Steve reluctantly left Shauni in Orlando to return to Hawaii. The morning he got back into work, everyone started grilling him on what had happened. Rather than telling the story multiple times, he got everyone together around the smart table to tell it only once. The entire Ohana was relieved to hear Shauni was okay and just as surprised that Connor was still breathing. Steve ended by telling them that she would be joining them again in Hawaii as soon as the tour was over in eight long days. He also told them about Shauni's plans to take them all to the Pro Bowl game.
"So how long will she be staying?" Danny asked.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
"I mean…..is she coming here for vacation or is this going to be something more permanent?"
Steve noticed Danny, Chin, Kono, Steve, Grover and even Jerry all giving him goofy grins, so he couldn't help but smile back although he wasn't about to give anything away. "I don't know," he shrugged, "But I want to talk to her about making it more permanent. And that's all I'll say about it for now."
"You haven't talked about it yet? What the hell are you waiting on, man?" Grover interjected.
"Look…..She's been a little preoccupied with the tour and it wasn't really a discussion I wanted to have with her over the phone. SO, we'll talk about it when the tour is over and she's here again."
"Well, I'm looking forward to having her back." Said Kono, "I've missed her. And by the way, we are totally having a girl's day when she gets back, Boss."
"A girl's day?" Steve looked at her skeptically.
"Yes. A girl's day! After being around all of you ….." (and she pointed to the men)…"ALL the time, I need some girl time now and then. So I'll let you and Shauni get reacquainted…." She wiggled her eyebrows at Steve….."but then I'm going to steal her for at least an afternoon."
"Okay, but only for an afternoon. Don't know if I can take much more that that."
Everyone shared a laugh; Especially considering it was very un-McGarrett-like for Steve to be so smitten.
Then, they got back to business. As Steve walked into his office to catch up, he didn't know that his entire team was secretly hoping that by "permanent" Steve really meant "marriage". None of them had ever seen him so happy, and while the story of a law enforcement officer and a Hollywood superstar may not be a conventional one, it certainly seemed to work with Steve and Shauni.
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Six days later…
Danny was walking into HQ after visiting Max for an update on some forensic evidence when he caught sight of Derek Steele making his way through the security checkpoint in the building. Of course, the officer on duty knew who he was, so Derek was politely chatting with him while also trying to get away and make his way upstairs before making a scene amongst the other people making their way into the building. Danny quickly walked over to where Derek was standing to help him 'escape'.
"What a nice surprise," He put out a hand to shake Derek's, "Does Steve know you're here?" Danny asked.
Derek offered Danny a warm handshake, "Nice to see you again, Danny. And yes, Steve knows I'm coming. Olivia and I came in for the Pro-Bowl game this weekend. I hear all of you are coming with us as well?"
"Oh yeah…..Of course. I forgot you were coming in for the game. We're all looking forward to it."
"Will Grace get to come with you?"
Danny offered Derek a big smile, "Yes, and she's bringing a friend, so they're both really excited; Not so much about the game, but about seeing Shauni again."
"That's great." Derek said…..and Danny could tell his remark was genuine. "Steve and I are having lunch together this afternoon, " he continued. "I decided to meet him here so I can see where you all work."
They continued their conversation as Danny started to lead him towards the staircase and up to their offices.
Derek followed Danny into Steve's office, "Look who I found downstairs."
Steve looked up from his computer and stood to shake Derek's hand, but Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug instead. "Good to see you again, Steve. And I really need to thank you again for what you did for Shauni in Orlando. I don't know how Olivia and I will ever thank you."
"You don't have to thank me," Steve said, "I will always be there for her."
After exchanging some more small talk with Danny and Grover, Steve and Derek made their way out for lunch. As they walked out of the office, Grover cast a curious glance towards Danny.
"So Derek Steele shows up out of the blue to see Steve when his daughter isn't even here. Does that strike you as suspicious?"
"Well, actually he and Olivia are here for the Pro-Bowl game…..but yeah, I'm surprised to see him here early. Maybe they just wanted to enjoy the scenery for a couple of extra days."
A slow smile crossed Grover's face as he shook his head, "I'll tell you what I think it means, but I could be wrong."
"What's that?"
"Well, I think our McGarrett may be asking for Dad's blessing to propose to Shauni."
Danny shook his head in disbelief, "No one does that anymore."
Lou's eyebrows shot up in his signature expression, "I did." He said matter-of-factly, "And besides, McGarrett is old school, buddy, so it would be totally in character for him to talk to Derek beforehand. Like I said, I could be wrong, but something tells me they're getting ready to have a talk." He couldn't erase the smile on his face as he said so.
"I hope you're right." Danny admitted. "I'd love to see our boy settled down, and Shauni seems to be a perfect match for him."
Grover reached over to pat Danny shoulder, "I couldn't agree more. So we'll just wait and see what happens."
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Steve took Derek to one of his favorite places on the island to eat. He had called ahead to insure that they could get a private table since he wanted to be able to talk to Derek without others being able to overhear the conversation. With Derek being a celebrity, there was always a chance things could be overheard, and this was one conversation he didn't want "leaked" before the time was right. For all the confidence Steve normally had, he couldn't shake the case of jitters he was feeling at the moment. He was getting ready to have one of the most important conversations of his life with Derek Steele.
Once they were seated and had ordered drinks and lunch entrees, Derek finally started the conversation.
"You were pretty quiet on the ride over here, son. Wanna tell me what's on your mind?"
Steve looked at Derek and half-smiled, "I need to talk to you about something…and honestly, I'm feeling a little out of my comfort zone because I've never done this before…..but I guess it's better to just get it out now and then we can enjoy our lunch."
A twinkle shone in Derek's eyes. Could this be it, he wondered? Could it be that Steve wanted to talk to him about proposing to Shauni? He took a deep breath, "Well, I've found that's the easiest thing to do in situations like this is to just get it out. So what's on your mind, son?"
Steve suddenly grew serious as he looked Derek squarely in the eyes, "You know I love your daughter."
Derek shook his head, "Yes. And I know she loves you too."
"Well, I know it may seem sudden….." Steve paused and took a drink of his beer as if to give himself some liquid courage….."and believe me, I never thought it would happen this fast either…but I can't imagine my life without her. I want to ask her to marry me. I mean, I know we've only been together for a few months, but I've never been more certain about anything in my life. I just need to know I have your blessing first."
The laugh that came out of Derek's mouth was joy filled and caused some of the patrons closest to them to cast a glance their way. Derek didn't seem to mind; He was overjoyed.
"Steve, nothing would make me happier. I mean that, son. You absolutely have my blessing!" Then, as if unable to stop himself, he stood up and pulled Steve into a big "bear hug".
Steve smiled at him sheepishly as they sat back down, "Well, I haven't asked her yet…" he shrugged.
"Don't you worry about that…..She'll say 'yes'." Derek said confidently. "I know my girl and she is head over heels for you. I will warn you though….."
"About what?"
"When my Liv finds out about this, she'll be making wedding plans within the hour."
Both men shared a laugh and Steve had to admit he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him was that Shauni would say 'yes'. He wanted her as his wife, and "the sooner the better", as far as he was concerned.
So with Derek's blessing, he began to make plans to propose to Shauni. She would be coming in to town the next day and he planned to make the next few days as memorable as possible. If things went his way, they would soon be engaged and her visit to Hawaii would become permanent. He wanted to make a home and a life …..and a family….with Shauni.
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One hour later…
Derek told Olivia about the lunch with Steve and she wasted no time calling him to give her blessing as well. She was so happy, Steve could practically see her beaming through the phone. And just as Derek had predicted, the wheels in Olivia's mind were already spinning with wedding plans. He had to chuckle when he heard Derek in the background trying to get her to slow down, but Olivia just scoffed, "Oh, shush, dear. One of my girls is getting married and I am ready to plan! Oh Steve…..You're going to be so handsome. And our Shauni will be such a beautiful bride. Oh I can't WAIT."
"Okay, that's three 'Oh's" in ten seconds." Steve laughed. "But we might be getting ahead of ourselves. I mean, Shauni hasn't even said yes yet."
"I will 'shush' you too, young man. There is no way she'll say no. Trust me." Olivia beamed again. "Now…..tell me. When and how are you going to propose to our girl?"
With that Segway, Steve, Olivia, and Derek talked about his plans to propose to Shauni. Since the Steele's were considered "Hollywood Royalty", a public proposal would obviously cause a media frenzy. Therefore, Steve had something much more intimate in mind. Derek and Olivia already loved Steve like a son and knew he was perfect for their daughter, but the fact that he was planning such a sweet and intimate proposal melted their hearts even more.
It was going to be perfect.
The best part was that Steve was pulling the entire family in to the planning which would make it special for all of them.
His next call was to Sasha. He told her about his plans to propose and she squealed so loudly, Steve could have sworn his ear drums nearly burst. He literally had to hold his phone away from his ear and could barely make out what she was saying. The squealing went on for several seconds before he finally got her to calm down….if only to understand her better.
"I haven't even asked her yet, Sasha." Steve said.
"Oh puhleeeeeze," Sasha said sarcastically even though a smile was in her voice. He could practically see her rolling her eyes; The Steele sisters were good at that. "You know good and darn well she isn't going to tell you 'No'.. She's so head over heels for you it's ridiculous. Oh my gosh…..This is going to be epic!"
Steve and Sasha talked for a few more minutes as he enlisted her help getting set up for the proposal.
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The next day….
The day crawled by at a snail's pace. Steve had never had a work day that seemed so long. He was grateful that they didn't have a case to work on because it may have put a damper on his plans. On the other hand, a day of paperwork wasn't exactly good for keeping his mind occupied before he could finally see Shauni. Her flight was due to arrive at 3:00 and he was literally counting down the minutes.
Okay…..so I decided on ONE more chapter since I haven't even gotten to the proposal. Everyone had a lot to say and it took time to get it down.
BUT trust me, the proposal will be epic, totally romantic, and totally "Steve and Shauni".
ONE more chapter (which I promise won't take so long!)….THEN, there has been SO much interest, I'll do a "Book Two" showing the next phase for Steve and Shauni.