Page 38 of Best Kept Secret

"I'm not in love with Mira." I knew that to be true. Right? What the hell did I know about falling in love?

My plan had been to keep doing what I was doing with women, and adore the nieces and nephews that Nova and Anson, and Katya and Trevor gave me; play the cool uncle. Now, I wanted to raise PariwithMira, and then I wondered if maybe there would be other little girls like Pari, who Mira and I could also raise together. I was obviously losing my ever-loving mind.

"You're not in love but youarein lust. What's holding you back?"

"Everything," I muttered, swirling the whiskey in my glass. "What if I'm wrong? What if she doesn't want this? What if she's just here because of Pari, and I'm the guy making something out of nothing? I don't want to hold her back from whatever future she's supposed to have."

Gabe didn't say anything at first, letting my words settle in. That was the thing about Gabe—he wasn't quick to offer advice unless he had something solid to say. Finally, he sighed and leaned against the railing next to me.

"Look, Beau, from what Nova and you have told me—Mira is already in it, whether you want to admit it or not. I haven't seen you guys together a lot but when I have, I have, like everyone else, been hit with fuckin' electricity," Gabe said, his voice calm but pointed. "You keep saying you don't know if it's real, but maybe you're scared because itisreal, and you don'twant tosee it."

I looked over at him, frowning. "You think I'm scared?"

"Yeah, you are," he remarked. "You've always been the guy who doesn't do relationships. Hell, you've practically made it a lifestyle. But maybe that's changing, and you don't know what to do with it."

And wasn't that the truth?White fucking picket fences and Beau Bodine were a poor match.

I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this, Gabe. You're right, I've never been the guy who thought about settling down."

"Never say never," he responded with the cliché. "How are things with Donna? Any better?"

"Christ on a crutch! Mama is still pissed off, and I don't get it. Mira's been great with Pari, but Mama acts like I'm making the biggest mistake of my life, letting her stay in my house, taking care of my daughter. She'sangrywith Mira for keeping Pari away from all of us—but I've explained to her time and again that it wasn't Mira's fault." I was frustrated with my mother. Katya and Trevor were behaving, but Mama, she was off the fucking deep end when it came to Mira.

Gabe took another long sip of his drink, considering my words. "Your Mama is protective, sure, but that doesn't mean she's right. Mira's not some outsider swooping in and wrecking your life, Beau. Donna's got her issues, that'sherproblem. You're a grown-ass man. If you want Mira, go after her."

I stared down at my drink, the ice clinking softly against the glass. "But what if it falls apart? What if I can't give her what she needs? What if she can't givemewhat I need? What if I fuck it all up, and I have an upset Mira taking her anger out on my daughter?"

Gabe chuckled softly. "Beau, if you're thinking this hard about her, it means you already care more than you're willing to admit. And if it feels like y'all are a family, maybe that's because you are. You're already in it, man. Stop trying to talk yourself out of something good. Also, what the fuck? Mira is a sweetheart. I doubt she'd know how to take her anger out on Pari."

Gabe and Aurora had met Pari and Mira once when they came over. It wasn't a long visit, but both my friend and his wife were instantly charmed by Mira and my daughter—unlike my freaking mother.

I was about to respond to Gabe when a familiar voice cut through the noise.

"Beau," Fallon's voice was smooth, cutting through the night like a blade.

I turned to see her. She was perfectly composed as always, a drink in hand and a calculated smile on her face. Had I always known the smile was calculated or was I just now seeing it?

"Gabe," she nodded at him, her tone polite but distant. Gabe gave her a quick hug. He didn't like Fallon, never had. She reminded him too much of his ex-wife, he'd once told me. Too Savannah society.

She turned to me. "How are you doin', baby?"

I straightened, trying to shake off the tension from the conversation. "Fallon. It's been a minute, sweetheart." I hugged her, and to my chagrin, she lingered. She didn't step back far and snuggled up to me. She did this, and it never bothered me before, but after how she'd gone after Mira, it didn't sit right. Ismoothly shifted away. I had plenty of experience getting rid of clingy women.

Her smile was sharp, her eyes flicking between us like she was piecing something together. "Gabe, have you noticed that Beau's busier than ever? He's always otherwise engaged when I'm free."

I could feel Gabe move next to me; the air between the three of us suddenly charged. Was Fallon always like this? I never noticed, but she had a way of making a situation uncomfortable. She had, I could see it clearly now, a knack for turning everything into a veiled comment, a polite insult wrapped in concern.

"No, I haven't noticed that he's busier," Gabe said smoothly.

Fallon ignored him and focused on me. "All okay at home, baby?"

"Yeah." I kept my tone even. "It's going real well."

Her eyes sparkled, and she stepped a little closer. "And Mira? How are things with her? Is she getting better at handling Pari?" Her unspoken question hung between us:Are you fucking her?

"I've seen Mira with Beau's kid, and she's a fuckin' blessing," Gabe defended Mira, his tone easy, but he didn't like how Fallon was insinuating that Mira was in over her head.

This was why I'd been avoiding Fallon, because it had become apparent that she had some issue with Mira, just like Mama, and never missed an opportunity to make Mira sound like she was on the edge of falling apart.

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