The Wild One (17 page)

Another moment of stunned silence, then Nathan said, “Oh, I get it, the cloning program didn’t quite work and now you’ve got a clone with mental problems.”

“But you look just like me.” The real Layla chose this moment to step forward.

“Yeah, I do.” Roxxy looked the other woman up and down, her own matching eyes wide with amazement. “When I first came here, I thought Andrew was just one of those white people who couldn’t tell black people apart. But now that I’m looking at you for real...”

Layla stepped closer to her and tentatively reached out. “Your hair, your eyes, your face. You look
exactly
like me.”

“I know,” Roxxy said to her. “It’s kind of freaking me out, too.”

“But how is this possible?” Layla asked. “You even have my same voice. Except I can’t sing. And you say you can? To the point you’ve made a good living off of it?”

“C’mon, Layla,” Nathan said. “You can’t believe anything she says. For all you know, she saw a picture of you in the paper when everything between you and Andrew’s wife went down, got plastic surgery to look just like you, and came out here to seduce Andrew. She’s most likely living in some kind of sick fantasy world.”

Roxxy glared at the man who was obviously Andrew’s identical twin brother, finding it hard to believe anyone in her right mind would choose this guy over Andrew. “I’m not lying and I don’t have mental problems. I really am Roxxy RoxX.”

“Prove it then. Show us some ID.”

Roxxy rolled her eyes. “I gave my wallet to Steve Kass. It’s probably still in the safe in his New York office. But my real name is Roxxanne Weathers.”

Layla’s eyes widened. “Weathers. That was my mother’s maiden name.”

“She could have looked that up, too. Easily,” Nathan said. He came over and put his arm around his wife’s shoulders, as if to protect her from Roxxy’s obvious insanity.

“I’m not making it up. I had no idea who you were before I met Andrew. And believe me, it was taking everything in me not to ask after your full back story, because it sounds like a doozy.”

Layla opened her mouth, but Nathan said, “She’s lying. Just like Andrew’s dead wife lied to get you to follow her into that library. She’s playing on your kind nature.” He glared at Roxxy. “But I won’t allow you to take advantage of my wife. She’s already been through too much. I don’t know who you are or what kind sick, perverted fantasy brought you here, but—“

Roxxy cut him off in favor of talking to Layla. “Wait a minute, you said your mother’s maiden name was Weathers? That can’t be a coincidence. Was her first name Shirelle?”

“No, it was Linda. But her middle initial was ‘S.’” Layla answered. “My father, who passed away a few years ago, told me she died in a car accident when I was three.”

Roxxy frowned. “That’s weird, because my mom told me my father died overseas when I was three. That’s also when we moved out to California. Do you have any pictures of your mom?”

“No,” Layla said, shaking her head. “My father died a few years ago, but I didn’t find any pictures of her. Not even a wedding picture.”

“Sounds like a burn job to me. My mom didn’t have any pictures of my dad either, and I always thought that was weird, since they were married.” Roxxy said. “Maybe they both lied to us. Maybe your dad got rid of all the pictures of her because he was mad at her for leaving or something. Maybe that’s why he told you she was dead.”

Layla came out from under Nathan’s arm and took a hold of her hand. “Are you saying my mom, our mom, is out there and still alive?”

“Layla, do not let her play this game with you. She’s already admitted to be a fake and a liar. Now she’s telling you exactly what you want to hear.”

Andrew folded his arms. “Just like she pretended to be the woman I wanted her to be.”

She turned to Andrew and said, “I did lie. And I’m sorry Andrew, more sorry than I can ever express. But I’m not lying. Not about this. And I can prove it.”

She ran over to the phone in the living room and punched in the only number she had ever bothered to memorize.

“Hello?” came Shirelle’s voice over the line. She sounded suspicious, probably because the call was coming from a weird area code. She doubted her mother got many calls from Montana.

“Shirelle, it’s me,” Roxxy said.

“Oh, thank goodness. Thank the Lord. I’ve been so worried about you, especially when they came around here asking about Dexter. You know they think he’s the one who murdered Mabel and that poor assistant D.A. who was supposed to be escorting you to safety. I tried to get them to tell me where you were but they wouldn’t, even though I’m your mother.”

Roxxy waited for her to take a breath before saying, “I’m standing here with a woman named Layla Matthews, a woman who looks so much like me, it obvious we’re twins. And her husband is accusing me of being some psycho, who purposefully got plastic surgery to look like her…”

“Oh no,” her mother said. “I never meant for you to find out this way. Just tell me where you are and I’ll come out and explain everything.”

“I can’t believe this, Shirelle! Did you seriously neglect to tell me I had a twin sister?”

“Please, I promise you, I can explain everything. I will get on the next plane out there, just tell me where you are.”

“I’m at the Sinclair Ranch in Montana,” Roxxy said between gritted teeth. “Look it up and get out here with your explanation, fast.”

Roxxy all but threw the receiver back in its cradle. “She said she’s coming and she’ll explain everything,” she said to Layla. “I’m sorry, she’s always been a liar, but so is everyone else in the music business. I never imagined she was hiding something this big from me.”

“Now I think really do believe you,” Layla said, tears coming to her eyes. “My dad wasn’t that great with the truth himself.”

Roxxy looked at Layla and for a moment, the situation with Andrew temporarily fell away as her heart swelled with love for a woman she’d only met five minutes ago. She, Roxxane Weathers, who had always felt alone in the world, despite her mother and the team of people surrounding her at all times, had a sister. A twin sister. “I have a sister,” she whispered.

Tears spilled over in Layla’s eyes. “I’ve always wanted a sister. And, you’re famous. That’s so cool, I can’t believe it.”

Roxxy shrugged, chagrinned. “Being famous isn’t all that great. I mean I am currently hiding out from a stalker. And even before that, I was planning to get out of the business all together. I was supposed to start at University of Southern California this fall. I want to get a progressive degree in public administration, so I can do non-profit work after I get out.”

“USC, wow! You must be so smart.”

Roxxy blushed under Layla’s effusive praise. “It’s a little easier to get in if you’re famous.”

“Still…that’s really brave to change career paths at our age. I’m proud of you.”

“You’re pretty cool yourself. I mean you’re a physical therapist, right? And other than the asshole husband, you seem like a really great person. From what I’ve heard, everybody loves you.”

“Oh, whoever told you that is really kind…”

She trailed off then, perhaps realizing, as Roxxy had in that moment, that the person who had told her that was still in the room, and moreover had been under the impression she was Layla for the past two weeks.

Roxxy turned to Andrew. “Again, I just want to say how sorry I am. I know you’re thinking right now that you were sleeping with an imposter, but please believe me when I tell you—I’ve been pretending to be somebody else, somebody cooler and sexier than I really am nearly all of my adult life. But the person who’s been with you, the woman who fell in love with you in under two weeks. She’s real. And I have never felt more real than when I was with you.”

But the way Andrew was looking at her, it was like a stranger was staring her down. “You lied to me,” he said. “You lied to me every single day you spent under my roof.”

“Yeah, I did,” she admitted. “But I didn’t lie to you about the important things. Like how I felt about you. I never lied about that.”

In what Roxxy could guess was an unfamiliar gesture of solidarity, Nathan placed a hand on Andrew’s shoulder.

“I can see how you’d be taken in by her. She looks just like Layla and maybe she really believes what she’s saying. We’ll give her mother a few hours to get here, then we’ll take it from there.”

Andrew looked at Roxxy like she was a piece of toxic waste, then he gave a stiff nod, acquiescing to Nathan’s suggestion.

Roxxy reached out to Andrew, who had said goodbye to her with such love in his eyes the last time they saw each other. That now felt like eons ago.

“Don’t touch me,” he said, his voice hard as nails. “You can stay here until your mother arrives, then you’re leaving with her. I don’t care who you fucking are. I never want to see you again.”

CHAPTER 23

“I
don’t care who you fucking are. I never want to see you again.”

Andrew’s words reverberated through her head over the next few hours, which Roxxy spent alone, after once again taking solace in the hay barn. But this time when the barn door opened it wasn’t Andrew, but Layla.

“Oh good, you’re here,” she said. “A few of the ranch hands told me you might be.”

Roxxy winced, thinking of the ever-present ranch hands, all of whom had thought she was the woman now asking how to find her. “Is everyone mad at me?”

“No,” Layla answered, sitting down beside her. “Just really, really curious. You can kind of tell it’s taking every ounce of politeness they have not to grill me about what’s going on. But it’s not so bad. You should come back out. We could go to dinner. You probably haven’t had anything to eat all day, right?”

Roxxy smiled despite herself. “You’re being really nice. And I have no idea why after what I did. You should be even madder at me than Andrew.”

Layla rubbed her back. “Andrew’s not just mad, he’s embarrassed. And he feels like you tricked him on purpose.”

“I didn’t,” Roxxy said.

“I know you didn’t. I believe you.”

Roxxy blinked. “You believe me?”

“Yes, and I think Andrew will eventually come around, too. We just have to give him some time. Having your mom come and tell us the whole story will definitely help.” Layla cut herself off. “I guess I should be calling her our mom. I already feel connected to you, but I’m finding it hard to believe my mom is still out there living and breathing.”

Now Roxxy reached to take Layla’s hand. “She is, but don’t get your hopes up when it comes to her. She’s not exactly what you’d call maternal, and growing up with her was no picnic. She makes other stage moms look like Suzy Homemaker.”

“But she raised you, right?” Layla said, hope burning in her eyes. “And you’re successful?”

“Yeah, she raised me but it’s looking like she abandoned you. And if I know my mom, she’ll say it’s because you weren’t able to sing at the age of three. My earliest memories are of going out on audition after audition. And I have a feeling she’s going to dump me like a useless boyfriend once she finds out I’m going back to school.” Roxxy didn’t realize how bitter she was about all of this until she said the words, “If I wasn’t making her a ton of money, I don’t think she’d want anything to do with me.”

Layla gave her a sympathetic look. “Let’s just wait and see, okay? Sometimes people come off a certain way, but then they surprise you. For example, even Nathan’s brother thought he was a jerk who only cared about himself. To tell you the truth, even I kind of got that vibe off of Nathan when we first met. But then he turned out to be the most loving man. I feel so lucky we found each other again and got married. I’ve never been so happy.”

Roxxy didn’t answer, just gave Layla a sideways look. Nathan had accused Roxxy of being delusional when she finally told everyone the truth, but he might want to look at his own wife. That man
was
a jerk, and Layla acted like he’d hung the stars in the sky. Still, she’d rather have a crazy-but-really-nice sister than none at all, so she went back to Andrew.

“You really think Andrew will forgive me someday? He made it pretty clear he has no time in his life for liars.”

Layla snorted. “Andrew’s a very kind man, but he’s no saint. About a year into our college relationship, I started developing feelings for Nathan that I could no longer deny. But when I tried to break it off with Andrew, he kissed me in an attempt to show me he was just as passionate as Nathan. Nathan walked in on us and jumped to the conclusion that I had slept with him but decided to stay with Andrew, and he ran out before I could explain. Shortly after, I got pushed down the stairs and lost my memory of both Andrew and Nathan and everything that had gone down between us. Nathan continued to believe I had chosen Andrew over him for ten years, and Andrew never told him the truth. He even got married to his wife, Diana, and let Nathan suffer the entire time because he didn’t think Nathan deserved me.”

As much as she loved her sister, Roxxy had to point out, “I’m kind of with Andrew here. You’re great. Your husband definitely doesn’t deserve you.”

Layla shook her head with stubborn pride. “I know he’s a little rough around the edges and harsh. But I love him, and Andrew knew that. He purposefully kept us apart for nearly a decade. Then it all came to a head when he asked his wife for a divorce. She thought we were back together and tried to shoot me. If I hadn’t rushed her at the last minute, and she didn’t accidentally end up shooting herself, I’d be dead right now instead of sitting here talking to you.”

“Whoa,” Roxxy said. She had known the back story everyone kept referring to would be dramatic, but—“Are you sure you’re not living in a soap opera come to life? Because that’s some cray-cray drama right there.”

Layla laughed. “I know, right. And now I’ve got a famous twin? I’m surprised Lifetime hasn’t made a movie about me yet.”

Roxxy laughed, too. “I know people. We could make it happen.”

Layla giggled even harder. “No, that’s okay. People are still stopping me on the street to ask me about that story with Andrew’s wife. I really not trying to invite any more attention.”

When their laughter finally died down, Layla said, “My main point is, if I can forgive Andrew for all of that, then he can forgive you for not telling him the whole truth from the beginning. Andrew has been very careful with women since his last wife turned out to have…” Layla, whom Roxxy was beginning to see, was unfailingly kind, searched for the most polite term, “…major issues. And don’t forget, he dumped his girlfriend to be with you.”