That's Amore! - Janelle Denison [18]
LEILA HAD PEGGED her parents' reaction too damned accurately. Hours later Jason was still feeling the sting of Nyla's quiet resentment, along with the disappointment he'd seen in Keneke's eyes. What should have been a joyful announcement had turned into an emotionally draining event. He had no doubt Leila's parents viewed him as the bad guy in this entire scenario—the man who was taking not only their daughter away from them, but their grandchild, as well.
Watching his bachelor party unfold from the sidelines, Jason finished off the last of the beer in his bottle and moved farther away from the action taking place. The stripper Paulo and Mani had hired for the evening's entertainment was currently peeling off layers of her hula dancer outfit and had the group of guys enthralled with her enticing performance. So far, Jason had managed to avoid being the center of attention, and he preferred to keep things that way, especially when his mind was on Leila and how she was fairing after that afternoon's debacle with her parents.
She'd been visibly upset afterward. While he'd wanted to stay with her, she'd insisted he go to his bachelor party and have a good time because there wasn't much they could do about her parents' reaction.
Jason felt differently. There had to be some way to make the situation more bearable, even if it meant there were certain things he had to give up. Leila was the one who mattered the most to him. And ultimately, he couldn't bear to see her suffer any more when it came to her family.
Because he'd lost his mother and father at such a young age, family, and being a part of one, was extremely important to Jason, and he hated that he'd caused so much dissension in Leila's home. In two short days the Malekalas were going to be his family as well, which meant making amends any way he could.
After spending the afternoon trying to figure out a way to make everyone happy, he'd come up with a possible solution. But it entailed talking to his friend and business partner, Nick, first, and making sure he wouldn't be compromising the success of their Internet business in any way. And since Nick wasn't arriving in Maui until tomorrow, there wasn't a whole lot Jason could do until then.
Loud, raucous cheers pulled him from his thoughts, and he glanced toward the sound just in time to see the stripper, now down to a skimpy bikini top and G-string, plop herself into Paulo's lap and shimmy her hips provocatively.
Grateful that he wasn't the one in the spotlight, Jason shook his head and laughed … until he saw Leila's old boyfriend, Kalani, heading toward him. Paulo and Mani had invited their male friends to the bachelor party, most of whom Jason had met over the passing months, Kalani included. But other than a brief hello, his fiancée's ex was the one guy Jason usually kept his distance from.
Kalani was a good-looking Hawaiian with dark hair and eyes, a native who reminded him too much of why Leila's parents thought Jason was second best for their daughter. This was the man they'd wanted Leila to marry, and instead she'd chosen him.
"Looks like you could use another beer," Kalani said, and offered Jason a fresh, cold bottle of the brew.
Was he that transparent? A smile quirked the corner of Jason's mouth as he accepted the other man's friendly overture. "Thanks."
"No problem." Kalani took a long drink from his own bottle, and regarded Jason thoughtfully. "You really have it bad for her, don't you?" he said after a few quiet moments had passed between them.
Uncertain where Kalani was heading with his question, Jason played it cool. "What do you mean?"
Kalani pointed the tip of his beer bottle toward the stripper, who'd moved on to another admiring male in the group. "Most men would be living it up at their bachelor party and be more than happy to be the center of that woman's attention. But you're content to watch from a distance. It doesn't look like you're enjoying your last few nights of freedom all that much."
Jason shrugged. "That woman just doesn't do anything for me."
"Like I said,