“I release a statement to the press on how happy I am to have discovered my son and request privacy during this difficult time as we deal with our son’s health.”
“Do you honestly think it will be enough?” She didn’t think the reporters she faced today were going to accept a simple press release.
Dane scrubbed his jaw with his hand. “Probably not. My team thinks we should do a televised interview with one of the major news outlets.”
“We, meaning you and me?”
“Yes. If we present a united front, it could put some of the rumors to rest.”
“Or spark more,” Iris returned. “They could think we’re an item and camp outside my house. I’ve heard the horror stories about the paparazzi. Is this really what you want for Jayden?” For me, she wanted to add, but kept herself out of the equation.
“No. But we don’t have a lot of options here, Iris. However, I can help with securing your home and provide protection for you and Jayden.”
“Is that really necessary?”
He nodded. “Please don’t fight me on this. I have to do something. It killed me seeing the two of you besieged this morning without any protection.”
“All right.”
“To what?”
“To the paternity test and the security. I’d rather have someone there who is looking out for me and Jayden. But as for the interview, that’s a no.”
“Of course, I understand.”
“I’m going to go now.” She needed to leave because the air between them was still crackling with unresolved sexual tension. “Call me with the details for the test, okay?” She walked to the front door, and Dane followed behind her. She sensed he wanted to say more, but instead, he watched her leave. She was venturing into an unknown world she was ill-equipped to handle and she feared what was coming next.
Eight
“Dane, are you okay? We saw the news reports in Austin this morning,” Fallon said.
It was well into the afternoon and Dane was still at home. He was in no mood to deal with the media and all the questions they would pepper him with. He was letting the initial dust settle when he got the three-way call from Fallon and Ayden.
“It looked like poor Iris was under fire,” Ayden said, “and a bit stunned by the news you were Jayden’s father. You didn’t tell her your suspicions, did you?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Fallon asked. “At least she could have been prepared.”
“Please don’t beat me up, Fallon. I feel guilty enough. I left her open to be blindsided today and you can best believe Iris let me have it already.”
“How’d that go?” Ayden inquired.
“Better than I’d hoped,” Dane responded. “Initially she was upset with me, justifiably so, but after she calmed down and listened to reason, we were able to come to a consensus.”
“And what was that?” Fallon asked.
“She agreed to the paternity test. She’s taking Jayden after school to a private facility that will handle the test with absolute discretion. Iris will talk to Jayden and explain what’s going on. I wanted to be there, but she thought it best she handle it alone.”
“Wise move,” Fallon stated. “Iris probably already feels like her entire world is spinning off its axis, but telling her son—”
“Our son,” Dane corrected.
“Telling your son gives her some of that control back. I think you’re going about this the right way. How are you planning to handle the furor over this news, though?” Ayden asked.
“I suggested an interview with one of the reputable networks. It would allow us to set the record straight and stop any speculation. But Iris disagreed.”
“And what about you and Iris?” Fallon inquired.
Dane clenched his jaw. “I’m not ready to talk about that right now.”
“It’s okay, Dane. I was just curious. You have our support. We’re here for you if you need us. Once you have the official proof Jayden is yours, we’d like to come visit if that’s okay with you?”
Dane’s mouth curved into a smile. “I have no doubts what the results will show,” he replied, “and I would love that. Let’s plan on it soon. It’s time Jayden knows the other side of his family.”
After he’d hung up with his siblings, Dane thought about Iris’s reaction to their intimacy earlier today. One minute they were kissing and in the throes of a heated bliss and the next, she was pushing him away. Her response was way over the top and he wanted to understand why. Because Dane knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her for much longer.
Iris ignited a hunger in him. Over the years, he’d grown cynical about women, especially the marital ambitions of the single women he encountered. Most of them bored the hell out of him. But when it came to Iris, she rocked him to his core and made him believe that maybe, just maybe, there was someone out there who could truly get him. Up until now, Dane thought he’d remain single forever. He hadn’t seen many happy marriages. He certainly didn’t count his parents’ marriage as the epitome of happily ever after.
He’d suspected his father married his mother because she’d been pregnant with Fallon, tossing aside his first wife—Ayden’s mother, Lillian—because Nora demanded it. Dane was certain he wasn’t too far off the mark.
He was determined not to make his father’s mistakes when it came to women. What was happening with him and Iris was so precious. She was a fierce mama bear, yet sweet and humble and oh so craveable. He would get to the bottom of her fears and whatever was holding her back because he didn’t just want moments with Iris. He wanted all of her. In his bed.
* * *
After leaving Dane’s, Iris planned to speak with Jayden. She wasn’t relishing the idea, but it had to be done. Lord knew what kids were saying at school.
When the school day ended, Iris was waiting for Jayden outside of his classroom.
“Mommy, what are you doing here?” Jayden asked, walking toward her with his backpack around his little shoulders.
“I wanted to talk to you.” Iris grabbed his hand. “Come with me.” She led him to the principal’s office, who’d graciously allowed Iris to use the room after she’d told her the situation. Iris nodded at the receptionist who motioned for her to go inside.
“Why are we going into the principal’s office?” Jayden asked. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, honey, you’re not,” Iris said, closing the door behind them. “I need to talk to you about some important stuff.”
“You mean about Mr. Stewart being my daddy?”
Iris swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no burying the lead in this conversation. “What have you heard?”
“Some kids at lunch showed me some video. Why is everyone saying that? You always told me I didn’t have a daddy.”
Iris sighed. She’d known this conversation wasn’t going to be easy, but hadn’t quite anticipated it being this tough. “I didn’t lie to you, Jayden. Mommy would never do that. Usually mommies and daddies love each other so much, they make a baby together, but I wanted to have you so much that I used a medical procedure to have you.”
Jayden frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I know, honey, and I’m so sorry,” Iris said.
She did her best to explain, but in the end Jayden was still confused. “We need to take a test to find out for sure if Mr. Dane is your father.”
“What if Mr. Dane isn’t my daddy?” Jayden asked.
Iris pressed her lips together. “Let’s cross that bridge if we come to it, sweetheart. In the meantime, there’s a lot of people who like Mr. Dane because he’s in the movies and they want to know all about you, so we’re going to play a game of hide-and-seek. We’re going to hide from them, but they’ll be seeking us out and asking questions. We’re not going to answer them, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Iris wrapped her arms around Jayden. She knew it was a lot for him to process and hated the position they were in. They were playing defense when they should have been playing offense. “C’mon, honey.” She rose to her feet and grabbed him by the hand. “We’re going to go out the rear entrance so no one sees us.”
According to the receptionist, the press were now parked outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jayden, but Iris had switched cars with Shelly. When she’d called her sister at work, Shelly had been more than willing to help out. Iris couldn’t believe she had to be so stealthy in order to ensure their privacy.
Dane had already texted her the testing facility’s address. They were expecting her, and when she and Jayden arrived, they were whisked right into an examination room. After completing a cheek swab, they were back on their way. Next she was headed to her parents’ house. Iris knew they and her sister would want to know what was going on.
Pulling into the driveway, Iris turned off the ignition but didn’t go inside.
“Mommy, why aren’t we going in yet?” Jayden asked.
Iris released a long sigh. “No reason. I just needed to catch my breath.” Within seconds, Jayden was bounding out of the car with no thought of whether they were being watched. It was Iris who glanced around the quiet tree-lined street looking for paparazzi, but there were none.
Jayden had already pushed the front door open and rushed inside when Iris made it up the front steps and into the foyer.
“Iris, thank God you’ve come over.” Her mother, Carolyn, pulled Iris into the hug. She grasped Iris’s face in both her hands. “Are you okay? I saw the news and, oh my god, I just can’t believe it. Is it true?”
Iris stepped out of her embrace. “Where’s Jayden?”
“He went to get some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and some milk. I told him to do his homework while me and you have a serious talk.”
Iris moved into the living room and glanced around. Her mother’s taste was rustic; several antique pieces gave the room a cozy vibe. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s on his way home from work but he’s called me several times asking if I’d heard from you.”
“Well, let’s sit,” Iris said, sliding onto the comfortable microsuede sofa while her mom sat beside her. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“Is Dane Stewart Jayden’s father? I mean, how is this possible? You were artificially inseminated.”
“It’s a crazy coincidence,” Iris said.
“Are you sure, sugarplum?” a deep tenor voice said from the doorway. “Because I find in life there are no accidents.”
“Daddy!” Iris popped to her feet and rushed over for one of his signature bear hugs. He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a gentle squeeze before setting her away.
“All right, girl. I’m here now.” He took off the jacket he’d been wearing, hung it in the closet and joined them in the living room. “I left work because your mama told me you’d be coming over. Where’s that grandson of mine?”
“He’s in the kitchen, Charles,” her mother replied, “eating cookies.”
“Good. It will allow grown folks to have grown folk conversation.” Her father sat down in his favorite reclining chair. “So, Iris, what in the hell is going on?”
Iris sighed and started over. “You know exactly what I know, Daddy. I went to a reputable doctor and was artificially inseminated. I got pregnant on the first try and nine months later, I had a beautiful baby boy.”
“Where does Dane Stewart fit in this scenario?” her father inquired.
“Unbeknownst to either of us, it appears as if he was my sperm donor. He was a struggling actor looking for some serious cash and he was well paid for his donation. He’d forgotten the one time his sperm was used.”
Her mother clutched her chest. “Do we have to keep saying that word?”
“Aw, Carolyn, don’t be such a prude,” her father chided. “Go on, Iris.”
“He went about his life and I went about mine. Until Jayden’s diagnosis. When I went on-air and pleaded for people to register as bone marrow donors, Dane’s camp heard about it. He’d had a bout of bad press and needed to clean up his image. For him, registering was only supposed to be a feel-good story and he’d move on.”
“Then what happened?” Her mother seemed as enthralled with the story as the rest of the country.
“Dr. Lee told Dane that he and Jayden were most likely related, but did he tell me?” Iris’s voice rose. “No, he chose to keep that little bit of information to himself. Instead, he charmed his way into our life, by giving me his private number.”
“And?” her father pressed.
“We started talking and he came over for dinner and spent time with me and Jayden.”
“I knew it,” her sister stated, storming into the house like a nor’easter. “You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Where’s my car?”
“Sitting in your driveway,” Shelly said. “I took an Uber over here.”
“Shelly, have a seat, please. Your sister was just sharing this bizarre tale of events,” her father said. He turned to Iris. “So how did the press get wind of your relationship? I would imagine someone like him knows how to retain his privacy?”
“He thought he had it covered. Someone must have recognized him at the ice cream shop where we went after Jayden’s PICC was inserted and alerted the media. Anyway, does any of it matter now? Reporters are going to be crawling through my and Jayden’s life now and I hate it. We didn’t ask for any of this.”
“No, but you did choose to use a sperm donor, which has inherent risks,” her father stated matter-of-factly.
“C’mon, Dad, not even you could have predicted my sperm donor would be a famous Hollywood actor,” Iris responded.
Her father smiled. “No, I suppose not. And what about Dane? Does he want to be a father?”
“I think so. And in the meantime, while we get this sorted out, he’s offered to give us a security detail to protect us from the media.”
“You’re going to need it,” Shelly chimed in. “The Uber drove by your house on our way here. The television crews were swarming your neighborhood.”
“This is all too much.” Her mother stood and began pacing. “You already have so much on your plate with Jayden’s illness. And now you add the press breathing down your neck. How are you going to handle it all?”
“One day at a time,” Iris said. “I can’t worry about what people think of me, Mom. Jayden comes first.”
“From what you’ve said,” her father replied, “sounds like Dane sees it the same way. I’d like to meet him.”
“I dunno, Daddy.”
“He’s the father of my grandchild and has his sights set on my daughter. I darn sure want to meet him.” Charles Turner puffed out his chest and Iris knew when she was beat. It was better to give in than to fight.
“Fine. I’ll ask him.”
“Good. Now come and get a bite to eat,” her mother said. “I have some beef stew cooking on the stove.”
Iris followed her parents into the kitchen and watched them and Jayden from the doorway. They were such a close-knit family with everyone looking out for each other. What was going to happen bringing Dane into the mix? Was she really ready for the changes ahead?
* * *
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” Jason said, “if you don’t stop pacing.”
“Do you have any idea how I’m feeling?” Dane asked. “I’ve been in this mansion for twenty-four hours while the entire world gets to comment and Tweet on my life as if they had a right to. And what do I do? Nothing. Instead I have to listen to Whitney give me the business. Iris, who’s in all likelihood the mother of my child, railed at me for keeping secrets and lying to her, when all I want to do is take her up to my bedroom and have my way with her. A
nd then there’s Jayden. He could be my little boy and he’s suffering from a life-threatening illness. I’m all set to give him my bone marrow so he can get better, but I can’t until he goes through debilitating chemo. Do you have any idea how inept I feel?”
Jason leaned back. “Okay, I think you must have needed to let that out. And I’m sorry, Dane, if I’ve made light of this whole situation. It’s just extremely unusual, ya know.”
“No kidding. I’m living it, Jason.”
“When will you know the results of the paternity test?”
“Within the hour. A courier will be delivering the results to both Dane and Ms. Turner simultaneously,” Morgan chimed in from her position in the corner of the room. His assistant always seemed to be nearby when Dane needed her.
“Well, no wonder you’re all wound up,” Jason said. “Why don’t you come with me to the gym? We can spar a bit and you can release some tension.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dane said. “I’m in a foul mood and could hurt you.”
“I can handle you, Stewart,” Jason said. “C’mon, no sense in clock-watching.”
Ten minutes later, both men had changed into sweats and were in the gym going through the paces. Dane hadn’t realized how much he needed to relieve his stress until he took the first jab. Soon he and Jason were going toe-to-toe, with a jab here and quick punch there. It was exactly what Dane needed, so by the time he noticed Morgan in the mirror, hovering in the doorway, Dane was feeling good because endorphins were rushing through his veins.
Morgan held up the envelope and walked toward them. “The results are in.”
Dane took off his boxing gloves and stared at the envelope for several seconds before accepting it. “Thank you.”
“C’mon, Morgan. I’ll buy you a Gatorade.” Jason wiped the sweat off his brow with a towel from the nearby towel rack, and then they left Dane alone in the gym.
Dane’s heart was beating fast because the contents of the envelope would change his life forever. The DNA test would officially set the record straight once and for all that Jayden was his son.
Red Carpet Redemption Page 8