Page 18 of The Billionaire's Secret Heir

But it was hard not to think about. In her opinion Beckett was much more handsome than Roman Bennett. With his blond hair and startling blue eyes, a strong jaw, and full lips, it was almost hard to look at him he was so beautiful. She was sure a man with his imposing stature would have objected to that word, but it fit him perfectly. The moment she walked into the conference room, she could see the resemblance to Becka. She could also imagine him with Calista, who was also blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful. They probably made a beautiful couple in whatever brief time they were together. The thought turned Madi’s stomach a little.

She hadn’t been thinking of that when he asked the lawyers to leave and sat down next to her. Being so close to him made her feel jittery and even more out of place. Physically, he was imposing—tall and broad-shouldered, with the kind of physique that looked fit even underneath his suit.

He made her feel nervous, just by his sheer size. It had been hard enough to confess that she needed money. But the intensity of Beckett’s cool blue gaze made her feel like her insides were completely laid bare before him. He had been kinder than what she had expected from the first part of the meeting. Where Bret had made her feel betrayed, Beckett had made her feel safe. She felt like he was on her side. Though she didn’t want to be the wilting heroine in need of rescue, she couldn’t help but find herself drawn to the power and strength he exuded.

Over the years Madi had dated a few men, but none that she felt strongly about. The feeling was apparently mutual, as her relationships fizzled out with little fanfare. She felt more of an attraction toward Beckett from just that one hour together than any man she could remember.

It surprised her because she generally didn’t like men who had that alpha thing going on. It was one reason Bret made her so uncomfortable. He seemed to constantly be jockeying for position. With Beckett, he didn’t work for it. He simply was powerful. That thrilled her, though it shouldn’t. She couldn’t let herself get emotionally attached to someone like him, a man completely out of her league. Who now had some financial entanglements with her and who had also been romantically involved with her sister. That was just over all kinds of lines.

But if that was something Madi could ever move past or if he happened to be interested (which she was sure he wouldn’t be), Beckett had squelched the attraction when he didn’t even want to see a photo of Becka.

Watching Becka climb the stairs to go down the big slide again, Madi felt that powerful mama-bear protectiveness. How could anyone not want to know her? What was it about Beckett that made him happy to give money to his daughter, but not his time or life?

She knew that there were terrible and absent parents all over the world. But seeing it in such a personal way with Becka had been gut-wrenching. It was Madi’s own fault for even having the thought that finding Becka’s father might mean that he would be in her life. Expectations always lead to disappointment.

Becka fell at the bottom of the slide, her knees going into the mulch. Madi darted over, but Becka was already on her feet, running back to do it again, even as the mulch stuck to her knees. So resilient. So brave. Beckett didn’t know what he was missing by not knowing his daughter.

Madi tried to temper her anger by thinking about his generosity in the financial area. She didn’t want to need his help. Maybe one day she wouldn’t. But for now, Beckett could help and seemed willing to. She didn’t know what kind of number he would come back with, but maybe something closer to what she needed, which was a fraction of what Bret had asked for.

Eighty thousand dollars a month!That was more than Madi made per year working as an accountant, and she had considered that a good job. While searching Google for more info on Beckett, she discovered that what Bret asked for might not be that outrageous considering his wealth. But who needed that kind of money to live on? Even a tenth of that would more than cover her expenses.

She didn’t want to hope for a lot of money from Beckett. It felt like hush money or something worse. But if he could just cover her minimum expenses, it would be a relief not to be constantly scrambling. She wouldn’t have to worry about finding a full-time job or putting Becka in day care. It would mean that she could keep living in the rental home she loved, or even look for something a little nicer in the area.

A big, stubborn, and maybe prideful part of her didn’t want to accept anything from him. Why should she receive the money? Because her sister happened to get pregnant by a wealthy man and then died?

The thought made Madi ill. The whole situation did, really. She wished that she wasn’t in dire financial straits, needing Beckett’s help. She wished that she could have met him under other circumstances where he didn’t have some obligation tying him to her. She wished Beckett hadn’t dated her sister.

Most of all, she wished that her sister hadn’t died.

Madi tried to turn off her brain and focus solely on these moments with Becka. Completely fearless, Becka made it halfway up a climbing wall intended for much bigger children. After pushing her in the swing and catching her at the bottom of the slide for the twentieth time, Madi strapped Becka back into the stroller with only mild protest. She caught Becka yawning and smiled. She would sleep well tonight.

Until she had the legal documentation granting her custody and some kind of financial plan, Madi wouldn’t rest easy. As though psychically sensing her worry about money, Mrs. Covell called right after Madi got Becka down to bed. Talking with her landlady was never pleasant, but less now that Madi was late renewing the lease.

“Hello, Mrs. Covell. How are you doing?” She tried to turn up the sweetness in her voice. Always use honey, not vinegar. She still remembered this phrase from her mother.

There was no honey in Mrs. Covell’s voice. “Your lease is up next month. I never got your renewal and deposit.”

Hello to you too.

“I’m planning to. Just waiting on a few things to make sure that I’ve got my situation taken care of.” She had explained the financial position Calista’s death put her in, but Mrs. Covell hadn’t seemed to care.

“Not good enough. I have another renter willing to pay more. They can move in next month. I wanted to give you fair warning.”

Madi sucked in a breath. “Mrs. Covell, I’m sure I can take care of it. Just give me a few more days.”

“No. I’ve seen the condition you’re keeping that place in—weeds everywhere, overgrown bushes. It’s a wonder I could even find new renters. You’ll move out by the fifth. If everything looks pristine, you’ll get your damage deposit back.”

That was a few weeks away. Madi’s throat felt thick with panic. “Mrs. Covell—”

“The fifth. Goodbye.”

Madi stood staring at the phone in her hand after Mrs. Covell hung up on her. A stress headache pressed in behind her eyes. Even if Beckett came back with a number that would let her live comfortably, now she would need to find a place to live in the next few weeks and move. No small order.

Sighing, Madi pulled out her laptop and began searching through real estate listings, though it was hard to search through the databases when her eyes were blurry with tears.

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