An Unexpected Romance

Chapter 19

His eyes widened for a moment upon seeing her, and something flashed across them along with surprise. Gema didn’t have time to analyze it, she had to get Kai and leave, now. She strode forward to scoop Kai into her arms and cradle him close. Gema kissed his forehead, turning her back on the man and murmuring to Kai. 

“There, there, honey, you’re okay, I’ve got you” Kai sniffed and hugged her back, and Gema reluctantly put him down when he began to squirm. Gema got on her knees on his level, and grabbed his shoulders, looking Kai in the eyes. “Now, you are never to walk away from me, do you hear me? Never do you leave my side, do you understand?” 

“I only wanted to see the pilot” Kai frowned at her, and Gema frowned back. 

“Yes, but I would have taken you, you must not run off again” Kai nodded then and she fixed his sweater, wiping his tears with the sleeve of her cardigan. 

“Yes mama.”

“Mama?” Gema’s eyes closed at hearing the from behind her. Vistos. She had almost forgotten he was there. But her body had not, just the sound of his voice made her body constrict in places she had forgotten existed. Gema straightened up and stood in front of Kai, blocking his view of the little boy, and turned to face him. She raised her eyes from his well worn dark leather Sperry’s, up his long muscular legs, over his firm torso.

“Hello Vistos” Gema muttered, her eyes leaving that wide chest to take in that face from so long ago, and was surprised to find a complete stranger looking back at her. Gema blinked once, twice, but Vistos did not appear before her eyes. “Oh! P-pardon me, I thought you were….someone I knew.” Gema apologized, and the man smiled with kind eyes.

 “That‘s alright miss, but surely you‘re not that little boy‘s mom?“ He said, his eyes filled with disbelief. Gema thrust her chin out defiantly. She wasn’t about to let anyone question her parenting.  

“Surely I am” 

“Well damn, I would have bet money he was your kid brother. Excuse my language, but you don‘t look a day over 21.” He replied, flashing her a brilliant smile that lit up his whole face, the disbelief from his eyes gone to be replaced by something warm in his green eyes, and Gema blushed. This man was hitting on her! In an airport! In front of her son! What a rarity! 

“Well, that’s very kind of you-”

Before Gema could say anything else, Kai had stepped out from behind her legs and he glared up at the gorgeous man with tiny closed fists and eyes blazing. 

“You’re not supposed to use bad words. They don’t use bad words at Disney World, where my mommy is taking me. So you can‘t come.” He informed the stranger, and Gema almost died. 

“Kai-”

The man abruptly dropped down to Kai’s level, squatting in the middle of the airport, with hundreds of people going by them. Gema stepped back in surprise, and this beautiful man threw a smile up at her briefly before looking back at Kai. He studied Kai for a while, Kai scrutinizing him right back, then he took a visible deep breath, but Kai beat him to it. 

“What‘s your name?” Kai asked pointedly, and the man looked briefly surprised. 

“I, am Jamie.” 

Kai made a face. “That’s a girl’s name. My name is Kai” He said confidently with a toss of his silky curls. “It’s Italian” 

“Is it” Jamie mused, a slight smile on his full lips, his eyes looking Kai from head to toe. 

“Do you know my mommy?” Kai suddenly asked, looking up at Gema. “Her name is Gema, and she runs an art alley.” Kai said proudly, and Gema tugged on his shoulder slightly, laughing forcefully.