The Pregnancy Proposition

As they drove through the busy, winding streets toward her hotel on Waikiki beach, she couldn’t dismiss the surreal feeling that had hovered over her for the last few weeks. It started with the call from her mother to tell her that her grandfather had finally passed on. For the last year, he’d battled with congestive heart failure. As a nurse, Paige had felt the need to spend time with him and ensure he was receiving the best possible care.

It wasn’t really necessary. Her grandfather was ridiculously wealthy and could afford the best doctors and treatments in Southern California. But she cared, and so she’d spent a lot of time there. Toward the end, it was easier than facing how big of a mess her life had become.

And once her grandfather died, she was able to distract herself with the plans for his memorial service and listening to her parents fret about how the estate would be divided.

Paige honestly didn’t care about that. Papa’s money was always there in the background, but it wasn’t something she felt the need to clamor for. She’d actually encouraged her grandfather to donate his money to a cause that was important to him. That would cut down on the sharks circling around his estate.

What she hadn’t been prepared for, however, was that her grandfather had bigger plans for her than she had ever expected. Those plans had forced her to pack her bags and get on a plane to Hawaii with his ashes.

Looking out the window, she could understand why her grandfather would want to have his ashes left in Hawaii. It was beautiful. As they got closer to the hotel, she could spy glimpses of golden sand and turquoise waters against the cloudless blue sky. Palm trees swayed in the breeze and people in various states of beach dress crowded the sidewalks and outdoor eateries.

The car finally slowed to turn into a resort named the Mau Loa. Paige hadn’t really paid a lot of attention to the details of the itinerary her grandfather’s executor had put together. This wasn’t supposed to be about a vacation for her, so she didn’t care where she stayed.

When they stopped outside and the bellhop opened the car door, she realized that her grandfather had had very different ideas about this trip.

This wasn’t a Holiday Inn five blocks from the beach. It was on the beach itself. The bellman was in a nice uniform with pristine white gloves. The entryway was open to the breezes, allowing a view through the lobby to the ocean beyond it.

The bellman escorted her to the VIP check-in station. She handed over the paperwork the executor gave her, and the woman at the counter’s eyes widened for a moment before a large smile crossed her face.

“Aloha, Miss Edwards. Welcome to the Mau Loa.” She came out from behind the desk to drape a lei of magenta orchids around her neck. They smelled like heaven.

The woman then turned to the bellhop with her bags. “Please take Miss Edwards’s things to the Aolani Suite and then let Mr. Bishop know we have a new VIP guest checking in.”

Paige’s eyebrows rose. A suite? VIP? Papa really had gone all out, although it wasn’t necessary. As a nurse at a veteran’s hospital, she wasn’t used to being pampered. She spent most of her time chasing away nighttime demons from traumatized ex-soldiers and trying to convince them that losing their leg wasn’t the end of the world. The suicide rate was far too high amongst the servicemen and women who returned home. Pampering herself seemed a little ridiculous after coming home from that day after day.

She glanced around as the woman completed her check-in. Beyond the lobby, a trio of men were playing instruments by a lagoon-like pool with a waterfall. An employee was lighting torches around the area as the sun started to go down. The sound of the waves mingled with the melody of the traditional Hawaiian music, and Paige could almost feel her blood pressure lowering.

She had only made it ten feet into the hotel and she already knew she adored Hawaii.

“Here is your key card, Miss Edwards. Your suite is ready for you now. Just follow the pathway through the garden to the Sunset Tower. There will be live music until ten by the pool. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.” Paige took the key and started down the stone path toward her hotel room.

The resort was large, with multiple towers surrounding a common courtyard. Courtyard didn’t really do it justice, actually. There was the massive pool with a waterfall and a pair of slides, multiple restaurants and tropical plants at every turn. It was like a lush garden in the middle of the rainforest.

The Sunset Tower was the closest to the beach. She looked at her key as she entered the elevator. Her suite was room 2001. Paige tried not to frown as she pushed the button and the elevator spirited her up twenty stories to the top floor. As the doors opened, she expected a long hallway, but instead found herself in a small vestibule. To her left was a door marked Private. To the right was the door to room 2001 with a plaque that noted it was called the Aolani Suite. Where were the rest of the rooms on this floor?

She was about to slip her card into the lock when the door opened and the bellman came out. He held the door open for her. “Your bags are in the master bedroom suite. Enjoy your stay at the Mau Loa.”

He got back on the elevator and disappeared, leaving her standing in the doorway at a complete loss. She crept into the room and let the door swing shut behind her.

This couldn’t be right. This was...the penthouse suite.

It was bigger than her apartment and made almost entirely of windows. It had a living room with plush leather couches and a big-screen television, a dining room table that seated eight and a kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. The neutral color palette, pale wood floors, white furniture and shiny modern metallic accents created a sleek, clean design that was very soothing. One side of the room overlooked downtown Honolulu, the other overlooked Waikiki.

Paige was immediately drawn to the balcony over the ocean. She shifted her grandfather’s urn in her arms to slide the glass panel door open and step outside. The breeze immediately caught her long, straight brown hair, blowing it around her face. She brushed it aside and approached the railing to take in the view.

It was stunning. The colors all around her were jewel-like. Diamond Head crater stood like a sentinel guarding the beach on her far left. The crescent of pale sand edged the water, which was dotted with surfers. A pod of dolphins leapt through the waves, spiraling through the air and splashing back into the sea. It was unreal.

“Papa, what have you done?” she asked. But inside, she knew what this was about.

Yes, her grandfather wanted his ashes to be in Honolulu. He had been one of the few remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack that sunk his ship, the USS Arizona. As such, he had the option of returning to the ship to be interred. The ceremony was a week away.

Until then, however, this trip was all about her. There was no other reason that his service would require her to fly first class or stay in the penthouse suite of a five-star hotel. He had done this for her. And boy, was she grateful. Paige’s life had taken an unexpected turn recently, and a week in Hawaii was exactly what she needed to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

With a sigh, she stepped back into the suite and set her grandfather’s urn on a nearby table. Beside it was a large wicker basket overflowing with fresh fruits, cookies, macadamia nut candies and other local delicacies. Tucked inside was an envelope that said “Miss Edwards” on the outside. She opened it and read the card on the fancy, embossed Mau Loa stationary.

“Welcome to the Mau Loa. We hope your stay is a magical one. Aloha.”

“Aloha,” she replied to the empty room, putting the card back on the table.

Looking at her watch, she realized it was a good time for dinner. She was fresh off a few weeks on the night shift at the hospital. Combining that with a long flight and time change, she was exhausted. But she had to eat. If she hurried, she might be able to watch the sunset. Paige rushed to her bedroom and opened her luggage. She traded her jeans and sneakers for a sundress and a pair of bejeweled sandals. That was all she needed.

She grabbed her purse and her room key and set out to enjoy her first night on Oahu while she could keep her eyes open.

Pulling the door closed, she turned toward the elevator and slammed into a solid wall of muscle. As she stumbled back, a man’s hand sought out her elbow to steady her. The man was several inches over six feet, making Paige seem petite at five-foot-ten. He wasn’t just tall; he was large, with broad shoulders and biceps the size of her calves beneath his tailored suit. He had on a pair of classic black Ray-Ban sunglasses and a black earpiece that curved behind his ear and blended with the dark brown waves of his collar-length hair.

What she could see of the man’s face was unbelievably handsome, and—she quickly noted—completely out of her league. But that didn’t keep her body from clenching in response to such a potent specimen of man nearby. Her surprised intake of breath drew in his scent, a heady mix of musk and male that sent an unexpected shiver of need down her spine even as she recovered from their collision.

“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed as she gathered herself. “I was in such a hurry I didn’t see you there.” The fact that she’d missed such a mountain of a man right in front of her was a testament to how scattered her thoughts were lately.

The man smiled, flashing bright white teeth against the warm tan of his Polynesian skin. The slight hint of a dimple in his cheek made her knees soften. “That’s okay. I didn’t see you, either.”

Paige noticed the man didn’t look directly at her as he spoke. Glancing down, she spotted the large chocolate brown Labrador retriever on his other side. In a service dog harness.

Good job, Paige. She’d just plowed into a handsome, incredibly sexy blind man.

* * *

“Ohmigosh,” the woman said with increased angst in her voice. Apparently, she had gotten his joke but hadn’t found it funny. Few people found blind jokes amusing, but he’d developed a dark sense of humor over the last ten years where his disability was concerned.

“Are you okay?” she continued.

Mano had to laugh. He might be blind, but he was hardly fragile. The woman could’ve plowed into him at a full run and he would’ve hardly felt it. “I’m fine. Are you all right?”

“Yes. Just embarrassed.”

Mano could almost envision the blush that rose to the young woman’s cheeks. He didn’t imagine that many of the women he met on a day-to-day basis blushed much. This one seemed different from the usual guests of the Aolani Suite, though—nervous and easily flustered. The kind of money it took to afford that room usually came with a certain hardness that he didn’t detect from her.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he soothed. “Feel free to run into me whenever you like. I’m Mano Bishop, the owner of the hotel. I was just on my way to welcome the newest guest of the Aolani Suite. That means you must be Miss Edwards.” He switched Hōkū’s lead to his left hand and held out his right to her.

“Yes,” she said, taking the hand he offered and shaking it. “Paige, please.”

The touch of her small hand in his sent a bolt of awareness down his spine, forcing him to shift on his feet. The unexpected thrill made Mano take a more thorough notice of his new guest. She didn’t just sound unlike his usual penthouse guest, she felt different, too. Her skin wasn’t as soft as he expected a young woman’s to be. There was a roughness to it as though she worked with her hands. It made him wonder if she was an artist of some kind. She certainly wasn’t a pampered princess. “How did you find the suite, Paige? I hope it met your expectations.”

“It’s amazing. I mean, it’s more beautiful than I ever expected it to be. And the view is incredible. Of course you know what...er...oh dear.”

“Actually, I do,” he interjected quickly, saving her from her awkward statement. “I didn’t lose my sight until I was seventeen. I may not be able to see the view any longer, but I remember it well.”