Chapter Sixteen
For Sara the scent of roasting kalua pig, plumeria, and pine needles that filled the air of the Everrett home would forever smell like Christmas Eve.
In the entryway of the house, Kenny’s hand warm and solid in hers, she took in the loving chaos unfolding in front of them.
Maile easily orchestrated the Christmas Eve feast with the same military precision she’d used for the cookie baking party, and every other major family event.
Across the room, Nick Harper, looking every bit the proud father, bounced his and Kara’s youngest on his hip while their son, Bradley, now a blur of perpetual motion, chased Billy and Angela’s kids, through the living room. The shrieks of laughter were the party’s joyful soundtrack.
Sara’s gaze drifted toward Doug Hamilton, his arm slung casually around Emily’s shoulders as they stood talking with Emily’s sister, Ava, and her husband.
Emily’s hand rested on her growing baby bump, a serene smile on her face.
It seemed like only yesterday that Maile and her own mother had tried to set her up with Doug, a futile effort when it was so clear to everyone that he only had eyes for Emily.
Now, looking at them, so happy and settled, Sara felt a wave of pure, uncomplicated joy for her dearest friend.
This was her ohana, the family she had chosen. A sprawling, ever-expanding network of Navy SEALs, EOD techs, lawyers, teachers, and architects, all woven together by friendship and aloha.
“There you are!” Her mother hurried over, her face beaming. She hugged Sara tightly before turning her attention to Kenny. “I was just telling Maile that you two are the handsomest couple here.”
“I think you might be a little biased, Mrs. Alani.” Kenny smiled easily at the woman.
Her arms full of serving platters, Maile strolled by. “Missy, your husband is looking for you, and Sara, honey, can you check the kalua pig? It should be just about ready.”
Sara moved through the familiar bustle with a sense of calm she rarely enjoyed in these big gatherings. No longer a need to scan for escape routes, no bracing for matchmaking ambushes. She loved being a part of these huge family events, appreciated being treated as if she too were an Everrett.
“Mele Kalikimaka!” Emily appeared at her elbow, carrying a tray of haupia. “You look happy.”
“I am happy.” Lifting the foil from the pig, Sara breathed in the smoky, tender aroma. “Genuinely happy.”
“Good. Because Mom’s watching you and Kenny with that satisfied look she gets when one of her plans works out.”
Sara glanced toward the living room where Maile was arranging poinsettias around the base of the Christmas tree. “She’s going to take full credit for this, isn’t she?”
“Absolutely. She and your mother are probably already planning to write a matchmaking manual.”
“Need any help in here?” Kenny appeared behind her, his hands steady on her shoulders, his breath warm against her neck. Oh how she loved this real relationship.
“We’ve got it handled.” Emily’s eyes twinkled at the way he stood by her friend. “Though you might want to warn the guys that Mom hung mistletoe over every doorway.”
Kenny raised an eyebrow. “Every doorway?”
Emily chuckled. “She’s been very thorough.”
Sara caught Kenny’s grin and felt heat rise in her cheeks. Three weeks ago, the thought of mistletoe would have sent her into hiding. Now, she found herself looking forward to the excuse.
Mulling about, hand in hand with Kenny, Sara chatted with Kara for a bit, played pass the baby around from one relative to another, and laughed watching the kids out in the backyard practicing their hula for the elders, the island way of showing respect and love.
From somewhere inside, the sound of a strumming ukulele could be heard.
All the sights and sounds of a typical Hawaiian Christmas, and she couldn’t imagine having it any other way.
“Hey,” Nick came up next to Kenny, “I just got off the phone with Brooklyn.”
“And?” Kenny asked. Ever since the day of the shark and diver incident, Sara knew that the guys had reached out to their former Navy buddy Luke “Brooklyn” Chapman.
The man had apparently not only been a super SEAL, but a member of the CIA and now ran an elite team of investigators and security experts.
According to Kenny and Nick, the perfect person to trap Vance.
“Seems our friend Vance got greedy,” Nick began.
“Yeah, well,” Kenny sighed, “no surprise there.
“With a little help from his friends, and in-laws, Brooklyn’s set up a sting operation. They knew Vance was networking to sell the San Isidro’s location—or what he thought was the location—to the highest bidding private collector.”
Kenny chuckled again. “Let me guess—Brooklyn?”
“Close. Thanks to Brooklyn’s connections, an undercover agent with Interpol. They got Vance on a wire transfer, trying to sell treasure he didn’t have from a wreck he couldn’t find.”
Sara couldn’t help but laugh. “So the modern-day pirate gets taken down by a con.”
“Poetic justice,” Kenny agreed. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek. “Looks like the Thornes will have all the peace and quiet they need to finish their work.”
Sara’s dad came out of the house, strumming “Mele Kalikimaka” on the ukulele and everything else seemed to stop.
The kids came forward to do their hula, and the family and guests all joined in on the singing.
From the traditional Hawaiian Christmas song, they moved to singing “White Christmas,” and then “Silent Night.”
Leaning back against Kenny, the massive Christmas tree across from them, Sara simply enjoyed the moment. Perfect holiday bliss.
The last notes of “Silent Night” faded into the gentle murmur of the party and the distant whisper of the waves.
The kids, exhausted from their hula performance, were finally starting to wind down, their heads drooping on their parents’ shoulders.
Kenny stood with Sara, his arm around her, feeling the solid warmth of her pressed against his side.
The contentment he felt was so profound, so complete, it was terrifying.
He’d spent two decades chasing the adrenaline of the mission, never realizing that this quiet, steady peace was the true prize.
Now came the hardest part. The final mission.
His heart, which had remained steady while facing down terrorists, combatants, and even tiger sharks, began to hammer against his ribs. He could lead a SEAL team through a hostile insertion, but planning for a life with Sara felt like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.
“Hey,” he murmured, his voice rougher than he’d intended. “Can you come with me for a minute? There’s something I want to show you.”
She looked up at him, her green eyes questioning but full of trust. “Of course.”
He led her by the hand, away from the warm glow of Maile’s house, past the tiki torches lighting the garden path, and out to the front yard.
Opening the door to the backseat of his car, he reached in and pulled out a large rolled up sheet of paper.
Taking hold of Sara’s slender fingers in his free hand, he led her to the front of the car and letting go of her, slowly spread the paper out across the hood.
“What’s this?”
“A map of the island. More specifically, these areas here are the ones of interest.” He pointed to a penciled circle about the mountainside land he owned.
“That’s your land?” Her smile beamed up at him.
“Yes.” He nodded. It gave him an unexpected burst of pleasure that she remembered and recognized his lands. Taking in a deep breath, here went nothing. “As you know, when I first arrived, I had no idea where I would land permanently.”
She bobbed her head and for a second, he noticed some of the sparkle dimmed in her gaze.
“Pretty much, within the first week of our little ruse, I had figured out that regardless of what happened between us, Kona would be my home now.”
Her gaze remained wary.
He let out a short, unsteady laugh. “More precisely, somewhere between a scavenger hunt and getting humbled by a surfboard, my objective became clearer.”
A hint of hope lit in her eyes.
“My entire adult life has been about following charts like this to a mission objective. A place I was ordered to go. This is the first chart I’ve ever made where the destination is a choice.”
“Choices are nice.” Her smile seemed awfully fragile. “I haven’t always felt as though I had many. At least not in recent years.”
He thought of all the double shifts she’d worked, putting her life on hold, all for the dream of a place to call her own.
Reaching out, his hand covered hers where it rested on the map, the paper cool beneath their skin.
“That changes now. For both of us.” He tapped the penciled circle again, the land on the mountainside.
“This is the only spot on the island I want to build a life. But I have no idea how to do it. I can plan an op in a hostile country down to the last second, but ask me about floor plans or where the kitchen should go to get the best morning sun… I’m completely lost.”
She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “I can’t picture you lost. Ever.”
That made one of them. Leveling his gaze with hers, he sucked in a deep breath and prayed he wasn’t making a terrible miscalculation.
“I’m not asking for forever. It’s too soon.
I’m just asking for… your help. Your expertise.
I know you’ve been dreaming of your own place for years.
You probably know more about what makes a house a home than anyone I’ve ever met.
” He took a breath, burying the nerves threatening to steal his words.
“I want to build a home up there. And I don’t want to do it without you.
Be my partner in this mission. Help me plan it.
And maybe… if we’re both still here when the foundation is poured and the walls go up…
maybe we can see about making some more dreams come true. ”
Waiting, watching, praying, he saw the second the fragility in her smile bloomed into a radiant, tear-filled warmth that seemed to outshine the moon.
She squeezed his hand, her touch sending a jolt of pure relief through him.
“So, you’re saying you need a partner for a long-term planning operation?
” A playful, teasing light returned to her eyes.
“The most important one of my life.”
“Well.” She leaned in, her lips just inches from his, her warm breath ghosting across his skin. “I think I know a girl who would be perfect for the job.”
He didn’t need any more encouragement than that.
Lowering his head, he captured her mouth with his, a kiss that wasn’t a proposal or a promise, but a simple, profound agreement.
A beginning. When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, the crinkle of the map a soft sound between them.
“So,” he murmured against her lips, “first order of business for the planning committee?”
“We are definitely going to need a very big porch,” she whispered back, her smile evident in her voice. “For watching the sunset.”
He laughed, a sound full of a future he could finally see, a future built on a shared plan. He pulled her tight against him, the map of their future held fast between them. He wasn’t adrift anymore. He was home. “Merry Christmas, Sara Alani.”
“Merry Christmas, Kenny Yates.”
So glad you could join Sara and Kenny on their adventure in the Aloha Romance Series. Turn the page for an excerpt from Chris’ first book Sweet Beginnings in the newest, Honeysuckle, Texas. *Note a ten percent discount is available when buying direct from Chris.
You can find more on Chris’ upcoming books and other series, including autographed paperbacks, audiobooks, discounted ebooks and other fun happenings on her website.
Join Chris’ newsletter! Enjoy inside peeks and photographs from Chris’ world and stories. Some times she’ll thank her subscribers with a free copy of a new 99 cent flirt.
For more on what she’s up to from day to day, you can follow her Monday Blog at her website , or follow her on Facebook, or follow her on Youtube!