Surrender

I stepped under the stream.

“Are you going out for Black Friday shopping, tomorrow?” he asked.

I huffed. “In Hana? Funny.”

“I don’t know. Maybe you want to drive over to Lahaina. You haven’t been to that side of the island in a few weeks.”

“It’s so far,” I whined. “I think I’ll stay home and watch football with my sexy husband instead.”

He laughed. “Huge football fan suddenly?”

“Since I’m married to the high school coach, yes.”

He wrapped his arms around me. My nipples pressed into the hard planes of his chest. The water splashed off his sturdy shoulders.

“We had a horrible season.”

I kissed his chest, chasing droplets on his skin. The salt had washed down the drain “It will get better,” I answered. “It was your first year.”

“Thanks, babe, but my feelings aren’t hurt. They need conditioning. Training.”

“I don’t know anyone better to give them that kind of discipline than you.” It only took one look at his body to know the man had figured out how to master a healthy workout regimen.

“Yes, because surfing, running, and coaching are tough.”

“Hey.” I turned his chin to me. “Those kids do look up to you. I know you see it. I know you feel it when you’re around them.”

He grabbed the body wash. “I do. But it’s not quite the same as devising a plan to liquidate billions in oil money.”

“No. It’s not. But it’s more valuable.” I smiled.

“And that’s why you’re the light, baby.” He cupped my breasts, and brought his mouth over mine. I groaned at the kiss. “You’re the damn sun in my soul. You know that? I need you to remind me every day. Every fucking day, baby.”

I nodded. “I will. I won’t stop.”

There was always a shadow in the recesses of my mind that would haunt me at night. I had dreams that Vaughn would get pulled back to Blackwing. But every morning I awakened and he was there. Making breakfast. Surfing on the beach. Researching high school football plays and drinking coffee. He was always there.

So as much as I was his light, he was mine. We reminded each other how easy it was to slip back to the darkness. We held on to each other, so that never happened again.

We lathered each other in bubbles and rinsed off before stepping out of the shower. There were still last minute tasks in the kitchen. I looked through the drawers for my pineapple knife. It was the one I always used to cut the husk off the fruit.

This kitchen didn’t come close to the Paris kitchen. It was small. The appliances were ten years old, but that was common for this part of the island. We had drawn plans to renovate. This time, I would decorate for us—not for appearances, not for Blackwing.

There were no major stores in Hana. There was one school, that looked like something out of a movie. It was where Vaughn coached in the afternoons. I had been shocked the first time I saw it. Even more surprised when he said he wanted to coach.

This part of the island suited us. On the other side of Maui, it was busier. There was a Wal-Mart, a Bed Bath & Beyond, and Home Depot. When we needed something, we could make the drive, but I liked the rutted dirt roads and the privacy of the village. We were Americans living in the U.S. We liked to tell people we were trying a nomadic lifestyle and fell in love with the rustic simplicity of this side of the island. It was believable. Much easier to sell than trying to convince French farmers or Greek fishermen that we belonged in an untouched part of Europe. Hawaii had been the perfect solution all along. There was tourist traffic, but nothing like what the huge hotels and resorted dealt with at Ka’anapali Beach. For the most part, it was remote and removed from large crowds.

“Found it.” I held up the knife.

“I’ll do the cutting.” Vaughn took the knife from my hand and produced a kona cutting board.

“Fine.” I started the water to boil the potatoes. “Want me to turn up the game for you?”

“Has anyone told you how hot it is that you pretend to like football?”

I grinned. “Funny. I’ll get the remote.”

I walked into the study off the kitchen. The rooms were connected like a big puzzle. Whoever had built the house had continued to make additions over the years. By the time we bought it, it was a maze, but I loved the quirkiness. Even more than that, I loved all the glass on the backside of the house that looked out to the ocean. The entire front view was thick foliage, but on this side, it was nothing but spectacular views. It was my calm. My peace.