19. Beck
CHAPTER NINETEEN
beck
I never quite understood the term shaking in my boots until this very second. I’m standing on an unfamiliar doorstep, staring at a bright red door with a wreath that has a little chalkboard sign that reads, I bake because punching people is frowned upon.
Like… Who does that, and why would Jules leave our daughter with this woman?
Pressing the doorbell, the chime is immediately followed by the high-pitched squealing of little girls. I have no idea how Charlotte will react to seeing me here instead of her mama. I can only hope she isn’t disappointed.
When the door opens, I get my first glimpse at Harper’s mom, Iris. Her dark hair is up in a messy bun, something is smeared across her cheek, and her apron is covered in flour. There are dark bags under her deep blue eyes that speak of long nights and longer days.
Rose said she was a single mom too, and a bit of sympathy sparks in my chest. At least she and Jules have each other.
“Hey! You must be Beck. Rose told me to expect you.” She holds out her hand, which isn’t much cleaner than the apron.
When I hesitate, her cheeks turn pink and she drops her arm.
“I’m so sorry. It’s been a hell of a morning.
Oven broke down over at the bakery, and I’ve been trying to make up some of the lost time with the one here at home.
With two girls underfoot, trying to help, it’s been… interesting .”
“Yeah, sorry it took so long. I can take mine off your hands now. Hopefully, that will help.”
Her head cocks. “Yours?”
“Daddy Beck!” Charlotte comes running through the tiny front living room with her backpack on and launches herself into my arms without any hesitation. “I missed you.”
Tiny arms squeeze around my neck, and I swear, whatever is left of my heart after her mama stole it all those years ago now belongs to her.
“Hey, princess. Were you good?”
“I was so good, Daddy. We helped Miss Iris bake for her store.”
Hearing her calling me Daddy ?
Stick a fork in me and call me done.
“Seems to me Jules left out some key pieces of information yesterday.” Iris fights a grin.
I clear my throat, which is currently choking on too many emotions. “Let’s just say she’s had her hands full the last few days.”
“I just bet she has,” she murmurs, amusement clear in her tone. “Tell her to give me a call. She owes me margaritas and a girls’ night. Stat!”
“Will do.” I smile. “Anything we can do to help?”
“Nah. I’ve got this. Darn thing is always going out. Just hoping the technician can swing by the bakery today, or it’s going to be a long week.”
“Give Jules a call if anything changes. We’ll do what we can.”
“Appreciate it.” She waves. “Bye, Charlotte. We’ll get you and Harper together again soon, and maybe y’all can help me bake those special cookies we talked about.”
“Yay! I’ll tell Mama.”
With a small nod, I head for the truck with my daughter in my arms. It’s a surreal moment, honestly.
Who would ever have thought that Beck McCoy would have a little girl?
Sure as hell not me. But the reality of it is staring me in the face every time I look into eyes that are the same exact shade as mine.
Buckling her into her carseat that I picked up from Rose, my mind wanders over all of the special moments I’ve missed.
Her birth, first steps, first words, doctor appointments, birthdays. The long list tears at my soul.
“Where’s Mama, Daddy Beck?”
“She’s back at the Ford estate with Uncle Wyatt.”
Her little brows furrow. “Do I call him Uncle Wyatt, or will he be another one of my daddies?”
My hand pauses on the edge of the door. “What do you mean?”
“We’re gonna be pack, right? Now that you found Mama.”
With my heart in my throat, I stare down at the single biggest surprise of my life. “Would you like that?”
She nods, her two blonde pigtails swishing wildly with the motion, and relief rushes through me.
“Yeah, princess. We’re gonna be pack. Just waitin’ for your mama to be ready is all.”
She crosses her little arms over her chest with a frown. “What about those mean Alphas?”
Fighting down my anger at the other pack’s treatment of my little girl, I say simply, “You don’t need to worry about them anymore.”
“Is Mr. Kash gonna be one of my daddies too?”
I grimace, wondering how to explain the complex situation to a three-year-old. “He’s gonna be a friend for now.”
She chews on her bottom lip for a moment as she ponders that. Her voice is tiny when she finally speaks. “Does he not want me?”
Stepping closer to the back seat, I brush a hair off her round cheek. “Aww, princess. Mr. Kash likes you a whole lot. He’ll be a part of our pack, but he may not bond your mama. But know you can always go to him if you need anything, you hear me?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
The way that one little word makes my heart flip is something else.
“How about we run to the store and pick up some food to make Mama breakfast?”
She claps excitedly. “Mama loves French toast.”
“Perfect. Then let’s go.”
Shutting the door, I climb into the driver’s seat and make the short drive to the small store on Main Street. Charlotte and I walk hand in hand down the sidewalk, entering Doc’s as the small bell on the wall chimes.
“Welcome to Doc’s,” a voice calls out from behind the counter.
“Hi, Doc!” Charlotte waves to the elderly man with a shock of white hair and a large smile.
He greets her as he waves back. “Hello, Charlotte. Who’s the strapping fella you brought with you today?”
I don’t miss the slight narrowing of his eyes as he regards me warily. I’m a stranger, after all. With Juliette’s little girl. At least I know this town watches each other’s backs.
“This is Daddy Beck,” she says proudly. “He’s my real daddy, and we’re gonna make Mama breakfast.”
Wide eyes dart up to mine, then back down to Charlotte, and back up again.
“Well, I’ll be a monkey's uncle.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I murmur, ignoring the shocked stares and whispers from a couple of women waiting in line in front of the counter.
Kash warned me how quickly word travels through the grapevine around here. Looks like our little secret won’t be much of one for long.
“Great to finally meet the man who gave Jules this amazing little girl. ‘Bout time she has a little help too, if you know what I mean.”
“Couldn’t agree more, sir.”
He nods, a smile finally reappearing on his weathered face. “If you need help finding anything, just holler.”
With a nod, we walk off hand in hand. Every time we cross paths with one of Darling’s residents, it’s a shocked look followed by a double take, then curiosity disguised as small talk.
I know this town is small, but surely this can't be that big of news. It’s not like Jules had an immaculate conception for Christ’s sake.
As we finish up, I’m staring down at the cart and starting to realize it’s probably not a good idea to have a three-year-old help with the shopping.
We’ve picked up the breakfast necessities but also a shit-ton of stuff we didn’t even need.
Three different kinds of cookies. A full sundae bar including hot fudge, sprinkles, and three different kinds of ice cream.
The ingredients to make s’mores. Four different kinds of candy she just had to have.
The little diva has already learned my weakness. All she has to say is Daddy, please, bat her eyelashes at me, and I’ll give her damn near anything she wants. Apparently, my daughter has a little bit of a sweet tooth, and Jules is probably going to kill me.
Still. It’s worth it just to see the smile light up Charlotte’s face.
Walking down the aisle on our way back to the check out, her footsteps slow in front of a rack of coloring books, toys, and games.
“Daddy! This is my favoritest book ever.”
The book is about a horse without a name.
His friends are trying to convince him why he should take each of their names, but he wants one of his own.
It includes a plush horse that matches the main character.
She’s only three, so I know she can’t read yet, but before I can ask, she answers my unspoken question.
“Harper has it. She named her horse Diamond. I’d name mine Calamity, just like Mama’s horse.”
“What if I get it, and I can read it to you before bed tonight?”
Hopefully, I’m not overstepping here, but dammit, I’m a daddy and daddies read to their little girls before they tuck them in, right?
“Really?” she whispers, her eyes tearing up a little.
So help me God, if she cries, I’ll buy her the whole damn rack of books.
Kneeling down, I pick her up with one arm and hold her against my side. “Of course. Daddy’s not going anywhere, princess. I’m gonna be around for bedtimes and breakfasts, your birthday, and all the holidays.”
“Even Mama’s birthday?”
I smile. “Yup. And Wyatt’s birthday.”
“And Mr. Kash’s birthday.”
I chuckle. My kid isn’t going to let Kash get away, and I’m not above using her to our advantage. “Even Mr. Kash’s birthday.”
“Good. We needed a pack, real bad , Daddy.”
I kiss her cheek, emotion once again clogging my throat. “I know, princess, and now you’ve got one.”
She leans her little head onto my shoulder, and my entire world realigns itself with her at my center. I’m pushing the cart with one arm—because no fucking way am I setting her down—when a woman steps into our path, blocking our way.
“Well, aren’t you two precious,” her nasally voice drawls. A hint of lemon sneaks through the heavy floral perfume that’s making my nose itch.
“Thanks, ma’am. I’m Beck, Charlotte’s dad.”
“Hmmm. Dad, you say? Juliette’s never mentioned you. Most of us around here were wondering if she even knew your name.”
My eyes narrow, and I feel Charlotte tense against me. “Just took a while for our paths to cross again, but now I’m here, and I don’t have plans on going anywhere anytime soon.”
She fluffs her overbleached hair, eyes trailing up and down my body. “That’s so sweet. Guess I’ll be seeing you around town then.”
She stalks off, leaving a floral trail in her wake.
“Mama doesn’t like Miss Sally. Neither does Grandma Rose. She called her a cunt.”
Choking on my spit, I cough a couple of times before I can finally speak. My daughter’s innocent face stares up at me. “Princess, you can’t say words like that.”
No matter how accurate they may be.
Her exaggerated sigh nearly makes me laugh, but I bite it back just in time.
“That’s what Grandma Rose said too. Is it bad?”
Ah hell. How do I handle this situation? Should I text Jules? If I had to guess, my brother is using their time together wisely, and I don’t want to interrupt them. Instead, I decide to wing it.
“It's short for see you next Tuesday .”
There. That’s pretty safe, right?
Her nose scrunches up. “That don’t seem so bad.”
I wave my hand through the air. “It’s one of those Southern sayings that sounds one way but means another.”
“Oh!” Her little eyes light up with understanding. “Kinda like bless their hearts .”
Laughing at her exaggerated impression, I say simply, “Exactly.”
Heaving a relieved breath that the conversation is over, we make it to the counter, unload our items, and pay while Doc bags everything up.
With a final goodbye to the old man, we walk out and I quickly load everything into the truck.
The whole trip back to the Ford estate, Charlotte rambles from the backseat, telling me about her Grandma’s parrot, Ollie, and his new piglet friend, Waddles.
Apparently, the two of them cause a lot of havoc that Charlotte finds amusing.
“Daddy, Mr. Kash is probably really hungry too.”
Grinning at the abrupt change in subject, I catch her eyes in the rearview. “You think so, huh?”
She nods, face serious. “Yeah. He’s an Alpha. He needs to stay strong.”
“You’re right. But I’m not sure he’ll come down for breakfast.”
“When we get back, can I go ask him?”
Kash doesn’t stand a chance. My daughter’s damn near claimed him herself.
“Sure thing. I’ll drop you off at the main house, then I’ll go unload and get everything started.”
“Yay!” She giggles, staring out the window and damn near bouncing in her seat.
Not for the first time, I wonder how in the hell Jules has managed all of this on her own for four years.
Between being pregnant, caring for our little girl, her business, and her own training as she works her way back onto the rodeo circuit, I’m in awe of her and everything she’s accomplished.
Sure, she has Rose’s and apparently Hudson’s support with Charlotte and the training center, but who takes care of her ?
The answer is like a swift kick to the gut.
No one.
Right then and there, I vow to make sure this woman takes time for herself.
She’s got Wyatt and me to help her carry the load now.
And despite his reluctance, I know Kash will pitch in where he can.
Between the three of us, I’ll see to it that this woman understands she’s a priority—regardless of our careers, family, or other outside bullshit.
Not only will she never have to worry about being alone again, but everyone in this town will know that she belongs to us, and we take care of what’s ours.