Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER…
Bowie sat at the table at Ohana’s with his team. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled as Moana waved from her perch at the bar with her girlfriends.
“Hey. We’re talking over here. This is a serious conversation.” Quinn flicked his cowboy hat.
“Yeah. Yeah.” Bowie sighed. “So, what did Castle have to say?”
“Maybe if you didn’t miss the conference call, we wouldn’t have to fill you in,” Flint said with a hint of sarcasm in his words. “Carter managed to make it.”
“Come on, man. I was helping her move back in with her parents.” Bowie wiped his hand down his mouth, hopefully wiping the grin off his face. He managed to bring the rest of Moana’s belongings over to her folks’ house, but they returned to his cabin and lost track of time.
Something that has happened a lot lately.
“Right. That’s why Waylen saw you and her coming out of your cabin right before heading here.” Quinn cocked his head and snapped his teeth like a tiger. “Two men down with the love bug, and by the way, Flint keeps eyeing Emery over there. It will be three soon enough.”
“I doubt she’ll ever give him the time of day,” Bowie said. However, he’d gotten to know Emery over the last couple of weeks and he figured Quinn wasn’t too far off the mark.
But Bowie also thought something might be brewing between Dahlia and Quinn.
Now, that would make for an exciting turn of events.
“But now we’re getting sidetracked again.” Bowie adjusted his Stetson. “Are we going to argue over re-enlisting, or are we taking our leave?”
“Castle doesn’t have enough.” Quinn raked his fingers through his hair. “Re-enlisting now would be like putting our own John Hancock on our death certificates.”
“That’s an unpleasant way of looking at things,” Carter said. “So, forced vacation it is.” He smiled. “At least we don’t have to play war games anymore and Hawk said he’d put us to work with something productive.”
“While I believe I can speak for Carter here and say he and I are certainly agreeable to stay on this island for another month,” Bowie said. “Where does everyone stand if Castle doesn’t figure this out and we reach our drop-dead date?” Bowie lifted his beer to his lips and took a big swig.
“You really like to keep bringing that up, don’t you? And we all know it’s really only directed at me.” Quinn leaned back and folded his arms, glancing toward the bar. “I do like this place and the Brotherhood Protectors has a lot to offer. It’s all something I’d consider, but I’m not ready pull that trigger. Not yet, anyway.” Quinn held up his hand. “This isn’t because I begrudge you two your lady companionship.” He waggled his finger between Bowie and Carter. “Or because all I’ve ever known is the Navy, though that is a huge part of it. But if we bug out now, if we tell our superiors we’re saying goodbye to our SEAL careers, we might as well be telling Fuller and his band of idiots to find a new team and kill them.”
“He’s right.” Carter pushed his plate of half-eaten food aside. “Something else to think about is it’s possible that whoever Castle is working on this with takes our disengagement from the military as possible closure to what happened on our last mission, putting an end to the investigation. We can’t have that. We can’t be responsible for what happened to the last team, or what almost happened to us, to happen to someone else. We just can’t.”
Bowie knew Carter and Quinn were right.
“All right, then,” Bowie said. “We play along. Act as if we’re enjoying our downtime, with every intention of re-enlisting.” He stood. “Now, you boys behave yourselves this evening.” He tipped his hat. “I’ll see y’all later.”
“You’re from California. Not Texas.” Flint tossed a fry in his direction.
Bowie just laughed as he made his way toward the woman who rocked his world. “Hello, beautiful.”
“I bet you say that to all the ladies.” She jumped up, trying to reach his hat.
He took off his Stetson and placed it on her head. It looked better on her anyway. He leaned in, kissing her softly. “God, your lips are amazing.”
“Oh yeah? What do you like about them?”
“I like when they’re curled around my?—”
“I wouldn’t finish that statement if I were you, son,” a deep voice said from somewhere behind him as a strong hand came down a little too harshly on his shoulder.
He cleared his throat. “Is that Liko?” Bowie swallowed. Hard. Over the last few days, he’d gotten to know Liko, and Bowie generally liked the man, though he was terrified of him at the same time.
While Moana said she’d most likely never call Liko dad , or Kalena mom , they were her parents, and she wanted them in her life that way. They’d all given up on the lie. They’d broken down and when asked, they told the truth. Even her mother, who constantly told Moana that she would always love her like a daughter, or maybe she’d always loved her like a granddaughter. She wasn’t sure and didn’t think it mattered.
They were family.
And that was something Bowie could value and respect.
“It is.” Moana nodded. “The two of you are about the same size. I kind of didn’t see him coming.”
“I doubt that.” Bowie kissed her nose. “You enjoy watching me put my foot in my mouth every time I’m around your father—Liko.” Bowie constantly messed that one up. He didn’t mean to, but Moana never corrected him and now when she introduced him to people, she did qualify who Liko was and often called him makuakane, the Hawaiian name for dad.
“I think you live with it in your mouth.” Liko ordered a soda. “I’m so excited to hear you sing tonight.”
“Where’s Kalena?” Bowie asked.
“I’m right here.” Kalena came barreling through the crowd, dodging and weaving through the sea of people. “I had to use the little girls’ room.” She skidded to a stop next to Liko. “That hat looks good on you, Little Girl.”
“Thanks, Mama.” Moana did a little curtsy, tipping the hat. “I thought it would feel strange calling you that and I know it flies out of my mouth at weird random times. But it mostly feels right.”
Kalena smiled. “All I want is for you to be happy. I don’t care what you call me.”
“Same goes for me,” Liko said.
Bowie jerked his chin. “Waylen’s waving to you. I’d say it’s time to show this place what you’re made of.”
“Walk me to the stage?” Moana asked.
“Of course.” He looped his arm around her waist and guided her across the room. “You look gorgeous. I love this dress.”
“You’re sweet, but I have a feeling we might have a little fight.”
He turned, cocking a brow. “And why is that?”
“It’s always been a tradition that after any of my songs sell and the contracts have been signed, I sing them one last time somewhere,” she said. “When I was living in Nashville, it was Cowboy Cal’s old bar that Jaden and Piper now run. But I’m not there anymore and it would be considered bad luck if I didn’t carry on that tradition.”
“Are you saying that you plan on belting out the song with my name in it? The one that professes you love me? Right up there?” He pointed to the stage. “Where Waylen is standing?”
She nodded, holding his hat, which was a little too big for her head.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He ran his hand over his mouth and jaw.
“It’s not like people haven’t seen us kiss. Or even hear you say you love me.”
“Not the point.” He closed his eyes and counted to ten before blinking them open. “The only people who know about that song are in Nashville, except Mano and for whatever reason, he’s chosen to keep that to himself.”
“Waylen knows. He’s going to join me on the piano.”
“Of course he is.” Bowie shook his head. It wasn’t like the song wasn’t going to get out there eventually, but it would be recorded by someone else and no one would be the wiser.
“Are you really embarrassed that I wrote a song about how I feel about you?”
He took the hat from her, setting it aside, before taking her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Not one single bit. I love you with all my heart and soul. My only reason for hesitation is that table of men over there is going to bust my balls for eternity.”
“And Liko, my dad?—”
“You enjoy saying that.”
“I kind of do.” She nodded. “Anyway, he’s having a blast making you squirm every chance he gets and I don’t think it will stop. Ever. We could be old, married, with kids of our own, and he’ll want to make those pretty eyes of yours look as though they’re going to pop right out of your head.”
His heart fluttered. “Do you want those things?”
“What things?”
“Marriage. Kids. Do want all that someday? With me.”
“Are you trying to fluster me so I won’t get up there and?—”
He pressed his finger over her lips. “Absolutely not. And for the record. I’m talking off in the future. But I’d like for us to have all that one day.”
“I might want that.” She kissed him. Hard. “But you’re going to have ask my makuakane for permission. I think he’s a little old-fashioned and he missed out on my first thirty-five years.” She patted Bowie’s chest. “So, you’ll give him that when we’re ready.” She turned, taking Waylen’s hand as she climbed up onstage, leaving Bowie standing there with his mouth gaping open.
He let out a long breath, snagged his Stetson, and made his way back to the bar.
“Looks like she rendered you speechless.” Liko slapped him on the back. “What happened?”
“Two things.” Bowie wiggled his fingers. “First, she’s going to sing a song about me, which will get me harassed. The second one was I asked her if she wanted a family someday. You know, like off in the future.”
“Did her answer shock you?”
“Yes and no.” Bowie held Liko’s gaze. “When I’m ready, she told me I need to ask your permission. Thing is, I’m going to be ready a lot sooner than I thought.”