It's All Relative(133)

“Kai, I’m glad I found you.”

Kai glanced at the hand being offered to him, but he didn’t drop Jessie’s hand to take it. Furrowing his brow, he examined the man who had rocked his world. “What are you doing here, Mason?”

The obvious distance between them made Mason sigh as he shoved his hand into his pocket. His aged face—a bit wearier than Jessie remembered from the first time she’d met him—relaxed into neutrality. “You ran out on me. I haven’t seen or heard from you for days…”

Kai hung his head, then peeked up at him. “Are you here to fire me then?”

Shock ran through Jessie as she flicked her gaze between Kai and Mason. She hadn’t considered that Kai might get in trouble for ditching work. Sure, he’d had a really good reason to not return, but a job was still a job, and certain responsibilities were still expected from the employees, regardless of their personal problems. It was why she’d had to call in with a fake illness every day.

The same shock Jessie felt passed through Mason’s face, disturbing his attempt at detachment. Sputtering, he stepped up to Kai and reached out for him before stopping himself and putting his hand back in his pocket. “No, of course not, Kai. The job is yours, for as long as you want it. I understand why you fled.” Exhaustion seemed to overtake him, and all trace of indifference vanished. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay…son.”

His gaze softened as he stared at Kai, and Jessie couldn’t help but note the obvious similarities between father and son. Besides the eyes, there was something about the angle of the jaw, the slope of the nose, the basic bone structure. Kai’s coloring and ethnicity helped to mask a lot of the connection, but once you knew the lineage, there were just too many markers to ignore the truth. This man was Kai’s father.

Still having trouble accepting it, Kai stiffened; his hand loosely held hers and suddenly clenched it painfully tight. “Don’t call me that,” he bit out.

Mason looked away from him, but nodded. Jessie placed her other hand over Kai’s clenched fist and tried to ease the tension she felt there with soothing circles. Jessie understood Kai’s anger and confusion, but none of this was really Mason’s fault. From what Kai had told her, Mason had just recently found out about him.

Kai’s death grip on her hand loosened as Mason returned his eyes to him. “I’m not trying to replace the father who raised you, Kai. That was never my intention.”

“Then what are you doing here?” he asked in a tight voice.

Mason bunched his brows in disbelief. “Is it so hard for you to believe that I care about you?”

Kai looked over at Jessie. She slung her arm around his stomach, holding him tight as she rested her head on his arm. Glancing back at Mason, he shrugged. “I’m not sure what to think or feel right now. You’ll have to excuse me if I’m a little…uncertain how to act around you.”

Mason nodded, but his eyes were locked on Kai and Jessie’s embrace. Flicking his green-blue gaze between the two of them, he lifted an eyebrow. “Are you two together? As in, a couple?” His tone seemed nothing more than curious, a man of science studying an interesting phenomena of nature in front of him, but Jessie felt herself flush with heat.

Kai pulled her tightly against him. “What we are isn’t really relevant.”

Mason’s eyes snapped up to his face. “Oh, I know. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s perfectly fine if you are together. There are no inherent genetic dangers in a sexual relationship between the two of you. I was just…curious.” He smiled apologetically, like out of everyone in the room, Kai should understand curiosity.

The blunt way he talked made Jessie’s cheeks feel like they were on fire, but Kai seemed amused. He even smiled a little. Maybe seeing an invitation in his mirth, Mason pointed to the couch. “Do you mind if we sit, Kai. I’d love to have a conversation with you.” He smiled widely for the first time. “I’d love to get to know you, if you’d let me?”

Kai inhaled a slow breath. On the exhale, he slowly nodded. “All right, I can handle…talking.”

Jessie wondered if she should leave them alone, but Kai led her to the couch; clearly he wanted her to stay. Jessie sat beside him, still holding his hand in support. Mason sat on the smaller couch, looking nervous, but happy too. He seemed to have been genuine in his desire to get to know Kai.

Rubbing his hands on his slacks, Mason cleared his throat and gave Kai an apologetic smile. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t know how to act around you either.” He laughed lightly as he shook his head. “It’s not every day that you find out you have a twenty-three year old son.”

Kai laughed at his remark, then smiled over at Jessie. “Yeah, I suppose that could be a shock.”

Hearing Mason let out a weary exhale, they both redirected their attention to him. “I suppose I should start at the beginning. Your beginning anyway.” He indicated Kai on the couch, then smiled sadly. “Leilani Harper was the most beautiful, exotic, vibrant woman I had ever seen. I couldn’t help but fall madly in love with her…”

His expression alternating between reflection, remorse, and lingering love, Mason began describing the series of events and bad choices that led to Kai’s creation. Kai seemed uncomfortable hearing such intimate, and not always flattering, details about his mother. But by the end of Mason’s tale, he’d scooted to the edge of the couch, listening raptly.