Bane had no idea if his plan would work. Leia could be stubborn when she thought she was right. In this case she was wrong, totally wrong, and he had to figure out a way to prove it to her. He could only hope and pray she listened to God if she wouldn’t listen to anyone else. In the meantime, he was going to proceed with the evening he’d planned, even if the prospect terrified him.
He parked outside her parents’ home. Several reporters stood on the front walk with cameramen aiming their equipment at the house. One of them started toward his car. He’d have to hurry to avoid her. “We’re here, Ajax.” His dog cocked his head and whined. Bane felt like whining himself. His palms were sweating, and he rubbed them on his shorts. “Come on, boy.” He let the dog out, and Ajax ran into the yard. Slamming the door behind him, Bane crossed the yard. The reporter didn’t follow. Evidently, she’d been warned not to trespass.
Pua came running to greet them. She saw the dog and hissed. “Easy, girl.” He didn’t have anything to feed her, so she stalked off in a huff. Her indignant squawk made him grin. The front door seemed bigger than he remembered. He knew Ingrid would be happy to see him, but Akoni had withdrawn from everyone. Inhaling sharply, he squared his shoulders and stepped forward and rang the doorbell. From the heavy tread, he realized Akoni was going to be the one answering his summons.
The door swung open, and Akoni’s scowl changed to a surprised smile. “Aloha, Bane. Is Leia with you?”
“No, she’s at her cottage. Could we talk a minute?”
“Sure.” Akoni stepped aside to allow Bane and Ajax to enter. He rubbed the dog on the head as he passed. “Is anything wrong?”
“It depends on Leia.” Bane said. He went down the hall to the living room. “Is Ingrid here too?”
“No, she’s at the hospital. Working is her sanity right now.” Akoni lowered his stocky frame into the rocking chair. “So what’s up? What did you mean about Leia?”
Bane sat on the sofa. “I’d like you and the rest of her family to come to the ukulele festival tonight. With your permission, I’m going to attempt to give her an engagement ring.”
“Attempt?” Akoni smiled. “You’re not sure?”
“You know how determined she can be. She doesn’t want to marry anyone. Because of her birth defect, she’s got it in her head that she doesn’t want kids and can’t deprive a future husband of children. She had genetic testing done, and the odds aren’t good.”
Akoni answered slowly. “I had no idea.” He fell silent a few moments before he spoke again. “Ingrid can be stern, but she adores her children, Leia especially. I think she saw Leia as much like herself. That’s why she is always so hard on her.”
Bane had never seen pride in Ingrid’s face. He wondered if it was wishful thinking on Akoni’s part. “I guess it’s why we broke up in the first place, but I’m just now figuring it out. Will you and Ingrid come?”
Akoni looked at the floor. “I don’t know, Bane. I haven’t been out in public since the arrest. My presence is liable to be more of a distraction than a help. The reporters will swarm me if I go out. I don’t know if Ingrid will even be seen with me. She isn’t even talking to me right now.”
Bane leaned forward. “I think you might be the only one who can give Leia the courage to risk a life with me. Will you come?”
“I’ll have to think about it. I can’t answer right now.”
Bane tried not to show his disappointment. “It starts at seven. Please come.”
He stood and Akoni rose as well. The men shook hands. “Good luck,” Akoni said. “I wish you the best even if I don’t make it.”
As Bane and Ajax left the house, his hope for the evening waned, and he prayed his plans weren’t about to explode in his face.
Leia took another whiff of the sandalwood that drifted up from the kapa snuggled around her body. Bane had left half an hour ago, but she still sat on the couch, thinking about what he’d said. Her heart recognized the truth he’d spoken. She thought of her sis-ter and how much joy Eva had brought to all of them. She wouldn’t change anything about Eva. Maybe for Eva’s sake, Leia would like to have seen her different, just so she could live a “normal” life, whatever that was. But Eva was happy. Her smile brought delight to all of them, and even her dreams had saved Leia and Bane. If God hadn’t created Eva just the way she was, all their lives would have been different.
She finally folded the cloth and carefully carried it to her bed-room, where she put it in a cedar chest to make sure Hina couldn’t get to it with her claws. Her gaze fell on her Bible. Bane had asked her to pray. Picking up her Bible, she began to leaf through the pages. She’d read Psalm 139 before, and it had angered her, but she turned to it again, telling herself she’d try to look at it with an open mind. Her gaze focused on verse 16.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,