do this.”
Two hours later, Dane slid into the back seat of the SUV waiting for him outside a secluded section of the hospital. For once he was grateful to be alone with his thoughts, so he could absorb the bombshell Dr. Lee had dropped on him. Dane had reacted on autopilot throughout the testing, not caring one bit about being poked and prodded. Now that he was done, he was finally free to feel, well, dumbstruck.
Jayden Turner could be his son!
But how? He’d never met Iris until that day a month ago. And since then he’d pushed all thoughts of the slender beauty out of his mind. Until now. One thing was certain: if they’d ever met, Dane was sure he’d remember her.
Then it came to him.
Eight years ago, he’d arrived in Los Angeles to make a fresh start. Considering he’d snubbed working for his father, Dane had been determined to live on his own without any help from his family. However, he’d quickly learned how expensive it was to live in the city and after toiling at two, sometimes three jobs he’d barely made ends meet. A year in, he’d had a particularly rough patch, when he’d blown off work to go on some auditions. Dane knew he’d be discovered. He hadn’t been. Instead, he’d found himself without a job. Desperate to pay the rent, he’d taken the advice of several other starving artists and gone to donate at a sperm clinic. They’d happily accepted him since he fit certain criteria and he’d signed a contract for a few months. He’d never thought it would come to anything, but he had been selected once. And apparently once was all it took.
It was highly possible Iris had used his donation. Jayden could very well be his.
Dane felt like he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t need Jason or Whitney to tell him the fallout over this decision could be massive. They’d finally gained momentum for the movie and now…now he had a son? And a son who was fighting for his life, no less. Dane didn’t even know how to comprehend the barrage of emotions hitting him. Iris had been handling Jayden’s illness all alone for months. Heck, she’d been a mother and father to Jayden. If Dane was truly the father, how would she react to his sudden appearance in their lives?
It was all too much to contemplate. He was so lost in thought that he was stunned when the SUV came to a stop in front of his Hollywood Hills home and his bodyguard Doug opened the door for him. He was already home.
“Thanks, Doug.” He nodded at the three-hundred-pound former college linebacker as he strode inside. He was hoping for some time alone, but instead found his assistant, Morgan, along with Whitney and Jason, lounging around on the couch in the living area.
Morgan was a twenty-four-year-old film school dropout who’d been working for him for over a year. They’d met on the set of one of his films, and she’d begged him to give her a job, any job. At first, Dane had been reluctant. Five feet six with long, silky black hair and hazel eyes, Morgan could have been trouble. But Morgan had never looked at him as anything other than a big brother and typically dressed in gender-neutral clothing. She was a godsend and kept his life on track.
“There you are,” Jason said from his perch. “We were starting to think we were going to have come get you. How’d it go?”
“I need the room,” Dane said, directing a look at Morgan and Whitney, who took the hint and made a speedy exit. He headed for the bar and quickly produced two glasses and a bottle of aged brandy. He poured generously and pushed a glass toward Jason, who’d come to join him at the bar. Even though Jason was his business manager and agent, Dane considered him a friend. For years, Dane had been able to rely on Jason’s advice and he prayed he wouldn’t fail him now.
“What’s going on?” Jason asked, sitting across from Dane who’d remained standing behind the bar. “What did the hospital say?”
Dane stared at the brandy in his hand for a moment and then took a large gulp. It burned on the way down.
“Easy now, Dane. Whatever it is, spit it out and we’ll deal with it.” Jason reached for his brandy and sipped.
“Jayden Turner could be my kid.”
Jason spluttered as brown liquid spilled from his lips. “What did you say?”
“He could be mine. Jayden could be my son.”
“That’s impossible.” Jason quickly snatched a napkin from the countertop and wiped up around him. “If there’s one thing I know about you, Dane, it’s that you practice safe sex. Whatever this Iris is saying about you is a lie. I don’t know if she sensed your interest in her or what, but it’s fabricated. Don’t worry. We’ll fix this.”
“You don’t get it, Jason. There’s nothing to fix,” Dane responded. “I donated sperm seven years ago and Jayden is probably the result.”
“You did what!”
Dane rolled his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. I was low on cash and rent was coming due. It was a high-end clinic with a very selective process. I was only selected one time.”
“One time that could be Jayden?” Jason inquired.
“Ding-ding-ding! You’re finally getting it. And I have no idea what to do.”
“We need to confirm it,” Jason stated, “so we can get ahead of the story before the truth gets out. Spin it.”
“Jason, if he’s mine, there’s no spinning. I will claim him,” Dane responded. “I’ll do what’s right. And if he’s not, I’ll still donate.”
“This is big, Dane. Are you sure you’re ready for the heat this could bring? Not just for your career, but personally? To my knowledge, you’ve never wanted to be a father.”
Jason was right. Dane didn’t see himself like his brother and sister, settling down and having a family. He’d always been the odd bird and that had been fine with him. His career had always been his central focus, but now he could unwittingly have a ready-made family waiting in the wings.
Iris was on cloud nine.
Earlier today, Dr. Lee had called and informed her there was a match for Jayden. For months, she’d thought it was a pipe dream. She’d gone on television and begged people to register to donate, but she’d never actually thought anything would come of it.
“Are you sure?” she’d asked him, and she’d given her an unequivocal, resounding yes. But nothing could have prepared her for her next words when she’d asked who the match was. It was none other than Dane Stewart, the man who haunted her dreams day and night.
Since their meeting, Iris had found herself searching out his movies and watching them, either on television or Netflix. She’d become obsessed with seeing him on screen, with his sexy good looks and killer abs. Maybe it was to remind herself how strictly off-limits a man like Dane was. And she’d done a good job. She’d convinced herself she’d imagined the connection between them in the cafeteria because Dane had better options than a harried single mother.
Iris had just put Jayden to bed, and was finally ready to retire for the evening. But as she went into her bedroom, she decided there was one more thing she needed to do. Reaching for her purse, she pulled out the business card Dane had given her. Iris had never thought she’d have the opportunity to use it, but she felt compelled to thank him. Dr. Lee had told her donating was much easier these days and that they could do a peripheral blood stem cell donation, but it was still a procedure that might have some recovery time. Dane was a working actor, so it meant a lot that he was willing to make the personal sacrifice for Jayden’s benefit.
Without thinking, she grabbed her iPhone and dialed his digits. He’s not going to pick up, she told herself, he’s not going to pick up. But he did.
“Hello,” a deep masculine