by Anna Lowe
She glanced down and found three little girls clustered around her and Kyle: Claire, Constance, and Caroline. They’d seen Kyle and promptly attached themselves to their favorite babysitter. The two oldest wrapped themselves around his legs, keeping him rooted to the spot. He pulled away from Hannah with an apologetic grin and kneeled, tweaking the girls’ cheeks and nodding at their jabber.
“Of course,” he said, nodding to whatever Claire was saying. “You don’t say?” He tickled Caroline and puffed out his cheeks for Constance.
Luc and Marie came over, smiling. Marie swiveled Kyle’s head left and right for a kiss on each cheek, plus one for luck, while Luc gave him a friendly slap on the back and a wink.
“Won’t you rethink our proposal?” Marie asked, turning to her.
Hannah’s eyes dropped to her feet. It was the offer of a lifetime, but she had to turn it down — again.
Kyle’s expression asked what was going on.
“Marie and Luc offered for me to sail with them.”
Kyle stared at her like she’d sprouted a second head. “Imagine asked you to sail with them?”
She nodded, digging a heel into the dirt.
He searched her face. “And you didn’t say yes?”
She shook her head, took his hand, and examined it quietly.
He leaned in closer. “You said no?”
She looked up at his eyes and simply shook her head. No.
“Saying no to Robert, I can halfway understand. But how could you say no to Imagine?”
“How could I say no to a chance with you?”
He cocked his head. “You really are crazy.”
She smiled at that one. “Crazy for you,” she mumbled and hugged him tightly.
The girls started babbling at Kyle again, asking for plane rides, showing off their counting skills in English. Hannah shook her head at Marie.
“I’d love to sail with you, but I think… I think this is my chance.”
Marie glanced at her husband, and a silent exchange passed between the French couple.
Luc stepped forward. “Kyle, you want to come?”
Hannah froze, wondering if she heard Luc correctly.
“Come?” Kyle stood up, much to the girls’ disappointment.
Luc pointed at Kyle, then Hannah. “You both. Yes? More hands to help sail the boat, cook the meals, and take care of the children. You two can take the port forward cabin. You help with night watches, too. Yes?”
Marie nodded along with Luc. “Especially the night watches.”
Hannah’s eyes locked on Kyle’s, and she saw his hopes soar. Then he swallowed and took her hand.
“You know, the chance to bum around the South Pacific, I might even pass up. But the chance to stay with you?” His eyes twinkled. “That, I could never pass up.”
Hannah’s heart skipped, twirled, and jumped the way the girls did out of sheer excitement.
“It would be a big help to us,” Marie said. “You come, yes?
Kyle was shaking his head like he couldn’t believe his luck. Hannah, too.
“What can I say? Yes!”
She stopped just short of tackling Kyle, though she might have bumped one of the kids in her rush to hug him again. And then, for a good long time, despite the flurry all around them, it was just her and Kyle, face-to-face, cheek-to-cheek, heart-to-heart, looking into the future together.
Make that, looking into their future together.
“You sure about this?” she whispered, giving him a last out.
“Hannah…” He shot her an admonishing look.
“Kyle…” she replied.
He grinned. “Never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Luc leaned in. “You think you can live with five women on one boat?”
Kyle’s grin was a mile wide. “How about a little bet?”
Epilogue
Six years later…
“Again! Again!”
“I’m too tired to do it again,” Kyle protested.
“Again!”
“Sarah, I can’t,” he said, rolling away from her in the bed.
“Oh, come on!”
He groaned and sank into the pillows beside his brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Friday nights were not what they’d once been, not these days anyway. The thought brought a broad smile to his face, tired as he was.
“Come on, Daddy,” she cajoled, “tell it again!”
Kyle gave an exaggerated sigh of defeat. The girl was like her mother — stubborn yet irresistible. A lethal mix for any man.
“Once upon a time, in a magical part of the South Pacific…” he started, making a little space for himself amidst the herd of stuffed animals on his daughter’s bed. “…there was a Pirate Queen who lived on a big, red ship…”
Sarah listened, rapt, as though it was the first time he’d told the story and not the hundredth.
“Every day, the Manta Prince came swimming out in the bay, wanting to make friends with the Pirate Queen…”
The story slipped off his tongue so easily, he could tell it in his sleep. He practically was, at that moment. Running his own business was a lot like parenting — exhausting yet rewarding.
“But the evil buccaneer Robert tried to keep him away…”
The story had everything in it, and it was all true. Well, sort of.
He went on and on and on, recounting the adventures of the Pirate Queen and the Manta Prince in their fairy-tale kingdom far, far away from this little house in New England.
“…and then the Manta Prince kissed the Pirate Queen, and they lived happily ever after,” he finished.
Silence greeted him. Sarah’s eyes were closed, her breathing heavy, a smile playing on her lips as she hugged her plush toy whale.
Gently, slowly, he eased out of the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and glanced up before leaving the room, as he always did. Sarah Lindsay Stanton, read the needlepoint his mother had made commemorating her birth. Then Kyle stopped in to check on the baby in his crib and pressed a kiss to his temple. The needlepoint there said, Thomas William Stanton. Thomas, just like Kyle’s father.
Then he padded down the hallway, past all the framed photos. There was one of him and Hannah swimming in Tonga; the good-bye shot with Luc, Marie, and the girls, taken the day of their teary parting in New Caledonia; and a picture of a rainbow over the ocean, taken during the subsequent trip down to New Zealand in a different couple’s boat.
Kyle stepped into the bedroom, coaxed the dog aside, and flopped down next to Hannah, who set aside the travel guidebooks in her lap.
“So, where are we going next?” he asked, closing his eyes.
“Everywhere.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “It just might take a while.”
Yep, that was his Hannah.
“I heard you tell the story. You’ve been condensing it again,” she said.
“You can fill in the rest,” he mumbled, sliding under the covers and curling an arm around her, counting his luck. Another busy day, another quiet night. Life was good.
Hannah shifted closer and spoke in her storytelling voice. “The Pirate Queen and the Manta Prince sailed across the Pacific, then returned to the real world, wondering what they might find.”
“Hmm,” Kyle mumbled. “Remind me again what they found?”
Hannah didn’t miss a beat. “When they got home, they discovered the magic that started in the South Pacific went with them wherever they went, even in the real world.” She slid her hands over his back. “They found new jobs…”
“Made new jobs,” Kyle cut in. Half of him was asleep already, the other half waking under her caress.
“Right. The Manta Prince made himself a new job, and the Pirate Queen found a nice school to teach in—”
“Until their next big adventure,” Kyle finished.
She smiled; he could feel it on his shoulder. “You mean our two months in the Himalayas?”
He shook his head into the pillow, sinking deeper. “I mean th
e adventure of kids.”
“I was getting to that. Pirate Mommy and Manta Daddy, with the world’s best three-year-old—”
“Who can never listen to the story just once—”
“And the world’s sweetest baby boy—”
“Who will hopefully let us sleep four hours in a row tonight,” Kyle half grumbled, half smiled.
“Hey, your mother said you were no better at four months.” Hannah kissed him on the ear, stroking his cheek. “But you made a mistake in the story.”
“Oh, yes? What’s that?”
“If memory serves me right, the Manta Prince did a lot more than just kiss the Pirate Queen.”
He chuckled. “That was the version for three-year-olds.”
“Tell me the grown-up version,” she cooed, snuggling close.
A warm, hazy flame started pulsing through his veins, and just like that, the weariness slipped away.
“I’ll do better than that. I’ll show you.” He grinned, lining his body up with hers and sliding his hands up her ribs. “It starts like this…”
# # #
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Read on for a sneak peek of Windswept, a Serendipity Adventure Romance set in the Caribbean!
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Sneak Peek: Windswept
A Serendipity Adventure Romance
Scuba instructor Mia Whitman has traveled to Bonaire to forget, not forgive, the man who broke her heart. But trouble is brewing in this Caribbean island paradise — above and below the waterline. When Mia witnesses a crime, she becomes a target, and even she has to admit that having a Navy SEAL-turned-New-York-cop at her side has its perks. Ryan Hayes has a knack for saving her life and stealing her heart — a tricky combination for a woman on the run. Before Mia can stop herself, she finds herself in deep — in love and in trouble.
Order your copy of Windswept here or read on for a sneak peek of Windswept.
Sneak Peek II
Windswept, Chapter One
“Is everyone ready for another great adventure?” the gray-haired divemaster cried out.
Mia grinned as eight enthusiastic guests replied, “Yes!”
“Is everyone ready for the best dive here in Bonaire, scuba capital of the world?”
“Yes!”
Hans winked at Mia and went on with his trademark line. “Are you ready to rock and roll?”
“Yes!”
The dive launch motored out over the turquoise water, bumping gently over the afternoon ripples in the sheltered bay.
“Okay, everybody, please welcome our crew today,” Hans continued. “We’ve got the lovely Mia, an experienced dive instructor from New York.”
Mia pushed a few errant strands of sandy blond hair back from her face, gave a little wave, and went on checking gear without bothering to correct her boss. She’d only lived in New York for a short time before heading to the Caribbean, and that was a time she’d rather forget.
“Not only is Mia a divemaster, she’s a sailor, too,” Hans went on. “She’s sailing her boat around the Caribbean!”
Appreciative oohs and aahs went out from the guests, and Mia couldn’t resist a fond glance toward Serendipity, moored on the far side of the bay.
“You have your own boat?” Brenda asked, her eyes big and wide. “Which one is it?”
Mia blushed a little and covered up by brushing her hair into a ponytail. Good thing perfect hair wasn’t a prerequisite for the job because she was windswept as always, a mess even before her dive.
She pointed to the graceful sloop anchored in the distance. “It was my grandfather’s boat,” she explained. “He left it to us.”
“How long are you in the Caribbean for?” Marc leaned in.
“Three months, maybe four.”
An appreciative murmur went up from the guests.
“Plenty of time,” Marc said.
Mia nodded. She might not have covered a lot of ground on Serendipity yet, but she and her sister were off to a good start. Three months was plenty of time to explore the islands, live a few adventures, and soak in the sun. Plenty of time to forget Mister Tall, Dark, and Hunksome, who’d turned out to be a real jerk.
“We’re lucky to have Mia filling in for us this week,” Hans finished.
She felt like the lucky one. When Hans had offered her the use of one of the dive shop moorings in exchange for helping out with the occasional dive trip, she’d jumped at the chance.
“And speaking of lucky, meet Lucky, our captain today,” Hans added.
“Hi, Lucky!” eight guests sang on cue. Or maybe seven, because the last-minute addition to the trip, a man sitting near the stern, sat quietly withdrawn in the shade of his hoodie.
“Hello, everyone!” Lucky turned from the wheel just long enough to smile broadly: a flash of ivory against his dark skin.
“Lucky’s back on Bonaire after several years abroad. Lucky, what’s Bonaire’s best dive site?”
“The one we’re heading to right now!”
Everyone cheered. Everyone but the last-minute guest, who remained hidden away, quietly tapping one foot. Maybe he was nervous. Hans said the man had aced the obligatory check-out dive that morning, but you never knew. Mia made a mental note to keep a close eye on him when the dive began. Which wouldn’t be hard given that steely physique.
“Mia, why don’t you introduce everyone for Stanley while we motor to the dive site?” Hans asked.
“Yes, Mia, please!” Stanley said, swinging his video camera her way.
She stuck on a smile. Anything for a paying guest, right?
“Sure,” she started. “We’ve got Stanley and Brenda, happy honeymooners from Detroit.”
Stanley swung the camera toward his curvy wife. “Love you, honey!”
“Love you, too!” Brenda blew a kiss into the lens.
Love. Mia used to believe in it, too.
She shuffled between the gear that cluttered the center of the launch and motioned toward the next two guests.
“And we have Dirk and Anna from the Netherlands,” she continued, “on their twelfth trip to Bonaire.”
“Thirteenth,” Anna and Dirk said at the same time.
Mia sighed a little inside. There’d been a time when she’d kidded herself into thinking she might have been headed into that kind of relationship. But it hadn’t exactly worked out that way.
“They’re on home territory.” Hans smiled. “This island does belong to Holland, after all.”
Mia nodded. That’s what she loved about Bonaire: the European flavor sprinkled over the lush Caribbean flair. The island had a culture all its own.
“Thirteen times?” Stanley whistled.
“Lucky number thirteen,” the next guest joked.
Mia introduced him for the camera. “Bruno from Switzerland…”
Bruno waved.
“…and his partner, Marc.”
Marc threw a thin arm over Bruno’s wide shoulders and squeezed into the shot. “Hi, Stanley!”
“Then we have Pete, also from the Netherlands, who’s just completed his dive course with Hans.”
Hans gave the young man a hearty thumbs-up. “Never had a student learn so fast.”
He said that about all his students, but he meant it every time.
“Which brings me to Hans,” she said, “chief diver and owner of Calypso Dives on Bonaire for the past twenty-six years.”
He winked. “Which makes my business how much older than you,
Mia?”
“Younger, Hans. Your business is younger than me by two years.”
Hans always seemed to get a kick out of that.
“Why don’t you introduce yourself for the camera, Hans?” she prompted.
“Well…” Hans winked. “I was born in Holland a long, long time ago, but I swear I’ll die on Bonaire. Just not anytime soon, I hope!”
Everyone laughed. Even Mia, who’d heard the joke before. His good humor just did that to a person.
“And our last guest today—” she nodded toward the late arrival “—is…”
She watched as he lifted his hands toward the hood. Strong, tough, tanned hands that suggested he spent a lot of time outdoors chopping wood or scoring touchdowns or wrestling Bengal tigers or some such thing. He was bare-chested under that hoodie, as a stack of perfectly sculpted abs showed. Too bad Mia had sworn off men, because this one could have featured in a pinup calendar: Scorching Hot Divers of the World.
Then he threw the hood back, and everything in her screeched to a halt. The kind of stop that comes when you slam into a brick wall after roaring along at full speed. Her breath, her circulation, her thoughts — all on pause.
God, please. No. Not him.
Because she knew those piercing green eyes. The ruffled brown hair. The strong, square jaw. She knew every curve of his face, every contour of that hard body just as well as he knew hers.
In other words, intimately.
A little sigh went up from the female guests at the sight of that face.
“Hello, Mia,” he said in a voice so low, it might have been a whisper.
“You…you…you…” She scrambled for something to say.
Stanley leaned in with the camera. Mia wasn’t sure who she was closer to punching, Stanley or her ex-lover.
Probably her ex-lover. Her Navy-SEAL-turned-New-York-City-cop ex-lover. The one who hadn’t bothered sharing those minor details of his life in the four weeks they’d been together.
