Dane felt like he could trust her.
“Iris Turner. You asked her to coffee.”
Startled, Dane glared at her. “I’m not sure what you’re implying, Whitney. I was merely being nice. I would think you’d appreciate the positive press instead of twenty-questioning me.” He didn’t wait for a response as he hopped in his sports car.
Adrenaline, sleek and sure, pounded through him as he revved the engine. Had the truth been written on his face? Could Whitney sense his interest in Iris? Her hand was so delicate, yet strong. He could still feel her touch as if she’d branded him, which was ridiculous. She was going through a lot and for some reason Dane wanted to help her. And if it was in his power to assist, he would.
There was nothing more to it than that.
One week later
“You’re a match,” Dr. Lee said.
It was early on a Monday morning, and she and Dane were seated in the conference room at Cedars-Sinai. Dane had flown in last night from New York after the premiere of his latest film. It was a departure from his usual body of work and would finally elevate him from heartthrob to serious actor. Early reviews were positive and Dane had left on cloud nine.
He hadn’t expected this news.
“Really?” Dane asked, stunned. He’d registered and done the test when he’d been trying to repair his bad boy image. It had worked. The press began to focus on Jayden’s illness and the media lost interest in his supposed affair with Lia. He’d been so busy doing damage control, he hadn’t contacted Iris. It was just as well because he couldn’t act on his attraction to the single mother.
This was an unexpected wrinkle in his plans. “How is that possible? I thought chances were rare I would be a match.” He stared in disbelief.
“It’s difficult to match the needed tissue type between donors and patients, so this is quite a surprise. Seventy percent of all bone marrow donations do come from people unrelated to the recipient, so only 30 percent come from matches with family members able to donate. And when I compared your genetic markers to Jayden’s, there was no doubt—you’re related.”
Dane sat back in his chair. “Pardon me?”
“If I was a betting man…” Dr. Lee began, then paused for several beats. “I would say that you’re Jayden’s father.”
“No,” Dane shook his head and jumped to his feet. “That can’t be. I never met Iris before last month. You’ve got this all wrong, Dr. Lee. There’s no way Jayden could be my kid. You need to run your tests again.” His mind raced to recall a moment he could have met Iris. A drunken encounter he could have forgotten maybe? But no—that wasn’t possible.
Dr. Lee sighed. “Well, that’s why I wanted to bring you in. Quietly, of course.” He looked out the glass partition at Dane’s two bodyguards waiting outside. “I wanted your permission to run a DNA paternity test.”
Dane stopped pacing. “A DNA test?”
“Yes, it will give us irrefutable evidence and set the record straight.”
“That depends. Do I have your word you’ll treat this with absolute discretion? I can’t have this leaking to the press.”
“Understood. And you absolutely have my word I’ll keep this confidential. But in the meantime, I need to know if you’re willing to donate your bone marrow to Jayden. Whether you’re his father or not, you’re a match. I’d like to take a sample of your blood and confirm the human leukocyte antigen match. Once I confirm, you’d meet with a counselor to talk about the procedures, benefits and risks of the donation process. And then you can decide whether you’re comfortable with donating.”
Dane wiped his hands across his face. This was surreal, but he was sure of one thing. “Of course I’ll help. That was never the question. Jayden is a very sick little boy and from what I’ve heard he doesn’t have much time. But I need to know if he’s my son.”
Dr. Lee rose from his seat. “Excellent, Mr. Stewart. Ms. Turner will be so relieved but probably shocked once she hears of the connection.”
“She can’t know,” Dane replied.
Dr. Lee frowned. “What do you mean? I need her permission to run a DNA test.”
“I understand that, but,” Dane pronounced, “under no circumstances am I going to rip that family to shreds and have the press crawling through their lives if this is merely a case of mistaken identity. This has to be kept under wraps until we can run a test.”
“I understand you’re apprehension about the DNA test, but it’s more of a formality for legal purposes. I’m certain the additional blood test you’re required to undergo will further confirm you’re Jayden’s father,” Dr. Lee replied.
“I don’t know. Let me figure this out. What I need from you is discretion. Promise me, Dr. Lee, you will keep this between us until we know more.”
“All right. I’ll keep your genetic connection to myself, but I’d like to give her some hope and at least tell her you’re a match. Let’s reconfirm the match.”
Dane nodded his acquiescence. “I’m here, so let’s 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
