Millie sighed as she adjusted her sore hip. “I suppose I was trying to protect you. In my head, Nate will always be your father. I could only see that knowing the truth would hurt you.” Her lips twisted into a wry smile as she watched Jessica Marie’s gaze drift over Kai’s face. “I certainly never saw the benefit of you discovering it.”
Kai chuckled and peeked up at Jessica, then Millie. “I suppose I can understand that. I just wish the news had come from someone I knew.” He sighed and shook his head. “I think that would have been an easier way to hear it.”
Millie leaned over and grabbed his cool hand with both of hers. Feeling the smoothness of his dark skin under her gnarled fingers, she moved as close to Kai as she could. Pressing her lips into a firm line, she matter-of-factly stated, “I will never keep anything from you again.”
Kai nodded then came over and wrapped his arms around her body. As she hugged the child fate had given her, Millie considered him becoming a member of the family through marriage. She always had adored him, and while it was still a little odd to think of him with Jessica Marie, the woman she still wanted to refer to as his cousin, Millie had to admit that they did complement each other remarkably well. So well in fact, that if Millie could have invented an ideal partner for the other, she would have invented Kai for Jessica, and Jessica for Kai.
She smiled as she patted Kai’s back, happy that at least one thing had worked out well in this awful situation. So many lives had been hurt by the deceit that it was heartwarming to know at least one aspect of her family’s life was a little better because the truth had been revealed.
As she hugged her potential grandson-in-law tight, she murmured into his ear, “You’ll always be family to me, Kai. I love you.”
As he squeezed her back just as tightly, she heard him respond with, “Blood or not, I love you too.”
Sniffling like an old, sentimental fool, Millie pulled away from him. Kai was handling the news so much better than she’d believed he would, but she knew he would have his good moments and his bad moments. Learning something hard about family was never an easy thing, especially when the family in question was your parents. Children tended to idolize them, put them on slim-footed pedestals that were so easy to fall from. Learning they were fallible human beings, just like everyone else, could be crushing. Jessica Marie had taken care of Kai in a way Millie hadn’t anticipated, but was immensely grateful that the caring woman had; Millie was certain that Jessica’s presence was the reason for Kai’s acceptance.
Smiling at the pair of beloved people before her, Millie pushed away from her chair and gingerly stood up. “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.” She smirked at Kai as he stood and offered her his elbow for support. “You wouldn’t want me dying from malnutrition, would you?”
Kai nodded, his face quite serious until he broke out into a soft laugh. Millie chuckled, patted his arm in thanks, and then looked down at her seated granddaughter. Shaking her head, she sighed, “I suppose I’ll have to stop trying to set you both up with people?”
Jessica Marie stood as well, and also offered Millie her arm. Raising one corner of her lip, she sullenly replied with, “Please do. I don’t need any more Simons calling me up twenty-four seven.”
Millie laughed softly as she pulled her children into the kitchen so they could all have a late lunch together. As Kai led the way, he looked back at Jessica with a small frown on his face. “Who’s Simon?”
Looking over at Jessica, Millie shared a moment of secret knowledge with the younger woman. Jessica’s eyes twinkled as she gave Kai a coy smile. “No one important, sweetheart.”
Millie shook her head at hearing the loving nickname, and wondered again how she’d missed the signs. They were so easy to see now, as the two of them set her down at her hard kitchen table. Kai gave Jessica loving looks as he went about preparing one of the meals Mille had taught him to make. Jessica Marie gave him light touches and brief kisses as she rinsed off some lettuce for the salad. Millie supposed she’d just glossed over the affection as a brotherly/sisterly bond, but it was clearly so much more than that. It pleased her that even at her age, life could still surprise her.
And of course, that was what made every day worth getting up to see.