Sighing, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket. The deal with the drugstore chain was all but inked. She should feel exhilarated, over the moon. When she returned to Chicago, she was assured a promotion. Her future at her father’s company was better than ever.
Gabi made a face at her phone and turned it off. Too restless to sit for a moment longer, she walked toward the ocean still holding the phone in her hand. For one wild moment, she pictured herself throwing it in.
Shock raced through her.
Throw her phone in the ocean? The notion was ridiculous. She’d sooner rob a bank.
But the image must have rattled something loose in her brain because she started thinking crazy thoughts. What if she decided not to go back to Chicago? What if she got a different job so that she could stay here with Finn and Kai?
Would Finn want her to stay? She sensed he would, but they’d just met. How could she possibly give up the promotion she knew she’d receive after knowing him such a short time? She’d told herself he was just a temporary fling. She’d told him she had to return to Chicago. Anything else was impossible.
Gabi wondered how he would feel if she showed up at his house and said Hey, I’ve decided to stay. Aren’t you glad? The idea terrified her—putting herself on the line like that, when the results were nothing near a sure thing.
She closed her eyes and told herself to settle down. This was ridiculous. She’d just gotten a little more emotionally involved than she’d planned. It was the environment. A beautiful island and the romance of her brother’s wedding. That’s what it was, she told herself and started walking.
The devil of doubt rode her shoulder. What if she’d told Finn she loved him instead of just letting him walk away?
How could she possibly love someone, really love someone, she’d known less than a week?
“Impossible,” she muttered under her breath. “It’s just impossible.”
But her heart was screaming now. Perhaps it was due to her lack of sleep, but she felt her denial fading and other questions scorching her brain.
What if Finn was the one? What if she never met another man like him again? What if she went the rest of her life and everyone she met was second-best?
Her heart thumped in her chest. She tried again to deny it, but she knew what she had to do. She had to see Finn one more time.
* * *
GABI RENTED A car through the resort and prayed she remembered the way to Finn’s house. She considered making a U-turn at least ten times during the journey. What was she thinking? How would he respond? What if he thought she was crazy? Maybe she was. Despite her lack of directions, she found her way to Finn’s and pulled into the driveway.
Cutting the engine, she took a deep breath and tried to rehearse what she planned to say. Everything sounded crazy. Gabi thought about leaving before she made a fool of herself, but then she remembered what Finn had said he liked about her. All in. Well, heaven help her, she was in up to her earlobes now.
Taking her courage in her hands, she went to the side door and knocked. No response. She tried again and still got no answer. Gabi frowned and glanced at the driveway again. Finn’s car was gone. She almost slapped her forehead as she remembered he’d said he’d be busy this morning.
Still, she thought the nanny should come to the door. She tried the handle and it was unlocked. “Alani?” she called as she pushed open the door. “Alani?” She paused. “Kai?”
No answer, again. Her instincts told her something was off, and she walked farther into the house. She spotted Alani on the floor of the den.
Alarm rippled through her and she rushed to Alani’s side. “Alani,” she said, gently shaking the woman. “Alani, are you okay?”
The woman didn’t respond and Gabi’s fear ratcheted up another notch. “Kai,” she called. “Kai, are you here?”
The silence frightened her even more. She quickly walked through the house and saw no sign of the boy. Returning to Alani, she tried to rouse the woman, to no avail. Alani was taking shallow breaths and was drenched in sweat. Gabi called emergency and had to search for the house’s address. She was assured an ambulance was on the way. Gabi tried to call Finn, but there was no answer. She suspected he was in the middle of a surfing class.
Gabi was torn between looking for Kai and staying with Alani. What if Kai was in danger? Every minute that passed felt like an hour. She wished she knew what to do for Alani. She wished she knew where Kai was.
Finally, the ambulance arrived and the paramedics began to treat Alani.
“There’s a child,” she told the medics. “I have to go look for him. I don’t know where he is.”
One of the paramedics glanced up at her. “This looks like diabetes. We need to stabilize her.”
Gabi recalled how tired Alani had seemed. “That makes sense.” She bit her lip. “I have to look for Kai,” she said and ran out the door. Gabi ran toward the swing and slide, but didn’t see him. She dreaded the possibility that he could be in the ocean. Even though she knew Finn was making Kai as water-safe as possible, she didn’t want Kai alone out there.
Gabi raced toward the beach and looked from one side to the other. At first glance, she saw nothing. Then she spotted Kai with a stick, close to the edge of the shore.
“Oh, thank God,” she said to herself. “Kai,” she called. “Kai, come here.”
Kai glanced up and bounded toward her. “Miss Gabi,” he said. “Can we pay tic-tac-toe?”
Gabi gathered Kai against her. “Not right now,” she said. “Why did you come out to the beach alone?”
Kai stuck out his lower lip in a pout. “Alani was napping again. I wanted to play.”
Gabi was still recovering from the fact that Kai had been missing. “You are never to go to the beach alone. Never. Do you hear me?”
Kai appeared frightened by her tone. “Okay.”
“How would your father feel if he knew you were out here?”
Kai hung his head. “Daddy Finn doesn’t want me on the beach without him,” he said in a muffled tone. “He be mad?”
“He’ll be relieved you’re okay,” she said and pulled Kai up into her arms. “Let’s go back to the house. Alani is sick, but the doctors can make her better.”
“Nanny is sick?” Kai repeated, clearly worried.
“Yes, but the doctors can make her better,” Gabi reassured him. When she and Kai arrived at the house, it was clear that the paramedics had just loaded Alani into the ambulance.
“Go play in your room. I’ll get you a snack in a few minutes,” she said to Kai as she set him down on the ground.
“Lots of lights,” he said.
“They have flashing lights so they can drive fast,” Gabi told him.
“Can I go?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. Go to your room. I’ll come see you in just a sec.”
Gabi ran toward the back of the ambulance and caught up with one of the paramedics. “How is she?”
“It looks like diabetes. I think it was caught in time, but she’ll need to be hospitalized. It’s a good thing you showed up when you did.”
Gabi felt a chill rush over her. What if she hadn’t given in to her instinct to see Finn again? What if she’d chickened out one of the many times she’d thought she couldn’t go through with her plan?
She rubbed her arms. “We just want her to be okay.”
The paramedic nodded and closed the door. “We’ll take care of her now.”
Gabi returned to the house. “Kai,” she called.
He came running, holding a little truck in his hand. “Is Nanny okay?”
“She is,” Gabi said. “Now, what do you want for a snack?”
Kai paused and a sly expression crossed his face. “Cookies and soda.”
Gabi shook her head. �
��What would Nanny give you?”
Kai heaved a big sigh. “Cheese, c’ackers and juice.”
“Then, that’s what you’ll have,” she said and went to the fridge. Kai ate his snack and Gabi read several books to him. He grew restless, so she took him outside. Gabi wondered when Finn would check his messages. Surely it wouldn’t be more than an hour. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, his Jeep pulled into the driveway and he dashed out of the vehicle.
“Gabi,” he called. “Kai.”
His voice was sharp with tension. Gabi could only imagine how upset he was.
She took Kai by the hand and walked from the play area. “We’re here.”
Finn ran toward them. “You’re okay,” he said to both of them. “What about Alani?”
“The paramedics think it’s diabetes. They said it may take a few days to stabilize her,” Gabi told him.
Finn nodded. “I wish she’d seen a doctor sooner. She’s been so tired lately.”
“That’s what I thought,” Gabi said.
“I’m hungry. I wanna eat,” Kai said.
Finn smiled and lifted Kai into his arms. “We can take care of that. Lunch.”
“Lunch,” Kai echoed and rubbed his tummy.
Gabi was entranced by the interaction between them. There was so much humor, camaraderie and trust.
“You want some lunch?” Finn asked Gabi.
“Sure,” she said, even though she should be leaving now if she wanted to make her flight.
Finn fixed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with cheese crackers and fruit on the side for all. Gabi nibbled as she considered what she was going to say to Finn. He called the hospital to check on Alani, and learned that she was under expert medical care. Kai grew sleepy, and since Finn was tied up on the phone, Gabi took the little boy to his room and rocked him. He fell asleep quickly, and she laid him down on his bed.
Gabi gently closed the door behind her and nearly walked into Finn. “Oh,” she said, caught off guard.
He put his hands on her waist. “Okay?”
She took a deep breath. “It’s been an interesting day.”
He nodded. “Sounds like it. Want to sit on the lanai?”
She took another deep breath, mentally preparing herself for whatever she was going to say. At the moment, she wasn’t sure exactly what that would be. “Yes, thank you.”
He led her to the small but beautiful lanai that looked over the woods. The sound of the ocean in the background soothed her just a bit.
“You want something to drink? I could fix you a mai tai. It sounds like you’ve earned it.”
She smiled, thinking she wanted to be completely sober. “Water’s fine.”
“Done,” he said and disappeared. A moment later, he returned carrying two glasses of filtered water with ice and lime.
“Perfect,” she said and took a sip.
Finn dragged a chair closer to her and sat down. He guzzled from his glass. “I didn’t expect to get that call from you. I really didn’t expect to find you here,” he said.
She nodded, still searching for the right words.
“Pretty crazy,” he said, looking at her. “It’s a damn good thing you showed up when you did.”
“That’s what the paramedics said.” She took another sip of water because her mouth seemed to be growing dryer by the moment.
“So, why did you come? I thought you were headed back to Chicago. You won your account. Everything’s going your way,” he said.
“Exactly,” she said. “Everything was going my way until you entered my life.”
Surprise widened his eyes. “Me? What did I do?”
“You turned my plans upside down,” she said.
He straightened, looking confused. “Me? How did I do that?”
“By being you,” she said, unable to keep an accusing tone from her voice.
Finn scrubbed his face and shook his head. “You’re going to have to help me out here.”
Gabi took her heart in her hands and went all in. “I love you.”
He gaped at her and dipped his head. “Excuse me?”
“I said I love you.” Her nerves got the best of her and she couldn’t sit a moment longer, so she stood and began to pace. “I really didn’t count on loving you, and it doesn’t make any sense. I mean, we haven’t known each other long enough. Right? It’s not possible,” she said, shaking. “Not at all possible. But I do.” She took a breath and turned to look at him. “I love you. I didn’t plan it. I can’t totally explain it, but I do.”
Finn stood, staring at her in disbelief. “You just said you loved me.”
“More than once,” she managed as he walked toward her.
“I think my brain stopped after the first time,” he said and searched her gaze. “I’m a package deal. Kai will always be a part of me.”
“I know,” she said. “I think that’s part of the reason I love you.”
He closed his eyes as if she’d answered a prayer. “What does this mean?”
Her throat knotted with emotion. “I don’t know. You tell me. This is me being all in. I hope I’m not the only one who feels this way.”
Finn immediately pulled her against him. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re not alone, trust me. I would ask you to marry me, but I don’t have a diamond.”
His words both shocked and comforted her. She took a deep breath. “Well, if you had a diamond, what would you say? Here and now?”
Finn took a long moment then dropped to one knee.
“Oh, my goodness,” she whispered.
He took her hand in his. “Gabi, I love you. I never thought I’d meet a woman like you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my wife and Kai’s mother?”
Her heart overflowing, Gabi didn’t need a second to answer. Without knowing it, she’d been waiting for Finn and Kai her entire life. “Yes,” she said. “Oh, yes.”
She helped pull him to his feet, and he took her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. Gabi clung to him with all her might. She didn’t know what the future held, but she didn’t care as long as she and Finn and Kai were together.
He finally pulled his mouth away, his chest heaving. “Your father’s gonna kill me, isn’t he?”
Gabi laughed. “Probably.”
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, after Kai woke up from his nap, the three of them piled into Gabi’s rental car and headed for the resort. “We going?” Kai asked as he drank some water.
“We’re going to meet Gabi’s daddy,” Finn said a bit grimly, restlessly pumping his leg in the passenger seat.
“Gabi daddy?” he said and smiled.
Gabi smiled in return, but kept her eyes on the road. “That’s right. Did you have a good nap?”
Kai nodded and sipped on his water. “Can we go swimming?”
“Maybe later,” Finn said. “We need to check on Alani, too.”
“Nanny okay?”
“So far,” Finn said and turned on the radio. “Music distracts him,” he said to Gabi and put his hand on her knee.
“Are you okay?” she asked Finn.
He nodded. “I’m good. I just don’t want Preston to come down too hard on you.”
“Give me a couple minutes with him before you bring Kai to meet him,” she said.
“How do you think he’ll react?” Finn asked.
“No idea. He’s accustomed to being in control and he’s about to lose it,” she said.
She continued the drive to the resort with Finn jiggling his leg in time to the music on the radio. Kai wobbled his head back and forth in the backseat.
Pulling into the resort parking lot, she spotted her father escorting a bellman as he delivered the luggage to a limo. Her father wasn’t the type to u
se a passenger van. She parked the rental car several spots away and exited the car. “Wish me luck,” she said to Finn.
“No worries,” Finn said. “You can handle him. You can handle anything.”
His words sank deep inside her and she pulled her strength around her tightly as she walked toward her father, the man who had always demanded perfection from her. “Hey, Dad,” she said. “How’s it going?”
Her father turned to her. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought your flight left earlier.”
She shrugged. “Things happen. Is Mom okay about the wedding?”
“She’s very happy, and so am I. I think Nick and Cara will make a very nice match. Your mother was also happy to have some time with her grandgirls. She can’t get enough of them. I have to confess they’re very sweet,” he said with a grin.
“It’s good to see they’ve won over crusty Preston,” she said.
“I’m not sure I like that description,” he huffed.
“I’m just teasing about the crusty part. You’re a great dad,” she said. “The best dad I could have possibly had.”
Her father blinked. “Well, thank you, Gabrielle. You’ve turned out to be a wonderful daughter.”
“Partly your fault,” she said.
Her father smiled.
She bit the inside of her lip because she knew she was about to displease her father, and she really hated displeasing or disappointing him. “I have something I need to tell you.”
He dipped his head and tipped the bellman. “I’m betting the drugstore chain is ready to sign on the dotted line,” he said.
“Right, but that’s not all,” she said, feeling her mouth go dry. She felt like a little kid again, wanting more than anything for her father to approve of her. She deliberately glanced toward the rental car and saw Finn occupying Kai next to the foliage. Her heart calmed. She knew her purpose.
“I’m resigning from my position. I still want to work for you, but I want to change my job and work here, from Kauai,” she said. “I’m staying here.”
Island Promises: Hawaiian HolidayHawaiian ReunionHawaiian Retreat Page 21