Page 110 of Catch a Wave
“How are the heats lining up?” Kai asks me, obviously trying to redirect his sister away from her line of questioning.
When Mavs looks at Leilani, Kai glances over at me and winks.
“Hey. I think Jammer’s up next.” I tell Mavs, hoping she’ll look out toward the ocean.
She scans the ocean, surveying the lineup of surfers while she shades her eyes with her hand.
Leilani pulls Kai aside and the two of them start talking.
“I can’t tell which one he is from here,” Mavs says to me. “Let’s go down toward the water.”
“Give me a minute,” I tell her. “I’ve gotta grab something.”
I hold Mavs’ gaze so she doesn’t focus on what’s going on around us. My smile spreads when she looks up at me. She’s oblivious to the crowd parting to let my special guests through. The couple comes and stands a few feet behind her.
Before Mavs has a chance to look around, I drop to one knee in the sand, grabbing the box from a pocket in my swim trunks.
“Bodhi, what are you doing?” Her brows draw in.
Kai has his phone out, recording everything.
Mavs follows my gaze to where I accidentally glanced in Kai and Leilani’s direction. They’re both smiling, and Kai’s holding the phone out to capture this moment.
“Kai, Why are you …?” Mavs asks. She turns back to me. “Wait! Bo?”
I don’t give her time to say the next words. I look up at her, reaching my hand out so I can catch hers in mine. I run my thumb across her knuckles. “Mavs, you’re everything. I knew it the first day I met you in that parking lot at Mavericks. It was almost as if a small voice inside me said, ‘She’s the one.’”
Mavs claps her free hand over her mouth. Her smile pulls her cheeks up and her eyes fill with tears.
“I don’t believe in love at first sight. But I do believe in us. I won’t ever be able to tell you what it means to me that you gave us another chance. You know you are my forever. I want little Bodhis and little Mavs running on the beach with us. I want to take you on adventures, chasing down waves. I want to watch you soar, and catch you when you fall. I want to be the man at your side now, and long after we take our last waves. Tell me you’ll be my wife. Will you marry me?”
Tears are streaming down Mavs’ cheeks. She falls to her knees in front of me.
“Yes, Bodhi! Yes!” She throws her arms around my shoulders.
When she pulls back, I slip the ring on her finger while we’re both still kneeling on the sand. And then I kiss her. The salty taste of her tears mingles with the sweetness that’s always waiting for me whenever our lips connect.
We kneel there, oblivious to the crowd forming around us, losing ourselves in the moment—this moment we’ve waited a lifetime to experience. I’m vaguely aware of the clicking of cameras, so I pull back, swiping a curl away from Mavs’ face and smiling at her. Then I extend her my hand, and we stand up together. She leans into me and I loop my arm behind her back.
Mavs’ father approaches us.
“Kalaine?”
Her had snaps around. “Makuakane?” She uses the Hawaiian word forfather. “You’re here?”
Her father smiles, and I can see the moment when Mavs’ eyes rove the group of people closest to us, catching on her mom.
“Makuahine?” She says the Hawaiian name formotherwhen she sees her mom.
“Yes, Kalaine,” her dad answers. “We are here. Bodhi made arrangements for us to be here to witness him asking you to marry him.”
Then Leilani rushes Mavs. “You’re engaged!” She throws her arms around her best friend.
They rock together in a hug, saying words I can’t understand to one another before releasing each other.
“Bodhi,” Kalaine’s father addresses me.
His face is serious.
