Page 82 of Strike Fast

“Maybe. But don’t you think you should go check on her and make sure?”

Those were the last words Reid had ever expected to hear coming from Sarah’s mouth. “What?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “You think I couldn’t see the connection between the two of you, even before you put your arm around her this afternoon? Please. And even if she is strong, she shouldn’t have to be strong alone right now. Jeez, Reid. Sometimes I don’t think you’ve learned anything about women and relationships at all.”

He frowned. “I don’t want to leave Autumn.”

“Autumn is practically unconscious, and even if she wakes up, I can handle whatever she needs.” Sarah raised her eyebrows. “You’re telling me you don’t want to see Tess?”

Of course he wanted to see Tess. He was dying to.

Her lips twitched. “That’s what I thought. So go on. If something comes up that I can’t handle, I’ll text you.”

He glanced down at Autumn, then back up at Sarah. “You sure?”

“Yes.” She expelled a deep breath, seemed to summon her courage before meeting his eyes once more. “I saw an interview with Miss Gomez, a couple days after she was rescued. She was talking about what the men who saved her did, about how brave they were, and how she wouldn’t be alive today without them. It made me stop and think. Gave me more insight and appreciation for what you guys do, and why you do it, despite the risks and the sacrifices.”

Reid didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected any of this.

But she wasn’t done. “And so on top of being sorry for how I reacted, I’ll…try to be more understanding about stuff going forward. And I’ll try not to be such a controlling bitch with the whole scheduling thing in future. Okay?”

He smiled, his heart swelling. “Okay.” After carefully extricating his arm from beneath their daughter, he sat up and shook it to get the circulation going. Unable to help himself, he leaned over and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. “I can be back here within thirty minutes if you guys need me.”

Sarah waved his words away. “Go.”

He did, driving straight to Tess’s hotel. He’d thought about texting her first, but decided just to surprise her instead. He rode the elevator up to Tess’s floor, the buzzing of nerves in the pit of his belly taking him off guard.

Because she mattered to him so much.

He’d never thought he would fall for someone again after such a bitter divorce, but Tess had somehow managed to blast her way through all the walls he’d put up around his heart. Tough as he was, it was terrifying to hand his heart over to someone. He just hoped Tess was as ready to receive it as he was to give it.

He knocked softly on the door, his heart thumping in his chest. It opened only seconds later, and Reid was surprised to see Tess standing there appearing fully awake, still dressed in his plaid, flannel shirt.

“Hey,” she whispered, giving him a smile that warmed the center of his chest as she stepped back to let him in.

“I know it’s late,” he said as the door shut behind him, “but Autumn was gone to the world and I…” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, let his fingers linger on the soft skin at the side of her neck. “I just needed to see you.”

Tess reached up to curl her fingers around his hand, another soft smile curving her lips. “I’m glad you’re here. How is she?”

“Better than I expected, but we’ll see how things go over the next few days. We’ve got all kinds of appointments set up with doctors, psychiatrists and counselors.”

“Was Sarah okay with you leaving?”

“She basically kicked me out to make me come here.”

“She did?”

He nodded. “Because she knows me. And she can tell how I feel about you.” He traced his thumb over the edge of her jaw, taking in the shadows beneath her pretty jade-green eyes, and the lines of fatigue around her mouth. “You look exhausted.”

She sighed and slumped against his hand. “I’m so tired, but I’m too uncomfortable to sleep.”

He pulled her gently into his body, wrapped his arm around her waist and cradled the back of her head with the other, holding her cheek to his chest. “Did you take your meds?”

“Two pills about an hour ago. They haven’t done anything so far.”

He hated to see her in pain. Easing back a little, he cupped her cheek in his hand, bringing her gaze to his. “Can I do anything?”

One side of her mouth lifted in a crooked grin. “Wanna wash my hair?”

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