerful and assertive and--well, almost egotistical--that he couldn't help but develop a hard on from it. And he knew that if he didn't take care of it now, it would kill him for the rest of the night.
Dressed and refreshed, he walked back into the kitchen, glad as hell that he had jerked off because Mel still had that baby in her arms. Stroked her little cheeks and kissed her little forehead and smiled and cooed at her and every move she made with that baby hit his heart a little harder every time.
Mel grinned up at him. "Hey, sweetie. You wanna hold her?"
"Um," Jason looked around the kitchen. "Whose, uh--"
Leona turned around and smiled. "She's mine. Kelani didn't tell you we just had her?"
"No," Jason replied in a daze. "Didn't come up, I guess."
"It's okay if you hold her," Leona smiled. "I trust you."
"Um--"
"Come on, sit by me," Mel encouraged him. "If it makes you nervous, I'll help you."
More or less against his will, but desperate to be near Mel, he took a seat at the table next to her and she wasted no time laying the baby girl into his arms. His heart melted upon sight of the tiny bundle and he couldn't help but smile. This was his baby cousin. God, he had missed out on so much being gone for so long.
As he looked up at Mel, he caught her smiling at him. "She seems so content with you," she observed.
Leona's voice interrupted their moment. "She loves men. Anytime she starts to get fussy with me, I just give her to Kelani and she's instantly calm again. That's a good thing, I guess. She's already a Daddy's girl, apparently."
As Jason listened to the women talk, looking at the tiny face and letting the tiny hand catch his finger, he felt a vibration on his arm and his blood ran cold. Eyes wide, he looked up. "Uh, I think, uh--I think something's happening in her diaper..."
"Probably just gas," Leona said nonchalantly, not raising any alarm. "You wanna check her real quick for me?"
The blood drained from Jason's face as Mel saved the day, removing baby Izzy from Jason's arms. "I got it. It probably is just gas, I just changed her right before you came in from the beach."
Jason's head spun. This was a side of Mel he'd never seen. He leaves her with his mother for a few hours and already she's making poi, bringing him beer on the beach, and changing diapers. Was this his future? If so, life was turning out to be pretty goddamn fantastic.
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The luau was more or less a block party, seeing as Jason's mother and the rest of his father's side of the family all lived in the same neighborhood. His father may have flown the coop, but his mother was still very close with the rest of them and she was more a part of the family than his father had been.
He had also learned that it turned out to be a welcome home party for him, which was something he couldn't seem to wrap his head around. When he came home, he was just plain old Jason, same as he ever was. But he supposed that after you'd stayed away a certain amount of time, coming home garnered a luau in your honor.
He couldn't stop eating. He hadn't had authentic, home-cooked Hawaiian food in ages and his mouth watered with every bite. He also couldn't keep his eyes off of Mel, either, as it seemed that she, too, was unable to keep any of the food out of her mouth. Watching her enjoy the party made him smile.
As he watched her from across the way, sitting in a group with a few of the women, he observed her. She wore red. He loved her in red. He was pretty sure it was his favorite color on her. To him, red represented power and passion, which was everything she was. When she wore red, it drove him insane. Tonight she wore a vintage-style, Hawaiian-print, red, sarong-style dress that cinched at the top and was double-strapped over one shoulder. The bottom part wrapped around her body and extended to her knees. Her feet were bare due to the sand and her dark hair flowed down her back when it wasn't blowing in the breeze. Her freshly-strung lei hung around her neck and her smile radiated at him across the beach. But something was missing.
Glancing around at the rest of his family, he noticed a sea of freshly-strung leis, made with fresh island flowers that were picked that day, a typical luau--and Hawaiian in general--staple. As he fingered his own, and looked back at Mel, he found himself ripping his own from around his neck and tearing it apart as the petals shook loose and floated to the ground. Finding the perfect flower, he twirled it in between his fingers in thought, then tied the flower to a toothpick he plucked off a nearby table with some of the leftover string from his now-defunct lei.
Walking across the beach, he wordlessly took her hand and lifted her from the chair she'd been sitting in and immediately busied himself in placing the flower behind her ear. "Jason," she'd said, confused as his sudden, impulsive action. "What are you--?"
When he was satisfied with the flower's placement, he pulled his head back and looked down at her. "That's perfect," he said.
She narrowed her eyes, confused. "What?"
"Before I met you, I dreamed of you," he confessed. "I had a recurring dream of a little woman with dark hair. And then I met you and I knew you had to be her. Except the woman in my dream had a flower in her hair. Every time, without fail. I had to see, I had to know. I had to put a flower in your hair. And I'm right. I always knew I was. Mel, you are, literally, the woman of my dreams. You've never looked more beautiful to me than you did with that baby in your arms today. And now with this flower in your hair. And I think you're right, I think we should make our home right here on the island."
Tears welled up in her eyes. He hadn't meant to make her cry. But then she smiled through the tears and his heart melted. "Oh, Jason," her voice cracked. "That's the most romantic thing that--god, I love you so much." And she took his face in her hands, her lips crashing against his. After a second, she pulled away and narrowed her eyes at him. "I can't wear a flower in my hair every single day. That would be impossible."
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not saying you have to. But I am saying it suits you." He paused and looked around over her head. "All of this suits you. The island, my family--I think you belong here, gorgeous."
Mel smiled up at him. "I know I do. That's why I suggested buying a house here."
"I think I'm an idiot. Today when I told you to think on it more. I know you better than that. If you hadn't already thought it through, you wouldn't have mentioned it."
Her grin widened. "Are you saying it's something we can look into?"
"I'm saying we could maybe do a little house-hunting while we're here."
Mel giggled in excitement and threw her arms around his neck one more time. He melted. She was happy. These were the moments he lived for.
Their moment was short-lived when a male voice approached them. "Did I miss the good news? Did she say yes?"
Mel stopped laughing abruptly and her eyes widened, Jason's expression matching hers as they both stared at Kona. "Um, excuse me?" Mel said suddenly.
"Kona," Jason greeted him through his teeth. "This is Mel. My GIRLFRIEND. Mel, this is Kona. He's my cousin."
"Close cousin," Kona corrected. "Almost brothers."
"Almost distant," Jason muttered.
Mel greeted Kona, her eyes darting back and forth between him and Jason, obviously still stuck on his words. Jason could have killed him. Kona's eyes met his and he knew he'd messed up. "Mel," Kona said. "So nice to finally meet you. Say, have you ever had fresh, homemade haupia?"
Mel blinked her eyes and smiled, her face still darting from one man to the other. "Um, I've never even heard of haupia."
"Do you like coconut?"
"I love coconut."
"Then you'll love my haupia. I make the best on the island. Two days of blood, sweat, and tears go into making the perfect coconut dessert. And nobody does it like me. Care to join me for a little island bliss?" Charmingly, Kona extended her elbow to her.
Mel glanced at Jason and she giggled, slipping her hand through Kona's elbow. "Well how can I turn down something that sounds that good?"
Jason stood there with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Kona lead Mel over to the dessert table and Kelani took a place next to him. "Yesterday you nearly took my head off for going a few steps with her and now you let Kona feed her haupia without batting an eyelash. What gives, bra?"
"This is me, checking myself. Kona kinda laid into me today because of yesterday."
"Kona?"
Jason glanced at Kelani. "Just a little."
Kelani nodded. "He always respected you."
"And I respect him."
Both men looked on in silence for a moment before Jason asked, "Since when does Kona make haupia?"
"He's been getting into the whole cooking thing over the past few years. He's actually pretty good at it. He wants to be a head chef somewhere."
Jason nodded. "Hm. Guess I have been away too long."
"Yeah," Kelani agreed. "Way too long."
They watched as Mel talked and laughed with Kona with ease. They watched her consume more than one bar of haupia. Then they watched as Leona approached the table, picking from the plates with one hand, juggling the baby with her other arm. Mel practically dropped her life and walked briskly around the table. "Leona, let me take her so you can make yourself a plate. This is ridiculous. You should eat. Sit, take a breather."
Leona smiled as she handed baby Izzy over. "She likes you," Leona stated as Mel held the baby close and smiled at her. "Thank you, you've been amazing today."
"Anytime," Mel responded, cooing at the baby much like she had been earlier.
Jason side-glanced at Kelani, annoyed. "Why is my woman taking care of your kid while you stand right here and do nothing?"
Kelani looked up at Jason. "Same reason she left you here to go eat haupia with Kona. Because she wanted to."
Jason scowled at his cousin before he turned his attention back to Mel. Kelani had a point. Damn him.
--------------
Early one morning, later in the week after he and Mel had put in a bid on a house they liked, Jason awoke to find the bed empty. He would have been more surprised had he not looked at the clock and it read nearly noon. Jesus, how late had he stayed up the previous night?
Taking a quick shower and dressing, slipping a couple of things into his pockets, he entered the kitchen to find it empty. The house was quiet. Had he missed something? The back door was open. He felt the breeze through the screen door. The day was overcast.
As he looked around, his mother's voice startled him as she came from behind him, carrying fresh dishcloths into the kitchen. "Nice of you to join the world of the living," she remarked.
"I didn't mean to sleep so late," he said. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"
"I wanted to. Mel insisted on letting you sleep. So we let you sleep."
"Hm," he responded. "So, uh, where is she?"
"Out there," Barb nodded toward the screen door. "She and I had a conversation this morning and she decided to have a moment to herself. I think she needed it, the poor thing."
Jason's hair stood on end as he looked at his mother. "What did you say to her?"
"Don't give me that face, Jason," she scolded. "It wasn't a bad conversation."
"Then why does she need to be alone?"
"Because, dammit, sometimes a woman just needs to be alone. She hasn't had a moment to herself since you two came to the island last week."
Walking over to the screen door, he looked outside and spied Mel sitting on the beach. Her hand swirled the sand around beside her as she sat still, staring at the ocean. He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Am I moving too fast, Ma?"
"I don't know. Do you think you are?"
"I don't--I don't know. I don't know what too fast is. Everything with her just feels--right. It's hard to measure things with time. It's just--things were just so different merely months ago. Just months ago, Ma. And sometimes I think--" Jason couldn't bear to say it aloud. He had done good not to think of it since the day she confessed she was in love with him.
His ever-intuitive mother finished his thought. "You wonder if she still loves the other guy?"
He turned around and glanced at her. "I wonder if it's too fast."
"You said so yourself it feels right."
"Because it does. It always has. I just--I don't want to wake up one day and she's decided she's made a mistake. You know?"
"That won't happen," Barb said quietly. "I assure you, that will never happen."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I'm a woman. I know women. She looks at you like you're the only person on this planet. She has stars in her eyes and she smiles and she walks on air. You make her happy, Jason. She loves you. She really, truly loves you. And she told me about the house you put a bid on and I gave her my blessing. For both of you."
His mother's last statement caught him off guard and he whipped his head around and looked at her. "Your blessing?"
She glanced up at him quickly as she wiped the kitchen counter. "You know what I mean."
"Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about the house anymore?"
Barb sighed and tossed her dishcloth down on the counter. "Sweetheart, you're really not as dense as you're acting right now. Marry that girl. Your relationship may be progressing a little unconventionally, but who gives a shit? If you feel it, do it, isn't that what I always taught you? If you love her, and you want to marry her, just do it. It doesn't matter how long you've been together. If it's right, it's right, I don't see the point in pussyfooting around over it."
Jason studied his mother's face for a moment before a smile slowly crept across his face. "Are you--are you serious?"
"If I'm going to lose my only baby boy to anyone, it better be that woman out there or else I'll marry her myself."
Jason chuckled as he crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his mother. "I love you, Ma."
"I love you, too, sweetheart," she said, patting his back. Then she pulled away and swatted him with her dishcloth. "Now get out there and make an honest woman out of that girl."
He blushed, mortified by her choice of words. "Ma!" He laughed.
"Go on! Get out of here!" With that, Barb shoved Jason out the screen door and slammed it behind him.
------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel sat alone on the beach, smiling into the Hawaiian breeze. She felt the sand beneath her hand, smelled the water from the ocean. Every once in awhile, she would catch a floral scent now and then.
She had watched Jason sleep for awhile that morning. A long while. He'd had a late night, up drinking with his cousins. She wanted him to enjoy his time at home and spend as much time as he could with his family, so she didn't object when he stayed up late or slept in as a result of it. As long as he was happy, she was happy.
Barb was amazing. Mel loved Jason's mother. She thought of Diana Hanson as a second mother for years, but she felt a special connection with Barb that she didn't get from Diana. After all these years, Diana still felt a little distant. But Barb? Upon sight, Barb was treating Mel like her own and Mel swore the two of them were past and future versions of each other. She hated that she hadn't gotten to meet Barb sooner, but looking back on the circumstances, waiting had been the best choice.
That morning, she and Barb had talked over coffee. Mel couldn't help herself when she'd told her she and Jason had put a bid on a house nearby and Barb had smiled, nearly tearfully. Barb then proceeded to tell her she would be so happy if they made their home nearby and that she would love to have Mel around more often. She then revealed that she had never seen Jason as the person he was around Mel and that she was incredibly proud of him. "You found his heart," Barb had said to her. "He's always kept it guarded, never letting anyone in. But you found it, you pulled it right out of his chest and showed it to him and for that, I am forever grateful. For that, you have my blessing, dear."
Mel had smiled. She was beginning to learn where Jason had picked up, not only his spunky attitude, but his beautiful choice of words. His wisdom had to come from somewhere, and it had apparently come from this beautiful woman right here.
Sitting there, alone on the beach, Mel felt free. For the first time in her life, she felt like she could just lift her arms and fly away. She knew the sentiment was cheesy, but she didn't know how else to describe it. Everything was right. Just right. Instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop, like she always did, she instead reflected on what she'd gone through in her life to get to this moment and she realized--maybe Jason WAS the other shoe. Maybe, for once, the other shoe actually dropped in her favor. And this was what it felt like. And if THIS is what it felt like, well then, she could go barefoot for the rest of her life. She was on cloud nine and she never wanted to come down.
She hadn't heard Jason behind her and hadn't even heard him sit down until she found his legs on either side of her and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her backward against him. She sighed and smiled as his rich voiced breathed into her ear, "What are you doing out here, gorgeous?"
She hugged his arms close to her. "Nothing. Thinking. Enjoying the scenery."
"Everything okay?"
"Better now."
"You're wearing a flower in your hair," he observed.
She smiled and bit her lip. "I am."
To her surprise, he reached up and removed it. "It's beautiful. But not near as beautiful as you are naturally."
"But you said you--"
"I know. But I loved you before the flower. I'll love you with or without it. You're my Melokia, no matter what."
"Jason," she whispered as she leaned against him, her head resting against this shoulder.
He hugged her tighter, his cheek against hers. "I'm going to love you forever," he whispered. "I'll always be there for you. You'll never be alone. You'll never want or need for anything. I'm going to take care of you. Forever. I want you to know that."
"Jason--" she attempted again.
"Here," he said. He shifted his weight and brought his arm around in front of her, his pinkie displayed. "I saw this somewhere and it made me think of you."
She looked at the small, gold ring around the top of his pinkie, touched at the gesture. It was pretty. It looked vintage, shaped in sets of scrolls that curled over, mildly resembling ocean waves. Small diamonds set inside the curled scrolls and the slight rose gold hue caused them to sparkle and stand out. It was a gorgeous little piece of jewelry. "It's beautiful," she said, smiling. "Thank you so much..."
Mel could hear the smile in his voice. "You like it?"
"I love it. But you didn't have to go to the troub--"
Before she could finish the sentence, he picked up her left hand, the closest one to him, and looked at it for a moment. "I'm not sure I got the right size..." he said in thought.
"Well what size is it?"
"I don't know...I actually just did it by sight."
Mel's heart sank. She would hate it if it didn't fit on any of her fingers. She didn't wear any rings right now, as it was, and it would have been nice to have a meaningful piece of jewelry to add to her collection of one. Her right hand mindlessly stroked the moonstone on the sun she wore around her neck like she constantly did.
Thumbing each of her fingers, Jason stopped at her ring finger and slid the ring on. It fit like a glove. "There," he said. "Perfect." Then his voice grew quieter as he leaned closer to her ear. "What do you think? Does that look like a ring you'd wear on that finger forever?"
Mel opened her mouth to speak and then she closed it. Her heart stopped. She froze in place and her throat seemed to close up. She stared at the ring on its apparent intended finger, her eyes wide. He lied. He didn't pick up this "sizeless" ring on a whim. Every move he had made was with tact. With purpose. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on here.
She had a hard time getting anything out of her mouth. She physically couldn't do it. Finally defeating herself in the verbal fight, she managed to croak out, "Jason...Jason..." Her chest visibly heaved with her breathing. Was she getting dizzy? She needed to get a grip. "Is this what I think it is?"
He kissed her cheek and hugged her tighter against him. "Yeah," he whispered.
She trembled as her breathing fought to steady itself. "I need you to say it," she whispered back. "I need--I can't--I need to hear the words, I need you to spell it out. I don't think I'm functioning on all cylinders right now. I need to know we're on the same page."
Reaching over and taking her chin, turning her head toward him, he shifted his body around and looked into her eyes. "Marry me, gorgeous."
She could only stare back at him. She was usually so chatty, so quick to react, her emotions ready to go at a moment's notice. But now--now she struggled to find words every time it seemed to be her cue. She knew what she was supposed to say right now. She was supposed to say "Yes" or some form of it. But instead, she came out with, "I never saw this coming."
Jason gave her a half smile. "Well, that's the idea, right?"
And then she turned her body around and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, the tears starting to flow down her cheeks. She hadn't wanted to cry. Every damn time she was overwhelmed with emotion, she cried. She hated this quality in herself. But lately she'd only cried happy tears and that was new for her. Didn't make crying any less annoying, but the reasons for which the tears flowed made life a little easier.
Breaking the kiss, she wiped her cheeks and looked into his eyes. "Jason, I love you so much." And then she nodded. "Okay. I mean, yes. Yes. I'm dying to marry you, you have no idea."
She kissed him again, and between kisses, he smiled. "Dying to marry me? Really? It's like that?"
"Mmhmm," she nodded as she kissed him again. "Yes. I want to spend my life with you. I want to be chained to you, attached at the hip, glued to your side--" She couldn't stop kissing him and it made her giggle a little. "Legally, spiritually, perpetually--"
"Now you're just making up words--"
"Forever."
"Forever's a long time."
"Forever isn't long enough."
He smiled at her and brushed her hair out of her face. "So this is it. You and me."
"No turning back," she said. "No second thoughts. No cold feet. Just you and me. I'm ready."
"So we're getting married," he smiled. "You're gonna make me a husband."
"It's better than a boyfriend."
"I can't argue with that."
"This was your idea, I don't know why you're acting so surprised."
He grinned. "I'm just happy. I like saying it. I like the idea."
"I gotta be honest, I never thought you would."
"Well, neither did I. Until you got under my skin and now, well--I'm addicted. So now I have to keep you around. Gotta get my fix."
Mel raised her eyebrows. "Keep me around, huh?" She stood from her current position and grinned. "I sure would like to see for myself, this 'keep you around' that you speak of."
Jason remained seated, raising an eyebrow. "You better watch what you're saying."
"Now, see, THAT sounds like a challenge."
"It was more like a warning..."
"Uh-huh," she grinned. And then she took off running.
She screamed with laughter as he wrestled her to the ground within seconds. She lay underneath him, kissing his lips as the ocean water washed up all around her. They were both getting soaked by the second, but she didn't care. This was, by far, the best day of her life.
----------------------
The couple got caught in a sudden downpour, soaking them even more, as they walked back up the beach and into Jason's mother's house. "I was hoping you two would avoid the rain," Barb said, rushing a couple of towels at them.
As they stood and dried off, Jason beamed at his mother. Barb looked from Jason to Mel and raised her eyebrow. "I don't want to know..."
"She said 'yes,'" Jason blurted, excitedly.
Mel smiled up at him in shock. He was...giddy. This was new. She had never seen him 'giddy' before. It was adorable.
Barb smiled knowingly at the two of them. "My baby boy is getting married?"
Jason smiled again, shifting his weight, practically fidgeting. "Looks like it."
Barb approached them, hugging them both, wet clothes and all. She pulled away and smiled. "You have no idea how happy this makes me. So truly happy. Melody, I've known you only a short while--a very short while--but I feel like I've known you for years. I will be so proud to call you my daughter-in-law." Then she looked at Jason, reaching up to touch his face. "And Jason. My dear, sweet boy. I've never been more proud of you in my entire life. I've never seen you so happy. And, as your mother, that's all I ever wanted for you." Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes and she waved them away with her hand. "Shit, I promise I'm not going to cry." The three of them laughed as she took a deep breath and smiled. "So! When's the big day?"
Mel snickered and glanced up at Jason, surprised that she was already asking about a date. "Um, well we haven't really gotten that far--"
"As soon as possible," Jason interrupted. Mel looked up at him again. This time his tone and his face were both serious.
Barb glanced at the both of them before she made up a lie that was as transparent as the window she stood next to. "I gotta go put the clothes in the dryer before they sour. They've been sitting long enough already." At that, she darted out of the kitchen.
Jason looked at Mel, puzzled. "Was that weird to you?"
"It was weird for both of us," she said. "As soon as possible? You break the news to your mother that you're getting married and then you say you want to do it as soon as possible?"
"I didn't lie."
Jason pulled one of the kitchen chairs out, signaling for Mel to sit. As she did as he intended, he took a seat next to her, scooting it close to her and faced her. "I don't believe in engagements," he said quietly.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "How would you know? You've never--"
"That doesn't matter. I still don't believe in them. I don't see the point."
"But you asked me--"
"I asked you to marry me. I didn't ask you to be engaged to me."
It stunned Mel how much of a point he made. He was right. Technically, he was right. Why had she never thought of it that way before? Then she shook that out of her head. "Engagements are--are promises. They're--it's like, I dunno, security? While you're planning the wedding? You're--you're intended to each other--"
"Bullshit," Jason interrupted. "All of it. That's bullshit. I promise I love you. I promise to marry you. You have nothing to worry about with me. Why do we need to walk around for the next year or two, telling everyone we're getting married instead of actually doing it? I don't understand the point."
She looked at him, speechless. He was ready and she was shocked. "Um--you don't--I mean...in the time it takes to plan the wedding, we'll have been 'engaged.' I understand what you're saying, but it's just not adding up..."
"Apparently you're NOT understanding what I'm saying. I'm saying I'm ready to marry you. As soon as possible. Meaning before I go to Europe to start filming. I want to be married before this movie gets off the ground."
Mel's eyes widened. "That's--Jason, that's less than three weeks away..."
He nodded. "I know. Like I said, I didn't ask you for an engagement. I asked you to be my wife. Plain and simple."
"Just--just like that. You just--you want to get married."
"Yeah...I mean, just a few minutes ago you were, and I quote, 'dying to marry me.' What's different now?"
She shook her head. "Nothing's different, I just--I'm shocked. That's all. A little caught off guard. Three weeks is...it's--"
"It's plenty of time. Who needs a big, fancy wedding? What's wrong with making a lifetime commitment with sand between our toes? Sharing our union with our family? It doesn't have to be big and expensive. As long as you and I are marrying each other, it'll still be the most beautiful wedding anyone's ever seen." He paused and took both of her hands in his. "Look, Mel, I'm a simple man. I don't require much to be happy. A little water, a little sand, and you. You're all I need to have the perfect wedding. It really doesn't have to be that complicated." Then he sighed. "But if you really want something a little bigger, if that will make you happy, then I'm willing to wait it out while we plan it. Whatever you want."
Mel shook her head rapidly. "No," she said, surprising even herself. "No, I don't want to wait. I only want you. Let's do it. Let's just get married."
A grin spread across Jason's face and he nodded. "Yeah?"
She nodded back, excitedly. "Yeah." Then she took a deep breath and let the air out. "Yeah. Let's, um, let's get married on the beach. In front of your family and mine. We can have a small reception on the beach afterward. And then we can go--"
Suddenly, Jason's cell phone rang out from the bedroom and he looked at Mel and narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sorry, gorgeous. I gotta get that. That's probably Andy, we've been playing phone tag for a couple of days." Leaning forward, he pecked her lips before he made his way to the bedroom to retrieve his phone.
Alone at the kitchen table, Mel sighed and looked around as Barb entered the room again. Mel smirked at her. "Where's the laundry?"
Barb scowled and sat at the table with Mel. "Shut your face, child, and spill it. Let me see that ring."
It didn't seem like it when she and Barb were talking, but when Mel glanced at the clock when Jason walked back into the kitchen, nearly an hour had passed. Curiously, she looked up at Jason's beaming face. "Well?" Mel pressed. "Tell us something good."
"You ladies have any plans tonight? Because I'm taking my best girls to dinner, that much I know."
Mel and Barb glanced at each other and smiled. "What gives?" Mel pressed.
"We're celebrating. Today's been a good day. My little woman just agreed to marry me and I was just informed that I was voted this year's Most Fascinating Person. Don't know how in the fuck THAT happened, but it did. Anyway, so Isolde Wilson wants to do an entire special on me. And we're scheduling to shoot it early next week here in Hawaii."
Barb's hand flew to her chest. "Oh my god, Isolde Wilson, are you kidding? I love that woman!"
Jason smiled. "I know."
Isolde Wilson was only one of the most influential talk show hosts and media moguls to grace the Earth and had even been dubbed by most as the most influential woman in the world. To be interviewed at all by Isolde Wilson was a big deal--for her to want to do an entire special AND be voted the year's Most Fascinating Person was a huge honor.
Mel grinned up at her fiancée. And the thought of him being her fiancée made her heart skip multiple beats and her grin widened. "Sweetie, I'm so proud of you."
He cleared his throat, blushing a little. "I gotta say, my ego's a little off the charts right now."
"And so it should be," Barb said to him. "You should have been Most Fascinating Person years ago. You are every year to me."
"Thanks, Ma," he grinned.
----------------------
Later that evening, as the three of them got ready to leave for dinner, Mel was able to steal a couple of minutes alone with her cell phone. Grinning, she hit the button and it started to ring. "Mom? Hey, how are you?"
"Hi, sweetheart! How's Hawaii?"
"It's wonderful. I love it here."
"I can tell it in your voice. There's a calm about you lately."
"There is," Mel agreed. "Weird, isn't it?"
Susan laughed.
"So I have some news. Um, Jason and I put a bid on a house here in Oahu."
"Um, like to buy a house? Like, to move there?"
"Yeah."
"Melody...it's bad enough you left us for New York. Then for California. Now all the way to Hawaii? How far away are you trying to get from this town?"
"Mom..."
"I know, I know. If that's what makes you happy, who are we to try and stop you?"
Mel smiled. "Thanks, Mom. Hey, listen, can you put Daddy on? So I can talk to the both of you?"
Susan hesitated. "Um, sure. Yeah. Okay."
After a moment, Paul's voice came on. "Hey, honey. How's my baby girl?"
"Hi, Daddy. I'm perfect, actually. Wonderful. Listen, um, now that I have you both on the phone, I have some news. Um, earlier today...Jason asked me to marry him. And I said yes."
There was silence on the other end. Mel's heart sank. As happy as she was and as Jason was and as Barb was--you couldn't please everyone, she guessed.
"I gave the boy my blessing when he was here," Paul finally said. "And your mother did, too. Guess we just didn't think it would happen quite this fast."
"Uh, neither did we," Mel agreed. "It came out of nowhere, we hadn't even been talking about marriage. Actually, I don't think we've ever discussed it. With him it's always just--been implied. Everything is so easy with him. There's no uncertainty, no gray areas--everything is cut and dry. And I'm happy and he's happy and we just don't see any reason to just not be married. It feels natural."
"Melody, why do I get the feeling that isn't all of the story? Are you pregnant again?"
"Lord, no, Mother! No, um, but the catch is, he's about to leave for Europe in less than three weeks to start on the movie..."
"Oh god, Melody," Susan whispered.
"He wants to be married before he leaves."
"Do you?"
"Yes. God, yes, I would sign a marriage license right this second and not think twice about it. I just--I need you guys to support me. I know this year has just been crazy and tumultuous but I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I'm the happiest I've ever been. And it's not like I thought I was happy with John or with Tay or anything like that. This is different. This is real. This is IT. And I need you guys to be there."
There was silence on the other end before, surprisingly, Paul spoke. "Of course we'll be there, princess. We wouldn't miss this for the world."
Tears welled up in Mel's eyes as she smiled into the phone. NOW all was right with the world.
MEL
The next morning, Mel found herself surprisingly awake. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, even. Quietly, she left Jason in the bed and snuck off to the bathroom to shower before meeting up with his mother in the kitchen. Barb smiled at her as she washed her hands in the sink. "Good morning, sunshine! Gotta be honest, I'm surprised to see you awake."
Mel was suddenly reminded of hers and Jason's secret midnight romp on the beach and felt the blood rise to her cheeks.
"Thought jet lag would have set in something fierce after the long day you two had yesterday," Barb continued.
Relieved, Mel smiled and took in a breath, looking around. "I don't know. There's a sort of energy here. I found it hard to stay asleep."
Barb smiled back. "Hawaii will do that to you. That's why I stayed and didn't move Jason to the mainland. So much more to life here, it seems."
Before long, Barb and Mel sat at the kitchen table, eating fruit and yogurt and making plans for the family luau that was to take place later that night. Mel was excited. She'd never been to a luau before and she was eager to spend the day helping to prepare.
The women heard whistling and looked up in time to see Jason entering the kitchen in a tank top and swim trunks. He plucked an apple from a fruit basket and tossed it around in his hands. "I'm headed out to surf with the guys, I'll be back later."
Mel's eyes widened in surprise. Not only had she not been aware that he was awake, but this was news to her, he hadn't even acknowledged a "good morning" to her or his mother, and he was just going to walk right out the door. She'd never known him to be so rude.
As if she and his mother shared a brain, Barb looked up at him and scolded, "Jason! I'm glad you're home, but how dare you be so rude?"
His eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks as he looked back and forth between Mel and his mother. Then his body relaxed and he shook his head. "Oh shit, I'm sorry." Then he leaned over and hugged his mother. "Morning, Ma."
"That's better," she said, rising from her seat and making her way across the kitchen. "You want me to make you something before you go?"
"No, thanks, I'm good," he said to her. Then he squatted by Mel's chair and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, gorgeous, I didn't mean to ignore you," he said quietly.
Mel shook her head, simultaneously shaking away her hurt feelings. "It's okay. You're at home, you're excited to see everyone. Go, have fun, I'll be here when you get back."
"Are you sure?" He asked, sweeping her hair off of her shoulder. "I don't have to go, I can stay--"
"No. Go. And if you don't come back all bruised and banged up, I'll send you right back out the door."
He grinned at her and he kissed her as he stood up. She stood with him and lay a playful slap on his backside. "Now, go, get out of here. Go catch a wave for me. We got things to do here."
As he headed out the door, Mel turned around and her eyes met Barb's. A smile crept across Barb's face. "You're gonna fit in just fine around here, you know that? Now come on, we have some shopping to do and a party to plan."
And with that, the two women started their day.
--------------------------------------------------------
JASON
Jason arrived at the beach to meet his four cousins and he smiled, breathing in the Oahu air as he walked across the beach. Man, it was so good to be home. And it was a perfect day. It was warm, the sun beat down on their backs, not a cloud in the sky, and all the men were in high spirits.
Approaching Kelani as he arrived to join the others, he fist-bumped him and said to him quietly, "Look no hard feelings about yesterday? We cool?"
"Yeah," Kelani's Hawaiian accent said to him. "We're cool. I get it. It was an emotional day for everyone. Just don't run that girl off by acting like that again."
Jason glanced down at the sand, then out at the water. "Yeah. Thanks for the advice."
"Anytime, bra."
After greeting the rest of his cousins with an emotional reunion, they wasted no time getting out into the water. Jason was the happiest and most free he'd felt in awhile. Everything was just--right in the world. He had the movie role of a lifetime, Mel was waiting for him at his mother's house just minutes away, and he was home, surfing with his cousins. All the things he loved, wrapped up into one, felt like all the stars just aligned in his favor. He felt a high that day that he hadn't felt in years.
Several hours had passed in what felt like mere minutes and Jason was ready to head back to shore for a break. Picking out a spot in the sand, he sat on the edge of the water, elbows resting on his raised knees, as his cousins messed around ahead of him in the distant waves. He needed to take a breather. He needed to feel the sun on his back and breathe in the clean beach air.
From nowhere, his cousin, Kona, barreled into the side of his shoulder and bounced off of him. Jason looked over at him as he fell over into the sand and laughed. "What the hell was that, brother?"
Jason was closer to Kona than he was the rest of his cousins. He was a few years younger than Jason and stood at a slim 5'10" with a close buzz cut and a deep Hawaiian, tan, at least two shades deeper than Jason's, partially due to the fact that Kona was full Hawaiian while Jason was only half. Kona had always been a little shy and under confident and Jason had taken him under his wing very early on.
Kona straightened up his posture and rested his arms on his knees to match Jason's seated position. Both men stared out at the ocean for a moment before Kona said in his Hawaiian accent, "Sorry about your old man."
"Don't apologize. You don't hear me apologizing."
Kona nodded, knowing Jason's situation all too well. "Okay. I got that. So word on the island is you brought a girl home to your ma yesterday."
Jason side-glanced at Kona. "Word on the island?"
"Yeah. The whole island is talking about it."
"The whole island, huh? New travels fast. Why is that?"
"Uh, well, your ma called my ma..."
"And your ma has a big mouth."
"You know how she is."
Jason nodded. "I know."
"That why you haven't been around?"
He looked over at Kona. "What? No, I've been working. You know that."
"Yeah. I know. So where'd you meet her?"
"New York."
"The big city, huh?"
"Yep."
"How long you known her?"
"Few years."
Kona looked over at Jason and raised his eyebrows. "And this is the first time you're bringing her to the island?"
"Time wasn't right then."
"But it is now?"
"Yep."
"You love her?"
"Yeah."
"You never been in love before, bra."
"I know."
"She the one?"
"Yeah."
"When did you know? That she was the one, I mean."
"First night I met her."
The two were silent for a moment as they listened to the crashing waves and distant laughing of their cousins. Then Kona spoke again. "Would you die for her?"
Jason furrowed his brow and turned to look at his cousin. "Why are you asking so many questions?"
"You know...we used to be close. You're like a brother to me."
Jason raised an eyebrow at him, offended. "We're still close."
"I know, but--you know. I wanna make sure you're okay. You know?"
Jason turned his head back to the water and nodded. "Yeah, I'd die for her."
"For real?"
"Wouldn't think twice about it."
Kona sighed. "Man. I wish I could have something like that."
Jason looked over at Kona and smiled. "You will, my brother. You will."
Kona smiled gratefully at his cousin. After another moment of silence, he asked, "So you gonna marry her?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah."
Kona's eyebrows raised. "You asked her yet? Does your ma know?"
"I haven't asked her yet. And Ma's pretty intuitive. Can't get much past her."
"You know how you're gonna do it? Or when?"
"No idea."
"Why not right here on the island?"
Jason raised an eyebrow at Kona. "What?"
"Right here, bra. It's perfect. You're home, you're surrounded by the people you love. You have beautiful water, sun, white beaches...bring her out when the sun sets, get down on one knee...it would be perfect, women eat that shit up. She'll say yes, no question."
Jason smiled slyly over at Kona. "I'm pretty confident she's gonna say yes no matter how I do it. And besides, Mel's not that kind of woman."
"Mel, huh? What's that short for? Melanie?"
"Melody."
"Ah. Melokia..."
"MY Melokia," Jason emphasized.
Kona nodded knowingly. "Gotcha. Okay. Explains the tattoo..."
Jason pursed his lips at his cousin, momentarily annoyed by his seemingly keen observation. "Anyway, I'm not sure the time is right yet."
"You got a ring yet?"
Jason nodded. "Yep."
Kona's eyebrows raised again. "For real, bra? How long you had it?"
"Long enough."
"So--man, what are you waiting for? She's the one, you love her--you'd die for her. What's the hold up?"
Jason sighed and smiled at his cousin. "When did you become such a romantic?"
Kona shrugged. "I've romanced a woman or two in my day."
Jason nodded. "Uh-huh. Okay."
"So, hey, why don't you bring her to the family luau tonight?"
"There's a luau?"
"Your ma didn't mention it?"
"Guess we haven't gotten that far yet. We just got in yesterday."
"Well bring her, everyone is dying to meet the one who finally stole your heart."
Jason looked at Kona and laughed. "The one who finally stole my heart?" He then pushed him over playfully. "Listen at you and your poetry."
"I'm a little hurt that Kelani got to meet her before I did."
Jason narrowed his eyes at him. "Did he tell you I nearly killed him yesterday?"
"He told me he was trying to help and you went ape shit all over him, accusing him of trying to take your girl. Said you were being all crazy, he never saw you like that before."
Jason glanced at his hands in shame, then back at the ocean. "I know. Yesterday was a weird day."
"You just can't do that stuff, man. You can't go around treating your family like that. Or your girl. It turns people off. And we're all here for you. We always have been."
Jason sighed and looked over at Kona. Good old Kona. Sure, he'd already heard it from Kelani that day, but leave it to Kona to just drive it on home. Kona was a little timid at times, sort of an underdog, but he was one of the very few people who had no problem telling Jason like it was without fearing him--the only other two who were capable of that were Mel and his mother. He respected Kona. And that was why he didn't argue with him.
"You don't have to be scared every time something good happens to you, bra," Kona continued. "I understand why you are how you are, but you don't have to be scared you're going to lose everything good that happens to you. You can't live your life that way. Nobody can."
Jason glanced at Kona one more time, then back at the ocean. "I think you're right. About asking her on the island. That was a good idea."
Kona was silent for a moment before he replied quietly, "You're welcome."
---------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel and Barb had been cooking all day and they had just prepared their last platter when Barb tossed her dishrag on the counter and leaned on it, looking at Mel. "Your first time in Hawaii and you've spent nearly twenty-four hours cooped up in this house with me."
Mel blushed. "Um, well, there was--"
"Funerals don't count. How about we take a break and go watch the boys surf for a few minutes? Then we can come back here and finish up before the party."
"Um--I don't want to invade Jason's...man time..."
"Nonsense, they won't even know we're there. I used to do that all the time, I love to watch them surf. I envy them. There's no way I could get out there and do that stuff. It's an art, you know."
Mel looked at Barb and smiled. "Um, yeah, okay. A few minutes on the beach would nice."
Barb smiled. "Perfect. We'll just grab us a couple of beers and a couple of chairs and we can be on our way."
Mel was head over heels in love with this woman.
When Jason said he was going surfing with his cousins, she expected him to be a thirty or forty minute drive up the road. Not a ten minute walk up the beach. As she and Barb picked a spot far at the back of the beach and set up their chairs, Mel sat down the cooler of beer and took off her shorts. She decided, being out with Jason's mother, not to go full bikini on her. Instead, she wore a modest pair of green, geometric-print bikini briefs and a loose, tan, short-sleeved shirt that she tied just underneath her breasts. She was modest and she could still catch a few rays.
As the women opened their beers, Mel settled herself onto a towel that she'd lain across the sand as opposed to one of the chairs. She liked to draw in the sand. It was habit. It gave her something to fiddle with as she talked. The sand they sat on now, however, was not for drawing. It was fluffy and warm and white and she couldn't resist digging her hand in the dryness of it and letting it fall back to earth through her fingers. It was like digging through silk.
"Look at them," Barb said as she took a swig of her beer. "It's like he's seventeen again. I swear, sometimes I think they just never grow up."
Mel wished she'd worn her glasses, and the sunglasses she wore on her face were no substitute. They were so far out in the water from them, she only saw five bodies. Normally, she could pick Jason out of a crowd, but not out of THIS crowd, apparently. Not from this far away. "I think he needed this," Mel responded, observing the action in the water.
"He's had a rough couple of weeks," his mother agreed. Mel turned to look at her and Barb winked at her. "He told me what you did for him."
Mel narrowed her eyes at her, knowing they couldn't be seen and focused her attention on her. "What else has he told you?"
Barb turned up her beer. "Um, he told me about you when he first came home from New York." She smiled as she looked out into the ocean. "He came home and he said, 'Ma, guess what? I met a girl. And she's amazing. And I think I'm going to marry her someday.' I was floored, it was the first time he ever said anything like that to me. Then I asked him about you and he said you were in love with another man. I asked him, I said, 'Son, if she's in love with another man, how can you be so sure you're going to marry her?' And he said to me, 'Ma, you just gotta trust me on this. I just know." Then she paused and smiled at Mel. "And now here you are."
Mel glanced down at her beer bottle. "I'm ashamed of myself," she said quietly. "Secretly, I was afraid to come here because I didn't know what you knew. Or what you would think. I don't want you to think I'm some...some flake or some floozy or...I was rich before he was, you know."
Barb chuckled. "I know what you've been through. I know what Jason's been through and I know what you've been through together. He tells me practically everything. And he's never said anything but good things about you. Always good things, no matter what. And I figure, through all the chasing and the heartache he's put himself through, if he still says nothing but good things, you must be pretty special. Jason is a lot of things, dear, but he's no liar. And he calls life as he sees it. You couldn't help where your heart was at the time. So you got a little confused along the way. It happens. But, from what I understand, you never promised him anything and you never led him on and that alone tells me everything I need to know about you." Barb winked at her. "I know my son. I know he can be a persistent little shit."
Mel couldn't help but giggle. She was beginning to see where Jason's personality came from. "Thank you," she said. "That means a lot."
"I like you, honey," Barb said. "Hell, I even think I love you a little."
Mel smiled again. "Well, I think I love you a lot, so no pressure."
This time Barb let out a hearty laugh as she finished her current beer and reached in the cooler for a second one.
Glancing out at the ocean, Mel's heart stopped and what was happening in front of her caused her to turn her entire body toward the water and remove her sunglasses. "Ay, dios mio," she muttered under her breath.
"I know that look," Barb said from her chair. "That's the same look I had when I first saw his father. Hey, do you guys not live on the beach?"
"This doesn't happen at home," Mel whispered nonchalantly, now barely paying Barb any attention.
It was like seeing Jason for the very first time again. It looked like a scene out of a movie. He came out of the water, carrying his surfboard at his side. The sun glistened on his caramel skin as the water dripped off of his broad, bare chest. His bicep flexed as he smoothed his wet hair back and his wet trunks clung to him in all the right ways. He sauntered out of the water like a model, observing his surroundings. Mel couldn't take her eyes off of him, not even to call his attention to them. She could merely stare.
"I think it's time to head to the house," Barb said.
"Oh. Okay," Mel responded as she stood to help Barb gather her stuff.
"No, I think it's time for ME to head to the house. Your dreamboat is headed this way and I'm sure you two probably want a few minutes alone."
"No!" Mel objected. "You stay. Or I'll come with you."
"Not arguing with you. I'll be fine. You'll be back soon. You have to be, we have more work to do."
Mel smiled at Barb and helped her fold up her chair, stealing a beer for Jason out of the cooler before his mother took off with it. As she watched Barb make her way down the beach, Jason was suddenly on his knees in the sand in front of her. "What are you doing out here?" He grinned.
"Um," she glanced at his mother, now a ways down the beach, then back at him. "We were just hanging out."
He glanced his mother's direction then back at Mel. "Uh-huh."
"We were. Honest."
"Okay," he nodded. "I believe you."
And then he attacked her and wrestled her down against her towel. "Jason, no!" She giggled. "Oh my god, you're soaking wet!"
He pulled his head up from her neck and smiled. "Are YOU?"
"Always," she answered flirtatiously.
Jason glanced down at Mel's hand, which was still wrapped around the neck of the beer bottle. "Whatcha got there?"
"Something for you," she grinned. He let her up and she handed it to him. "Thought my man might want a break."
He kissed her cheek and accepted the beer, taking a seat in the sand next to her. "I can't believe you're with me."
Puzzled, she turned to look at him. "How?"
"I was an ass yesterday. To Kelani. To you. Everyone saw it. And you're right, you're not an object. Looking back on it now, I guess I kinda treated you like one. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
"Jason," Mel sighed. "If I had to apologize to you for every single time I wanted to tear a bitch's hair out just for looking at you, I'd be saying I'm sorry for the rest of my life. Yesterday was--riding high on emotions, but--this right here, this isn't us. Feeling sorry for ourselves, begging each other for forgiveness. We're not desperate and we're not unsure."
"So you're telling me I shouldn't apologize for being an asshole?"
"I'm telling you that I understand. But I appreciate the sentiment."
He side-glanced at her and raised the bottle. "I appreciate the beer."
"I appreciate the way you looked coming out of that water," she flirted.
Jason blushed. "We're very appreciative today, aren't we?"
Mel smiled and scooted closer to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. The sun seemed to dry them in no time at all. "We haven't been here long," she said. "But I love it here. I love your mother. I feel so at ease here."
"I knew you would."
She pulled away from him and looked up at him. "Jason? I know I said I wanted to buy the house in Malibu with you. But what if I don't anymore?"
It was Jason's turn to look over at her. He looked hurt and she realized her poor choice of words. "What? I mean--I mean, it doesn't have to be right now--" He stuttered.
"No, not at all. I mean, what if we keep Malibu as a rental and bought a house here? What if we made Hawaii our home?"
He opened his mouth to speak and then he closed it again. "Um--uh..."
"I haven't bought anything, if that's what you're thinking."
That statement caused Jason to chuckle, which relieved Mel a little. "I think it's a little early to make a decision like that, don't you?"
"This is your home, how hard could it be?"
"I don't want you to make decisions based on how you think I'll feel about them. I want you to want things because you want them."
Mel was silent as she looked out into the ocean. He continued. "Just put some thought into it, okay?"
Mel was puzzled. She was sure Jason would jump all over the idea. Had coming to Hawaii been a mistake after all? Or was he simply just reeling from grief?
-----------------------------------------------------
JASON
Later that afternoon, much later after Mel had left him to go back to his mother's and after he had caught a few more waves and walked a bit of the beach with his cousins, he walked into a full kitchen. His mother and Kelani's wife, Leona, stood at the counter, putting together what appeared to be finger foods. Leona's sister and another of his cousin's wives stood at the sink, washing and cutting produce.
Greeting the women, he was about to ask where Mel was, when he turned his head to the left and saw a sight that hit him so hard, it nearly knocked the breath out of him. Mel beamed at him, proudly, as she held a small bundle in her arms. "I got put on baby duty!"
Jason was speechless. Seeing her sitting there, holding that tiny, brown-skinned baby--apparently very freshly born, stunned him. He'd never thought about having children before. He had, for a brief moment when she was pregnant with Taylor's kid, but after that he hadn't put any thought into he and Mel having any of their own. And now seeing her with this one--what she would look like holding his child--it made him want to take her to the bedroom right then and get her pregnant. In that moment, he wanted to spend his life raising a family with her. It was the most beautiful he had ever seen her.
"This is little Izzy," Mel cooed. "And she's just been dying to meet her Cousin Jason."
"Uh..." Jason couldn't form words. "Uh, I'm gonna go jump in the shower real quick, okay?"
He masturbated in the shower. He probably should have felt more ashamed, knowing there was a full house out there in the kitchen, but instead, he propped himself against the wall, letting the water beat on his back as he rested his forehead against his arm, pleasuring himself to the thought of Mel, in the bed, and him coming inside her. Her telling him she's having his child. There was something so raw and primitive and romantic about the thought of impregnating her--something so powerful and assertive and--well, almost egotistical--that he couldn't help but develop a hard on from it. And he knew that if he didn't take care of it now, it would kill him for the rest of the night.
Dressed and refreshed, he walked back into the kitchen, glad as hell that he had jerked off because Mel still had that baby in her arms. Stroked her little cheeks and kissed her little forehead and smiled and cooed at her and every move she made with that baby hit his heart a little harder every time.
Mel grinned up at him. "Hey, sweetie. You wanna hold her?"
"Um," Jason looked around the kitchen. "Whose, uh--"
Leona turned around and smiled. "She's mine. Kelani didn't tell you we just had her?"
"No," Jason replied in a daze. "Didn't come up, I guess."
"It's okay if you hold her," Leona smiled. "I trust you."
"Um--"
"Come on, sit by me," Mel encouraged him. "If it makes you nervous, I'll help you."
More or less against his will, but desperate to be near Mel, he took a seat at the table next to her and she wasted no time laying the baby girl into his arms. His heart melted upon sight of the tiny bundle and he couldn't help but smile. This was his baby cousin. God, he had missed out on so much being gone for so long.
As he looked up at Mel, he caught her smiling at him. "She seems so content with you," she observed.
Leona's voice interrupted their moment. "She loves men. Anytime she starts to get fussy with me, I just give her to Kelani and she's instantly calm again. That's a good thing, I guess. She's already a Daddy's girl, apparently."
As Jason listened to the women talk, looking at the tiny face and letting the tiny hand catch his finger, he felt a vibration on his arm and his blood ran cold. Eyes wide, he looked up. "Uh, I think, uh--I think something's happening in her diaper..."
"Probably just gas," Leona said nonchalantly, not raising any alarm. "You wanna check her real quick for me?"
The blood drained from Jason's face as Mel saved the day, removing baby Izzy from Jason's arms. "I got it. It probably is just gas, I just changed her right before you came in from the beach."
Jason's head spun. This was a side of Mel he'd never seen. He leaves her with his mother for a few hours and already she's making poi, bringing him beer on the beach, and changing diapers. Was this his future? If so, life was turning out to be pretty goddamn fantastic.
---------------------
The luau was more or less a block party, seeing as Jason's mother and the rest of his father's side of the family all lived in the same neighborhood. His father may have flown the coop, but his mother was still very close with the rest of them and she was more a part of the family than his father had been.
He had also learned that it turned out to be a welcome home party for him, which was something he couldn't seem to wrap his head around. When he came home, he was just plain old Jason, same as he ever was. But he supposed that after you'd stayed away a certain amount of time, coming home garnered a luau in your honor.
He couldn't stop eating. He hadn't had authentic, home-cooked Hawaiian food in ages and his mouth watered with every bite. He also couldn't keep his eyes off of Mel, either, as it seemed that she, too, was unable to keep any of the food out of her mouth. Watching her enjoy the party made him smile.
As he watched her from across the way, sitting in a group with a few of the women, he observed her. She wore red. He loved her in red. He was pretty sure it was his favorite color on her. To him, red represented power and passion, which was everything she was. When she wore red, it drove him insane. Tonight she wore a vintage-style, Hawaiian-print, red, sarong-style dress that cinched at the top and was double-strapped over one shoulder. The bottom part wrapped around her body and extended to her knees. Her feet were bare due to the sand and her dark hair flowed down her back when it wasn't blowing in the breeze. Her freshly-strung lei hung around her neck and her smile radiated at him across the beach. But something was missing.
Glancing around at the rest of his family, he noticed a sea of freshly-strung leis, made with fresh island flowers that were picked that day, a typical luau--and Hawaiian in general--staple. As he fingered his own, and looked back at Mel, he found himself ripping his own from around his neck and tearing it apart as the petals shook loose and floated to the ground. Finding the perfect flower, he twirled it in between his fingers in thought, then tied the flower to a toothpick he plucked off a nearby table with some of the leftover string from his now-defunct lei.
Walking across the beach, he wordlessly took her hand and lifted her from the chair she'd been sitting in and immediately busied himself in placing the flower behind her ear. "Jason," she'd said, confused as his sudden, impulsive action. "What are you--?"
When he was satisfied with the flower's placement, he pulled his head back and looked down at her. "That's perfect," he said.
She narrowed her eyes, confused. "What?"
"Before I met you, I dreamed of you," he confessed. "I had a recurring dream of a little woman with dark hair. And then I met you and I knew you had to be her. Except the woman in my dream had a flower in her hair. Every time, without fail. I had to see, I had to know. I had to put a flower in your hair. And I'm right. I always knew I was. Mel, you are, literally, the woman of my dreams. You've never looked more beautiful to me than you did with that baby in your arms today. And now with this flower in your hair. And I think you're right, I think we should make our home right here on the island."
Tears welled up in her eyes. He hadn't meant to make her cry. But then she smiled through the tears and his heart melted. "Oh, Jason," her voice cracked. "That's the most romantic thing that--god, I love you so much." And she took his face in her hands, her lips crashing against his. After a second, she pulled away and narrowed her eyes at him. "I can't wear a flower in my hair every single day. That would be impossible."
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not saying you have to. But I am saying it suits you." He paused and looked around over her head. "All of this suits you. The island, my family--I think you belong here, gorgeous."
Mel smiled up at him. "I know I do. That's why I suggested buying a house here."
"I think I'm an idiot. Today when I told you to think on it more. I know you better than that. If you hadn't already thought it through, you wouldn't have mentioned it."
Her grin widened. "Are you saying it's something we can look into?"
"I'm saying we could maybe do a little house-hunting while we're here."
Mel giggled in excitement and threw her arms around his neck one more time. He melted. She was happy. These were the moments he lived for.
Their moment was short-lived when a male voice approached them. "Did I miss the good news? Did she say yes?"
Mel stopped laughing abruptly and her eyes widened, Jason's expression matching hers as they both stared at Kona. "Um, excuse me?" Mel said suddenly.
"Kona," Jason greeted him through his teeth. "This is Mel. My GIRLFRIEND. Mel, this is Kona. He's my cousin."
"Close cousin," Kona corrected. "Almost brothers."
"Almost distant," Jason muttered.
Mel greeted Kona, her eyes darting back and forth between him and Jason, obviously still stuck on his words. Jason could have killed him. Kona's eyes met his and he knew he'd messed up. "Mel," Kona said. "So nice to finally meet you. Say, have you ever had fresh, homemade haupia?"
Mel blinked her eyes and smiled, her face still darting from one man to the other. "Um, I've never even heard of haupia."
"Do you like coconut?"
"I love coconut."
"Then you'll love my haupia. I make the best on the island. Two days of blood, sweat, and tears go into making the perfect coconut dessert. And nobody does it like me. Care to join me for a little island bliss?" Charmingly, Kona extended her elbow to her.
Mel glanced at Jason and she giggled, slipping her hand through Kona's elbow. "Well how can I turn down something that sounds that good?"
Jason stood there with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Kona lead Mel over to the dessert table and Kelani took a place next to him. "Yesterday you nearly took my head off for going a few steps with her and now you let Kona feed her haupia without batting an eyelash. What gives, bra?"
"This is me, checking myself. Kona kinda laid into me today because of yesterday."
"Kona?"
Jason glanced at Kelani. "Just a little."
Kelani nodded. "He always respected you."
"And I respect him."
Both men looked on in silence for a moment before Jason asked, "Since when does Kona make haupia?"
"He's been getting into the whole cooking thing over the past few years. He's actually pretty good at it. He wants to be a head chef somewhere."
Jason nodded. "Hm. Guess I have been away too long."
"Yeah," Kelani agreed. "Way too long."
They watched as Mel talked and laughed with Kona with ease. They watched her consume more than one bar of haupia. Then they watched as Leona approached the table, picking from the plates with one hand, juggling the baby with her other arm. Mel practically dropped her life and walked briskly around the table. "Leona, let me take her so you can make yourself a plate. This is ridiculous. You should eat. Sit, take a breather."
Leona smiled as she handed baby Izzy over. "She likes you," Leona stated as Mel held the baby close and smiled at her. "Thank you, you've been amazing today."
"Anytime," Mel responded, cooing at the baby much like she had been earlier.
Jason side-glanced at Kelani, annoyed. "Why is my woman taking care of your kid while you stand right here and do nothing?"
Kelani looked up at Jason. "Same reason she left you here to go eat haupia with Kona. Because she wanted to."
Jason scowled at his cousin before he turned his attention back to Mel. Kelani had a point. Damn him.
--------------
Early one morning, later in the week after he and Mel had put in a bid on a house they liked, Jason awoke to find the bed empty. He would have been more surprised had he not looked at the clock and it read nearly noon. Jesus, how late had he stayed up the previous night?
Taking a quick shower and dressing, slipping a couple of things into his pockets, he entered the kitchen to find it empty. The house was quiet. Had he missed something? The back door was open. He felt the breeze through the screen door. The day was overcast.
As he looked around, his mother's voice startled him as she came from behind him, carrying fresh dishcloths into the kitchen. "Nice of you to join the world of the living," she remarked.
"I didn't mean to sleep so late," he said. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"
"I wanted to. Mel insisted on letting you sleep. So we let you sleep."
"Hm," he responded. "So, uh, where is she?"
"Out there," Barb nodded toward the screen door. "She and I had a conversation this morning and she decided to have a moment to herself. I think she needed it, the poor thing."
Jason's hair stood on end as he looked at his mother. "What did you say to her?"
"Don't give me that face, Jason," she scolded. "It wasn't a bad conversation."
"Then why does she need to be alone?"
"Because, dammit, sometimes a woman just needs to be alone. She hasn't had a moment to herself since you two came to the island last week."
Walking over to the screen door, he looked outside and spied Mel sitting on the beach. Her hand swirled the sand around beside her as she sat still, staring at the ocean. He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Am I moving too fast, Ma?"
"I don't know. Do you think you are?"
"I don't--I don't know. I don't know what too fast is. Everything with her just feels--right. It's hard to measure things with time. It's just--things were just so different merely months ago. Just months ago, Ma. And sometimes I think--" Jason couldn't bear to say it aloud. He had done good not to think of it since the day she confessed she was in love with him.
His ever-intuitive mother finished his thought. "You wonder if she still loves the other guy?"
He turned around and glanced at her. "I wonder if it's too fast."
"You said so yourself it feels right."
"Because it does. It always has. I just--I don't want to wake up one day and she's decided she's made a mistake. You know?"
"That won't happen," Barb said quietly. "I assure you, that will never happen."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I'm a woman. I know women. She looks at you like you're the only person on this planet. She has stars in her eyes and she smiles and she walks on air. You make her happy, Jason. She loves you. She really, truly loves you. And she told me about the house you put a bid on and I gave her my blessing. For both of you."
His mother's last statement caught him off guard and he whipped his head around and looked at her. "Your blessing?"
She glanced up at him quickly as she wiped the kitchen counter. "You know what I mean."
"Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about the house anymore?"
Barb sighed and tossed her dishcloth down on the counter. "Sweetheart, you're really not as dense as you're acting right now. Marry that girl. Your relationship may be progressing a little unconventionally, but who gives a shit? If you feel it, do it, isn't that what I always taught you? If you love her, and you want to marry her, just do it. It doesn't matter how long you've been together. If it's right, it's right, I don't see the point in pussyfooting around over it."
Jason studied his mother's face for a moment before a smile slowly crept across his face. "Are you--are you serious?"
"If I'm going to lose my only baby boy to anyone, it better be that woman out there or else I'll marry her myself."
Jason chuckled as he crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his mother. "I love you, Ma."
"I love you, too, sweetheart," she said, patting his back. Then she pulled away and swatted him with her dishcloth. "Now get out there and make an honest woman out of that girl."
He blushed, mortified by her choice of words. "Ma!" He laughed.
"Go on! Get out of here!" With that, Barb shoved Jason out the screen door and slammed it behind him.
------------------------------------------------
MEL
Mel sat alone on the beach, smiling into the Hawaiian breeze. She felt the sand beneath her hand, smelled the water from the ocean. Every once in awhile, she would catch a floral scent now and then.
She had watched Jason sleep for awhile that morning. A long while. He'd had a late night, up drinking with his cousins. She wanted him to enjoy his time at home and spend as much time as he could with his family, so she didn't object when he stayed up late or slept in as a result of it. As long as he was happy, she was happy.
Barb was amazing. Mel loved Jason's mother. She thought of Diana Hanson as a second mother for years, but she felt a special connection with Barb that she didn't get from Diana. After all these years, Diana still felt a little distant. But Barb? Upon sight, Barb was treating Mel like her own and Mel swore the two of them were past and future versions of each other. She hated that she hadn't gotten to meet Barb sooner, but looking back on the circumstances, waiting had been the best choice.
That morning, she and Barb had talked over coffee. Mel couldn't help herself when she'd told her she and Jason had put a bid on a house nearby and Barb had smiled, nearly tearfully. Barb then proceeded to tell her she would be so happy if they made their home nearby and that she would love to have Mel around more often. She then revealed that she had never seen Jason as the person he was around Mel and that she was incredibly proud of him. "You found his heart," Barb had said to her. "He's always kept it guarded, never letting anyone in. But you found it, you pulled it right out of his chest and showed it to him and for that, I am forever grateful. For that, you have my blessing, dear."
Mel had smiled. She was beginning to learn where Jason had picked up, not only his spunky attitude, but his beautiful choice of words. His wisdom had to come from somewhere, and it had apparently come from this beautiful woman right here.
Sitting there, alone on the beach, Mel felt free. For the first time in her life, she felt like she could just lift her arms and fly away. She knew the sentiment was cheesy, but she didn't know how else to describe it. Everything was right. Just right. Instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop, like she always did, she instead reflected on what she'd gone through in her life to get to this moment and she realized--maybe Jason WAS the other shoe. Maybe, for once, the other shoe actually dropped in her favor. And this was what it felt like. And if THIS is what it felt like, well then, she could go barefoot for the rest of her life. She was on cloud nine and she never wanted to come down.
She hadn't heard Jason behind her and hadn't even heard him sit down until she found his legs on either side of her and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her backward against him. She sighed and smiled as his rich voiced breathed into her ear, "What are you doing out here, gorgeous?"
She hugged his arms close to her. "Nothing. Thinking. Enjoying the scenery."
"Everything okay?"
"Better now."
"You're wearing a flower in your hair," he observed.
She smiled and bit her lip. "I am."
To her surprise, he reached up and removed it. "It's beautiful. But not near as beautiful as you are naturally."
"But you said you--"
"I know. But I loved you before the flower. I'll love you with or without it. You're my Melokia, no matter what."
"Jason," she whispered as she leaned against him, her head resting against this shoulder.
He hugged her tighter, his cheek against hers. "I'm going to love you forever," he whispered. "I'll always be there for you. You'll never be alone. You'll never want or need for anything. I'm going to take care of you. Forever. I want you to know that."
"Jason--" she attempted again.
"Here," he said. He shifted his weight and brought his arm around in front of her, his pinkie displayed. "I saw this somewhere and it made me think of you."
She looked at the small, gold ring around the top of his pinkie, touched at the gesture. It was pretty. It looked vintage, shaped in sets of scrolls that curled over, mildly resembling ocean waves. Small diamonds set inside the curled scrolls and the slight rose gold hue caused them to sparkle and stand out. It was a gorgeous little piece of jewelry. "It's beautiful," she said, smiling. "Thank you so much..."
Mel could hear the smile in his voice. "You like it?"
"I love it. But you didn't have to go to the troub--"
Before she could finish the sentence, he picked up her left hand, the closest one to him, and looked at it for a moment. "I'm not sure I got the right size..." he said in thought.
"Well what size is it?"
"I don't know...I actually just did it by sight."
Mel's heart sank. She would hate it if it didn't fit on any of her fingers. She didn't wear any rings right now, as it was, and it would have been nice to have a meaningful piece of jewelry to add to her collection of one. Her right hand mindlessly stroked the moonstone on the sun she wore around her neck like she constantly did.
Thumbing each of her fingers, Jason stopped at her ring finger and slid the ring on. It fit like a glove. "There," he said. "Perfect." Then his voice grew quieter as he leaned closer to her ear. "What do you think? Does that look like a ring you'd wear on that finger forever?"
Mel opened her mouth to speak and then she closed it. Her heart stopped. She froze in place and her throat seemed to close up. She stared at the ring on its apparent intended finger, her eyes wide. He lied. He didn't pick up this "sizeless" ring on a whim. Every move he had made was with tact. With purpose. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on here.
She had a hard time getting anything out of her mouth. She physically couldn't do it. Finally defeating herself in the verbal fight, she managed to croak out, "Jason...Jason..." Her chest visibly heaved with her breathing. Was she getting dizzy? She needed to get a grip. "Is this what I think it is?"
He kissed her cheek and hugged her tighter against him. "Yeah," he whispered.
She trembled as her breathing fought to steady itself. "I need you to say it," she whispered back. "I need--I can't--I need to hear the words, I need you to spell it out. I don't think I'm functioning on all cylinders right now. I need to know we're on the same page."
Reaching over and taking her chin, turning her head toward him, he shifted his body around and looked into her eyes. "Marry me, gorgeous."
She could only stare back at him. She was usually so chatty, so quick to react, her emotions ready to go at a moment's notice. But now--now she struggled to find words every time it seemed to be her cue. She knew what she was supposed to say right now. She was supposed to say "Yes" or some form of it. But instead, she came out with, "I never saw this coming."
Jason gave her a half smile. "Well, that's the idea, right?"
And then she turned her body around and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, the tears starting to flow down her cheeks. She hadn't wanted to cry. Every damn time she was overwhelmed with emotion, she cried. She hated this quality in herself. But lately she'd only cried happy tears and that was new for her. Didn't make crying any less annoying, but the reasons for which the tears flowed made life a little easier.
Breaking the kiss, she wiped her cheeks and looked into his eyes. "Jason, I love you so much." And then she nodded. "Okay. I mean, yes. Yes. I'm dying to marry you, you have no idea."
She kissed him again, and between kisses, he smiled. "Dying to marry me? Really? It's like that?"
"Mmhmm," she nodded as she kissed him again. "Yes. I want to spend my life with you. I want to be chained to you, attached at the hip, glued to your side--" She couldn't stop kissing him and it made her giggle a little. "Legally, spiritually, perpetually--"
"Now you're just making up words--"
"Forever."
"Forever's a long time."
"Forever isn't long enough."
He smiled at her and brushed her hair out of her face. "So this is it. You and me."
"No turning back," she said. "No second thoughts. No cold feet. Just you and me. I'm ready."
"So we're getting married," he smiled. "You're gonna make me a husband."
"It's better than a boyfriend."
"I can't argue with that."
"This was your idea, I don't know why you're acting so surprised."
He grinned. "I'm just happy. I like saying it. I like the idea."
"I gotta be honest, I never thought you would."
"Well, neither did I. Until you got under my skin and now, well--I'm addicted. So now I have to keep you around. Gotta get my fix."
Mel raised her eyebrows. "Keep me around, huh?" She stood from her current position and grinned. "I sure would like to see for myself, this 'keep you around' that you speak of."
Jason remained seated, raising an eyebrow. "You better watch what you're saying."
"Now, see, THAT sounds like a challenge."
"It was more like a warning..."
"Uh-huh," she grinned. And then she took off running.
She screamed with laughter as he wrestled her to the ground within seconds. She lay underneath him, kissing his lips as the ocean water washed up all around her. They were both getting soaked by the second, but she didn't care. This was, by far, the best day of her life.
----------------------
The couple got caught in a sudden downpour, soaking them even more, as they walked back up the beach and into Jason's mother's house. "I was hoping you two would avoid the rain," Barb said, rushing a couple of towels at them.
As they stood and dried off, Jason beamed at his mother. Barb looked from Jason to Mel and raised her eyebrow. "I don't want to know..."
"She said 'yes,'" Jason blurted, excitedly.
Mel smiled up at him in shock. He was...giddy. This was new. She had never seen him 'giddy' before. It was adorable.
Barb smiled knowingly at the two of them. "My baby boy is getting married?"
Jason smiled again, shifting his weight, practically fidgeting. "Looks like it."
Barb approached them, hugging them both, wet clothes and all. She pulled away and smiled. "You have no idea how happy this makes me. So truly happy. Melody, I've known you only a short while--a very short while--but I feel like I've known you for years. I will be so proud to call you my daughter-in-law." Then she looked at Jason, reaching up to touch his face. "And Jason. My dear, sweet boy. I've never been more proud of you in my entire life. I've never seen you so happy. And, as your mother, that's all I ever wanted for you." Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes and she waved them away with her hand. "Shit, I promise I'm not going to cry." The three of them laughed as she took a deep breath and smiled. "So! When's the big day?"
Mel snickered and glanced up at Jason, surprised that she was already asking about a date. "Um, well we haven't really gotten that far--"
"As soon as possible," Jason interrupted. Mel looked up at him again. This time his tone and his face were both serious.
Barb glanced at the both of them before she made up a lie that was as transparent as the window she stood next to. "I gotta go put the clothes in the dryer before they sour. They've been sitting long enough already." At that, she darted out of the kitchen.
Jason looked at Mel, puzzled. "Was that weird to you?"
"It was weird for both of us," she said. "As soon as possible? You break the news to your mother that you're getting married and then you say you want to do it as soon as possible?"
"I didn't lie."
Jason pulled one of the kitchen chairs out, signaling for Mel to sit. As she did as he intended, he took a seat next to her, scooting it close to her and faced her. "I don't believe in engagements," he said quietly.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "How would you know? You've never--"
"That doesn't matter. I still don't believe in them. I don't see the point."
"But you asked me--"
"I asked you to marry me. I didn't ask you to be engaged to me."
It stunned Mel how much of a point he made. He was right. Technically, he was right. Why had she never thought of it that way before? Then she shook that out of her head. "Engagements are--are promises. They're--it's like, I dunno, security? While you're planning the wedding? You're--you're intended to each other--"
"Bullshit," Jason interrupted. "All of it. That's bullshit. I promise I love you. I promise to marry you. You have nothing to worry about with me. Why do we need to walk around for the next year or two, telling everyone we're getting married instead of actually doing it? I don't understand the point."
She looked at him, speechless. He was ready and she was shocked. "Um--you don't--I mean...in the time it takes to plan the wedding, we'll have been 'engaged.' I understand what you're saying, but it's just not adding up..."
"Apparently you're NOT understanding what I'm saying. I'm saying I'm ready to marry you. As soon as possible. Meaning before I go to Europe to start filming. I want to be married before this movie gets off the ground."
Mel's eyes widened. "That's--Jason, that's less than three weeks away..."
He nodded. "I know. Like I said, I didn't ask you for an engagement. I asked you to be my wife. Plain and simple."
"Just--just like that. You just--you want to get married."
"Yeah...I mean, just a few minutes ago you were, and I quote, 'dying to marry me.' What's different now?"
She shook her head. "Nothing's different, I just--I'm shocked. That's all. A little caught off guard. Three weeks is...it's--"
"It's plenty of time. Who needs a big, fancy wedding? What's wrong with making a lifetime commitment with sand between our toes? Sharing our union with our family? It doesn't have to be big and expensive. As long as you and I are marrying each other, it'll still be the most beautiful wedding anyone's ever seen." He paused and took both of her hands in his. "Look, Mel, I'm a simple man. I don't require much to be happy. A little water, a little sand, and you. You're all I need to have the perfect wedding. It really doesn't have to be that complicated." Then he sighed. "But if you really want something a little bigger, if that will make you happy, then I'm willing to wait it out while we plan it. Whatever you want."
Mel shook her head rapidly. "No," she said, surprising even herself. "No, I don't want to wait. I only want you. Let's do it. Let's just get married."
A grin spread across Jason's face and he nodded. "Yeah?"
She nodded back, excitedly. "Yeah." Then she took a deep breath and let the air out. "Yeah. Let's, um, let's get married on the beach. In front of your family and mine. We can have a small reception on the beach afterward. And then we can go--"
Suddenly, Jason's cell phone rang out from the bedroom and he looked at Mel and narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm sorry, gorgeous. I gotta get that. That's probably Andy, we've been playing phone tag for a couple of days." Leaning forward, he pecked her lips before he made his way to the bedroom to retrieve his phone.
Alone at the kitchen table, Mel sighed and looked around as Barb entered the room again. Mel smirked at her. "Where's the laundry?"
Barb scowled and sat at the table with Mel. "Shut your face, child, and spill it. Let me see that ring."
It didn't seem like it when she and Barb were talking, but when Mel glanced at the clock when Jason walked back into the kitchen, nearly an hour had passed. Curiously, she looked up at Jason's beaming face. "Well?" Mel pressed. "Tell us something good."
"You ladies have any plans tonight? Because I'm taking my best girls to dinner, that much I know."
Mel and Barb glanced at each other and smiled. "What gives?" Mel pressed.
"We're celebrating. Today's been a good day. My little woman just agreed to marry me and I was just informed that I was voted this year's Most Fascinating Person. Don't know how in the fuck THAT happened, but it did. Anyway, so Isolde Wilson wants to do an entire special on me. And we're scheduling to shoot it early next week here in Hawaii."
Barb's hand flew to her chest. "Oh my god, Isolde Wilson, are you kidding? I love that woman!"
Jason smiled. "I know."
Isolde Wilson was only one of the most influential talk show hosts and media moguls to grace the Earth and had even been dubbed by most as the most influential woman in the world. To be interviewed at all by Isolde Wilson was a big deal--for her to want to do an entire special AND be voted the year's Most Fascinating Person was a huge honor.
Mel grinned up at her fiancée. And the thought of him being her fiancée made her heart skip multiple beats and her grin widened. "Sweetie, I'm so proud of you."
He cleared his throat, blushing a little. "I gotta say, my ego's a little off the charts right now."
"And so it should be," Barb said to him. "You should have been Most Fascinating Person years ago. You are every year to me."
"Thanks, Ma," he grinned.
----------------------
Later that evening, as the three of them got ready to leave for dinner, Mel was able to steal a couple of minutes alone with her cell phone. Grinning, she hit the button and it started to ring. "Mom? Hey, how are you?"
"Hi, sweetheart! How's Hawaii?"
"It's wonderful. I love it here."
"I can tell it in your voice. There's a calm about you lately."
"There is," Mel agreed. "Weird, isn't it?"
Susan laughed.
"So I have some news. Um, Jason and I put a bid on a house here in Oahu."
"Um, like to buy a house? Like, to move there?"
"Yeah."
"Melody...it's bad enough you left us for New York. Then for California. Now all the way to Hawaii? How far away are you trying to get from this town?"
"Mom..."
"I know, I know. If that's what makes you happy, who are we to try and stop you?"
Mel smiled. "Thanks, Mom. Hey, listen, can you put Daddy on? So I can talk to the both of you?"
Susan hesitated. "Um, sure. Yeah. Okay."
After a moment, Paul's voice came on. "Hey, honey. How's my baby girl?"
"Hi, Daddy. I'm perfect, actually. Wonderful. Listen, um, now that I have you both on the phone, I have some news. Um, earlier today...Jason asked me to marry him. And I said yes."
There was silence on the other end. Mel's heart sank. As happy as she was and as Jason was and as Barb was--you couldn't please everyone, she guessed.
"I gave the boy my blessing when he was here," Paul finally said. "And your mother did, too. Guess we just didn't think it would happen quite this fast."
"Uh, neither did we," Mel agreed. "It came out of nowhere, we hadn't even been talking about marriage. Actually, I don't think we've ever discussed it. With him it's always just--been implied. Everything is so easy with him. There's no uncertainty, no gray areas--everything is cut and dry. And I'm happy and he's happy and we just don't see any reason to just not be married. It feels natural."
"Melody, why do I get the feeling that isn't all of the story? Are you pregnant again?"
"Lord, no, Mother! No, um, but the catch is, he's about to leave for Europe in less than three weeks to start on the movie..."
"Oh god, Melody," Susan whispered.
"He wants to be married before he leaves."
"Do you?"
"Yes. God, yes, I would sign a marriage license right this second and not think twice about it. I just--I need you guys to support me. I know this year has just been crazy and tumultuous but I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I'm the happiest I've ever been. And it's not like I thought I was happy with John or with Tay or anything like that. This is different. This is real. This is IT. And I need you guys to be there."
There was silence on the other end before, surprisingly, Paul spoke. "Of course we'll be there, princess. We wouldn't miss this for the world."
Tears welled up in Mel's eyes as she smiled into the phone. NOW all was right with the world.