“Not since I moved here.” He rubbed condensation from the outside of the bottle with his thumb. The same thumb he’d traced her lips with before he took her mouth in a hungry kiss.
Heat settled between her legs, and Anika cleared her throat, shifting to a more comfortable position in the chair. “No one at all?”
He smiled slightly. “Brielle’s my priority. I haven’t had the time or desire to date anyone seriously.”
“But you want to?”
“Seriously. Casually. I’m fine either way. At the end of the day, my priority is Brielle.”
“So you’re telling me, since you moved here, you’ve been sitting at home twiddling your thumbs?” She couldn’t imagine that. Reed was too passionate, too playful.
“I didn’t say that.”
“So there’s been someone?” Her voice lowered. Anticipating his response shouldn’t make her muscles tense. She shouldn’t care so much about his answer.
His eyes looked steadily into hers. “A couple of women. Nothing serious. The right woman hasn’t come along yet. Although, I think my luck might be changing.”
“I see.” She met his intense gaze head on. A hefty silence settled over the table and Anika reached for her glass, taking a large gulp. “Brielle’s a lucky girl, to have such a dedicated father.”
“I’m the lucky one. She’s a good kid, sweet as can be. I just don’t know what gets into her when she throws the tantrums, though. She’s struggling, and I don’t know how to help her.” Brow furrowed, Reed stared down at the table.
“Do you think it’s solely because her mother died?” Anika asked gently, not wanting to overstep her bounds.
Reed seemed inclined to talk. “Hell, I don’t know what to think.” He rubbed a hand across his brow. “Her grandmother took her to a therapist for a while, but he didn’t think Brielle needed him. He insisted she was coping well, but I’m not so sure. When we first moved here, she was unhappy—kinda cranky but nothing too serious. Since I’ve been working from home a few days a week, she’s been in a better mood. I think she just needed to know I’d be there, you know? But every now and again, she throws these tantrums—such as the one you saw the other day. Something’s wrong. I don’t think she’s struggling with the loss of her mother. She may not fully understand, but she’s accepted it. She knows her mommy won’t be coming back. I think the tantrums are because she misses her family back in Dallas. What’s strange is that she was fine at first. The tantrums started a couple of months ago, not long after we moved into the house.”
“What do you think it means?”
He was quiet for a while as he pondered the question. “Maybe on some level Brielle understands the permanence of a house. It means that we’re setting down roots and she won’t be going back to Dallas, and when she talks to her grandmother, she thinks she won’t see her again—just like she hasn’t seen her mother again. I have another theory, but…I don’t know.” He shook his head, the frown deepening. “I’m still figuring out this father-thing. I’m never really sure if what I’m doing is right, but I try to put her first and hope everything else falls into place.”
“That’s all you can do.”
“I should be doing more.”
“You feel guilty for bringing her to Atlanta,” Anika said quietly.
His gaze flicked up to her. “A little. I wasn’t the”—he shifted in the seat—“best father when her mother, Layla, was alive, but I want the best for my daughter. Because of that, sometimes I’m not sure that bringing her here was the right decision. Maybe I’m being selfish.”
“You’re her father. You have every right to spend time with Brielle. She’s young and this is all new. You have to give her time.”
“Yeah. It’s just that when she acts out, I’m not so sure time will change anything.”
“On a daily basis, how does she behave?”
“She’s a healthy, normal, happy kid.”
“There’s your answer.” Anika smiled at him. “The problem isn’t the location. The problem isn’t you. Moving into a new house is a big change for a child, and maybe she does miss her grandmother, but you’ll have to be patient. You’ve only lived in Atlanta for six or seven months. It hasn’t been that long.”
He laughed shortly. “Patience isn’t exactly something I have in spades, as you can tell. But maybe I can cultivate that quality in myself.”
“I think you’re capable of it.”
“Yeah?” He studied her, an odd little smile on his face.
Anika’s cheeks heated and she played with the napkin in her lap. “Yeah.”
“So how’d you get to be so smart?” He sipped his beer.
“It’s not smarts. I’m speaking as someone who loved her father to death, and I don’t regret one minute of our time together, even when we didn’t see eye to eye. I wish he were alive and I could make more memories with him. Trust me, Brielle will come around. I’m confident.”
“Tell me something, Anika.” Reed leaned in. “Why hasn’t some man swept you up already?”
“What?” Her stomach bottomed out. How many times had she heard the same type of question?
Why aren’t you married?
You’re a good woman. Are these men out here blind?
Why isn’t there a ring on your finger already?
People thought those questions were compliments, but instead reminded her of how much she was lacking. She longed for a happy relationship with someone she loved and who loved her back, but her inferiority to other women was never far from her mind, and the reason she had to be so particular about the types of men she dated.
“You heard me.” His voice lowered. “You’re absolutely beautiful.”
Anika never thought of herself in those terms. She was cute, and she’d even go so far as to say attractive on a good day, but beautiful was not a word she’d ever use to describe herself. He’d called her beautiful before, in the heat of passion, and she’d flushed at the wonder in his voice when he described her in those terms.
“You know you’re beautiful, don’t you? And sexy. You’re sweet, good with kids, you know how to pick the perfect restaurant. It doesn’t make sense.” Reed narrowed his eyes. “I know what it is. Are you secretly a serial killer or something? You seem perfect, but there’s something wrong with you. Am I right?”
Anika flinched involuntarily and her hands clenched in her lap. His teasing words were meant as a joke, but the comment almost unraveled her. Her situation—one that she’d learned to live with—on occasion managed to hurt like hell.
“Hey, what did I say?” Alarm filled Reed’s voice.
Anika shook her head, staring down at her clenched fingers.
“Anika.” He reached across the table, but she didn’t take his hand.
“I’m fine.” She pasted a smile on her face that she hoped appeared genuine. “As far as I know, there’s nothing wrong with me.”
She heard Emerson’s voice again, telling her that was not the case.
You’re broken.
Anika fought back the hurtful words by draining the contents of her glass. She squared her shoulders. “So, tell me about your job. What exactly does an accounting manager do?”
Chapter 12
Dammit.
After she’d made him feel so good, he’d made her feel bad.
The joke, which Reed now regretted, had shifted the conversation, and Anika’s previously bright brown eyes now appeared dull and sad.
“The Continuum CPA Group specializes in offering accounting and business advisory services to small and medium-sized firms. My job includes basic tasks such as setting objectives and goal-setting. I audit the work of my staff, develop and train them, prepare policies and procedures, and make sure we stay compliant according to general accounting principles.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
He nodded. “More than I thought I would. At my firm, one of the perks is that my position allows flexibility so I can spend time with my very own opera singer.”
He smiled, and she did, too.
“If I had one complaint, it’s that I have to attend more networking events. That’s how I met Judge Evers. I’m starting to hate those things. Makes me miss being a staff accountant sometimes.”
Anika brushed her hair off her shoulder. Reed wished he were sitting next to her so he could run his fingers through her hair and touch her bare skin.
“I’m surprised. I always thought of you as the outgoing type. I imagined you living in New York and having quite the active social life.” She was getting back to normal, her eyes clearer, her voice sounding stronger and less strained.
“I did have an active social life. New York was crazy. Fun.”
Too crazy. Too much fun. In retrospect, he’d been out of control for years. He’d partied hard and slept around. A starch-shirted accountant by day, but after hours, seeking some indefinable escape to settle his mind by engaging in activities that at twenty-nine years old now left him shamefaced.
He became a different man because of having to care for his daughter. A new man. She kept him busy and grounded, and for her sake, he’d changed.
He was certainly more responsible than his own father had been. His father lived on the west coast with his latest girlfriend half his age. Life with his dad had been a rollercoaster ride. They’d lived a bachelor lifestyle after his mother died—barely getting by but having what they considered to be a good life. He’d never learned responsibility from his dad, only how to have fun and live in the moment. On any given day, they’d hop in the car and start driving, going until they ran out of money. For a teenaged boy, those had been the best kind of adventures.
They’d moved around multiple times, been evicted twice, and one time lived in the car for two weeks. He loved his dad to death, but he’d been more of a frat brother than a father. He certainly hadn’t taught him any parenting skills or how to be a responsible adult. He’d had to learn those things on his own. What he had taught him was what not to do. For Reed, that meant establishing stability in Brielle’s life. No uncertainty allowed.
Their meals arrived, and as Anika had stated, the food was delicious. They ate every bite and ended dinner with healthy portions of peach cobbler and strong coffee.
Except for his joke, the night went exceptionally well. Conversation flowed easily, and he learned more about Anika than he did before. She talked a lot about her father, who’d passed before she entered college, and she had a strong relationship with her mother and brothers. From her description of her mother, they had similar personalities and tastes. Their similar taste in style was confirmed when she showed him a photo of her mother in her phone. She had the same light brown skin with golden undertones, and was dressed to the nines in a royal blue dress, large gold hat with a large rose, and matching bag—on her way to church. There was no doubt where Anika got her style from.
Reed didn’t want to leave the restaurant, but he had to be considerate of Mrs. Miller’s time. He paid for the meal, and they went outside into the balmy night air. He told the valet they’d get their own cars because he didn’t want the night to end right then. He tipped the man and strolled with Anika toward her vehicle at the back of the lot, walking as slowly as he could. She walked slowly, too.
“Remember that moped ride in Venice?” he asked.
A soft smile came to her face. “How could I forget? I can’t believe you convinced me to get on that thing.”
“Whoa, wait a minute.” Reed stopped. “I didn’t convince you. You convinced me, remember?”
“That’s not how I remember it.”
“Well, let me refresh your memory, madam.” He started walking again. “The night before, we ate dinner at that restaurant, the one the concierge recommended—down the alley behind the clothing store.”
“I remember. We got so much food and that chicken dish was oh—so good. Just delicious.” She sighed.
“At the end of our meal, you whipped out one of your ten thousand brochures, and that one was about moped rentals.”
“I did not have ten thousand brochures.”
“Damn near.”
“And I didn’t whip it out.”
“Who’s telling this story?”
She glared at him. “Fine. Proceed,” she said, waving her hand with a flourish.
“As I was saying, you whipped out a brochure about moped rentals and said we should get one to explore the city. I asked if you’d ever ridden on a moped, and you said no. To which I said, it might not be a good idea for us to do, since neither one of us has ever ridden on one of those things. Any of this ringing a bell?”
She stopped at her car in the crowded lot. “Vaguely.”
“Uh-huh.” He side-eyed her but continued. “The next day, you brought up the same topic about mopeds after breakfast and badgered me about it.”
Her mouth fell open and she propped her hands on her hips. “Wait a minute, now you’re being completely ridiculous. Badgered you?”
“Badgered me,” Reed confirmed. “I think you even hit me once to get me to fall in line with your demands.”
She tossed her head back in laughter then. This was the Anika he remembered. Carefree. Spirited. “Unbelievable. You’re making all of this up.”
“I still have the scars,” he muttered, rubbing an arm as if that’s where she’d hit him.
“You need to take a polygraph,” she said.
“So, after the physical and verbal abuse—”
“Oh my goodness.” She hid her laughter behind her hand.
“—I finally agreed to rent the moped. You hopped on the back, and we spent the day exploring the city.”
“Now that part is true.”
“All of it is true.”
“In an alternate universe.”
He shrugged, absurdly pleased he could make her laugh and smile.
Her face partially in shadow, Anika tucked her hair behind an ear.
“We had fun that day,” she said.
“Just that day?”
She fell silent, and he could hear the cars whizzing by on the street.
“Every day,” she said quietly.
Emotion constricted his throat. Loss. Regret. Sweet memories. “You ever been back?”
She shook her head, gaze shifting away, as if she didn’t want him to see the truth in her eyes. “I wanted to. Never took the time.” She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, a look that made his chest clench with emotion. “You?”
“No, but I wouldn’t mind going back.”
Pressure built in his torso. He wanted to tell her how much he regretted not sharing his feelings in Venice. He regretted not following his heart and thinking neither of them was ready. But they were both older and still single, and the attraction was obviously still there. He experienced the tug every time she looked at him. Their chemistry hadn’t dissipated one bit.
“You know what’s crazy?” He ran his fingers through a few of the blonde strands that brushed her shoulders. Finally. As soft as he remembered. He saw it as a good sign that she didn’t slap away his hand or move from his touch.
“What?”
“I didn’t want to go back because I didn’t think I could possibly enjoy myself as much as I did when I was there with you.”
“Reed…” His name fell softly from her lips, whispered in the same tone as an urgent prayer. “It was a long time ago.”
Spending time with her had been the perfect escape from the reality of his life and the tragedy of losing his mother at thirteen, which still managed to pummel him at random times. They’d been close, the way mothers and sons often are, and there were times when he missed her with a fierceness that made him weak. Three graduations—middle school, high school, and college—came and went without her there, and so did the birth of his child. Brielle would never know her paternal grandmother.
He’d gone to Venice because of her, hiding his grief behind smiles and a laid back attitude. Then he’d seen Anika, radiant and colorful in pink and purple—the Veneti
an sun shining down on her golden brown skin. She’d shaken him out of his funk. Now here she was for a second time—this time as he struggled with the challenge of being a single parent. Was it only coincidence that she had come along when he needed her again?
“Our trip wasn’t that long ago, and I can’t pretend that I don’t feel what I feel. That’s impossible.” He cupped her exposed shoulder and stepped closer, leaving very little space separating them. She tilted back her head to look up at him. “If I could go back in time and redo the day I left, I would. I’d tell you that I wanted to stay and admit that I was scared. It’s no excuse, but I’m sorry I hurt you. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted anything as much as I regret leaving you that day.”
Tears surfaced in her eyes and she bit down on her lower lip. He continued talking because he knew he was getting through to her.
“Every single day and every single night we spent together have stayed with me. You haven’t forgotten, either, have you? This is going to sound like a bullshit line, but I still miss your laugh. That’s one of the most vivid memories I have of us. The two of us laughing, over dinner or in bed. You helped me a lot. I don’t think you know how much.”
Her face crumbled for a second before she got her emotions under control. “You helped me, too. More than you know. I’d been at a low point after Emerson dumped me.”
“Lucky for me, Emerson was a fool.” He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. He wanted to kiss her so badly. The constant need to do so had punctuated his thoughts every few minutes throughout the evening. “Do you believe in fate?”
She closed her eyes.
“I do,” Reed continued. “I don’t think it was chance that we ran into each other thousands of miles away on another continent. I don’t think it was chance that I met Judge Evers at a function and got a referral to Davenport Design Studio. That was fate, bringing us together again.”
Anika opened her eyes, and he met her gaze unflinchingly, imploring her to accept the truth of his words.
That Time in Venice (Love Unexpected Book 6) Page 8