by Cat Schield
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away. I never should have listened to Rafe.”
“He told you to keep the truth about Dylan from me?”
“He explained to me about that girl in college.” When Trent stared at her blankly, Savannah continued, “The one who got pregnant. You helped her take care of it?”
At last comprehension dawned. “Lisa Wheeler. What does that have to do with our situation?”
“You didn’t want to be a father then any more than you do now.”
“Wait.” Trent raised his hands in a stop gesture. “I didn’t get Lisa pregnant. I just helped her. She was a friend. She helped me get a B in a poetry class. We never even dated. She’d been raped and was severely traumatized. I tried to get her to go to the police, but she was from a conservative family and didn’t want them to know.”
“But why would Rafe...” Savannah’s stomach turned over. “He lied to me.” And why not. Rafe had deceived her several times before that.
“I had no idea your opinion of me was so low.” Trent’s lips twitched into a sardonic line.
Perhaps in this instance she’d judged him a little too harshly. “To be fair, you were pretty vocal about your view regarding the whole marriage and kids thing. You didn’t want anything to tie you down.”
“You were right to listen to Rafe. I gave you no reason to think otherwise. At some point I let my father’s negative opinions define me. I figured if I was going to be labeled selfish and no good, I might as well act that way.”
“So, what did you hope to gain by coming here?” She didn’t understand what he wanted from her. “If you’re interested in being part of Dylan’s life, I welcome that. I would never keep him from you.”
Her son recognized his name and got to his feet. He toddled over to Trent and lifted his arms, asking to be picked up. Savannah’s throat tightened as Trent scooped up Dylan and checked out the costume.
“This is really cute. I especially like his horns.” Trent’s crooked smile had a detrimental effect on Savannah’s equilibrium.
She cautioned herself not to read too much into his visit. Just because he’d made an effort to stop by didn’t mean his opinions had changed.
Her son was an excellent diversion from her tumultuous emotions. “Dylan, what does the dragon say?”
To her delight Dylan growled, first at her and then his father. Trent laughed.
“I heard you two doing this the night before you left. You were having so much fun. I didn’t know how to handle how I was feeling.” He lifted Dylan into the air, making him giggle. Trent stared at his son for a long moment, his smile fading. At last he returned his attention to Savannah. “Since then I’ve had time to think. I want to be part of your life.”
“I think that would be great for Dylan.” And she meant it.
“What about for you?”
What about her? Having him around all the time would be bittersweet. In her life, but never truly hers.
“I’ve really missed you.” She thought that was safe to admit. But to keep him from getting the wrong idea, she continued, “We were friends for a long time before anything happened between us in New York. It’ll be great to be on good terms once again.”
“Do you want to go back to being just friends?”
She opened her mouth to say no, but the word couldn’t make it past the lump in her throat. The last thing Savannah wanted was to be just friends with Trent, but she couldn’t go down that road to heartache again.
He began before speaking again without waiting for her answer. “At one point you thought you’d be okay living in Vegas. Do you still think that’s a possibility?”
“We could talk about it. Now that I’m working, my financial situation isn’t so dire and I can afford more house there than here.”
“And you’re okay about traveling back and forth?”
Now that his father was no longer entertaining him, Dylan decided he wanted to be put down and squirmed until Trent set the boy on the floor once more.
“Scarlett has made it work. I don’t see why I can’t, as well.” Savannah watched Dylan head to the bin where she kept his musical train. Plastic clattered as he pulled the pieces out. “My son’s happiness is important to me. If living in Las Vegas means you and Dylan get to spend as much time together as possible, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“What about your happiness?”
Since leaving Trent behind and moving to LA she’d discovered peace, but not joy. “I’ve learned I can be content anywhere as long as I have my family.”
“I’ve learned something, too.” He took her hands in his. “The only time I’m happy is when I’m with you.”
Savannah stared at Trent while blood pounded in her ears. Had she heard him right? Or was she imagining the words she longed to hear?
“But you said...”
“Forget what I said. I was an idiot. I’ve been an idiot for a long time. Nothing else explains why I ever let you go.” Trent tugged her up against him. “I love you.”
A stunned Savannah was marveling at her abrupt turn of fortune even as Trent’s lips closed over hers. His kiss reflected all the hunger and longing that filled her. She held on for dear life as her future shifted onto a new track. When at long last he broke the kiss, she was breathless and gloriously happy.
“I love you.” His deep voice gave weight to the phrase. “I made the mistake of letting you go once. I can’t let that happen again.”
Savannah’s chest ached at the pain and loss she glimpsed in his gaze. “I’m not going anywhere.” She glanced at Dylan, who could not have been less interested in what was going on between his parents. “We are not going anywhere.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Trent pushed her to arm’s length and narrowed his eyes. “I think I need something more concrete than your verbal acceptance.”
She laughed. “Do you want it in writing?”
“Absolutely. I demand a legally binding agreement.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He popped the lid and showed her a gorgeous diamond ring. “Will you marry me?”
The engagement ring blurred as tears filled Savannah’s eyes. Unable to shake her uncertainty, she whispered, “Are you sure about this?” Her breath stopped as he plucked the ring free of the box and slid it onto her finger.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Then, yes.” Giddy beyond anything she could imagine, Savannah threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Crushed in his return embrace, she couldn’t stop smiling. “I love you so much.”
“You and Dylan are my everything. I never want us to be apart ever again.”
That brought up a logistical problem. “It’s going to be a while until that happens, with me here doing the movie and you in Las Vegas running Club T’s.”
“I’ve already got that covered. Both Kyle and Nate are in Vegas for the foreseeable future. Nate plans to get back in the studio, and Kyle has his relationship with my sister to save.” He put his arm around her. “I’m going to stay in LA and take care of Dylan while you’re working.”
That he’d obviously thought this through and was delighted with the prospect lightened her heart. Yet, she remained cautious.
“That’s all well and good,” Savannah said, appreciating Trent’s willingness to throw himself into being Dylan’s father, but unsure whether the new role would be enough to satisfy him. “But won’t you be bored without some business venture to challenge you?”
“No, because in addition to looking for space for a location for a new club here in LA, I have recently become part owner of a record label in desperate need of help.”
“You have?” Something about his self-satisfied expression stirred her suspicions. “You don’t mean...”
“Siggy sold the label to Ugly Trout Records. Nate and I now own West Coast Records.” Trent’s smug grin was difficult to resist, and Savannah found her lips curving in res
ponse.
“How?”
“Nate made Siggy an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
“But you and Nate are business partners in the club. Didn’t Siggy realize that?”
“We’re also partners in Ugly Trout Records. I helped him with the start-up five years ago.”
“Aren’t you worried he’ll find out you’re behind this?”
“Siggy is a bastard. He was so determined to keep me away from West Coast Records that he was willing to dump the company to keep it out of my hands.” Trent gave a dismissive shrug. “And anyway, it’s too late for him to pull out. The papers are signed.”
Savannah smiled as she imagined what her father-in-law’s reaction would be when he found out. “He’s going to have a fit.”
“Too bad. He should have done his research.”
“And now you own the company that should have been yours all along.” Savannah lifted on tiptoe and brought Trent’s lips back to hers for a passionate kiss that left them both breathing hard. “You are clever, talented, and I love you.”
Trent’s, his smile faded. “I never thought you’d look at me like that ever again.”
“Like what?”
“Like I was someone you believed in.” He grazed his fingertips across her cheeks and cupped her face. “Ever since I can remember, my father has told me I’m selfish and flawed. He said I would ruin people’s lives the way I had ruined his. While I couldn’t figure out what I’d done wrong, I accepted that he was right. In the end it became my excuse for the way I’d let you down.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Every time I saw how I’d disappointed you, I ached for the pain I caused.”
“I’ve always believed in you.” Savannah had long known that Siggy was to blame for Trent’s commitment issues. “It was believing in us where I lost faith.”
An intense glow lit his eyes, transfixing her. “I promise to do everything in my power to make sure that never happens again.”
And as he sealed his vow with a slow, reverent kiss, Savannah knew wherever she lived in the future, as long as she was with Dylan and Trent, she would be home.
* * * * *
If you liked this story of a billionaire tamed by the love of the right woman—and her baby—pick up these other novels from Cat Schield
AT ODDS WITH THE HEIRESS
A MERGER BY MARRIAGE
A TASTE OF TEMPTATION
THE NANNY TRAP
ROYAL HEIRS REQUIRED
A ROYAL BABY SURPRISE
SECRET CHILD, ROYAL SCANDAL
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The Pregnancy Proposition
by Andrea Laurence
One
“Well, Papa, you finally made it back to Hawaii.”
Paige Edwards gripped her grandfather’s urn as she followed the driver to the town car waiting outside the Honolulu airport. He loaded her bags and opened the door for her to climb into the backseat.
As they drove through the busy, winding streets toward her hotel on Waikiki beach, she couldn’t dismiss the surreal feeling that had hovered over her for the last few weeks. It started with the call from her mother to tell her that her grandfather had finally passed on. For the last year, he’d battled with congestive heart failure. As a nurse, Paige had felt the need to spend time with him and ensure he was receiving the best possible care.
It wasn’t really necessary. Her grandfather was ridiculously wealthy and could afford the best doctors and treatments in Southern California. But she cared, and so she’d spent a lot of time there. Toward the end, it was easier than facing how big of a mess her life had become.
And once her grandfather died, she was able to distract herself with the plans for his memorial service and listening to her parents fret about how the estate would be divided.
Paige honestly didn’t care about that. Papa’s money was always there in the background, but it wasn’t something she felt the need to clamor for. She’d actually encouraged her grandfather to donate his money to a cause that was important to him. That would cut down on the sharks circling around his estate.
What she hadn’t been prepared for, however, was that her grandfather had bigger plans for her than she had ever expected. Those plans had forced her to pack her bags and get on a plane to Hawaii with his ashes.
Looking out the window, she could understand why her grandfather would want to have his ashes left in Hawaii. It was beautiful. As they got closer to the hotel, she could spy glimpses of golden sand and turquoise waters against the cloudless blue sky. Palm trees swayed in the breeze and people in various states of beach dress crowded the sidewalks and outdoor eateries.
The car finally slowed to turn into a resort named the Mau Loa. Paige hadn’t really paid a lot of attention to the details of the itinerary her grandfather’s executor had put together. This wasn’t supposed to be about a vacation for her, so she didn’t care where she stayed.
When they stopped outside and the bellhop opened the car door, she realized that her grandfather had had very different ideas about this trip.
This wasn’t a Holiday Inn five blocks from the beach. It was on the beach itself. The bellman was in a nice uniform with pristine white gloves. The entryway was open to the breezes, allowing a view through the lobby to the ocean beyond it.
The bellman escorted her to the VIP check-in station. She handed over the paperwork the executor gave her, and the woman at the counter’s eyes widened for a moment before a large smile crossed her face.
“Aloha, Miss Edwards. Welcome to the Mau Loa.” She came out from behind the desk to drape a lei of magenta orchids around her neck. They smelled like heaven.
The woman then turned to the bellhop with her bags. “Please take Miss Edwards’s things to the Aolani Suite and then let Mr. Bishop know we have a new VIP guest checking in.”
Paige’s eyebrows rose. A suite? VIP? Papa really had gone all out, although it wasn’t necessary. As a nurse at a veteran’s hospital, she wasn’t used to being pampered. She spent most of her time chasing away nighttime demons from traumatized ex-soldiers and trying to convince them that losing their leg wasn’t the end of the world. The suicide rate was far too high amongst the servicemen and women who returned home. Pampering herself seemed a little ridiculous after coming home from that day after day.
She glanced around as the woman completed her check-in. Beyond the lobby, a trio of men were playing instruments by a lagoon-like pool with a waterfall. An employee was lighting torches around the area as the sun started to go down. The sound of the waves mingled with the melody of the traditional Hawaiian music, and Paige could almost
feel her blood pressure lowering.
She had only made it ten feet into the hotel and she already knew she adored Hawaii.
“Here is your key card, Miss Edwards. Your suite is ready for you now. Just follow the pathway through the garden to the Sunset Tower. There will be live music until ten by the pool. Enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you.” Paige took the key and started down the stone path toward her hotel room.
The resort was large, with multiple towers surrounding a common courtyard. Courtyard didn’t really do it justice, actually. There was the massive pool with a waterfall and a pair of slides, multiple restaurants and tropical plants at every turn. It was like a lush garden in the middle of the rainforest.
The Sunset Tower was the closest to the beach. She looked at her key as she entered the elevator. Her suite was room 2001. Paige tried not to frown as she pushed the button and the elevator spirited her up twenty stories to the top floor. As the doors opened, she expected a long hallway, but instead found herself in a small vestibule. To her left was a door marked Private. To the right was the door to room 2001 with a plaque that noted it was called the Aolani Suite. Where were the rest of the rooms on this floor?
She was about to slip her card into the lock when the door opened and the bellman came out. He held the door open for her. “Your bags are in the master bedroom suite. Enjoy your stay at the Mau Loa.”
He got back on the elevator and disappeared, leaving her standing in the doorway at a complete loss. She crept into the room and let the door swing shut behind her.
This couldn’t be right. This was...the penthouse suite.
It was bigger than her apartment and made almost entirely of windows. It had a living room with plush leather couches and a big-screen television, a dining room table that seated eight and a kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. The neutral color palette, pale wood floors, white furniture and shiny modern metallic accents created a sleek, clean design that was very soothing. One side of the room overlooked downtown Honolulu, the other overlooked Waikiki.
