“I’m handling it like a woman who is deeply motivated by shaved ice and back rubs.”
“Both reasonable motivators.”
She leaned back, eyes closed, letting the sun hit her face.
“I think about it sometimes,” she said quietly. “What it’s going to be like. Handing this baby over to you and Cal.”
I looked at her, my heart tight.
“We think about it too,” I said. “All the time. It doesn’t feel like we’re just waiting for a baby. It feels like we’re all… building something. Together. You know you’re always going to be a part of this baby’s world. A big part.”
She opened her eyes and smiled, and for a long, golden moment, the world was soft. Settled.
Neither of us knew what was coming next.
But we both felt ready. As ready as we’d ever be.
Or so we thought.
With a shuffle and a groan, Leilani moved to pulled herself up off the lanai. “And surprise, surprise, I have to go pee again.”
I helped her up and watched as she did her waddle through the doors and over to the bathroom.
When she returned, I saw her pause as she passed the kitchen counter.
Cal had left a number of blueprints and plans on the countertop. He had been poring over them all morning and said he wanted to go over them again when he got back from his meeting.
I watched now as Leilani stopped.
Her brow creased.
And she picked up one of the maps.
“What’s this?” she called out to me through the open door to the patio.
I headed inside, shrugging. “Some development thing. Cal said he was reviewing site maps before the meeting this morning. Why?”
She didn’t answer right away.
Her eyes were scanning the page—blue lines and notations and stamped text that meant nothing to me, but apparently everything to her.
Her shoulders stiffened.
I reached the counter just as she said, quietly, “This is Halaulani Valley.”
I blinked. “What?”
She looked up at me, the map trembling in her hand.
“This land,” she said. “This parcel of land. It’s my family’s land. My great-great-grandfather’s. This is where our?ainasits. This is what my father has been fighting for.”
I frowned, peering down at the map. “Are you sure?”
“I’d recognize it anywhere. That ridge line—look, that’s the old mango grove. And here, see this? This is where the stream splits and flows into the lagoon by the sea. We used to catch crayfish there when we were kids.” Her voice was rising now, her breath coming faster as she glanced at the other plans on the counter. “Oh my God. They’re planning to develop it. A resort, roads, a beachfront promenade… a superyacht marina?They’re going to destroy it.”
My blood turned cold. “Cal didn’t say anything about…” I couldn’t finish the words. My head started spinning.
Leilani looked at me, confused and pleading. “Matt… please tell me he doesn’t know it’s our land. Does he?”
