Page 6 of The Billionaire I Left Behind

I reach Nate’s house in minutes, grab the wrapped package from the seat beside me, and step out. Buddy trots ahead, tail wagging as soon as he spots Rufus by the door. Rufus just about loses his mind, circling Buddy as I make my way up the steps. The sight makes me smile. The front door swings open before I even knock.

“Uncle Bryan!”

Max barrels into me like a tiny linebacker, his arms locking around my waist. I grin, catching him easily before tossing him up in the air just enough to make him squeal.

“Getting heavy, kid,” I tease, setting him back down. “What are they feeding you?”

Max laughs, practically bouncing on his feet. “Everything! Mom says I eat like Dad.”

It pleases me to hear him call Lizmom. This is all I ever wanted for my sister, happiness. I shake my head as I thoughtof how furious I had been when I heard she was with Nate. It had felt like betrayal having your best friend dating your sister behind your back.

However, looking back now I have no regrets giving them my blessings. My sister radiates every single day with Nate. It's like she has always been meant to be by his side. To top it all, Nate also looks better over the past few years. He is clearly happy.

"You do," I say as he giggles and raises his head to look at me making me chuckle.

I squat to his height handing him the package watching as his smile widens. “Here. Uncle Bryan saw this and thought you’d like this.”

"Thank you, Uncle Bryan!" I catch him as he throws his tiny hands around my neck and hugs me.

"You're welcome," I chuckle as he pulls back. His attention now on the box. His eyes go wide as he rips the paper away, revealing the model rocket kit inside.

“A rocket?!” His excitement is instant, bright. “Can we build it now?”

I ruffle his hair. “Tomorrow, champ. I'm sure your mom and dad are waiting for us.”

Nate groans from the doorway, his eyes on Max's gift. “You’re spoiling him again.”

"Daddy, Uncle Bryan got me a rocket!" he squeals grinning from ear to ear.

"I can see that. It seems Uncle Bryan and Uncle Liam,are determined to buy you all the toys in the world in the literal sense,"

"That's the goal and when his brother or sister arrives we’ll have another baby to spoil."

Nate chuckles and shakes his head. His arm around my shoulders as he leads me in.

I smirk, stepping inside. “Best uncle’s privilege.”

The moment I step in Liz is there. A smile spreading across her face, glowing at twenty-four weeks pregnant, hand resting on her bump. “You’re hopeless.”

“I’m great with kids,” I counter, sliding into my usual chair at the dining table.

Nate snorts. “Yeah, because you get to leave when they start screaming.”

I shrug. “Smart man knows his limits.”

Dinner unfolds the way it always does, comforting, easy, familiar. Nate carves the roasted chicken while Liz passes the rolls. Max chatters nonstop about school, filling us in on his latest playground adventures. Rufus weaves around the table, hoping for scraps, and Buddy flops at my feet, his head resting against my boot.

This is the good stuff, the kind of evening that reminds me of what stability looks like. Then Nate smirks. I know that look.

“You could dote on more if you’d settle down like me.”

I stop mid-chew, setting my fork down. “Not for me.”

Liz glances at Nate, then back at me, her expression unreadable. “You always say that” she muses. “Never say never.”

I scoff, but the words cut deeper than they should. My mind flashes, Emma at seventeen, her eyes bright, her hands gripping mine as she whispered about forever.

Then she was gone. I shake my head. “I know better. True love’s a myth, she proved it.”

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