His child? “I don’t understand. How could it possibly be—”
“If we are married when the baby is born and my name goes on the birth certificate, he or she will legally be mine. I’ll fight anyone who would say otherwise.”
Paige stiffened. Any minute now she was going to wake up. This was like some extended fantasy playing out in her mind. She’d been awake too long and slept too little the night before. Any second now, she would snap out of it and realize that she’d fallen asleep in the break room over a lukewarm frozen meal.
Mano let go of her hand and reached into his lapel pocket. There, he pulled out a small wooden box. He opened the lid and presented the ring to her for her approval. It had a glittering green stone the size of her thumbnail in the same bright color as the foliage around the Mau Loa. It was surrounded by baguette diamonds and set in either white gold or platinum, she didn’t know or care which.
Mano removed the ring from the box and held it up to her. “This ring has been in my family for generations. The peridot was mined on the big island over a hundred years ago. My grandmother gave it to me this weekend. For you. She insisted that no other ring would do if I wanted you to be my bride. And I do, more than anything. So Paige, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
* * *
The silence seemed to go on for an eternity. All Mano could do was stand there, holding the ring like a dolt, and wait for her to answer. He couldn’t see her reaction. All he knew was that she hadn’t run away this time.
“Paige?” He palmed the ring and reached out to touch her face. Her cheeks were wet with tears. “You’re crying. Why are you crying?” he asked. “I’m sorry. Do you not like the ring? I can get you a different one. Tutu won’t mind.”
“Don’t apologize. And you are absolutely not getting me a different ring. That’s the most beautiful and special ring you ever could’ve chosen. It would be an insult to Tutu and your whole family if I turned it down for some boring old diamond.”
The panic started to subside in him. Despite her tears she sounded...happy. “So you do like it?”
“I do.”
“Then will you please say yes and save me from all this suspense?”
“Mano, I want to say yes.”
The anxiety returned. Why was it that Paige could never just go with her heart? She always had to rationalize and analyze everything. “Do you love me, pulelehua?”
“I do. You know that I do.”
Okay, one obstacle down, he thought with a sigh of relief. “Did you like Oahu? Would you be happy living with me in Honolulu?”
“Oahu was amazing. I would be happy living with you there, but I don’t know that I want to raise a family in the hotel. I want my child—”
“Our child,” he insisted.
“Our child to have a normal life, and that means a house and dinners that are cooked, not delivered on a silver platter by room service.”
That was a concern he could easily address. He would give her anything she wanted if she would just say yes. “Absolutely. That’s how I grew up, and you’re right, that’s how it should be. We visited the hotel a lot, but we didn’t live there. We had a home. And if that’s what you want, we’ll go house hunting the second we return. You can have whatever you want, Paige. You only have to ask it of me.”
“Then what about my work? You know how important it is to me. I want to continue working with veterans, even if it’s only on a part-time or volunteer basis while the baby is small.”
Mano had anticipated this one. “There is an amazing VA hospital in Honolulu. I’m certain they would be lucky to have you there for an hour or forty hours a week.”
He waited for Paige’s next argument, but there was a long silence instead. Was it possible that he’d actually gotten through all of their excuses not to be happy?
“Mano,” she said at last, this time in her smallest voice. “Are you sure this is what you want? You’ve gone your whole life dedicated to being a no-strings-attached bachelor. If I say yes, and I accept your ring and move to Oahu, I can’t have you changing your mind.”
“You keep trying to talk me out of what I’ve already decided. Why do you keep giving me an out from this, Paige?”
“Because usually the person takes it.” The emotion in her voice made his heart ache in his chest. He wanted to go back in time through her life and punch all the people who had made her feel like she didn’t deserve this.
“I love you, Mano. I do. But my heart can’t take it if you offer me this fantasy and then snatch it away. You really, truly want me as I am, with this baby as your own? Wyatt has vanished, so I’m doing this by myself.”
“No, you’re not. You’re not doing anything alone again. I’m going to be at your side until you’re sick of me. And once the rest of my family finds out about you and this baby...you’ll wish for peace and quiet. I’m not going to change my mind, Paige. I wouldn’t dream of doing that to you, to me, or to our child. We’re going to be a family. Or we will be, if you would just say you’re going to marry me.”
“Okay.” Paige moved closer to him, pressing her body against his. “I will marry you.” Her hand caressed his cheek, and then her lips met his.
He felt a rush of happiness and relief wash over him as she kissed him, her acceptance of his proposal still ringing in his ears. She was going to marry him. He hadn’t ruined this.