Read Online The Ex Trials (Falling for Autumn #3) by Heather Topham Wood - Free Book Online Page A

wondering at what could have her so worked up. Finally, when we were a good thirty yards away from Autumn, she stopped and faced me.
    She held up her cell phone that I hadn’t noticed before and waved it across my face. “I was able to get reception here and just got off the phone with Finn.”
    “Okay,” I said, starting to worry for her. “Is everything fine with you two?”
    She nodded, but then let out a little sniffle. Lexi wasn’t much for tears, so she was starting to freak me out a bit. Since the three of us lived together, we all had our place. Autumn was the emotional core while Lexi was the one for practicality. Crying didn’t fix any problems was Lexi’s motto. My role as the devil’s advocate was a little more complex and seemed to be evolving.
    “Yes. Finn is good. It’s not that…” Lexi trailed off and looked over my shoulder back at Autumn. She swallowed and I could see her tampering down on whatever had her upset. Her jaw tightened and she squared her shoulders. “Thomas is going to do a TV interview in two days.”
    “What?” I gasped.
    She nodded, not staggered by my shocked reaction. “I know. Maybe he planned it purposely knowing Blake and Autumn would be out of the country.”
    I followed Lexi’s gaze to Autumn and Delia. “Does Autumn know? Or Delia?”
    “I don’t think so. Autumn would’ve told us and I’d hope Delia would give us a heads up if she knew about it. As far as I’m aware, she hasn’t talked to her father in months.”
    I bit down on my lip as I mulled over what a catastrophe in the making the news meant for Autumn’s bachelorette party. “So, basically he’s capitalizing on Blake and Autumn’s wedding. Christ, hasn’t Thomas put them through enough?”
    “Finn saw a commercial for the TV spot and said it sounds like he wants to share his side of the story.” Lexi said with clear distaste in her voice. “More like he wants to ruin what should be the happiest day of Autumn’s life.”
    “We can’t tell her,” I said abruptly.
    “Really?”
    “What good will it do to tell her? She’s going to find out as soon as we get back to the states. Why not let her have fun without worrying about what that prick is going to say about her and Blake?”
    Lexi crossed her arms over her chest. “But what about Delia and Blake? He’s their father…”
    “Blake’s stepfather,” I corrected automatically. “And I don’t think he even considers him that anymore. But maybe we should tell him. Get his opinion on whether Autumn and Delia should know or not.” Moreover, Blake could absolve us both of the responsibility of having to decide if Autumn should be privy to the fact her personal business was about to be broadcast on a national level.
    My fluttery feelings about Cole had vanished. Dread and nausea caused my stomach to churn. Why now? Thomas Bridges had never told his warped version of events publicly. Was he dead set on stopping the wedding? Maybe he had prematurely assumed Autumn was a phase for Blake that his stepson would eventually grow out of. Only proved how far removed Thomas was from reality. From the second I saw Autumn and Blake cross paths, I knew he was the only one for her.
    “Maybe Thomas wants to apologize. He’s ready to admit his guilt as a way to make amends before the wedding,” she said in a hopeful voice.
    “If he wants to give them something for their wedding, he should buy some china off their bridal registry, not dredge up the past. Autumn was sexually assaulted by him in high school and has been surrounded by a media circus since then. Not even a truckload of Hallmark apology cards would be sufficient.” I wished Thomas were within reach, so I could wring his neck myself. I never met him, but he’d been a phantom haunting our group for years.
    “We better head back over before Autumn suspects something is up,” Lexi suggested as we both got lost in thought over how to prevent Thomas from messing up Autumn’s life even