Page 9 of Best Kept Secret

"We'll take this slow and steady." I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Lord, but she was slender. Frail. There was something ethereal about Mira, something delicate, making me want to— Stop!

Fucking hell!

She nodded uncertainly. "Goodnight, Beau."

"Goodnight, darlin'." I watched her walk down the hallway to the guestroom she and Pari occupied.

She had a fine,fineass.

I decided to check in on them before I went to bed. I'd done that just a half hour ago before I called my family to break the news about the newest member of the Bodine family.

Pari was snuggled into Mira. They looked at ease like this is how they always slept.

They were obviously close. It had become apparent during dinner that they had their own language—and not just Bengali—but an intimate, unique connection. I couldn't wait to build the same with Pari.

I went back to my office and texted Fallon, asking if she'd be free for a drink tomorrow. I wanted to talk to her about how to handle PariandMira. I also wanted Fallon to assess Pari's emotional state. She looked healthy and happy, but what the hell did I know about children?Fucking nothing.

I sat down at my computer and, before I could overthink it, sent an email to the security firm we had on contract at Secure Systems, the company that I'd founded, asking them to put a report together about Mira and Asha Sen. I wanted all the details I could get about the sisters.

I followed that with an email to the Bodine family physician, Dr. Colby Mayfield, asking him to bring his ass over to the house during lunch the following day so we could get started on the DNA testing.

Last but not least, I told my EA to book a meeting with our family lawyer, Helen Goodwin, whose firm was on retainer for the Bodine family as well as my company. Not too long ago, Helen's daughter, Lemon, had helped Nova out with a situation she'd found herself in with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Savannah PD.

I ran a hand through my hair as I cataloged everything that needed to be done. Step one was to figure out the legalities regarding Pari's custody and then find out what the hell was going on with Mira and Asha's parents.

Chapter 4

Mira

When Pari said she wanted pancakes, I was thrilled to make them for her in Beau's gorgeous, fully stocked, chef's-dream kitchen—something I hadn't been able to do in so long. The past year had been incredibly hard. Asha had grown sicker, and the six months since her death were a blur. I'd tried working at a restaurant, but between caring for Asha and Pari, I'd eventually had to quit.

After Asha passed, things only got worse. My parents had us kicked out of Asha's home, freezing her assets and using a judge's injunction to invalidate her will. I was terrified of how I'dprovide for Pari, frantically researching daycare options when everything spiraled out of control.

And now, here I was, standing in one of the most beautiful homes I'd ever seen—more opulent than even the house I grew up in. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the simple joy of making pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream for my baby girl.

"Miramashi, Bodaddy is nice," Pari mumbled as she drew in her sketchbook. It was her favorite thing to do these days, and I got at least ten to fifteen minutes of reprieve when she got into it with her colored pencils.

I had managed to settle her at the kitchen island while I cooked. She sat on a high-back barstool with armrests, which meant she wouldn't slide away.

"Yes, he is." I mixed the batter with a whisk.

"Is this our new home now?" Pari looked up at me from her drawing.

It was definitely going to behernew home, but probably not mine. I'd have to get on with my life and co-parent from a distance, whatever that meant. I wish I could stay here so I could care for Pari as I had been, but she wasn't my child—she had my heart, but I didn't have any legal rights. It was so unfair! But my hand was being forced, and I knew that between my parents and Beau, the choice was crystal clear.

"Little girls live with their daddies, so you'll live here with yours."

She nodded thoughtfully and then dropped her pencil. She picked up her sippy cup with both hands and drank her milk. She set her cup down and asked, "Will Mama come stay with us?"

I didn't want her to forget Asha, so I showed her pictures, and we talked about her. She didn't remember her mother, per se, but I'd made sure she had memories of her all the same—onesshe could look back on later in life, even if they came from my perspective and not her own.

"Mama is a star in the sky, remember?" I let the batter rest and began to slice strawberries. "She'll always be there, watching over you."

I gave her a strawberry, and she took a bite, juice leaking out of her mouth. I reached out across the island and wiped her face with a paper towel.

"Yummy," she exclaimed and ate more of the berry.

She was giggling about the juice running down her chin when my heart stuttered as Beau came into the kitchen in a pair of workout shorts and a wet T-shirt that molded to his upper body. He had a towel in hand, but it did little to make him any less sexy—in that sweaty, rugged way men in movies always seemed to pull off. He'd obviously just finished working out.

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