years ago. Her son, Jayden.
“Do you think it will help?” her mother, Carolyn, asked as Iris sat at her parents’ kitchen table, wringing her hands. It had been several days since the news story about Jayden had aired, and there was still no bone marrow match.
“I don’t know. I hope so.” Iris glanced down the hall to where her father and Jayden were playing in the living room. To the outside world, he looked like a normal kid; now all of Los Angeles knew how sick he was.
“It will.” Her mother reached across the short distance to squeeze her hand.
Her family had thought Iris had lost her mind when she’d decided to become a single mom. Her mother had discouraged Iris, telling her Mr. Right would come along one day, but Iris had known it wasn’t true. She was damaged goods and no man would want to sleep with her—let alone make a baby—if he saw her body in the dark.
Eight years ago, when she was twenty, she’d gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd, dating a musician who liked to drink and have fun. One night, he’d had a little too much fun and wrapped his car around a tree with Iris in it. She’d suffered severe burns to her arms and thighs. Iris had lost count of the reconstructive surgeries she’d had since then to help with the disfigurement. Her arms had been transformed almost back to their original state, but after many painful procedures, Iris had finally given up and accepted she wouldn’t be completely healed.
She’d attempted dating, but once the evenings had become intimate, men had shuddered, making a speedy departure. Some were more direct; one outright told her she was a monster. Iris hadn’t dated since.
“Let’s not dwell on it.” Her mother went over to the stove and removed the kettle she’d turned on earlier. “How about a cup of tea?”
“Sounds great, Mom.” Iris offered a smile. Her mother was not only her best friend but an excellent cook and homemaker. She’d always been there when Iris needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to accompany her to the endless medical treatments. Iris had wanted to be just like her, and part of that was having a child of her own to love and being the best mom she could be like her mother.
Six years ago, she’d decided the only way she’d become a mother was through artificial insemination. And it had worked! She’d become pregnant on the first try. Nine months later, she’d given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Recently, she’d learned her precious boy had a rare leukemia that couldn’t be treated with chemotherapy alone. The doctor had suggested that a bone marrow transplant could be Jayden’s best chance.
Iris accepted the cup of tea her mother handed her and took a tentative sip. Chamomile always had a way of making her feel calm, and she was summoning all her inner strength for the fight ahead.
Her cell phone rang and she answered after several rings. “Hello?”
Iris listened intently to the caller on the other end before hanging up the line. “You will not believe it, Mom. It was the hospital. Their phones are being flooded with callers who want to know how they can help Jayden and if there’s a GoFundMe page.”
“I told you it was going to work out, Iris. You just have to believe.”
Iris was beginning to think her mother was right. Maybe there was a miracle waiting around the corner for Jayden.
“So what’s this I hear about you dating another man’s girl?” his sister, Fallon, asked Dane over the phone that day.
“Not you too,” Dane said, padding into his kitchen in his bare feet. He removed a beer from the fridge, unscrewed the cap and took a generous pull.
“I’ve never known you to do anything so underhanded.”
“Then you have to know I didn’t think she was seeing someone.”
Dane loved being single and the freedom it gave him. He’d always done uncomplicated sex but now this disaster with Lia Montgomery had blown up in his face.
“All right, so what now?”
“Damage control,” Dane said, drinking his beer. “I’ll put in some appearances, be contrite and do some charity stops. Actually, I’m kind of excited about the one tomorrow.”
“Oh really? What’s it about?”
“There’s this young boy who needs a bone marrow donor and I’m going to have myself tested.”
“Dane! That’s wonderful and very selfless.”
Dane shrugged as he walked to his patio door and slid it open. The balmy ocean air wafted into the room, filling his senses. He loved his Venice Beach house, which he kept in addition to his mansion in the Hollywood Hills. It had cost him a mint, but the view of the Pacific out his back door was worth every penny.
“Yeah, well. I’m being tested. There’s no guarantee.”
“It’s the thought behind it.”
Dane wished he could take credit, but it was Whitney’s doing. “So,” he said, changing the subject, “when are you, Gage and that good-looking nephew of mine coming down for a visit? You haven’t been here in ages.” Fallon had recently married Gage Campbell, a wealthy financier who’d help save the family business and she’d given birth to a son, Dylan.
“I’m sorry, Dane. Getting Stewart Technologies back on its feet took a great deal of time. With Gage’s influx of cash, I’ve been able to get new research in the works to put us back on the map but that’s taken a while. I promise we’ll come soon.”
Dane never understood Fallon’s devotion to their father’s company and her sense of responsibility for its survival considering their parents had run it into the ground with frivolous spending. He’d offered some financial resources over a year ago when it appeared the company was on the brink of failure, but she’d turned down his offer, determined to save the company on her own.
“Good. ’Cause I miss you, sis.”
“Back at you.”
From his patio, Dane stared out over the darkened horizon and thought about his family. Ever since he’d been able to read, their father, Henry Stewart, had talked to Dane about taking over the company, but it hadn’t been his dream, and when he was old enough he’d run as fast as he could. Fallon had taken up the mantle and Dane was glad because, quite frankly, he’d never lived up to his father’s expectations. The rumors of Dane’s scandalous behavior had only added fuel to the fire.
But what did he care? Dane didn’t need anyone. Or at least that’s what he told himself. As long as he had a winning smile and there were beautiful women around, he would never be alone for long.
The next morning, Dane arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was immediately engulfed by a large, noisy crowd of fans, mostly women. Some were holding banners with his picture; others screamed how much they loved him and wanted to have his babies. Dane reminded himself this was all part of the price of fame.
After climbing out of the low-slung seat of his Ferrari, several bodyguards
