Page 22 of Bittersweet Redemption

Roman’s face lights up, but there is no way we’re staying with Kai. Absolutely not. “No, we can’t intrude on you like that.”

Kai looks back at me. “Where else are you going to go?” He says this in a way that makes me feel dumb. He’s offering his home because we have nowhere else to go. I should accept the help and be grateful, but I can’t. He hates me. If we stayed with him, even for a little while, I’d be constantly worried he’d get revenge on me somehow.

“I don’t know,” I answer quietly, mentally trying to figure out if I can afford to stay in a hotel for a while. I don’t know how long it takes to fix a roof or a kitchen.

“Then, it’s settled.”

My brow furrows in confusion. He can’t just make this decision for me. “Ro, can you get your stuff out of the car so I can talk to Mr. Kai?” He nods and walks towards the car. Once he’s out of earshot, I ask, “Why would you offer us a place to stay?”

“I’m not doing it for you,” he says matter-of-factly. I take a step back. “I’m doing it for the kid. I know what it’s like to not want to see your dad. He shouldn’t have to be in that situation any more than he has to.”

“Oh.” I can’t form words right now. This is the first piece of personal information Kai has given me about himself.

“Get your shit and meet me at my house.” As much as I really don’t want to stay with Kai, it is nice to have someone help me make this decision. I know this is what’s best for Roman. Kayla lives on the other side of town, so his bus wouldn’t be able to pick him up. He likes Kai, and I truly don’t believe Kai would do anything to hurt Roman. Me, though? I’ll have to keep my guard up. But at least we’ll have a roof over our heads, and we won’t be with Nick again.

After I get permission from the firefighters to go in the house and grab some things, Roman and I each fill one suitcase with clothes, toiletries, and toys for him before we make our way to Kai’s house.

“We have to be on our best behavior while we’re here, ok, Ro?” I whisper to him before knocking on the door. He nods in agreement, and we wait for Kai to let us in.

Kai doesn’t say anything as he ushers us inside, and I’m looking for any signs that he’s changed his mind, and we have to scramble to look for somewhere else to live. But he looks even more sure of his decision now than when he offered it.

He walks us down this hallway. “You guys will have to share this room.”

He opens the door to his guest room. There’s a large enough bed for Roman and me to share, which is all we really need.

“Bathroom is across the hall. I have my own bathroom in my bedroom, so this one is all yours.”

“Ok.” I turn and look at him standing in the doorway. “Thanks again for this. We’ll try our best to stay out of your way.”

“Mm-hmm.” He looks around the room. There’s just a bed in here and some curtains on the windows. It’s not much, but I wasn’t expecting a fully furnished guest suite. “I work five nights a week and usually get home around three a.m. Try to keep it down in the mornings if you can. And clean up after yourselves.”

“We can do that, can’t we, Ro?”

“Yep! Thanks for letting us live with you, Mr. Kai.”

“No problem, kid.” He ruffles Roman’s hair before he leaves us to get settled. Roman opens his suitcase to get his cars out, and I flop down on the bed, wondering how in the world I got myself into this situation. Living in the same house with the man who hates me, the man I helped put in prison because I was selfish.

Chapter 11

Kai

“What the fuck were you thinking?” my brother demands. I called him on my way to work to update him on the most recent developments regarding my new roommate situation.

“I obviously wasn’t thinking, was I?” My grip tightens on the steering wheel. All I could see was how upset the kid looked when he asked if they would have to stay with his dad. I may have also noticed how worried Willa looked, and I couldn’t stop myself from swooping in to help them.

“You let her move in with you? I thought you hated her.” He makes a valid point. I did hate her. I do hate her. But the more I see her around—the more I see her with Roman—the more I’m starting to think maybe she’s not that bad. I have to keep reminding myself that she’s the reason I’ve missed out on a huge chunk of my life. Maybe if I stop reminding myself of that. . .

“I do hate her,” I say, trying to convince myself that it’s true. I can’t let my guard down around her. I know that. “It’s the kid. . .”

“What about him?” Kellan asks skeptically.

I sigh, knowing he’s not going to like the answer. “He reminds me of you when you were his age.” Kellan was an energetic little kid, but he stayed close to me. We were best friends. I was older, so I always looked out for him, especially when we started school in a not-so-great part of town.

“Jesus Christ, Kai. So, what, you wanna take care of him? He has a father, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, but he seems like a shithead. The last time I saw him go with his dad, he started crying.”

“Shit,” Kellan whispers.