Page 8 of Best Kept Secret

In the months since I discovered Nova was my half-sister, we'd grown even closer than when we were just good friends. I liked her fiancé, Anson, despite the fact that he'd been a jackass to her in the past. He treated her well now, and I had no complaints.

"My gut tells me Mira's been through a lot. She's a young woman who's had to care for a dying sister and then raise a newborn on her own. She sacrificed her place at the CIA and—"

"She's a spy?" Mama interrupted.

"Culinary Institute of America, Mama," I explained. "She's a chef, or rather, she was working toward it. When I knew her in Atlanta, she worked in a diner, I think."

I heard a noise outside my office and went to the door to see who might be lurking. Roxy had already gone to her cottage and rarely returned after she left, so it had to be one of my two houseguests. One of them had gone to bed an hour ago, exhausted but content after a meal of Pari's favorite meatballs and spaghetti, which Roxy had cooked.

As I suspected, it was Mira. She wore a ratty T-shirt and nothing else. At around five-five, the shirt fell to mid-thigh, leaving miles of smooth brown skin and a pair of excellent legs exposed. Her hair tumbled loosely around her shoulders, and she held something in her hand.

She squeaked when she saw me and almost dropped whatever she held. There was something off with Mira. She startled tooeasily, and I wondered why. Maybe she needed therapy, just like Pari.

"I have to go," I murmured into my phone and hung up before Mama could start a new line of interrogation. "All okay, Mira?"

"Yes." She placed a hand over her heart. "Pari wakes up sometimes at night asking for water." She held up a red sippy cup in her hand as proof. "I forgot about it earlier and then remembered. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"You didn't disturb me," I assured her, and then added, "Uh, you both comfortable?"

I had asked if she wanted separate rooms, which wasn't a problem since I had plenty, but Mira insisted that she and Pari sleep together. I'd already decided to convert the bedroom next to mine into Pari's room.

My life had changed in one day.

This morning, when I'd woken up, I wasn't thinking of pink fucking wallpaper, but that was then, and this was now. I wassuddenlyafather, and the part of me that wanted to panic was buried deep under a sense of responsibilityandabsolute and terrifying love.

In all honesty, I didn't have the bandwidth to freak the fuck out. I had a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, a twenty-two-year-old single mother (which Mira was for all practical purposes), and no idea what the fuck I could expect from the coming day. But as someone who managed the Bodine family fortune and ran a tech company—agility was ingrained in me. Eventually, I knew it would hit me hard. However, for now, I was trying to make sure we got through, one moment at a time.

"Yes, thank you. The room is very nice," she answered softly, taking me from my thoughts.

"Pari okay?"

"I put pillows around her so she won't fall." Mira sounded panicked as she spoke, like I was blaming her for being a lousycaregiver to my daughter because she'd left her alone in bed. "Ineverleave her on her own…it's just when we're home, and it's safe."

I felt like she was constantly waiting for someone to accuse her of screwing up with her niece. It gave me a bad feeling.

Yeah, I wanted Fallon to spend some time with Pari, make sure the kid was all right,andensure Mira got help and got on with her life.

She said she wanted to raise Pari with me, but Mira was so young. She'd move on and would continue to be an aunt, of course, but I didn't think she'd have the patience or desire to co-parent a child with me. Also, having her around full-time would only bring disaster because, even now, while she looked scared shitless, I wanted to see what kind of panties she wore under the T-shirt.

You're a fucking pervert,the guy withahalo muttered in my head.

You're a man, and she's fuckin' hot, the guy with the horns scoffed.

"Mira, I know Pari is safe." I offered her a reassuring smile.

"Okay. Right. I'm just…I better get some sleep. She wakes up early."

I'd asked Mira to give me Pari's schedule, and apparently, my kid sounded like me, a total Type-A personality who woke up at the crack of dawn.

I spent forty-five minutes in the gym every morning before I started my day—because it set me up to have a good one. I'd now have to figure out how to take care of a kidandexercise. How would that work?

"I'll be there to help you."

She gave me that deer caught in headlights look again. "I don't need help. Not with Pari. I just—"

"I want to get to know my daughter, Mira," I cut in softly.

She closed her eyes and released a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Beau. I…I'm so used to it just being us that it's taking me a minute to get used to the idea that there are other people in Pari's life now."

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