Page 31 of Best Kept Secret

He sounded sincere enough. "I know, Beau." I could be bitchy about the whole thing. I felt pretty peeved.ButBeau was being kind. I had no legal claim to Pari when he asserted his parental rights. I knew that. He was being polite and generous, even apologizing to me. "Don't worry about it. I'm not upset."

Beau sighed but didn't say anything. He helped get Pari into her pajamas after I towel-dried her hair. It was already getting thick, and sooner or later, I'd have to use a hairdryer so she didn't go to bed with wet hair.

Pari rubbed her eyes as she cuddled into me in bed. I kissed the top of her head, breathing in the sweet smell of baby shampoo, and wrapped my arms around her a little tighter.

"You want to readGreen Eggs and Ham?" I asked.

"Song,Miramashi," she murmured, her tiny voice barely a whisper. "Sing the song."

I smiled, brushing the hair from her face. "Alright, myShona."

Pari smiled sleepily, snuggling into my chest. I glanced up at Beau, who sat on the bed next to us, his gaze fixed on me. He didn't say anything. Just watched.

Everyone in Beau's life, except for Roxy, was telling me how I had to care for Pari from the sidelines while Beau took over raising her. But how would that work? He wouldn't know how to sing, "Ghum ghum tora shobai ghum" to Pari, would he?

Asha and I used to love this lullaby. I remember our grandma singing it to us when we visited India. It had become Pari'sfavorite because I sang it often when she was a baby to both soothe herandAsha, who was getting sicker by the day.

I began to sing softly. The familiar melody flowed easily from my lips, like a memory wrapped in warmth, even if it held the sadness of everything we had lost. Pari's body relaxed against me as I continued the song, the words slipping into the air like a soft embrace.

The birds have fallen asleep in their nests,

The wind whispers through the leaves of trees,

Close your eyes and drift into sleep,

Sleep, sleep, sleep....

The old Bengali lullaby filled the room, wrapping us in a warm embrace. Pari's breath slowed as her eyelids fluttered shut, her little hands relaxing in mine.

When I glanced up, Beau was still looking at me—his usual guarded expression softened, and there was something in his eyes that I couldn't quite read. Fascination, maybe. Or something deeper.

I lowered my voice as I finished the last few lines, keeping the melody slow and gentle. Pari was fully asleep now, her little face peaceful against me.

"She loves that song," I whispered, running my fingers through her soft hair.

Beau nodded, his voice low and thoughtful. "It's beautiful. What is it?"

I smiled, feeling a familiar ache inside of me. "It's an old Bengali lullaby. Asha and I used to love it."

"Your mother sang it for you?"

I shook my head, my insides withering at his conclusion. "Our grandmother taught us when we saw her in Calcutta."

He didn't respond right away, but his gaze lingered on me a moment longer, like he was seeing something new.

"I am sorry about Fallon, Mira." He put a hand across Pari to cup my cheek. "You're always going to be in my daughter's life, okay?"

My daughter's life? Didn't he realize how he was making me feel, staking his claim, telling me I had none?

"You'll take care of her, won't you?" My heart squeezed. I could be annoyed with Fallon, but she'd been right, Beau wouldn't want me around. He'd want someone like Fallon, beautiful, intelligent, educated. Who'd want a high-school-educated cook over a PhD? Not even me.

"Always." He ran a thumb over my lower lip. There it was, the spark, the chemistry, that thing that Roxy could feel between us. "You and Pari, darlin', I'll take care of both of you."

I moved my head away, and he had no choice but to remove his hand. "I don't need to be taken care of. I know how to do that. Just be there for Pari. That's all."

I looked down at my niece, her tiny body finally at peace, and kissed the top of her head again.

I'd sit outside on the porch for a while, as I'd been doing, and come back in here to sleep next to her, soak her in for as many days as I had left with myShona. She was so young that when I wasn't around, she'd forget me easily, I thought sadly. She'd have a life filled with love and comfort with Beau and his family, and I'd become someone in her past.

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