In the few days she had been gone from the city, Josie had become a new woman. Stronger. More self-assured. A woman who had the voices of the Sevens reminding her how special she was. The voice of a beast reminding her how strong she was. The voice of a Gargoyle reminding her how precious, desired, and loved she was. Josie Pierson was no longer second best.
As she stood in the living room of her apartment, she asked, “How long do you think it’ll take to rebuild our home?”
Kai sat on the sofa and pulled Josie down onto his lap. “A few months at least. The destruction will have to be cleared away so the remaining structure can be inspected, but Rafael has a good team in place. The original builders are still in the area, so they should be able to get it back to rights with little trouble.”
“Are they the same ones who built the other houses? Because I was thinking, Sophia and Nik should probably be first on the list since they’re having a baby. Then Rafael and Kaya need their sanctuary for her to recover. As much as I want to have our home back, I think we should be patient since we have the apartment. Plus, we’re going to be working on the training center, and that’ll take up a lot of time.”
“Such a good heart,” Kai muttered against her neck. “And I agree. There’s only one thing I want to change here, and that’s the bed. I want to get a king-sized one for our bedroom.” Kai toyed with the knot of Josie’s lavalava. His family had sent all the mates home with several of the garments in various colors, but Josie’s favorite would always be the one she wore in their mating ceremony.
They spent the first few days alternating between making love, talking, sleeping, and helping Henry and Kili get settled. Josie talked to her mom a couple times, and each time the conversation turned to Josie returning to her job. It hadn’t taken long for things to go to hell at the law firm.
A couple days after they got home, a package arrived in the mail from Samoa. One of Kai’s family had taken pictures of the ceremony and had sent copies to them along with a flash drive filled with photos of both Clans together. Josie had her favorite blown up and framed. It was the two of them kissing after the ceremony. Ariki stood off to one side, his face full of pride, while his brothers looked on with smiles. Her headpiece along with Kai’s golden leaves were displayed on a table underneath the picture. She couldn’t wait until the arrangement had its special place of prominence in their home once it was rebuilt. Josie knew if she and Kai ever had a wedding, it wouldn’t hold a candle to the mating ceremony.
They were getting ready to meet Henry, Kili, and several other couples at Frey’s home for a barbecue when someone pounded on the door. Josie was fixing her hair in a messy updo that Kai loved, since it gave him access to her neck. A voice she hadn’t expected boomed through the apartment when Kai opened the door.
“Josie, you—”
Josie rolled her eyes and padded barefoot into the living room. “Presley,” she said in her best bored tone.
“What the hell are you wearing?” Presley looked Josie over from her messy do to her bare feet.
“A lavalava. What are you doing here?” Josie didn’t want to be petty and throw her relationship with Kai in her sister’s face. Wait, yeah, she kind of did. Kai must have read her mind because he strode over to her and kissed her soundly.
Pressing their foreheads together, he said, “I’m going to get ready.” Kai then kissed her temple and left the room, completely ignoring Presley.
Josie watched him walk away because she could. When she looked back at her sister, she asked, “What do you want?”
Presley noticed the photo and stalked over for a better look “What is this?” she asked, pointing to the headpiece.
Josie joined her to make sure Presley didn’t touch anything. “If you notice in the picture, this is my ceremonial crown, and these are Kai’s neck and leg pieces. That is his father, Ariki, and those are his brothers.”
“His father looks important. Like a—”
“King? That’s because he is.” Josie stepped between Presley and the photo. “We’re just on our way out, so I’ll ask one more time; why are you here?”
Presley opened her moth then shut it. Josie almost laughed because it was rare for her sister to be at a loss for words. Kai returned, carrying Josie’s sandals. He knelt in front of her and slipped them on her feet. When he brushed his fingers across her ankles, Josie glanced down. Her breath caught at the love staring back at her. Kai’s phone pinged with a text, interrupting the moment. He stood and wedged his phone from his pocket. When he read the message, Kai laughed.
“That was Trevor. Again. Making sure we’re bringing the keke fa’i.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we made two of them. I can see him hiding the one so he can take it home with him.”
“What’s a keke fa’i?” Presley asked.
“Cake,” they responded in unison.
Presley studied the two
