âSis, weâre at the kindergarten.â
The sound of Byranâs voice snapped a dazed Ellinor back to reality.
âAlright, Iâll go get them. You guys wait in the car.â She said.
With that, Ellinor got out of the car and walked alone towards the kindergartenâs entrance.
Byran watched Ellinor walk away with a touch of concern. âBro, is⦠is Sis okay?â He muttered.
âDo you even have to ask?â Balfourâs worried gaze also rested on Ellinorâs retreating figure. âIf it wasnât for your meddling today, Ellinor wouldnât even know about Theo and Sophia!â
Byran knew heâd messed up. He hung his head and sighed.
In no time at all, Ellinor reappeared, leading the three little ones out of the kindergarten.
Balfour and Byran got out of the car one after another.
âUncle!â
âUncle!â
As soon as Baber and Layla saw Balfour, they rushed towards him.
Balfour squatted down and opened his arms, embracing the two little ones with a full heart.
Only âAdrianâ seemed a bit reserved, clinging to Ellinorâs side, holding her hand, and calling out meekly, âUncle.â
With Baber and Layla in his arms, Balfour looked up at âAdrianâ stuck to Ellinorâs side.
He knew that the child was not Adrian but the kid that Theo had stolen away three years ago, the one that man had named Tristan.
And Ellinor hadnât noticed anything amiss yet.
Byran stood to the side, pouting and crossing his arms. âHey, hey, hey, you three rascals. You canât just call out to big uncle. What about me? Your little uncle. Donât you see me?â
Little uncle?
All three kids turned their attention to Byran.
Baber had met Byran when he was a baby, so he still had some memory of him.
But âAdrianâ and Layla were seeing him for the first time. They didnât know him.
The kids looked at the self-proclaimed little uncle, then at Balfour, seemingly comparing the two menâs appearances. They did look kind of similar, didnât they?
Then, the three of them turned back to Ellinor with questioning eyes, waiting for their mommy to give them the answer.
Ellinor nodded at the children. âYes, heâs Mr. Howardâs younger brother. You can call him âuncle.â
With their motherâs confirmation, Layla was the first to approach Byran, tilting her little face up at him and asking in a cute, haughty way, âWill you, little uncle, be as nice to us as big uncle?â
Byran laughed at the little girlâs antics. He reached out to tap her small nose and said, âOf course! As your little uncle, I love to spoil kids. I can teach you all how to play video games. Iâm really good at that!â
While Layla wasnât interested in video games, Baberâs and âAdrianâsâ eyes lit up.
âLittle uncle, what video games do you know how to play?â
âLittle uncle, when can you teach us to play video games?â
Just as Byran was about to answer, he was cut off by a warning cough from his older brother. âDonât you dare start teaching them mischief as soon as youâre back! Theyâre still young; their eyes canât be glued to screens for long periods.â