“Why do you think that?”
“You obviously were in a vulnerable place after we broke up, and Rafe took advantage of that.”
She stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “I’d better go get Murphy and our things.”
“Does that mean you’re coming with me to Las Vegas?”
“It makes sense for the time being.” She didn’t appear happy or relieved.
“Why don’t you stay here with Dylan and I’ll take care of collecting your stuff?”
She shook her head. “Is it weird that I’m uncomfortable waiting in this parking lot alone?”
Trent realized then what a good job she’d been doing hiding her anxiety. “Not weird at all. Grab Dylan and we’ll do this together.”
Ten minutes after she’d checked out and left the babysitter’s suitcase with the concierge, they were headed back to the Van Nuys airport. Both she and Trent had been driving rental cars. They dropped them off at the agency before heading to the chartered plane.
All through the day, from the plane ride to their confrontation with Siggy and now a second flight, Dylan had proven to be a sunny, spirited child. Trent sat across from the boy and regarded him in bemusement. “He takes after you.”
“He definitely has my nose.”
“Yes, but that’s not what I was referring to. I meant his temperament.”
“What about his temperament?”
“Dylan is a happy baby. Rafe was a fussy child. At least that’s what my mother says. And he turned into a difficult adult.”
“Your brother had his moments.” Savannah kept her attention fixed on Dylan. “I don’t know how I got so lucky with Dylan. He’s been easy since the day he was born.” She laughed. “Makes me want to have several more.”
Whenever she’d made statements like this, Trent visualized her surrounded by little girls with heart-wrenching blue eyes and blond ringlets. For some reason, he’d never pictured her with boys. Yet here sat a handsome lad with dark brown hair and curious blue eyes, and Trent wondered how many more sons were in her future.
“You’re an excellent mother. Of course, that’s no surprise to anyone.”
“It was a surprise to me,” she said. “As much as I’ve always wanted a family, I really wasn’t sure if I was capable of taking care of one.”
Her confession surprised him. “But you’ve always seemed so determined...”
How had she been so eager to do something when she wasn’t sure if she could? Trent had always been confident in everything he did. He couldn’t imagine taking on something he knew he couldn’t handle. With her inability to stick up for herself, she’d always struck him as insecure and unwilling to take chances. Maybe she was braver than he’d ever realized.
“Just because I’m scared of something doesn’t mean I won’t do it. If that had been the case, I never would’ve gone to New York City. Never modeled. And I sure wouldn’t have acted on a soap opera.” She gave him a melancholy smile. “I didn’t believe I could do any of it. Especially after I saw how beautiful the other girls were and heard the stories of how hard the modeling business was.”
“When you left LA, I never imagined you doubted yourself. Why would you? You were beautiful.”
“I was short.”
“You’re five-eight.”
“Most models are five-ten and taller. I didn’t book a lot of jobs because of that. And it kept me off the runway. Which made me feel inadequate. It’s why I traded modeling for acting.”
“How did I not know you felt this way?”
“I saw the girls you dated. Not only were they beautiful, but they were also over-the-top confident. They had to be to keep u
p with you.”
But none of those girls had stuck. None of them lingered in his thoughts like Savannah had. Like she still did.
“What do you mean, keep up with me?”