The Black Sheep's Secret Child

“Do you really want to live here alone while your son and the woman you love live in a different state?”

“The woman I love?” He gave a bitter laugh, wishing he’d kept his distance from Savannah the way he had for the last year and a half. “What I want is to take back the last two weeks.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do. I wish Savannah had never come to Vegas to ask me for help. Because if she hadn’t, I’d never have learned the truth.”

* * *

On the terrace edge, out of sight of the living room’s occupants, Savannah heard Trent’s declaration and felt neither shock nor hurt. In fact, she was a little relieved. Now she didn’t have to wonder if returning to LA was the right decision. Trent didn’t want her or Dylan in his life. She could stop looking back and move forward.

Savannah entered the guesthouse and closed the sliding glass doors to the patio. With her bags packed and her flight several hours away, she kept herself busy cleaning the bathroom and little-used kitchen until Dylan woke.

Feeling restless and needing to get away from the house, Savannah took Dylan to the nearby mall and window-shopped for a couple hours. She kept melancholy at bay by thinking about what homey touches would warm up the cute mission-style house she’d rented. By the time she returned to Trent’s house, it was close to six and she knew he would have left for the club.

Melody’s car was gone as well and Savannah was able to relax knowing she wouldn’t run into either of them. She set about heating up the leftover chicken she’d fixed for dinner the night before. Dylan was a good eater. He scarfed down the chunks of carrots and potato as well as the bits of thigh meat Savannah arranged on the high-chair tray.

Later, Savannah sat with Dylan on the couch and read to him, losing herself in the rhythm of the words and her son’s delight. When she r

an out of books, she turned to her phone and the playlist that contained all his favorite songs. He laughed and clapped his hands while she sang. For a while longer she was able to escape her sadness. And then she heard the first few notes of the song Dylan and Melody had recorded. Days earlier, she’d uploaded the song, and now she played it for him often. His ability to mimic the tune amazed her. Before she could hit the repeat button, the other song from the CD began to play.

Savannah’s finger hovered over the stop button. Dwelling on her foolish dreams wasn’t conducive to moving forward. But the magic of Melody’s lyrics being sung in Trent’s deep voice was hard to resist. She didn’t realize she was crying until she noticed that Dylan was watching her with solemn eyes. He put his palms on her wet cheeks. With a shaky laugh, she kissed his damp fingers and dashed the remaining moisture from her skin.

“Mommy’s being silly, isn’t she?” The last strains of “She’s the One” faded and the room grew silent. Needing a distraction, Savannah got to her feet. With Halloween a week away, she’d bought Dylan a costume but hadn’t yet tried it on him. “You’re going to be the cutest dragon LA has ever seen,” she promised as she slipped his chubby thighs into the blue-and-green suit with orange wings and spikes down the tail.

Once she had the zipper up and the hood lifted into place, she started working on his roar. He was slowly learning his animal sounds and mastered the dragon’s growl after a few minutes. Laughing at the cuteness overload, she spun with Dylan in her arms and he shrieked with delight.

Why had she once worried so much about being a part of a traditional family with Trent when what she should have wished for was a perfect family? Because somehow that’s the exact sort of family she’d become with Dylan. Perfect.

Twelve

Club T’s throbbed with ear-blasting electronic music and pulsed with a dazzling light display. Trent sat in his favorite spot and watched the crowd drink and dance, laugh and flirt. A stunning blonde sat to his right. He’d forgotten her name as soon as they’d been introduced. She was a friend of the redhead Kyle had plucked out of the crowd waiting behind the velvet ropes.

Trent’s cell phone buzzed with an incoming text from Nate.

You don’t look like you’re having fun.

He glared over to where Nate sat on the far end of the curved couch, his lips twisted in a sardonic smile. The club was too noisy for conversation to carry over that distance, so Trent texted back.

I’m working.

Nate checked the incoming message and responded without looking up.

Kyle and I have this. Maybe you should get out of town for a few days.

Where the hell was he supposed to go? He rejected the first idea that popped into his head. Going to LA to check out the potential club properties Kyle had scouted would put him too near Savannah and Dylan. He wasn’t ready to deal with that situation yet. His emotions were too raw.

Amid the loud music in the club, Trent reflected on the playful growls and unrestrained laughter that had drifted across his quiet backyard the other night. He’d been standing on his terrace, overlooking his pool when the sounds had first caught his attention. Drawn by the joyful noise, he’d crossed half the distance to the guesthouse before reality had caught up with him. Unfortunately, although he’d stopped himself from joining them, it had taken him ten minutes to turn away. The memory of how he’d ached standing there alone in the dark compressed his lungs.

He would head to New York City and put the entire country between him and Savannah. Visiting his mother would take his mind off his troubles. She was directing her first off-Broadway musical and had been pestering him for months to fly out and see it. He texted Nate back.

Sounds good.

Figuring he might as well get started immediately, Trent left the couch, shaking off the blonde woman who’d clutched at his jacket sleeve. He hadn’t consumed more than a single scotch, but as he made his way out of the club, he felt disconnected from his environment, as if he’d overindulged.

Six hours later he checked into his hotel in Times Square and ordered breakfast from room service. By the time he ate and showered, it was late enough that he could call his mother without waking her.

“You’re in New York City?” At eight in the morning, she sounded wide-awake and delighted to hear he was in town.