“Our siblings were married, so that makes us family. Right?”
She hesitated. “Not really.”
“Close enough. And if my brother were here—” just saying the words caused a large pang of hurt “—he would...he would vouch for me. I may not have been like him, but he understood that I had to follow my own path in life. Even if that path led away from him and our home.”
Popi was quiet for a moment as her gaze searched his. “You really cared about him, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” He frowned at her. Why would she doubt such a thing? “Is that what my brother said? That I didn’t care about him?”
She shook her head. “Forget it.”
“Not a chance. I want to know why you would say such a thing.”
She shrugged. “It’s just that you were never there for the birthdays, the holidays. You weren’t even there for their wedding or...”
She didn’t have to say it. His mind filled in the blank. He wasn’t there for the funeral. But he was here now. However, the look in Popi’s eyes said that it was too little, too late.
Her gaze searched his. “You weren’t interested in being part of the family then, so why the sudden interest now?”
Her words were like jagged rocks, beating against his chest. He hadn’t meant to miss out on all of that. After each adventure, he told himself that he’d go on just one more excursion. He’d told himself that soon he would slow down. Soon there wouldn’t be just one more mountain to conquer or one more adventure to go on. He’d always thought that there would be a tomorrow for him and his brother.
He of all people should have known that tomorrow is not guaranteed. The only thing you can count on is the here and now. That had to be enough. All the wishing in the world couldn’t make the hands of time roll back. He knew this for a fact because it’s what he’d been doing ever since he got the news of his brother’s death.
He noticed the expectant look in Popi’s eyes. She wanted him to argue with her. Well, she was in for a surprise.
“You’re right.” His voice was filled with remorse. “I wasn’t there for those events, but I should have been. I was too wrapped up in my own life to realize what I was missing. I regret all of the missed opportunities.”
She studied him for a moment, as though trying to discern the truth. “Do you really mean that?”
It was a sad commentary on him and his life when his devotion to his brother had to be questioned. “Growing up, Nile and I were close. I was the annoying little brother, but Nile put up with me. He took time out for me. When I wanted to quit college, he said that one day I would need to be able to run Drakos Industries. I just never thought it would be like this.”
Popi glanced away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted your relationship with your brother.”
“It’s not your fault. I’ve given you every reason to think I didn’t care about Nile. I’ll never forgive myself for losing track of what is truly important.” He meant it. He had so many regrets that it was chewing him up on the inside. He wasn’t about to add to that list. “I’m going to the warehouse now to make sure everything is completed. When I get back to the bungalow, we need to talk about the baby.”
She handed over her digital tablet with all the necessary information about the furniture and boxes. “We can talk, but it’s not going to change my mind about raising my niece.”
“Or nephew.”
She nodded. Without another word, she turned and did that really cute waddle thing. Eventually he caught himself standing there, staring as her. He gave his head a shake and then turned in the opposite direction.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THERE WERE DEFINITELY some benefits to being second-in-charge of the island.
Popi didn’t feel that way most of the time. Most of the time being second-in-charge meant she had to run her ideas past Lea. It meant that any extravagances had to be preapproved by Lea. And sometimes being second-in-charge meant being the second place for a client to file a complaint, even if the situation was out of Popi’s control.
But today Popi’s position meant she could let herself into the small grocery store that carried so much more than food. She picked up some essentials for the kitten, from food to a litter box, and then she left an itemized list at the register of everything she’d taken. She would settle up when the island opened back up for business in a couple of months.