The Wrong Fiancée: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance (Marriage by Contract Book 3)
The Wrong Fiancée: Chapter 25

I watched Elika unpack lunch, the smell of fresh pineapple filling the air. It was sweet and tangy, cutting through the earthy scent of the forest.

She had a container of poi, a taro root paste. I’d tried it before and loved it.

‘My mother used to make the best poi,’ Elika told me.

We sat on a sun-warmed stone on towels and I was once again convinced about the rightness of us because of the ease between us. I was more relaxed than I had been in a long time—though I would’ve been much better if I’d fucked her as her body had been begging me to.

If I could’ve resisted touching her, I would have. But I couldn’t—not when she was looking at me like I was something delicious she wanted to taste.

‘What’s that?’ I asked when she unwrapped a dish covered in banana leaf.

‘Teriyaki chicken musubi,’ she told me. It was rice pressed tight around grilled chicken and wrapped in seaweed.

She finished our feast by pulling out a small loaf of banana bread wrapped in simple brown paper.

When she was done, I raised an eyebrow, impressed. ‘You didn’t have to go all out for me, you know.‘

‘I asked the chef at Pele’s Flame to put this together for me,’ she explained. ‘He’s…ah my friend Leilani’s husband.’

Dean nodded. ‘She the same friend who Dad talked to about you being arrested?’

‘Yes, and she used to be my supervisor. She and Nalu, her husband, are like family…the closest people I have in my life after Noe.’

With the waterfall roaring in the background, the mist catching the light, I reached for a slice of pineapple, its juice dripping down my hand, and licked it away, letting the sweetness settle on my tongue. ‘I could get used to this.’

Elika laughed, that light, relaxed sound I was beginning to crave. She handed me one of the musubi, and I took a bite. The flavor hit me, salty and sweet, and I had to admit—it was damn good. ‘Well, you’re in my Hawaii now.’ She grinned playfully. ‘It’s not all high-end resorts and art galleries.’

I nodded, chewing thoughtfully, appreciating the simplicity of it all. ‘You know, I think I like this side better. The real side.’

Her eyes softened. ‘I get the feeling I’m seeing the real you here.’

‘You are,’ I admitted. ‘No walls with you, baby. I’m an open book.’

We ate quietly, and I marveled at how comfortable it felt being with Elika without the need for words. Felicity was the opposite—constantly talking, always seeking attention, unable to sit still. I used to think that’s what I wanted, mistaking her energy for something I needed. But I hadn’t valued peace enough.

In the quiet, the jungle took over, the sound of the waterfall blending with the rustling leaves and distant bird calls. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, turning everything golden. It felt like time had slowed down, like nothing else mattered except for this, except for her.

After lunch, we lay on the stone and looked up at the sky, which was now not as bright as when we got here. The sun wasn’t directly atop us but was sliding into the waters, and soon, it would be dark. I knew we had to get back before that. We had a forty-plus-minute hike to go.

I reached for Elika’s hand and clutched it. ‘This is heaven,’ I whispered.

‘What, hiking through the jungle and jumping into secret waterfalls?’

‘And making out with you in the secret waterfall,’ I teased and then added somberly. ‘But, it’s more than that. Do you know what I mean?’

She squeezed my hand. ‘Yes, I do.’

I didn’t have to explain, I realized, as joy unfurled inside me. She knew. It wasn’t just about today or this picnic by the waterfall. It was about all of it—the way the past seemed to loosen its grip on us, the feeling that we were starting fresh, and the certainty in my heart that this time, it would last. I’d been trying to replace the right woman like my brothers had, and ended up with the wrong fiancée—but now, finally, I had the right girlfriend.

‘We used to come to Kauai, my mother and I, from Waikiki. She had some friends here,’ Elika told me. ‘She didn’t have a family. She was an orphan. She met Daddy and thought she’d have one, and she did for a while. Uncle Sam, Daddy, and Mama were friends, tight. But then he met Ginny, and they broke up.’

‘Was that because Ginny thought Sam was sleeping with your mother?’

‘Yes.’ She sighed. ‘Which was such nonsense. Uncle Sam grew up with an asshole father—mine didn’t even have that. His mother had been bitter about being the discarded woman. Mama was a bright star—she was the reason Daddy found happiness, and Uncle Sam adored her like a sister.’

She sat up and looked down at me. ‘Mama had tried to get to know Felicity and Sean, but Ginny wouldn’t allow it. Have you met Sean?’

I nodded. ‘A few times.’

‘He’s a good egg.’ She wrapped her arms around herself. She looked ethereal in her tan swimsuit, her half-dried hair curling. ‘Sends me memes.’ She chuckled. ‘When he’s here, he comes and hangs with me. Of course, he makes sure neither Ginny nor Felicity know. Uncle Sam does, but he’s so….’

‘Weak?’ I supplied when she trailed off.

‘Yes.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘Ginny made him leave his family—his only family, mind you. Grandpa didn’t have other kids…at least that we know of. And the way she spoke to me…I never understood how he could stay with a woman like that…who’s so cruel and petty.’

I turned to my side and rested my cheek on the palm of my hand, my elbow propped up on the fluffy towel so I could look at her.

‘You mean how I could be with Felicity?’

‘No.’ She was sincere. ‘I’m sure Fee showed you whatever she thought you wanted to see.’

I pondered that for a moment. ‘Is that who she is?’

‘Yeah.’ Elika gave me a sad smile. ‘She…ah…has several personas that pop up based on what she needs to acquire.’

‘You must think I’m a total numbskull to have fallen for her.’

‘Yes,’ she agreed with a laugh. ‘I hated seeing you with her.’ The laughter disappeared from her voice. ‘That day…you know which day I’m talking about?’

‘The day you saw us having sex?’

She looked away.

‘It was the last time we had sex.’

She snapped her head back. ‘That was like weeks ago.’

‘I know.’

‘Why?’

I hadn’t known then, but I could look back and see now. ‘Because I realized I was in love with you. I fought it, Elika. Didn’t admit it for the longest time. I…maybe I was a coward like Sam. I didn’t want to rock the boat. But what I feel for you is stronger than any need I have to keep the peace.’

She tapped my nose. ‘You’re not a coward. You get lost once in a while, but then we all do. I’ve been allowing Noe to walk all over me for years. I was a wuss, too.‘

‘No, baby, you were taking care of her, loving her because she’s your sister.’

My Elika had such a big heart, I thought. She was always giving. How had I ever thought that intellectual prowess beat humanity, beat love? I’d been such a fool.

It was going to get dark soon, and as much as I hated it, I wanted us back in Dad’s Range Rover before the sunset.

I stood up and held a hand out to her. ‘Ready to head home?’

She gave me one of her bright, luscious smiles—the one that had made me fall in love with her four years ago. She put her hand in mine and let me pull her up.

‘I haven’t had a home…for a very long time.’ There were tears sparkling in her eyes. ‘But you and Tate…you’re giving me one, a sense of family…not a brick structure. You understand?’ I nodded, feeling emotional. ‘You both have accepted me with arms wide open. I’d be foolish not to at least see where this could take us, what you and I could be.’

The gods were smiling at me. Thank you, Pele!

I kissed her long and hard, pouring all my love into it, letting her see into my heart and soul. ‘I love you,’ I whispered.

‘I know.’ She laughed as if overflowing with joy. ‘Let’s get out of here before it’s dark and the Night Marchers come looking for us. I’d rather not end up face down in the dirt being dragged off to the underworld.’

‘What the hell is a Night Marcher?’ I queried as we packed up.

‘Night Marchers are Huaka’i Pō. They’re the spirits of ancient Hawaiian warriors who are said to march through sacred areas in forests and mountains.’

‘What happens if we meet a Night Marcher?’ I asked once we were back on the hiking trail.

Elika dropped her voice to a hoarse, ghostly whisper. ‘Encountering Huaka’i Pō is extremely dangerous. Anyone who sees or hears the Huaka’i Pō will face death unless they lie face down in submission or are related to one of the spirits.’

‘Related?‘

‘Don’t worry. I’m probably related to any spirit we come across,’ she said nonchalantly.

‘But what about me?’ I asked in feigned horror.

‘You’re related to me, so you’ll be fine,’ she said easily, and my heart expanded and doubled in size. ‘Now, you may think Night Marchers are dangerous, but the ‘aumākua is worse.’

‘Do I even want to know what that is?’

‘They are ancestral guardian spirits that take the form of owls, sharks…other creatures. They are generally protective of their descendants, but they can become dangerous if they are disrespected or if their sacred places are disturbed.’ She dropped her voice to a low, exaggerated whisper. ‘Some say that encountering an ʻaumākua in the forest can bring dire consequences if you fail to respect it.’

‘No shit, but I’m safe because you’re probably a descendant, and I’m related to you.’

‘Exactly,’ she said cheerfully.

I enjoyed Elika’s storytelling, and we held hands all the way back to the Range Rover and home.