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“I know everything I need to know,” I said, my tone unwavering.
I knew almost everything about her now that she had shared her past. The issue was protecting her now, keeping her safe. The irrational part of me wanted to take her abusive ex-boyfriend and beat him until he was unconscious. The reasonable part of me knew there was a process with these things.
“I’m happy for you. I am.” Mason rested his elbows on his knees, leaning in. “No one can deny that if anyone deserves the world, it’s you, Charles. You’ve been through a lot, and I just want to make sure you’re with the perfect girl—one who loves you for you and is not with you because of who you are, what you own, and—”
I held up a hand. “She’s not like that,” I said. I knew his heart was coming from the right place, but couldn’t he see that Becky’s character didn’t care even the slightest about money? Not more than it took to survive anyway. “For heaven’s sake, Mason, the girl wanted to wear jeans on our first date. If she’s a gold digger, she’s the worst one I’ve ever seen.”
And he was one to talk. Janice was blatant in her mission—land the biggest fish—and so far, she was managing that.
“I get that. I don’t doubt it, but still …” Mason rubbed at his jaw, and his words came out softer this time. “I just want to be sure. Don’t be mad or hate me for wanting the best for you.”
I sighed. There wasn’t an evil bone in Mason’s body, so I couldn’t fault him just because he was concerned.
A few stretches of silent beats spanned between us.
When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, “She wouldn’t even have to know we’re doing a background check. I have a private investigator who can just do a little digging.”
I laughed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Oh. Yeah, well”—his cheeks flushed—“I’ve run them before.”
“On who?” My eyebrows flew to my hairline.
“On the numerous nannies that we interviewed. And I ran one on Janice because I had all her information. With Becky, I don’t,” he said defensively. “Janice and I were in college, so it wasn’t anything new, but she seemed too good to be true. I had to check her out if I was going to invest in a long-term relationship with her.”
Invest.
The chuckle that came from my mouth was uncontainable. Of course he had. It was almost comical how he was methodical in all aspects of life.
“So, should I contact the PI, then? Is that a yes?” Mason asked.
He carefully kept his face neutral, so he didn’t come off too anxious, but I could see right through him.
I leaned back in my chair, steepling my fingers by my lips. Slowly but surely, I was moving on, but there was no way Becky could move on, not when she had to constantly watch her back, worried that bastard would show up one day and hurt her again.
Over my dead body.
She’d said she didn’t want to file a restraining order. I had to respect her wishes about that, but she didn’t say anything about me digging around a little, finding out where this bastard was. If I knew he lived halfway across the nation, I’d feel better. Or maybe the bastard was in another country altogether. Even better yet.
I tipped my chin toward Mason. “Give me his number. I’ll do the digging.”
Mason smiled, and his facial features relaxed. “I think this is your smartest decision yet.”
Shit. I sure hoped so. I hoped this wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass later.
Chapter 33
Becky
Out of the both of us, I had more self-control than Charles. There were many times, even when the girls were in the room, he’d steal a quick kiss on the lips, which would render me stupid and speechless for at least a good fifteen seconds.
Standing in the kitchen, making cupcakes with the girls … this was one of those times. I stood and noted Charles’s smile heavy on his face.
“Becky, can you pass me the powdered sugar for the frosting?”
I blinked at him and then stared at Sarah and Mary, who were busy mixing the cake batter. I shook my head through my hazy thoughts. My cheeks felt impossibly hot.
“Here.” My fingers brushed against Charles’s.
