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JUN RUSHED PO through breakfast, still unnerved by the close call that morning. Po had almost seen Kai...in her bed! Thank goodness she’d gotten to the door in time. She felt like the worst mother on earth. She’d vowed never to have this happen, to never be the type of mom whose bedroom had a revolving door. She just didn’t think it was...seemly. Jun believed she already spent too much time fighting stereotypes of being a single mom, and she didn’t need to worry about what her neighbors would think when she kicked Kai out at six thirty that morning.
She could still feel the ice-cold sweat on the back of her neck as she sat bolt upright in bed, shocked to find Kai’s naked body beside her and Po nearly at the door. Her heart still leaped to her throat when she thought about what it would mean to explain a naked man in her bed to her little boy. What had she been thinking?
She couldn’t stop berating herself.
Granted, sex with Kai had been mind-blowingly amazing, but she still couldn’t believe her own recklessness. She’d had sex with him when Po was sleeping down the hall! She’d let him sleep over when Po could’ve found them together, especially since he’d been wandering into her room late at night after his nightmares.
She shook her head, shame burning her neck. She couldn’t believe how dumb she’d been. But then again, as she replayed the night in her head, she realized it probably couldn’t have gone any other way. She’d had a moment of weakness, and Kai had been there, and, well, she’d made a mistake. No sense in wallowing in it, as her mother would say. Time to pick herself up and move on.
She was so grateful Po hadn’t caught Kai in her bed, hadn’t started to ask all those uncomfortable questions he’d probably have, like if Kai would be his daddy now. Po had asked that one back when Jun had briefly dated when the boy was just two. That little question had sent her boyfriend at the time running for the door. She’d introduced Po to that man after just one month of dating, and he’d been gone by month three. She most certainly wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
But you nearly did, a voice in her head said. How could you let him sleep over?
There was only one thing to do now: she had to nip this whole thing in the bud. Po was so innocent, so trusting, and she was the gatekeeper, the one who kept him safe. And that was why Jun couldn’t date Kai. It was already too complicated: he was her boss, and he was Po’s hero. The stakes were just too high.
By the time Po finished up the last of his cereal, Jun had made a decision: she’d tell Kai she was sorry about the night before, that it had been a rash mistake, that they should get back to their lives before sex, that her rules for training should still stand. Given how quickly women slid in and out of Kai’s life, Jun figured Kai would probably be relieved, even grateful, for the out. The more Jun thought about it, the simpler it seemed. She tried not to recall how outraged he’d looked when she’d pushed him out her bedroom window.
While she thought about that, her phone lit up with an incoming call.
“Ms. Lee? It’s Julie Ryan from Kona Day Care. We’ve had an opening come up and you are at the top of our waiting list.”
Jun had almost forgotten—she’d been taking advantage of Aunt Kaimana’s babysitting these past few months. “Yes, that’s right.”
“We can take your son this morning, if you’d like. All you need to do is come by, fill out some forms and, of course, leave a deposit, and—”
“I’ll be there,” Jun said, almost too eagerly.
She needed to talk to Kai, and she needed to do it without Po hearing, and while Kai’s aunt had been lovely in taking care of him, it was high time Jun took back a measure of control, especially when it came to Po. She was beginning to feel too tangled up in Kai’s generosity, and she was almost certain her feelings of obligation had probably led to bad decision making last night.
Having Po in day care would at least provide some separation. And stop him from getting any closer to Kai. She had to protect Po. But what about yourself? Can you protect yourself? she wondered.
Jun called Aunt Kaimana directly on her cell that morning to let her know she didn’t have to watch Po. The woman sounded disappointed, and so did Po, who stubbornly claimed he didn’t want to go to a new “school,” no matter what kind of playground they had or which blocks or toys they’d offer. Eventually, Jun had to put her foot down, and even worse, she left Po at his new day care in the middle of a full-on tantrum, his cries haunting her as she walked out the door.
