Illumine Her (41 page)

Alana dropped her bag and followed her in the kitchen. Washing her hands, she sliced, squeezed, and mixed in the water and sugar while her mother chatted away about the new design she had planned for her new garden.

“I want it to be organized by color—pinks on one side, reds and yellows on the other. Maybe I’ll make a rocky perch too, have some orchids growing along there,” she rattled on as Alana listened and smiled.

A noise from outside suddenly drew her attention away, and she stopped pouring lemon juice into cups. Two hammers were pounding.

“Who’s outside with David?” she asked. Perlita concentrated on throwing away the leftover skins in the bin. “David’s friend stopped by to help. At the rate these repairs are going, Lord knows we need it.”

“Manu’s here?” she asked perplexed.

While Manu could slice a cut and suture a wound, she couldn’t imagine him using those same steady hands to claw away rotten wood and rusty nails. But then again, with Manu being Manu, she could totally picture it.

Her mother waved her hand in the air and shooed her out. “Hurry up and take those drinks out to them.”

Alana picked up the glasses in her hands and carried them to the porch. Rounding the corner, she saw her brother throwing roofing iron into a pile, the noise clattering loudly. Another man had his back to her, crouched low and prying nails from a piece of ply wood with a hammer. His movements were quick and assured, the muscles in his back visible through his shirt, familiar brown hair blowing from the valley’s breeze. Alana sucked in a ragged breath, and the drinks slipped from her fingers, glass and liquid crashing to the ground near her feet.

Chase turned his head at the noise and looked at her. Alana raised her shaking hands and covered her mouth, her eyes never leaving his. He stood slowly and walked to her, the corners of his mouth lifting in the hint of a smile.

“Alana,” he said when he reached her. “I was wondering when I was going to see you.”

“Alana!” she heard from behind her. “Look at this mess!” Alana blinked and lowered her hands. “Go inside and get your guest another drink,” her mother ordered as sweetly as she could in front of Chase.

Chase stepped towards her. “Mrs. Vilo, that’s not necessary. If you permit, I would like to spend time with you daughter, take her for a walk.”

Perlita gave him a warm, knowing smile. “Of course, Chase. Come back in time for dinner.” Facing Alana, she squeezed her hand, kissed her on the cheek, and walked in the house.

Turning to David, Chase added, “We’ll finish this up when I get back.”

David nodded and wiped his brow on his sleeve. “I’ll hold you to it,
sole
.”

Alana’s heart never stopped racing. She followed him down the porch steps and to the beaten pathway on the side of the house. Banana trees had fallen from the cyclone, and there was a clear view from the house to the river. When they reached it, its flow was calm and steady, the opposite of how she was feeling inside. Chase finally stopped and faced her. For a few minutes, they were silent, the only noise coming from the churning water. She took in his appearance. Wearing a grey T-shirt and shorts that stopped at his knees, he was more handsome than she remembered. His eyes were soft and full of warmth, and her heart blossomed at the way he was looking at her.

“Alana.” He breathed and stepped closer. “I’ve missed you,” he said, his words fractured by emotion. Her heart skipped as she gazed at his face. “I have never stopped thinking about you,” he continued.

“I’ve missed you too, Chase,” she admitted. Looking down at the ground she suddenly felt shy.

“Alana, look at me,” he barely whispered.

Raising her head she caught the emotion that was swimming in his eyes. It was the same one she discovered when she last saw him.

“All these years, I’ve kept an eye on you. I couldn’t help it. I knew that you were preparing to go to Uganda and that you were finally able to travel there. I’m proud of you.”

“How did you know?” she asked.

“Kane kept me informed. I asked him to watch out for you,” he answered. “When I found out that you suffered from malaria, it took every ounce of strength I had to prevent me from going over there to take it away. When I pulled you back from the water, it made me realize I almost lost you.” Stepping closer to her he continued, “I don’t want to be apart from you anymore, Alana.”

Alana’s breath hitched. “What are you saying?” she asked quietly.

Chase touched her hand, letting his fingers linger between hers. “If you passed on, I wouldn’t have been able to follow you. As a healing angel, I would have been prevented to ascend with you because I couldn’t go further than the glimpse you experienced. No one knows when they will move on to the next life, and it’s the same for healers. I lived for over four hundred years, and I didn’t know when I was going to be called home.”

Alana’s heart rate picked up. She swallowed and squeezed his hand. “Chase, what have you done?” she asked, worry marking her face.

He moved a hand and caressed her cheek. “I have fallen for you, Alana. In all the ways that you think.”

Alana raised her hands and covered her mouth as tears started to glisten in her eyes. Chase shifted closer and removed them, holding them with his own.

She swallowed. “This is huge, Chase. What about fulfilling your purpose? Your ability to heal?”

Chase’s eyes warmed and a line creased his brow. “I’ve chosen a new path, but the purpose is the same.” His voice lowered. “What difference does it make if we’re heading to the same place? Towards the same goal? I choose this life, with you, if you’ll have me. I want to serve with you, help you reach your dreams, fight the villains and come out better for it, Alana.” He took a deep breath. “I want to create a home with you, to be there with you for every sunrise and sunset. Together we can build a clinic in a rural setting, whatever we decide. The possibilities are endless. I want to be the father of your children. To be the one to hold your hand and kiss your tears when you bring our child to this world. I want eternity with you because I don’t believe in separation at death.” He paused and cupped both cheeks gently, the pads of his thumbs brushing lightly over her cheekbones. And then his deep voice softened. “Marry me, Alana, so we can be bonded forever. You are home to me in this life and in the next. And when that time comes when you or I pass on, I can rest assured because I know we will be reunited there.”

Alana broke. Every single word and every single intake of breath in between stole hers away. Shimmering tears pooled in her eyes, and she could just see through the blur that he was smiling down at her.

Chase brought his forehead closer to hers. “What do you say?” he asked in a low voice.

Alana raised her hands and clasped them at the back of his neck. Closing her eyes she allowed the tears to slip through. “Yes, Chase. For eternity with you, yes.”

Smiling through her tears, she peered up at him. “Wait—are you sure?”

Chase chuckled and pulled her closer. “You were very hard to get over, Alana.”

Chapter 31

F
rom the living room window, Alana touched her lips and gazed reflectively out at the pre-dawn sky. Stars winked back, teasing her. She hadn’t been able to get any sleep hours before, the butterflies in her stomach taking flight and keeping her company all day. Restless, she bit her lip and smiled to herself. From her mother’s bedroom, she heard the sharp beep of the alarm go off. Sera groaned and stirred under the mosquito net on the floor. A few minutes later, the hallway light flicked on and Perlita stumbled down the hallway, eyes blinking. She went straight to the kitchen and rummaged around the cupboards for the tea pot. Alana stood from the couch and walked silently towards her. Encircling her arms around her mother’s stomach, she hugged her from behind. Perlita jumped and grabbed her chest.

“Alana!” she gasped. “You scared me to death,” she said, swatting gently at her arms.

Alana clung tightly and buried her face in her neck.

“Thank you, Mama,” she whispered.

Perlita sighed and whirled around. She reached up and pushed a strand of her daughter’s hair behind her ear. “Your happiness brings me happiness,
anak
. Chase is a good man. It’s obvious he loves you very much. Besides, it should be your aunt Malae and Sala you need to thank.”

Alana smiled. She remembered the expressions on their faces when she and Chase sat down and told her family about their plans to have their wedding at dawn. Their eyes boggled even more when they further requested to get married within the week. After Chase put on the charm, sprouting some flowery Samoan words Alana had never heard before, they reluctantly agreed, but not without terms. They agreed to have the simple ceremony at dawn with only her immediate family and their close friends, but they had to wait at least three months for her family home to be restored from the damage caused by the cyclone. The reception it was decided would be in the evening and organized by the extended family. In other words, it was going to be an elaborate, big, fat Samoan one with all the trimmings. Alana was too ecstatic to protest. If she could keep her family happy, she was more than willing to compromise.

Her grandparents came down the hall and kissed her on the cheek.

“How do you feel?” Lola asked. Observing her face, she frowned. “Did you get any sleep?”

Alana took in a deep breath and exhaled on a giggle. “Nope.”

Her grandmother smiled in understanding. “I remember that feeling. I was up all night before my wedding as well. Your grandfather, however, was not impressed when it came to the wedding night and I had conked out on him from exhaustion.”

“Lola!” Perlita exclaimed.

Her grandmother shrugged. “What? That was a long time ago. We have had many, many years to make up for it.” She winked at Alana, and her face heated.

She was saved from further embarrassment when David and Manu stepped through the door. “Alright, the lights are up, chairs are set.”

“Thank you, boys,” her mother called. “Come eat breakfast before we have to get ready and go.”

Manu approached her and tapped her playfully under the chin. Smiling warmly down at her he said, “It’s good to see you happy, Lana.” She grinned in response.

Soon the entire household was awake and buzzing with activity. Every light switch was turned on as they gobbled down Perlita’s French toast and fruit salad, ironed their clothes, and waited in line to take showers. Malia and Sera helped Alana into her dress, and Perlita daintily braided her hair and pinned it back around her neck. When Alana stood in her mother’s bedroom and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she took a deep breath and smoothed her shaky hands down her ivory gown. It was an elegant dress made from chiffon that hugged her curves and fell delicately at her feet. The dainty lace sleeves were just enough to cover up the small tattoo she got over the scar on her shoulder. Her heart beat faster anticipating the reaction she would get from Chase when he saw it. She hadn’t told him, keeping it a secret from him and everyone else for months. With her hair hanging over one shoulder, the other side pulled away from her face and a single gardenia bloom tucked into her braid, she felt beautiful. Perlita smiled from behind her through the mirror. Malia gripped her sister’s shoulder and held her stomach. Six months pregnant with her first child, her face glowed with radiance.

“Stunning, Alana,” her mother complimented. “You make a lovely bride. But you are missing something.”

Retrieving a black velvet box, she opened it and withdrew a pair of sparkling emerald and diamond earrings. They were intricate in cut and possessed timeless beauty. Alana gasped.

“This is a wedding gift from Chase,” Perlita explained, smiling. “He asked me to give it to you this morning.”

Alana shot her eyes up to her mother. “This is from Chase?” she asked in disbelief.

Perlita nodded. “Shall we put them on?” Alana’s heart swelled.

“Yes,” she said, smiling.