"Yes." I turned back to face her with the sun warm on our skin and the sound of the ocean as a constant backdrop. "But never—not once in all those years of redesigning this island—did I imagine it would become something else entirely."
"What do you mean? What has it become now?”
"Every detail I obsessed over—the imported sand, the positioned pines, the flowers, the birds, and even the angle of the pavilion’s roof to perfectly catch the sunset—I chose for myself alone. But standing here with you now, watching your eyes widen, seeing you take it all in. . ."
She parted her lips.
My heart warmed. "I realize I was building this for you all along. I just hadn't met you yet."
And one day—if I survived this war, if I could keep her safe from my father and his spies—I would bring her back here.
Not as my lover.
Not as my Tiger or Heart.
As my wife.
I'd propose on this beach. Watch the sun catch the ring as I slid it onto her finger. Watch her belly grow round with our child while the Satsuki bloomed and died and bloomed again.
Watch our kids play on the beach.
The visions felt more real than the war waiting for us.
Her eyes watered like she could see all the things playing out in my mind. “Baby. . .”
"This island isn'tmineanymore, Tora. It'sours. And the truly terrifying part is. . .”
“What?”
“Now that you’re in my life, I don’t think I can ever be here without you."
Before she could respond, my chef, Bunzo approached with a lacquered tray carrying two tall crystal glasses.
"Sir." He gave me a slight bow and turned to Nyomi. “It is good to see you again.”
“It is.” She nodded. “I’m still dreaming about that amazing breakfast you made Zo and me.”
“I hope to make you something else soon or,” he raised his finger. “Or we could cook together.”
“Oh.” She grinned. “That sounds like fun. I would love to cook with you.”
I frowned.
“I was told that Hiro and you cooked together this morning. I was able to get a small taste of the hollandaise sauce from a pot before the washers got to it, and I was quite impressed. What ingredients did you use for that sauce?”
“My grandmother would whip me if I told you.”
“Oh no. We don’t want that, but we must cook together.”
She nodded. “We must. In fact, I’ll need help with this big cocktail party and dinner I’m doing for the Claws, Fangs, Reo, and the Dragon of course, so I’ll need all the help—”
“What?” I scowled.
She blinked. “Oh. I’m doing something for the Claws and then—”
“That’s not happening. The breakfast should have been enough to satisfy them—”
“The Claws didn’t get breakfast today, just Reo and Hiro—”
