Nate Harper, the man Kai had always known as his father, cleared his throat. Kai reluctantly swung his gaze to his. There was so much of Jessie in the color of Nate’s eyes that a lump formed in Kai’s throat. He watched those deep brown eyes water and felt his own sting in response. He’d loved this man so much, his entire life. Their bond had been unbreakable, but now…it felt worn, frail.
The aged face staring back at him was so familiar it was calming. Seeing Nate reminded Kai of everything he’d wanted to be when he grew up—strong like his dad, smart like his dad, adventuresome and funny like his dad. While Kai’s hair was pitch-black like his mother’s, and his skin was just as deeply tanned as hers, when young Kai had envisioned himself as a man, he’d always imagined himself with sandy hair and pale skin. He’d always seen himself as a spitting image of Nate Harper. Was all of that simply because he’d believed they shared the same DNA, or was it because they’d shared an immense, impenetrable love for one another? Kai firmly believed it was based on love.
As his father struggled with words, Kai cleared the knot that was choking off his voice. “Dad?” he whispered.
Kai had never seen his father cry before—truly cry—not until today. Tears streaming down his face, he stepped up to Kai and engulfed him in a tight embrace. Kai’s own tears were unstoppable then, and he hugged him back just as fiercely. Love. DNA. Family. Between a parent and a child, genetics wasn’t what fueled the bond. While Nate might not technically be his father…he was love, and love made him family.
“I’m so sorry, Kai. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I’m so very sorry, son.”
That was repeated over and over into Kai’s ear, until Kai heard himself responding with, “It’s okay, Dad. It’s all right, I forgive you.”
Finally pulling back from his father, both of them wiping their eyes, Kai looked over at his mother. “I forgive both of you.” He shook his head at her and shrugged.
How could he hate someone for loving him so much, that they’d do anything to keep him from feeling pain? That was all his mother had ever done for him; tried to shelter him from the sharp sting of the truth. As the tiny woman attacked him, sobbing apologies into his shoulder, Kai found that he couldn’t even hate them for sending him to Mason. True, hearing it from them would have been better, would have been easier, but the outcome would have been the same.
Plus, Kai had had a lot of practice recently at understanding regret. After everything that had happened between him and Jessie, when they’d both believed they were blood-related, he’d regretted several things that he’d done. So he understood that his parents were beating themselves up every chance they got over the way they’d chosen to break the news to him, and he wouldn’t add to their grief by torturing them about their decision. But he did intend to sit down and talk with them about it. Much like with Mason and his grandmother, Kai wanted to understand. He wanted to know them, as people, not as the infallible parents he’d believed them to be. He knew they’d both made mistakes with him, and with each other, and he wanted to sit down and discuss it with them. But first, he wanted to introduce them to his girlfriend.
Peeling his mother off of him, he moved over to where Jessie had stepped back so she could watch the exchange from a respectful distance. She was drying her cheeks and Kai warmly shook his head at her. She shrugged and sniffled; that emotional display had gotten to her. He loved that it had. Jessie had such a good heart, and he wanted to show it to his parents. He wanted them to be okay with who she was. And after everything that they’d done to him, really, accepting her as the love of his life was the least they could do.
Exhaling a slow breath, he grabbed both of her hands and then slung his arm around her waist. That intimate move got the attention of both of his parents, and they started examining Jessie with curious eyes. Kai watched Jessie flush as he pulled her closer to his parents, and felt her squeeze his waist tighter when she was right in front of them. Looking down on her, Kai quietly said, “Mom, Dad, this is my best friend, the love of my life, my girlfriend…Jessica Marie Harper.”
Even though the busy airport was bustling with holiday travelers, Kai could have heard a pin drop at that moment. Looking over at his parents, he almost laughed at the near-identical, stunned expression on each of them. They each knew her name, same as he had known that name. His mother appeared shocked and dismayed at the revelation, and his father had paled considerably. Since Nate and Jessie actually were blood related, it had to be startling for him to see Kai with his arm around his niece.
Kai and Jessie gave them another quiet moment to absorb the news, then Jessie stuck her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Leilani.” Kai’s mother loosely took the hand offered and shook it. After that, Jessie waved her fingers at Kai’s still-open-mouthed dad. “Hi, Uncle Nate, it’s nice to finally meet you.”