There was a split second of silence, and then the youngest girl laughed, pointing at Makoa with a victorious smile.
“Busted, bruddah!”
His baby sister laughed again, and then realization hit me like a bucket of ice water to the head as all those Kumaka eyes landed on me.
Shit.
Makoa
Shit. Shit. Shit.
The absolute last thing I expected to walk into on my first night back in Chicago was a surprise visit from half my family.
My parents, oldest sister, and youngest sister stood in the foyer, watching me with their own special kind of amusement. I didn’t have to look in the kitchen to know there was proof there that Mah was making laulau and poi, one of my favorite traditional Hawaiian dishes, as the rich and distinct smell of the leaves steaming had filled my entire condo.
My family was here.
And now I was trying to figure out how to hide my erection and the fact that I was about to bang Belle against this door.
In the back of my mind, I realized it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise to see them all here. This was the whole reason I gave my mom an airline credit card and told her she could book a flight to see me any time she wanted to. This was why I’d given both her and my youngest sister a key to my place.
I just wished I’d told them both that I required at least twenty-four-hour notice.
Oliana was still laughing at me as I tried to figure out what to say, and my oldest sister, Pania, was fighting her own curious smile as she tilted her head, assessing Belle. But my focus was on my parents — Dad, who gave me a look that told me he was both impressed and surprised I’d landed a woman as hot as Belle, and Mah, who had a twitch in her eye but a smile on her lips. I couldn’t figure out if she was pissed she’d just seen me making out with a woman she doesn’t know, or if she was happy I had a woman coming home with me at all.
“Sorry we caught you off guard,” Pania said when I was silent for too long. “We just wanted to be here for your first g— OW!”
Pania swatted me away when I flew from where I’d been shielding Belle over to her, instead. I pinched her side, throwing my arm around her with a louder-than-necessary laugh. “Are you kidding? I’m so happy to see all of you!”
Just please don’t say anything about football.
I gave them each swift hugs and kisses on the cheek before I turned to Belle, who was nervously clasping her hands together now that I’d left her at the door alone.
“Makuakãne, Makuahine, Kaikaina, Kaiku’ana — this is Belle Monroe,” I said, forcing my best smile. “Belle, this is my family.” I hoped she could see the apology in my eyes. “Minus two.”
Belle didn’t miss a beat, her smile easy and confident as she extended a hand for Mom, first. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Kumaka,” she said. “Mr. Kumaka, Pania, Oliana.” She nodded to each of them as she took their hands, and I marveled at how she remembered my sisters’ names, at how I didn’t even have to introduce them properly for her to know. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
My mom arched a brow in my direction that said that makes one of us, but luckily, Dad was already putting on his charm.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Belle. So sorry we came unannounced.”
Belle shook her head. “No apology necessary.”
“I didn’t realize my son was dating a super model,” he added, to which Belle chuckled, her cheeks tinging pink.
“From what Makoa has told me about this family, I’d be the least of the super stars even if I were a model.”
Mah beamed at that. “I raised my kids to reach for the stars,” she said, looking up at me then. “I still remember the first time Makoa came to me with his little arms wrapped around a football and said—”
I cleared my throat, grabbing my mom by both arms before she could finish that sentence. “Belle, will you excuse us for a second?”
I was already ushering my family toward the balcony, and Belle smiled in understanding. “I’m just going to take care of these,” she said, gesturing to the flowers that she’d dropped to the floor. Most of them were fine, but there were pedals and leaves scattered around, and I gave her a look of gratitude before I turned to focus on the issue at hand.
“This is not the way you welcome your own family into your home,” Mom chastised as soon as the sliding glass door was shut behind us. “It is also very rude to leave your guest inside that way.”
“Oh, he can’t help it. He’s shook we just found him about to get it on with his girlfriend,” Oliana said, singing the last word.
Dad gave her a look of warning, which shut her up and made Pania smile.
I grabbed the back of my neck, looking inside to make sure Belle was busying herself and couldn’t hear us before I turned to all of them. “I’m sorry. I really am happy to see you, but a heads up would have been nice.”
“That would have ruined the surprise!” Mom argued.
I sighed. “I know, I know. Uh… I just…”
“Didn’t expect to have to introduce us to Miss Monroe in there?” Dad finished for me, arching his thick, dark brow.
I cringed.
“You don’t have to hide her from us,” Pania said. “I promise not to tell her about how you peed the bed until you were ten.”
Oliana snickered.
“It’s not that,” I said, looking inside again before my shameful gaze found them. “It’s just… things are kind of complicated.”
My dad nodded in a
