Page 40 of The Billionaire's Secret Heir

She took a few minutes to wash her face and brush her teeth, then touched up her mascara. She couldn’t even pretend it was for any reason other than Beckett. He’d seen her early in the morning when she was still in her pajamas and at the end of a long day with no makeup and hadn’t seemed phased. If he hadn’t been scared off yet, this wouldn’t make much difference. But it still felt nice to make even this tiny gesture. Maybe it didn’t hide her tired eyes completely, but she felt a little more human.

When she walked outside with the baby monitor, she spotted Beckett right away, pacing in front of the pool. The sun had just gone down, leaving a myriad of brilliant hues fading into a dark navy sky. Beckett’s property could have been part of a manor in the country, save for a few lights of neighboring houses visible through the thick trees and the faint sound of cars on the nearby road. After just a few days of living here, Madi didn’t know if she would ever be content somewhere else.

Beckett saw her coming and jogged over to open the pool gate, a brilliant white smile on his face. Maybe she wouldn’t ever have to worry about living somewhere else.

Her heart stuttered as she walked past him, noting that he had changed into a gray polo shirt that hugged his broad chest. She had seen him swimming several mornings before work and had been lucky enough once to see him emerge from the pool, water trailing down the solid muscles of his chest and back. She hadn’t cared that much about physical appearance. A nice smile and a kind heart went a long way with any kind of body. But Beckett looked like a work of art and she couldn’t help but appreciate it. From behind the curtains in her room, of course.

“What are you thinking about?”

Caught.“Oh, just wondering if Becka’s really down for the night.” Good cover, Madi.

Beckett gestured to one of the lounge chairs. Madi set the monitor on the glass table between their chairs and tucked her legs up under her. No sooner had she relaxed than Beckett handed her a plate with a slice of what looked to be chocolate cheesecake with a raspberry drizzle.

“This is my favorite. Are you kidding me right now?”

He smiled. “Not even a little bit. You said that this was your favorite, so …”

“You’re spoiling me for all other men, Beckett.”

Madi’s eyes dropped to her plate as she realized what she had said. So much for subtlety. The air felt charged between them. She dragged her fork through the raspberry sauce before taking another bite of the cheesecake. Only then did she glance at Beckett. He was watching her mouth, a slight smile on his face. Her cheeks heated.

“I don’t really see why that’s a problem.”

Madi almost dropped her fork. Their eyes met briefly before she had to look away from his handsome smirk. She expected him to say something more, but was surprised and a little disappointed when he turned the conversation back to Becka. The look on his face had shifted from something more flirtatious to concerned.

“Do you think that the move was too hard for her on top of everything else? Have you seen a lot of behavioral changes?”

Madi set her fork down before answering, trying to shake the other thoughts in her head to focus on his question. “She’s woken up a few times with nightmares, but overall seems fine. I’m shocked by the resilience of kids. She seems especially well-adjusted and just kind of accepts whatever her new reality is. I talked with a behavioral therapist about what to expect. At her age, it’s hard. You never know and things may hit her later. She went around looking for Calista for the first few days, but then didn’t seem particularly impacted by her absence. This week she started calling me Mommy. Not just every so often, but consistently.”

“Wow. Is that … good? Or weird? Both?”

“A little of both. It makes me happy and sad.” This was as good a time as any to transition to the topic of Calista and Madi took a breath and forged ahead. “I really miss Calista, but if I’m being honest, she wasn’t very engaged with Becka.” She paused, wanting and not wanting to ask the next question. “How well did you know her?”

Beckett set his plate down and pulled at his collar. “Not very. But well enough that I’m not shocked to hear you say that. I wouldn’t have described her as very maternal.”

Madi held his gaze. “How would you have described her?”

He gave a slight smile. “I’ve rubbed off on you, then. With my directness.”

Madi shrugged. Beckett had told her a few times before that being Dutch, he tended to be more direct, to the point of people sometimes thinking he was rude. Being direct sometimes meant uncomfortable conversations. But she didn’t think she could go on without talking about Calista. “You have. I just feel like we should probably address this.”

“You’re right.” Madi was surprised when Beckett scooted closer from his chair, leaning forward on his knees to grasp her hands. “I really am sorry for the loss of your sister, Madi. Let me start with that. Family can be complicated, but I know you loved her. That said, we should talk about it.”

He searched her face for reactions, but she tried to keep a neutral expression. Her heart was beating wildly and her stomach fluttered. Whatever Beckett said here could be a deal-breaker. It might end a potential relationship before it really started. And though they technically were not in a relationship, Madi knew that she could still be crushed by this conversation.

“Up until two years ago, I was a pretty different person. I’m still as driven toward success in business, that hasn’t changed. I’m also still incredibly selfish like I was then. Those will always be my struggles: selfishness and the drive for success. But before, I didn’t see those as struggles. That was just my life.”

He paused, as though gauging her response so far, then cast his eyes down and continued. “I partied—not too hard, but hard enough. It was what was expected of me, being successful and wealthy. It was still my choice, though. My relationships were completely shallow. I never gave women false impressions. They knew what they were getting into with me, which was nothing serious. Some still hoped they could change me or make me stick with them. Calista was one of those women. She was beautiful, vibrant, and fun. But very selfish, like me. Which meant that things worked between us only briefly and superficially.”

Beckett squeezed her hands and she looked away from the intensity of his gaze. You wanted to know, Madi reminded herself. But it was so hard to hear about his past, so different from her own. People changed. He was clearly a different man now, but it was still hard to think about Beckett like that and not be disappointed. Especially when his past was with her sister. She clenched her teeth.

“And you were engaged.” She shrugged when Beckett looked shocked. “I Googled you. It was online.”

“Oh. I guess so. Ava was the only person I was ever serious with, though if I’m being honest, I didn’t feel that serious about her. It was after I became a Christian. She went to church too—it just seemed like the right thing. But she was seeing someone else and using me for my money.”

“I’m sorry, Beckett.”

“You don’t need to be. It didn’t hurt that much because I realized in hindsight that I didn’t really care that much. It was the best thing for us both.”

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