Yahrah John - Red Carpet Redemption

She let out what sounded like a sigh of relief. Did she think he would turn her down? “Okay, great. We’ll see you then. I’ll text you my address.”

Dane stared down at his phone. He was actually going to get to spend time with his son. This was beyond great, but it was also an excellent segue for him to talk to Iris. He hoped he could find the words.

Four

Iris smoothed down the one-piece V-necked jumpsuit she’d changed into. It was casual enough to wear around the house on a Wednesday evening, but was nice enough to entertain in. She didn’t want Dane to think she was trying too hard.

She’d been surprised when he’d accepted her invitation to dinner. Since their talk, she hadn’t been able to forget him. Despite his fame and obvious good looks, he was approachable and she’d found the connection between them wasn’t one-sided. Dane could have said no, he was too busy, but instead, he was coming to her humble abode.

The roar of the motorcycle engine brought Iris over to the window in time to catch Dane swinging one muscled leg over the bike and onto the sidewalk. Iris’s heart thumped loudly in her chest. Dane Stewart was about to walk over the threshold of her house. It was almost too much to process. Almost. Instead, she took a deep fortifying breath and opened the door. Dane stood on the other side, looking hot and holding up flowers and a bottle of wine.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.” She motioned him inside and blatantly stared at him. “It’s kind of surreal having you in my living room.”

“I couldn’t turn down a home-cooked meal from a beautiful woman.”

“Dane…” She blushed. He was a charmer.

“You’re nervous,” Dane observed, taking off his leather jacket and throwing it over the arm of her sofa. “Don’t be. I wanted to come.” He handed her the flowers, an assortment of peonies. “I brought these for you.” He placed the bottle of wine on the cocktail table.

“Thank you.” And she was nervous. It had been years since she’d been on a date, much less had a man in her home. It was nice to feel young and carefree and revel in the fact she was with a gorgeous man like Dane. “I’ll put these in water.”

She made for the kitchen and once there, leaned against the sink trying to regain her composure. “Get it together, Iris.” She placed the flowers in a vase and brought them into the dining room. On her way, she grabbed two wineglasses from her cupboard and the corkscrew from the drawer.

She found Dane standing by the fireplace, looking intently at the pictures on the mantel. There were various photos of Jayden and a family portrait of the Turner clan. There were none of Iris before her accident; she couldn’t bear to see how she used to look because she would never look like that again.

“Would you like to open the wine?” Iris inquired and noticed he jumped as if she’d caught him doing something he shouldn’t.

“Uh, yeah, I can do that.” Dane accepted the corkscrew and set about opening the bottle. “Where is the little fella? I was hoping to spend some time with him.” Dane sat on the sofa while Iris chose the adjacent love seat.

“For now, it’s just me,” Iris responded. “I hope that’s okay? Jayden’s at tae kwon do. I wanted him to have an activity that develops good character. They teach self-esteem, courage, courtesy, self-respect, focus and discipline. If you knew what it was like wrangling a six-year-old, you’d understand. Anyway, he should be here soon. My neighbor’s son also takes tae kwon do, so we rotate picking them up from class each week. It allows me to get dinner started so Jayden isn’t eating too late.”

“That’s great. I’m glad you have a support system. I’d hate to think of you doing this all alone.” When he released the cork, he poured them each a glass and handed her one.

“Thank you, but I’m not alone. My parents, my sister, Shelly, my neighbor—they’re all part of the village it takes to raise Jayden. Cheers.” She tapped her wineglass against his.

The front door of the bungalow sprang open and Jayden bounced excitedly into the room.

“Mommy, you should have seen me tonight!” Jayden rushed over to her, not even noticing Dane on the sofa. He was still wearing the standard white dobok uniform consisting of a top, elastic-waistband pants and a belt. “I did a better ax kick than TJ.”

Iris smiled broadly. “That’s great, Jayden. Say hello to Mr. Dane. You remember him, right?”

Jayden spun around and hazarded a glance at Dane. “Yeah. You’re the man who is going to be my donor.” And without her asking, Jayden threw his arms around Dane’s neck. “Thank you.”

Tears sprang to Iris’s eyes as Dane held Jayden in his arms. He seemed as overcome as she was by Jayden’s spontaneous affection. “You—you’re welcome, Jayden.” Dane patted his back and just that quickly, Jayden was moving on.

“I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?”

Iris rose to her feet and picked up his book bag, which he’d left in the middle of the floor. “Your favorite—baked ziti and garlic bread. Go wash up. Dinner will be ready shortly.” Jayden scampered out of the room, leaving the two of them alone again.

“Sorry about that. Jayden can be a bit extra if you’re not used to him.”

“Extra?” Dane appeared distracted, then shook his head. “No, he’s fine. Is he always that affectionate?”

“I guess. Why?”

“No reason. He’s a really special little boy.”

Iris grinned. “I think so. C’mon, grab your wine.”

Dane followed Iris down a small corridor into a farmhouse-style kitchen with a table big enough for four, but with place settings for three. He sat down in one of the chairs and watched Iris. She busied herself taking garlic toast from the freezer and putting it in the oven.

Dane couldn’t recall when he’d witnessed anything so domestic except when Gage’s mother, Grace, had lived at Stewart Manor and worked as their cook. She hadn’t minded him and Fallon being underfoot. Lord knows his mother, Nora, wouldn’t be caught dead cooking; that would require putting in effort. The only thing Nora was good at was keeping herself well preserved with Botox and frequent trips to the gym and salon.

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