Aloha e! Aloha e! Aloha e!
Though Lucifer was performing the ceremony, he was not Hawai‘ian. He’d practiced for months to perform theOli Alohachant. I was surprised by his voice, and despite the nervousness he showed at the beginning, he did a wonderful job.
Silence fell as he finished, and I peeked a glance at our audience to see their reaction. Many of them had their noses in the pamphlets we provided them with the translations and breakdown of our customs. It was Holly’s suggestion, as she’d never been to a traditional Hawai‘ian wedding before either.
She stepped forward now to take my bouquet as Lucifer grabbed a bowl made of Koa wood off the table. Water sloshed as he picked it up. “I appreciate you putting up with my voice,” he announced to the crowd. “The last time I sang like that, it was in a very different setting. The words intrigued me when I first heard them, and I did a lot of research on their origins. ‘This is the sight for which I have longed. Now that you have come, love has come with you.’ That’s what that chant means, and it could not be truer than it is today.” He looked between Aloiki and me. “I’ve married a lot of people in my time. I have to say, the two of you are the most unique. And also,” he added when Aloiki frowned, “the most pure.” Aloiki squared his shoulders, relaxing slightly. “There’s a connection between the two of you that israre, going above and beyond the fairytale of ‘true love’. It’s been an honor to witness it, and a privilege to be the one to officially bring the two of you together.”
He raised the water bowl. “Do you have your rings?”
Aloiki let go of my hands to reach up to a leather strap around his throat. Untying it, he released our rings that we’d picked out months ago. I held out my hand, palm up. He placed his ring in my hand and held mine up on his.
Lucifer reached over to the table for a small cup of salt. He combined the salt with the fresh water inside the wood bowl. Taking the rings, he dipped them into the bowl before returning them to our palms. Careful not to spill the water, Lucifer grabbed the ti leaf from the table. As he sprinkled the water over the rings three times, he chanted the wedding blessing.
Ei-Ah Eha-No. Ka Malohia Oh-Na-Lani. Mea A-Ku A-Pau.
Then he quickly added the English translation for our guests. “May peace from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever.” The ti leaf symbolized prosperity and good health while the Koa wood represented strength and integrity. The salt and water offered us a new beginning as a married couple.
Putting the bowl down, he instructed us, “You may now exchange the rings.”
I had already moved my engagement ring to my right hand while getting ready earlier. Lifting my left, Aloiki first kissed my palm before placing my ring on my third finger. I sniffled, seeing it. My heart had never been as full as it was in this moment as I watched him hold out his hand to me.
I slid his ring onto his finger, completely losing control of my tears as I fought to believe this was finally happening. Our sonkicked in my belly as if to remind me of his presence. It was like a pinch to the arm to convince me I wasn’t dreaming.
I was really here, after all this time, marrying the love of my life.
Rather than getting the handkerchief back out, Aloiki dipped his head down to mine and licked away my tears. It made me laugh again, and I didn’t even scold him for getting saliva all over my face.
Lucifer waited patiently as I got myself back under control. Aloiki retook my hands, squeezing them tight. As respectful as he was to our culture and beliefs, he would have been just as satisfied with a quick “I do” ceremony. He was putting up with the show and tradition for me.
The ti leaf lei Lucifer handed me brought me back to the present. I took it, and then he handed Aloiki thehapailei Aloiki had handmade for me. It was beautiful, made of orchids andpikake.
As Aloiki ducked his head so I could reach over him to place his lei, I felt a sharp twinge in my lower abdomen. Fuck! I tried to cover my wince, but from the narrowing of Aloiki’s eyes, I didn’t do a very good job.
He didn’t place the lei around my neck as he was supposed to. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, and then motioned for him to give me my lei.
My name came out as both a growl and a warning. “Lu…”
I winced again. Crap. “Kahaha!” I exclaimed my unhappiness. “Your son is kicking the hell out of my bladder. I need to pee!”
Aloiki snorted. “Is that all?”
“We’re in the middle of our wedding,” I reminded him, throwing a side glance at our audience.
“If you need to take a piss, then go, Lu. They’re here to see us and can fucking wait like good little boys and girls.” There was a small bit of grumbling from our guests at his words, but I was too tempted to take him up on his offer to argue.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
The look Aloiki gave me said that he thought my gratitude was pointless. He snapped his fingers, beckoning Beetle over. The Prospect, clad in only his briefs and cut, hurried over, the spanking paddle swaying around his neck. But before he could kneel, Aloiki snapped, “I’ll spank you later. Get her to the bathroom. If I take her, I’ll end up fucking her, and I swore I wouldn’t do that again until we were married.”
As I hurried back up the aisle with Beetle at my heels, I heard him say to our guests. “Quit your bitching! Mywahineis carrying my son and needs to take a piss. You whiny bastards can go grab a smoke if you need to.”
I fought to stifle my laugher, not wanting to risk peeing myself at my own wedding.
The restaurant catering our reception was at the top of the beach, a quick five-minute walk from where my bladder had interrupted my wedding. I had considered having an outdoor reception, but we were in our rainy season. Not knowing what the weather would do, I planned for an outdoor wedding and an indoor reception. That way, if the weather turned, we could easily move the ceremony inside and not have to worry about moving food, seating, and the bar too.
The club rented out the entire place, so we had room for a dance floor too. Samantha, Caroline, and Pualani were theonly children in attendance, so we’d designated the reception to be adults-only. One of the Prospects would take Samantha and Caroline home after the ceremony—if my bladder allowed me to finish getting married! I didn’t know Kalea’s plans, but I doubted she had wanted to stay once she realized the activities Aloiki had planned during the reception.
