Courageous Love: A Christian Romance Novel (The Hawaii Love Series, #1) (3 page)

“No way,” Luke said, taking a long swig of his soda. “I would never let a woman or anyone force me to take a pill.” He turned his attention to the television.

“You mean,” Michelle began, unable to believe this man, the man she intended to marry, the man who fathered her unborn child, was being so unrealistic. “You wouldn’t take something that would prevent you from being lustfully drawn to other women? Even if you knew it would protect our relationship? You wouldn’t do that for me?”

Luke turned the television off and shifted toward Michelle, dodging her gaze. “Listen,” he said slowly, fidgeting on the soft leather sofa. “I need to tell you something.”

“I need to tell you something too,” Michelle said before she even realized it. She felt the heat rise up her neck as tension began to spread throughout her body. Maybe it was just hormones.

“I want to break up,” Luke said curtly, still avoiding Michelle’s brown eyes. “I don’t think I’m in love with you anymore.”

Michelle blinked her eyes and sat motionless, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her. Had she just heard him correctly? Did Luke tell her he wanted to break up with her?

“It’s just that I feel like we’ve drifted apart, and I’m not sure I want to go on this way,” Luke added, sensing her utter shock.

When she finally caught her breath, Michelle said, “I know things have been tense. I mean, we’ve both been working so hard and we haven’t been able to spend much time together. But I didn’t think it was that bad ...” her voice drifted off as she gulped hard to hold back the tidal wave of tears rising up in her. “Maybe we just need to get away, spend some time together ...”

“I don’t think so Michelle,” Luke said softly, reaching out for her hand. “I don’t want to prolong the inevitable. I think we’re finished.”

Michelle squeezed his hand hard. “Please Luke, please reconsider. I know we can make it work,” she begged, wondering if she really wanted it to work or if she were just afraid of raising his child without him.

Luke let go of her hand, moving further away as if he was already out of the relationship. “I’m sorry,” he said as he stood. He turned, began walking away and then stopped. “What is it you wanted to tell me?” he asked, removing her house key from his keychain.

Michelle sat frozen, unsure of whether she should tell Luke that he was going to be a father. She never imagined their relationship would come to this. Although she was still in shock about the fact that she was pregnant, she had managed to have a flicker of excitement envisioning Luke and her tending to their little bundle of joy. Now that vision lay in ashes at her feet, her mind in turmoil as she watched Luke distance himself from her emotionally and physically.

“It’s not important,” Michelle said, watching him head toward the door. “It’s nothing.” The door closed and Michelle sat silently on the sofa, Mene’s hairs sticking to her tears as they pooled up in her lap. She thought for a long time. She thought about what had happened with Luke and wondered if there were signs that she didn’t see. Had she been too needy? Had she been too busy with work? Had she pressured him too much about marriage?

The thoughts raced through her head as she cried. The silent apartment slowly filled with the soft glow of the setting sun. Michelle didn’t know how long she had sat there, but it seemed like hours, and she knew she was tired. She slowly got up, fed Mene and headed for bed. Shuffling into the bathroom with slumped shoulders, Michelle washed her face. As she turned to grab a towel to dry her face, her arm froze upon seeing the pregnancy test lying on the counter. Her heart dropped like a sinking anchor as a new flood of tears rose up and trailed down her face.

God, what am I going to do? How am I going to raise this child all alone? Who’s going to support me through this?

Michelle waited for an answer, anything to show that God was listening. But the only sound she heard was Mene’s purring.

Please God, show me what to do because I feel so alone.

Michelle reached for a spare roll of toilet paper before crawling into bed. She curled into the fetal position with Mene by her side and cried herself to sleep.

“W
ell, you missed quite an exciting night!” Tracy’s bubbly voice boomed through the phone. “We did merengue and I was on fire!” Tracy was filling Michelle in on her previous evening’s festivities. “Jared has gotten so much better,” she said, describing her adoring husband’s dance moves in detail. After a few moments of banter, she stopped. “Michelle? Are you there?”

Michelle exhaled, wanting desperately to cry but letting her pride take the front seat. “Yeah, uh-huh, yeah, I’m here.”

“What’s wrong?” Tracy demanded more than she asked. That was one thing about their relationship. No matter how much they tried, they could never hide their feelings. It was like a sixth sense, they just knew when something was wrong.

Michelle didn’t even bother trying to lie. “Luke broke up with me ...” the tears came hard and fast. She began explaining how he had chosen the most imperfect time, after her awful day and near loss of her job. She told Tracy how he was less than delicate and acted as if it was no big deal.

Tracy could hear the brokenness in Michelle’s voice. “Well,” she said, knowing better than to tell Michelle that she never thought Luke was right for her anyhow. “I’m sorry you are hurting, honey. What can I do?”

That was Tracy, always the supporter and never the condemner. At that moment, Michelle thought how Christ-like Tracy had always been. She never judged, was always patient and her love was unconditional. “And, to make it worse,” Michelle prepared herself for the news she was about to deliver to her best friend. “I’m pregnant.”

Silence. Michelle wasn’t sure if Tracy had heard her so she mustered up the courage to say the words again. “I’m ...”

“I heard you,” said Tracy, interrupting Michelle. “It’s just that, I just,” Tracy stammered. Michelle gulped hard, praying to God that Tracy wouldn’t abandon her like Luke just had.

“Well?” Michelle asked cautiously, not sure she wanted to hear the response on the other end.

After another long pause, Tracy finally spoke through her tears. “That is the best news I’ve had in a long time! You will make the most amazing mother, Michelle. I just know it!”

Michelle breathed a big sigh of relief and began to cry into the phone. “At least something good came out of your relationship with Luke,” said Tracy. “And besides, that little bundle will have the best godmother ever ...  me!”

The two talked about the pregnancy. Michelle shared her fears, her worries and her concern for the effect it would have on her family’s honor. Even though Tracy was a California girl, she knew Michelle’s history enough to know that honor was a big deal to the Clemens family. She learned all about Larry and Elizabeth Clemens over the years and understood that Michelle only talked to her mother, and even then, it was strained. To Tracy, it all seemed childish. So Michelle got married and moved to California. So what? So Michelle didn’t marry the wealthy man Larry Clemens had picked out for her. So what? Michelle was a grown woman and could do what she wanted. Tracy could understand Michelle’s apprehension but couldn’t understand how Michelle’s father could turn his back on her.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Michelle continued, sharing her very real fear with Tracy. “I’m still in shock about the pregnancy. How can I even process the break-up? Or maybe it’s the other way around.”

“Maybe you can use this opportunity to learn from your experience. Maybe,” Tracy went on, “you can be a better person in the future for the right person God has planned for your life.”

Michelle thought about that and agreed. But she was still confused about what to do about the pregnancy. “I’m not going to tell Luke,” she decided emphatically, “and I’m keeping the baby. I could never go against God’s will and have an abortion. Never.”

Tracy listened as Michelle went on, “I feel the Holy Spirit is tugging at my heart. I know I turned away from him in the past in my relationship with Justin and even with Luke. But I feel like God wants me to return to his arms and trust Him with my future. I know he will take care of me and my baby.”

“I think you need some time to get away and absorb it all,” said Tracy, delighted to hear that Michelle was willing to let God back in and let him be in charge.

Michelle began talking again when she was interrupted by an incoming call on her phone. “Tracy, I’ve got another call, hang on a minute.”

She held the phone out to see who it was. Mother? Her heart leapt to her throat. Why would she be calling? Michelle and her mother Elizabeth Clemens had scheduled phone calls once a month. They planned them so her father Larry wouldn’t know. He would be less than pleased if he knew Elizabeth kept in touch with her daughter after the disgrace she brought on the family. The phone calls were treasures to Michelle. For eight years, she had been able to keep up with the news of her brother and sister and her dear grandmother, Lilo. She had also been kept informed about the status of Trinity Farms, the cattle farm her family owned. And recently, the news had been anything but good.

She wondered why her mother was calling unscheduled and quickly told Tracy she would call her back. “Hello?” she spoke into the phone. “Mom, is everything alright?”

“Michelle,” her mother began. “It’s your grandmother.”

Michelle stopped, hoping for the best but preparing herself for the worst. “Grandma? Is she alright?”

She knew the answer before her mother spoke. “No Michelle,” Elizabeth said softly, fighting back tears. “She’s not well at all. I don’t know how much longer she has.”

As her mother spoke, all thoughts of Luke, her job and her pregnancy vanished from Michelle’s mind. Her dear grandmother Lilo was in the hospital, and she didn’t have much time. “Please come home Michelle, before it’s too late.”

Lilo was Elizabeth’s mother and had been a big part of Michelle’s life. Now in her 70s, she had very little contact with Michelle. The strained communication between Michelle and her parents was one reason, but Lilo’s declining health was another. Several years earlier, she had been diagnosed with liver disease. Elizabeth had kept Michelle informed of her status, and each time they spoke, the news had gotten worse.

“I will be on the next plane out,” said Michelle. “But Mom,” she hesitated, “How’s Dad?”

Elizabeth laughed her soft, melodic laugh. “Probably grumpier than when you last saw him. The ranch is losing income, and he’s having a hard time keeping it going.” Michelle and her mother had talked at length about the cattle farm. Over the years, the price of finishing cattle had gone up. Irrigation was a huge problem in Haleiwa, the small town on the island of Oahu where the Clemens’ farm was located. Because of this, cattle had to be shipped to the mainland for finishing before they could be sent back for butchering. Trinity Ranch had been a leader in the industry, but of late, their finishing expenses had begun to absorb most of their profits. The past few years had been very hard on their family’s business. “But don’t you worry about your father,” Elizabeth added. “Just come home. I’ll take care of your dad.”

Michelle hung up the phone and immediately called Stan. It was Saturday and the office was closed, but she had his cell phone. “Stan, this is Michelle. I need to fly home for a family emergency. I will let you know more when I get there.” She disconnected, hoping that she would still have a job when she returned.

D
aniel Louis saw the glint from the razor-like edge of the knife that waved ominously before his face. The man had dark messy hair as if he hadn’t showered in two weeks, and judging by the smirk on the guy’s face, Daniel knew he had every intention of rearranging his organs with the metal blade.

Daniel’s eyes darted at the other men before him, and he saw the second heavy-set man wielding a large lead pipe probably weighing over five pounds. Then there was squinty eyes, who was taller and broader than the other two. As Daniel predicted, squinty was the first to make a move. Daniel felt the adrenaline surge through his body as he prepared to defend himself from the attackers facing him. He had practiced these self-defense moves countless times in class, but now his skills would be put to the test.
Was he prepared to defend himself against three men who acted like they had rage issues?
He balled his hand into a fist, ready to take out the first attacker.
Yes, he could do this.

“You’re gonna pay for interfering in our business,” the stocky man with the lead pipe said, smacking the weapon against his meaty palm. “You don’t screw around with the Hawaiian Mafia.” The other two men took a step toward Daniel, and without warning, all three rushed him like a rioting crowd in New York City.

From the corner of his eye, Daniel saw the knife sail toward his chest while shorty swung the lead pipe down at his head. Daniel knew he had to act fast. One miscalculated move and his face and life would be changed forever. His body twisted sideways as the knife sailed within inches of his back.

One threat neutralized, another one to go.

Daniel threw his head back like an Olympian hurtling over a high jump, watching as the lead pipe whooshed within an inch of his chest. The air rushed past his face and Daniel knew it had been a close call, too close for comfort. He flipped to his feet and faced his attackers.

Showtime guys.

Demonstrating the skills of an experienced martial artist, he swung, kicked and punched his opponents, dancing like a boxer as he watched his opponents’ heads snap like an oversized blob of jello. The heavy-set man with the pipe went down hard, and Daniel barely flinched. Messy hair man turned and ran as lead pipe guy laid on the floor, writhing in pain.

“Cut!” Fred yelled out from the shadows. “That’s a wrap crew. We’ll pick up here tomorrow.” The director with a round bump under his striped polo shirt moved into the light and gave a thumbs up to Daniel. “Perfect on the first shoot, Daniel. Keep up the good work and we’ll wrap this shoot up in no time.”

Marshall King, the famous action hero Daniel was stunt doubling for, stepped out from behind the camera crew and gave Daniel a high five. “Not bad, not bad,” he said, patting Daniel on the back. “You’re pretty good. I wish I had your talent and training to do all that. You must have all the women drooling over you.” Marshall gave him a playful grin.