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She acknowledged his statement with a nod and arced the ball through the hoop. Given the size of the target and her distance of five feet, it was an impressive toss.
“Score,” she called, raising her arms, and Dylan mimicked her.
Despite her obvious pleasure in watching her son, Savannah seemed quieter than normal. Trent noticed that although her lips curved in a smile, her eyes never lit up. Given her friendship with Melody and the fact that Kyle?
??s car wasn’t parked in the driveway, Trent suspected she was worried about his sister.
“Is something wrong?” Trent asked, not wanting to come straight out with his own concerns until he knew which way the wind blew.
“My lawyer called a little bit ago and told me your father’s backing down on the lawsuit.” Savannah’s gaze tracked Dylan as he chased his ball along the terrace. “Not only that, but he’s offering to pay me one point five million for Dylan’s shares.”
Given her somber mood, this wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting. “That’s not even close to what those shares are worth.”
“I know, but it’s enough to pay off Rafe’s debts and give me a nest egg.”
“You should counter.”
Savannah looked horrified at his suggestion. “I’m just relieved to have it all done.”
So why didn’t she look as if things were going her way? More than anything Trent wanted her to be happy. His father had caused her enough harm. And should have to pay.
“Do you have any idea what caused him to change his mind?” Trent asked.
“No, and my lawyer also questioned his abrupt turnaround, as well. He did a little investigating and discovered someone wants to buy West Coast Records.”
“So there’s a chance for you to make even more money.”
“And a chance for Siggy to ruin the whole thing.”
“So you’ve made up your mind.” He set the dog back on the ground and watched him run over to Dylan.
“I’ve already given the go-ahead to sell the shares back to Siggy.”
“Then why aren’t you celebrating?”
“I should be. It’s stupid that I’m not.”
Trent was starting to understand. “You wish you’d been able to fight him to get what the shares were worth.”
“No, I’m happy with our deal the way it stands. I didn’t marry Rafe for his money. I married him to give Dylan a traditional family. Now that Rafe is dead, I have accepted that Dylan and I will be fine on our own.”
It wasn’t the first time Trent was filled with admiration for her. The girl he’d grown up with, the woman he’d known in New York, hadn’t been confident and strong. Savannah might still need help from time to time, but she didn’t need rescuing. She’d stood up to his father and participated in Trent’s scheme to provoke his father into acting. She might not have anticipated what Siggy would do, but she’d taken charge when he threatened her with a lawsuit.
“So what is really going on?”
Her big blue eyes turned sorrowful. “There’s something I should’ve let you know a long time ago.”
Anxiety twisted his gut at the pained expression on her face. “Like what?”
“It has to do with your father’s lawsuit. He claimed Dylan isn’t Rafe’s son.” She clenched her fists and leaned forward. “It’s true.”
Trent’s thoughts froze. Once again his perception of her changed. “So that’s why you chose not to fight him? Because you knew you’d lose?”
“No. I meant what I said about the money. I only wanted what’s fair.”
“Did Rafe know Dylan wasn’t his son?” For the first time since he’d found out that Rafe and Savannah were getting married, Trent felt sorry for his brother. “Or did you lie to him, too?”
Hurt flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t let her chin droop. “Rafe knew before he proposed to me. At the time I didn’t understand why he would want to raise a son who wasn’t biologically his. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the cancer treatments had made him sterile. Your father had drilled the concept of dynasty into Rafe’s head for so long that even as he was dying, he was determined to make Siggy happy.”
