Page 13 of Best Kept Secret

"She calls me Bodaddy."

Fallon smiled. "That's cute."

"She's fuckin' adorable, Fallon." I pulled out my phone and showed her some of the pictures of Pari that I hadn't been able to resist taking.

"And this is the aunt?" Fallon pointed to a photo of Mira holding Pari. She was laughing that big belly laugh of hers, the one that made me feel things I never thought I was capable of. When she was around my daughter, Mira had an inherent joy within that was unmistakable.

"She's gorgeous. Indian?"

"Yeah. They're from Atlanta. If I remember correctly, her father is a big-time lawyer or somethin'. But they're estranged. I don't know why."

Fallon gave me back my phone. "I have some Indian clients, and Asha having a baby out of wedlock could have caused a rift, if they're conservative, which, from the sound of it, they are."

"Right now, I'm not going to worry about them beyond the legalities. I'm confused enough," I admitted. "A part of me is freaking out, and another is just happy as a fucker can be."

"You can feel two contradictory things at one time, Beau."

"Hell, Fallon, I usually have trouble feelin' anythin'!" I exclaimed.

She laughed. "I can't believe it. You're a father. By the way, are you sure? Did Trev—"

"Like he'd cheat on Katya," I snapped, defending my brother. "And I trust Mira when she says Asha claimed I'm the father. There's no way Trev had sex with her—he didn't even know her. I met Asha in Atlanta. Besides, she's got those green Bodine flecks in her blue eyes."

Fallon raised a hand in a peace sign. "I get it. Just askin', baby. Well, the DNA test will make it all legalandclear. What will you do if you find out she's not yours?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "I'm here to talk to you about what to do because I'm certain,beyond certain, that Pari is my kid."

When our food arrived, we made room on the small table for our plates. I also asked for a beer in addition to the water, while Fallon refused anything with alcohol as she was going back to work after lunch.

"How is your family feelin' about her? Donna must be…well, I know it's not been easy for her to find out about Nova being your half-sister."

Most of Savannah now knew that Nova King soon-to-be Larue was actually a Bodine by blood. Fallon knew my mother well, as our mothers were friends, so I knew she was privy to Mama's frustration with the news about my father's infidelityandhowcallously he had disregarded his child, leaving her to struggle in poverty.

"She's having trouble with Pari's name for starters…andtheneverythin' else."

Fallon stabbed a lettuce leaf while I took a big bite of the chicken sandwich. "It's an unusual name. Maybe she has a middle name, or maybe you can find an alternative to—"

"No." I put my sandwich down, fixing Fallon with a steady look. "Pari is her name—her actual name. I don't get why everyone's so worked up about it. Sure, it's not some Southern Anglo-Saxon thing, but it's not hard to pronounce. Her mother gave her a beautiful name that means Angel. What's the issue? And you saw her photo—she's brown, Fallon. There's no way anyone's mistaking her for pure white or whatever other nonsense people around here seem to care about."

Fallon put her hand on mine and stroked tenderly. "I get it, baby. This little girl had no one, but now she has you and your family."

I frowned. "Pari's always had Mira."

Fallon flipped her hair from her shoulder. "I'd like to meet both of them to see their dynamic and then spend time withPaari."

I shook my head. "It's Pari. Not Paris in French."

Fallon grinned. "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it does. It's her name, Fallon."

She smiled and continued to caress my hand. "Pari," she tried again.

"Yeah, sounds like curry."

She tried again.

"That works," I nodded approvingly.