It's All Relative(146)

After Kai stepped out of the car, he gave his mother a brief hug. Wrapping her arms securely around his waist, she gazed up at him with hope clear in her eyes; she so wanted Kai to forgive her. “Mason tells me that your flight back is early in the morning tomorrow. I’ll drive you to the airport, sweetheart.”

Kai seemed taken aback by that. “You talked with Mason?”

Leilani flushed and turned her head away from Kai. Jessie could tell she felt guilty for even bringing him up. She could also tell that she still had feelings for the man. It was pretty evident by the way she said his name; it reminded Jessie of the way she often said Kai’s name. “Um, yes. We…keep in touch.” She looked back at him, and in her sparkling eyes, Jessie could see the residual love she had for the man who’d given her such an amazing son. “He’s been worried about you. He calls in nightly to check on you.”

Kai looked away, toward the beach. Jessie had been with Kai when he’d called Mason to tell him they’d landed safely. It had surprised Jessie that he’d done that, and amazed her that he would be so considerate to a man he barely knew. Of course, a lot of things about Kai amazed Jessie. And a lot of things about Mason seemed to amaze Kai. Shaking his head as he watched the surf, he muttered, “I’m surprised he does that.”

Leilani rested her head on his shoulder. Kai reflexively hugged her tighter against him. “Of course he does, Kai. He loves you. You’re his son…even if he just found out about you.”

Kai closed his eyes, and his head drooped. Jessie saw the weariness in his features, and knew it wasn’t from their rigorous morning on the waves. All of this turmoil was getting to him. Jessie couldn’t wait to take him back home, settle him into her bed, and massage away all of the kinks in his body, if not his heart. His heart…she would work on over time.

Opening his eyes, Kai started walking with her toward the house. He had a childhood bedroom here too, and it marveled Jessie how similar his room was to hers at her parents’ old place. They’d even shared the same interest in music, both having Beatles posters on their walls.

Sighing, Kai rested his head on his mother’s as they unconsciously shifted their walk toward the water. “Why didn’t you tell me, Mom? Before I went over there? Why did you tell dad you absolutely didn’t want me to know? Don’t I have the right to know who my father is?”

Leilani paused in her step, removing her head from his embrace to look up at him. “I’m so sorry, Kai.” She shrugged. “Yes, it’s true…I never wanted you to know the truth. I didn’t see how you could not hate me, if you knew what I’d done.” Her eyes watered as she searched his face. “And you…are the most important thing I have. I couldn’t risk losing you.”

With another weary sigh, Kai squeezed her tightly. “You’re not going to lose me, Mom. I love you…regardless of your past.”

Leilani couldn’t stop the tears and hastily brushed them from her cheeks. “Well, Nate insisted that you know the truth, and then he insisted that I contact Mason, and get you a job there with him.” She sighed and looked away, toward the beach, just like Kai had. It seemed to have a calming effect on both of them. “I’ve been a wreck every single day, wondering when I would get the call. Wondering when you would hate me. Wondering what day Nate would finally get his revenge on me for betraying him.” She sighed, the sound both tired and remorseful.

Kai twisted her to look at him. “Dad doesn’t want revenge on you. He didn’t want to hurt you, he just wanted…” He paused, and his eyes drifted back to Jessie. “He just didn’t want to keep living a lie. He wanted the truth released, so he could be free.” Smiling, he returned his eyes to Leilani. “So we could all be free.”

Knowing Kai meant their relationship just as much as he meant his parents’ relationship made tears spring to Jessie’s eyes. They’d been living a lie by trying to deny the feelings between them. They’d attempted to label it as familial love, when it had been so far beyond that. The truth had released them from that lie, just as surely as it had released Kai’s parents. Uncle Nate was right…knowing the truth mattered.

Kai and his mother spent a good chunk of that afternoon opening up to each other. Much to Jessie’s surprise, Kai even told her the truth about how they’d first hooked up. He thankfully didn’t mention the one night stand, but he confessed that their attraction had started while they’d thought they were cousins. Sitting on the golden sand with Kai and his mother, Jessie twisted to look at Leilani sitting on the other side of her son. Leilani gave him a warm, compassionate smile, like she understood being in a hard place, and Jessie supposed that she did.

“That must have been very difficult,” she said, her hand resting on Kai’s knee. “For both of you.”

Kai nodded as he looked at her, then he shifted his gaze to Jessie, sitting so close beside him their hips touched. She couldn’t help the lack of space between them; she just needed his body to be touching hers. Leaning down to kiss her head, Kai murmured, “Yeah, it was…” Looking back at Leilani, he slung his arm around her shoulders. “But we’re good now, Mom. Really good, and even though all of this has been really hard to deal with…I’m okay.” He looked back at Jessie, his eyes putting the ocean to shame with their beauty. “I’m great…because of Jessie.”