Page 29 of Next Door Billionaire's Surprise Baby

“It’s not just that,” I begin, and she immediately looks intrigued, “Growing up back there were all shades of rough. I was bullied all through middle and high school for being a geek.” I laugh dryly, “I loved computers and programming, but the cool kids saw me as a gum stuck on the bottom of their shoes. I wanted to skip town so bad just to get away from them.”

Chloe’s eyes grow sad, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s been a long time, and some of my memories have faded, but I can still clearly remember how trapped I felt back then. When Tim was born, I was already working on my escape plan to head off to college. And I left my hometown less than three years later.”

The events play out inside my head like they happened yesterday. I remember being so gorged on the joy of freedom that I was fueled to drive hundreds of miles to college on my own.

“But then my dad left, and I had to come back home for my mom and Tim occasionally to make sure they were okay. It felt nice to be a male figure to watch over them, but driving back and forth as often as I could began to take a toll on me. My grades began slipping, and the IT firm at which I worked part-time told me they would let me go if I was not available more often. That’s when I had to make the decision to stay away for good.”

The table is silent for a full minute. Chloe’s expression is one of sympathy and guilt.

I reach out to take her hand, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She swallows hard and says in a brittle voice, “I blamed you, you know? I always thought you were selfish for not being there for Tim,” she looks down at our joined hands, “I forgot that you were also a young guy still growing up at the time.”

She is not the only person who thought I was selfish back. Even to this day, I’m unable to shake off the guilt of abandoning my life back home, even though I know I didn’t. It’s one of the reasons I don’t bother visiting my family in my hometown often. No matter how happy my mom is to see me, I can’t help but wonder if she secretly resents me. I know Tim does, even if he won’t say it.

My mood begins to spiral downwards, and I try as much as possible to get rid of the depressing thoughts out of my mind. I’m on a date with the woman I’m falling in love with, and I don’t want what happened in the past to ruin this moment.

Mustering an easy smile, I console her, “It’s all in the past now. I’m glad to be where I am right now, and even though I don’t have the best relationship with my brother, I’m working towards it.”

She still looks heavy-hearted, so I chime in, “Do you want to know how many mountains I’ve climbed?”

For the next hour, I entertain her with stories of adventures from my traveling years. Those were undoubtedly the best two years of my life, and I wish to have more of them.

“… The caretaker told us not to feed the animals, but I was way too daring to listen. I reached out a hand through the bars of the cage, and guess what? One of the juvenile ostriches waltzed over to peck the apple out of my hand, and in the process…” I rolled up my sleeve to show her the already fading scar on my forearm, “it nearly took off my arm.”

Chloe gasps in delight, “No way. You totally deserved that.”

I shrug. "In my defense, I was a stupid young man in the prime of his life. And there was not a single piece of advice I listened to.”

We dissolve into laughter. Chloe recovers first, and she states, “I’m so jealous of Skye right now. A billionaire uncle with a thing for adventure? I would kill to have that.”

My heart stutters like it always does whenever my niece is mentioned. I feel worse when I think about that child and how I missed out on her birth. I would like to see her, though, even if for just once.

“Chloe? Can I ask a favor?”

She smiles warmly, “Of course.”

Nervous anticipation causes the meal in my stomach to churn.

What if she declines?

Letting out a huge exhale, I ask, “Can I see her? Can I see my niece?”

She holds her breath for a second before lighting up with the brightest smile I’ve seen on her. Maybe it’s my mind playing tricks on me, but I thought I saw her tearing up a bit.

Her voice sounds surprised and happy at the same time when she says, “Really? I mean…sure. Of course, you can see Skye.”

Chapter 11

Chloe

In Another Life

It takes all the willpower not to tear up. He looked so hesitant and scared when he asked to see Skye. I would never think of denying him the chance to get to know Skye.

The idea I previously had about him–the one where he’s a selfish person who didn’t look back when he left his family in his hometown, has been debunked. He was only nineteen years old when his father walked out on the family. There was very little he could do then. And I don’t blame him for not coming back years later, either. The feeling of not doing enough is a weight he still seems to be carrying.

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