His face falls. A lone tear trickles down his cheek.
Kirk grins and takes Khloe from the room.
“Is Khloe your kid?” I ask the question that I never thought I would be asking. Anger is flowing through my blood. I am drowning in a deep sea of red. The thread that connects me to Kai is unraveling.
Raven smiles at me and winks. “Let your mom know I have changed my mind. If you break up with Katie, I might change it again Kai.” She struts out the back door holding her head high proud that she just sliced my soul in half.
Kai’s face is pale and he looks like he can’t breathe. He looks the way I feel. My world is crashing down.
“God Kai! You must think I am so dumb – I would have kept your secret.”
Penny grabs my hand and I jerk back from her. I don’t want anyone to touch me right now. My skin is crawling.
“Katie it wasn’t like that please you have to understand…,” he pleads. I don’t have to do anything.
“You LIED to me Kai—your whole family LIED to me for months. I bet you and Raven sit around and laugh behind my back, while I take care of your kid! I’m DONE Kai. I hope you find what you are looking for in LA.” I start to move away from the counter.
Kai steps in front of me. “Kat, don’t leave me please! I don’t need to look for anything I just need you by my side.” He is down his knees begging me and I cannot bear to look at him right now. Tears are trickling down his beautiful face and it kills me to see him in so much pain, but I am hurting too.
My fingers brush through his hair aching to soothe him. He is hugging my waist clinging to me. I keep hearing his lies playing on a loop in my head. I can’t just let this slide. Kai is breaking my heart. I don’t think I can get over this.
His mom comes in wanting to know why Khloe is crying and saying everyone is fighting.
“Raven wants Khloe back—if I don’t break up with Katie,” Kai admits his voice cracking.
“Over my dead body!” Kelli screeches. She storms off going after Raven I can only assume.
“Kat, baby, I can explain. I just I have to take care of this with Raven first. If she goes to the press. It could ruin everything. I don’t want lose you, but I HAVE to protect Khloe.” His arms fall to his sides when he sees I am like a statue and no longer r
eceptive to his touch.
“Go Kai,” I tell him knowing that I will be gone when he comes back.
He kisses my cheek and I die a little on the inside knowing it is the last time I will ever feel his lips on me.
Gasping for the air I so desperately, need I run to the bathroom and throw up violently as Penny holds my hair.
“I knew she was a conniving bitch,” Penny rambles going on and on about how she was right.
“You aren’t going to let her stand between you and Kai are you Katie?” She reaches me a damp cloth as I lie in the floor wanting to die.
I have been watching Khloe for months. Kai has had every opportunity to tell me the truth and yet he continued to say nothing. ‘Khloe is my little sister.’ God! It all makes sense…why he would randomly take Khloe to Beans so Raven could give her a cookie. ‘It’s complicated.’
“Well are you Katie? You just going to give up on Kai because he kept one secret!”
“That’s a pretty damn big secret Penny. I won’t be with someone who can’t be honest with me. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me.” I wipe at my tears and blow my nose.
Grabbing my bags, I start shoving my clothes inside. Penny sits on my bed watching and questioning me. “You aren’t even going to hear his reason why? Aren’t you at least curious?”
“Stop talking Penny!” I snap at her.
“Why because you can’t handle the truth? There is a little girl out there who thinks you hung the moon, and today is her birthday, and her world may be about to be turned inside out. You are being a selfish brat Katie Francis.”
I stop packing and think about what she is saying. I throw myself backwards onto to my bed. “I just—HE LIED TO ME, THEY ALL LIED TO ME! Besides, Kai is going to be touring and recording, he doesn’t have time for me as it is. It’s too much Penny. I just graduated today. This isn’t the kind of problems most eighteen year olds go through. I won’t be the girl that ruins his chance at making it big. And I will NOT be the reason Khloe gets her life as she knows it to be screwed up.”
“Does Kai being Khloe’s dad change the way you feel about him?”
“I’d like to hear the answer to that?” Kai says from my doorway looking ravaged.