Page 30 of Beauty and the Beach

Ana laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'm just so glad not to be in costume tonight. It suction fits to my skin so it doesn't come off while swimming. I look like dying seal taking it off and putting it on. This is only the second time Makoa has seen me out of costume."

Amelia and Joely exchanged a worried look between them.

"He does know you're not a real mermaid, right?" Joely asked hesitantly.

Joely almost snorted her champagne out of her nose. "Of course, he does."

"You're sure?" Amelia said. "Makoa lives in his own world sometimes and logic doesn't visit often."

"Yes, I'm sure," Ana said, tampering down her impatience.

"All right, kuli kuli, we're gonna get started," the officiant said. He was a handsome white guy wearing mirror shades and a purple aloha shirt with dancing girls on it.

"That's my husband," Amelia said.

"His name is Dude," Joely added. "My husband is the one that looks like he has a pole up his ass."

"Joely," Amelia admonished.

"He does,” Joely pointed to a stern looking Hawaiian man whose steely glare seemed to be everywhere at once. “I told him to let loose a bit and his idea was to unbutton the two buttons on his polo shirt."

"Give him a break. That's wild for Holt."

"True."

Ana smiled, but didn't comment because the Hawaiian wedding song, Ke Kali Nei Au, came over the speakers and a lovely, pregnant woman stepped out on the beach. She held on to the arm of an older man, that Ana assumed was her father.

She caught Makoa's eye and he winked at her. It was a fun ceremony, irreverent and light hearted, with just enough heart and emotion thrown in to have her blink back tears. Makoa seemed to be paying more attention to her than to his duties because Hani had to elbow him when it was time to exchange rings.

Blushing, Ana looked down at her toes. He had to know she wasn’t a mermaid on a day pass, right? But thinking back to all of their conversations, she wondered if he possibly could think she was mystical creature instead of a flesh and blood woman. She would just have to ask him after the ceremony.

But after Hani kissed his bride, they weren’t given a chance to be alone. The wedding luau was a joyous and crowded affair. She and Makoa sat next to each other, their legs and sides pressed together. While the conversation flowed all around them, she laid her head on his shoulder. Nothing in Alaska or California ever compared to this. She entwined her fingers with his and enjoyed the moment.

As the dinner was winding down, Holt came over and laid a hand on Makoa’s shoulder. “You’re on, brah.”

Makoa took a shaky breath. With a quick squeeze of her hand, he stood up. “Listen up!” He bellowed.

Ana winced at his loud voice, but it quieted the crowd.

“I gotta make the toast to Hani and Theresa so get a drink.”

The crowd laughed while the waiters darted in and out to make sure everyone had a beverage of their choice.

“Hani and Theresa met in high school. I asked Hani how did he know that Theresa was the one and he said he knew from the moment he saw her smile. A month ago, I would have rolled my eyes. You can’t fall in love with a smile.” Makoa looked down at Ana. “But I was wrong.”

Her heart thumped a little harder and she blushed at the tender look in his eyes.

“There is magic in love. There are beautiful magical creatures in this world and you don’t need an explanation of their existence. Like love, they just are.”

Joely dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.

Ana, however, wondered if she was a magical creature to him. Would he still love her if she was ordinary? Her phone buzzed, but she ignored it. There was no one she wanted to talk to on the other end of it.

“I believe in the power of wishes. I wished that Hani and Theresa will have a long and happy marriage, but I think they would have been all right without my wish. But just in case, raise your class and toast the new bride and groom. Laki maika’i.”

They all toasted the new couple, and Ana hugged Makoa. “That was beautiful. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

But before they could break away, Hani and Theresa had their first dance and invited all the couples in love to join them on the dance floor. Ana couldn’t refuse, because it was her and Makoa’s first dance as well.

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