Red Carpet Redemption. Yahrah St. John

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       Two

      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.”