Almost Paradise

by Chris Keniston

  Lunch turned out to be Subway sandwiches. At some point Maggie had called to check in with Billy. When Lexie said they were all in the pool, the Deluca household manager and her other charge couldn’t get to the shop fast enough. By the time the boys were done playing, a crowd had gathered. Kara had insisted she could take it easy on the old duct-taped chair as well as on the sofa at home. Nick stood with Doug, the only team member he too had served with.

  Having received word from the mainland that the initial public offering of Deluca Land and Development was officially done, Doug and Billy’s fourth former teammate passed on a few hours’ shut-eye to join in the impromptu gathering.

  “Do you really think this is it?” Angela asked Billy, her eye on Doug teasing Jim about his upcoming nuptials.

  “Yeah, we do. Criminal organizations don’t want to mess with the cogs of a large company with shareholders, a Board of Directors the size of some small states, and most importantly monitored by the SEC. The cartel will move on to pick on some other sole proprietor until the FBI, CIA, or God knows who puts Restrepo out of business.”

  “And then another crook takes his place.”

  Billy grabbed his bottle of water, mumbled, “Then some other crook takes his place” and took a long swallow.

  “Why am I not seeing happy faces?” Lexie stood over her two friends.

  Angela shrugged. “The world of crime can do that.”

  Lexie pulled up one of the patio chairs and sat down “The Deluca thing?”

  Billy nodded.

  “So this is it. It’s all over? The kids and Mrs. Deluca are safe?”

  Billy nodded again. “They probably always were, but…”

  “Yeah,” Lexie agreed. “An ounce of prevention and all that. To be honest, I think it’s going to be pretty boring around here now without all this testosterone around.”

  Laughter exploded from Billy with such a roar that it startled both Lexie and Angela. That deep belly laugh was something she could get very used to.

  “Well.” Billy pushed to his feet. “I need to clean up. Be back in a few.”

  Earlier, when Adam and Billy had climbed out of the water, they’d peeled out of the wetsuits, but shortly after, in just swim trunks, had slid back into the pool to test Adam’s new snorkeling gear. The man looked damn fine in a swim suit if she did say so herself.

  Kara claimed Billy’s abandoned seat, studying how Angela watched Billy until he was out of site. “Things are looking pretty cozy.”

  Angela hated how easily her cheeks flushed. It made hiding her feelings so hard. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?” Lexie raised a brow.

  “Okay.” Heat filled rose to Angela’s cheek. “I hope so. Is that better?”

  Kara leaned forward, lowering her voice. “You don’t know?”

  Shaking her head, Angela stared off in the direction Billy had gone. So much had changed in the last twenty-four hours her head was still spinning. But despite the smiles and laughs, the hand holding and sweet words, she had no idea if their baby bargain would be part of this whirlwind of change. “I have no idea,” she mumbled.

  But God, she hoped so.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  As Maile Everrett always said, in for a penny, in for a pound. The old cliché had gotten Billy through some of the most challenging tasks of his fourteen-year naval career. It had also helped make the Big Island Dive shop the go-to place on the island. Now it just had to get him through one more day.

  The afternoon at the shop had dragged on. Though everyone fussed and slapped him on the back for getting Adam into the water, he knew the underlying cheers were for him as well. Climbing into the pool that first time had been more frightening than his first day of EOD dive school in Panama City. When he and Adam went in the second time, the pressure on his chest wasn’t quite as heavy. One step at a time, he reminded himself.

  Which brought him back to the beautiful woman in the car seat next to him. When he’d dropped her off at her place and told her to dress up for dinner, she’d looked intrigued. Having pulled into the Royal Reef Hotel parking lot, stunned was the only word to describe her slack jawed expression. “Is this okay?”

  Slowly her head turned, and her mouth snapped shut before opening again. “Okay? Are you crazy? This is the swankiest resort on the island.”

  Ten minutes on the Internet this morning had informed him that the patio restaurant overlooking the famed Kona shores had been voted the most romantic restaurant in Kona three years in a row. “That didn’t answer my question.”

  Her cheeks flushed a bright hue of dark rose, and a sweet smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “It’s more than okay.”

  For just a moment, his mind wandered to what she’d look like in the setting sun with nothing on but that rosy blush, and the blood in his veins began to flow southward. Not a good thing when he still had to get out of the car and walk into a public restaurant.

  To cool his fast-rising libido, on his way to the passenger side of the car he thought of icy rivers and eating bugs. “Shall we?”

  From the road the grounds of the Royal Reef were impressive. The reality didn’t disappoint. Angela walked, chin held high, taking in the views, a nervous smile on her lips. Inside, the restaurant was everything he expected, and the secluded outside patio was exactly what the Internet had promised.

  A hint of pride puffed his chest when Angela sucked in a tiny gasp.

  “Oh, Billy. This is…lovely.”

  The maître d’ directed them to the corner table along the concrete railing. The setting sun cast rays of orange and red along the blanket of water. Soft waves rushed in and out, settling his unsteady nerves.

  Somehow he managed to keep the conversation light through the appetizer and main course. Adam and his enthusiasm for diving had taken up the better part of the conversation. The time in the pool, breathing underwater with the small tanks designed for young children, usually was enough to excite them into wanting more. That’s why word of the new program was spreading so quickly, and it’s what Billy had counted on with Adam.

  By dessert, his hand held hers across the table, and his heart pounded so hard and fast he almost lost his breath a time or two. “Up for a little walk?”

  “That would be nice.”

  With a single nod, the waiter brought the check. Sliding several bills into the black case, Billy pushed away from the table and reached for Angela’s hand again.

  Tiki torches lined the stone wall along the hotel, lighting the way to the sandy beach. They walked in silence for a short distance. When they hit an isolated patch, Billy slowed his pace. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since yesterday.”

  “Is that why you went into the pool with Adam today?”

  “No. I went in the pool because of you. And that’s only the start. I’ll be diving again soon, too.”

  Angela stopped short, her face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Oh, Billy that’s—”

  “There’s more.” He held up his free hand, palm out. “It’s been determined I’m an asshole.” Her enthusiasm dimming, a cute little frown creased her brow. “Who told you that?”

  “Jim.” He tugged on her hand to keep walking. “I’ll tell you all about it another time. But bottom line is, I have been an idiot. I’ve tried to do all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons.”

  This time he stopped and turned to face her. “Except one thing. Agreeing to make a baby together was the only smart thing I’ve done in a long time. The stupid thing is, what I should have agreed to was making a family.”

  Angela blinked, her eyes growing glassy.

  “I think I fell a little bit in love with you the first day you came into the shop to have lunch with Lexie, and the night I saw the three of you laughing like hyenas on the floor, I tumbled all the way.

  “I’m sorry there was no time to arrange for a white horse but…” He bent down on one knee, and with his left hand pulled out the small blue box he’d purchased on his way to the ho
spital this morning. “Will you please do me the honor of being my wife, my love, my best friend, and God willing, someday, the mother of my children?”

  Watery eyes glistened in the evening light. Lips pressed tight, she blinked back the flow of tears, and Billy feared she searched for a nice way to say no. When her head bobbed up and down and her lashes flickered repeatedly, his heart stuttered.

  Long, delicate arms flung themselves around his neck, and wrapped together, they toppled over into a sandy pile. Warm, soft lips pressed against his.

  “Yes,” she muttered through a kiss. “Yes.” Another kiss. “Oh, yes.”

  Her mouth and body pressed hard into him, he whispered against her lips “I love you Angela Carson. And while this knight may not come on a white horse—”

  “I can’t believe you remembered I said that,” she said softly.

  He reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her face and gently tucked it behind her ear. “I promise you will always have romantic dinners, walks on the beach, and a man who will love you for the rest of my life.”

  “All I’ll ever need is you. I love you Billy Everrett.” Angela’s lips once again descended on his. Hands roamed, tongues tangled, and a fire of need roared to life.

  “Whatcha doing?” A tiny voice splashed over them with the same affect as a bucket of ice water. A little girl in bare feet and an oversized T-shirt that reached below her knees stood holding a plastic bucket

  Scrambling to sit up quickly, Angela looked to Billy. “Uh…”

  “Wrestling,” he immediately offered.

  The little girl’s nose turned up, her head tilted sideways, and her mouth did a cute little pucker.

  Before anyone could even think of what to do or say next, a woman wearing a large floppy hat and carrying a toddler on her hip came running up. “Madeleine. You know you’re supposed to stay by Mommy.”

  “Can we wrestle, too?” The little girl flashed her mother a smile to rival the setting sun.

  On the other hand, the frown that creased the woman’s forehead could have doused the brightest light. It certainly was enough to make Billy’s balls shrink.

  “Not now, dear.” She reached for her daughter’s hand and casting a censuring glare at Billy then over to Angela, she shook her head. “I know this is an island paradise and all, but you really should get a room.”

  The woman stomped away kicking up sand in her wake, Billy smothered a laugh, and Angela turned crimson from her neck to her hairline.

  “You’re cute when you blush.”

  “Cute? That was mortifying.” Her gaze followed the mother and children making their way down the beach to join a tall man coming out of the water with another child at his side. “Do you think that will ever be us?”

  “Of course.” He slid his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. “The lady said so herself. This is paradise.”

  * * *

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  Meet Chris

  Author of five contemporary novels, including the award-winning The Champagne Sisterhood, Chris Keniston lives in suburban Dallas with her husband, two human children, and two canine children. Though she loves her puppies equally, she admits being especially attached to her German shepherd rescue. After all, even dogs deserve a happily ever after.

  More on Chris and her books can be found at

  www.chriskeniston.com

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  or on Twitter @ckenistonauthor

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  I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at chris@chriskeniston.com

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  Chapter One

  Lieutenant Commander Jim Borden, USN, glanced up at the half naked woman and wondered just how long this night was going to be. With his best man, and best friend since Annapolis, not able to fly in for the wedding until tomorrow morning, one of the younger team members had volunteered to plan the bachelor party. When Matt picked the Silk Stocking, more affectionately known as the Dirty Sock, Jim had laughed it off and thought why the hell not. Now all he wanted was to get the hell out of here and find his fiancée, Bridget, to set things right again.

  “You need another drink,” one of his buddies slurred into his ear. “Or maybe you need a good lap dance. The blonde with the triple Ds will put a smile on your face.”

  A slender blonde with boobs the size of small watermelons had one leg wrapped around the tall chrome pole, her back arched like a European monument, and yet somehow the super-sized man-made tits managed to defy the call of gravity. Offering a mock nod of approval, Jim said what his buddy wanted to hear, “Maybe later.”

  Jim brought his drink half way to his mouth and then set it back down. He couldn’t keep his mind off Bridget. All day she’d been ignoring his calls and this afternoon when he’d dropped her parents off at the hotel, she’d been downright chilly. Since his return from Kona she’d been quiet. Too quiet. At first he’d thought she was just ticked off he’d left Honolulu shortly before the wedding to go help his buddy and former teammate, Billy Everrett, on the Big Island. The two friends hadn’t spoken since a mission had gone south sending them both to the hospital, costing Billy a leg, Doug Hamilton his vision in one eye, and leaving Jim with ravaging scars on his back.

  But sitting here stewing over the situation, he’d realized Bridget’s mood was not going to blow over on its own. He needed to remind her how much he loved her and wanted her for his wife. Wife. The word still scared the hell out of him.

  In his line of work he’d considered a wife and family a liability. He was deployed most of the year and the risk of being blown to bits in the line of duty was as high as the temps on an August day in Afghanistan. That kind of pressure did little to nurture a marriage. It used to be he’d been glad not to be tied down with a wife and family to worry about during a mission. Nothing to distract him when diffusing an explosive device. But more often of late he’d begun to envy the guys with wives waiting at the end of a tour or the men with their kid’s photo in their breast pocket.

  His time had come. The last explosion had nearly done him in. Both the burden of the scared kid who’d lost his life and the Humvee door that had almost sliced Jim in half. Now he’d have Bridget to come home to.

  Billy came up on Jim’s left and hefted a beer at the dancer, who gripping the slender pole with one hand, now spun about showing her wares. “Remember those days, sir?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Jim felt the smile pull at the corners of his mouth. It was good to have his friend back. For years, Billy had refused to speak with any of the former team. No hospital visits, no phone calls, emails, nothing. When Billy recently reached out to Jim for help, not even the voice of God could have stopped him from agreeing to help. “But what’s with the sir?”

  Billy shrugged a shoulder. “Habit.”

  “Well, leave it behind.” Jim tapped his bottle against Billy’s. “To wedded bliss.”

  “And the women who love us!” Having just gotten engaged himself, Billy said that through an especially wide shit-eating grin. “You’re not looking like someone pleased to be getting married tomorrow.”

  “I am. It’s just…”

  “Cold feet?”

  “Not mine.” Jim toyed with the sweaty label. “Something’s not right with Bridget. I thought she was pissed about my going to Kona.”

  Billy’s face pinched. “Sorry, man.”

  “No. Nothing to be sorry for.” All Jim had to do was find a way to make Bridget understand that no matter how much he wanted this new life of theirs, he would have leapt at any opportunity to reconnect with his former EOD teammate, even if it was the w
eek before their wedding. The important thing was that he always intended to be back in time for the ceremony. And he’d made it, too. Surely, that had to count for something? “She’s pulling back. I think… I think she’s having second thoughts.”

  From his peripheral vision, Jim spotted one of his buddies climbing onto the dance floor. Bad move. At the same moment Jim grabbed an ankle, setting his bottle down on the bar, Billy turned to reach for the back of Brent’s belt. Together the two men pulled the young lieutenant back to the safe zone.

  “Why’d you do that, Commander?” the inebriated junior officer asked, his eyes tracking the dancer on the stage.

  “Commander?” Billy repeated, still holding onto the kid’s belt.

  Jim stood, arms stretched, steadying his friend. “Promoted in the spring.”

  “Did you see the size of those—” the foolish friend started.

  “Brent—” Jim cautioned.

  “But—” Brent swung his arm out to point at the dancing blonde’s attributes and smacked the waitress coming up beside him, knocking the drinks off the tray. And onto a drunk now bathed in scotch.

  The drunk sprang to his feet and threw a right cross that completely missed Brent and left the guy spinning around until his fist connected with the already unhappy waitress.

  Before Jim or Billy could back out of the way, the drunk took another swing, yelling, “See what you made me do?”

  No drunk got the drop on Jim, or any of his men. Snatching the idiot’s wrist in mid-air, he pushed the guy back and onto another inebriated tourist coming to his buddy’s aid. Chairs scratched against the floor as people jumped to their feet and out of the way. The waitress, who would have one hell of a shiner come morning, screeched, “Call the cops.”