A Daring Affair (20 page)

Eric had told her in a clipped voice this morning that their flight was set for Friday evening. She found it difficult to enjoy her time without his presence, but she was going to try anyway. She went back into her room, changed into a dark blue bikini, put on a cover-up dress and grabbed her snorkeling gear. Hopefully, she would be able to forget about her problems for a few hours.

As she walked through the hotel lobby she heard her name.

“Mia!”

She smiled in pleasure as she watched Charlie walk toward her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I thought I’d stop by and see you. When are you leaving Maui?” he asked.

“The day after tomorrow,” she answered, sad at the thought of her impending departure.

Charlie glanced down at the snorkeling gear in her hand. “Which beach are you heading to?”

“Just the one here.”

“Why don’t we go to Honolua Bay?” he asked eagerly.

“Sounds good,” answered Mia, grinning.

Mia’s smile dimmed when she remembered that she had gone to Honolua Bay with Eric a few weeks ago. It was a wonderful memory, now laced with sad poignancy.

“Okay, let’s go there now,” Charlie said. “There are lots of coral formations and fish to see there.”

Charlie’s enthusiasm was infectious, and exactly what Mia needed in order to forget about her worries. The ride to Honolua Bay was short, and as they walked down the dirt road to get down to the bay, she couldn’t help wishing she was with Eric instead of Charlie. The uneven trail was somewhat muddy and led down to a tropical rain forest, lush with overgrown greenery and tall trees. It took them fifteen minutes to get down to the bay where an older man greeted them.

“How ya doing, folks? I’m Gus,” greeted the man jovially.

Gus wore a brown T-shirt and red Hawaiian shorts. He stood next to a makeshift stand that displayed an assortment of snorkeling gear, fins, and other swimming paraphernalia.

“I see you already have your own gear, but I suggest you rent some fins.”

“Good idea. Two pairs, please,” Charlie said and reached into his pocket. He handed Gus a few dollars for the fin rentals.

“Don’t wear any sunscreen,” said Gus, “because it damages the coral. Also, please don’t touch the coral.”

Mia looked at the ocean and was pleased to see calm blue waters. Surrounded by high, rocky cliffs, Honolua Bay was protected from winds, which kept the water from getting choppy.

“I saw a pod of Spinner dolphins out there earlier this morning. Maybe you’ll get lucky and see them, too, if they’re still around,” Gus said.

“That would be awesome,” Charlie said, grinning.

“Just remember that if you swim too far out, you might get tired swimming back, so mind how far you go,” Gus warned. “People underestimate their swimming skills all the time. There’s no lifeguard out here. Be careful.”

“Thanks,” Mia said as she followed Charlie to the shore.

“Watch where you step,” Charlie cautioned. “These rocks are slippery.” He took Mia’s hand and helped her navigate the rocks leading to the shore.

Honolua Bay had a rocky beach with little sand. Mia found her footing and gingerly walked over to the shoreline. Finally, they reached the edge of the water and put on their snorkeling gear and fins. At first, the water was murky, but as they swam farther out, visibility was better.

Mia was excited to see the many varieties of fish and sea life of all shapes and sizes. A large school of fish swam by and circled around them before swimming away. Suddenly, she saw something that made her eyes widen. She looked for Charlie and pointed. There was an octopus hiding inside a few rocks, but she could clearly see it. He smiled back at her and gave her a thumbs up.

As they continued to swim, Mia became fascinated by a particularly dramatic coral formation of blue rice coral. She also sighted several cauliflower coral heads and admired the golden brown and pink colors. She swam around it, inspecting its crevices, noting the many colorful fish swimming in and out of the cracks. After spending several more minutes admiring the fascinating seascape, she decided to look for Charlie, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She swam around the formation and lost track of time. Suddenly, a sharp pain in her foot made her look down. Her foot had struck sharp coral rock, and she saw blood. A sudden swell churned the bottom of the ocean and visibility became dark and cloudy.

Mia panicked and swiftly swam to the surface. She removed her mask and looked around for Charlie, but he was nowhere in sight. There were also no other swimmers in the vicinity. The shore was just a pinprick in the distance. She couldn’t believe how far she had swam out. She winced in pain as her foot began to throb. It felt like she had sliced her foot in two. She began to swim toward the shore, hoping she wouldn’t tire out.

Mia tried to stay calm, even though she was beginning to feel very, very cold.

* * *

“Eric, come quick!” yelled Kimo from the entrance of the restaurant.

Eric looked up and frowned at Kimo for interrupting his conversation with an important local businessman. Kimo strode quickly over to him and the look in the other man’s eyes made his heart clench painfully.

“What’s wrong? Is it Mia?” Eric asked.

Kimo nodded grimly. “She’s in trouble.”

Eric leapt from his chair and started running toward his car.

“Maui FD is at Honolua Bay looking for her,” Kimo said, running alongside Eric.

“What happened?” asked Eric, his heart racing. Terror raced through his body. If anything happened to Mia, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive it.

“She was snorkeling at Honolua Bay when she disappeared.”

Overwhelming fear made him feel suddenly dizzy. They jumped into his car and he drove like a maniac at breakneck speed to Honolua Bay. He had never felt so terrified in his life.

“Was she alone?” Eric asked Kimo, who sat in the passenger seat beside him.

“No, she was with a friend, but her friend lost her.”

They reached Honolua Bay in no time at all and ran down the trail leading to the bay. Several members of the Maui County Fire Department and emergency personnel were at the shoreline as Eric rushed over to them, stumbling over the rocks in his haste.

“What happened? Where is she?!” yelled Eric. His imagination ran wild as thoughts of her drowning clouded his mind.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” mumbled Charlie wretchedly, sitting on the rocky ground a few feet away, his head in his hands. “I lost her and couldn’t find her.”

Eric glared at him balefully, anger filling his veins. “What the hell, man!” he yelled at Charlie.

“Sir, we’ve found her,” said one of the members of the emergency response team.

Eric looked up and saw a rescue Jet Ski speeding toward them with Mia strapped securely to an attached watercraft.

“Oh, my God,” Eric breathed. He raced to the edge of the shoreline, raw panic surging through him.

“Mia,” he cried, his heart pounding in fear as he fell to his knees beside her. A blanket had been placed over her.

A medic crouched next to him and gave him a reassuring glance. “She’s alive.”

Those two words momentarily alleviated Eric’s dread. Mia blearily peered at him through wet lashes. He reached for her hands and kissed her palms. He saw her lips move, and he bent his head close to her ear.

“I’m so c-cold,” she whispered, shuddering.

“Please, sir, we need to get her to the hospital,” said one of the medics.

“All right,” Eric muttered, releasing her reluctantly.

He followed the fire and rescue operations team back up the trail with Kimo and Charlie walking closely behind them.

“Please, tell me she’s going to be fine,” Eric pleaded as he kept pace next to the men carrying Mia.

“She was barely swimming when a passing catamaran sighted her,” answered one of the medics. “Deckhands swam to her and kept her afloat until emergency personnel rescued her. She hurt her foot pretty badly on some sharp coral. She’s lost some blood and is in shock, but she’ll be okay.”

The medics placed Mia inside the waiting ambulance. Eric insisted he join Mia while Kimo jumped into Eric’s car and followed behind.

* * *

Mia opened her eyes and slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was lying on a hospital bed, an IV inserted in her arm. She felt weak and tired, and her foot throbbed. She suddenly remembered something vitally important, and placed a hand on her stomach.

“The baby,” she whispered frantically. She found Eric staring at her from his chair at her side. He leapt up and caressed her cheek gently.

“Eric, the baby,” she said as panic rippled through her body.

Eric frowned. “Mia, what?”

A nurse walked in and smiled at them. “Miss Connelly, how are you?” she asked.

“Do you know if my baby is okay?” Mia asked anxiously, not caring that Eric was staring at her with a stunned expression.

“Yes, the baby is perfectly fine, my dear,” said the nurse. “You need to rest. You’ve had quite an adventure today.”

Mia released a big sigh of relief and gently patted her stomach. She relaxed back on the bed but bit her bottom lip as she looked at Eric’s shocked face.

“You’re pregnant?” he asked unsteadily.

She nodded slowly as he stared down at her with a dazed expression.

The nurse quickly left the room.

“I wanted to tell you but-”

“You’re
pregnant
?” he repeated again, shaking his head in bemusement.

Mia nodded and watched his shock quickly turn into exultation.

“Oh, my God, we’re pregnant!” he yelled out gleefully. Eric placed his arms around her and gave her a gentle hug. He grinned at her with joyful eyes.

“I gather you’re happy?” she asked hopefully.

“More than happy, sweetheart. I’m ecstatic! I love you, Mia,” he said, his eyes tender. “I was so stupid for not realizing it sooner.”

Mia’s eyes brimmed with tears as he held her hands and kissed her palms.

“When I thought I had lost you, my whole world became meaningless and empty. You’re my love, my ku ‘uipo, my sweetheart. I can’t live without you,” he said earnestly.

“Oh, Eric, I love you so much,” she said, tears of happiness falling on her cheeks.

“I’ve been so blind. I didn’t want to need you. You made me feel vulnerable and I didn’t like it. What I didn’t realize was that you’re my strength, not my weakness. Can you forgive me, Mia?” Eric asked, wiping her tears away with his thumb.

“Yes, a million times, yes,” she said, grinning, her heart overflowing with love for him.

“Aloha au ia ‘oe. I love you.”

“Oh, Eric,” she breathed. “I love you so much.”

He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, sweetheart,” he said, his eyes dark with remembered terror.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, placing a hand on his cheek. “I miscalculated how far I had swam from the shore. I lost track of Charlie and cut my foot on sharp coral. I tried swimming back, but my foot hurt and I became exhausted.”

“Charlie is in the lobby, waiting to apologize to you,” he said grimly. “I’m still very upset at him.”

“Don’t be. It’s my fault for being reckless.”

“I’m just glad you’re fine. But from now on, you
must
be extra careful,” he said sternly. He softened his order with a tender smile.

Mia nodded. “When can I leave here?”

“The nurse said any time you’re ready. But I want to ask you an important question first,” Eric said, his eyes shining brightly.

“What?”

“Will you marry me?”

Mia’s smile lit up the room, and she threw her arms around his neck. “Just try stopping me,” she said excitedly.

Eric laughed and kissed her, infusing the kiss with all the love he felt for the woman who had captured him from the moment he had met her.

EPILOGUE

Mia and Eric were married one beautiful day, three months later, on a pristine, white beach in Maui, against a backdrop of palm trees and clear, blue water.

The bride wore a lacy, white, strapless gown designed by her mother. A floral crown of small, white orchids adorned her long, auburn hair which cascaded down her back in loose, silky waves. Strategic ruffles flowed from her waistline to cleverly hide the small bump at her stomach. She wore 1940s era jewelry given to her by her future husband from his maternal grandmother’s collection.

The groom beamed with happiness at her side, his eyes only for her. He wore a white suit and a green tie that matched his bride’s eyes. They exchanged vows in front of family and close friends as the sun set brilliantly in the horizon in stunning gold and fuchsia hues with the sounds of the surf crashing onto the shore.

Mandy wore a mint green, knee-length dress and stood by her cousin’s side as her maid of honor while Eric’s brother was his best man. Mia was grateful that her aunt Bethany had been able to attend the wedding and was happy that her father, stepmother and five half-siblings had all flown in from Arizona. Eric’s parents had traveled from Vancouver, excited to welcome their new daughter into the family. Kimo and Mano were Eric’s groomsmen while Mia’s half-sisters were her bridesmaids.

As Mia looked at her handsome husband, she didn’t think she could be any happier…but she was wrong.

Six months later, Mia delivered a healthy little girl who had inherited her father’s dark brown hair and her mother’s light green eyes. The new parents were thrilled with their daughter and named her Ani, meaning ‘beautiful’ in Hawaiian.

Eric asked to be transferred to the Maui hotel so he and Mia could live on the island they both loved. He bought them a big, rambling cottage facing the ocean with a large backyard filled with tropical plants and flowers. Each evening, they sat on their lanai, cradled their daughter, and looked at the breathtaking sunset over the water, marveling at the magic that had brought them together as a family.

About The Author

When Joy Tremay isn’t reading romance novels, she’s busy using her overactive imagination writing them. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Joy enjoys dancing, especially Hawaiian hula, as well as kayaking and swimming. She lives with her husband in Marin County in northern California.