Page 11 of From the Start

Dakota groans. “I told him the wrong time to make sure he got here on time. But now he knows my trick.”

“Uncle Kai,” Pearl shouts as she darts out of the house. I lift her up in the air and she giggles.

“Who’s your favorite uncle?”

“Kai! Kai! Kai!” she shouts.

I kiss her cheek as a reward and she giggles. The sound warms my heart. Pearl was shy and afraid of everyone and everything when she arrived at Rhett and Dakota’s house a few months ago. But now she’s a terror. I’m very proud of my influence on her.

“Are you going to be good for Uncle Kai?” Dakota asks.

Pearl bats her eyelashes. “Yes, Mom.”

Tears form in Dakota’s eyes. Pearl has only been calling her mom for a week. Although Pearl and her half-sister Mira are technically foster children, Rhett is doing everything he can to adopt them. Having a big brother who’s a billionaire doesn’t hurt.

Don’t get me wrong. Eli never throws the wealth he earned as a founder ofApparooaround. But he also doesn’t hesitate to use his influence to help his family. Such as founding a distillery so all of his brothers have jobs and can stay on Smuggler’s Hideaway.

“No getting into the paint,” Rhett orders.

“Yes, Dad.”

My niece is good. She has Rhett and Dakota wrapped around her adorable little finger.

“Mira is in bed. She should be out for the night. She’s a good little sleeper,” Dakota tells me before kissing Pearl. “Be good for Uncle Kai.”

Rhett hands me the baby monitor. “No paint.”

“Get out of here. Pearl and I have plans that do not involve boring parents.”

Dakota doesn’t move from the porch. For someone who wants ‘date night’ with her boyfriend, she doesn’t appear eager to leave.

“It’ll be fine. Kai won’t allow our babies to be hurt. Unless he wants to die.” Rhett glares at me.

I salute him. “I will not hurt my favorite nieces.”

Rhett grasps Dakota’s hand and leads her to their car. I stand on the porch with Pearl and wave to them until they’re out of sight.

“They’re gone. What do you want to do? Go surfing, skydiving, ride rollercoasters atMermaid Mystical Gardens? Name your poison.”

She giggles. “I’m too young to do any of those things.”

“Young? Phew. What a relief. I thought there was a problem with your growth.”

“You’re silly, Uncle Kai.”

“But fun, right?”

I set her down and she scampers inside. I shut the door behind me. The second the door is shut, Delphine trots toward me. I get to my knees. “Who’s a good girl?”

Her tail thumps as I pet her ears. I dig a doggy treat out of my pocket and feed it to her.

“Delphine can’t have treats.”

I gasp. “Says who?”

“Mom and Dad.”

I wrinkle my nose. “What Mom and Dad don’t know won’t hurt them.”