Chapter Thirty-One

Shit.

Trenton had hoped the flowers would’ve softened Kennedi’s mood. Apparently not. He’d really mucked things up with her and feared he wouldn’t get a chance to fix it.

“Trent?”

Drawn away from his thoughts, he looked up from studying Kennedi’s message to see Vincent beside him delivering him a pointed look. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I knew he wouldn’t take this seriously,” Claudia huffed on screen, seated beside her attorney. “His distractions have always been an issue.”

“It was asked if you were in agreement to schedule the counseling sessions next Thursday,” Vincent said.

Trenton looked at the flat screen. He hadn’t set eyes on Claudia in months. Her long waves of glossy dark hair cascaded down, framing the natural rosy glow of her features and resting upon the swells of her full breasts. Slender, milky-white fingers linked atop her round belly. Pregnancy only added to her beauty. But those large blue eyes he once found mesmerizing, he now saw as cunning.

“Next week doesn’t work. My schedule’s full.”

“You own the company. I’m sure you can delegate responsibility,” Claudia returned. “But of course you won’t, because you have to be in control of everyone and everything.”

Trenton maintained his calm to get the meeting over and done with. “Like I said, I’m busy next week. And the following week doesn’t work either.”

“You’re simply trying to get out of the arrangement,” she muttered again, pink lips pouty. “Work. It’s what you’ve always let come between us. You’ve never had time for me. I was just your piggybank.” Her voice edged with condemnation. “Why do you think I sle—” She broke off and looked away.

“Finish what you were about to say, damn it,” Trenton growled, and she lurched back in her chair, the swells of her breasts rapidly rising and falling. He leaned in, his glare laser sharp. “You were going to say it’s the reason I found you in our bed with your lover.”

“Why do you think I turned to Peter?” she said shrilly. “You’d go days without calling. Your schedule never included me. You wouldn’t even attend my reunion.”

He let out a harsh laugh. “So it’s my fault you cheated. That’s rich. By the way, how’s good ol’ Plumber Boy Pete doing these days?”

“Peter owns his own company. And there’s nothing wrong with his profession.”

“You’re right. But you think your family will approve? I was hardly good enough for them. I can imagine what Petey will suffer. Have you told them the real reason why we divorced or do you still have them believing I left simply because I grew bored of you? More importantly, have you told them it’s likely your lover’s child you’re carrying?”

Her head snapped up, and she ceased fiddling with the edge of the papers on the table, facing the screen again with an icy chill.

“Mr. Shaw, that’s enough!” Ben Baldwell barked.

“Okay, let’s all relax.” Vincent tapped the mute button and turned to Trenton. “Damn it, bro, cool it.” He took a breath and tapped the button again.

Claudia’s glare latched onto him, her chin angled high. “Trenton, we all make mistakes.” Her tone was soft, yet she sounded no less contrite. “You talk about me, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“You were screwing your assistant. That’s right, I saw how the two of you were chummy a couple of years ago at your Vegas holiday party. And all of those late-night calls with her.”

“You’re delusional. It’s called work. But you wouldn’t know anything about that. Money only flows into your hands. My assistant is respectable and hardworking. She also takes her marriage vows seriously. With her wife,” he stressed and let out a long sigh. “Look, Claudia, it didn’t work out. We’ve been divorced for over a year. We agreed to the bifurcation so we could take time to properly settle the assets. It’s all that remains between us. Settling the assets can be done if you just stick to the original agreement we made.”

“Well, that changed when we slept together.” She stroked a hand over her stomach.

“Yes, but unbeknownst to me, you still had your lover on speed dial.”

Sitting erect, her blue eyes conveyed a jagged-edged coldness. “You just want to make it easy for yourself. Toss me away like you did throughout our entire five-year marriage. You took my money to fix your business, then discarded me. That company is all you care about. You wouldn’t have a company at all if it weren’t for me. Your father had run it into the ground, nearly bankrupt. It was my money that prevented Shaw Enterprise from going under.”

“I’ve long since satisfied that debt.”

“Well, I now have to think of this child. Counseling will help us mend what’s broken between us so we can be good parents for our child.”

“You don’t know if that child is mine,” Trenton gritted, while the realization of what Vincent said on their call this morning struck home. This wasn’t primarily about the money with her. “I’m sorry if I made you feel neglected, for not being there, for not giving you the respect you deserved.” She blinked. A look of surprise washed over her features. He turned to Vincent. “I’ll agree to the terms. However, I want to keep the Paris property.”

“That’s fair and reasonable, Mr. Shaw,” Baldwell said and begin scribbling.

“Wait!” Claudia pressed a hand on top of her attorney’s, stalling his pen. “What about the counseling?”

“What about it?” Trenton asked.

“I want it included. My parents have already recommended someone favorable.”

Thinking of the meddlesome pair, Trenton’s spine went pencil stiff. “So that’s what it’s about? You want to continue appearing as the victim for them? How will you explain when that kid turns out not to be mine?”

“If this baby isn’t yours, I’ll drop the petition.”

Trenton blinked and leaned in. “First time you admitted the possibility.”

“Claudia, let me—” Baldwell tried to mute the speaker, but she pushed his hand away.

“We’ll complete the counseling. And if this child isn’t yours, I’ll accept the settlement as is.” She sat stiffly. “But I know it’s yours.”

“Fine.” Trenton grinned on a nod.

“I don’t think that’s wise,” Baldwell cut in, looking about as uncertain of her claim regarding the child’s paternity as Trenton felt.

“Trent, what do you want to do?” Vincent asked.

“I accept.”

“How about August first? That gives us time to file the agreement,” Baldwell suggested.

“It doesn’t work. My construction project kicks off. I have an event to attend that evening to celebrate.”

“Ben, I’ll be in touch with a date for the agreed term,” Vincent interjected that time at seeing Claudia’s lips purse, her defined dark eyebrows slanting inward.

“Don’t drag this out, Vincent.”

“Trenton will take a look at his schedule, and I’ll contact you. Have a good afternoon.” He ended the call. Releasing a long breath, he stroked the back of his neck and stared wide-eyed at Trenton. “Wow, she’s wagering her entire settlement on that kid being yours.”

“If it is, she gets a big pile of money. And if it isn’t, I’ll have already gone through the counseling, thus giving her the satisfaction of having controlled me, having made me bend to her will. She gets her justice and wins either way.” Trenton read the awareness in Vincent stare. “You saw her. Not an ounce of remorse for her infidelity. You were right in your assessment about her.”

“Can you move some things around and work in the counseling arrangement sooner than later? We want to get this over and done with.”

Thinking of Kennedi, Trenton struggled with how to handle his predicament. He needed time to straighten things out with her. “I can’t. Kennedi and I—Shit, it’s become complicated.”

“Complicated how? What does she have to do with…” Vincent sat forward, clarity reflecting in the stretch of his brown eyes. “Trent, buddy, this is the worst possible time for you to get involved with another woman. You and Kennedi hooking up is one thing, but if you’re saying what I think you’re saying… If Claudia discovers—”

“You don’t think I know that?” he snarled, then drew a breath to settle himself. “I didn’t plan to find myself in this place with Kennedi.” She was in his blood like a persistent fever he didn’t want to shake off anymore. “I need time with her before I do this shit with Claudia.”

“Have you talk to Kennedi yet about all of this?” Reading the silence, Vincent shook his head. “You like making my job hard, don’t you?”

“Like I said, I just need a little time.”

Still rubbing the back of his neck, Vincent sighed. “Fine. I can try and hold Baldwell off until after the casino construction date, but that’s it. I’m aware of Claudia’s end game here, and I’m prepared. But you don’t want to give the woman any ammo. Your involvement with another woman right now could turn her into a powder keg. It’s vital that we get her terms on paper and have her ink them A-sap.” Vincent began typing away on the laptop in front of him. “I’ll have my assistant start drawing up the docs. I’m sending her my notes. Also, we need to work out what you want to do if the child is yours—child support, visitation, etc. A DNA test must be performed the minute that child breathes air. I’ll put that in the agreement as well. Now, if the results say it isn’t yours—”

“The terms she proposed here today stand and we’re done. Make certain that’s in the agreement.”