Red Carpet Redemption

by Yahrah St. John

  “Time is running out, Iris.” He was desperate for her to see how bad this situation could get. The paparazzi could be vicious.

  “I have to go, Dane. We’ll talk soon.” Iris ended the call before Dane could get another word in edgewise. It was the first time one of their chats ended so abruptly and he was perturbed. He paced the terrazzo floors of his balcony and wondered how he was going to get Iris to listen to reason. At the end of the day, Dane realized, he didn’t have a choice. He had to tell her he was Jayden’s father. Only then would she see his way was the only way out of this mess.

  Seven

  Iris was on edge. She had been since last week when she’d spoken to Dane. She’d thought giving herself some breathing room would make it easier but it hadn’t. And Dane had been persistent. He’d left voice mails and texts for her to call him. He wanted to see her, but Iris wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready for any of it.

  Every morning when she’d dropped Jayden off at school or left to go to work or the grocery store, she’d waited for a reporter to jump out of the bushes and ask about her relationship with Dane. But it hadn’t happened. She and Jayden had been able to go on with their daily lives. They’d regularly gone to Dr. Lee’s office and Jayden had started his pretreatments for the transplant.

  Dane’s stem cells were an incredible gift. But was she grateful enough to act like his girlfriend? Not that she would have to do much acting—she liked Dane. But she was scared of the world he lived in. She wouldn’t want to subject Jayden to it when he was fighting for his life. And what were Dane’s expectations anyway? Would he expect intimacy from her? Because no matter how much she might want to, she would die inside if she had to see a look of disgust or pity in Dane’s eyes if he ever saw her scars. She’d have to say no.

  But everything changed this morning when she and Jayden left the bungalow only to be surrounded by members of the press. She saw the news truck parked at the curb. Reporters yelled at her and bulbs flashed brightly in her eyes.

  “Iris, how long have you been seeing Dane?”

  “How long have you been lovers?”

  She wanted to wring their necks. How dare they yell such things around a six-year-old boy? Iris shielded Jayden as best she could by pulling him closer and whispering for him to lower his head.

  “Please let me pass,” she yelled, but they wouldn’t stop. It was the last question tossed her way as she was settling Jayden in the back seat that got her attention.

  “How long have you known he was your sperm donor?”

  Somehow Iris closed the rear door, but she was sure the media got what they were looking for in her stunned reaction. She sat in the driver seat and didn’t start the engine. Her mind was swirling with their questions. Could it really be true that Dane Stewart was the sperm donor she’d used for her artificial insemination? No. She shook her head. It couldn’t be true. She went to a reputable clinic whose donors were anonymous. Dane couldn’t be Jayden’s father, could he? If he was, it would explain why Dane was such a great match for Jayden—they shared genes.

  If this was real and not all just a dream, the question was, did Dane know? Was his interest in her some elaborate cover-up to conceal the truth that he was Jayden’s biological father?

  * * *

  It was too early in the morning to drink, but it was Friday somewhere so Dane went out to his living room and poured a stiff one at the bar. He had to. His worst fear had materialized when he’d rolled over in bed and reached for his iPhone. News of him being Jayden’s father was on every major social media and news site. Damn. He’d turned on the television and several channels were showing footage of Iris leaving her home and being besieged by the press. He wished she’d agreed to his protection days ago when he’d offered it. The reporters had barely given her room to enter her car. But what Dane couldn’t forget was the stunned expression on her face when one of the reporters rudely yelled out asking how long she’d known Dane was her sperm donor.

  Dane sipped his brandy and waited. Iris had called. Her voice had been clipped, strained when she asked if he was home. He knew why and had given her the address to his place in the Hollywood Hills. She’d told him to expect her within the hour, and Dane wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. He drank more because he felt guilty. He could have prevented this, if he’d been honest with her as soon as he’d found out. Instead, he’d waited and they were paying the price.

  The doorbell rang and Dane bolted upright on the sofa. Slowly, he placed the tumbler down on the table and stood. With leaden feet, he walked toward the door. The moment of reckoning was here.

  He just wasn’t prepared for what greeted him.

  A slap.

  * * *

  “How dare you, Dane Stewart!” Iris strode past him into his home. After calling in sick to work, it had taken Iris nearly an hour to get to his house. She’d steadily had to dodge reporters who’d been in pursuit of her from the moment she’d left her bungalow. They’d followed her to Jayden’s school, where she’d had a serious talk with the principal, informing the rather flustered woman under no circumstances should anyone be allowed to speak to or take Jayden off campus without her express consent. She needed to get her mind around what was happening, but the more she drove, the less Iris felt in control of her life.

  Dane was Jayden’s father. She was fairly certain of it. How else to explain his sudden interest in her in the weeks after the photo op? He’d known the only way to get close to Jayden was through her. She not only felt diminished but angry she’d allowed herself to be used. Why hadn’t she seen the signs? An A-list Hollywood superstar wouldn’t look twice at her. Yet she’d fallen for his charms hook, line and sinker. She felt like an idiot. And she’d come here to tell him what she thought of his deception.

  Eventually, she spun around to find Dane had followed her into what could be described as a room worthy of an Italian palazzo. It was enormous, with high ceilings, marble floors and furniture that must have cost a fortune. Iris tried not to act like a country bumpkin with her mouth hanging open. Instead, she glared at him.

  Surprisingly, Dane showed remorse and lowered his head.

  “Do you have anything to say?”

  He glanced in her direction, “What would you like me to say, Iris? That I’m sorry all this happened and you and Jayden were pulled into the circus? Then hear me—I’m sorry.”

  “Are you sorry for lying to me?” she queried, folding her arms across her chest.

  His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Really, Dane. Are you honestly going to play dumb? How long have you known? How long have you known Jayden was your son?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he walked past her, barefoot, in the same loose-fitting jeans and T-shirt he liked to sport, and reached for his tumbler on the table. She watched him take a sip and nearly asked for one herself. She was so tense she was about to explode, but she needed to keep her head on straight. “Well? I’m waiting for an answer. And I’m not leaving here until I get one.”

  Slowly, Dane turned to face her. “I’ve known there’s a possibility for a while. After I registered, Dr. Lee called me in a week later and told me I was a match. I was happy, Iris. I could help a little boy. But then she hit me with the news Jayden and I shared certain genetic markers that were too close to be coincidental. He told me it was likely I was Jayden’s father. A follow-up blood test all but proved it.”

  “Dr. Lee knew and didn’t tell me?”

  “I implored her to keep it confidential until we could take a paternity test.”

  “And exactly when did you think that was going to happen? Were you going to go behind my back to obtain some of Jayden’s hair or saliva?”

  Dane snorted. “Nothing so melodramatic. I was going to ask you and tell you the truth that there was a chance Jayden was my son. I tried calling you the last couple of days, but you ignored my calls and my tex
ts.”

  “Are you blaming me for the mess we’re in? You had plenty of time to tell me but you chose not to. Why did you let me believe you liked me, wanted something m-more?” Iris’s voice cracked and she moved so he couldn’t see her face.

  She felt Dane’s hands on her shoulders moments later as he turned her around. “I never lied to you, Iris.” He looked into her eyes and Iris had to remind herself not to read too much into it. But her body betrayed her; she felt the sudden thrust of her nipples against the silk of her button-down shirt. “Not about us.” One of his large hands reached out and his fingers drifted through the strands of her brown hair.

  How was it that one touch from him made her senses jangle? The familiar desire she always felt around Dane was making her breathless in a way she didn’t want to be. Iris pushed her hands against his chest to get some breathing room. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You found me fascinating. The plain Jane who needed a sperm donor so she could get pregnant. How you must have laughed about me to your team.”

  “Stop it, Iris. Stop putting yourself down. I won’t have it.”

  Iris laughed. As if he could stop her from the downward spiral she’d felt since the moment she’d woken up in the hospital after the car accident to find out she’d been disfigured, most likely permanently.

  Dane clearly didn’t understand the change in her. “Why are you laughing?”

  “Because. This situation is so contrived. It’s like something out of a bad Lifetime movie of the week.” She did her best impersonation of a voice-over. “‘Famous actor falls for single mother with dying son.’ Except this time the joke is on me because the actor in question also happens to be his father.”

  “Iris, I had no idea of Jayden’s existence. If nothing else, believe that.”

  “Oh, I believe it,” Iris said. “I doubt someone like you purposely wanted to make a baby.”

  He winced at her harsh words. “That’s not fair, Iris. You don’t know the situation. It’s not fair to judge me.”

  “Well, then, enlighten me.” She moved over to a chaise and plopped down. She eyed him as he walked to the couch adjacent to her and sat down.

  “I was a starving actor. Low on cash. A friend of mine told me a clinic was looking for the cream of the crop to use as sperm donors. He said with my looks, I would be a shoo-in. Of course it wasn’t as easy as it looked. There were lots of exams, blood work, questionnaires and the like, but eventually the clinic used me. And I just forgot about it because I was discovered and my career was blowing up. I vaguely recall getting a letter once about being selected, but it didn’t register until after I left Dr. Lee’s office. That’s when I realized Jayden could be mine.”

  Iris sucked in a deep breath. “Thank you for the backstory. It helps me see exactly where we stand.”

  “And where is that?”

  “You said it yourself—you never wanted to be a father. You never gave a thought to the possibility of a child.”

  Dane’s face turned red, and she could see she’d struck a nerve. “And so in your opinion, I’m disqualified from being Jayden’s father? Who are you to judge me, Iris Turner? You’re the one who went to a sperm clinic and got artificially inseminated.”

  “Because I wanted to be a mother,” Iris railed, “and all that entailed. I have been in Jayden’s world from the moment of conception. I carried him in my womb for nine months.” She pressed her hand to her stomach. “I gave birth. I’ve raised him the last six years.”

  “I know that,” Dane responded, “and I’m not discounting any of it. You’re an amazing woman, Iris. I’ve said so from day one. But I know Jayden exists now. He’s real to me. And he needs me. He needs his father.”

  “Does he? Because up until now he has done quite fine without one,” Iris responded. But she knew she was lying to herself; she’d seen how different Jayden was when Dane was around.

  “I disagree.”

  “Does it matter now? You’ve brought down hellfire on all of us because you’re in his life, in my life. I don’t even know what to do next.”

  “I would like to take the paternity test.”

  “No.”

  “Iris, you’re being unreasonable. You may want to deny this is happening, but the truth is already out there. Kids are going to talk. We need to explain to Jayden what’s going on.”

  “We don’t have to do a darn thing,” Iris replied. “I’ll talk to him.”

  “When?”

  “Don’t press me, Dane. Jayden is my child.”

  “And he’s probably mine too. You can’t cut me out.”

  “After all your lies and deception, I can do what I please. You could have just told me the truth and left me out of this entire debacle, but you had to come in and play hero like in one of your movies.”

  Dane stared back at her for several long moments before saying, “What’s got you more upset, Iris? My being Jayden’s father or not knowing whether my interest in you is genuine or not?”

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” She wagged a finger at him. “You don’t get to turn this around on me.”

  Dane scooted closer to her until he was only inches away. “Yeah, I do. You’re laying down all these edicts but I know you’re not this woman. All angry and breathing fire. It’s not who you are. It’s not the Iris I’ve come to know.”

  “Don’t presume you know me, Dane. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

  “Well, what I see, I like,” he responded. His eyes darkened even further until they were black as midnight. “And the feeling is mutual.” When she attempted to shake her head, he called her out. “When we’ve kissed, you’ve responded. Passionately.”

  Iris could feel a blush creeping up her skin.

  “You’ve wanted me as much as I’ve wanted you,” Dane responded. “You still do.”

  “I shouldn’t have come here.” Iris went to move away, but Dane’s reflexes were lightning fast. He curled his fingers around her forearm and pulled her toward him, like an expert fisherman reeling in his catch of the day. She let him tilt her chin with those strong fingers and allowed his mouth to travel toward her in what felt like slow motion. Iris tried to hold back, but the minute their lips touched, she felt a flash of connection, so intense she released a moan of joy.

  Dane’s mouth explored hers with a thorough familiarity that had her mind racing. He plundered her lips until there was no oxygen left in her lungs and she had to draw back and suck in a breath of air. “Dane,” she whispered.

  * * *

  Dane’s chest tightened as he abandoned any thought of going slow. Instead, pure instinct took over and the kiss became hungry, hot and hard. He could hear the thud of his own heartbeat, especially when she pressed her soft curves against him. She was sweet and so responsive. He felt her nipples harden into pebbles through her blouse. He broke the kiss to lower his head and close his lips around one peak. He drew it into his mouth, making a wet patch on the shirt as he laved and teased the bud before moving on to the next one.

  He wanted more of her. His hands crept lower until he found the waistband of her slacks. He slipped his thumb beneath them until he came into contact with bare skin. He felt her clench, but his intent was to keep going until he could caress her where she was surely hot and wet for him. The way she’d been wiggling signaled she was ready for a lot more, but when he went to move lower, she stopped him. Her eyes were hooded, but she just shook her head fervently, then moved to the other side of the couch.

  “Iris, what’s wrong? Did I move too fast?” Words were spilling out of his mouth because he didn’t know how to react to the look of terror on her face. Had he misread her signals? He hadn’t thought so. “Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked again when he saw unshed tears on her lashes like morning dew on the leaves of a flower.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t.” She started for his front door, but there was no way she could leave in the state
she was in.

  “Iris, please stay. I promise I’ll keep away from you if that’s what you want.” He held up his hands. “Just stay. Please. You’re in no condition to drive. You’ve already had one fright this morning. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come on so strong.”

  “It’s not you, Dane,” she cried, and the tears that had been threatening began to fall. “We can’t be involved. Not now. Not ever.”

  * * *

  Iris continued to move away from Dane. If things had gone any further, he would have discovered the truth. Felt the scars from the accident that, no matter how many surgeries she’d had, wouldn’t go away. She should have resisted, but the pull she felt toward him was strong.

  “I won’t apologize for kissing you, Iris,” Dane said softly behind her, “because I wanted to, but I will say I’m sorry if I moved too fast. Why don’t we put what’s happening between us aside for a moment and talk about Jayden? It’s out in the public now. We have to get in front of it and I’d like us to not be on opposite sides.”

  Dane had a point. She was way out of her depth in handling the kind of media attention she got today or would get in the future. Her feelings didn’t matter right now. She—they—had to do what was best for Jayden. “All right, what would you suggest we do?”

  “I’d really like to have a paternity test,” Dane repeated. “I can get the test expedited and have results within twenty-four hours, if you’re willing. I’ll leave it to you on how best to tell Jayden what’s going on. Even though I would love to be there when you did.”

  Iris noticed how soft his voice had become. It was as if he was speaking to a frightened horse needing cajoling. He didn’t need to coddle her; she was much stronger than she looked. She’d already been through more pain than anyone could endure and come out on the other side. “It’s best I speak to Jayden alone. And after that?”