Page 34 of Don't You Want Me, Baby?

‘Laughing, really?’

‘Yeah, really.’ She tapped a text back.

I’m fine. Thanks bud.

I’ve just got to push the one guy away I never wanted to lose. No biggie. ‘I’ve done nothingbutthink about it. I didn’t do any of this on a whim.’

‘Tequila-fuelled depression is more than a whim.’

‘Careful, Tyler,’ she chided. She could feel her heckles rise. ‘You’re my friend, but I don’t need your permission to do this. Nor do I want it. I don’t dictate what you do with your life, and my work status is not your concern.’

‘Not my— Amber, this is going to be hard!’

‘I know it is!’ She was on her feet before it even registered. Banging her shin on the coffee table, however, did. ‘Ow, shit!’ Tyler moved the coffee table away from her, but she held up a finger at him. ‘Don’t! Don’t you dare; I don’t need your help!’ She rubbed at her smarting leg. ‘In any of this! I can do what I like, so just go, will you?’

‘Fine,’ he huffed, getting to the door before rounding on her again. ‘I care, Amb. That’s all. I think you need to take a minute.’

‘That’s all I do, Ty. That’s the point. I want my life to start. This is about what I want, and it’s not a whim or a reaction to Bradley. He showed me who he was. He kept showing me who he was, over and over. I just didn’t listen. Everyone else tried to warn me that he wasn’t The One, and the truth is…’ She sighed, rubbing her arms to try to give herself some kind of comfort. ‘The truth is, I knew he wasn’t the perfect one for me, but I was trying to make it fit. I do that: try to make little pieces fit together to make a life. To try to convince myself that it’s enough, and it’s not. Not any more. Yeah, I got hurt. I turned thirty. Yes, all of those things suck, but this is not the reason for my decision. Decisions, actually. I realised that I was relying on Bradley to make things happen, but I should have been doing it for myself. Either way, I am going for all my dreams. Baby, business, the lot.’

She could see her friend wrestle with his emotions. His jaw was pulsing, a full-blown muscle spasm across his cheek.

‘You kicking off like this doesn’t help. It makes me feel like a child, not a grown woman planning to have one. I don’t need my hand holding through this, Ty. It’s not your job. I know you don’t want children.’

‘I know that, but?—’

‘But that’s the point.’ She felt the tears sting her eyes. ‘I do. I don’t want to wait for something to change. I know you don’t get it, and that’s fine.’ She felt her lip wobble. ‘I’m not asking you to do this with me. It’s my choice. It’s my time.’ She led him to the doorway. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to have a long bath with a good book and enjoy the rest of my time off. Tell Sharon I’ll come down later to help her lock up if she needs it.’

‘Amber—’

‘I’ll let you get back to your kitchen,’ she said dismissively. ‘Ben will be flapping by now.’

‘Yeah,’ Tyler grumbled over his shoulder. ‘He’s not the only one. I hate this, Amber.’

She had to lift her head to look up at him, and her heart broke when she saw his expression.

‘I’m sorry,’ she blurted out. ‘I’ve been awful to you, and I hate it when we argue. We never do, not like this. The truth is, I’ve been so confused by you lately.’

His brows shifted. ‘You have?’

She shot him a ‘dur’ look. ‘You know I have, and I’m sorry for it. All of it. I need you in my life.’

His lips pressed together as he gazed down at her. ‘I need you too.’

‘Good.’ She half smiled. ‘Because I need someone in my corner, okay? I need someone to just be there for me, and I know the watersare muddy, but you’re my friend. I still want that at the end of… whatever this is.’

For a moment, he looked as if he was going to tell her to go to hell and walk out. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and dropped a whiskery kiss on the top of her head. ‘I would never walk away from you, Cherry. I don’t think I have it in me.’

‘So don’t,’ she breathed, wrapping her arms around him. As selfish a move as it felt, she still didn’t stop herself from inhaling his ocean salt scent. Storing it up. ‘Just trust that I know what I’m doing, even when you don’t agree with it.’

He gripped her tighter. ‘Whatever you need, I’m here. I think we both know I won’t walk away from you. Your friendship is the best thing in my life.’

Her heart squeezed.God, sometimes I wish he did want more. Much more. He was there all this time. I ignored all the good things I had. Maybe if I’d said something sooner, things might have been different.

‘Thanks, pal.’

He chuckled around her, and she knew that whatever storm was going on with them, it had at least calmed for now. Even if she had to have him at a distance, it was better than not having him in her life.

‘Anytime, mate.’

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