Page 3 of Best Kept Secret

"Of course," Beau cut me off. He texted on his phone again. "Anything specific you want to eat?"

"Anything," I said urgently. "Even an apple will do."

"How about a chicken sandwich?"

I managed not to drool at that.

"Ten minutes. My housekeeper is on her way. She lives in a cottage at the end of the garden."

He left me then to go into the kitchen.

I peeked out of the large café windows and saw nothing but a lush garden.

He had a beautiful house. I knew he was wealthy, but this was all the way crazy money. This was the kind of estate you saw in movies, with towering oak trees draped in Spanish moss lining the long driveway that seemed to go on forever. The house itself was a sprawling mansion; all white columns and grand archways, with perfectly manicured gardens on either side. Inside, every detail screamed luxury—from the gleaming hardwood floors, the crystal chandeliers that looked like little diamonds on the ceiling, to the antique furniture that looked like it belonged in a museum. Massive windows framed views of the Savannah River that curved around the property, the water sparkling in the distance. The place felt more like a private resort than a home, with its winding staircases, countless rooms, and the quiet hum of wealth echoing through it all.

Beau came back with what looked like a smoothie in a glass. "Drink," he instructed.

I did and barely tasted the liquid. It was just what I needed to feel refreshed enough to have the difficult conversation I needed to have with my niece's father.

"What happened to Asha?" he prompted.

"She was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy. PPCM. It's a rare type of heart failure that showed up during her lasttrimester of pregnancy. PPCM weakened her heart muscles, and she fought it for two years, but then…her body just couldn't…."

Beau nodded thoughtfully. He remained calm. I liked that about him. I wasn't sure what reception I'd get and worried he'd tell me to go fuck myself.

"You want to tell me about Pari?" he prompted.

I was thrilled that he could pronounce my niece's name so well. "Asha told me how you didn't want to have anything to do with her, and—"

He shook his head slowly, "Mira, Asha never told me about Pari."

I stared at him like he'd just told me the Earth was flat. "What?"

He looked sad and shook his head again. "She never told me she was pregnant. If she had, trust me, I'd have been there for her, for you, for my daughter."

He watched Pari with such affection that I knew he was telling me the truth.

"She said you signed away your parental rights." But she'd never shown me any paperwork. I couldn't afford any lawyers, and when my parents had sent their attorney to me, I'd packed up and left Atlanta, hoping that no matter how Beau felt about being a dad, he'd help me keep Pari with me as Asha wanted.

"You've been taking care of Pari?"

I smiled; I couldn't help it. Every time I thought about my beautiful baby, everything inside me lit up. "Asha couldn't. I quit my job, and…we were fine. Really. Asha had savings and life insurance. But…my parents wouldn't let me access them. Now they want custody of Pari, and Asha specifically left a will namingmeas Pari's guardian."

"When did Asha pass away?"

"Six months ago, a week after Pari's second birthday."

Beau sighed. "Why are your parents so intent on getting custody of Pari?"

I licked my lips and shrugged. "They…they didn't appreciate that Asha was a single mom. They wanted her to…you know." I couldn't say the wordabort. I didn't have anything against women making their own choices, but my beautiful niece was here, and the thought that my parents had wanted her gone before she was even born was hard for me to compute. "But once Asha was gone, they wanted their granddaughter. I'm taking real good care of her, Beau. I promise. I—"

"I can see that, darlin'." He put a hand on mine. A door opened somewhere, and I pulled my hand away from him, startled.

"That's just Roxy, my housekeeper."

A woman came into the living room, a tray in hand, and stared at Pari, who looked up at the stranger, a red Duplo block in hand.

Roxy's silver-streaked hair cascaded loosely around her shoulders. She had a warm, earth-mother vibe, wrapped in flowing, boho-style fabric that made her seem like she'd just stepped out of a farmer's market. With her colorful clothes and layered jewelry, she radiated a comforting energy.

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