He relaxed against the headboard with a sated smile. I melted into my mattress. At least I did until my door handle rattled.
“Oh shit,” I whispered. “I think Kai’s trying to come into my room.” I scrambled to grab my nightgown.
“Mum,” Kai groaned, rattling the door. Thank goodness I’d locked the door earlier. I just hoped he didn’t ask me about it.
“Give me just a sec,” I said, quickly righting my nightgown and hoping I didn’t look too flustered. “Hey,” I said to Jasper. “I can call you back or…”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait. I should get cleaned up anyway.”
“Sorry.” I mouthed to Jasper.
He chuckled, and I left my phone on the bed while I went to open the door. I took one look at Kai and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel good.” He flopped on the bed, and Rosie trotted in a moment later. He picked her up, and they cuddled on the bed together.
I brushed Kai’s hair away from his face. “What’s bothering you?”
“My stomach.” He curled up into a ball, his little face racked with pain. I hated seeing him go through this time and again with no way to help him.
I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a quick thing, and I didn’t want to keep Jasper waiting. It was even later there, and I knew he had a lot of meetings in the next few days before he came home.
I picked up my phone, my heart still pounding. “Hey. Sorry. I’m going to have to go.”
“Who are you talking to?” Kai asked then leaned over to see my screen. Fortunately, everything below Jasper’s waist was covered up. “Oh. Hi, Jasper.”
Rosie also decided to jump into the frame, and I laughed. This call wasn’t going at all to plan. My kid and Jasper’s dog were hijacking the conversation.
“Hey, kiddo.” Jasper’s hair was mussed, and he was shirtless. He looked relaxed. A little smug. And deeply satisfied. “How are you?”
“Not so good.” Kai hugged a pillow to his chest.
“I’m sorry to hear that, bud.” Jasper frowned. “I hope you feel better.”
“When are you coming home?”
“Two more days,” Jasper said. “And it can’t come soon enough.”
I nodded my agreement and mouthed “Miss you,” while Kai’s attention was focused on Rosie. He mouthed it back.
“Mummy.” Kai groaned again, clutching his stomach. “I really don’t feel good.”
Jasper’s eyes darted between the two of us as he tried to assess the situation. I could tell that he didn’t want to hang up, but he was also trying to respect my wishes about keeping our relationship a secret from Kai.
We spent time together as the three of us—well, four with Rosie. But we didn’t want to confuse Kai or risk spilling the secret until we were ready.
Finally, Jasper said, “I should let you get some rest.”
Before I could hang up, Kai said, “Mum. I think I’m going to—” And then he threw up all over my bed.
“You hungry?”I asked Kai.
“Not really,” he said from the couch where he was watching a show with Rosie.
I decided to order some food anyway, hoping it would entice him to eat. When the on-site doctor had visited earlier, he’d suggested a mild diet, hydration, and then referred us to a pediatric gastroenterologist. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or concerned that he wanted me to get Kai into the gastro right away, but it was nice to have my concerns taken seriously.
My stomach growled, and I realized I also hadn’t eaten all day. I’d been up most of the night taking care of Kai, worried about him and trying to figure out how to juggle everything. Because with Jasper in Colorado and Sloan still out on maternity leave, my calendar was jam-packed.
I’d had my assistant cancel all my meetings, but I couldn’tcompletely shut off work. And I also couldn’t devote myself fully to it. Not with a sick kiddo.
