My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 1095

Peter watched little Ethan, who still wouldn't meet his eyes. During all the goodbyes, Ethan had avoided coming near him—but now, the moment had come to do what was right.

"Ethan, come here…" Peter said, looking at the boy.

With his head down, Ethan slowly walked toward him. Peter crouched down to the boy's height the moment he got close.

"My little one, I want you to take good care of yourself—and of your little sister. You're a wonderful boy, and you'll always be in my heart," Peter said, gently stroking the boy's cheeks.

"If you ever want to visit us, just call me—and I'll send a plane for you. We'll only ever be one flight away," Peter added in a comforting tone.

Even though Peter didn't remember raising this boy, he could see the admiration and respect shining in Ethan's eyes.

The man he was now didn't know that Ethan had been watching him practically since the day he was born.

At first, Ethan had been excited to move away with John—but now, the reality of leaving his grandfather was sinking in hard.

"Grandpa… will you come visit us in Hesperia?" Ethan asked timidly.

"Of course! Just let me get things organized a little, and I promise we'll come visit," Peter said, smiling as he pulled the boy into a tight hug.

Surprisingly, the scent of the child—warm and familiar—made Peter feel something he hadn't felt in a long time: home.

Slowly, a lump began to form in his throat. He fought it back—he didn't want to ruin the moment—so he swallowed it down and pulled back a little to look at the boy.

"Hey… always remember, you've got a family here that loves you. It used to just be the four of us, remember?" Peter said, looking into Ethan's eyes.

"Yeah…" Ethan answered shyly.

"Now the girls outnumber us, so we have to stick together," Peter said with conviction.

Those words didn't go unnoticed by Alden, who, hearing them, felt for a second like he was listening to the old Peter.

As for Peter himself—he didn't know where the words had come from. Maybe it was a buried memory, or maybe just a strong déjà vu.