“How does she always manage to do that?” I moaned.
“Years of dealing with me and my siblings,” he reminded me as my shoulders slumped.
“It’s going to be intense, isn’t it?”
“And worth it once we’re all on the same page,” Nyx reminded me. “Mom is right, we can’t skip over the hard stuff just because we’re eager to get to the happily ever after. That’s not the way it works.”
“Wish it would,” I replied.
“You and every mate in the history of mating.”
“What if we drive them away?” I asked, knowing it was allowing some of my insecurities to shine through since I’d never managed to shred the stigma of being labeled defective by some of the assholes I’d gone to school with over the years.
“Then it’s a good thing we live on an island. It’s not like they can go far.”
“True, but…”
“Nope, just leave it at true and lean back.”
My shoulder tensely pressed against his while we waited until finally I relaxed enough to lean against him some. It felt like forever before Detective Torres stepped out, legal pad in hand. “You can go in now.”
We scrambled in to see Kekoa with their head on the table.
“You look ready for a nap,” I said as I sat beside them while Nyx took a seat across the table.
“More than ready,” they admitted.
“A bunch of people just rushed out,” Nyx said, “my mom included. I hope that means they’re closing in on Nuno.”
“Good, because it sounds like I’ve got a bunch of ordering to do once I catch a nap. I, um, I’m just wondering if you still want me to take that nap back at your place?”
“Why wouldn’t we?” I asked.
They just raised their head enough to lock eyes with me and gesture around the room.
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Nyx said. “Are you referring to the ambiance or the décor, or are you not a fan of potted palm trees?”
“I prefer elephant ears and spider plants,” they admitted. “Even the occasional fern, especially the red ones. What I was referring to was the location of the room and the fact that this tends to happen more often than I’d like.”
“Maybe you should go back to rocking jellyfish hair,” I blurted, then groaned, because that hadn’t been subtle, not in the slightest.
They just chuckled and banged their head on their arms. “My cousin Patch warned me that it was a bad idea. I just have a hard time heeding warnings.”
“Stubborn much?”
“Too much. This time I’m just glad he’s not here to rub it in that he was right.”
“How long have you worn it that way?” Nyx asked.
“Two years,” Kekoa admitted. “Which is about a year and a half longer than I planned.”
“And you didn’t just go back to your natural hair because…?” Nyx prodded.
They squirmed, a flush spreading out over the bridge of their nose.
“This cousin was still giving him shit for it,” I said.
They just nodded and closed their eyes, letting me know I’d nailed it in one.
