The Black Sheep's Secret Child

When he got to his office, he was surprised to find Kyle there.

“Where have you been?” Trent asked. If he asked a little more forcefully than he needed to, it was due to his concern for Melody. “I expected to see you at the house. Tell me you didn’t hook up with somebody.”

“Nothing like that.” Kyle didn’t overreact to Trent’s aggressive tone or nosiness. “I took a suite here at the hotel.”

“Why aren’t you staying at the house? Have you called Melody? What the hell is going on with you two?” Trent knew he wasn’t giving his friend a chance to answer, but his own troublesome morning had put him on edge.

“Look, I didn’t say anything last night, but we’ve had a rough patch.”

“How rough?”

Kyle’s expression darkened. “I’m here, aren’t I? In Vegas, I mean. And at Cobalt. I don’t know what’s going on at the moment.”

He looked utterly miserable, so Trent decided to cut him some slack.

“So what brings you here this morning?”

“You got your start in the LA club scene. I know they make a tenth of what we bring in at Club T’s. Do you think it makes sense for us to open something in LA?”

“I’m looking at some other business opportunities in LA,” Trent said, thinking about Savannah and the rebirth of her acting career. Of course, when he’d started considering ventures that would take him to LA and into her orbit, he hadn’t known she’d been keeping his son from him for a year. “I thought I would explore expanding into LA.”

“Great. I talked with Nate for a while last night and he’s on board, as well.” Kyle crossed the office to the window that overlooked the club. “He told me that you have Savannah staying with you. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’m just helping her out for old times’ sake. She and Siggy have been at odds over the label and he’s been playing dirty.”

Kyle gave a rough laugh. “Just like old times, then.”

“Just like.”

“I found out something just now.” Trent had no idea he was going to share Savannah’s revelation until the words came out of his mouth. “Savannah told me Dylan is my son.”

“She cheated on Rafe with you?”

Trent had no idea why Kyle had leaped to that conclusion. “No, she married him after finding out she was pregnant with Dylan.”

“She never told you she was pregnant?” Kyle looked appalled. “That’s messed up.”

Hearing his own opinion echoed by his best friend, Trent began to feel a little vindicated. “She should’ve come to me.”

“Absolutely. Your poor brother.”

“Rafe knew. Apparently his cancer had made him infertile. He was glad to be a father and have a son to pass the business along to.”

Trent felt at that moment that he understood what his brother had been up against. Maybe setting up Savannah to get pregnant had been a crazy act, but with the cancer eating away at his mind, no doubt he hadn’t been thinking rationally.

“What would you have done if she’d told you before marrying Rafe?”

This was a question Trent should have asked himself already, but he’d been so consumed with anger at being lied to. “I don’t know. Obviously I would have taken care of her and the baby.” Taken care of her financially was what he meant to say.

“But would you have married her? I know how you feel about getting tied down, but you’ve been crazy about Savannah for a long time.”

“Maybe.” Probably not. “We’ll never know.” Funny how twenty-four hours earlier he’d been thinking how great things were between them and how much he was enjoying having Dylan around.

“So that’s it then? You guys are done?”

Were they done? Of course they were. A bone-deep chill struck Trent.

“She’s planning on restarting her acting career.” He sounded calm and detached. Numb. “That means she’s going to be spending time in LA.”