not really anything you can do about the fact that I’m pregnant.”
Trent didn’t react. He’d already guessed that. “I have three getaway houses in the US and a condo in Spain. I have a yacht that’s really nice for privacy when you need it. If nothing else, let me give you a place to think this through.”
She caught his gaze. “I don’t need to think it through. I need to go to France to tell the baby’s dad. I can’t use one of the McCallan jets because my family will know where I’ve gone. And I don’t want them to know.” She bit her lower lip. “At least not yet. I have to tell the baby’s father before I tell my family.”
He perked up. “I have three jets.”
Her blue eyes filled with hope. “You’d lend me one?”
“Sure.”
The hope in her eyes turned to skepticism as the song ended. “And you wouldn’t tell Seth?”
He made a cross on his chest. “I’ll keep all of this a secret until you have a chance to tell everyone yourself. When do you need the jet?”
“Tonight.”
“So soon?”
“I just want to get this over with. You know, get myself moving forward again.”
He tucked his hands in his trouser pockets. “Okay. I’d give you the keys, but if jets have keys I’m pretty sure my pilot has them.”
She laughed and impulsively hugged him. “Thanks.”
The strangest feelings rattled through Trent. She was softer than he’d thought she’d be. Of course, he rarely dated women with curves, so that explained the surprise that hit him. But he felt a warmth, too. Probably the result of doing a good deed. It couldn’t be attraction. She wasn’t his type.
He wasn’t exactly sure why he needed to remind himself of that.
But he did.
Twice.
THEY WAITED UNTIL Seth and Harper left their reception at ten o’clock that night. Trent told Sabrina he would arrange for a flight crew while Sabrina said goodbye to her mom and Jake and Avery. Lighter now that she had a plan, she strode over to say her goodbyes, then Trent escorted her through the hot August night to the limo and they rode to the Park Avenue building housing her condo.
He exited the limo with her, but she shook her head. “No need to come with me. I won’t be but a minute.”
“A minute to pack?” He laughed. “I’ve seen how you dress. Everything coordinates. You’re probably going to have a suitcase just for your shoes.”
Offended because it sounded as if he thought her trite or spoiled, she strode to her building. “I’m not that picky.” She wasn’t picky. She simply had a standard to uphold. If her mother had drilled that into her head once, she’d drilled it a thousand times.
You are a lady. Act like a lady. Dress like a lady. Speak like a lady.
With a quick push of her hand on the door, they entered the climate-controlled comfort of the lobby. Trent pulled a draft of frosty air into his lungs. She couldn’t tell if he was happy for the cool air or uncomfortable about having to explain himself.
“I didn’t say you were picky. I’m just saying you always look nice.”
She worked to stifle a smile. It shouldn’t please her that he thought she looked nice or that he cared that he’d insulted her.
But it had.
Puzzled, she led him to the elevator. She took out a key card to start it. “That’s okay.”
“Are we going to a penthouse?”
“No. Just an exclusive floor. Two condos. Half a floor each. I don’t need a whole floor.”
“Nice.” He winced. “I still sometimes marvel at luxury.”
She didn’t ask him what he meant. She knew his beginnings. Her brother had told her Trent had blue-collar roots and had worked his way through university alongside Seth. Then he’d quit the job Seth had found for him to invest on his own. She admired him. It had taken guts to leave his convenient job and trust his genius. She should probably tell him that—
A funny feeling invaded her chest and brought her up short. She shook her head to clear it of the desire to figure out why she wanted to talk about that. Right now, she should be focused on throwing some clothes into a travel bag, driving to the airport, flying to France and facing Pierre—
Because she was pregnant. Pregnant. About to be a mom.
She pictured herself holding a tiny baby the way Avery had held Abby right after she was born. The sweet little thing would snuggle against her and, like Avery, she would marvel that she had created a life.
Warmth filled her, along with a sudden desire to cry. Happy tears. Now that she’d adjusted to it, being pregnant was like a dream come true. Her life was busy but established. She could take time off, create a nursery in her big condo, set playdates, take her baby for long walks in Central Park.
The elevator reached her floor. She stepped into the lobby with two doors. One to her condo. One to the condo of a nice, recently retired couple who traveled a lot. She had breakfast with them once a month when they were home, and if they ran into each other at the elevator, they chatted happily. They’d raised four kids and adored their three grandkids.
They’d be the perfect neighbors for a single mom.
She punched a code into her alarm to disable it, then pressed her key card to the lock and opened the door onto her pristine home.
Wide-plank hardwood floors ran through the open floorplan that included a white kitchen, formal dining space and living room with a long sofa in the center of three conversation areas.
She faced Ziggy with a smile. She’d already decided which room would be the nursery and that she could dismantle the third bedroom and turn it into a playroom.
“Okay. Now that you’ve nudged me, you can go. Thank you for the use of your jet. Honestly, I’ll be happy to compensate you for the flight crew and the fuel when I return.”
His head tilted. “Oh, you think I’m just going to hand over my jet?”
“You’re not?”
He laughed. “No. I’m coming with you. You’re my best friend’s little sister and you’re pregnant. I’m not letting you fly across an ocean alone. What if you get sick? Or just faint? For at least the first trimester, I don’t think it’s wise to travel across an ocean alone.”
She was surprised he even knew the word trimester, let alone that that could be a scary time for a woman, but she let that go in favor of her
