The Black Sheep's Secret Child

After what had happened in LA, she was having a hard time letting Dylan out of her sight. If Trent had noticed her paranoia, he hadn’t said anything. Savannah knew she would have to eventually leave her son in someone else’s care, but for right now she was more comfortable keeping him close by.

Trent was peering at a sleeping Dylan when Savannah returned. In this unguarded moment Trent’s expression captivated her. With his features softened in wonder, he looked younger and happier. Even though he didn’t

realize Dylan was his son, he was growing attached to the boy. This made Savannah’s stomach tighten in an uncomfortable knot. Part of her wanted to tell Trent that he was Dylan’s father. But would he believe her? Or would he see this as a ploy to manipulate him?

Better that the secret remain hidden. Trent liked his bachelor lifestyle and his freedom. No reason to disrupt either. She appreciated his help with the company and wouldn’t burden him with the one thing he never wanted—a family.

“What?”

“Hmm?”

She came out of her thoughts and found him staring at her.

“You are looking at me funny. I’m not a complete idiot when it comes to kids, you know.”

“You’re not?” She retreated into friendly banter. “And where did you get all your experience?”

“For a couple months last year, I dated a woman who had two.”

“Two what?”

“Two children. Agnes and Theo. They were four and eight. Great kids.”

This news caused Savannah’s confidence to implode. After everything he’d said about not wanting a family, he’d dated a woman with children. It felt like betrayal, which was ridiculous. He could date anyone he pleased. It was no business of hers. After all, she’d married his brother.

“That’s nice.” The urge to run over, pick up her son and hug him close was almost painful in its intensity. Savannah recognized her need for comfort.

“She was great. The kids were great.”

“Sounds great.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me what happened?”

Savannah shook her head. “Are we going to swim or talk?”

Without waiting for his answer, she dived into the pool. The tepid water felt refreshing after the afternoon heat, and Savannah swam beneath the surface until her lungs burned. She rose, snatched a quick breath and dived again. Not until her fingers touched the pool’s far wall did she come up again. Sucking in huge gulps of air, she turned and pushed off to stroke back the way she’d come.

Damn Trent for making her feel jealous. She had no right to the emotion where he was concerned. Most of the women she pictured him with were young party girls. She’d never imagined him dating someone with baggage. In the back of her mind a distressed voice called, Why not me?

At some point during her frantic swim, Trent had entered the pool. He stood near the center, his expression unreadable as she approached. Savannah stopped several feet away and gazed toward the portable crib. Through the mesh sides, she could see Dylan sleeping peacefully.

“She didn’t mean anything to me.”

Savannah couldn’t believe Trent was continuing the conversation. “Really, it’s none of my business.”

“It was six months after you and I broke up. I wanted to see what dating a woman with kids was like.” Obviously, Trent was not going to let it go.

“And what was it like?”

“Not bad. Different. We didn’t really date. More like hung out. Right off the bat she told me she wasn’t interested in someone like me.”

“A party boy?”

“She wanted someone she could build a future with.”

Savannah knew what that was like. “But she dated you anyway.”

“She’d been divorced about a year and was looking to getting her feet wet in the dating pool.” Trent ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand up in all directions. “I met her at the club. We went out once and both of us knew right away it wasn’t going to work out.”