Obligation(66)

“You know they will.” Aye answers.

I nod. He’s right. Kai wouldn’t be helping if he thought for one moment that something could go wrong.

I put my finger to the glass as we pull away, and then I see him. My gut goes tight and bile crawls up my throat, making it hard to breathe. I knew he was in Vegas, but the idea of seeing him never crossed my mind, not even once. Like he realizes that I’m near, his head turns and his eyes lock on me through the tinted glass. His face goes hard for a moment, but then a sinister smile appears on his mouth and he winks, lifting his chin. I swallow, turning away from the window as my hands begin to shake.

“You okay?” Pika asks.

I nod and lower my face to my lap, taking deep, silent breaths. I don’t want them to call Kai and have him worried about me—not right now, not when he’s dealing with something that needs his full attention.

“Myla, talk to me,” he says gently, moving to sit closer to me.

I shake my head and scoot away from him. I do not want to be touched by anyone. I place my hands on my ever-expanding stomach and try to calm down. One thing I know is that freaking out would not be good for our son, and I would never do anything to endanger him.

“Do you want me to call Kai?” he questions.

My eyes lift to meet Pika’s, and I know that it would be so easy to call my husband and have him make me feel better, but I can’t.

“No, I just…” I pause. “I just have a bad case of heartburn,” I lie.

He searches my face then nods once, and without another word, we take off back to the house. As soon as we get home, I go directly to our room, not even saying anything to the guys before putting PJs on and crawling into bed. I wake up when the bed dips and the scent of Kai fills my nose.

“Myla, I need you to wake up.”

I roll over at the sound of pain in Kai’s voice. I go to sit up, but his hand at my waist keeps me in place.

“Is everything okay?” I ask sleepily, pushing my hair out of my face.

He shakes his head, and anguish appears on his handsome face.

“What happened?”

“I need you to talk to me, Myla. Pika told me that you saw Thad tonight and immediately closed down. I know that this is something you don’t want to talk about, but I need you to open up to me. I need you to make me understand why, even if his name is mentioned, fear floods your eyes and your body goes rigid. I’m honestly begging you to talk to me about it, to trust me with whatever it is. I do not want our child growing inside you to feel that energy, and I don’t want that for you,” he whispers quietly.

Each and every one of his words causes pain to expand in my chest. The only person I have ever spoken to about what happened was my therapist in college. But I know I need to open up to Kai. He deserves to understand, and it’s not fair for me to keep even the darkest parts of my life from him.

“Please,” he whispers sounding completely gutted.

“Will you lie with me?”

He nods and slips his clothes off before getting into bed with me. He wraps himself around me, and that feeling of safety gives me the courage I need. I swallow and squeeze my eyes closed. I hate that this is something I have to share with him. I don’t want what Thad did to me to taint what we have. I open my eyes and look up at him.

“My life was amazing growing up. I know my real parents suffered, but they did give me to a family who loved me and wanted me.”

His face goes soft, and his hand runs over my hair and down my back, pulling me closer.

“Did you know that my mom couldn’t have more kids?” I ask.

He shakes his head no, and I continue.

“She and my dad had tried for more kids after having Rory and Thad, but it just never happened, so she gave up, just happy to have them. Then my dad came to her one day after talking with my father, and he told her about me and the situation with my parents.” I pause and let out a breath. “She said yes immediately. She was excited to have another child, and even more excited to be getting a daughter. My life was good. There was never a time that I felt like I wasn’t wanted or like they didn’t love me,” I stress, wanting him to know that this wasn’t my parents’ fault. None of this was their fault. They were victims as much as I was.

“I get that, Myla.”


I take a breath and let it out slowly, gathering the courage to say what I have to say next. “On my sixteenth birthday, my mom and dad took me and a group of my girlfriends out to dinner. Birthdays were always a big deal, but it was a school night, and I wouldn’t be having my party until the weekend, so they wanted to do something small until my party.” I lift my hand, tracing his lower lip. “I remember having so much fun that night. My friends and I were all boy-crazy at that point, and my dad was always a good sport, joking that he would invite whatever boy was near over to our table and introduce us to him. My dad was the best. Still is.”