Catching Him(How to Catch an Alpha #1) - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,48
up,” he tells me, running his fingers through his hair. “He’s going for full custody, and unlike my sister, he has the resources to back him up.”
I get closer to him and rest my hands against his chest. “I don’t know much about this kind of thing, but aren’t mothers normally granted custody?”
“Maybe.” He shrugs. “But her soon-to-be-ex-husband owns one of the biggest logging companies in Montana. He grew up there and knows everyone. She’s worried he will win, and she’s right to worry about it.”
“It will be okay.”
“I’m not sure it will, but I told her she should consider moving back to Tennessee after everything is said and done. She didn’t like that idea but said she might consider moving here.”
“I’d like that.”
Heather is just as laid back and easy to get along with as her brother. Plus, Kennedy is adorable, and I’ve loved spending time with both of them over the last few days.
“I want her away from him and that town. I wish she’d never met that fucking guy and moved away,” he says harshly.
“If that hadn’t happened, there wouldn’t be any Kennedy. And I know you can’t imagine a world without her. I agree Heather’s struggling right now, but she seems pretty damn strong. She’ll be okay. Maybe not today or a month from now, but she will be okay eventually. And hopefully, when the smoke clears, she’ll be moving here.”
“Fuck.” His arms wrap around me tightly. “Jesus, I love you.” I freeze, my whole body tightening along with my lungs. Did he tell me he loves me because he’s in love with me, or was it more of a You said what I needed to hear, and I love you for that? “I know you might not be there yet, but I need you to know that I love you, Leah. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
My eyes slide closed, and my body relaxes against his as happiness fills me. “I love you too.” The words come out so softly that I wonder if he was even able to hear them.
He pulls his head back and looks down at me, capturing my face between his palms. “Say it again,” he demands on a soft growl.
I feel tears begin to build as I look at him. “I love you, Tyler.”
He rests his forehead against mine, and I see him smile before he mutters, “Thank fuck.”
I laugh, and he chuckles right before he kisses me. When his tongue sweeps into my mouth, I hold on to him as tightly as I can and kiss him back. In just a few short weeks, he’s changed everything. He’s shown me that it’s okay to fall if you’re falling for the right person, and he’s made me believe that my own happily ever after is possible.
“Sorry,” Heather says, and Tyler pulls his mouth from mine and tucks my face into his neck.
“You good?” he asks, and I turn my head against his chest to look at his sister, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
“Mom called me. She said she tried to reach you, but you didn’t answer.” She shifts, looking slightly uncomfortable.
I feel his arms around me tighten, and then I tip my head back when he groans. “Fuck, I’ll call her.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, and he looks down at me. I swear I think he looks worried, but I don’t know what he could be worried about.
“Everything’s fine. I just need to call her back. I’ll do it while I take Bruce out.”
“Sure,” I agree, and he lets me go and grabs Bruce’s leash, which is hanging on the handle of the pantry door in my kitchen.
“Be right back,” he tells Heather and me before he disappears.
“Is everything with your parents okay?” I question when I hear the front door open and shut.
Heather presses her lips together, looking unsure, and then she lets out a breath and relaxes them before answering. “Our mom wasn’t really happy about Tyler leaving town, the same way she wasn’t happy about me moving to Montana. She’s been trying for a while to convince Tyler to come home. I think with you in the picture, she knows that’s not going to happen.”
“Oh.” What do I say to that? Tyler never told me that his mom isn’t happy about him living here. I get it—I don’t think my mom would be happy about me moving to another state, even as old as I am.