Happily Ever Alpha

by Sarah O'Rourke

  “Found who?” I heard my father question curiously, his deep, familiar voice sounding as close as the next room even though we were separated by the distance of several hundred miles.

  “The girl, Pop. I found the girl,” I answered with a grin, my heart pounding with an excitement that hadn’t faded even a little bit since I laid eyes on Michelle Buchanan. Hell, if anything, that excitement to see her—that eagerness to be with her—had only grown stronger. I know it made me sound like a world class pussy, but I think I’d be content just to sit in a room so that I could be near her.

  “You found a girl. What girl?” my dad asked, his aged voice sounding a little rustier than usual. I didn’t let that fool me. I knew good and well that even at almost seventy years old, Edward Templeton could still outwit, outmaneuver and outperform any son of a bitch stupid enough to underestimate him—including his son. His loveable clueless schtick had served him well, however. He’d won many a court case by fooling his opponent into thinking that he was just some affable hick who’d managed to pass the bar exam. He’d lull those fuckers on the other side of the courtroom into a false sense of security then rip out their throats in cross examination. I’d heard it a thousand times and enjoyed every moment of the show, even when it had been a rerun. That was how I knew my parent understood exactly what I was sharing with him now. He just wanted to draw out this monumental moment in my life.

  “My girl, Dad,” I clarified with a chuckle. “I finally fuckin’ found her. And you were right. The second I laid eyes on her, it felt like a part of me that I hadn’t even realized was missing suddenly locked into place, making me whole. Making me complete. Never felt anything like it. It was like licking my finger and puttin’ it against a live wire. The jolt my system got when I saw her… it was indescribable.”

  “Of course I was right. You think I landed a woman like your mother by being a putz? I’m happy for you, kid. The good news is that if you’ve actually found your girl, you’ll get to keep right on feelin’ this way for the rest of your life, son. Leastways, I’ve never stopped feelin’ that way ‘bout your mother, and it’s been almost forty-five years for us.”

  My dad’s deep, jovial belly laugh echoed through the phone line, and I knew he was pleased I’d found someone with whom I could experience the kind of joy shared with my mom.

  “Well, don’t keep an old man in suspense. Tell me about her, Son,” my dad ordered eagerly.

  “Tell us about her,” I heard my mom’s breathless voice demand as she picked up the secondary line I knew they had in the kitchen. Chances were, she’d overheard my dad’s end of the conversation and already tried to unsuccessfully wrestle the cordless phone out of my dad’s hand. Knowing Mom, she probably already had her retribution for Dad planned out for when my father least expected it. She was crafty like that. My mother, Amelia Templeton, was a retired middle school teacher who’d learned long ago that spending valuable time arguing with obstinate children or husbands was a waste of both her energy and breath. When faced with a dilemma such as stealing a telephone from her reluctant-to-give-it-up husband, she’d always made the expedient choice and worry about getting her revenge later. Getting the 4-1-1 on her favorite son’s love life obviously took priority over everything else.

  “Hi, Mom. How are you?” I greeted my sixty-eight year old mother with a smile as I heard the scrape of her pulling out a chair from the dining room table.

  “I’m just fine, Lukie, but we aren’t going to talk about me right now. We’re discussing you, son. I want to hear all about the woman that’s finally managed to steal my boy’s heart. Start with telling us this girl’s name?” my mom directed in a commanding voice that could rival any drill sergeant out there. No matter how old I got, I would never fail to sit up a little straighter when I heard that particular tone come out of her mouth. My mom never failed to remind me and my siblings that she could still kick a little ass when necessary. As someone that had received such treatment on more than one occasion, I definitely wasn’t gonna hedge on her now. I was pretty sure my ass still had her footprint on it from the last time I’d tangled with my feisty mother.

  “Her name is Michelle, Mom, and she’s gorgeous. She’s got long hair that I swear is the color of burnt cinnamon.”

  “Son, I don’t know if I know what color burnt cinnamon is,” his mom chuckled. “Do an old woman a favor and stick with the primary colors.”

  I couldn’t help my own laugh as I nodded. “I guess the best way to describe the color is to say it’s a kind of rich brown that has these beautiful red highlights woven through it. When the light bounces off those highlights the red just shines like fire. It’s beautiful, mom. And her eyes… God, her eyes make my heart skip a beat. They’re green, but not just some ordinary, run-of-the-mill green. No, it’s… do you remember how the grass looks down by Wroth Creek during the first few days of spring? How it has that vibrant emerald sheen to it? That’s the color of Michelle’s eyes, mom.”

  “Jesus, our son’s become a poet since he moved to Tennessee, Amy. Burnt cinnamon hair and eyes with vibrant emerald sheen? Boy, I think you missed your calling. You should have been a writer instead of an entrepreneur,” I heard my dad tease, his boisterous laughter blending with my mother’s slightly more ladylike giggles.

  “Very funny,” I grumbled, too happy with the turn my life had taken to really be irritated by my father’s good-natured mockery. “I’m not gonna apologize for finding a woman that has a face that would make an artist weep and a body that would make a priest reconsider his vow of celibacy.”

  “She’s that perfect, huh?” Mom asked with a smile in her voice.

  “Absolutely,” I confirmed. “She probably only comes up to my shoulder in her stocking feet, and she’s a little on the small side. If I had my way, she could definitely stand to gain a few pounds, but that’s more for my peace of mind regarding her health than because I’d want to change anything about her body. A few more meals at the restaurant and I’m hoping she’ll fill out a bit.”

  “I doubt you have anything to worry about. It sounds like she’s petite. Some women are just built small, son,” my mother replied airily. “Enough about her looks, though. I want to know about her heart. What’s this young lady like?”

  I couldn’t help my satisfied sigh as I thought back to my interaction with Michelle. “She’s sweet, mom,” I answered truthfully. “She’s a little shy when she first meets you, and she rambles and fidgets when she gets nervous. So much so that I nicknamed her hummingbird within about two minutes of meeting her because she literally could not be still. I think she shredded three napkins during the course of our first conversation. But once she began to get comfortable with me, her sassy side began to emerge. I could tell right away that I’d met my match in her and that she was exactly the woman I hadn’t known my heart was waiting for.”

  “Oh, Son,” I heard my mom whisper as she sniffled. I knew she was probably furiously mopping tears from her cheeks. My mom might be a hard ass, but she also had a soft heart when it came to her kids finding their own happily ever afters. “Did you hear that, Ed? Our boy has found his One.”

  “I heard, sweetheart,” my dad murmured thickly. I smiled as I heard my dad’s chair creak. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was up and moving toward my tearful mother. A guy like my dad would never just sit in the living room while his wife was bawling in the kitchen, even if she was shedding happy tears. “How’s it feel, Luka?” my dad questioned, his voice deep and solemn as he aimed his question at me.

  “What?” I asked, leaning back in my chair as I propped my feet on my desk.

  “Finding the girl that’s going to own you.”

  I answered it as bluntly and as honestly as I knew how. “It feels fuckin’ amazing, Pop. Michelle’s managed to fill up a space inside me that I never even realized was empty. She slid into place and made me whole.”

  “Yeah, that sounds about right,” my father agreed on a grunt.

  “Now the challeng
e is convincing her that she belongs to me as much as I belong to her,” I shared grumpily.

  “You mean she doesn’t want you? What kind of girl wouldn’t want my baby?” my mother asked sharply.

  I grinned at the affronted edge in my mom’s question. I wasn’t surprised. Mom had always thought my two sisters and I had hung the moon. The idea that a girl wouldn’t immediately find me the most perfect specimen of masculinity to ever cross her path was something my mother would never understand. In her eyes, I could do no wrong.

  “My girl has been through something, Mom. I don’t know what it is yet, but I can tell by looking in her eyes that she’s been hurt before. She’s not going to trust anyone with her heart easily.”

  “Oh, that’s not good,” my mother breathed weakly.

  “It’ll be okay. She didn’t have me at her back before. She does now, and I’m not going to let anyone ever dim the light in her eyes or damage her sweet heart again. I just have to figure out how to convince her to trust me.”

  “You need to prove to her you’re a man strong enough to keep that wounded heart she has safe from further harm,” my father advised.

  “That’s the plan, Pop,” I replied evenly as I dropped a hand to curve around the arm of my desk chair.

  “How did you two meet?” My mom probed eagerly, unwilling to let the subject of my newly found soulmate rest. “I want details, Lukie.”

  I gave my parents the dirty details of Michelle’s asshole blind date, ending with how the dumbass made the wise decision to depart. My blood pressure rose while I shared the story, and I still couldn’t believe that someone could disrespect my woman in such way.

  “Good for you, Lukie,” Mom praised, drawing me back to the present. “I don’t know what is wrong with young men today that they think it’s okay to just leave a woman sitting all by herself in a restaurant without so much as a phone call. She’s lucky you were there.”

  “No, Mom. I’m definitely the lucky one. Usually I hide out in my office and do paperwork during the supper rush. If I hadn’t decided I needed to stretch my legs, I’d never have seen her. It twists me up inside every time I think about it,” I confided with a grimace.

  “Things happen the way they’re meant to, Son,” my father soothed knowingly. “It’s fate.”

  “I guess. All I know is that now that I’ve found her, I’m not giving her a chance to get away from me. No matter how much she tries to give me the shake,” I laughed, remembering her disgruntled face when I’d insisted on driving her home Friday night after our impromptu meal and again late yesterday morning when I’d shown up at her door unexpectedly, picnic basket in hand and kidnapped her for an afternoon of fun and relaxation. It was clear the longer I’d spent in Michelle’s company, the less she knew what to do with my sudden interest in her.

  After I’d dropped Michelle off at her house Friday night, I had initially thought I’d give the bemused woman the weekend to think about me and get used to the idea of us embarking on a relationship. I’d made it clear what I wanted from her, even going as far as to openly claim her as mine. I still smiled every time I recalled her reaction, an endearing blend of puzzled confusion and stubborn denial. I’d hoped[AO7] a couple of days thoughtful contemplation might soften her to the idea of being mine.

  Of course, everything had changed for me the second I got her mouth underneath mine. I’d been aiming to offer a sweetly chaste goodnight kiss. A peck on the lips. A mere brush of my mouth over hers. That had been my plan, but it’s very true that when man plans, God laughs. And Friday night, the Almighty got one hell of a chuckle at my expense. Because the moment my mouth covered her slightly trembling lips, I’d known I’d never make it two whole days without seeing her. I wasn’t sure how I’d ever be able to go two seconds without feeling that sweet mouth against mine.

  Her soft lips had felt too right underneath mine and her tongue had tasted way too sweet for me to ever think about waiting for us to be together. Hell, no. Our kiss only served to confirm what I already knew: Michelle Buchanan was mine.

  Mine to hold.

  Mine to possess.

  Mine to love.

  And God help the fool that thought to come between me and my newly discovered reason for breathing.

  So, while I’d somehow reluctantly forced myself to leave her side Friday night, I was back on Saturday, armed with a wicker basket filled with a delicious meal and a bottle of my girl’s preferred Bordeaux wine. She’d been adorably flustered when she answered the door and found me standing on her front porch. Obviously still half-asleep, her bleary, heavy lidded eyes had glared up at me as she’d tugged her worn Tennessee Volunteers sleepshirt down her shapely bare legs. Only the promise of fresh baked croissants and gourmet coffee from the local coffee shop had gotten me past her front door. The picnic basket that I had dangling from one of my hands had only sweetened the deal. My woman might be small, but I’d quickly learned that she loved food, and I was going to use every bullet I had in my arsenal in convincing her to spend time with me.

  I could tell by the look on her gorgeous face that her instincts were screaming at her to send me on my merry way, but I was relieved that she ignored the urge—either due to the smell of freshly baked bread or my charming good looks. Either way, I’d watched as she hurried toward her bedroom to change, enjoying the sway of her pert ass beneath the faded orange shirt as she rushed down the hallway to get dressed. What could I say? I was a man, not a saint.

  I could report, however, that once I had my breathtaking beauty out of her house and riding beside me as we drove toward the lake, she relaxed significantly, her smiles coming more freely and her laughter more frequently the longer she spent beside me. We spent the entire afternoon getting to know each other better as we worked our way through the burgeoning basket of food I’d had my chef pack for us. I’d already made myself a mental note to give Jean Luc[AO8] a well-deserved raise on Monday.

  Again, since I wasn’t a saint, I’d snuck underneath Michelle’s formidable defenses and planted more than a couple kisses against my hummingbird’s pink lips, each one lasting longer and tasting sweeter than the last. Just as she’d been about to fully relax, however, I’d screwed it up by asking about her family. Helplessly, I’d watched as she’d frozen, offering me only the barest information about her mother and not mentioning her dad at all. Her icy demeanor had softened slightly when she’d mentioned her grandmother, and I’d known by unshed tears that her deceased grandmother had been important to her.

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that her family was an incredibly touchy subject for my sweet girl, and I instinctively knew that my hummingbird’s tender soul had been somehow wounded by the relatives she refused to speak about. Whatever those memories were that she had, I could tell they disturbed her. I was reminded of it every time I looked into those beautifully haunted jade green eyes. I didn’t know who’d been so careless with her heart, and I didn’t know why. In the long run, I supposed it didn’t matter; the damage had already been done. Whoever that person had been, they had to be a special kind of asshole to hurt a girl as special as my Michelle. I suspected there was more than one culprit, and in time, she’d confide in me. Until then, I’d be patient and prove to her while I hadn’t been around to stop her sweet spirit from being bruised in the past, I’d make damn sure no one else ever got the chance to injure her again.

  One way or another, I was determined to repair what those faceless assholes had broken in my woman. Whether it had been her father, her mother or both, it didn’t matter to me. I wouldn’t tolerate anyone hurting the woman I’d fallen for. In the meantime, I was going to collect the damaged pieces of her heart and help her rebuild it into something even stronger and more beautiful. By God, I would not allow any of those bastards in her family to keep a single part of her. I was going to devote every last ounce of energy I had into showing Michelle that a real man would love her through her pain—even on the days when that pain felt endless. I’d convince her that
a guy who truly cared for her would put in the work it took to mend her battered heart.

  I’d do whatever it took to demonstrate that I wasn’t going to cut and run just because a relationship with her would take work.

  Michelle was worth any hoop I’d have to jump through, any hurdle I’d have to clear, and any fire I’d have to walk through. This woman had quite simply, but irrefutably, become as essential to me as water or air. She was everything to me, and without her, I’d be a dead man with a beating heart.

  “I don’t care if they’re a new couple, Ed, I want to meet her. Book those plane tickets!”

  I was drawn from my reflection as I listened to my mother’s determined edict. Holy hell, how had I missed the fact that my mother was trying to bully her way from Colorado to Tennessee? As much as I loved my parents, now wasn’t the time for them to breeze into town. Not quite yet, anyway. I needed to intercede before my dad decided to cave to his wife’s demands. “Wait a sec, guys,” I interrupted, raising my voice to be heard over my mother’s rant about how the airlines were robbing paying passengers blind with their exorbitant ticket costs. “Let’s put a freeze on any ticket buying today. I want a little more time to ease Michelle into this relationship before you guys arrive on my doorstep.”

  “You mean you need the time to convince her you’re actually in a relationship, don’t you?” my father mocked lightly.

  What could I say to that? The man knew me better than anyone on earth. Mostly, because I was just like him. “Don’t worry, Pops. I’ll have things locked down with my lady soon. She’s not getting the chance to run.”

  “Ohhhh, Ed. He reminds me of you forty years ago,” I heard my mother sigh dreamily.

  Moving ahead quickly while I had my mother distracted, I continued. “You guys save your money. In a couple of months, I intend to bring Michelle to Denver. You can meet her then. “