Catching Him(How to Catch an Alpha #1) - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,46
him know I’ll be at his house. When I get back to his house, Kennedy is awake, and she’s just as adorable in person as she seemed to be in photos.
Stretched out on a blanket on Tyler’s floor, Kennedy crawls toward me and the toy duck I’m waving at her. She gurgles and smiles, and I laugh. I pick her up and lift her above my head, laughing with her as she giggles. There’s nothing better than a baby’s laugh. The carefree sound they make is irreplaceable. I miss when my niece and nephews were this age. I miss the way they looked at the world with complete wonder. I tuck Kennedy to my chest and then kiss the top of her head and smile at her mom, who’s sitting on the couch watching us.
“You’re good with kids,” Heather says with a smile.
“I have a niece and two nephews. They’re older now, and most of the time they’re running away from being cuddled by their aunt,” I tell her while laughing as Kennedy fights to get away from my hug. Once she’s free, she wraps her hands around my fingers and stands while bouncing up and down on my thighs. “I miss when they were this age.”
“Do you want kids of your own one day?” she asks, watching us.
“Yes.” I bend forward and blow a raspberry on Kennedy’s neck, making her giggle. “I want a dozen of these adorable bundles of joy.”
“A dozen?” Her eyes widen, and I laugh.
“Okay, maybe three or four, tops, but I’ve always wanted to be a mom. I always wanted to cook dinners, do craft projects and homework, and take care of little ones,” I tell her, watching Kennedy smile and drool while bouncing.
“Tyler’s always wanted kids,” she says, and I look up to find her studying me. “He’s always been about family.”
I know that, even without him telling me. I can see it in his eyes when he talks about his parents and sister. I know how much he loves them, how much his family means to him. I know he’ll be an amazing dad one day, because he’s great with my niece and nephews and proud to be an uncle.
“I didn’t think—”
Heather’s words are cut off when Tyler comes through the front door. His gaze lands on me first, and confusion fills his eyes before he sees his sister. Then happiness settles into his features.
“What are you doing here?” he asks with a wide smile as Heather rushes across the room and into his arms. I watch the two of them embrace, rocking from side to side. Kennedy screeches loudly, not wanting to be left out of the reunion, so I pick her up and take her to her mom and uncle. “Hey, little one,” Tyler whispers, touching her cheek when he locks eyes with his niece.
Instead of going to Tyler, she wiggles out of my arms and latches on to her mom, tucking her face into Heather’s neck. Tyler laughs and wraps his arms around the three of us. I feel something deep within my heart fill during the embrace. This is what I want, except I want to feel Tyler wrapped around me and our kids one day. I want to feel his strong arms surrounding us as we welcome him home from work. I want a lifetime of this feeling.
“How long are you here for?” he asks once he’s let his sister and niece go, and then he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“Just through the weekend. I wanted to see you since I won’t be able to get away for Thanksgiving,” Heather says, seeming to tighten her hold on Kennedy, like she might disappear.
“He’s not letting you leave for the holiday?” Tyler guesses, and Heather nods. “Dick.”
I feel his anger like a physical thing beating against me. I rest my hand against his stomach and look up at him. I hate how upset he looks, and I hate worse there’s nothing I can do to change it.
“Are you hungry?” I ask Heather, wanting to change the subject and, hopefully, the mood in the room. After she nods, I tell her, “There’s a great Mexican place near here. Do you like Mexican food?”
“I love Mexican food.” She goes to the couch, and I see her pick up a small bag covered in flowers and lay Kennedy down on a mat.
I look up at Tyler. “You should take them to eat.”