It's All Relative (69 page)

He smiled and shook his head. “I don’t know, Leilani…but from what I’ve learned of the boy so far, he’s quite understanding. I won’t speak for him, but he seems to be the type of person who is capable of tremendous amounts of forgiveness.”

A long pause, then, “Maybe he gets that from his father?”

Mason closed his eyes as he clearly heard the true question being asked.
Do you forgive me?
Could he ever forgive her? Was there anything to forgive? She had stayed loyal to the man she’d taken vows with. Right or wrong, painful or not, she had decided to honor her promise to him. Could Mason truly blame her for that decision?

“Leilani…there is nothing between us that needs forgiveness. You did what you had to, to survive. I did what I had to do, to survive. We are, if anything, survivors.”

Leilani chuckled lightly. “Thank you, Mason, for being there for him. For finding him, for speaking with him, for being so…you. Thank you.”

The love and sympathy that washed over him with those words brought tears to Mason’s eyes. Right or wrong, he still loved her. Thousands of miles hadn’t severed the bond, and a couple of decades apart hadn’t diminished it. Some things, Mason decided, were just eternal. “You’re welcome, Leilani. Thank you for finally telling me…that he is mine.” His voice broke and a tear finally escaped him. He quickly brushed it aside, peeking back at the door to see if his fellow researchers were watching. They weren’t; he was alone in his moment of wistful grief.

Sniffling herself, Leilani sighed again. “I suppose I’ll need to talk to Kai…to explain myself. Did you tell him about us?”

Mason nodded before he answered. “Yes, I told him the entire story, beginning…to end.” As the word left his lips, Mason wondered if there was ever really going to be an end between them, especially now that they shared the genetic responsibility of Kai. His son.

“Good. He should know that, if anything, he was created out of love…real love.” She sniffled again, and Mason imagined the tired woman’s cheeks wet with tears. “I love you, Mason,” she quietly said.

Mason smiled into the phone. “And I love you, Leilani.” He shook his head as another tear fell. “You know, we might have made…many mistakes…but I don’t believe Kai is one of them.” Reminiscent pride swelled as he thought of the young man who shared his blood. “He is…amazing. We created a pretty spectacular child, sweetheart.”

He heard her sigh into the phone again, but this time, contentedly. “Yes, yes we did.” She paused for a moment, and Mason pictured her tilting her head, making her long, dark hair fall over a bare shoulder. The vision brought back a lifetime of aches. “You know, given the situation over again…I don’t think I would change a thing.” Mason smiled and was about to answer, when she interrupted his thoughts. “No, I take that back…there is one thing I would change.”

Mason’s heart picked up as he waited for her explanation. When she didn’t immediately give it, he whispered, “And what would that be?”

A long, pregnant pause filled the silence of his car, amplifying the thumping beat of his heart. Just when he couldn’t stand the silence anymore, he heard her softly say, “I would have picked you, Mason. If I were allowed a redo…I’d choose you.”

(Cut scene #8. This is at the end of chapter 24, after Kai and Jessie discover Millie is okay and take her into the house to tell her about their relationship.)

M
illie watched the fire engine pull away from her house, the last lingering curious bystanders finally starting to disperse, and thought about her chaotic morning. First, Kai’s natural father had called her in a panic, anxious to know if she might have any idea where to find Kai. Not having been aware that he’d spoken with Kai, that Kai knew the truth now, Millie had been shocked, and she’d started to panic a little herself. But then she’d remembered Kai and Jessica Marie’s obvious fondness for each other. If he was anywhere in the city, he would be with her, she was sure.

And so Millie had found herself doing something she’d never in a million years imagined herself doing. She’d comforted the man who had split up her son’s marriage. She assured him that Kai was most likely with his cousin. Millie had always told Jessica that Kai was going to need her support. She was sure the girl hadn’t understood why at the time, but she was equally sure that the natural caregiver in Jessica had been taking very good care of him.

Mason seemed to relax with that statement, but it was obvious to Millie he was going to go over there, that he was going to go speak with his son. Millie wanted to speak with Kai too, but she decided to let the man say his peace first. She supposed there were quite a few words the father and son needed to have with each other.

Not having been able to get back to sleep after his phone call, Millie had tinkered around her home before shuffling out to her garden. On the way back indoors, her kindly neighbor had spotted Millie and invited herself over for tea. Millie was used to the curious woman, and she didn’t mind the intrusion or the company. Besides, Betty had been the one to call an ambulance for Millie when she’d had her little tumble, so Millie felt that a little generosity was in order. And it gave her another opportunity to brag about her grandchildren anyway.

She’d been reminiscing about Kai, hoping that his heart wasn’t too broken, when the woman had dropped her teacup mid-sip and fallen out of her chair. Millie had rushed to her side and done all she could think of to help, but once poor Betty’s heart had stopped beating, it had refused to start again.

Twisting around, Millie tore her attention away from the large window framing an empty bird feeder. While she felt sad that her nosey neighbor wouldn’t be commenting on the beauty of the various birds anymore, she did hope that Kai took her up on her offer. She’d love to have him closer.

Jessica Marie and Kai were sitting close together on the couch, holding hands. Millie was warmed to see that the revelation of Kai’s paternity had made the pair even closer, instead of driving a wedge between them. Indeed, they seemed quite cozy as they watched her with awe on their faces; Kai was even stroking the back of Jessica’s hand with his thumb. For just a second, it reminded Millie of how her husband used to touch her.

Millie had repeated the story of what had happened to Betty about three times, but both her grandchildren still seemed to be reeling from the incident. Millie tried to not be offended that they both thought her so old and frail that the idea of her randomly keeling over for no good reason wasn’t an outlandish one. She didn’t feel like she was walking around with one foot in the grave. But she supposed that all youth looked upon the elderly like they were time bombs, waiting to go off at any given moment.

Smiling at the thought, she sat in her favorite comfortable chair, opposite the two. Her hip ached. It had started doing that since the weather had turned chilly, but she ignored it, and didn’t let the slight pain show in her features. All she let show was the concern she had for Kai. Scrunching her brows, she leaned over and placed a hand on his knee. “Are you sure you’re all right, dear?”

Millie watched his teal eyes shift over to Jessica before returning to her. He smiled, but Millie could see the weariness behind it. He might have come to some sort of terms with the new facts of his life, but they’d been hard-earned and had left their marks. “I’m fine, Gran.” He frowned and shook his head. “Do I still call you that?”

She swatted his knee just as she would have swatted his bottom when he was a toddler. “Of course you do. Who fathered you doesn’t change the fact that we’re family.” Millie’s eyes shifted from Kai to take in Jessica as well. “We’re
all
still family.”

Jessica bit her lip, and she and Kai locked gazes. As Millie watched their odd, silent conversation, she wondered what was not verbally being said in the room. Millie couldn’t be sure, but she suddenly felt like there was a piece of the puzzle that she wasn’t seeing. Just as she was going to ask what was going on, Kai cleared his throat and twisted to look at her.

“Um…Gran.” He worried his lip for a moment, and Millie thought he looked a little…perplexed as to how to put his thoughts into words. “I…well, we…” his free hand swished to indicate Jessica while their clutched together hand lifted. “We’ve sort of decided…not to be family.”

Millie bunched her brows, deeply confused. Why would two people who only had warm things to say about the other, choose to sever their family ties? Not that she would let them. If Kai was staying in Denver, then Millie would make it her life’s mission to see them closely bonded again. Regardless of whether or not they were family by blood or family by association, family didn’t abandon family. “You can’t just…decide something like that. You
are
family, Kai, regardless of what your blood says. You can’t just choose to not be connected anymore.”

Kai smiled at her, then ran his hand through his hair. “Well, um, we actually are still going to be connected, Gran, just not in a cousin sort of way.”

Millie shook her head, still not understanding, then Jessica Marie laughed and looped her arms around Kai’s body. Snuggling into his side, she looked over at Mille. “What he’s trying to say, is that we’re dating. We’re boyfriend and girlfriend.” She shrugged. “We’re in love with each other.”

Jessica Marie and Kai smiled at each other, and Millie saw a look pass between them that suddenly filled in all the pieces for her. The puzzle now clear, she could easily see the love shifting between the young couple before her. They were in love, and from the looks of things, they loved each other on a level that rivaled her and her late husband’s. As Millie watched them kiss, she wondered when exactly that had happened.

“Oh…I see,” she whispered.

Kai and Jessica pulled their love-filled gazes from each other, and brought their attention back to her. Millie wasn’t sure if her face was pale, but she certainly felt that way. She wasn’t a prudish woman by any means, but it was a little difficult to go from seeing them as loving cousins, to seeing them as a loving couple.

While she struggled with something profound to say, Kai’s eyes narrowed in concern. “Are you…okay with this?” His eyes flicked over her body, like she might instantly have a heart attack that would send her off in a body bag to match poor Betty’s.

Irritated that they thought she was that weak, Millie snorted. They both satisfactorily raised their eyebrows. “Well, of course I’m fine with it. Love is always a good thing.” She raised her own eyebrow. “The world could use more of it.” They both smiled at each other, and Millie was amazed she’d completely missed seeing the feelings between them. Shaking her head, she said, “I will need a minute to adjust to the idea…but Kai isn’t blood, so, I guess I’ll get there.”

Kai looked back at her and placed his hand on her knee. “Thank you, for understanding.”

She sighed and rested against the pillows. Jessica relaxed even more into Kai’s side. Her granddaughter appeared to be happier than Millie had ever seen her. Kai too, for that matter. And wasn’t that what she’d always wanted for them? Happiness? Smiling, she patted Kai’s hand on her knee.

Wondering if Kai’s acceptance of his father’s identity had more to do with his love for Jessica than anything else, she tilted her head at him. “Do you understand, Kai?” He looked confused, so she added, “Why I could never tell you? Why I never wanted you to know…about your real father?”

Kai’s smile dropped as his gaze lowered to the carpet. “No, not really.” He peeked back up at her. “Why would you hide the truth from me?”

Millie sighed as she adjusted her sore hip. “I suppose I was trying to protect you. In my head, Nate will always be your father. I could only see that knowing the truth would hurt you.” Her lips twisted into a wry smile as she watched Jessica Marie’s gaze drift over Kai’s face. “I certainly never saw the benefit of you discovering it.”

Kai chuckled and peeked up at Jessica, then Millie. “I suppose I can understand that. I just wish the news had come from someone I knew.” He sighed and shook his head. “I think that would have been an easier way to hear it.”

Millie leaned over and grabbed his cool hand with both of hers. Feeling the smoothness of his dark skin under her gnarled fingers, she moved as close to Kai as she could. Pressing her lips into a firm line, she matter-of-factly stated, “I will never keep anything from you again.”

Kai nodded then came over and wrapped his arms around her body. As she hugged the child fate had given her, Millie considered him becoming a member of the family through marriage. She always had adored him, and while it was still a little odd to think of him with Jessica Marie, the woman she still wanted to refer to as his cousin, Millie had to admit that they did complement each other remarkably well. So well in fact, that if Millie could have invented an ideal partner for the other, she would have invented Kai for Jessica, and Jessica for Kai.

She smiled as she patted Kai’s back, happy that at least one thing had worked out well in this awful situation. So many lives had been hurt by the deceit that it was heartwarming to know at least one aspect of her family’s life was a little better because the truth had been revealed.