The Ties That Bind (Miss Taken Identity #3)

by Cleo Scornavacca

  “Rain, I know you're trying to help me and I’ve listened to what you've said, but I need to do this my way. I know if Mike and I could just work things out and talk, then everything will be okay. We haven’t spoken in a while. Did he say he would come to the party next weekend?”

  “He said he would try. He said he was coming down here on business for some reason and told me he would try to stop in. I do have a question for you though. What about Tommy, or did you forget about him already? You know, Mike’s brother. The one you fucked when you needed some sympathy. What about him? Should he just forget that he slept with you and that there are things that are not settled between the two of you? Should he pretend like being with you never happened? I’ll bet he’ll wish he could turn back the clock after you talk to him. What are you going to say to him this time?” My anger was very apparent and I decided if my sister was going to act like a spoiled brat, well, then, it was my job to hold her accountable for her actions.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt……….”

  I cut her off again. “No, Raven, you never mean to hurt anyone. You didn’t mean to ignore Mike. You didn’t mean to fuck Tommy numerous times. No, it’s never your fault. It’s always someone else’s problem. Well, that problem is right upstairs and he needs the truth from you now! He wants to help you get well. He wants to sacrifice his time for you. Even if all it means to him is to get back to a solid friendship with you. Please don’t string him along. Settle this now. Like you said, you don’t want to hurt him, then put all of this to rest, so he can move on.” My voice had elevated and the twins began to cry. I went to take care of them and leave my sister to think.

  “I suppose the babies crying is my fault too?”

  I sighed deeply for the second time. “Go speak with Tommy. Finish what you started. End this game you are playing with him now, for all our sakes. Then let me know what you decided to do. I don’t want any of this garbage to spill into Dominick’s birthday. Do you hear me, Raven?” I waited for her response.

  “Okay, I’ll go speak with Tommy. Rain, I’m sorry.”

  I smirked. “The funny thing is, Raven, I know you are. Now go and fix this, before it goes any further.”

  Raven walked out of the nursery and Dominick walked in.

  “Hey, baby, what happened? Raven looks worn out.” He questioned.

  “She looks like I feel.”

  “Rain, do you feel sick? Should I call the doctor?” Dominick was concerned.

  “No, no, Let’s not bother Dr.Roth anymore for today. I’m just exhausted from the conversation I had with my sister.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Dominick regarded me with deep concern.

  I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “You're already doing it. Just help me feed the twins and then we’ll have breakfast.” I paused for a moment. “You did make breakfast, didn’t you?”

  He grinned in a shy manner. “I ordered take-out. I have to pick it up at the diner in an hour.”

  I smirked and then I shook my head, as we walked out of the nursery with our babies to feed them and then us. Thanks to the cooks at the diner.

  Chapter Nine

  Double Talk

  Tommy

  “Do you know how to cook?” I asked Kane, hesitantly.

  “A little, do you?” He questioned, as he looked around the kitchen for somewhere to begin.

  “Sort of, though, Rain did most of the cooking when we lived together. Or I ordered take-out the rest of the time.” I confessed.

  “Anna and Joseph always cooked for me. Or like you, I ordered take-out for myself.” He admitted.

  We both laughed at the same time, because the truth of the matter was that neither of us would be nominated ‘Chef of the Year’ anytime soon. So what do two grown men do when there are no cooks around but are told we need to make breakfast? We ordered take-out, of course.

  Dominick called the diner down the road and said he would be by in about an hour to pick it up. The owner, who knew Dominick personally because it was Kane’s favorite breakfast spot on the island, said he would have everything ready for him when Dominick got there.

  I decided to grab a shower while the girls were still in the nursery and Kane went to notify Rain of our breakfast menu. After that, he would head out to pick up the food.

  The shower was definitely what I needed to loosen up and relax my tight muscles. As I let the stream of water wash over me, I began to realize just how tense I was. I needed to pull it together. Especially, now that Raven and I would be under the same roof for the next 24 hours. We hadn’t really resolved anything. We still needed to discuss our decision to sleep together and we needed to decide if we could have a friendship now that the intimacy we shared was over.

  Shit! Maybe I should have rethought my decision to accept Rain’s offer to stay for the night. It may have been easier to just go back to the city and avoid Raven altogether. It’s not like I needed to stay and take care of her. Rain was capable of dealing with Raven and if she couldn't then I’m sure Kane could step in, if need be.

  I must admit I felt like Raven did. I thought about getting in my car to leave, but something was off. The truth was that I really didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay and spend my time today with Rain. I wanted to get the chance to speak with her some more. I really had to admit that I missed Rain in my life. Maybe it was simply that I needed to get used to her not being around all the time. Yet, it was one of the hardest things to adjust to. Rain had been a part of my life since we were little kids. It went by so fast, and in an instant she was moved out and was a wife and mother.

  Raven’s statement back at my place really hit home for me. I didn’t let on, but she got to me. When she said I wanted to be Rain’s hero, she was wrong. I was always Rain’s friend and I had always been there to protect her. Now that she has built a new life with someone that she loves, I’m just not sure how to adjust to it. Yet, I knew I needed to learn how.

  All of this stressful thinking made me stay in the shower for a while longer, and resolved myself to stop overthinking everything and at the very least, Rain and I could discuss the book design. That way, I would have an idea on what the focus would be once I came back from Bali. It would be out of the question to work on her dad’s accident investigation. As it was, Rain didn’t want Dominick to know what she was doing. With Raven here, working on the case would be nearly impossible. If she found out, she would run straight to Dominick. It’s not that they have any sort of an alliance, but she would want to protect Rain at any cost and she would be livid if she knew what we were doing. She also knew the only way to stop Rain from investigating what happened to their dad would be to make Dominick aware of Rain’s plan. There was no way I would let that happen. I promised Rain that I would help her and I will, but we’ll have to wait until I get back from my vacation and Raven isn’t hanging around.

  A few minutes later I got out of the shower, dried myself off, and headed into the bedroom to get dressed for the beach. As I pulled open the door, there was Raven walking into my room from the hallway.

  As she saw me, she froze.

  “Hey, Babe” I smiled, wearing nothing, but my towel.

  “Why are you always naked?”

  I laughed. “First of all, I’m not naked and second, this is my room not yours. Now, why are you in here?”

  I could see that Raven’s emotions were all over the place, just like mine. She didn’t know what to say. She appeared nervous, awkward even. She was like a cat in the corner, ready to slash you with her claws or find a quick way to escape. Maybe now that we were alone together, we could set a few things straight. I walked slowly towards her, being cautious not to frighten her off.

  “I went to the car to get the bag that I left behind the seat yesterday.” She said holding it up to show me.

  “That doesn’t really explain why you're in my room?” I waited for her answer.

  “As you know, Rain and I had a long talk. It didn’t go that well, so I guess I w
asn’t paying attention when I walked in on you. I’ll get out of your way.” She stated, as she turned to leave.

  I went to take her arm because I didn’t want her to leave just yet. She didn’t expect it and somehow the bag released from her grip, which caused the contents to spill onto the carpet.

  “Shit! I thought I zipped it closed!” Raven dropped to the floor and frantically started to shove everything back into the case.

  I knelt down to help her and could see she had been crying. My chest tightened. I placed my one hand over her wrists and took my other hand and lifted her chin, so I could see her more clearly.

  “Babe, what’s going on with you? Why the tears? Tell me, maybe I can help.”

  She tried to break free, but I wouldn’t let her look away. It was time we both faced what actually happened between us.

  I could see her throat tighten as she swallowed hard. “I know you called me and I hadn’t returned your calls. Then I show up on your doorstep and you had to take me to the hospital and deal with my condition. With all of that we really haven’t talked much, but I do need to talk to you now and explain why I avoided you until this weekend.” Raven was struggling with something. Something I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like.

  I released her and sat down on the floor. I leaned back against the dresser, crossed my legs and arms, so I was settled in for what she had to say. Raven usually told stories that were long and sometimes exhausting, so I was bracing myself for what lay ahead.

  “I’m ready, babe. So, let’s hear it.” I grinned.

  “Are you going to take this seriously, Tommy?”

  “I am serious. Stop stalling, Raven and tell me what’s going on in that beautiful, yet overactive mind of yours.”

  She started to speak, but nothing came out. Then she went to start again, and then stopped.

  “I’m waiting.” I was beginning to feel frustrated.

  “You think my mind is beautiful?” She asked, as she settled back on the heels of her feet without looking at me, but she waited for some sort of confirmation for what I just stated.

  I shook my head, looked down, and sighed. The strong Medici daughter, the powerful New York attorney who hates to lose a case needed confirmation from me, of all people, that her mind was beautiful. Everything about Raven was beautiful. I never really looked at her like that before we slept together, but she had an innocence that I had never seen in the past. She probably would say it was a weakness, but it wasn’t. It was a purity in her soul. The part that she kept hidden away, her little secret. Probably to protect her tough as nails reputation. Yet, I saw right through it. She wanted to be loved, truly loved, and maybe even perhaps protected.

  I crawled over all of her junk on the floor and settled in front of her. I leaned forward on one arm and with the other, I gently moved her black locks away from her face. I reached through and rested the palm of my hand on her cheek. She didn’t move her head, but ever so slowly she drew her focus towards me.

  “Yeah, I think you're beautiful and frustrating.” I whispered, as I leaned in even closer, kissed her forehead and held her close. She didn’t push me away. She just relaxed. It was clear she needed this. Maybe I needed this too.

  “Tommy, I can’t. I can’t do this.” She pushed my chest hard and got up quickly. She tried to walk out of the room leaving all of her junk and me on the floor in her wake.

  I sprung to my feet, as I held the towel haphazardly around me. I caught Raven’s arm before she could get away from me and the situation she seemed so desperate to distance herself from.

  “Not so fast, babe, you need to talk to me. What was all of that just now?” I demanded.

  “Please, Tommy just let me go.” Raven started to cry, while she tried to squirm out of my grasp.

  “Not on your life, Raven, I’ve told you before I’m not Mike. This shit doesn’t work with me. Shut down the waterworks and calmly tell me what’s wrong. Please, tell me and I’ll fix it.” I was firm, but I softened, as I could see she was scared and somewhat torn.

  She stopped trying to leave. Tears rolled down her face. When she looked up at me, Raven’s expression appeared to be that of a lost and defeated child. She was clearly not the strong woman I had always known. I knew, in that moment, she was at her breaking point.

  I felt so guilty. I would have never tried to pursue her, if I had known this is what it would do to her. I wasn’t the only one who caused this to happen. It was all three of us: me, Mike and Raven, herself. But right now that was neither here nor there. It was Raven that was caving in and I was the only one who could help her. Mike wasn’t here to help clean this up. I understood what she was feeling. The gravity of what we had done hit me like a ton of bricks. Our past decisions were destroying lives, especially ours.

  She was so angry with Mike for cheating on her. She wanted to feel wanted by someone, anyone. So she ran to what was familiar to her, maybe even safe to her, straight into my arms. We never had those feelings for each other, yet I knew her well. I gave her the perfect place to escape to…my bed. She did so willingly, but at what cost? I should have seen she was fragile; I shouldn't have let it go that far. I should have helped her work it out with or without my brother, or at the very least be the friend she needed that would listen to her story. A strong shoulder to cry on.

  Instead, I took her to bed to comfort her and myself. When we were together, I tried to quiet her cries and soothe her shattered heart, but all I managed to do was break her spirit. Sure, Mike hurt her, but I only added more collateral damage. That damage being Raven.

  This needed to stop right here and now. I had to work to dispel her fears and help her to feel comfortable again. This is what I should have done all of those months ago when she originally came to me. Raven needed a friend now and that’s what I intended to be. I would be her shelter in this storm, without any other expectations. I wanted her to be whole, to be Raven, again.

  I pulled her close even though this time she tried to fight me on it. I held her tight, as she continued to push back.

  “Raven! Stop! I’m not going to try to sleep with you again. I get it, but I want you to promise me one thing.” I stated, as I looked into her hurt eyes. Then her body stilled.

  “What is it, Tommy?” Her voice was breathless. She was exhausted.

  “I want you to come to me if you need to talk. No strings attached, I promise. I just want you to be okay. I need you to get healthy again and I’m here for you, if you want my help. All you have to do is ask. Do you understand?”

  She nodded. “I understand and I promise, but I have to talk to you about something now.”

  “Okay, but first, why don’t you go splash some water on your face and dry your tears while I put some clothes on.” I suggested to her because I was still in the towel I had on after my shower and I thought that the few minutes she had alone would help her to gather her thoughts before we talked.

  “I’ll be right back and then we’ll talk.” She said, as she took her bag and disappeared through the door.

  I put on some board shorts and a t-shirt that way I’d be ready to head out to the water after we had our talk. I was glad that I decided to bring my board with me as Rain had suggested. It was a good guess that I would need some time on the waves to de-stress after our impending conversation.

  I dressed and waited for Raven. How long did it take a person to wash their face? She had been in there for quite a while. I was just about to knock on the door to see if she was okay, when she emerged wearing her running outfit. This confirmed what I had already been thinking; that what we were about to talk about wasn’t going to be good. Especially, because she thought she was going to have a run for the second time today. Not on her life, she has doctor’s orders to rest and she will do just that if I have anything to say bout it.

  She entered the room and carefully placed her bag on the chair. She noticed that the toiletry bag and its contents were still sprawled all over the floor and decided to clean it up.

&
nbsp; “Raven, stop stalling.” I snapped. I was admittedly tense and had become impatient to get our little talk over with.

  Raven drew her focus away from the mess on the floor and returned her attention to me. I would have never thought that Raven Medici would have been at a loss for words, but she was. This was actually very difficult for her. I could see that she had an intense emotional struggle going on inside of her, so I took the initiative and began our conversation.