17. Graham

Ismile as my nephew walks into my office hand in hand with his father. My brother takes a look around the office with a smirk. I ignore him as I get to my feet to stand in front of Nate.

He's in his school uniform, which means they came here directly after his dad picked him up. I wasn't expecting a visit, but it's pretty great to see them. Especially Nate. It's been forever since I saw the kid.

"Hey, buddy," I greet, ruffling his curly brown hair. "How's it going?"

He frowns, looking up at me. "You do live in New York, right, Uncle Gray?"

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. "Yeah… temporarily," I reply, looking up to his father, who's wearing a secret smile.

My brother shrugs when he catches my questioning glance. He heads over to my desk, gaze moving over the files on my desk. I don't comment on that, looking back to the kid.

"What's up?" I ask Nate.

"If we live in the same city, then why don't we see you as much? You haven't come for dinner once—not once, Uncle Gray. Do you not like us?" he asks.

And I immediately feel bad because he's clearly upset.

"Woah, woah, woah," I state, getting on one knee so I'm eye level with him. "Of course I like you, buddy. Your dad, on the other hand…" I trail off, making him laugh. "But really, I'm sorry. I should have made time to see you. Work's just been crazy busy."

I honestly barely have any spare time to myself. There's always one thing or the other to do. I might have been sent here to act in a managing director capacity, but I'm still vice president of the company, which means I've got a lot of responsibilities, meetings, and piles of paperwork. I have to fly out to D.C. in two days for a board meeting. I'm being stretched thin right now.

I suddenly realize that the meager amount of free time I've had in the past few weeks has been spent with Isabella. Which is pretty unfair to my nephew.

"I have an idea," Nate states, green eyes gleaming. "You could come live with us. That way, we'll get to see you a lot."

Behind me, I think I hear Xander choke on something. The idea just as horrifying to me as it is to him. I chuckle softly, deciding to poke some fun.

"You know what? That sounds like a great idea, buddy. You, me, your dad, and your mom, all living in the same house. Oh, and don't forget your grandfather." And the numerous mafia men constantly guarding the house. "We'll all be one big happy family."

Nate nods like that sounds great to him. Despite the fact that what I just described sounds like a movie where everyone ends up dead. Or, at the very least, I do.

"Not a chance in hell, Graham," my brother calls out.

I grin. "You heard the man. He's the one keeping me away now."

Nate shoots his dad a betrayed look.

"Since I can't live with you, I will be coming to dinner this weekend. Sunday sound good? Tell your mom so she can cook something nice."

Nate laughs. "My mom doesn't cook."

"I know," I state, shooting him a wink.

I'm pretty sure hell would freeze over before Katerina Mincetti did something as domesticated as cooking. Her talents are suited to more exciting prospects, like murder, probably.

"By the way, did you watch the Australian Grand Prix last weekend?" I question.

He shakes his head. "Dad wouldn't wake me up early to watch because he said it wasn't important," he grumbles.

"Your father has notoriously bad taste," I tell him. "Don't worry, I've got a video of the highlights on my phone. You can watch it while I talk to your dad."

I hand him the phone and he immediately settles down on the couch to watch it. While he does so, I walk over to my brother, who is still studying the files on my desk. I place a hand on the piece of paper he's reading, flicking an eyebrow up.

"You do realize you're practically competition, bro. Quit looking through our shit."

Xander scoffs. "Like a startup could compete with Steele Industries."

My brother recently launched his own tech company, which is still a little bizarre to me. A part of me understands that he did it because he wanted to create something of his own, which is great and all. But a greater part of me believes he did all that to stick it to Dad and to show him he has no control over him.

Which is annoying because I know I'll never be able to successfully cut our father out like that.

"You never know. How's business these days?" I ask, taking in his appearance.

He looks a little tired, which is to be expected considering starting a company from scratch is nothing easy. But he also has a certain glow. One that I've seen since he met Nate, and one that's only grown in the time since he and Katerina reunited. My brother's in love and happy. And I'm glad about it.

"Pretty good, actually. We're in the early stages of production for a few gadgets. It's been nice getting to design and program again instead of being stuck behind a desk all day signing paperwork, attending meetings, and kissing up to egotistical billionaires."

"That was a swipe at me, wasn't it?" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Obviously." He chuckles, leaning against my desk. "How's it going? And don't say busy; I'm very aware that you're busy. But it's been good, right? No problems?"

I smile. "You worried about me, big bro?"

"As if," he scoffs. "I'm just checking in. Making sure you're doing your job right."

"Don't worry. I haven't fucked things up," I assure him. "There's still time to do so, however."

"I doubt it. You're in your element right now, Gray. You were meant for this," he says warmly.

My lips turn up in a smile. "Marriage has really made you soft, Xander."

He shakes his head at that. My eyes meet his clear green ones and I feel a sudden sense of camaraderie and gratitude. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. I owe him so much. Not the least of which is an apology, but apologizing isn't one of my strengths. I wouldn't even know where to begin. So I'm going to make it up to him by working hard to be the man he believes me to be.

After my brother and his son leave, Taylor walks into my office to inform me about what's left on my schedule for the day.

"You have the conference call with heads of departments at five. And I pushed back your three o'clock meeting with the product manager because of your brother's visit. I wanted her to come in before your conference call, but she already had prior engagements."

"Pushed it back till when?" I question.

"Four o'clock tomorrow."

I arch an eyebrow. "I specifically told you I wouldn't be available after three tomorrow. I'll be working from home the rest of the day."

"Yes, but that was the only?—"

"No excuses, Ms. Evans. If the product manager can't get here within the hour before the conference call, then there won't be a meeting. She can pass along whatever she has to say to you in that case. Make sure she understands that, alright?" I ask.

"Yes, sir," Taylor replies.

I don't miss her clenched jaw or the questions in her brown eyes. I'm sure she's wondering who I cleared my schedule for tomorrow, but honestly, it's none of her business. She walks out of the office, leaving me to work.

It's not like I can tell her I cleared my schedule because I'm planning on meeting Isabella's twin cousins tomorrow afternoon. That would open up a conversation I'm not willing to have. And again, it really doesn't concern her.

Isabella and I pick the twins up from school the next day. The girl, Maria, is exponentially more excited to see me than her brother. Matthew keeps looking at me like he's sizing me up or something, which is absolutely adorable. I talked to them over the phone when Isabella and I watched the Grand Prix together, and according to her, they wouldn't stop hounding her for a meeting after that. Which is why she decided on today.

The twins are in the back seat of my car and I'm driving to a park not far from their school so we can hang out for a while.

"So… Mr. Steele," Maria starts, leaning as far forward as the seatbelt can allow her. "How old are you?"

I chuckle at her question. "Why do you want to know? And you don't have to call me Mr. Steele. You can call me Graham."

"Okay, Graham. I'm just making sure you're not too old to be friends with Isa, that's all."

"Hmm," I say, smiling. I look to the side at Isabella, who's seemingly uninterested in the conversation. Her gaze is fixed on the road and she barely even blinks. My eyes meet Maria's blue ones through the rearview mirror. "Can you really be too old to be friends with someone, darling? You and I can be friends, right?"

"Of course," she replies happily. "But you and Isa are really good friends."

I give her a look to let her know she's not being overtly sneaky.

"If you must know, I'm thirty years old," I finally reply.

"That means you're two years older than Isa," Matthew says, finally speaking up.

There's a note of accusation in his voice that makes me smile. He and his sister have opposite personalities. He's quiet and she's outgoing, but I can tell they share a bond exclusive to twins. The both of them are completely in tune and it's clear Maria's been relegated to their speaker for today.

"Isa's birthday's in a month," Maria informs me. "She'll be twenty-eight then."

"Really?" I say, my head swiveling to the woman beside me. "We should celebrate. Where do you want to go, Sunshine?"

"Out of this car and away from all of you," Isabella quips.

I roll my eyes as we arrive at the park. Isabella asks the twins if they'd like something to eat, and soon enough we're all walking over to the food truck. Maria keeps trying to get me to tell her my favorite Taylor Swift song, despite my insistence that I don't have one.

We all order some food and drinks. Matthew and I get tacos, Maria gets a grilled cheese, and Isabella opts for some fries. There's an empty park bench and we all take a seat to eat. Isabella asks the twins about their school day and that dominates the conversation for a little bit.

When we finish our food, the twins share a mischievous before they turn to their cousin.

"Isa, can I get a napkin?" Matthew asks, gesturing at his hands, which are a little messy.

"I don't have one here, sweetie, but I'll go and ask for some at the food truck," she replies, getting to her feet.

I sigh softly as she walks away, knowing without a doubt that I've just been trapped. The twins get to their feet as soon as she's gone, facing me with their arms crossed over their chests. It would be intimidating if they weren't so cute.

"So. What's going on with you and our cousin?" Maria questions without any preamble.

I try and fail to hide a smirk. "We're friends, darling."

"No, we're friends right now. You and Isabella aren't just friends," the eleven-year-old says insistently, blue eyes unblinking.

I tilt my head to the side, studying her. "You know, I have a nephew around your age. I bet you'd be like him."

"What's his name?' Maria asks, intrigued.

Her brother coughs into his fist. "He's trying to distract us, Mar. Don't fall for it."

I chuckle. "I'm not distracting you. His name's Nathaniel. But we call him Nate. Don't worry, I'll introduce you sometime."

"Okay," Maria says, pleased.

"Back to Isabella," her brother says forcefully.

I glance toward the food truck, willing Isabella to return quickly. But it's clear that's not happening anytime soon. I let out a short breath.

"Your cousin and I are nothing more than friends."

"But you don't want to be just friends," Maria states intuitively. "Are you in love with her?"

The question throws me. I stare at their faces for a couple of seconds.

"I care about her a lot," I reply carefully.

More than I've ever cared about any woman before. She and I just work. When we're together, it feels right. But that's not love. Or at least I don't think it is. It can't be.

The twins share an odd look. "Don't hurt her," Maria warns. "We can tell Isa likes you a lot. And she let you meet us. We've never met any of her friends before."

"Or boyfriends," her brother adds. "If you hurt her, we'll get cugino Enzo to beat your ass."

I laugh at that. I would definitely not want to be involved in any altercations with the mafia Don.

"I would never hurt Isabella," I say sincerely.

The thought of it makes my heart clench. The twins' expressions remain serious for only a second, before they offer me nearly identical smiles.

"Good. Because Isa's been hurt enough already."

Those words send a painful jolt through my chest. I fight the sudden urge to hunt down and destroy every single thing that's ever caused her pain.

"What were you guys talking about?" Isabella asks, effectively putting an end to our conversation.

"Nothing," the twins chorus.

She gives them a disbelieving look before shooting me a suspicious one. I simply shrug in reply.

"The kids and I had a bonding session, Sunshine," I say, shooting her a wink. "We're all besties now. Right, guys?"

"Yes. I like Graham, Isa," Maria states.

"Me too," her brother adds.

I don't miss the strange expression on Isabella's face as she looks from me to them. She hands them the napkins and they get cleaned up. As soon as that's done, they're running toward the playground in the park. Isabella and I watch for a little while as Matthew pushes his sister on the swings.

"I didn't think you'd be good with kids," she says in a low voice.

I glance over at her. "I adore children. They have an openness and innocence to them that can't be replicated. I miss being that age," I say softly.

"You sure you're not still that age?" Isabella teases.

I scoff softly, my gaze going to the twins again.

"You did good with them," I tell her, gesturing toward the kids. "They adore you."

Isabella smiles. We're sitting right beside each other on the bench. Her hand brushes against mine when she shifts in her seat and warmth buzzes over my skin. She looks up at me, her eyes meeting mine, and I really wish she didn't because her eyes have this unique ability to completely entrap me.

My lips part and I find myself inching closer to close the gap between us.

Fuck, I want to kiss her more than I need air.

"Isa!" Maria screams from the swings, gesturing for her to join them.

And just like that, the spell is broken. I clear my throat, looking away and wondering if maybe one of these days, I won't be able to hold back anymore. Spending time with her is great and it should be enough for me. But when I lie awake at night, I'm picturing her face and her smile and wishing she was beside me.

I keep trying to hold on to the memory of the night we slept together. How she tasted, how our bodies moved together. I'd give anything to be back there again.

But I would also hate to make a move and ruin one of the best things I've got right now.