He took a step forward, reaching out. He wanted to caress Georgia's cheek, to tell her, 'Georgia, don't be afraid. It's me.'
But in her fiercely trembling eyes, he saw a powerful resistance to his approach.
With a turn of his wrist, his hand slowly drifted down from her face, gently stroking the tiny kitten in Georgia's arms instead.
Georgia was resisting his advance. It wasn't just because he was, nominally, her uncle—it was also because he was Selena Sheridan's boyfriend.
Those two roles were a chasm between them, enough to sever any lingering hope he had for her.
When he heard her call him "uncle," Justin Sullivan felt his numb heart begin to ache all over again.
He had been so eager to visit the Thorne family, but it certainly hadn't been to hear her call him uncle.
His gaze darkened as he looked at the Georgia before him, his eyes filled with a deep, unshakable sorrow.
"Georgia, it really likes you. Do you want to adopt it?"
