Page 33 of The Billionaire's Secret Heir

There was a small sitting room with a couch, chair, and wood and metal coffee table, all grouped around a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall over a gas fireplace. This was the most lived-in looking room, but still had almost no personal effects of any kind. Did he spend a lot of time here? Was this house a reflection of Beckett’s personality? Was he this cold? Madi couldn’t imagine living in a home like this and hoped that the guest house would be better.

The back of the house was almost all glass and Madi’s heart sank as she saw the bright blue of the pool outside. It was enormous, maybe even Olympic-sized, and she could see what must be the guest house beyond it: a simple, gray cube that matched the feel of the main house.

“You have a pool.”

“I swim. Is that a problem?” He gave her a curious look.

Madi couldn’t meet his intense gaze and gestured to the pool. “It’s just—there is no fencing or other kind of gate. This wouldn’t be safe for Becka. I appreciate the offer, but that’s basically a deal-breaker because of safety issues. Thanks, anyway.”

Madi turned, but Beckett took her arm. She tried not to react to the touch of his fingers on her bare arm. Everything in her wanted to lean into the touch and move closer to him.

“Don’t you only have a few weeks until your lease runs out? Isn’t that what you told me? Can you really find something else that quickly?”

“I’m sure I can.” She totally wasn’t.

“Come. Just see the guest house. Don’t worry about the pool. I can make any adjustments necessary.”

“That’s a huge undertaking. I appreciate this, but please don’t worry about it. You’ve been more than generous. That would be incredibly expensive.”

“Madi.” His hand still rested on her arm. She looked up at him, trying to reign in her reaction when their eyes met. “Are you trying to run away?”

“No.” Yes.

His fingertips traced her arm, sending cool shivers over her skin. His hand found hers and he squeezed gently. She sucked in her breath at his touch.

“Madi, will you come look? I can fix any safety issues with the pool or otherwise. Don’t mention money again. Please trust me. I would really love to have you both here.”

“Okay.” She held back the question she wanted to ask. Why did he want them there? To be close to Becka? Madi? Or both?

Beckett smiled and dropped her hand. She immediately missed the contact, but it was hard to think rationally when he was touching her. He opened the sliding glass door and Madi followed him outside. The weather was warm and she felt drawn to the aqua water. The pool was enormous and matched the style of the house with clean white tiles and sleek furniture. She wished that she didn’t hate the décor. It was beautiful but empty.

The guest house was on the other side of the pool. Beckett used a key to open the dark wood door. The outside hadn’t given any indication of just how large the inside of the guest house was. It was probably about the same square footage of her rental house and completely empty. A modern kitchen was at the back, open to a large living space with windows overlooking the pool. The ceilings were high and it felt a little warmer than the house, though it shared the same sleek lines.

“There are two bedrooms downstairs,” Beckett said. “Plus another two upstairs with an open loft area.”

Everywhere she looked, Madi saw safety issues. This place was completely unsuited for a two-year-old. The staircase was metal and wood, with open spaces between each step and wide spaces between the spindles. Normal store-bought safety gates wouldn’t easily attach to the top or bottom because of the metal railings. Becka wasn’t quite old enough to manage stairs, and since all the surfaces in the place were hard, a tumble on these could result in a massive injury. Part of the upstairs loft overlooked the downstairs, with metal spindles, placed way too far apart. A child could easily fall through.

The kitchen had enormous cabinet space, which just meant multiple cabinets needing child locks. Madi knew Beckett was watching her and she didn’t want to say anything yet about the space. He would probably just argue. But this would never work.

She looked inside each of the bedrooms on the first floor and the two bathrooms. The one attached to the master bedroom had only a shower, but there was a soaker tub in the other. Madi couldn’t even fathom seeing her mostly used furniture inside this home. The polished concrete floors were beautiful, but would be so hard for falls. She didn’t have any rugs that might soften up the space at all. Outlets everywhere would need outlet covers. The bedrooms downstairs both had sliding glass doors that led directly out to the pool.

In short, it was a total disaster waiting to happen for a two-year-old. And felt completely unwelcoming and harsh with its cold, modern architecture.

Madi made her way back to the kitchen, running a hand over the white quartz countertops. Beckett rocked back on his heels and ran a hand through his hair.

“Is it sufficient? I think it has as much space as your current home, but is newer and in better shape. And you wouldn’t have to worry about the lawn. I have a service.”

He spoke with teasing in his voice, but Madi’s tongue felt stuck in her mouth. Her disappointment felt heavy on her shoulders. “The space is fine in terms of size, but I don’t think it will work for us. I really appreciate the offer, though. It was very generous and you have a lovely home.”

Beckett frowned. “Why wouldn’t this work?”

“While the space is beautiful, it’s really not safe for Becka. Because of her age, things need to be child-proofed, which is going to be hard, just based on the architecture in here. Plus, the pool issue.”

Beckett pulled out his phone and stood with his fingers poised over the screen. “Tell me. Everything that needs to be changed or updated for her safety. Tell me and I’ll fix it. Make a list.”

Madi’s mouth fell open. “No. Beckett, it would be expensive. Some of the things might even be impossible.”

He gave her a wry smile. “Impossible is a word I don’t like to use. I already told you not to worry about the money. Just tell me.”

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