Page 18 of Best Kept Secret

After all, I wasn't good enough. I'd never been good enough.

I was grateful when Pari started to get restless.

"I'll take her for her bath," I pleaded so Beau would know I wanted to get out of here. I needed to escape. To breathe. To remind myself that, even if I wasn't good enough for this world, I'd done my best for Pari. And that had to count for something, even if it didn't feel like it right now.

"Thanks, Mira." Beau helped lift Pari out of her highchair, a wooden one that had shown up before lunch and was much better than the plastic one I'd had to leave behind at Asha's place. Everything Beau would give Pari would bebetter—he had the money, and he already loved his daughter. What could I give her?

For now, why don't you bathe her, Mira, and get some sleep?As Scarlett said inGone With the Wind, "After all, tomorrow is another day."

I carried Pari out of the dining room after she said goodnight to everyone at the table. As I walked away with her, I could clearly hear Donna.

"There's something wrong here, Beau. That girl is out to get something out of you. I can just see it."

I waited in the hallway, holding Pari, waiting to hear Beau's response.

"She's twenty-two, Mama, a kid. Okay? So, she needs money, who doesn't? I have plenty."

My heart sank. Did he really think that about me?'

"Well, make sure you keep it within reason. Maybe a few hundred thousand to get rid of her, you know? So, she won't come and make a fuss because of her sister's will," Donna continued.

I hugged Pari close, tears streaming down my face.

"Mama, have you ever known me to get swindled?" Beau demanded. "That little girl couldn't manipulate me if she tried."

Which little girl, Beau? I haven't been a little girl since…actually, I've never been one of those.

I took Pari to the room we were sharing, and filled the bathtub while I busied myself with taking off her clothes. I let her distract me from my heartbreak. She was here now, my beautifulShona, the daughter of my heart—and I'd soak up every minute with her to make up for the long, lonely years ahead.

Chapter 7

Beau

Nova cornered me in the hallway after dinner when I was going to check on Pari.

She had her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in the way she did when she was about to call me out.

"Why is everyone treating Mira like a stray dog you just let in for the night?" she asked, her tone sharp but not aggressive.

I blinked at her. "What are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Beau. Everyone is practically circling her like vultures, waiting for her to mess up. You didn't hear Katya tonight? The way she kept talking about Mira's job atthe diner? And Donna can't stop asking when she's planning to leave and then accusing her of being here for money."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. So, my mother was off the mark, but I reined her in, didn't I?

"Nova, I was there, and I didn't hear anything…well, Mama can get that way, but this is a lot for all of us to adjust to."

"I get that, but none of this is Mira's fault," Nova shot back. "She's sacrificed her whole life for your daughter. She's out of her depth right now, and Donna is making her feel it. Trevor and Katya backed off, but Donna…. You need to pay attention."

I paused, narrowing my eyes at her. "And what exactly am I supposed to do? Tell my family to suddenly be best friends with a woman they've known for two minutes? These things take time, Sis."

Nova shook her head, exasperated. "Mira, as you said, is a kid. And she's barely holding it together. She's lost her sister. She's taking care of her niece. And now she's got to deal with feeling unwanted on top of everything else."

"Unwanted?" I repeated, frowning. "No one's trying to make her feel like that."

Nova gave me a look. "Were you not at the same dinner as me? And if she's not unwanted, why is Donna treating her like she's temporary?"

That stopped me. I knew what Nova was implying, but I wasn't sure I liked it. Temporary? No, that wasn't what this was. Mira was here for Pari—nothing more, nothing less.

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