22. Kairo

22Kairo

Ashley staredup at me as I paced back and forth in front of her. I stopped long enough to glance in her direction, then continued the pacing again. My mind had been running all over the place from the night before. Justin had ignored all my calls, and now I was left to give the third degree to an eighteen-year-old. I was sure she just wanted to bolt and go home to see if her electricity had been restored.

“Ashley,” I started, sliding into the spot next to her on the couch. She nodded but barely looked at me. “I’m sorry to have to keep you here, but this is important. I tried all night to get Justin to answer me. I’m worried about him. I hope you can at least understand how panicked I am. I can’t lose them.”

“I understand, Kairo,” she began, looking up slightly to match my gaze, but then shrugged. “I don’t know what else I can tell you, though.”

I groaned. “But you know where the children are, right?”

“Yes, they’re at their aunt’s house,” she said. “That much I know.”

He frowned. “Aunt? Which aunt?”

She shrugged. “Hazel, somebody or other.” She groaned and covered her face. “This is really all my fault. I called her but had no idea that she would go bonkers. She’s threatening to take the kids from him. She said he was intoxicated last night.”

“Intoxicated? I think I saw him have one, maybe two beers. But when he left, he wasn’t drunk. Not even close.”

She shrugged. “That’s what she said. She said that he couldn’t handle the children. She was practically yelling at him, but he held his own, giving it right back, but yeah it wan’t good. She said a lot of things, but honestly I did my best to ignore it. But, I know that she wants the kids, and I think she said something about taking him to court.”

“Do you know her last name?” I asked.

“I don’t remember. It’s listed on the refrigerator door. That’s where I got her number for an emergency. I know that it said I could call her, but frankly, I really think I should not have brought her into this. If she takes the kids away from Justin…and you. That would be awful.”

“Don’t even worry about that.” I reached out and touched her arm. I would make damned sure that she never had the opportunity to get the kids from him. Over my dead body, anyway.

She looked up at me. “Will you be okay if I go home now, Kairo? I really don’t think I can help you any more than what I’ve already told you.”

He nodded. “Yes, absolutely. Don’t forget your frozen foods, unless you want to see if the electricity is back on before taking them home. If you need to come back and stay here, just let me know. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

“Thanks, Kairo,” she mumbled, then got up from the couch and left the living room. I waited to hear the click of the door closing behind her before I went to the kitchen and found the list of emergency contacts. I looked it over and finally saw Hazel’s name. It was listed closer to the bottom, and I wondered if Ashley had gone through the entire list before reaching her name. Or, the fact that it said aunt after her name might have propelled her into calling her first.

I carried the paper into the den and sat down at the computer to put my detective skills to the test by looking up her name. Luckily, only a few clicks got me an address, and I was on the road five minutes later.

I didn’t bother practicing the plethora of things I would say to her when she opened the door. Just made the drive and was glad when I finally reached her home. It was then that I worried she would kick me out of her house and tell me never to come around again. I didn’t want to make things worse for Justin, but I knew that if I stepped aside and watched Hazel attack a good man, I would ultimately betray my mate. I wasn’t about to add that to the list of reasons why I feared Justin would not want to come back to me.

I knocked on the door, and to my surprise, a woman opened it almost immediately. “Hello? May I help you?”

“Hello, are you Hazel?” Her eyes narrowed in on me.

“Kaiwo!” Sara yelled from behind them. She came running towards me, and I lifted her into my arms.

“Hey, angel,” I said. I then looked back to the woman at the door, and her eyes dimmed. “Let me start out with a name. I’m Kairo.”

“That was established a bit ago,” she said, looking up at Sara.

I smiled. “Right. And you’re their Aunt Hazel. Am I right?” She nodded. “I would like to speak with you. If I can have a few moments of your time.”

She stepped back and allowed me to enter. That was one step in the right direction. “You can put Sara in the family room. She’s playing with Theo, and my Maid, Bridgette, is watching over them.”

I walked Sara into the room, where Hazel directed, and put her down on the blanket. “Hey, Theo.” I ruffled his curly hair with my hand and looked at both of them. “I’ll see you both in a bit.”

I turned and followed Hazel out of the room and into the formal living room, where we could sit and talk.

“So, before you start,” Hazel began, “I’m guessing you’re here to defend Justin, and you want to plead with me not to take him to court. Is that it? I already spoke with my lawyer, and he’s drawing up the papers with the judge. I get that he’s your friend and all, but there’s really not a whole lot that can be done here.”

“I’m more than a friend, Hazel. I’m Justin’s mate.” Her eyes darted up to mine, shock written on her face. “Justin and I just found each other, and I’ll be taking care of him and the children from now on. You don’t have to worry about them. I assure you that they are in good hands.”

“His mate?” she asked. I nodded slowly. “I don’t understand. Justin didn’t share that with me. He didn’t tell me that he had found his mate or anything. Why wouldn’t he share such a big development with me?”

“My best guess would be that it’s probably because you’ve been hounding him and threatening to take the kids away. I don’t know the whole story, but I hope one day I will get to hear it all. The one thing I’m positive about is he’s a good man and loves them with his whole heart. He is patient and kind to them, even when they get into trouble as children do. The children are lucky to have him in their lives. I have no doubt that you love these kids. But I’d like to suggest that you try to repair your relationship with Justin for the sake of Theo and Sara, so they can have a happy and stable relationship with both of you. Doesn’t that seem better for Sara and Theo rather than making it a living hell for Justin?”

After giving it some thought, Hazel nodded. “I guess I wanted to believe I was the better option. I didn’t think that Justin would be a good parent for them.”

I smiled. “No one will ever beat their parents, that’s for sure. But if you team up, then Theo and Sara will discover that their family is a united front. And that’s a blessing for them.”

“Yes, you’re probably right.” She shook her head, and I saw tears forming in her eyes. “I don’t want to hurt them in any way. They’ve already gone through so much.”

“I’m going to be quite frank with you, Hazel, because I sense you are a person who appreciates that. I plan to spend the rest of my life with Justin and those two babies there. I will do whatever it takes to protect all three of them at any cost. I am well off and can take care of them without any issue.” I kept eye contact with her the entire time, seeing some respect for me growing in her eyes.

She nodded in agreement as I felt relief flooding over me. Had this really worked? I just needed confirmation in her words. “So, will you please drop this whole court nonsense and let Justin and I try to be happy as we build our family?”

To my relief, she nodded. “I will try to stop thinking of him as an adversary since we’re really on the same side. I just want them to be happy, healthy and taken care of. I appreciate your candor Kairo, and I know you will do your best to ensure that for my neice and nephew.”

I clapped my hands together, rejoicing over that moment when she fully accepted my reassurances. She even smiled at that point, and I knew that Justin, Theo, and Sara were going to all be okay. If Justin would have me, we would be able to start moving towards a lasting permanent relationship.