Second Shot K.O.K (The Brooklyn Bears: Season 1)

16. The Hen House

SIXTEEN

THE HEN HOUSE

Nalani

W hen we pull up in front of the house, I scoot across the floor of the SUV and get out. Then I hold my hands out. “I’m gonna need Savannah.”

Claudia hands me the carrier before climbing out.

“Message from Coach D. ‘ Don’t go to Sophie’s or Noelle’s. The cops have their names .’”

“Seriously, it’s not like we knocked over a liquor store,” Sophie grumbles.

“Shit, what now?” Dash asks.

I look at Koa. “Come on in.”

He rolls his eyes as he opens the door, mumbling, “This is some bullshit.”

When he starts to cross the road to head to a different place, I throw two fingers in my mouth and whistle. He looks back, and I nod toward the house.

“Bullshit.” He lifts his chin.

“Welcome to the hen house.” Sophie laughs.

“It’s not as bad as it looks on the outside.”

“Is that like saying, she’s got good bones?” Dash asks.

“She does.” I turn around and pop the door open with my ass. “Shit locks, but good bones.”

I watch as Sophie and Noelle look at each other and silently giggle at the way the guys are looking at one another.

I step back and wave my hand toward the entry. “After you.”

Koa is the last one up the steps. He stops and growls, “You get this isn’t the fucking island?”

“Aw, but it is an island,” I correct him.

“Get your ass inside,” he snarls when a car alarm goes off.

“Is that a fucking chicken?” Dash asks.

“Not a fucking chicken, not even a regular one. It’s a hen.”

I laugh when I hear Paul.

“You live with chickens, Nalani? Chickens ?” Koa whisper-hisses.

“Hens,” I say as I lock the first of four deadbolts—three are new. “Updated the security system, Paul?”

“If I’d known the blonde was coming back, I wouldn’t have bothered,” he answers.

“Nice to see you on your ass and not sprawled out on the floor like a starfish, Paul,” Sophie jabs back.

“What?” I ask, pushing through all of them. When I see him sitting on the steps, I hold my hand over my heart.

“Jesus, kid, tell me this crew is better than the sassy ass.”

“They, uh, yeah. They’re just gonna crash here tonight.”

“You know one’s bleeding on a diaper, right?” He holds out a set of keys.

“I do. He, um, got?—”

“Paul, there was a bar fight, and these three can’t go home,” Sophie states. “They were not to blame.”

He looks them over and stalls on Dash. “You got a problem, kid?”

“No.” He runs his hand over his head and chuckles.

“Do I have pizza sauce on my face or something?” Paul asks.

“No, sir,” Dash answers.

“Then why are you staring at me like you wanna kiss me?”

“I’m staring at you because I think you’re a legend.”

“You know, I get that a lot.” He winks then starts to walk away.

“Fuck, I gotta ask.” Dash chuckles. “Are you Paul Bronski?”

“The guys that roughed you up asking for me?” Paul grabs his walker.

“Jesus, Mr. Bronski, it’s an honor.” Deacon holds out his hand.

“Wait—what am I missing?” I look at everyone then Koa.

He lifts his chin. “That’s Paul Bronski. He’s held the cup more times than any other player in history.”

“No freaking way? Paul, why are you holding back on us?” Sophie laughs.

“That’s why right there—you’re gushing over me. I don’t like that bullshit.”

“Why are you holding back on me?” I laugh.

“’Cause I think you got the hots for me, kid.” He chuckles.

“It’s the hair,” I say as I pass him and open the back door for Hennie.

“Could have done that myself,” he quips.

“I know. I just wanted to check on the big guy before I hit the hay.”

“You stop calling him Cock because of that one?” He throws his thumb over his shoulder.

“Which one?” I play dumb.

“The one that’s got hair almost as good as mine,” he says as he turns the corner to head down the hall. “He’s more your age, kid, but you should never trust a player.”

Dash is all up my ass as soon as Paul’s door shuts behind him. “Paul freaking Bronski has chickens?”

“Hens and a rooster,” I correct him.

He makes an explosion sign with his hands then peeks outside. “You live with Paul freaking Bronski.”

“I thought I rented an apartment from him, but yeah, I guess so.”

Deacon and Koa lean over me to look out, and Deacon whispers, “Jesus, is this what we have to look forward to?”

“Only if you’re lucky.”

“He has birds.” Deacon shakes his head.

“His wife of over sixty years had birds. She passed away a few years ago.” I shut and lock the door then nod toward the stairs. “Elevators getting fixed next week. Until then, we take the stairs.”

“How does he keep tenants here?” Koa asks, looking around.

“He got rid of them when someone turned him in.”

“The tenants over the birds?”

“At least one of them was hers. They didn’t have kids, so yeah.”

Noelle sighs. “That’s so romantic.”

“Or insane,” Koa says quietly.

I smack him as I walk by, and damn, damn, damn, I bet that six-pack is an eight now. “He’s a good man.”

“With hens.” Koa quirks a brow.

“And a cock.” Noelle laughs as she starts up the stairs.

“What floor?” Dash asks, taking the stairs three at a time.

“Four.”

“You’re serious?” Deacon asks.

“Suck it up, big guy. You’re only carrying yourself up. Claudia carries herself, a diaper bag, and a baby at least three times a day up and down them.”

“Must be why her ass is so tight.” He chuckles.

I step aside to let Koa by.

He shakes his head. “Ladies first.”

Halfway up the first flight, I look back. “So?”

His eyes lift from my ass to my eyes. “Walk.”

Smiling, I turn and do just that, but with a little extra sway.

Inside the apartment, Koa stands, arms crossed, looking around.

“The girls are in the big room. A couple of you can take the other; it has a decent bed. Then there’s the cot, a gift from Paul?—”

“I’m taking the cot. I may even dry hump it.” Dash laughs.

“I’ll take the couch, and you and Deacon can?—”

“Deacon’s got the couch,” he cuts me off.

“So that means …” He takes my hand and pulls me behind him. “All right then.”

Inside the room that’s already small seems tiny when he starts pacing. It’s so small I feel like I can’t breathe.

“You don’t pick a fucking fight with a pissed-off, six-foot-three athlete.”

“I do if I’m protecting people I care about.”

“You live with fucking chickens? You’re Nalani fucking Kāne you live in a mansion with miles of beach, right in the most sought-after area of Hawaii, maybe even the world.”

“To be fair, she’s the only one that comes in, and it’s not often.”

He glares at me, and maybe I should be intimidated, but I’m not, so I continue.

“And they’re hens, not chickens.”

He pulls his hair out of the bun and runs his fingers through it. “Do you know how fucked up it was seeing you at the airport with a baby? All smiles and acting like you didn’t shatter my fucking heart?”

I nod. “I do.”

He stops pacing, crosses his arms, and narrows his eyes at me. “How long are you here for?”

“I have no set plans, but I’m hoping to get into law school at NYU or Columbia. Anywhere in the City, really.”

“Why here?”

I sit on the bed and cover myself with a pillow. “You know why.”

“Nalani, I don’t know shit. We haven’t talked or even texted in years.”

Overwhelmed, I shake my head. “I wanted to do this in stages, you know. Tell you I was sorry. Tell you the real reason I couldn’t go to Lincoln, or even Hayward.”

“So you lied to me?”

I look up at him. “I did.”

“The fuck?” He shakes his head and waves his hand. “So tell me.”

I swallow back the embarrassment and shame I have felt for years over this and slice myself open. “My parents were having financial problems. Mom’s spending was out of control, but she blamed it on me and went on and on about how much money I cost them. Then it was how selfish I was, and if I cared about anything other than myself, I’d go to school there, where tuition would be cheaper.”

“You should have told me that.”

“No.” I shake my head. “That would have been selfish because, at the time, I believed if I had, you would have missed the opportunity to become what I knew you would be, what you are.”

“You should have fucking told me, Nalani.” He points at me.

“Would you have gone to Lincoln?”

“Yes,” he says with zero hesitation.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he huffs.

“Yes, okay. The rest really doesn’t matter because …” I feel so fucking stupid right now, so stupid. “I’m sure you’re tired. I’m exhausted, and I didn’t play hockey or get in a bar fight to?—”

“You demanded half an hour, and you’re going to sleep after five minutes? Giving up that easy?” He laughs maliciously. “Of course you are.”

Fluffing my pillow, I mutter, “Fuck you.”

“ Fuck me ?” he roars.

“Oh Jesus, I’m sorry. I forgot how unfair of a fighter you are, but you can flip shit when I’ve hit your tipping point and I can’t.”

“At least I fought; you simply said we should take a break.” He pulls the elastic band off his wrist and ties his hair back up.

“I fought.” And I thought I was fighting for you . “But whatever, there’s a baby sleeping in the next room. I’m not going to get into a screaming match with you.”

“I’m not screaming,” he whisper-hisses as he throws his shirt off, and I throw the blanket over my damn face, not needing to get all stupid over his incredible body.

The bed buckles when he sits on it, and then he pulls the blanket off my face. “Not screaming, but not going to bed. You have”—he looks at his watch—“twenty-two minutes.”

“Hand to God, Koa, I know I can’t do this right now.”

“Yeah? You know, do you?” He crosses his arms and leans against the wall.

“Years of therapy gives you a bit of insight on what you can and cannot handle. I need to take this slow, or I’ll end up in a place I don’t want to be.”

“Ridiculous,” he mumbles.

“You should make an appointment.”

“You almost drove me there.”

“If that’s true, I am sorry.”

“You fucked Joey,” he growls.

I roll over and look at him. “That’s bullshit.”

“I saw you at parties with him on social media.”

“You saw me at parties because I was trying to prove I wasn’t losing my freaking mind, that I wasn’t crazy, that I was getting better.”

“Better than what?”

I can’t do this part, not now.

“I didn’t fuck Joey, and much to my parents’ dismay, that is never going to happen.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“They would benefit.”

“You’re making zero sense right now.”

“Because it needs to go in order.” I yawn. “And in my crazy head, I could fix what I broke, but as you said, I didn’t break it—I shattered it.”

He doesn’t say anything, so I turn over and turn off the lamp.

“So, who were you fucking then, if not him?” he asks.

“The last person I was with was you.”

He’s quiet for a long time until he whispers, “Is that true?”

“Of course it is.”

“And I can’t say the same.”

“I know,” I whisper back.

“Then what are you trying to do here?”

“I can accept responsibility for my part in all of this, and I can also accept that it’s very possible I spent so much time alone, replaying that year like it was a movie, that I made myself believe it was something more than it was.”

He’s silent again, but I swear I can feel the tension emanating from him.

“Question.”

“Mmhmm.”

“What’s more than everything?” he asks.

“Love.”

“Nalani, we never?—”

“I know.” My eyes catch fire.

“I—”

“Please, please, let’s just not right now.”

“Okay.”

I lie there, tears falling down my face, trying hard not to get to the point where my body shakes in silent sobs.

“You asleep?” he asks, and I don’t dare answer, afraid he’ll know I’m crying.

I feel his ankle hook around mine, like he’s holding it instead of my hand.

“You were more than everything,” he whispers.

Were.

When I wake up, it’s not just his ankle but his whole body wrapped around me. I want to stay here like this, but my bladder is not cooperating.

From almost a year of experience, I know Koa sleeps like the dead, so I slide out from under him. The boys are still sleeping as I tiptoe into the bathroom, pee, brush my teeth, and take a shower, which I immediately regret, realizing I could have spent the entire day smelling like him, and I screwed that up, too.

When I leave the bathroom, I am surprised to see they are still asleep, so I tiptoe into the kitchen, quietly open the fridge, and grab one of the bags of greens from it, and a bag of frozen peas from the freezer.

Outside, I feed the three hens and the rooster then pull the phone from my pocket and tap out a text to my father.

Me:

I’m just checking in, wanted to let you know that I’m safe, happy, a few of my sorority sisters and I are hanging out together a lot. I just found out that my landlord used to be a professional hockey player, and I know this is going to piss you off, but I have seen Koa. He’s doing amazing and seems happy. Everyone deserves to be happy, including you, Dad. I love you, and I love her, too, but I cannot forgive her, not yet.

Ten minutes later, my phone rings, and I want to ignore it, but when I look down at the screen and see the picture of me and Tūtū Kaleia, a picture that Koa took of us all those years ago, I hit accept .

“It is so early there; why aren’t you sleeping?”

“A little bird told me you sent him a message.”

“I know I’ve said it before, but it’s one of those things that I still don’t understand. How is it that you are Pua’s mother but act more like Mano?”

“I think your mother married the man who was very much like me, and your father did the same, married his mother.”

“Why can’t it be something more simple, like they were switched at birth?”

“Just goes to show you that family can come in all different forms. Speaking of which, I heard you and Sophie were having fun together.”

“She’s a totally different person now. I mean, not totally different. She’s still Sophie, but she’s Sophie grown up.”

“And you have made other friends, as well?”

“Noelle was in our sorority, and she lives here and owns a bookstore. And I actually met a girl my age named Claudia and her beautiful little girl on the plane ride from Maui to New York.” I pause, not knowing if I should tell her just how close we’ve gotten or keep that to myself.

“That’s wonderful, Nalani.” She speaks softer now. “And how about that beautiful boy?”

“Oh, Tūtū , he’s not a boy anymore; he’s a beautiful man. The man who I hurt to a point that I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me.”

“You’ll get forgiveness. He has a pure heart, and true love only lives in pure hearts.”

“That’s the thing … I think maybe I loved him, and he just liked me a lot.”

“That’s not possible.”

I sigh. “Well, then maybe I just ruined what could have been.”

“Have you told him the truth?”

“I’ve told him some of it. He’s angry, and honestly, I’m not sure I can rip myself open and tell him the rest, because I don’t know what good it will do to expose myself like that to someone who may not ever be able to forgive me fully.”

“Sweet girl, I understand, but will you ever be able to forgive yourself fully if you don’t?”

“I believe I could. At least, that way we could remain on speaking terms. Maybe even be friends one day. And maybe ten, twenty, thirty years from now, we could be more.”

“You have to trust that only your gut feelings but your head and matters of the heart.”

“That’s asking a lot from one who, just a few days ago, started trusting my head.”

“Just as the earth is connected to the sky, all are connected.”

“I hate talking about her to you. She’s your daughter.”

“It’s been many years now that I realized that old phrase, ‘you can drag a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,’ that’s quite true. I love my daughter, but she does love herself enough to admit she has demons that need to be fought, poison that needs to be extracted”—she pauses for a long minute—“wrongs that need to be righted, in order for her to know how beautiful the world is when you don’t dilute it with all the things made of it and not for the world itself.” She yawns. “I love you. We will speak again soon. You tell that boy of ours that I love him, too.”

“I will. I love you. I promised I would call every week, and I will. And I’ll be home to visit.”

“Will you come with an answer for your parents?”

“Yes, but it may not be the one they want.”

“You’re a young woman now; it’s time to make decisions that serve your life and your land. You’re a strong, smart young lady. I know you’ll make the right choice.”

We fall quiet and I watch them eat. A thought crosses my mind that makes me laugh, fill Kāne resorts with roosters and hens and less shops.

“I think you are what’s best for the land, and it seems you’re good for the heart and soul, too.”

“Have you unblocked your parents?” Tūtū asks.

I answer a firm, “No, and I won’t unblock them for a very long time.”

“I understand.”