It's All Relative(13)

Confused, Kai looked over at Jessie and indicated his grandmother with a nod of his head. “How do you know her?” he asked. His eyes, locked on hers, gauged her reaction carefully.

Jessie stared into his eyes for a long moment, like she’d gotten lost in them. He shifted his head to return her attention to his question, and looking a little embarrassed, she shook her head and straightened to her full height; the movement subtly highlighted her chest, and Kai found himself a little lost too. He couldn’t help but remember his lips on that chest.

Her words, punctuated by the acerbic tone of her voice, returned his attention to her face. “Me? I’m sure I’ve known her a lot longer than you. How do you know her?”

Kai raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “You’ve known her longer? I highly doubt that.”

Gran laughed, then patted them again. Smiling at Jessie, her eyes oddly warm and loving, his grandmother said, “Technically, he’s right, dear.”

They both looked over at her. The curiosity was nearly killing Kai at this point. Was she a family friend? Maybe that nosey neighbor’s granddaughter? Maybe she’d found his grandmother and had called the ambulance? His chest warmed at the thought of Jessie being his grandmother’s savior, and a smile graced his lips.

His grandmother shifted her eyes back to Kai. Nodding her head at Jessie, she warmly told him, “Jessica Marie was born two months after you, Kai.”

Kai felt his face draining of blood as he slowly turned to stare at Jessie. Jessica Marie. He knew that name. But that couldn’t seriously be the woman he was staring at. Jessie, the person he’d just had incredible sex with last night, could not be Jessica Marie. No, she had to be someone else, anyone else, other than… Kai’s stomach rose as he gaped at her. No, she couldn’t be…

Jessie stared back at him, frowning. She hadn’t made the connection yet, or else she wouldn’t still look confused. Kai put a firm hand on his stomach, suddenly afraid he has going to heave whatever alcohol was still in there. “Jessica Marie? Oh God,” he muttered. “Oh…God…”

He watched Jessie twist her face in irritation. She clearly didn’t like that he knew something she didn’t. But with what he knew, he was positive she would prefer ignorance. As his throat tightened and his stomach twisted, he knew that he would certainly prefer to go back to ten minutes ago, when his one-night stand had been a pleasant memory.

Not having heard his low mutters, his grandmother smiled brightly at Jessie, like nothing at all was wrong with this picture. “Jessica, my dear, this is the boy I told you was coming up, to live here with us in Denver.” She turned her bright smile to him. “And all the way from Hawaii too.”

Jessie still looked confused, like she had no idea what the old woman was talking about. She wouldn’t stay confused for very long. Feeling ill and still about to be sick, Kai lifted his eyes to hers, right as his grandmother finished with her introductions. “This is Kai Harper, dear…your cousin.”





Jessie couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. She was positive that the instant she did, the very second she physically reacted, what she’d just heard would slam into her like a wrecking ball, knocking her to the ground. So long as she just stood still, she’d be fine…just fine.

Except everything wasn’t fine. She’d slept with…

Unwilling to let her thoughts complete that sentence, Jessie kept her gaze glued on Kai. He seemed ill, like he’d accepted the truth and it sickened him. Jessie couldn’t believe it. She refused to. Someone had made a mistake. A horrible, horrible mistake.

A machine humming in the room was the only sound, but even that was too much. Jessie shook her head, and the movement caused the floodgates of pain and remorse to begin to crack open. She took a step back, in retreat. “No, no that’s not possible.”

Jessie’s grandmother was clearly confused by her reaction, but Kai flinched as if her words had stung him.

“I know you haven’t seen him much…or maybe ever, but he is your cousin,” her grandmother stated. “My oldest son, Nate, is his father.” Hearing it said so plainly, so surely, sent a knot of disgust racing up Jessie’s throat. She clamped her hands over her mouth to hold it in. No…

Jessie’s eyes watered as she looked from her grandmother to Kai. How could this have happened? Kai hung his head, like he was wondering the same thing. Jessie heard her grandmother ask her if she was feeling all right, and she violently shook her head. No, she wasn’t all right. She might never be all right again. She felt like she was going to be sick or start sobbing. Maybe both. But she couldn’t do it here; her grandmother wouldn’t understand…and she didn’t want her to. Ever.

Like he could read her mind, Kai stood and said, “We need to speak outside for a moment, Grandma. We’ll be back in a minute, okay?” He smiled, but like Jessie, he looked ill. The words he’d just said echoed in Jessie’s head as she watched him lean down and place a kiss on the old woman’s cheek. Grandma. She’s his grandma. She’s my grandma.

As horror filled her to the breaking point, Jessie began murmuring, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…” She was about to lose it, about to have a complete and total meltdown in front of her grandmother. Who would then ask why, and wouldn’t let go until she knew the truth. Oh God…