Courageous Love: A Christian Romance Novel (The Hawaii Love Series, #1) (5 page)

Daniel felt pulled again. He had started to notice the differences between him and Kimberly several months into their relationship. But opposites attract, right? He didn’t pay too much attention to the different flavors of music, food or clothing that they both preferred. But as the wedding loomed and choices abounded, their differences were glaring and left Daniel with an unsettled feeling.

Kimberly continued about all of the new furniture she picked out for their new home.

“Uh, I’m not sure I liked that one,” Daniel responded as doubt about their union crept up again, he continued packing his clothes for the return trip home in the morning. “Was that the really traditional one?”

“Yes, it was the one I
loved
, remember?” Kimberly’s sigh reached through the phone and pricked Daniel’s heart. She had a way of saying things that just made him melt. Besides, he knew if he didn’t give her what she wanted, she would eventually nag him into getting her way.

All visions of the cozy, natural wood home he had always wanted disappeared as he gave in to her desires. “Okay, yeah, now I remember.” It was just another concession he needed to make to please Kimberly. What was it Fred had said, “Happy wife, happy life.”

“Of course, that will look great out there.” He could hear her squeal through the phone.

“Good,” Kimberly said with a large degree of satisfaction. “Now, just one more detail we have to straighten out before the big day.

Before she could continue, Daniel filled Kimberly in on the offer he got to stunt in another upcoming Marshall King film. “This could be the big break I’ve been waiting for,” he told her, his excitement reaching through the phone. “I just have to do some advanced training back in Hollywood before the shoot and then it’s a go.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. “Daniel,” Kimberly started softly, “we have got to come to an agreement here.” He knew that meant he had to give in to her. Ever since their engagement, Kimberly’s cute, rather nonchalant attitude toward his career had changed dramatically. “You can’t seriously think you can support us as a stuntman?” Daniel prepared himself for the lecture that was about to come.

“I mean really, Daniel. I love you, but it’s time to give this little boy dream up. My father has a job waiting for you, and you will make tons more money. And, you won’t have to punch and kick people or fall off buildings.”

As the wedding drew nearer, so did the tension around this particular topic. “Kimberly, it’s not a little boy dream. It IS my career. I’ve been doing it for years, and I’m very successful at it.” Daniel stood his ground, but he knew Kimberly would try to find another way to hold his heart hostage.

“But honey,” her little girl voice would pout at him, “what if you got hurt? I can’t imagine my life without you! Those stunts are so dangerous, what would I ever do?”

Each time she appealed to his emotions, Daniel weakened just a little. He wondered, was he being selfish? He did have a dangerous job. How could he get married and have children and expect them to be okay with his line of work?

Then the stubborn Daniel would speak up. He knew lots of people in dangerous careers who were married and raised kids. Police officers, firefighters, pilots. He had explained to her time and time again that he loved what he did, and he wasn’t sure he would ever be happy behind a desk. He had told her about the adrenaline rush he experienced and the passion he felt doing what he loved. He didn’t think he could change the one last thing that was left of him.

But change he had. Daniel had compromised in so many areas of his life since becoming engaged to Kimberly that he wasn’t sure where she started and he left off. “Kimberly, it’s late,” said Daniel, too tired to have this fight again.

“So don’t fight. You want to make me happy, right?” Kimberly said in the most flirtatious voice she could muster across the time zone.

“Kimberly, I love you, you know that. And, of course, I want to make you happy.”

“Then you’ll agree to give up this stunt thing and come work for my father after your next film.” She waited during the long silence that ensued. “Daniel, say you agree.”

Daniel watched the future he had envisioned, his future of fame and excitement disappear before his eyes. He loved Kimberly. But did he love her that much? “Yes,” he said, reluctantly. “I agree.”

“You promise?” Kimberly said, needing insurance to seal the deal.

“I promise,” Daniel said, looked down at his bare ring finger.

“You won’t regret this honey, I know you won’t. You have just made me the happiest girl in the world!” Kimberly oozed to Daniel before saying goodnight.

As Daniel hung up the phone, he thought about the promise he had just made. Maybe Kimberly was the happiest girl in the world, but a future behind a desk punching a clock would make Daniel anything but happy.

The brilliant Hawaiian sun woke Daniel from his fitful sleep. He had a few hours before his flight and decided to kill the time taking a walk along the beach behind his hotel. The surf licked his bare feet as he strode quietly, watching the earth wake up to God’s majesty. As he walked, he spotted a couple along the beach as they held hands and walked aimlessly along the water’s edge. Daniel watched them stop to exchange a kiss, the sun shadowing them in a silhouette that made his heart skip a beat. Those people were in love, he thought wryly. You could just tell. The way they walked so slowly, the way they held each other’s hands, the way they kissed.

Daniel looked down at the ground as he continued along, trying to force the doubts from his head. Kimberly and he were just as in love as that couple on the beach. At least, they were when they first met. They held hands, took long walks and kissed for no reason at all other than to express their adoration for each other. And he loved her, he really did. Daniel tried to rationalize his heart with his head, reminding himself that Kimberly was a wonderful person and that a lot of guys would kill to be walking down the aisle with her. She was pretty, independent, and her family was financially secure.

The sand wedged between his toes and doubt formed a wedge in his heart. What was it that made him feel that something wasn’t right? Was it her always needing her way? Was it the job? Daniel paused, looked out over the horizon and whispered softly. “God, I know you’re listening. I don’t know what this is. Is it just pre-marital jitters or is it something more? Please give me direction and show me if Kimberly is the girl I’m supposed to marry; if that’s the plan you have for me. Amen.”

The sun rose higher, and Daniel looked back at the hotel. He checked his watch, realizing he needed to clean up and get ready for the shuttle that would take him to the airport. Turning, he made his way back to his room, trying to put the prayer and the loving couple out of his mind. After cleaning up, Daniel took another long look at himself in the mirror and flinched as he felt something hit his toes. He reached down and unearthed the wooden ring. Daniel picked it up and turned it between his fingers, admiring the smoothness of the dark wood. Interesting, he thought. It was such a simple, but beautiful piece of art. He pocketed it and then thought again about the purity ring he wore, wondering how he would look in the gray tux, with his shiny platinum wedding band on his finger. He wondered how he would look standing next to Kimberly in all her splendor, and if he would ever find out.

The shuttle was a new minivan and smelled like it had just been driven off the showroom floor. Daniel thought about how generous the studio had been to him and how he would miss all of the benefits he got when he traveled if he gave up his career. As the van drove down the winding mountain roads, Daniel looked across the island one last time. Although he doubted he would ever find himself living on the island, he made a point to spend time exploring the countryside on his next visit.

The Honolulu International Airport was a blend of eastern and western influences. Travelers were greeted by a bright pink Aloha sign as they entered and the surroundings were filled with lush tropical landscaping. Tile and concrete bridges spanned small koi and rock ponds, and the entire open air hub sat in front of a majestic mountain backdrop. Daniel watched the beach disappear from sight as the van pulled up to his terminal. He let the other passengers, a family with small children and an elderly couple, depart the van first. When everyone had gotten off, Daniel grabbed his two small carry-on bags and tipped the driver as he left. The van pulled away and Daniel took one last deep breath of the fresh island air before heading back to the smog and clutter of California.

The cool air conditioning of the Honolulu Airport gave Daniel goose bumps as he entered. He brushed them off quickly, unsettled by the reaction. His mind filled with thoughts of Kimberly and his impending wedding. Visions of her father’s publishing house and the dreary office he would be stuck in forever came tumbling into his head. Glancing down at his tickets, he tried to ignore his thoughts. He spotted the gate number on his ticket and began walking down the long airport corridor watching the signs above his head. Gate A and Gate B were coming up, but he saw no sign of Gate C. “Come on,” he said impatiently. Daniel had his eyes on the signs and his attention on his future and never saw the woman coming.

M
ichelle watched the island come into view as the plane began its descent into Honolulu. Memories of her family came flooding back sprinkled with the smell of hibiscus and the taste of her father’s bitterness. After an uneventful landing and a slow crawl to the terminal, Michelle grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment and walked hastily down the aisle. She shivered when she entered the airport, unsure if the reaction was due to the chill of the air conditioning or the apprehension of seeing her father again.

The airport was big and welcoming. Live plants and natural lighting adorned the wide terminal and greeted Michelle as she made her way to the baggage claim. She waited quietly as other passengers milled about, anxious to begin their Hawaiian vacation. She saw families with small children, elderly couples and one young couple holding hands at the end of the baggage area. The lovebirds were wearing matching white tee shirts and white flip flops, all decorated with rhinestones. The girl’s shirt had the word, BRIDE on it and the boy’s had the word, GROOM. Michelle shivered again, remembering her hasty departure from Hawaii with Justin eight years earlier.

The newlyweds looked so young. Their soft faces were filled with hope and anticipation of a future together. Michelle wondered if her younger face had looked the same when she and Justin had embraced as they awaited their flight to California. They had held each other as if there were no one else in the world but the two of them. Little did they know, for Michelle anyhow, that was very close to the truth.

Because Justin and she had run away together, they never had the experience of a wedding, well wishes and a honeymoon in paradise. Instead, they jumped a plane, found a small apartment in California and started their life together. Her actions went against every fiber of her traditional Christian upbringing, but it seemed her desire to find true love overshadowed her walk with God. Would their relationship have lasted if they had done it differently or if she had trusted God? The questions nagged at the back of her mind. Would she still be happily dating her adoring boyfriend, or better yet, maybe married to him and raising their children? Michelle watched as an elderly couple passed by her pulling their luggage. Could they have been her parents, returning from visiting their grandchildren in Newport Beach?

All these thoughts swirled through Michelle’s mind as the alarm sounded and the conveyor belt started moving. She watched blankly as the rubber strips flopped aimlessly as each bag appeared. Passengers began milling around, moving closer to the baggage. Michelle stood frozen. She was in no rush to get her bags. She was in no rush to get home. She wanted to see her mother and, of course, wanted to spend time with Lilo. Michelle’s heart skipped a beat when she thought of her grandmother.

Lilo was a strong woman and always had been. Michelle’s earliest memories of her were of Lilo riding horseback across the beach at the north end of the island. Michelle’s mother Elizabeth loved the beach and would take Michelle and her brother and sister there often. Lilo, an avid equestrienne, had ridden her whole life. In fact, she cared for and bred horses on the family farm when her parents had been alive.

Michelle remembered the day as if it were yesterday. She couldn’t have been more than five or six. She knew Lilo, of course because her grandmother had been in her life since the day she was born. But this experience was the first vivid memory, the first clear recollection Michelle had of ever seeing Lilo. The sun was dipping behind the island mountains and the warm surf was crawling its way up the beach as the tide rose, each wave creating a brand new canvas of sand for Michelle and her siblings to draw on. As they grabbed their sticks and shells, she felt sand spray her from the distance and looked up to see a large white stallion galloping gracefully down the beach toward her. And atop the majestic horse sat a fairy princess. Her gauze dress billowed in the wind and her long gray hair flew out behind her with each trot. The princess had dark golden brown skin and brilliant green eyes that fixed on Michelle. It wasn’t until she got closer, almost right on top of Michelle, that she smiled her captivating smile. Michelle blinked and realized it wasn’t a princess. This awe-inspiring woman coming toward her was her grandmother, her beloved, heroic grandmother, Lilo.

The thought of this strong, amazingly courageous woman lying in a hospital bed with barely weeks left to live was too much for Michelle to process. She pushed the image from her mind and focused instead on the bags. Her bright blue luggage emerged from the rubber flaps and slowly made its way toward her. She noticed the pink ribbons tied to the handle and remembered when she had put them there just months before when she and Luke had snuck away to Palm Springs for a long weekend. Luke, she thought, fighting back tears.