Mistaken Identities Read Free Page A

away. “Gray?”
    He stopped, his back still to her.
    “Thank you. I…” How did she tell him what Roman meant to her and that she promised to do all she could to make him as happy as he had made her? “Um, nothing. Just thanks for looking out for us. Is Aunt Linn okay? She spent the night, right?”
    He still didn’t turn around. “No, I took her home earlier in the night before things got rowdy.”
    “I didn’t see her.”
    “She said she would see you tomorrow.” He strode to the door and started pulling it closed. “Good night, Tonya.”
    “What about Roman?”
    “I’ll take care of him.”
    She let him shut the door then and flopped back on the bed. Only after she’d started to drift off did she remember she needed to go to the bathroom but probably wouldn’t make it. As sleep claimed her, she dreamed of strong arms and a warm chest—comforting and protective. She tucked a hand beneath her chin and yawned. “Mm, Roman.”

Chapter Three
    Tonya ended the call and rolled over in her bed. She folded her hands under her chin and stared at nothing. Beside her, the warm body of her puppy wriggled as he burrowed beneath the covers. She reached over and dug him out then scratched behind his ears. Was she making the right decision? This was serious business, and once she’d been involved, there was no going back. Her wedding just days away, she couldn’t believe she was considering something like this of all things. She reached for her cell again and pulled Roman’s number up on the screen. Her finger hovered over the spot to connect, but she hesitated. On impulse, she pressed the back button and brought up Grayson’s number instead. A sharp stab of pain tightened the muscles of her stomach. No way could she call him.
    Sighing, she slid from her bed and strode through the apartment to the dining room. Pookie, the puppy, followed her after navigating the pet stairs she had set against the foot of the bed. On a hook that once held a potted plant she’d killed in the first week of owning it, her wedding dress hung. The sheer volume of the dress with its train and the veil made it too big to fit in her tiny closet, which had never held all of her regular clothes very well. Now that she had less furniture in the apartment in preparation of moving in with Roman, the dining room was the perfect place for the dress. She spent all of her time at Roman’s condo anyway, so he had little chance of catching sight of the dress here.
    “Good decisions and bad decisions,” she said. Maybe she shouldn’t. She chewed her lip, thinking some more. Her cell rang, and she realized she clutched it like a vise in her hand. The display read Aunt Linn, and she groaned. Most of the time, she enjoyed talking to the older woman, but not right now. Waiting until the last possible moment, she clicked connect. “Hello?”
    “Good morning, Tonya, my darling. How are you?”
    “Aunt Linn, morning. I’m okay. How are you feeling? The migraine gone?”
    “Oh, yes, thank goodness. I can’t party like I used to.”
    Tonya laughed. Aunt Linn had hardly “partied” at all, and Grayson’s gathering had been three days ago. Despite that, Roman’s great aunt had been down with a migraine ever since. Tonya felt sorry for her. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. What’s on the schedule for today?”
    “How about you and I go shopping?” Aunt Linn suggested. “We haven’t spent time together in awhile, and you’re about to steal my baby.”
    Tonya’s mouth fell open, and she searched for words to say.
    Aunt Linn laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that, sweetheart. You know I love you, Tonya, like the daughter I never had.”
    Tonya wrinkled her nose. “I…” she began, but really didn’t have a clue how to respond.
    “I apologize, sweetie. That comment was in poor taste. The truth is, I’ve always loved Roman as my own. When his parents left him on my doorstep, I was angry with them, but I already loved him. I started