Red Carpet Redemption

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

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?”

“Of course.” She motioned him inside and blatantly stared at him. “It’s kind of surreal having you in my living room.”

“I couldn’t turn down a home-cooked meal from a beautiful woman.”

“Dane…” She blushed. He was a charmer.

“You’re nervous,” Dane observed, taking off his leather jacket and throwing it over the arm of her sofa. “Don’t be. I wanted to come.” He handed her the flowers, an assortment of peonies. “I brought these for you.” He placed the bottle of wine on the cocktail table.

“Thank you.” And she was nervous. It had been years since she’d been on a date, much less had a man in her home. It was nice to feel young and carefree and revel in the fact she was with a gorgeous man like Dane. “I’ll put these in water.”

She made for the kitchen and once there, leaned against the sink trying to regain her composure. “Get it together, Iris.” She placed the flowers in a vase and brought them into the dining room. On her way, she grabbed two wineglasses from her cupboard and the corkscrew from the drawer.

She found Dane standing by the fireplace, looking intently at the pictures on the mantel. There were various photos of Jayden and a family portrait of the Turner clan. There were none of Iris before her accident; she couldn’t bear to see how she used to look because she would never look like that again.

“Would you like to open the wine?” Iris inquired and noticed he jumped as if she’d caught him doing something he shouldn’t.

“Uh, yeah, I can do that.” Dane accepted the corkscrew and set about opening the bottle. “Where is the little fella? I was hoping to spend some time with him.” Dane sat on the sofa while Iris chose the adjacent love seat.

“For now, it’s just me,” Iris responded. “I hope that’s okay? Jayden’s at tae kwon do. I wanted him to have an activity that develops good character. They teach self-esteem, courage, courtesy, self-respect, focus and discipline. If you knew what it was like wrangling a six-year-old, you’d understand. Anyway, he should be here soon. My neighbor’s son also takes tae kwon do, so we rotate picking them up from class each week. It allows me to get dinner started so Jayden isn’t eating too late.”

“That’s great. I’m glad you have a support system. I’d hate to think of you doing this all alone.” When he released the cork, he poured them each a glass and handed her one.

“Thank you, but I’m not alone. My parents, my sister, Shelly, my neighbor—they’re all part of the village it takes to raise Jayden. Cheers.” She tapped her wineglass against his.

The front door of the bungalow sprang open and Jayden bounced excitedly into the room.

“Mommy, you should have seen me tonight!” Jayden rushed over to her, not even noticing Dane on the sofa. He was still wearing the standard white dobok uniform consisting of a top, elastic-waistband pants and a belt. “I did a better ax kick than TJ.”

Iris smiled broadly. “That’s great, Jayden. Say hello to Mr. Dane. You remember him, right?”

Jayden spun around and hazarded a glance at Dane. “Yeah. You’re the man who is going to be my donor.” And without her asking, Jayden threw his arms around Dane’s neck. “Thank you.”

Tears sprang to Iris’s eyes as Dane held Jayden in his arms. He seemed as overcome as she was by Jayden’s spontaneous affection. “You—you’re welcome, Jayden.” Dane patted his back and just that quickly, Jayden was moving on.

“I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?”

Iris rose to her feet and picked up his book bag, which he’d left in the middle of the floor. “Your favorite—baked ziti and garlic bread. Go wash up. Dinner will be ready shortly.” Jayden scampered out of the room, leaving the two of them alone again.

“Sorry about that. Jayden can be a bit extra if you’re not used to him.”

“Extra?” Dane appeared distracted, then shook his head. “No, he’s fine. Is he always that affectionate?”

“I guess. Why?”

“No reason. He’s a really special little boy.”

Iris grinned. “I think so. C’mon, grab your wine.”

Dane followed Iris down a small corridor into a farmhouse-style kitchen with a table big enough for four, but with place settings for three. He sat down in one of the chairs and watched Iris. She busied herself taking garlic toast from the freezer and putting it in the oven.

Dane couldn’t recall when he’d witnessed anything so domestic except when Gage’s mother, Grace, had lived at Stewart Manor and worked as their cook. She hadn’t minded him and Fallon being underfoot. Lord knows his mother, Nora, wouldn’t be caught dead cooking; that would require putting in effort. The only thing Nora was good at was keeping herself well preserved with Botox and frequent trips to the gym and salon.

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