Page 35 of The Billionaire's Secret Heir

Chapter Eleven

Beckett stood on the back patio, admiring the new look of the pool area. After only a few calls and a few days, he had gotten all the updates needed. He found a company that installed a safety fence that wasn’t as much of an eyesore as he had imagined. Surprisingly, he liked the way everything turned out, defining the pool area against the wide expanse of the backyard. It was more expensive, of course, especially with the rush order, but he didn’t mind. Especially with the results.

The pool area now had a beautiful wrought-iron fence surrounding the whole area, broken up only by concrete pillars with water or fire features. It fit completely with the modern look of the property, but completely closed off the pool with two gates, one on the main house side and one on the guest house side. Beckett checked the latches, which were much too high for Becka to be able to reach, even for a few years. If left open, they had self-closing features.

He crossed the patio outside the pool gates to the guest house. The decorators were just finishing up inside. Beckett admired the space. This, too, had been transformed, still keeping the same clean lines and modern architecture, but with all the safety elements the company he hired had suggested. They had been able to install a few things, like the plexiglass around the upstairs loft area railings. It was hardly noticeable, but blocked off the spindles that had been too far apart. Custom gates had been installed at the bottom and top of the stairs.

All the cabinets had been outfitted with magnetic locks. There were four strong magnets that acted as keys to open them. Beckett had two keys on the refrigerator door and two in a drawer, just in case any of them got lost. The company let him know that sometimes the keys were easily lost, so he’d ordered extras.

His decorator was arranging pillows on the sofa. “We’ve finished up, Mr. Van de Kamp. Do you want to do a final walk-through before we leave?”

“Yes, Kit. Thank you.”

Kit pushed her purple-framed glasses up to the bridge of her nose and then ran a hand through her short, silver hair. Kit had been the one who helped him with the inside of the house and Beckett hadn’t been sure that she could pull together what he wanted for the guest house. As he followed her on a quick tour, he realized that he shouldn’t have been worried.

While she had decorated the inside of the main house according to Beckett’s modern, minimalist preferences, he had asked her to infuse the guest house with Madi’s style. When she had asked him what kind of style that was, Beckett had realized that he had no idea. He couldn’t remember the décor in her rental home as he’d been so distracted by the disrepair and the small size.

“Well, how would you describe Madi?” Kit had asked him.

Imagining her warm brown eyes, kind voice, and the way he felt when he was around her, Beckett had given those three adjectives to Kit: warm, inviting, and playful. The guest house now completely embodied those words. Though he didn’t know her well, Beckett could picture Madi on the bright turquoise sofa, a much more comfortable and relaxed style than the one in his house, which now seemed stiff in comparison. Colored throw pillows in different shapes looked like they would double as play toys for Becka.

The rug underneath the sitting area was plush and gray, a color that Kit said would be better for hiding any spills. Instead of a coffee table, she had found a round leather ottoman with storage inside for toys. Kit showed Beckett how the storage was sectioned off inside, with six different areas.

“I filled each section with a different kind of toy,” Kit said with a wide smile, showing him how the top opened section by section. Each one opened to reveal toys like wooden blocks, large Lego bricks, and small stuffed animals.

“Becka will love this,” Beckett said. “It’s perfect.” He could imagine her already, playing with the ottoman as much as the toys inside.

Becka’s room had even more thoughtful touches, from the crib that easily transformed into a toddler bed to the patterned rug that featured roads and rivers and city blocks on it. He could picture her pushing trains along its tracks. There were low storage shelves with more toys and books, plus a dresser anchored to the wall with a pad for a changing table on top.

“I took the liberty of getting a few clothes as well,” Kit said, opening the closet door.

Beckett smiled, seeing a row of dresses, shirts, shoes, and other items inside the well-designed closet space she had put together. “You’ve outdone yourself,” Beckett said.

“You haven’t seen everything yet.” Kit grinned and led him upstairs through the custom gates.

She had turned the loft into a media room with a comfortable gray couch and a flat screen on the wall. There was also a child-sized table and chairs along one wall with art supplies in a circular container in the middle. Another bookshelf had more books for Becka and was also anchored to the wall for stability.

Beckett followed Kit back downstairs, unable to keep the smile from his face. He couldn’t stop thinking about Madi, imagining her reaction to the transformation of the space. Kit showed him the new coffee maker and stash of coffees in the cabinet above. She had stocked the fridge and pantry with basic snacks and staples.

“You’re going to make me look really good,” Beckett said.

Kit grinned. “I couldn’t have done it without all your notes on what you thought they’d like. I saved the best for last.” She led him to what would be Madi’s room.

When she opened the door, Beckett drew in a breath. The room carried on the same bright and playful theme, but also held a sense of calm, with more cool tones and dark wood furniture anchoring it. He immediately felt the sense of peace that Kit had intended to create. He had mentioned that Madi’s current house had a comfortable chair where she had a Bible and coffee and Kit recreated that. A plush armchair and ottoman stood near the sliding doors overlooking the pool. The side table next to it had a coffee-scented candle, a blank journal, and a new Bible he had purchased. She might prefer the worn one that he had spotted at her house, but still couldn’t resist getting her a new one.

“It’s exactly the kind of retreat I was hoping for,” Beckett said.

Kit clapped her hands. “I’m so glad you like it.”

“You’ve exceeded all my expectations.”

Beckett walked by the king-sized bed, running a hand along the cool gray patterned fabric comforter. Gauzy fabric draped from the posts of the bed, giving an airy and light feel that also felt romantic. Beckett suddenly felt like he was intruding in an intimate space. In a few days Madi would be sleeping here. Grinning at the thought, he turned to look at bookshelves. These held some books, but also a few decorative items, all in cool blues and grays with a few pops of yellow that brightened the space without taking away from the relaxing vibe.

All week Beckett had been walking a fine edge, going back and forth between the office and home as the work progressed. When Madi asked him why, he had told her that he was doing this for Becka. And he was. But he was doing this as much for Madi as he was for his daughter. He couldn’t wait for both of them to see it. Maybe Madi would see the way he felt through these updates, even if he hadn’t been able to say the words.

But how did he feel? Beckett didn’t quite have the words yet to describe how he felt or articulate what exactly he wanted. All he knew was that every thought of Madi sent his heart racing and put a goofy grin on his face. Every moment he wasn’t with her, he was thinking about her. Becka too, but obviously in a different way. His little girl—and he loved that phrase now—had completely won him over. He wanted her to look up to him with adoration in her eyes. And maybe one day, to call him Daddy.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and Beckett looked to see that Madi was calling. He couldn’t answer fast enough. “Hello!”

---