The Baby Proposal

by Andrea Laurence

  Lana’s expression softened. “You’ve been watching the show? I haven’t seen you.”

  Kal nodded, pleased that Lana had noted his absence. She was annoyed with him, but she had been watching for him at each performance. That was something. “I’ve been sitting in the audience instead so you wouldn’t see me.”

  Lana sighed, her shoulders relaxing along with the rest of her tense muscles. “I thought you’d stopped coming to watch us dance.”

  He shook his head. “I did for the first one, but I realized that I couldn’t stay away, even though I knew you wanted me to. I’m in love with you, Lana. Whether or not we have an audience, what I have to say to you is the same.”

  “I don’t believe you,” she said. “I think you’re just lonely and scrambling to keep me in your life. Please don’t tell me you love me unless you absolutely mean it. My heart can’t take it, Kal, if you change your mind.”

  “This isn’t a new feeling, Lana, it’s just a new revelation. Since you’ve been gone, I realized that my feelings didn’t change for you after we married or after we broke up. At first I thought that meant that I didn’t have romantic feelings for you. But then I realized that it was because I’ve been in love with you this whole time.”

  Lana’s lips parted softly in surprise. He wanted to scoop her into his arms and kiss her, but he refrained, since his last romantic gesture had crashed and burned.

  “What do you mean, ‘this whole time’?”

  “I mean I’ve been in love with you for three years. All this time you were the most important person in my life, my best friend, the one I wanted to share things with, but I was too stubborn to realize that it was more than friendship. I wasn’t interested in a relationship with anyone else because it wasn’t a relationship with you.”

  “But you don’t want to get married or have a family.”

  “I was scared to get married and have a family. Scared to lose the one I loved. Then I realized I’d lost you anyway. I couldn’t bring my parents back, but I could do something about this. I could tell you how I felt and pray that you believed me.”

  “You really do love me,” Lana said with a touch of disbelief in her voice.

  “I do. And I want to stay married to you, as well. I’ve called Dexter and told him to postpone the divorce proceedings.”

  Lana just looked at him as though he’d sprouted a second head. She glanced up at his hairline, reaching out to gently brush some of his hair out of his face. “Did you hit your head or something?”

  Kal grasped her hand and tugged it to his chest. “Of course not. This isn’t a concussion talking, this is me, being honest with myself, and being honest with you, for the first time. Now I want you to be honest with me.”

  “About what?” she asked.

  “I’ve been pretty clear about my feelings. What about you? Do you love me, Lana?”

  She bit nervously at her bottom lip before she nodded. “I do.”

  Kal broke into a wide grin. He pulled her closer to him. “And do you want to marry me?”

  “We’re already married, Kal.”

  He reached into his pocket and fished out the platinum band she’d left behind. “Then I guess you’d better put on your wedding ring.”

  Lana took a ragged breath and held her fingers outstretched for Kal to slip the ring onto her finger.

  “That’s not all,” he said. Reaching into his pocket again, he pulled out a jewelry box. He opened the lid and held his breath for her response.

  “Kal!” she gasped. “I told you I didn’t need a diamond ring.”

  He plucked the ring out of the velvet bed and slipped it onto her finger with the wedding band. The ring was a uniquely Hawaiian design from a local artisan, with an oval diamond set in a band of curling platinum vines and Plumeria flowers. It rested perfectly against her wedding band, as it was designed to do.

  “You didn’t need a diamond when we were getting married for the judge. Now that you’re going to be my wife for real, and for always, you need a diamond ring to prove it.”

  Lana admired her rings, then placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him. “We don’t have to prove our love to anyone anymore. It’s just for us.”

  “Well, there are a few people who would like to know that we’re in love and happy and staying married.”

  “Like who?”

  Kal took her hand and started leading her back across the beach toward the stage. As they got closer, the sound of the conch shell being blown echoed through the night. Kal loved the puzzled look on Lana’s face that stayed there until they stepped out onto the stage again.

  The whole audience was still seated, waiting anxiously for their return. The dancers were sitting in the audience and with the houselights on, Kal could see Mano and Paige sitting up front. He’d wanted them to be here for this, since they’d missed the first ceremony. Right beside them was Mele holding Akela, and Lana’s father.

  Lana noticed her family sitting there where she hadn’t seen them before. She tugged at his arm, stopping him short. “What is going on?”

  Kal stepped to the side and the kahuna pule who married them the first time was standing in the middle of the stage. Her eyes grew wide; then she looked back at Kal. “We’re renewing our vows,” he explained.

  “Here? Right now?”

  “Why not? You’re practically in a wedding dress. Our family is here. The holy man is here. We also have three hundred guests who are anxiously waiting to see us kiss so they can eat the wedding cake at our reception.”

  “Our reception?”

  Kal pointed to the far side of the courtyard where a table was set up to display a beautiful, five-tiered wedding cake covered in purple and white orchids. “We didn’t have any of this the first time because it wasn’t for real, we were just checking the box. Now that we’re staying married, I wanted to have something a little grander to commemorate our vow renewal.”

  Lana looked around at everyone in the audience. They watched them with silent, expectant faces. “I can’t believe you did all this. How did you...? When did you...?”

  Kal just shook his head. That was a story for another time. Right now they had a wedding to attend. “So, what do you say we get remarried, Mrs. Bishop?”

  Before she could respond, the crowd started to cheer. The roar of applause, whistles and shouts made her cheeks flush bright red. Finally she looked at him and nodded, eliciting another round of cheers.

  Kal took her hand and led her to the table where the kahuna pule was waiting for them. He opened up his prayer booklet to the marked page and started reciting the words he’d just spoken to them a month before.

  “The Hawaiian word for love is aloha. Today we’ve come together to celebrate the special aloha that exists between you, Kalani and Lanakila, as you renew your vows of marriage. When two people promise to share the adventure of life together, it is a beautiful moment that they will always remember.”

  They repeated their vows, and this time when they kissed, there was no awkwardness or hesitation. He wrapped his arms around Lana and dipped her backward, drawing a roar of applause from the crowd. They embraced their family members and cut the cake so it could be served to the hotel guests who were, in a way, an extension of their family.

  It was late when Kal finally pulled the Jaguar back up to the house. He surprised Lana again by scooping her out of her seat and carrying her across the threshold.

  They stood there together in their home with Lana in his arms. “I can’t believe any of this is happening,” she said. “You are amazing. You put all this together just for me.”

  “Of course I did. I told you I loved you. I wanted you to have everything you could possibly want. Except for maybe a few surprises so you’d go along with it all. What did you think when you turned around and saw me on the stage?”

  Lana arched her brow at him. “Do you really want to know?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “I was thinking that you were a terrible singer.�
�

  Kal looked at his wife in mock horror. “You lie!” he said as he carried her down the hall to the master bedroom. “You’re going to pay for that tonight,” he said with a wicked grin.

  Lana smiled and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. “I hope so.”

  Epilogue

  Lana had to admit she was a little jealous of Mano and Paige’s new house. The sprawling house sat atop a cliff overlooking the sea on the eastern side of Oahu. Diamondhead was visible to the right and in front of them was just miles of beautiful blue sea.

  It was the perfect backdrop for their wedding. The rain had held out for a lovely Valentine’s Day ceremony. Paige had looked beautiful in a pale cream, almost rose colored lace gown. Her hair was swept back in a romantic chignon with pale pink hibiscus woven into it. Her baby bump was on full display and all of Mano’s relatives had to keep touching it as though she were a good-luck Buddha statue.

  Mano was beaming in his traditional white suit. Hōkū was dressed up, too, with a matching white bow tie, since he was officially the ring bearer for the ceremony.

  It all worked out splendidly, which made Lana happy considering how stressed Paige had been over the whole thing. All things considered, Lana was actually happy that her two wedding ceremonies had been virtually spur-of-the-moment with little to no planning on her part. In the end, she’d gotten the dress and the man of her dreams, and that was all she really needed.

  “Lana?”

  Lana turned to see Kal and Mano’s elderly grandmother, Ani, making her way over to her. “Aloha, Tūtū Ani.”

  The older woman smiled and took her hand. “I had a dream last night that I must tell you about.”

  Lana looked over at the nearby table. “Let’s have a seat and you can tell me all about it.” Ani looked like she could use a rest, and frankly so could Lana. It had been a long day and she was pretty tired from all the celebrating.

  “Kalani!” Ani called out, waving Kal over to the table. “You should hear this, too. It’s important.”

  Kal came over and took a seat at the table. “What is it, Tūtū?”

  “I had an important dream last night.”

  “About what?” Kal asked.

  Ani reached out and placed her palm on Lana’s stomach the way everyone else had been touching Paige. “About your son.”

  Lana stiffened in her seat, looking to Kal in surprise. Their son? “But I’m not pregnant.”

  Ani laughed and shook her head. “You may not realize it yet, but you are, you are. Your son will be tall and strong, like a Hawaiian god forged from the great fires of Mount Kilauea. Keahilani will be the family successor, the one to lead the family when I am gone, and you are gone.”

  Kal looked just as startled as Lana was. “Are you certain, Tūtū?”

  The old woman narrowed her eyes at them in irritation. “Of course I am. I had the same dreams about you and Mano when your mother was carrying you. That’s how your names were chosen—our ancestors spoke to me through dreams and showed me who you would be. You were to be chieftain and your brother arose from the sea and swam with the sharks in my dreams. Your son will be Keahilani—from heaven’s fire. I have seen it.”

  Ani got up from her chair and leaned in to give Lana a kiss on the cheek. “Ho’omaika’i ‘ana to you both.”

  Lana and Kal sat dumbfounded at the table as Ani congratulated them and wandered away to talk to someone else. They watched her fade into the crowd. Then they turned to each other and looked down at her still-flat belly.

  “Could she be right?” Lana asked.

  Kal just grinned and leaned in to give her a kiss. His touch sent a thrill through Lana’s whole body, making her wish they were alone together in bed instead of surrounded by family at an event they couldn’t escape.

  “She always is. Keahi is on his way and our beautiful family has begun.”

  * * * * *

  If you liked this story of a billionaire tamed by the love of the right woman—and her baby—pick up these other novels from Andrea Laurence

  MORE THAN HE EXPECTED

  HIS LOVER’S LITTLE SECRET

  THE CEO’S UNEXPECTED CHILD

  THE PREGNANCY PROPOSITION

  Available now from Harlequin Desire!

  ***

  And don’t miss the next BILLIONAIRES AND BABIES story

  ONE BABY, TWO SECRETS

  by New York Times bestselling author Barbara Dunlop

  Available January 2017!

  ***

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  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE TEXAN’S ONE-NIGHT STANDOFF by Charlene Sands.

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  The Texan’s One-Night Standoff

  by Charlene Sands

  One

  Brooks Newport swiveled around on the bar stool at the C’mon Inn, his gaze fastening on the raven-haired Latina beauty bending over a pool table, challenging her opponent with a fiercely competitive glint in her eyes. With blue jeans hugging her hips and a cropped red plaid blouse exposing her olive skin, the lady made his mouth go dry. He wasn’t alone. Every Stetson-wearing Texan in the joint seemed to be watching her, too.

  His hand fisting around the bottle, Brooks took a sip of beer, gulping down hard. The woman’s moves around the pool table were as smooth and as polished as his new Justin boots.

  “Five ball, corner pocket,” she said, her voice sultry with a side of sass, as if she knew she wasn’t going to miss. Then she took her shot. The cue ball met its mark and sure enough, the five ball rolled right into the pocket.

  She straightened to full height, her chest expanding to near button-popping proportions. She couldn’t have been more than five-foot-two, but what she had in that small package was enough to make him break out in a sweat. And that was saying something, since he’d come to Texas for one reason, and one reason only.

  To meet his biological father for the first time in his life.

  He’d spent the better part of his adulthood trying to find the man who’d abandoned him and his twin brother, Graham in Chicago. Sutton Winchester, his bitter older rival and the man Brooks thought might be his biological father turned out not to be his blood kin after all. Thank God. But Sutton had known the truth of his parenthood all along, and the ailing man, plagued by a bout of conscience—or so Brooks figured—had finally given up the information that led to the name and location of his and Graham’s father.

  Brooks would have been speaking with his
real father at Look Away Ranch in Cool Springs right now if he hadn’t gotten a bad case of nerves. So much was riding on this. The trek to get to this place in time, to solving the mystery surrounding the birth of the Newport twins, as well as his younger brother Carson, would finally come to fruition.

  So, yeah, the powerful CEO of the Newport Corporation from Chicago had turned chicken. Those bawking noises played out in his head. He’d never run scared before and yet, as he was breezing through this dusty town, the Welcome sign and Christmas lights outside the doors of the C’mon Inn had called to him. He’d pulled to a stop and entered the lodge, in need of a fortifying drink and a good night’s rest. He had a lot to think about, and meeting Beau Preston in the light of day seemed a better idea.

  He kept his gaze trained on the prettiest thing in the joint. The woman. She wielded the pool cue like a weapon and began wiggling her perfectly trim ass in an effort to make a clean shot. He sipped beer to cool his jets, yet he couldn’t tear his gaze away. He had visions of bending over the pool table with her and bringing them both to heaven.

  Long strands of her hair hung down to touch her breasts, and as she leaned over even further to line up her shot, those strands caressed green felt. She announced her next shot and bam, the ball banked off the left side and then ricocheted straight into the center pocket.

  The whiskered man she was playing against hung his head. “Man, Ruby. You don’t give a guy a chance.”

  She chuckled. “That’s the rule I live by, Stan. You know that.”

  “But you could miss once in a while. Make it interesting.”

  So her name was Ruby. Brooks liked the sound of it, all right. It fit.

  He had no business lusting after her. Woman trouble was the last thing he needed. Yet his brain wasn’t doing a good job of convincing his groin to back off.