apart with his mother who raised him. Ever since her teens, Fallon had had a huge crush on Gage and had never really gotten over him. It turned out the feeling had been mutual, so what had started as a temporary arrangement ended up becoming a real marriage.
“That’s all in our rearview,” Fallon replied. “I hope one day you can find what Gage and I have, not to mention Ayden and Maya.”
“How is that older brother of ours?” Dane inquired.
“He’s right here,” Ayden bellowed from several feet away.
Dane spun around and was surprised to see his older brother, casually dressed in jeans and a pullover sweater, holding Dylan. “What are you doing here?” The question came out harsher than he’d intended.
“Well, since you barely ever come home, I had to get in where I can fit in,” Ayden replied, bouncing the eleven-month-old baby in his arms. “I’d like to get to know you better, Dane, but you don’t make that easy.”
Dane shrugged. “I’m sorry. Life’s been…challenging.”
“Care to fill us in?” Fallon asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“Sis, that’s exactly why I’m here.”
A half hour later, Dane had had brought Ayden and Fallon up to speed on the details, including his hard times that had led to his donation to a sperm bank. He confessed his sample had been used once and Jayden Turner was most likely the result. Fallon was so bowled over, she called the nanny to come get Dylan so they could discuss the matter in private without interruption.
“Wow!” Ayden scrubbed his jaw and leaned back in his chair. “Are you certain he’s yours?”
Dane nodded. “When I registered to become a bone marrow donor, I took some tests. When the results came in, Dr. Lee was surprised Jayden and I shared genetic markers. She asked me to come in privately to talk about it. Initially, when she suggested I could be Jayden’s father, I thought she’d lost her mind, but upon reflection I recalled the sperm donation. So it makes sense that Dr. Lee’s hypothesis is true.”
“Have you taken a DNA test? Are you ready to be a father and all that it implies?”
“Hell no!” he said, jumping to his feet. “I’m not ready for any of it. But I’ll know more soon after the additional blood test results come through.”
“The press is going to have a field day with this.” Ayden had just spoken Dane’s worst thoughts aloud.
“I know. I can handle them ripping me to shreds. I’m used to it. But Jayden and Iris? They don’t deserve what’s in store. Jason and I have been figuring out a way to protect them.”
“You told your agent before you told us?”
Dane heard the censure in Fallon’s question. “I did. And I’m sorry, but I’m here now. Don’t I get credit for that? Do you have any idea of the media storm that’s about to rain down on me?”
Fallon stood and walked over to him, grabbing his hand. “I do. And you know Ayden—” she glanced at their big brother “—and I will be here for you. We can’t wait to meet Jayden and his mother.”
“Iris.”
“You’re on a first-name basis with her?” Ayden inquired.
“Yeah, we’ve talked a couple of times and I met her when I registered to become a donor. She is an amazing woman. Beautiful, strong and a dedicated mother.”
Ayden’s brow rose. “Is that right?”
Dane hated that his brother could tell he wasn’t being completely forthright. “What’s it to you?”
“Nothing, Dane.” Ayden shrugged. “But I suspect there’s more to you and Iris than you’re telling us.”
Fallon’s gaze clashed with Dane’s. “Are you two involved? Because if you are, it will only compound the problem. Being attached to you carries a huge spotlight.”
“Well, thanks a lot, Fallon. And for your information, we are not involved,” he responded.
“Not yet,” Ayden offered. “But if you can’t be honest with your family, who can you be honest with? You came here because you needed to unload. Do that. I know I’m not as close as you and Fallon, so if you need me to leave, I will.”
Dane glared at him. Ayden was right, but that didn’t make it easier to hear. “All right, I’m sort of interested in Iris. I gave her my private number and we spoke the other night, but I haven’t acted on my attraction to her.”
“But you want to?” Fallon deduced.
“Yeah, but I know it’s not good for either one of us. I’m keeping my distance, but when she learned I was a match for Jayden, she offered to come to my procedure for emotional support.”
“And you agreed?” Ayden asked.
Dane nodded. Why were his siblings ganging up on him? “Is that so horrible?”
“Of course not, but you could have called either of us,” Fallon glanced in Ayden’s direction. “We’d hop a flight and be there in a heartbeat. The truth of the matter is, you didn’t want us. You want Iris to be there.”
Fallon had hit the nail on the head. “You may be right,” Dane finally admitted. “But I can’t let her do that without telling her the truth.”
“But you’re afraid of how she may react?” Fallon asked.
“Can you blame me?” Dane asked. “This whole situation is bizarre. I want to do what’s right and help save my son…”
“But you also want his mother,” Ayden surmised. “I’m not sure it will be quite so easy to have your cake and eat it too, Dane. Iris is going to be extremely conflicted. On the one hand, you’re saving her son’s life, but on the other, you bring an entire media firestorm.”
“Which is why I’ve been trying to figure out how to insulate her and Jayden from the fallout.”
“Is that really possible, Dane?” Fallon said. “I mean, you might be expecting too much.”
“I’d expect to hear that from the pessimist over here—” Dane motioned to Ayden “—but not you. You’re supposed to be the optimistic one.”
“I am, but I’m also a realist,” Fallon responded. “I’ve had to be.”
Dane knew what Fallon meant because they’d always understood each other so well. She’d been levelheaded about business, a pragmatist who’d saved Stewart Technologies. But she also blamed herself for letting their father’s mismanagement and their mother’s spending habits wreak havoc on the family company. “It wasn’t your fault, Fallon.”
Ayden peered back and forth between the two of them. “What wasn’t her fault?”
“She thinks she let Father ruin the company.”
“You
