Red Carpet Redemption

by Yahrah St. John

  Iris glanced up at him, and Dane had to mask his desire.

  “So does kissing make you and Mommy boyfriend and girlfriend?” Jayden inquired as he took alternating spoonfuls of his ice cream and Dane’s banana split.

  The unexpected yet innocent question caught Dane off guard and he looked to Iris. When she shrugged, he said, “It means we like each other an awful lot. Does that help?”

  “Doesn’t kissing make babies?” Jayden asked. “My friend TJ said when he caught his parents kissing, a baby popped out of his mom’s belly nine months later.”

  Dane couldn’t resist letting out a loud, rambunctious laugh. “Jayden, has anyone ever told you how funny you are?”

  A wide grin came across the boy’s face. “Nope. But you just did.”

  Dane continued laughing while making eyes at Iris and eating his split.

  Eventually it got late. To go along with the strategy of hiding in plain sight, he called a Lyft to take him home.

  “Are you sure? I could drive you,” Iris offered.

  “No, it’s fine. I don’t want the paparazzi to get used to seeing your vehicle. So it’s best if you keep a low profile.”

  “All right.”

  When they were done, Dane slid a twenty into the tip jar and walked them to their car. Once he’d settled Jayden into his booster seat, he gave him a fist bump. “You were a big boy today. Keep it up. And if you need me, your mother has my number.”

  “Okay,” Jayden said.

  Shutting the door, Dane turned to Iris. That was when he noticed the Lyft driver pulling up outside the store. “That’s my ride.”

  “It was fun. Thank you for coming, Dane.” Iris glanced behind her. “But I don’t want you to make promises you can’t keep.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re Dane Stewart,” Iris replied, “and you’re going to be pulled in a million different directions. I don’t want Jayden’s hopes getting high that you’re going to be permanently in his life.”

  “Because I’m transient, passing through, is that it?” Dane asked. The Lyft driver honked his horn. “Be right there,” he yelled over Iris’s shoulder. “Listen, I get it. I know this thing—” he motioned between the two of them “—came as a surprise, but I’d like to be a part of Jayden’s life if only for the simple fact I’m giving him my bone marrow and I want to see him live.”

  Iris blushed. “Dane, I’m sorry. It’s just... I—I don’t know—”

  Dane bent forward and kissed her to silence her fears. It was a sweet, soft kiss and didn’t last long because the driver was honking again, letting him know he was getting impatient. He lifted his head and said, “Stop thinking so much, Iris, and just go with the flow.”

  He waved, ran across the street and hopped inside the waiting car.

  “Ready to go?” the driver inquired, but Dane couldn’t answer because Iris was still standing there. It made him want to leap out of the vehicle and take her back home where he could make love to her until the sun rose, but instead he gave the driver his address. “Yes. Take me home.”

  Six

  “Wake up, Romeo,” Jason yelled into Dane’s ears on Tuesday morning. “We’ve got some damage control to do.”

  Dane rolled over on his bed in his master suite and glanced at the clock. It read 7:00 a.m. “You know I’m a night owl and don’t like getting up until at least nine.”

  “Well, today is not your day because you couldn’t keep your hands—oh, wait, excuse me, your lips off a certain single mother. It’s now front-page news.”

  Dane bolted upright, letting the covers slide away. “What did you say?”

  Jason leaned forward and placed a local tabloid in his face. A picture of him in the baseball cap kissing Iris at the ice cream shop was sprawled across the front page.

  “What the hell?”

  “Didn’t I ask you to give her a wide berth?” Jason responded. “But no, Dane’s going to do what Dane wants to do.”

  “Don’t berate him.” Whitney strolled into his bedroom even though Dane was bare chested and wearing pajama bottoms. She handed him the mug of coffee in her hands. “Thought you might need this.”

  “I could use one myself,” Jason stated cheekily.

  “Not a chance, Underwood. Get your own,” Whitney responded, sitting on the edge of the bed as if Dane had invited her there. “Dane and I need to have a chat.”

  Jason rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll get my own coffee.” He left the room.

  Dane rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Where’s Morgan?”

  “Morgan is downstairs,” Whitney replied.

  Dane threw back the covers and rose from the bed. “I’m not in the mood, Whitney.” He walked to his en suite bathroom and began brushing his teeth. His publicist didn’t accept his boundaries and came to watch him from the doorway.

  “You broke the internet, Dane. The tabloids put two and two together and realized Iris was the mother from the photo you took at the hospital after your donor registration. Did you give any thought to the consequences of your actions?”

  Dane spit out the toothpaste and wiped his mouth with a nearby towel. Then he rose to his full six-foot-three height. “Don’t think you’re going to school me, Whitney, like I’m some naughty little boy. I can hire you and I can fire you.” He strode from the bathroom and opened the door of his oversize walk-in closet. He searched the rows of clothing, which were color-coded and in order of length, until he found some sweats. When Whitney made as if she was going to join him, he gave her an evil eye and she remained outside.

  “Might I remind you,” Whitney said from the doorway, “you hired me to extricate you from one media disaster and here you go creating yet another. Are you a masochist?”

  Dane didn’t respond until he came out of his dressing room fully clothed. Jason had returned with a mug of coffee. He seemed equally floored by Whitney’s audacity.

  “Whitney, you should remember Dane is the client,” Jason said.

  “I do remember,” Whitney nearly growled. “I just need you—” she glared at Dane “—to help me help you.”

  “Who’s the actor here? Being melodramatic?” Dane inquired, raising a brow. At his lighthearted response, Jason let out a guffaw and even Whitney smirked.

  “Jesus, Dane. What am I going to do with you?” Whitney asked.

  “Protect my son,” Dane said fervently. He glanced in Jason’s direction. They’d kept the news of Jayden’s existence from Whitney, but now it was time to fill her in.

  “Your son!” Whitney exclaimed. “Since when?”

  “It’s a long story,” Dane began, but Whitney shook her head.

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” She wagged her finger. “You don’t get to dismiss this out of hand. I need the entire story so I know how bad this is going to get.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Whitney sat in silence. “Did you hear me?” Dane inquired. He’d shared his sperm donation story and that Jayden was his son.

  “Okay. So now you’ve got to give me some time to absorb the news. I can figure out how to control the fallout.”

  Dane resented the fact they had to do damage control because he had a child.

  “He’s your son,” Whitney said. “We can’t change that, but we show what you’re willing to do for your son. Maybe do some interviews about how much you can’t wait to be a father. If we can get Iris on board, maybe even have the three of you on camera.” At Dane’s glare, she doubled down on her argument. “C’mon, from the looks of it, you two are getting along swell if that lip-lock is anything to go by.”

  “Present them as one happy family?” Jason added, sipping his coffee. “I don’t know, Whitney. We’ve always sold Dane as the sexiest man alive every woman or man wants to bed. And now he’s suddenly father of the year? I don’t buy it.”

  “I need to s
peak with Iris first. Tell her the truth before this blows up in her face,” Dane interjected.

  “No, absolutely not.” Whitney shook her head. “Once she knows and tells her family and friends, the story goes viral. We need to have a narrative in place before then.”

  “I don’t like it,” Dane said. “It’s dishonest.”

  “It’s protecting your brand,” she responded. “Plus you’ve kept the secret this long, so what’s another few days?”

  She was right, but Dane hated continuing to keep this secret from Iris. She deserved to know what was going on before her life change irrevocably. Because once the press caught wind of their true connection, all bets were off. “All right, let’s talk this through again...” Though Dane doubted it was possible to sort it all out. They were between a rock and a hard place, and there was no easy way to tell a six-year-old you’d been MIA from his life because you’d never wanted to be part of it to begin with.

  * * *

  “You’ve been holding out on me,” Shelly said when she stopped by Iris’s bungalow later that evening. It looked like she’d come directly from work because she was in a business suit.

  Iris frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t you play innocent,” her sister responded. “I was on the treadmill when a picture of you kissing Dane Stewart popped on the screen. Apparently TMZ is trying to figure out how the single mother with a dying child caught Hollywood’s hottest actor.”

  “What?” Iris rushed to the cocktail table and grabbed the remote. She flicked the television on and found an entertainment channel. And there it was in bright Technicolor: apparently she was Dane Stewart’s latest squeeze. “Omigod!” Iris placed her hand over her mouth. “This can’t be happening. He thought he was being so careful.”

  “So it’s true?” Shelly said, forgoing the couch and sitting directly on the cocktail table. “You’re seeing Dane?”

  “No,” Iris denied. “It’s nothing like that. We just...”

  “You just fell into his arms?” Shelly offered. “I’m not buying it.”

  Iris twisted her hands in her lap. The flirtation and kisses with Dane were supposed to be harmless. Something just between the two of them. It had been so long since anyone had shown interest in her. Dane didn’t even have any idea about her injuries because it hadn’t gotten that far between them. Yet.

  Had she allowed the kiss to get out of control when he’d been at her home for dinner, Dane might have discovered the horrible truth. She shouldn’t have allowed her attraction to Dane to interfere with Jayden’s care. Dane could walk away at any time. No, she couldn’t let that happen. Whatever this was between them couldn’t go any further. “All right, I’ll admit Dane and I have been friendly.”

  Shelly glanced at the entertainment channel, which seemed to be running the picture of their kiss on a continuous loop. “I beg to differ.”

  “We’ve been talking on the phone and he showed up yesterday to Jayden’s appointment for the PICC insertion.”

  “How’d that go?”

  “Jayden’s a trooper, but all this—” Iris motioned to the television “—is more than I’m ready to deal with.”

  “I’m sorry to tell you, Iris, but you should have thought about that earlier. You can’t date someone of Dane’s stature without repercussions.”

  “Date?” Iris’s voice rose. “It wasn’t a date, for Christ’s sake. He took us out for ice cream.”

  “And then he kissed you for the entire world to see.”

  Iris huffed.

  “Listen, sweetie.” Shelly reached for her hand. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t grab every bit of happiness you can find. I know Jayden’s illness has taken a toll on you, but you also have to be realistic. Any involvement you have with the man could threaten Jayden’s transplant. Think about it, sis—Dane is a superstar and the media is interested in his every move. And if you’re with him, your every move.”

  “I didn’t sign up for this.”

  Shelly shrugged. “But here we are. You need to talk to him right now. Come up with a plan of attack.”

  Iris pulled her hand away and jumped up. “When do I have time to do that? I’m busy taking care of Jayden, making sure everything is all wrapped up at school so he can finish out the next few weeks before we have to homeschool him.” She sighed and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Shelly. I don’t mean to jump on you. I’m overwhelmed.”

  “That’s why I’m here. To help out any way I can.”

  Shelly was right. She needed to call Dane because her and Jayden’s anonymity were about to be obliterated.

  * * *

  Iris didn’t have to wait long. Shortly after Shelly’s visit, her cell phone rang. The display read Dane.

  “Iris, I’m so glad I reached you.” Iris loved hearing his deep, masculine voice. “How are you? How’s Jayden?”

  “We’re fine,” she replied. “For now.”

  “So, you know we’ve been discovered?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry, Iris. I should never have...” His voice trailed off.

  “Should never have what?” Iris was curious what he was about to say. Was he regretting spending time with her? “Whatever it is, Dane, just tell me.”

  “I should never have gone to the ice cream shop without my security properly vetting the place. Someone must have recognized me and alerted the press.”

  Iris breathed a sigh of relief. She’d anticipated Dane saying he wished he hadn’t gotten involved with her. She knew it was naive to hope someone like Dane would stay interested in her for the long haul, but it had been nice the last fortnight having someone to talk to, sharing her fears and concerns.

  “I wish I could tell you I knew how to handle this,” Iris responded, “but this is way out of my wheelhouse.”

  Dane chuckled. And she was glad he could laugh and didn’t blame her for any bad publicity. Or was that an oxymoron? Was publicity bad? Lately notoriety was as equally sought after as praise. “Of course I wouldn’t expect you to know how to deal with this,” Dane said. “It’s why I hire people.”

  “And do they have any suggestions?”

  “They do, but I’m not sure you’re going to like them.”

  “That sounds ominous.”

  “Didn’t intend it to be,” Dane replied. “But if I’m putting all my cards on the table, you should know I had a bout of negative publicity. I turned it around over the last month after the hospital photo shoot with you and Jayden, but the paparazzi are still out for my blood. They’re going to try to put a negative spin on this.”

  “Why would they do that? You’re donating your bone marrow to Jayden and helping save his life. That’s a good thing and somehow that message is being lost.”

  “The tabloids are always looking to spin the story and make it seem tawdry. Make it more about us.”

  “How can they? We’re just friends,” Iris said.

  “Is that all we are, Iris?” Dane said softly.

  Suddenly, her throat felt dry and constricted and she knew somehow she wasn’t going to like what came next.

  “If I’m honest,” Dane said, “I think we’re more. But more in my world comes with a lot of challenges. The media will want to know everything about you and Jayden. They’ll be relentless in researching you. They may even try to find dirt to make what’s between us feel sordid, but I don’t want that to happen. Call me selfish, but you’ve been a breath of fresh air and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Did anyone ever tell you you come on strong? We’ve only known each other a short time and I’m expected to answer you now?”

  “Yes. I have to know where you stand, so I can protect you and Jayden. Even if we don’t continue, there will be some heat if the media thinks there’s some teeth to the story.”

  “So I’m in this either way?” Verbalizi
ng it was scary, but she appreciated Dane’s honesty. She had to state her answer.

  * * *

  Dane was nervous. He didn’t know what Iris was going to say. He knew Whitney felt presenting a happy family for the press was the best play, but Dane didn’t want Jayden or Iris to be subjected to their scrutiny this early on. He had to shield them for as long as he could. “Iris?”

  “I’ve enjoyed our nightly phone chats.”

  “So have I. You have no idea how hard it is to find someone who’s genuine in my world. I find you fascinating.”

  “Dane...” Her soft sigh came through the phone.

  “I know it seems crazy I’m asking if you’re in this with me when we’ve barely gotten to know each other, but that’s the only way I can protect you. Protect Jayden.”

  “I’m his mother. I should be protecting Jayden.”

  Dane wanted to spit out the truth that he was Jayden’s father. It was his job to protect him too, but instead he went with the status quo. “Of course you are, but I can help. I have a lot of resources at my disposal that can help make your and Jayden’s life more comfortable. Please let me.”

  “Exactly what are you asking me?”

  This conversation wasn’t going exactly how he’d envisioned. He’d assumed Iris would go along, not be a protective mama bear looking after her cub. “Be my girlfriend. We can announce we’re seeing each other. Tell them that after meeting at the hospital, it was love at first sight and let them take the story from there.”

  “G-girlfriend? That will make them more interested in me and Jayden. And neither one of us wants that. I think if we lay low, maybe not see each other for a bit, this will blow over. I’m not the story—you are.”

  “I don’t think this is the right play here, Iris.”

  “And your objections are noted,” Iris replied, “but this is my and Jayden’s life you’re talking about. We’re not chess pieces your PR team can move across the board. I need time to think about this.”