We’re doing this, huh?Every neuron was telling me to stop it right now. Get out of the app—even better, delete it. But my instincts were telling me otherwise. So, instead of minding my own business, I responded.
Piper: Someone who makes me laugh. Someone who loves exploring the city as much as I do.
Then I added a third one that had never been a requisite before.
Piper: Someone who can make me swoon.
I left the conversation and checked his profile. He didn’t have anything listed. I went back to the conversation and smiled at his reply.
Beckett: That’s not a lot to go on.
Piper: Is this an interview?
I decided to up the ante even more.
Piper: Are you looking for someone who fulfills my criteria?
Beckett: Perhaps.
I swear to God, my heart stuttered. Yep, stuttered. It wasn’t a flutter—it was way more powerful than that. The tips of my fingers tingled.
I seriously couldn’t be flirting with my client. He was a father on top of that. It just seemed wrong. But I couldn’t stop. I’d only been conversing with Beckett for about ten minutes, but it felt much longer, as if time had stopped completely for this conversation.
Piper: You don’t have anything listed on your profile. What are your requirements?
Beckett: Asking for a friend?
He was putting me on the spot. But he’d been vague, too, so why not play that game?
Piper: Maybe.
I only put the phone down quickly to reply to an email that had “Urgent” as the title. It was just a client panicking. I sent him a brief reply, assuring him that I had everything under control. All the while, I kept an eye on my phone.
Beckett didn’t respond for a while. Maybe he’d come to his senses. Apparently, I was unable to do so. Then a long message popped up.
Beckett: One: honest and doesn’t hide anything. Two: up for an adventure. Three: (I never thought I’d write this) likes kids.
What do you know? I fulfilled all three of those criteria.
I bit my lip. I needed to know what the deal was with Charlotte’s mom before this went any further.
Where could it go, Piper? He’s your client.
That argument didn’t seem to matter right now, which wasnot cool, as Josh wouldn’t be happy. I liked keeping my boss happy. It made my life easier.
Piper: What happened to make number one so important?
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting Beckett to say. Part of me thought he might brush me off, or just give me some generic answer like “It’s important to be open with each other.” Instead, he revealed a piece of his soul. At least, that’s how it felt to me.
Beckett: I have Charlotte as a result of a one-night stand. Her mother never contacted me during the pregnancy. She planned to give Charlotte up for adoption. I received a call from her best friend because she figured I had the right to know.
I gasped. That was the most atrocious thing I’d ever heard. No one could possibly do that. I put a hand on my chest and slowly slid it up to my neck.
Piper: Beckett, I’m so sorry. That’s really difficult.
Beckett: I take part of the blame. I never contacted her after the one-night stand.
I tried to put myself in the woman’s shoes. That would hurt, of course, but it wasn’t a reason to keep the baby a secret. That was insane.
