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“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?
Three (#ub774ad41-56f8-50f6-b2ad-2480e6c4d960)
Fallon, it’s Dane. I really need to see you. I’m flying into Austin tomorrow. In the throes of a full-blown panic attack, he’d called her in the wee hours.
Now, as Dane boarded the private jet he’d anonymously booked to fly him to his hometown that morning, he thought back on recent events. He knew the voice mail he’d left for his older sister was cryptic, but he needed to talk to someone who knew him. Who understood him. Who would listen without judging. Iris was right. He needed his family. Fallon had always been his sounding board, so here he was, on his way to Austin.
The flight was smooth. After renting a nondescript SUV, Dane drove through the city toward Fallon and his brother-in-law Gage Campbell’s home, which wasn’t far from Stewart Manor. No matter what, he couldn’t keep his mind from spinning.
Deep in his gut, Dane knew he should tell Iris the likelihood that they shared a son, but quite honestly, he was afraid of her reaction. What if she refused to let him see Jayden? She might think he’d set all this in motion as a way to get closer to his son when that was far from the truth. He’d had no idea of Jayden’s existence until a two weeks ago, but that might not stop her from thinking the worst. He was already a scoundrel for the feelings he had for her.
When she’d called him last night, they’d shared such an easy rapport. Dane hadn’t been able to talk to someone like he was just a normal guy in ages. Maybe it was the novelty factor. Iris wasn’t the kind of woman he usually dealt with. She wasn’t trying to flatter him or cozy up to him because she wanted a role in his next film. She just wanted to talk to him and it made Dane feel like everyone else, which had been sorely lacking in his world. Was that her appeal?
When he arrived at the Campbell residence, he punched in the security code and the black wrought-iron gates opened. There was a long driveway leading up to a château-style mansion with a well-manicured lawn and tall topiaries. Immediately upon exiting the vehicle, the front door opened and his sister came running out and into his arms.
“It’s so good to see you, Dane,” Fallon said softly.
He was in his usual casual attire of faded jeans, T-shirt and worn leather jacket. The jacket had seen better days, but it was the one item of clothing he’d bought with what he’d earned from his first paid acting gig and he’d kept it ever since. “You too, sis.” He squeezed her back. Eventually, he pulled away and gave her the once-over.
Fallon was still an absolute stunner in her cape top and slender trousers. She wore her honey-blond hair in its natural curly state rather than straight the way she usually did for her job as CEO of Stewart Technologies.
“You’re looking good, girl. How’s Dylan?”
Fallon beamed, which caused her hazel eyes to sparkle. “He’s doing fantastic. C’mon inside and see for yourself.” She slid her arm through Dane’s and walked him inside.
“I’m surprised you’re home. I would have thought you’d be out conquering the tech world instead of playing happy homemaker.”
Once in the foyer, Fallon came to a halt. “First off, I will never be a homemaker,” she responded. “I have a great staff here to help. Plus, I doubt Gage would let me. He and Dylan demand all my attention.”
Dane laughed. “So married life is going well? I know you and Gage got off to a rocky start.”
His sister hadn’t married Gage for love. It had been a marriage of convenience to help save Stewart Technologies. Dane and their older brother, Ayden, had offered to pitch in monetarily, but Fallon hadn’t accepted. She’d chosen to marry Gage in exchange for his funding instead.
Dane had worried about the union, but he supposed he shouldn’t have. He and Fallon had grown up with Gage while Ayden had lived apart with his mother who raised him. Ever since her teens, Fallon had had a huge crush on Gage and had never really gotten over him. It turned out the feeling had been mutual, so what had started as a temporary arrangement ended up becoming a real marriage.
“That’s all in our rearview,” Fallon replied. “I hope one day you can find what Gage and I have, not to mention Ayden and Maya.”
“How is that older brother of ours?” Dane inquired.
“He’s right here,” Ayden bellowed from several feet away.
Dane spun around and was surprised to see his older brother, casually dressed in jeans and a pullover sweater, holding Dylan. “What are you doing here?” The question came out harsher than he’d intended.
“Well, since you barely ever come home, I had to get in where I can fit in,” Ayden replied, bouncing the eleven-month-old baby in his arms. “I’d like to get to know you better, Dane, but you don’t make that easy.”
Dane shrugged. “I’m sorry. Life’s been…challenging.”
“Care to fill us in?” Fallon asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“Sis, that’s exactly why I’m here.”
A half hour later, Dane had had brought Ayden and Fallon up to speed on the details, including his hard times that had led to his donation to a sperm bank. He confessed his sample had been used once and Jayden Turner was most likely the result. Fallon was so bowled over, she called the nanny to come get Dylan so they could discuss the matter in private without interruption.
“Wow!” Ayden scrubbed his jaw and leaned back in his chair. “Are you certain he’s yours?”
Dane nodded. “When I registered to become a bone marrow donor, I took some tests. When the results came in, Dr. Lee was surprised Jayden and I shared genetic markers. She asked me to come in privately to talk about it. Initially, when she suggested I could be Jayden’s father, I thought she’d lost her mind, but upon reflection I recalled the sperm donation. So it makes sense that Dr. Lee’s hypothesis is true.”
“Have you taken a DNA test? Are you ready to be a father and all that it implies?”
“Hell no!” he said, jumping to his feet. “I’m not ready for any of it. But I’ll know more soon after the additional blood test results come through.”
“The press is going to have a field day with this.” Ayden had just spoken Dane’s worst thoughts aloud.
“I know. I can handle them ripping me to shreds. I’m used to it. But Jayden and Iris? They don’t deserve what’s in store. Jason and I have been figuring out a way to protect them.”
“You told your agent before you told us?”
Dane heard the censure in Fallon’s question. “I did. And I’m sorry, but I’m here now. Don’t I get credit for that? Do you have any idea of the media storm that’s about to rain down on me?”
Fallon stood and walked over to him, grabbing his hand. “I do. And you know Ayden—” she glanced at their big brother “—and I will be here for you. We can’t wait to meet Jayden and his mother.”
“Iris.”
“You’re on a first-name basis with her?” Ayden inquired.
“Yeah, we’ve talked a couple of times and I met her when I registered to become a donor. She is an amazing woman. Beautiful, strong and a dedicated mother.”
Ayden’s brow rose. “Is that right?”
Dane hated that his brother could tell he wasn’t being completely forthright. “What’s it to you?”
“Nothing, Dane.” Ayden shrugged. “But I suspect there’s more to you and Iris than you’re telling us.”
Fallon’s gaze clashed with Dane’s. “Are you two involved? Because if you are, it will only compound the problem. Being attached to you carries a huge spotlight.”
“Well, thanks a lot, Fallon. And for your information, we are not involved,” he responded.
“Not yet,” Ayden offered. “But if you can’t be honest with your family, who can you be honest with? You came here because you needed to unload. Do that. I know I’m not as close as you and Fallon, so if you need me to leave, I will.”
Dane glared at him. Ayden was right, but that didn’t make it easier to hear. “All right, I’m sort of interested in Iris. I gave her my private number and we spoke the other night, but I haven’t acted on my attraction to her.”
“But you want to?” Fallon deduced.
“Yeah, but I know it’s not good for either one of us. I’m keeping my distance, but when she learned I was a match for Jayden, she offered to come to my procedure for emotional support.”
“And you agreed?” Ayden asked.
Dane nodded. Why were his siblings ganging up on him? “Is that so horrible?”
“Of course not, but you could have called either of us,” Fallon glanced in Ayden’s direction. “We’d hop a flight and be there in a heartbeat. The truth of the matter is, you didn’t want us. You want Iris to be there.”
Fallon had hit the nail on the head. “You may be right,” Dane finally admitted. “But I can’t let her do that without telling her the truth.”
“But you’re afraid of how she may react?” Fallon asked.
“Can you blame me?” Dane asked. “This whole situation is bizarre. I want to do what’s right and help save my son…”
“But you also want his mother,” Ayden surmised. “I’m not sure it will be quite so easy to have your cake and eat it too, Dane. Iris is going to be extremely conflicted. On the one hand, you’re saving her son’s life, but on the other, you bring an entire media firestorm.”
“Which is why I’ve been trying to figure out how to insulate her and Jayden from the fallout.”
“Is that really possible, Dane?” Fallon said. “I mean, you might be expecting too much.”
“I’d expect to hear that from the pessimist over here—” Dane motioned to Ayden “—but not you. You’re supposed to be the optimistic one.”
“I am, but I’m also a realist,” Fallon responded. “I’ve had to be.”
Dane knew what Fallon meant because they’d always understood each other so well. She’d been levelheaded about business, a pragmatist who’d saved Stewart Technologies. But she also blamed herself for letting their father’s mismanagement and their mother’s spending habits wreak havoc on the family company. “It wasn’t your fault, Fallon.”
Ayden peered back and forth between the two of them. “What wasn’t her fault?”
“She thinks she let Father ruin the company.”
“You didn’t let him do anything,” Ayden responded hotly. Dane smiled because it didn’t take much for his brother to pick up the torch. There wasn’t any love lost between Ayden and their father. “Henry is responsible for his actions. And Nora too.”
“I know you are not a fan of our parents.” She glanced at Dane and then at Ayden. “And justifiably so considering how our father treated you, so let’s agree to disagree on this, okay? Dane…” She turned to him. “You need to tell Iris. If you wait too long, she’ll resent you for keeping this from her. Tell her. And tell her soon.”
He stayed with his siblings for the remainder of the afternoon. He didn’t intend to stay long. Dr. Lee was rushing the blood test and Dane wanted to be back in LA in case he learned Jayden was indeed his. Fallon suggested visiting their parents, but Dane was in no mood for Henry to gripe about him throwing his life away to be an actor. Instead, he met up with his old friend Jared Robinson for a beer. Jared came from a wealthy family and was a rabble-rouser like Dane had been back in the day. They reminisced about old times when chasing women was their number one hobby, but those days might soon be behind him.
The next morning, Dane hadn’t forgotten Fallon’s advice to tell Iris and he intended to tell her Dr. Lee’s suspicion when he landed. His plans, however, didn’t fall into place like he wished. When he’d arrived home, Morgan filled him in on his new schedule and he’d been annoyed. Instead of time to meet with Iris, Dane found himself the following day at a photo shoot in downtown Los Angeles warehouse.
“Don’t be mad,” Whitney said as a stylist trimmed Dane’s perpetual five o’clock shadow early that afternoon. “We have to take advantage of every opportunity to plug your movie. You want a blockbuster, right?”
Dane stared at her crystal-blue eyes in the mirror. “I wouldn’t make it a habit of going against my wishes, especially when I give you a directive to clear my schedule.”
“Of course. I’ll get with Morgan and make sure your schedule is clear for the next couple of days.”
“Thank you.”
Dane was desperate to talk to Iris about Jayden. His son. The words still sounded foreign. Probably because he hadn’t gone through the normal process like most people where you had nine months to prepare for becoming a parent. Dane was being thrown in the deep end of the ocean without a life jacket. On the jet ride home last night, he’d downloaded several books on parenthood and was reading them voraciously. He understood he had a lot of catching up to do.
Jayden might even be angry at him for not being there and Dane would have to accept that, even though it would hurt. When he’d signed up to be a sperm donor, he hadn’t thought about the consequences. If he could go back, Dane was certain he’d make a different choice, but he couldn’t regret he had a son. Someone with his genes. His DNA coursing through his veins. He would do anything to help him, even putting aside promotion of his new movie, which had been his baby from the moment he’d signed on to play the role. Because Jayden’s health now took precedence over everything else.
When the photographer signaled he was ready, Dane walked over to the set. He was in the same attire he usually wore, except this time the jeans and T-shirt were supplied by the stylists. He went through the motions, striking the requisite poses.
When Dane finished an hour later, Morgan was waiting for him with her tablet in hand. “I have the car to take you to the beach house.”
Dane smiled. Morgan was a saint. She knew exactly what Dane needed after a long day trip to Austin. “Thanks, Morgan. I’ll check in with you later.” He waved at the photographer, thanked the stylists and left.
Within minutes, he slid inside the Bentley waiting for him outside in the alley. Thankfully, security had surrounded the warehouse, preventing the press from getting in. Several paparazzi shouted his name as he did, but Dane was weary and quickly closed the door. Within seconds the vehicle took off blessedly toward home.
They arrived at his Venice Beach house nearly an hour later because of traffic. After punching in the code, Dane closed the door and sagged against it. He was dog-tired. Plopping down, he drifted asleep. It was nearly 5:00 p.m. when the ringing of his cell phone woke him up. “Hello?” he said without looking at the caller ID.
“I’m sorry. You sound like you were taking a nap. I must have woken you up. I’ll call back later.”
Instantly, Dane bolted upright. “Iris?”
“Yes.”
“Is everything okay? How’s Jayden?” Dane was surprised how quick he was to think about the boy.
“I’m fine. He’s fine. It’s just… I—”
“You what?” He could tell she was hesitating.
“I made a rather large pan of baked ziti and… I don’t know, it’s silly, but I thought you might like to join us for dinner if you weren’t too busy.”
Dane felt the broad grin spreading across his face. “It’s not silly at all. I can’t remember the last time I was invited for a home-cooked meal. I would love to come, but it’ll take a minute to talk to my security detail so they can help me lose the paparazzi. I’ll take my bike, but I’ll be there within the hour.”
She let out what sounded like a sigh of relief. Did she think he would turn her down? “Okay, great. We’ll see you then. I’ll text you my address.”
Dane stared down at his phone. He was actually going to get to spend time with his son. This was beyond great, but it was also an excellent segue for him to talk to Iris. He hoped he could find the words.
Four (#ub774ad41-56f8-50f6-b2ad-2480e6c4d960)
Iris smoothed down the one-piece V-necked jumpsuit she’d changed into. It was casual enough to wear around the house on a Wednesday evening, but was nice enough to entertain in. She didn’t want Dane to think she was trying too hard.
She’d been surprised when he’d accepted her invitation to dinner. Since their talk, she hadn’t been able to forget him. Despite his fame and obvious good looks, he was approachable and she’d found the connection between them wasn’t one-sided. Dane could have said no, he was too busy, but instead, he was coming to her humble abode.
The roar of the motorcycle engine brought Iris over to the window in time to catch Dane swinging one muscled leg over the bike and onto the sidewalk. Iris’s heart thumped loudly in her chest. Dane Stewart was about to walk over the threshold of her house. It was almost too much to process. Almost. Instead, she took a deep fortifying breath and opened the door. Dane stood on the other side, looking hot and holding up flowers and a bottle of wine.
“Can I come in?”
