Safeguarding Kelly(31)
Author: Zoe Dawson
All through dinner, Kelly couldn’t relax. Her sister, who was always good at picking up on her anxiety, kept throwing her emotionally laden looks between her and Jason, which didn’t help. Her mother knew something was up and kept up a conversation by asking Jason all about himself, peppered by questions from Haru. She gave him grateful looks. Their children hadn’t come with them, they were with Haru’s mom, so the chaos was a bit subdued. Her father sat quiet and reserved at the end of the table. Finally, the meal ended.
She rose and touched Kim’s arm. “Would you and Haru look after Kiko for a bit? Jason and I need to talk to Mom and Dad.”
“Are you sure about this, Kelly?”
“More than I ever have been in my life. It’s time for the truth to come out.”
Kim gave her a supporting squeeze. “I told Haru and we’re one hundred percent behind you.”
She smiled as Haru nodded at her with a bolstering smile. “One hundred percent. You’re an amazing mom.”
She turned to her parents as her mom started to clear. “Oh, leave it, Mom. Haru and I’ll handle clean-up. Kiko wants to help, right?”
She nodded vigorously.
When they reached the living room, much too close in proximity to the kitchen, Kelly cleared her throat, her palms sweating. “Mom and Dad,” Kelly said. “I would like to talk to you privately.”
Her father gave her a sharp look and her mom glanced at Jason. “All right.”
She led them to the study, and they went inside. Kelly closed the door behind them. She took Jason’s arm and led him to the sofa as her mom and dad took the chairs opposite.
“I would very much appreciate it if you would hold any conversation and response until I’m finished speaking.” Her mother nodded, and her father looked away in disgust.
“Lee,” her mother said, his first name sounding caustic in her sharp voice.
He turned back and gave her a curt nod.
Kelly took a deep breath. “I conceived Kiko when I was on active duty in Kodiak, Alaska. You both know I was a hypothermic doctor assigned to a search and rescue group there.” Her father’s eyes shifted to Jason, the truth dawning on him, but true to his word, he didn’t interrupt. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to stay calm and stay seated. Her chest filled with dread, her heart pounding, she opened her eyes and faced her father’s disapproving gaze. “Jason was our rescue swimmer. He’s the father of Kiko.”
“Why didn’t—” Her mother cut off her father with a sweep of her hand. His eyes widened, but he didn’t continue.
Her mother’s sympathetic eyes gave her the courage to continue along with the squeeze from Jason’s hand moving to entwine with hers. “He didn’t know that I was pregnant. I kept the information from him because I was his superior. Our affair, according to Coast Guard regulations, was considered fraternizing, and it’s an offense against the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It’s a court-martial offense, so I left so we both wouldn’t be tempted to resume our affair, and either be dishonorably discharged or court-martialed. It’s still possible for them to bring me up on charges if they find out. Even now that I’m no longer on active duty.” She took a hard, shuddering breath at the fear on her mother’s face, the anger and disgust on her dad’s. “I have to take the biggest share of the blame as I was an officer. It’s my duty not to compromise my honor and integrity. But I did. I wanted you both to know that he’s not to blame for not being involved in Kiko’s life. We’re…working things out and I don’t want any pressure about this. He is a part of this family.”
Her father abruptly rose. “You have dishonored us all by this unsavory behavior.” He slammed out of the room.
Kelly’s vision suddenly blurred, partly from her father’s reaction, but mostly from getting that out into the open, that secret she kept for so long. With her chest filling up with feeling for him, she turned to him, and he slipped his arms around her. Emitting a choked sound, Jason held her fiercely.
Well, she did it. She’d answered her own question. Was she willing to travel this path? Damn right she was, and she had to wonder if it felt this good to tell her parents about what had happened and who Kiko’s father was, how good would it feel to come clean to the Coast Guard? And, God help her, could she live with those consequences?
CHAPTER TEN
He had wanted to be there for Kelly when they got back to her place, but she wasn’t much inclined to talk. It was clear to Jason that she wanted her father’s approval, but he’d only seen her transgressions. What Kelly needed was his forgiveness.
He held her tightly when they went to bed, trying with his body to give her a solid place to rest. In the morning, he turned to her to see that she was fully awake.
“Hey, good morning,” he said gruffly. “Tell me you got some sleep.”
She shrugged. “Enough.”
“It isn’t true what your father said to you last night. You do have honor. You did your best to handle a tough situation.”
She sighed and tears welled in her eyes. “A situation I caused. In my father’s eyes, I don’t have honor.” She squeezed her eyes closed and sighed as the tears tracked down her cheeks. “Regardless of how I look at it. I did violate my integrity and compromise both of us. I kept your child from you for fear of repercussions. I knew you’d do the right thing, and it would have been a disaster, so I thought. It’s such a terrible tangle.” She bit her lip and looked away. “When I told him I was pregnant, our relationship changed. He didn’t want me to keep her. He thought it was evidence of my crime of having a child out of wedlock.”
“Even in this day and age?”
“Yes. It doesn’t matter. My dad is old school. My actions don’t just reflect on me. They reflect on our whole family. It’s just one more violation in a line of violations.”
“How so?”
“My sister’s husband isn’t exactly what my dad considers appropriate. He’s Muslim. He fought tooth and nail to talk her out of the marriage, but my sister couldn’t care less about tradition. She was in love with Haru and that was all that mattered to her. They have a beautiful life together.”
“But you care about traditions?”