Mistaken Identities

by Lockwood, Tressie

  She peered at him. “I happen to love roller coasters, the drop in the stomach thing, kind of scary.”

  “A woman after my own heart.”

  Speedboats sped along the surface of the water. A few sailboats were more leisurely in their pace. When they dipped a bit lower, Grayson spotted a man tossing a Frisbee out onto the water, and his dog jumped into the spray to chase after it. They circled around, and Tonya pressed her palms on the glass. He wondered if she even took a breath.

  “I own a house on the lake.”

  She looked at him. “Did you get rid of the one in South Park?”

  He shook his head. “No, not yet. I like being close to work, but I also enjoy getting away to the lake.”

  He knew he tried to impress her with his success and kicked himself for doing it. One would think he was mature enough by now not to resort to such tactics, but he supposed he was still a man. The big speech he’d made to himself about enjoying what they had for now was just that. A part of him longed for her to stay, as impossible as it was. He regretted taking everything from her, which was in essence what he had done.

  “Two houses in the same city is silly unless one is investment property.”

  He groaned. Leave it to Tonya not to be moved by his wealth.

  The next instant, her grin told him she knew what he had been doing and called him on it. He snaked a hand out and drew her into his arms. “I think I should punish you for teasing me.”

  She wriggled in his arms. “Stop it, Gray. He can hear us.”

  He chuckled, but didn’t let her go. The rest of the ride was spent holding her, and when they landed, he took her to lunch. Afterward, he filled the day with visits to museums and shopping. That night it was back to the hotel room, where he punished her until she cried out his name nearly a half dozen times in orgasms.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tonya stood up from Aunt Linn’s bedside and bent to kiss her on the forehead. Aunt Linn had fallen asleep midsentence, and Tonya sat quietly by for a little while longer. The sadness that clutched her heart knowing the older woman wasn’t long for this world brought her to a decision. She needed to have a serious talk with Grayson. She had no idea how he would react, but right now, honesty was the only option.

  She left the house and stepped into the taxi she had called earlier. At first she considered going to his office, but then she changed her mind. She dialed him on his cell, and her stomach tried to kill her with pain when he picked up. “Gray?”

  “Hey there.” His voice had dropped low and sexy, and unless it was her imagination, the man seemed much more playful with her than he had been in the past. Of course he couldn’t have come on to her being his best friend’s fiancée, but she liked this side of him. Then she remembered why she called.

  “Um, I was wondering if we could do lunch?”

  “Definitely. In an hour?”

  “Is now okay?”

  He paused. “I don’t like the tone of your voice, Tonya. What’s wrong?”

  “Just…I need to talk to you. Please, if we could meet somewhere as soon as possible…”

  “Del Frisco’s?” he suggested.

  “Sure.” Where they went didn’t matter either way because she was sure she would have no appetite, not with the anticipation of telling him what she needed to, nor after when she saw his reaction.

  A hundred times on the way she changed her mind and thought again about leaving the past in the past, but it didn’t feel right this time around. Nothing had felt right then either, but she had made decisions that hurt others, and while she was sure being honest with Grayson would hurt him today, he needed to know. Especially since she was falling in love with him. The mere thought had her considering running for the hills, but she had to be a woman about this. She would tell him. Point blank, period.

  At the restaurant, Grayson waited just outside the door. She didn’t see his car, so she assumed he’d had the valet park it. When she stepped from the taxi, he strode ahead of the valet to hold the door and take her hand. A gentle tug from him had her against his chest and a feather-light kiss planted on her lips. She ducked her head and lowered her gaze, but she felt his eyes still on her, questioning.

  A tremor passed through her being, and she straightened her shoulders and preceded him into the restaurant. Opulence and beauty met her gaze when she entered the building. Gigantic windows that extended from the high ceilings to the floor were everywhere. Despite them, soft lighting from lamps were situated around the floor. Deep brown wood paneling decorated the walls and the bar. The same color accented the curved stairway that led up to the balcony seating area. She loved this place, especially the great food, but she’d only been able to come on Roman’s dime. Now she could afford it, if on a limited basis.

  They were led to a table, and Tonya made a show of checking the menu and poring over the wine list. Grayson sat in silence, waiting. Although nothing more than concern displayed on his face, she had the feeling her nerves had translated themselves to him. She pushed the wine list aside. “On second thought, I’d like a Blackberry Ginger cocktail.” The drink included bourbon, blackberries, lemon juice, mint, and a bit of ginger beer. She needed the small boost wine wouldn’t give her.

  Grayson stuck with wine, she assumed since he had to return to work. After the waiter left, he reached across the table to take her hand. “What’s going on, honey? Talk to me.”

  Her chest constricted, and she licked her lips. “In a minute.”

  He frowned. “Is it so bad you need a drink?”

  “No. I mean, yes.” She waved her hand and almost whooped with relief when their drinks arrived. After taking a fortifying gulp, she let the liquid heat her insides as it went down and then blew out a calming breath. “I have something to tell you, Gray, and to be honest, you won’t like it.”

  He released her hand. The old feeling from before swept over her, that sense of abandonment after Roman dumped her.

  “Go ahead,” he encouraged her. “I’m listening.”

  She took another sip of her drink and clutched her hands in her lap. Then she looked him in the eyes. “Nola had an abortion.”

  If she expected a reaction, she got none, which meant he knew about it.

  “You knew?” she asked.

  “Yes, I did. Not when it happened, but later. It was the reason we broke up.” His voice had dropped low and grew tight with suppressed emotion. The fingers wrapped around his glass spasmed, and she worried he would shatter the goblet, but he let go. She had to give it to him. Gray kept himself on a tight leash when he needed to. While she was glad he knew about the abortion, her confession wasn’t over.

  Guilt choked her air supply, but she forced the words out. “I went with her.”

  This time, she did get a reaction. The blood drained from his face, and his fingers closed into fists. The anger radiating from him made her lean away from him.

  “You. Went. With. Her?” Each word seemed to be a sentence in and of itself, tensing Tonya all the more.

  She spread her hands in a plea for him to understand. “I never would have consented to go because I don’t believe in abortion. Sure, every person has a right to do what they feel comfortable with, but for myself, I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want Nola to be alone, and she had no one—”

  “She had me,” he snapped.

  Tonya fell silent.

  He leaned forward and punctuated each word he spoke with a stab of his finger on the table. “What excuse do you think was appropriate for betraying our friendship? You and I were friends. In fact, I loved you. So, please, by all means, tell me why you would do this, knowing how I felt about having kids of my own?”

  She stared him blinking, at a loss for words. He couldn’t mean love like in love. He meant as a friend, didn’t he? And yet the way he said it, his tone rougher with emotion and tormented at the same time. Of course it was the loss of the child. She knew she had hurt him and regretted the decision every day of her life. There was no coming back fro
m it, nothing they could build together. Even with this aside, they had the breakup. Well, even if she looked like the worst person to walk the planet, he needed to hear everything.

  “Gray,” she began, but his cell phone rang. He hesitated and then checked the display and answered.

  “Unless it’s important, I can’t talk— Fuck! We’ll be there!” Alarm rippled over Tonya’s back as Grayson stood and signaled to the waiter. He tossed several bills on the table and looked at her. “We’re going. It’s Aunt Linn. She’s not doing too well.”

  Tonya gasped. “I just saw her a couple hours ago. She seemed more tired than usual, but…” Tears flooded her eyes as she rushed after Grayson out the door. To the valet’s credit, he returned Grayson’s car in record time, and soon she and Grayson sped toward Aunt Linn’s. All the way, Tonya prayed everything would be okay. She knew this was coming, but she wasn’t ready to face it. Not now. Then she shut her eyes and willed herself to calm down. This wasn’t about her. Aunt Linn suffered, and if passing on was the only way for her to be comforted, then Tonya’s feelings didn’t matter.

  On impulse, she reached across to take Grayson’s hand. She thought he might pull away, but he cast her a grateful glance and curled his fingers around hers. They rode in silence until they pulled up before Aunt Linn’s house and parked on the street because the driveway was already crowded with cars.

  As she followed Grayson up the drive, Tonya kept her hands clutched around her purse. No one needed to know how much closer she and Grayson had grown, and since she had made her confession, she doubted the sexual relationship would continue anyway. That might be for the best.

  Grayson didn’t wait for anyone to open the front door. He strode in, finding it unlocked. Tonya’s eyes widened at the sight of Letreece sitting on the couch. Another woman with dark hair knotted at the back of her head and wearing a business suit paced in the tiny area. She surreptitiously checked her cell phone every so often. Tonya guessed this was Abby, Roman’s wife. Without question, Lukas got his looks from his mother.

  “Miss Tonya,” Lukas chirped, and he ran over to her, wrapping arms around her legs. So much for pretending she hadn’t spent any time with Grayson.

  “Hi, sweetie.” She stroked his hair, and his mother gave Tonya the once-over, curiosity in her gaze. Letreece glared at her but didn’t speak, and Tonya didn’t bother to either.

  Roman strode into the room, and his gaze skittered over Grayson on to Tonya and lingered. The entire world and his wife had to have noticed. She wondered if she should pretend this was the first time she’d seen him in seven years and greet him, or act like she didn’t know the man. While her lightning mind continued to work, Grayson stepped between them, blocking her from Roman’s view.

  “How is she?” Grayson demanded. “Did you call an ambulance?”

  Roman seemed to snap out of his trance. “She refuses to go to the hospital. Maybe you can talk some sense into her because your mom isn’t getting through.”

  Tonya heard the pain in Roman’s tone and felt sorry for him. Aunt Linn was the only reliable family he had. She’d raised him, and Tonya knew it must be like losing his mother. In Roman’s case, all over again. From what Roman said, she realized one of the cars also parked outside belonged to Grayson’s parents. She turned and searched for a spot to sit as Grayson disappeared with Roman down the hall. Finding none, she headed to the kitchen on the pretext of getting a glass of water.

  The small kitchen, an explosion of the apple theme, stood spotless. No dishes in the sink or in the rack. A dishtowel had been folded neatly over the side of the sink, matching the potholders in perfect condition. Tonya thought of her own back home, which had a couple of burn spots where she’d gotten them too close to the hot burner rings on her stove. This order was Aunt Linn. Even if she couldn’t leave her bed, she’d made sure Betty the nurse kept her house the way she liked it.

  Tonya moved to the cabinet and retrieved a glass. She pressed the glass to the refrigerator water dispenser and waited as it filled.

  “So.”

  She jumped at the voice behind her and turned. Letreece stood in the doorway, arms folded under her chest and glaring. Tonya eyed her up and down, an eyebrow raised. “Did you want something?”

  “You messed up with Roman, and now you’re trying to get Gray?”

  “What did you say to me?” Tonya set the glass on the counter and approached Letreece. Her ex-friend didn’t back down. In fact, she moved closer, her chin high.

  “You heard me.”

  Tonya stopped walking inches from her. “You think I cheated just like everyone else? No wonder you didn’t really support me. You knew I had nowhere to go, but you let me leave anyway.”

  Letreece sneered. “You were doing it for all of us, marrying a man like Roman.”

  “Whatever I was doing, you’re doing what you want to do now, aren’t you?”

  She waited for Letreece to deny she chased after Roman, but the woman rolled her eyes, sucked her teeth, and turned her back as she headed out of the kitchen. “You’re some piece of work, Tonya. This is not the time nor the place.”

  Tonya’s mouth dropped open. She looked beyond Letreece to see Grayson, and she didn’t know how long he’d been standing there. His expression remained closed, so she had no idea what he thought. For all she knew, he might still be running their earlier conversation through his mind and hating her. Well, she wasn’t the only one wrong, and she wouldn’t let everyone come down on her. She walked over and squeezed by him, saying nothing. Let them all think what they wanted. She would add her voice to convincing Aunt Linn the best place for her was the hospital.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Why don’t we just take her anyway?” Tonya suggested from a corner of the room. Too many people crowded the space where Aunt Linn laid pale and spent on the bed. Her breaths were so shallow sometimes Tonya wondered if she breathed at all, but then she moved and opened her eyes. They were the same, alert and defiant. Tonya had to hand it to the old woman. She gave the cancer a run for its money.

  “Because the last time we did that, she got worse,” Roman answered. He looked over at Tonya and smiled despite the pain in his gaze. Her heart stirred for him as a human being. “Thanks for coming. I meant to tell you that.”

  She directed a fleeting glance at Grayson and then focused on Roman. “Of course. Aunt Linn means a lot to me too. I think standing around like this isn’t helping. Maybe we should all take turns.”

  “Good idea,” Grayson interjected. “I’ll take you back to the hotel if you like.”

  “No, I want to stay a little longer.”

  Her words seemed to irritate him, but she didn’t care. She bent over Aunt Linn and kissed her cheek, then left the room. After some time, the men stepped into the hallway as well, speaking in low tones. Tonya moved farther away and headed toward the front of the house. When she peered outside, she noted two cars had gone. Grayson’s parents were nowhere in sight, and neither was Letreece. Before she could feel relief, Letreece returned with several bags. She moved past Tonya, headed toward the kitchen. The aroma of takeout wafted behind her, and Lukas whooped. “Food!”

  Tonya had to hand it to the woman. She’d done good. Eating hadn’t crossed Tonya’s mind. Although she still wasn’t hungry, feeding Lukas and whoever else might want something was a good idea. She moved aside while the family headed to the kitchen, and took a seat on the couch.

  “You aren’t eating?” Grayson asked.

  “Not hungry.”

  He frowned and checked his watch. “We didn’t get a chance to have lunch.”

  “I’m fine. Thanks.”

  Time passed slowly. Grayson arranged for Aunt Linn’s doctor to make a house call, and when he did, he had nothing to add to the situation. Aunt Linn remained as well as could be expected. If she came through this particular bout of weakness, she might last another week. If not, they could lose her before tomorrow morning.

  Grayson thanked the doctor along with Rom
an, who seemed about to break, and then Grayson disappeared inside Aunt Linn’s room for his turn at watching her.

  “I’m putting Lukas down for a nap,” Abby announced, and Roman nodded, following her down the hall to the room that had been his growing up. Letreece went outside, and Tonya hoped she was leaving. Not once had she entered Aunt Linn’s bedroom to see the older woman, unless she’d done so before Tonya had arrived, but that had been hours ago.

  Tonya rubbed her eyes. She didn’t care to speculate on Letreece’s activities any longer. If the others let her stay, that was their deal. She rose from the couch and headed to the kitchen. If nothing else, she could contribute by washing dishes and getting Aunt Linn’s home back in order.

  Under the button-down blouse she’d worn for her lunch date with Grayson, she’d worn a stretchy tank that could double as a blouse alone. She removed the top layer and left the tank, then filled the sink with water and dish detergent. She hadn’t been working long when Roman appeared beside her and took up the dishtowel to dry as she washed.

  She studied the strain around his eyes. “How are you, Roman?”

  He shrugged and smiled. “I’m here.”

  “I understand, and I’m so sorry.” She paused and touched a hand to his sleeve then jerked back when water soaked the material. “Oh crap. I’m sorry.” He grinned, and she was reminded of how her heart used to skip a beat every time he entered the room. Now it continued on its merry way, uninterrupted.

  “It’s fine. Just a shirt. Like I said, I appreciate you coming back for me.”

  She blinked at him. “I came back for Aunt Linn.”

  “Right, right. That’s what I mean.” He set the towel down, half of it falling into the soapy water unheeded. Tonya pulled it out and wrung it. Roman didn’t seem to notice. “I’ve missed you, Tonya.”

  Her eyes widened, and she held up her hands. “Whoa, Roman, that’s inappropriate. You’re married and—”

  “And we could have been, all this time. I’m not going to pretend I don’t remember how strong our love was. I know you do too. You acted like I was your entire world.”