Chapter 25

After dinner and great conversation, everyone said their goodbyes, promising to get together like this soon. It was truly one of the best times Nalani could remember having besides being with Mark, which she still yet to talk to him about what happened earlier in front of everyone. Bill was the last one to leave and held Nalani's hands in his own, smiling joyfully, his dark eyes practically glittering.

"I demand an invitation." Bill stated, causing Nalani to blink in surprise, confusion registering in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"Take care of my son, he loves you." Bill patted her hands reassuringly, the realization dawning on Nalani with what Bill meant by the invitation statement, the roses blooming in her cheeks. "Thank you for a wonderful meal. Happy Thanksgiving."

"You too Bill." She whispered, closing the front door behind him and pressed her forehead against it, feeling the burning of her lips burning from Mark's earlier kiss.

Shakily, her hand reached up to touch her trembling lips, closing her eyes as the memory flowed over her once more. Mark was busy putting the twins to bed, both had conked out shortly after all the food they ate. Steve called it food comatose and, truthfully, who the hell wouldn't be tire after a spread like that? Yawning softly, Nalani pulled away from the door and turned around just as Mark walked out from the hallway.

"Are they asleep?" She asked quietly, beginning to clean up the living room a little bit, carrying wine glasses into the kitchen.

"Out like lights." Mark chuckled and helped her clean up, working in companionable silence, each deep in their own thoughts.

Once the living and dining room was cleared out, Nalani began starting the dishwater and blinked when Mark turned the faucet off, looking up at him. "I have to get these done…" She sighed when Mark shook his head, taking her hand and guided her out of the kitchen, swallowing hard. "Mark…"

"You told me we'd talk later. Well it's later." He stated, refusing to let her go back on her word, knowing it was time to stop running from him. "The dishes aren't goin' anywhere, this is more important."

Nalani didn't want to do this and closed her eyes briefly, knowing what she was about to tell Mark would change everything. Kaci was right; it was time to tell him the truth and stop running away because Nalani loved Mark almost as much as Matthew and Megan. She belonged with him and fate was giving her a second chance, the thing Kevin said really ringing true to her about what he was thankful for.

A second chance at life.

Love.

Happiness.

"What do you want to talk about?" Nalani asked once the door closed, Mark never releasing her hand as he sat down on the bed, pulling her to stand between his legs.

"The truth." Mark answered, watching her eyes lower away from his, knowing this wasn't going to be easy for her as he swallowed past the lump that formed in his throat. "Nalani, look at me." He ordered in a soft but firm voice, watching her head lift as green met broken blue. "You lied to me."

Blinking, huge tears slid down her cheeks and all Nalani could do was nod, losing whatever fight she had left in her body. "Yes." She whispered, hearing Mark suck in a sharp breath, his hands tightening around hers slightly so she didn't run away from him.

"You didn't cheat on me, did you?" His voice had grown even softer if that was possible, all the truth shining out of those blue orbs.

"No."

The amount relief that flowed through Mark was overwhelming and he suddenly slumped to the floor, wrapping his arms around her legs, pressing his forehead to her flat abdomen. He didn't care what he looked like right now, Nalani hadn't cheated on him and Mark knew it all along, even after he nearly believed her. Figuring space was the best way to go, that's why Mark had pretended to believe her and act as though he hated her because he wanted to slowly break her down from the inside with actions. It worked and now she was finally ready to tell him the truth about everything, the real reason why she left him, needing closure in the past so they could begin anew.

Nalani couldn't stop crying and shakily ran her fingers through his hair, knowing what she did to him was unforgiveable. Yet here this man was, this nearly perfect man, on his knees before her still wanting to be together. Nalani always knew Mark was stubborn, but didn't think for a second he'd be THIS stubborn and put her on such a high pedestal, not believing for a second she would cheat on him. No matter what she said or did, Mark was steadfast in fully believing she would never go to another man and made Nalani stare at him amazement.

He was right.

"Why did you really leave that night?" Mark asked, that one question burning in his mind for the past four years, thankful he hadn't missed the twins' fourth birthday. "I need to know darlin', please…"

His begging broke her heart all over again and Nalani knew she had no choice except to tell him everything. "Mark, you need to stand up because you're not going to like hearing this." When he looked up at her, Mark sucked in a sharp breath at all the pain in those blue eyes, slowly doing what she said, but refusing to release her.

"Whatever it is, we'll get past it. I love you, Nalani." Mark assured her, watching as more tears cascaded down her cheeks, wondering what could've possibly happened to her.

Nalani could only hope he still felt the same way about her after telling him about what Scott did to her. "Do you remember that day you left for work for three days? The three days I told you I…fucked another guy?" When Mark nodded silently, Nalani suddenly released his hands and began pacing back and forth in front of him, not knowing how to say any of this. "Mark…" She suddenly lowered herself in front of him on her knees, gripping his hands tightly as her entire body trembled, having not relived the past in quite awhile. "I left to save you."

"What do you mean?" Mark's tone filled with perplexity, wondering what she was talking about, raising an eyebrow.

"After you left that afternoon, I had a…visitor later on…" She felt sick calling Scott a visitor, shaking her head and released Mark's hands, standing up on shaky legs. "No fuck that, he wasn't a visitor. He was an intruder. Goddamn it, I thought…I thought it was you and you'd forgotten your keys again like you always do. I didn't think to ask who it was that knocked on the door, I just opened it…" Nalani rambled, crying even harder and suddenly sat on the bed in front of him, her head remaining lowered, honey locks hanging down around her face and shoulders. "Do you remember me telling you about my ex-boyfriend, Scott Mitchell?"

"Yeah…" Suddenly, Mark's blood began boiling off the charts and clenched his fists so hard, his knuckles turned white. "Nalani…"

"Please, just let me finish…" She pleaded quietly through tears, not even able to look at him right now and wrapped her arms around herself. "I opened the door barely an inch when it was kicked open and…I was backhanded across the face before I could fully see who it was. It was dark at first, I couldn't recognize the dark figure. He pulled me up by my hair and slammed me against the door after kicking it shut. I fought him so hard, Mark…I fought with everything I had inside of me…" Nalani had to stop for a second to regain her composure, the memory of being raped against that door flowing through her mind. "He raped me…against the door and I couldn't stop him…I couldn't stop him…"

Mark didn't say a single word, sitting there like a statue, afraid if he said one word he would detonate.

"It wasn't until he dragged me upstairs to the bedroom that I knew who it was that violated me." Nalani swallowed back bile, shivering from head to toe. "It was Scott…and he raped me again. H-He said that he knew you…that you raped my sister right along with him! I didn't believe him, I just kept fighting him and lost count at how many times he hit me…I kept screaming for you while he violated every part of me…" Her voice cracked and could feel the anger pouring out of Mark's body, but knew she had to keep going before she lost her nerve. "That mother fucker raped and killed my baby sister and said he would do the same thing to both me and you if I didn't leave you. He gave me three months and said if I didn't do exactly what he wanted, he would come back to finish the job…He threatened to kill me if I told anyone about what happened…"

Now it dawned on Mark what Nalani meant what she said she left to save him, feeling overwhelmed at everything he was hearing, not able to speak. He was afraid of what he might say, what he might do, and knew Scott Mitchell's days were numbered. He was going to do everything in his power to find that murdering rapist and kill him with his bare hands. Mark wanted to watch as his head popped off while squeezing his pencil neck, gritting his teeth, his jaw tightening. Of course Scott would tell Nalani he was involved with the murders, which he wasn't, but he did know about them.

"Nalani, I did know about what was gonna happen in that mansion as far as robbin' yer family went." When her head snapped up, Mark held his hand up, asking her to listen to him first before she flew off the handle. "I did NOT know he was gonna do that to yer family, especially yer sister. All I knew was that he wanted the fortune and took three guys with him to get the job done. Do you know who Bradley Silverman is?" When Nalani's eyes widened to the point where they might fall out of the sockets, Mark sighed heavily. "I was a part of a group called Hell Raisers. We referred to ourselves as the crew though, rarely usin' that name. I was in some bad shit with the group and so was Steve, John and Kev. We all got out of it though before we crossed any lines. Scott told us 'bout robbin' the Kensington mansion and I told him flat out I wanted no part of it. I had no idea who you were, I had no idea Bradley dated your little sister and I had NO idea what was gonna transpire that night."

Nalani swallowed hard, covering her mouth with her hand, not able to say anything. So Scott had been telling the truth as far as Mark knowing him? Mark was a part of the small group that Scott associated himself with, Nalani having only met the guys one time. Then it dawned on her and Nalani suddenly scrambled off of the bed, shaking her head in disbelief. It couldn't be, but the more Nalani stared at him clearly, the more she finally recognized him.

"You're THAT Mark?!"

She gaped when he simply nodded, blinking as more tears of shock slid down her face, feeling sick to her stomach. The memory suddenly overtook her and Nalani had to sit down before her knees gave out, shaking from head to toe. He had shorter auburn hair back then and hardly a goatee, the tattoos only having covered his forearms instead of his entire arms. She remembered shaking his hand, feeling a little intimidated, and Scott had immediately pulled her away from him to introduce her to others.

It was a brief meeting and Nalani never thought for a second she'd end up meeting him years later, not to mention falling in love with him!

Mark slowly walked toward her and bent down, taking her shaking hands in his, knowing this was a lot of information to digest. "I wanted to tell you, darlin'. I had no idea that was your family until ya came to me that night and told me all about them. I swear to you on everythin' I stand for, on my own damn grave, I did NOT know you were a Kensington until that night. I loved you so much and I still do, it hasn't changed, no matter if you tell me to get out right now. It's never gonna change and we're gettin' a second chance." He kissed her hands, closing his eyes painfully shut. "I shouldn't of left ya alone like that. I left because I wanted to track that son of a bitch down and kill him for you. For your family's honor. I wanted to give you some kind of peace knowing he was off the streets and instead…" Mark couldn't believe that mother fucker had been Houston all along while he went to San Antonio, suddenly overwhelmed with anger. "I should've stayed…"

Reaching out, Nalani lifted Mark's chin with her hand, forcing their eyes to meet and kissed his tears away. "I don't blame you for what happened. You couldn't have known and all you were trying to do was rectify what happened to my family by killing their murderer. You couldn't have known Scott was waiting in the shadows, Mark…" She pressed her forehead against his, hands resting on his strong shoulders, knowing they'd missed four long years of time because of him. "I love you and every night I cried my heart out, hoping you were happy and safe. That's all I ever wanted was for you to be safe and that's why I left. I had no choice, I had to leave because if he's capable of killing my father and sister, raping a seventeen year old girl, then he's capable of absolutely anything."

Mark pulled her into his arms to straddle his lap, his arms wrapped firmly around her waist, afraid this was a dream and he would wake up alone again. "If I woulda known…"

"I should've told you and I didn't. That was my fault and I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it." She cut him off, softly kissing his lips, not believing their fates had been entwined long ago and this was the Mark she'd met in Scott's group. "Look in my eyes and swear to me you didn't remember who I was until I told you about my family."

"I swear to you, Nalani. I swear to god, I'll swear on a goddamn bible if that's what it takes. I didn't remember ya darlin'. I remembered meeting Scott's girl, but I had no idea it was you. You had a black hooded sweatshirt on with the hood up, so I couldn't see your hair or anything. Though I remember you were freezin'."

Nalani chuckled watery, remembering that because the place the group met was absolutely freezing. "Steve, John and Kevin weren't there either cause I would've remembered them." She said, causing Mark to nod as he kissed her lips softly.

"They were out running an errand for Scott." Mark remembered that, still not believing how all of this fell together and now he had the love of his life back in his arms, a woman he'd met all those years ago without realizing it. "I love you, Nalani."

"I love you too, Mark, and I'm so sorry for everything that's happened." She looked down when Mark's phone began vibrating against his side, both of them wondering who that could be, and she slid from his lap so he could answer it.

"I'll only be a few seconds, it's Steve." Mark flipped the phone open, growling. "This better be a life or death situation, cue ball or I'll-"

"Turn the news on." Steve's voice sounded solemn, Trish clinging to his side, staring straight ahead in shock. "Now Mark."

Mark did not like the sound of Steve's voice and was glad Nalani had a television in her room, searching for the remote. "What the hell is goin' on, man?" He demanded, pressing the power button on and felt the phone slip from his hand at what he saw, Nalani also watching.

"A breaking story has just developed when a car was found in a ditch off of route 95 of Dallas. Stacy has the update. Stacy, are you there?"

"Yes I am, Trent and what you see behind me is a car that ran off of the road just off of route ninety five around six o'clock on this Thanksgiving evening. The car swerved, flew into the ditch and a huge tree branch broke through the windshield, impaling the victim upon impact. Authorities have revealed the victim as forty three year old Scott Mitchell, who's had a warrant out for his arrest involving the Kensington murders in Houston. Authorities are calling it a homicide as there was countless bottles of alcohol found all throughout the vehicle. An autopsy will be done at Moody's Funeral Services in Houston to reveal more information. A violent end to a violent man. Now Trent, back to you with sports…"

Nalani could only sit there stunned into silence, Mark shakily picking his phone up, hearing Steve yelling at him through the phone. "That mother fucker is dead! He's dead and gone, Mark! You should call Billy boy and have him burnt, that murderin' bastard!"

"I'll call you back later, Steve." Mark clicked the lid of his phone shut, tossing it on the nightstand, not sure how to respond to these sudden turn of events.

"He was on his way here." Nalani whispered, trembling from head to toe, trying to breathe even though that was impossible. "He was just outside of Dallas, he knew where I was and he knew all about the twins. He knew everything…"

"He's gone now, darlin'." Mark reminded her, watching as her tear-filled blue eyes turned to stare at him, suddenly lunging herself into his arms, clinging to him for dear life. "We can finally move on with our lives together…"

She nodded, sniffling, and pulled back because Mark was digging in his pocket for something. "Mark…"

"How far do you wanna go with me, Nalani?" He asked, feeling the biggest wave of relief wash over him, glad Scott had took himself out because it saved Mark from having more blood on his hands. "Because I know I wanna go with you all the way till the end of time."

Looking down, tears spilled from her eyes as Mark popped the lid of the black velvet box, a beautiful sapphire stone staring back at her that was in the shape of an oval, tiny diamond surrounding it set on a silver band. "You sure you wanna marry me?" Nalani finally found her voice, knowing she'd hurt Mark before and didn't want to do it again. "How far can we go together?"

"There's no such thing as how far between us, darlin'." Mark assured her and slipped the breathtaking ring on her left finger, where it always belonged. "We've survived every damn thing that's been thrown at us. You're mine now and I plan on holdin' onto you even after death."

Nalani moaned as soon as Mark captured her lips with his, her back hitting the bed and gave herself fully to him. Knowing how far Nalani had pushed him and for Mark to still come back to her, she wasn't going to lose him again. Together, they would make it through anything and everything, Nalani completely losing herself in his touch for the first time in four years, not even wanting to think about how far they'd gone and been apart.

All that mattered was they were together and nothing would ever change that.

The End.