Читать книгу Red Carpet Redemption - Yahrah St. John - Страница 13

Two

One week later

“You’re a match,” Dr. Lee said.

It was early on a Monday morning, and she and Dane were seated in the conference room at Cedars-Sinai. Dane had flown in last night from New York after the premiere of his latest film. It was a departure from his usual body of work and would finally elevate him from heartthrob to serious actor. Early reviews were positive and Dane had left on cloud nine.

He hadn’t expected this news.

“Really?” Dane asked, stunned. He’d registered and done the test when he’d been trying to repair his bad boy image. It had worked. The press began to focus on Jayden’s illness and the media lost interest in his supposed affair with Lia. He’d been so busy doing damage control, he hadn’t contacted Iris. It was just as well because he couldn’t act on his attraction to the single mother.

This was an unexpected wrinkle in his plans. “How is that possible? I thought chances were rare I would be a match.” He stared in disbelief.

“It’s difficult to match the needed tissue type between donors and patients, so this is quite a surprise. Seventy percent of all bone marrow donations do come from people unrelated to the recipient, so only 30 percent come from matches with family members able to donate. And when I compared your genetic markers to Jayden’s, there was no doubt—you’re related.”

Dane sat back in his chair. “Pardon me?”

“If I was a betting man…” Dr. Lee began, then paused for several beats. “I would say that you’re Jayden’s father.”

“No,” Dane shook his head and jumped to his feet. “That can’t be. I never met Iris before last month. You’ve got this all wrong, Dr. Lee. There’s no way Jayden could be my kid. You need to run your tests again.” His mind raced to recall a moment he could have met Iris. A drunken encounter he could have forgotten maybe? But no—that wasn’t possible.

Dr. Lee sighed. “Well, that’s why I wanted to bring you in. Quietly, of course.” He looked out the glass partition at Dane’s two bodyguards waiting outside. “I wanted your permission to run a DNA paternity test.”

Dane stopped pacing. “A DNA test?”

“Yes, it will give us irrefutable evidence and set the record straight.”

“That depends. Do I have your word you’ll treat this with absolute discretion? I can’t have this leaking to the press.”

“Understood. And you absolutely have my word I’ll keep this confidential. But in the meantime, I need to know if you’re willing to donate your bone marrow to Jayden. Whether you’re his father or not, you’re a match. I’d like to take a sample of your blood and confirm the human leukocyte antigen match. Once I confirm, you’d meet with a counselor to talk about the procedures, benefits and risks of the donation process. And then you can decide whether you’re comfortable with donating.”

Dane wiped his hands across his face. This was surreal, but he was sure of one thing. “Of course I’ll help. That was never the question. Jayden is a very sick little boy and from what I’ve heard he doesn’t have much time. But I need to know if he’s my son.”

Dr. Lee rose from his seat. “Excellent, Mr. Stewart. Ms. Turner will be so relieved but probably shocked once she hears of the connection.”

“She can’t know,” Dane replied.

Dr. Lee frowned. “What do you mean? I need her permission to run a DNA test.”

“I understand that, but,” Dane pronounced, “under no circumstances am I going to rip that family to shreds and have the press crawling through their lives if this is merely a case of mistaken identity. This has to be kept under wraps until we can run a test.”

“I understand you’re apprehension about the DNA test, but it’s more of a formality for legal purposes. I’m certain the additional blood test you’re required to undergo will further confirm you’re Jayden’s father,” Dr. Lee replied.

“I don’t know. Let me figure this out. What I need from you is discretion. Promise me, Dr. Lee, you will keep this between us until we know more.”

“All right. I’ll keep your genetic connection to myself, but I’d like to give her some hope and at least tell her you’re a match. Let’s reconfirm the match.”

Dane nodded his acquiescence. “I’m here, so let’s do this.”

Two hours later, Dane slid into the back seat of the SUV waiting for him outside a secluded section of the hospital. For once he was grateful to be alone with his thoughts, so he could absorb the bombshell Dr. Lee had dropped on him. Dane had reacted on autopilot throughout the testing, not caring one bit about being poked and prodded. Now that he was done, he was finally free to feel, well, dumbstruck.

Jayden Turner could be his son!

But how? He’d never met Iris until that day a month ago. And since then he’d pushed all thoughts of the slender beauty out of his mind. Until now. One thing was certain: if they’d ever met, Dane was sure he’d remember her.

Then it came to him.

Eight years ago, he’d arrived in Los Angeles to make a fresh start. Considering he’d snubbed working for his father, Dane had been determined to live on his own without any help from his family. However, he’d quickly learned how expensive it was to live in the city and after toiling at two, sometimes three jobs he’d barely made ends meet. A year in, he’d had a particularly rough patch, when he’d blown off work to go on some auditions. Dane knew he’d be discovered. He hadn’t been. Instead, he’d found himself without a job. Desperate to pay the rent, he’d taken the advice of several other starving artists and gone to donate at a sperm clinic. They’d happily accepted him since he fit certain criteria and he’d signed a contract for a few months. He’d never thought it would come to anything, but he had been selected once. And apparently once was all it took.

It was highly possible Iris had used his donation. Jayden could very well be his.

Dane felt like he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t need Jason or Whitney to tell him the fallout over this decision could be massive. They’d finally gained momentum for the movie and now…now he had a son? And a son who was fighting for his life, no less. Dane didn’t even know how to comprehend the barrage of emotions hitting him. Iris had been handling Jayden’s illness all alone for months. Heck, she’d been a mother and father to Jayden. If Dane was truly the father, how would she react to his sudden appearance in their lives?

It was all too much to contemplate. He was so lost in thought that he was stunned when the SUV came to a stop in front of his Hollywood Hills home and his bodyguard Doug opened the door for him. He was already home.

“Thanks, Doug.” He nodded at the three-hundred-pound former college linebacker as he strode inside. He was hoping for some time alone, but instead found his assistant, Morgan, along with Whitney and Jason, lounging around on the couch in the living area.

Morgan was a twenty-four-year-old film school dropout who’d been working for him for over a year. They’d met on the set of one of his films, and she’d begged him to give her a job, any job. At first, Dane had been reluctant. Five feet six with long, silky black hair and hazel eyes, Morgan could have been trouble. But Morgan had never looked at him as anything other than a big brother and typically dressed in gender-neutral clothing. She was a godsend and kept his life on track.

“There you are,” Jason said from his perch. “We were starting to think we were going to have come get you. How’d it go?”

“I need the room,” Dane said, directing a look at Morgan and Whitney, who took the hint and made a speedy exit. He headed for the bar and quickly produced two glasses and a bottle of aged brandy. He poured generously and pushed a glass toward Jason, who’d come to join him at the bar. Even though Jason was his business manager and agent, Dane considered him a friend. For years, Dane had been able to rely on Jason’s advice and he prayed he wouldn’t fail him now.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked, sitting across from Dane who’d remained standing behind the bar. “What did the hospital say?”

Dane stared at the brandy in his hand for a moment and then took a large gulp. It burned on the way down.

“Easy now, Dane. Whatever it is, spit it out and we’ll deal with it.” Jason reached for his brandy and sipped.

“Jayden Turner could be my kid.”

Jason spluttered as brown liquid spilled from his lips. “What did you say?”

“He could be mine. Jayden could be my son.”

“That’s impossible.” Jason quickly snatched a napkin from the countertop and wiped up around him. “If there’s one thing I know about you, Dane, it’s that you practice safe sex. Whatever this Iris is saying about you is a lie. I don’t know if she sensed your interest in her or what, but it’s fabricated. Don’t worry. We’ll fix this.”

“You don’t get it, Jason. There’s nothing to fix,” Dane responded. “I donated sperm seven years ago and Jayden is probably the result.”

“You did what!”

Dane rolled his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. I was low on cash and rent was coming due. It was a high-end clinic with a very selective process. I was only selected one time.”

“One time that could be Jayden?” Jason inquired.

“Ding-ding-ding! You’re finally getting it. And I have no idea what to do.”

“We need to confirm it,” Jason stated, “so we can get ahead of the story before the truth gets out. Spin it.”

“Jason, if he’s mine, there’s no spinning. I will claim him,” Dane responded. “I’ll do what’s right. And if he’s not, I’ll still donate.”

“This is big, Dane. Are you sure you’re ready for the heat this could bring? Not just for your career, but personally? To my knowledge, you’ve never wanted to be a father.”

Jason was right. Dane didn’t see himself like his brother and sister, settling down and having a family. He’d always been the odd bird and that had been fine with him. His career had always been his central focus, but now he could unwittingly have a ready-made family waiting in the wings.

Iris was on cloud nine.

Earlier today, Dr. Lee had called and informed her there was a match for Jayden. For months, she’d thought it was a pipe dream. She’d gone on television and begged people to register to donate, but she’d never actually thought anything would come of it.

“Are you sure?” she’d asked him, and she’d given her an unequivocal, resounding yes. But nothing could have prepared her for her next words when she’d asked who the match was. It was none other than Dane Stewart, the man who haunted her dreams day and night.

Since their meeting, Iris had found herself searching out his movies and watching them, either on television or Netflix. She’d become obsessed with seeing him on screen, with his sexy good looks and killer abs. Maybe it was to remind herself how strictly off-limits a man like Dane was. And she’d done a good job. She’d convinced herself she’d imagined the connection between them in the cafeteria because Dane had better options than a harried single mother.

Iris had just put Jayden to bed, and was finally ready to retire for the evening. But as she went into her bedroom, she decided there was one more thing she needed to do. Reaching for her purse, she pulled out the business card Dane had given her. Iris had never thought she’d have the opportunity to use it, but she felt compelled to thank him. Dr. Lee had told her donating was much easier these days and that they could do a peripheral blood stem cell donation, but it was still a procedure that might have some recovery time. Dane was a working actor, so it meant a lot that he was willing to make the personal sacrifice for Jayden’s benefit.

Without thinking, she grabbed her iPhone and dialed his digits. He’s not going to pick up, she told herself, he’s not going to pick up. But he did.

“Hello,” a deep masculine voice said from the other end of the phone.

“Dane?”

“Yeah?”

“Hi, um, it’s…it’s Iris Turner. Jayden’s mother,” she began. “I hope it’s okay I called. You gave me your cell at the hospital—”

“Iris,” he interrupted her, “relax. It’s fine. You’re not bothering me. I was hoping you’d call.”

“Really?”

“I assume you heard the good news. I’m a match for Jayden.”

“Yes.” She breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t upset she’d phoned. “Dane, I’m so thankful you’re willing to donate.”

“Of course I’ll donate. Jayden has his whole life ahead of him. I want the best for him.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I’ll clear my schedule whenever I’m needed.”

“Thank you. Will you let me know when the procedure is? I’d like to come if that’s all right with you.”

“Absolutely. It’s going to be okay, Iris. Jayden will pull through this. We’ll see to that,” Dane said.

“You make it sound like we’re in this together.”

“We are. I now have a vested interest in Jayden’s recovery.”

“Is that all?” The moment the words were out of her mouth, Iris wanted to take them back, but she couldn’t. They lingered, floating on the air.

There was silence for several beats, and Iris was wondering if she’d overstepped when Dane said, “No, it’s not all, Iris. I’ve thought of you often since our meeting.”

“You have?” Nervous excitement raced through her veins. Had her initial intuition been right? Dane was interested in her?

Dane chuckled. “Don’t sound so surprised. You’re a beautiful woman, Iris. I’m sure you know that.”

“It’s been a while. We single moms don’t get very many compliments, especially not from America’s Sexiest Man Alive.”

“Aw, don’t believe the hype, Iris. I’m a man like everyone else.”

“Yeah, but you always have a beautiful woman on your arm.”

“Those are hookups,” Dane admitted. “I don’t date. Not really. Because I don’t know if they’re after my money or if they really want me, you know?”

“That’s terrible, Dane. How do you live with it?”

“Not very well. I’m the actor everyone wants in their movie, but sometimes the whole machine of my reputation and brand swallows up the real me. Yet when I talk to you, all the chatter melts away and I feel like myself.”

“I’m glad, but what about your family? Aren’t they there for you?”

“No, not really. They have their lives and I have mine, but I do check in with them from time to time.”

“I don’t know what I would do without my family,” Iris replied. “They keep me grounded.”

“Then you’re lucky indeed,” Dane said. “Hold on a minute, Iris. What’s that?” Iris heard voices and realized he was talking to someone in the room with him, but couldn’t make out the conversation. When he returned, he said, “I have to go, Iris, but I’m glad I have your number now. I’ll save it in my phone. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“All right. And Dane?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

Dane sucked in a deep breath as he ended the call with Iris. Morgan had called him on the intercom and he’d used it as an excuse to get off the phone. Leaning back in the executive chair in his study, Dane stared at the ceiling. He hadn’t anticipated hearing her sweet voice again so soon, but he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Iris wanted to thank him for agreeing to donate his stem cells. What she didn’t know was that Jayden could be Dane’s son too.

All that was left was the additional blood work and a DNA paternity test, but Dane didn’t need that. He’d felt an instant connection to Jayden from the start.

But it was six years too late, in his opinion. He had a son who needed bone marrow. And his would save Jayden. Fate, the cosmos or something was sending him a message. He hadn’t figured out what it was yet.

All he knew was that if he was going to be a father, he didn’t want to be like Henry Stewart. But was he being premature? Would he even be able to carve out a parenthood agreement with Iris? It was entirely possible she would fight him on any visitation arrangement, given that he was just a sperm donor.

But perhaps the even bigger question was…how would this affect his career?