20. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Beau
I was already annoyed with Mama for summoning me without much of an explanation. And now, seeing Anil and Seema Sen sitting stiffly in her living room, my patience was wearing thin.
The Sens looked well put together.
Anil, the lawyer, was in a crisp button-down and polished shoes. His shoes were Berluti, and his clothes were designer. His wife was in a wrap-dress, Diane von Furstenberg, and the bag on her side was Chanel, which probably cost thirty thousand dollars if not more. A far cry from Mira's twelve ninety-nine tote bag.
Mira's father rose and held out his hand. "Anil Sen."
I shook it. His wife followed, and introduced herself.
"I invited them," Mama explained before I could ask what the fuck these people were doing in my mother's home. "Sit down, Beau. You want to hear them out."
I sat down on an armchair but didn't relax. I didn't like this, not at all. I felt like I was betraying Mira by talking to her parents without her.
"Would you like a drink, sweetheart?" Mama asked.
"Sure." I turned to Tansy, her housekeeper. "Tansy, hon, can you get me a beer. Mama has some IPAs I left behind."
"Sure, Beau." Tansy went to find my beer, and I leaned forward, dropping my forearms on my knees, waiting.
The Sens looked controlled, like they were preparing themselves for something difficult. My mother looked smug, her eyes darting between us as if waiting for something to explode.
If these assholes were here to take my kid away, they had another think coming. No fucking way.
Tansy came back and set a beer poured into a glass next to me. "Thanks, hon."
She looked around the room, and I saw my mother shake her head at her. Tansy left, the signal clear, this was a private conversation. Not that there was anything that happened in my mother's house that Tansy didn't know about—just as Roxy knew everything that happened in mine.
"Beau." Anil leaned forward as I had, rested his elbows on his knees and steepled his hands. It was a classic, I'm on your side and hence have positioned myself like you move. "Thank you for meeting with us. We wouldn't have asked for your time if it wasn't important."
"I didn't know I was meeting with you." I looked pointedly at my mother. "This, Mr. Sen, feels very much like an ambush."
"Please call me Anil."
I nodded, but the irritation stayed lodged in my throat. "Well then, Anil, what the hell is this about?"
Seema's face softened, almost as if she were hurt by my bluntness. "We came to clear the air about...Mira. And Pari."
"I know that my lawyers have let you know that I have claimed paternity and the court orders to update Pari's birth certificate are on their way, which, since you're a lawyer, you know is just a formality."
Anil sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Beau, you have to understand. Our intentions were never to take Pari away from you or harm your family. We just wanted to protect her."
"Protect her?" I raised an eyebrow, my voice flat. "From what? Mira's done nothing but take care of that little girl."
"That's what she wants you to believe," Seema said quietly, glancing down before meeting my eyes again. "But Mira has taken advantage of this situation, from the very beginning."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, the unease creeping up my spine as I looked between them. "Mira's been doing her best. Asha made her guardian. She's following her sister's wishes."
Anil and Seema looked at each other.
"Tell him what you told me," Mama urged.
I wanted to snap at my mother to stay the fuck out of it, but I was already in deep here; might as well get this conversation done with so I could go home to my girls.
"That's where you're wrong," Anil cut in, shaking his head. "Asha didn't want Mira to be Pari's guardian. She wasn't thinking clearly. She was ill, Beau. Weak. And Mira used that—she manipulated her own sister when she was vulnerable."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I pushed the nausea down, trying to stay level-headed. "Manipulated her? You expect me to believe that Mira—who gave up everything for Asha—was just...what? Taking advantage of her?"
Seema's voice was soft but sharp, like a blade hidden under silk. "Yes. Asha would have never agreed to her being Pari's guardian if she were in her right mind. She was sick. And Mira...she wanted custody. Not because she loved Pari, but because she thought it would give her leverage over us."
I stared at her, my hands curling into fists at my sides. "Leverage? What the hell are you talking about?"
Anil's face was full of concern, like a father trying to do what was best for his family. They seemed like decent enough people, and I couldn't understand why Mira and Asha…well, according to them, just Mira, had such a problem with them. I should've probed more, I thought, but I hadn't because Mira went pale every time her parents were mentioned.
"Mira came to us, Beau. After Asha passed, she asked us for money in exchange for giving us custody of Pari."
"What nonsense is this?" I blinked, my brain struggling to process. I couldn't believe this. Mira hadn't taken a dime from me, had been circumspect about making sure my money was only spent on Pari.
Seema nodded, her expression pained. "She was desperate. She knew we had the means to care for Pari and thought she could profit from it. But when we refused...well, you see where we are now."
I stared at them, my heart pounding. I wanted to believe it wasn't true, that there was no way Mira would do something like that. But why would they lie? These were her parents. Why would they make this up?
"And where are we now?" I prodded.
"She found you , didn't she?" Mama interjected. "Now, I know she's tryin' to trap you, Beau and—
"Mama," I warned cutting her off, "Stay the F out of it."
"Beau," she raised her voice, scandalized that I'd said F . Well, get the fuck over it!
"We don't want to cause trouble," Seema said sympathetically. "But, we can't in good conscience not tell you about Mira. We intended to reach out after the lawyers got in touch. And then your mother kindly invited us over. We're so grateful, Donna."
I shook my head. "Nothing you're saying sounds like Mira." My Mira!
"I know it's hard to believe," Anil said sadly. "But there's more. Mira...she's not who you think she is. She's hurt Pari. When she was a baby."
My blood ran cold. I froze. "What?"
Seema reached into her bag and pulled out a folder, setting it on the coffee table in front of me. "CPS investigated her. Child Protective Services in Atlanta. They were worried Mira wasn't caring for Pari properly. There were…incidents."
I stared at the folder like it was a live wire, the words "CPS" and "investigated" rattling around in my brain. "Incidents?" I forced the word out, my throat tight.
Anil's voice was grim. "Pari was just a few months old. Mira was overwhelmed—she didn't know how to take care of a baby. CPS believes Mira had shaken the baby. She was crying nonstop, and Mira...she lost her temper. But they didn't have proof, and couldn't give us Pari."
Seema opened the folder, flipping through the pages until she found what she wanted, then slid a report toward me. "It's all documented. They were concerned Mira wasn't feeding Pari properly, that she wasn't keeping her safe. CPS monitored her for months, Beau. You can read it yourself."
I stared at the papers in front of me, my pulse pounding in my ears. My hands shook as I picked up the documents. The words on the page blurred, but I could see enough.
Neglect.
Unsafe environment.
Possible harm to the child .
The lines jumped out at me, each one like a punch to the gut.
No. This couldn't be real.
But it was right in front of me.
Seema's voice was soft, coaxing, as if she understood the war raging in my head. "We only want what's best for Pari. She's our granddaughter, and we love her. We just want her to be safe."
I looked at the report again, my heart pounding. I didn't want to believe it, but it was right there. In black and white. Neglect. Unsafe. Possible harm .
"I've never seen Mira do any of this to Pari," I muttered, the anger rising in inside me like wildfire.
Anil walked to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "We know. We thought the same thing until we found out the truth. We only want to help."
My mother, who had been silent until now, spoke up, her voice almost gleeful. "You need to get rid of Mira, Beau. She's dangerous. She's been lying to you."
I clenched my jaw, my hands trembling as I stared down at the report. This woman—the one I'd let into my life, into my daughter's life—had been hiding a CPS investigation from me. Had she mentioned CPS before? Maybe. But she'd never said a word about being deemed a potential danger to my child.
"I'll take care of it," I muttered, picking up the entire file the Sen's had brought, gripping it tightly.
"Please." Seema got up and folded her hands, pleading, "Can we see Pari? We miss her so much."
I wanted to slam something. Hurt someone. Mostly myself for falling for Mira. Her innocence and reticence was all an act. She probably thought she could get more if she married me, didn't she? What other reason would she have to not just come balls out and ask me for money? Also, she was living in comfort now. Her life was fine.
"Asha worked hard. Mira partied all the time. She didn't get into any university. Her high school grades were bad," Seema continued. "She was smoking weed and behaving erratically. Finally, we had to let her go. She moved in with Asha. Kept getting fired. Asha was a good sister. Doing her best, you understand. We failed Asha. We failed Pari."
"Look, I need to sort this out with Mira. Once that's done, we'll set up some time for you to see Pari."
Had Fallon seen this because she was a psychologist? Why hadn't I listened to her? Because I'd been thinking with my dick—because I'd been too busy falling in love. Yeah, I had been—in love with Mira. I owed her for taking care of my daughter, and the fact that she loved her only made me want her more. Was all of it a lie?
I clutched at the file in my hand.
The Sens nodded, gratitude flooding their faces. "We trust you'll do the right thing, Beau," Seema said softly. "Thank you for hearing us out."
I barely nodded as I left my mother's house, my mind a storm of anger, confusion, and disbelief. The drive home was a blur.
And then my phone buzzed.
I looked down, seeing Mira's name flash across the screen: I got the job. We should celebrate.
She sounded so happy, so excited, and it made me sick.
I texted back : Just get back.
Mira: Is everything okay?
Me: Yes.
My hands shook as I put the phone down.
Fucking bitch! She thought she could play me? She had something else coming if she thought that. No one messed with me. No one fucked around with my family. And no one crossed Beau Bodine.