It's All Relative(157)

Mason closed his eyes. “I never stopped loving you either, Leilani.” Then he hung up the phone before she could respond.

Returning to the present, Mason looked down at his table of pinned-in-place bees. He suddenly felt exactly like those bees, trapped in a position he didn’t want to be in. Leilani had effectively cornered him into a spot that neither he nor Kai could get out of now. He was positive Kai had no idea what was coming, Mason certainly hadn’t seen it.

Closing his eyes, he blocked out the sight of those trapped insects, and prayed that he and Kai survived this more intact than the dying insects he was studying.





(Cut scene #4. This is at the end of chapter 8, when Jessie visits Millie at home.)




As Millie was settled into her favorite chair, she thought about her visit with Kai this morning. It had sure been sweet of the boy to bring her breakfast. She’d been too queasy to eat it, but the thought was all that mattered. Even if Kai had the unfortunate fate of being that woman’s son, her own had raised him right. He was a thoughtful gentleman.

With a sigh, Millie hoped his real father didn’t do anything stupid and foolish to break the boy’s heart. By Kai’s reaction when she’d asked about his first day, she knew he wasn’t aware of his paternity yet. She hoped he stayed clueless; the other choice held nothing but pain for her grandchild.

Millie was eager to protect Kai’s generous heart as much as she could. And as much as she knew the love of family would help him get through the shock, should he ever learn the truth, she also knew that the intimate nature of a romantic connection would help him even more. While she and Jessica could give him familial love and support, a woman could give him physical love and support in a way they couldn’t. If anything else, he could take out his frustration by making love all day long.

Millie smiled at the thought. She might be an old woman, but she was no prude. Sometimes a good roll in the hay did wonders for the soul.

Her granddaughter walked into the room as she was grinning over her thoughts. Jessica Marie tilted her head at Millie and proceeded to tuck the blanket Millie had around her. Even though Millie couldn’t have been cocooned any farther, and was going to have a heck of a time unwrapping herself in she needed to get up, she appreciated her granddaughter’s sentiment. Yet another son had raised their child right. It made Millie very proud.

“Happy to be home, Grams?” Jessica politely asked.

Millie patted the young woman’s arm and hoped she found a good man to care for someday. Someone who deserved the nurturing love the girl was so quick to give. “Yes, dear.” Sighing, she snuggled into her assortment of pillows. “I’m very happy to be home.” Smirking to herself, she added, “Although, I will miss Susan and her never-ending stories.”

Jessica Marie smiled at her as she straightened. She shook her head a little, seemingly amused that Millie had bonded so quickly with her caregivers. Millie contained a smile. If there was one thing Millie had learned at her age, it was to not waste time. Millie was quick to love and quick to laugh, because really, the end could come at any time for her. For anyone, she supposed.

Smiling, Jessica said, “I’m going to go make you some lunch, Grams. Do you have any tomatoes in your greenhouse? I could make you a nice, juicy BLT?” She rubbed her stomach after she suggested it, like she had a hankering.

“I believe there are some in there. Thank you, Jessica.”

Jessica Marie smiled and asked Millie if she needed anything else before she went outside. When Millie told her she was fine, she smiled wider and almost skipped out of the room. Millie had to raise an eyebrow at her granddaughter’s antics. Maybe she’d already found a boy to look after. She certainly seemed like a woman in love. Although…Millie had also seen slight frowns and a light misting of her eyes at times. Whatever her charming granddaughter had gotten herself into, it didn’t appear to be a completely easy situation. Millie smiled wider as she closed her eyes. She knew from experience that the best relationships were never the easy ones.

She started to doze off, thinking of her own at-times passionate relationship with her husband. There were so many years of love, laughter, and heartache for Millie to flip through. She was just on the cusp of sleep when she heard a plate being set on the table next to her. When she opened her eyes, her granddaughter gave her apologetic eyes. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure if I should wake you or not.”

Millie yawned and stretched out as much as she could in the burrito-like blankets wrapped around her. A small pain shot up her hip when she did. Trying to hide the flinch, she casually told Jessica, “You didn’t, dear. I was only reminiscing.”

As warmth from the trip down memory lane filled Millie, Jessica frowned. She’d apparently caught the slight flinch in the old woman’s face. “I’ll go get your pain pills.”

Jessica was up and out of the room before Millie could even protest. Sighing, she reached over and grabbed the plate with an absurdly large sandwich on it. Shaking her head, Millie wondered how her granddaughter had thought her small stomach could possibly handle the mountain of food. Especially since the pain pills that Jessica was so politely bringing to her, had a tendency to give her bouts of nausea.

Grabbing the smaller half of the sandwich, Millie sat back and took a bite. She wouldn’t make the sweet girl feel bad by refusing to eat the meal she’d prepared. Millie could suffer through an upset stomach to make her family happy.