Page 64 of Perfect Composition

Without thinking, I take his tattooed hand and drag it down to my stomach before whispering, “I’ve already carried the most beautiful thing we’ve ever made. I’m not sure how we could possibly top it.”

I’m suddenly crushed in his strong arms, being rocked from side to side. I can’t make out all the words, but I can make out his repeated thank-yous.

After long minutes, I pull back and rest my forehead on his before admitting, “I’m glad you came with Austyn. I’m so happy you didn’t leave with this between us.”

His crooked smile crinkles the corners of his eyes. “I never left. I just gave your brothers a break and took a rotation with your father so they could be rested to be with you tomorrow.”

Stunned at the generosity of this man whose whole life was changed by my father, I wonder aloud, “How could you think you were never good enough for me?”

He opens his mouth, but I quickly press my finger against them softly. Pulling back, I whisper, “Thank you. Now, I need to get a few hours’ sleep.”

“Do you want me to sleep on the couch?” he asks, completely serious.

The very idea of multi-multi-millionaire rock god Beckett Miller bunking on my couch sends me into uncontrollable giggles. This is the same man who was once quoted as saying, “I don’t intend to leave this planet with Sir Paul and Andrew as the only musicians on the billionaire list. Just wait and see.” Once I regain my breath, I shake my head. “I do have a guest room.”

“Good. Then Kane can take the couch.”

Beckett picks up the duffle he must have dropped by the door when he came in. As I lead the way down the hall to the first-floor guest room, I probe gently, “So, security everywhere you go?”

“Trust me, bird. It can be a royal pain in the ass.” He drops his bag just inside the room before admitting, “Though I’ll be glad to have them when Austyn’s around. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

I lay my hand on his heart and let him in on a secret. “The first lesson of parenting?”

He ducks his head. “Yeah?”

“Something is always going to happen to her. The trick is knowing how to be there for her. You flying her here—knowing she needed to be here despite your reservations at coming back to Kensington? You’re doing a great job, Dad. I always knew you would.” My fingers trail away as I step back. “Sleep well, Beckett.”

When I start to climb the stairs, I hazard a glance back. He’s still standing exactly where I left him with the same goofy look on his face.

BECKETT

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Ward Burke was spotted coming out of a jewelry store last night. He wouldn’t devastate my heart like that, would he?

— Sexy&Social, All the Scandal You Can Handle

“How did it go?” I jump up from the couch the moment Paige walks through her front door.

“Not as well as expected.” She heads into the kitchen. I immediately follow her.

After she ducks into her refrigerator, she holds up a pitcher of tea toward me, and I nod before continuing our conversation. “What do you mean?”

“They had to do surgical repair of the valve due to stenosis.”

Without thinking, I remark, “Your brains have always been one of the sexiest things about you, Paige, but right now I need you to stop speaking Pig Latin. Can you translate what that means, please?”

Before she can answer, Austyn says, “The things I always wondered about my parents, and now I’m not so sure I really want to know.”

I’m agog as Paige pulls down a total of five glasses. “You seriously wondered what I used to allure your father to me? This one leaves me stumped, Austyn. Should I feel offended or flattered? I assume since we do look alike it wasn’t about looks since you basically look at my face when you look in the mirror.”

“No. It was more general than that—you know, sex in general. But that’s before I knew who my father was. Now that I actually know, it’s creeping me out a bit.”

Paige calmly keeps doing what she’s doing without a reaction when Ethan enters the conversation with ease. “That’s for damn sure, kiddo. I mean, think about what it took for your grandmother and grandfather to…”

“Thanks, Uncle E, but no. Just no.”

“Oh, but come on, Austyn.” Jesse’s tired voice joins in mocking my daughter. “Your Grams and Gramps had to have had sex at least three times.”