Page 23 of Strike Fast

He hit the button and waited for the convertible top to fold back before pulling out of his spot and steering toward the automatic gate on the garage. As soon as they were rolling down the street with the wind in her hair, she closed her eyes and tipped her head back, inhaling the fresh night air tinted with the scent of backyard barbecues and fresh cut grass. She felt lighter inside, freer than she had in forever.

Happy.

The thought startled her. Until that moment she hadn’t realized she’d beenunhappy. But maybe she’d been simply going through the motions of living, instead of actually enjoying life.

She tapped her fingers on her thighs to the rhythm, started humming under her breath. If she’d been on her own she would have busted out singing.

Reid’s phone chimed. She watched as he picked it up and read the message. His mouth thinned, his jaw tensing beneath the thick, dark stubble.

“No good?” she asked, heart sinking at his expression.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

She opened her mouth to say how ridiculous it was that his ex wouldn’t let him take Autumn out for a spontaneous dessert date, but held it back. “Is it because I’m with you?”

“Nope. This is just how she is.”

“Wow. That sucks.”

“Sucksbigtime,” he muttered, shoulder checking to change lanes. “Even more for Autumn than for me. But short of burning up a bunch of my savings on more legal fees, there’s nothing I can do.”

That wasn’t fair. Reid seemed like a great dad who wanted to be a bigger part of his daughter’s life, and Autumn adored him. “Why does she do it?”

“To punish me.”

She mentally flinched at the bitterness in his tone. Would his ex really be so small-minded and vindictive as to withhold Autumn from him, just to get back at him?You don’t know him very well. Not fair to just take his side when you don’t know the rest of the story.

“She blames me for our marriage failing. She resents me for making her a divorcee.”

Tess was silent for a minute, then attempted to lighten the mood with small talk, but she sensed Reid’s lingering frustration and decided to stay quiet as they neared the upscale neighborhood where Autumn lived with her mom. The colonial house looked like something out of a magazine spread.

“Did you live here?” she asked him, unable to stem her curiosity.

“No. This is Max’s place. Sarah’s business tycoon boyfriend.”

Ah. So she’d moved on physically, but not necessarily emotionally. At least not enough to forgive Reid and try to make the best of the co-parenting situation. Tess might not know Sarah’s side of the story, but it was hard not to dislike the way she was handling things by depriving her daughter of Reid’s company when they so clearly wanted more time with each other.

The moment they pulled up at the curb the front door flew open and Autumn bounded down the steps, her long, brown ponytail trailing behind her as she ran down the brick walkway to the street. “Hi!” she said, her face flushed with excitement when she neared the Mustang.

Tess opened her door and stepped out, surprised and heart-warmed when Autumn grabbed her in a welcoming hug. “Well hello again to you too,” she said with a laugh, returning the embrace.

Autumn shot her a grin and let go to scramble into the front seat and wrap her arms around her father’s shoulders. “Thanks, Dad,” she said as he handed her the wand.

“Welcome.”

Autumn eased back and looked between him and Tess. “Can I go for a drive with you guys? It’s not my bedtime yet.”

Tess’s heart ached when Reid’s expression froze for a second before he put on a forced but believable smile. “Sorry, baby girl. Maybe another night.”

Autumn went into instant pout mode. “Aww, come on, please? Just a short one? You’ve got the top down and everything, and I found out yesterday that Tess and I like the same music. We can sing for you.”

Tess bit her lip and didn’t say anything, feeling sad for them both. And the moment was even more bittersweet because Reid didn’t blame his ex in front of Autumn.

Instead he gave her a gentle smile and stroked a strand of hair back from her face. “Can’t tonight, sweetheart.”

“But Tess leaves tomorrow. I might not ever see her again,” Autumn said, looking up at Tess.

Tess met Reid’s surprised gaze, and nodded. “I fly back to Fort Worth at noon.”

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