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Suggestion 10
DO NOT PANIC
LEAH
My front door opens, and Tyler walks in with Heather right behind him. I smile from where I’m lounging on the couch with Kennedy, who’s asleep on her stomach. I have a stack of pillows built into a wall to prevent her from rolling off. “How was lunch?” I ask quietly as Tyler greets me with a kiss.
“Good, baby, thanks for looking after Kennedy.”
I nod at him.
“Was she okay?” Heather asks, looking down at her sleeping girl.
“She was perfect. I gave her a bottle about an hour ago, and she fell asleep right after she burped.”
Her eyes come to me, and I see tears shimmer in them. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, seriously. I loved spending time with her,” I say softly.
I watch her inhale deeply and nod, and then she looks at her brother. “You can go make out with her now,” she says, and I start to laugh, and Tyler chuckles as I get up off the couch. She takes my seat and rests her hand on Kennedy’s bottom; she’s lounging on her side with her eyes on the TV.
The last couple of days, she has caught Tyler and I making out more than once. It’s not that we’re trying to hide our relationship; we just don’t want what we’re building to be in her face, especially with what she’s going through. Since Tyler only has one bed at his place, he gave it to his sister and has been sleeping with me at my place. Not that that’s new—he was staying with me before she arrived.
“Be back in a minute,” Tyler says, taking my hand and pulling me with him to the kitchen.
“How did it go?” I ask softly once we’re out of earshot of the living room.
“She opened 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.
