Kai let out a soft laugh as he glanced at Jessie. “I suppose I can understand that. I just wish the news had come from someone I knew.” With a sigh, he hung his head. “I think that would have been an easier way to hear it.”
Leaning forward, Gran grabbed his cool hand with both of hers. When he peeked up at her, she pressed her lips into a firm line and matter-of-factly stated, “I will never keep anything from you again. I promise.”
Kai nodded then sank down in front of her chair and wrapped his arms around her body. Warmth enveloped him as he tightly held the woman who would always be family to him. Regardless of blood, fate had given her to him, and he wouldn’t let her go without a fight. And who knows, maybe someday he and Jessie would get married, and she would be true family again. It was a possible future that filled him with hope.
Like she was reading his mind, his grandmother murmured into his ear, “You’ll always be family to me, Kai. I love you.”
As he squeezed her back just as tight, he responded with, “Blood or not, I love you too.”
When he pulled away from her, she was sniffling but happy. She studied him with clear relief on her face, like she was glad he was handling the news so well. He was probably taking it much better than she’d ever imagined. While Kai knew there would be good days and bad days, he also knew he would make it through. Even though his parents had cracked his foundation…had fallen from the slim pedestals he’d put them on…he had his grandmother’s unconditional love, and he had Jessie’s, and there was an enormous amount of strength in their support.
As Kai sat back on his heels, Gran’s watery eyes shifted to Jessie on the couch. “Thank you, Jessica, for being there for him. I’m positive that your…love…is what got him through this.” Jessie placed her hand on Kai’s shoulder, and when he peeked up at her, there were tears in her eyes. They were happy tears though. Yes, she was definitely the reason he was still able to smile right now.
While Kai absorbed every feature on the face he loved, he heard his grandmother chuckle and say, “Well, since I seem to be such a frail, near-death woman to the both of you, how about you stay and make sure I eat something.” Kai looked back at her; she was smirking. “You wouldn’t want me to die of malnutrition, would you?”
Kai kept his face as serious as possible as he nodded, then he broke into a soft laugh. Gran laughed with him. With a shake of her head, she watched Kai stand up, then help Jessie to her feet. “I suppose I’ll have to stop trying to set you both up with people?” she said.
Raising one corner of her lip, Jessie sullenly replied with, “Please do. I don’t need any more Simons calling me twenty-four seven.”
Wait, what? Kai looked back at Jessie with a small frown on his face. “Who’s Simon?”
Jessie and Gran shared a look of secret knowledge, before Jessie smiled coyly at Kai. “No one important, sweetheart.”
Kai’s frown deepened until Jessie leaned forward and gave him a light kiss. Then he let it go. Didn’t matter anyway. Kai knew without a doubt where Jessie’s heart was. Gran sighed as she watched them, and Kai looked back at her. “I don’t know how I missed the signs,” she murmured, her face full of wonder. “Just goes to show you, no matter how old you get, life can still surprise you.”
As Jessie stepped into his arms, Kai had to agree with his grandmother’s comment. Yes, life could be very surprising at times. And as he was sure his grandmother would agree, that was what made waking up every day worth it.
Kai stretched back in his padded seat and sipped the remainder of his champagne. The roar of engine noise was faint to his ears as he reclined as far as the seat would go. Kai had never flown first class before, but as the meticulously put together woman walking down the aisle stopped, took his glass, and asked him and Jessie if they needed a refill on their drinks, he thought he might never fly any other way again.
Smiling, he shook his head at the stewardess. “All right, let me know if you do need anything.” Her voice was bubbly and bright as she fluffed his pillow before stepping off to help another passenger.
Kai’s eyes drifted to the windows. All he could see out of the tiny ovals were swatches of wispy, white clouds, but he knew that below the cloudbank they were quickly approaching his hometown, his home island.