Page 46 of Don't You Want Me, Baby?

‘I’m happy, Amber. Last night for me was a long time coming. Ididn’t think it would happen that way, but I don’t regret it.’ He set the mug back on the tray, reaching to take her hand in his. ‘You thought I’d be gone, but you didn’t want me to be. Right?’

She nodded, a lump in her throat at his words.

‘So that means you don’t regret this either. I really think we could?—’

His phone cut him off, making Amber jump. It rang out loud in the previously tranquil bedroom. Like a gunshot scattered sleeping birds in the peaceful forest. He sighed, reached and pulled it out of his jeans pocket. She looked at the caller display, and her morning glow ebbed away. It was the agency he’d signed up with for his job hunt.

‘Shouldn’t you get that?’ she said when he made no move to pick up the call.

‘I’m not answering it.’ The smile she loved on his face was gone now, his jaw set hard. He reached for her hand, as if he was expecting her to jump from the bed. She had to admit, she had considered it. In the light of day, the future loomed large between them.

‘It might be a job offer,’ she probed.

Tyler’s sigh was loud in the room. ‘I’ve already been offered one. In London. And I’m not interested in taking the job, Amber. To be honest, I never really was.’ His throat worked. ‘I don’t need that now.’ He huffed out a laugh. ‘I mean, Jesus, I was only going to leave because we’d stopped talking. When you told me about the baby plan, it kinda brought up some stuff. I was about to call the agency off.’

The phone rang again, and Tyler cut the call off. Threw the phone down on the bed.

‘Tyler, you got a job?’

He pressed his lips together. ‘They offered me a job in London. Chef Ainsley’s new place had an opening.’ Amber baulked.

‘James Ainsley, the chef you worship?’ Ainsley had his own chain of exclusive restaurants, best-selling cookbooks and a regular celebrity slot on morning television. Tyler had nurtured a major man crush on him for as long as she’d known him. To be offered a job there would be amazing for his career. ‘Why the hell wouldn’t you tell me that?’

He shrugged, but for once, he didn’t meet her eye. ‘Because I wasn’t going to take it, Amber. We’re good now. There was no point. I’m not leaving you.’

‘Tyler, that’s insane! You’re wasted here! That’s your dream!’

‘No, Amber, it’s not. I’m good. I know we have some stuff to sort out, but I told you. I’m not going anywhere.’

‘You weren’t going to tell me, were you?’ She thought back to everything he said last night. Everything he’d been doing for her. The menus, the dishes, spurring her on. He was putting everything on hold for her. He’d fallen in love with a baby that wasn’t his, and now what? If he stayed, he’d be doing the same thing. Following her dreams, at the expense of his own. Raising a child he didn’t really want. Her heart swelled and broke at the same time. She couldn’t cope with it. She couldn’t do it to him. He’d let her do it, and then what? Would he end up resenting her? ‘Tyler, that job would be amazing.’

‘I’m not taking it, baby. I don’t want to go to London. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d be like this. There was no point discussing it.’ His scowl deepened when his phone started ringing again. He ignored it. ‘I’ll call them back later, tell them I changed my mind.’

Amber shook her head. This was all such a mess. Tyler couldn’t do this. She cared about him too much to drag him into her chaos a second longer. She had to stick to the plan. Be on her own. Cut ties, and try to salvage what she could out of this whole thing. He’d hate her, but she could live with it. In the long run, he’d be happier. He’drealise one day, once he was following his own path, that this was the right thing to do.

‘Tyler, I need you to go.’ She scrambled out from under the duvet, knocking the tray flying. ‘We can’t do this.’ Tyler didn’t move for the longest time as she babbled on, throwing on the nearest top and sweatpants she could grab from her drawers. ‘Jesus Christ, it’s such a mess. I have to open up, get the Slug organised.’

The phone stopped ringing, and after a second, started right up again.

She grabbed his clothes from the floor, passing them to him as he rounded the bed and came to stand in front of her. He looked so sexy, standing there in her bedroom clad in his black boxers. She tried not to look, even though later she knew it was all she would think about. Last night would torture her forever.

‘Amber, take a breath. Don’t be mad about London; I don’t care about the job. We need to talk about this, make a plan.’

‘Oh yeah.’ She laughed bitterly. ‘I’m full of those, Ty. But I’m not costing you yours. I have so much baggage, I could fill my own airport. Don’t you see?’

He shook his head. ‘See what? You panicking, when we finally did this? I want you, don’t you get that yet? I want you. So much. All of you. Everything you are. Everything you want. I’m in this. When it comes to you, I’m on board.’

‘So you’re going to stay. Run the Arms with me, see my dreams happen. Raise a child that’s not yours?’

He swallowed. ‘If you still want to do the baby thing, then yes. I mean, the Arms comes first, right? The rest might take me a minute. I want you, Amber. That’s the point. I’m not leaving.’

She felt the tears hit her cheek. She couldn’t do this to him. It felt like she was trapping him like Lauren had. She wasn’t going to do that to him. She would rather lose him for good than see the light slowly seep out of him. She couldn’t bring a child into thatkind of environment. Tyler left London to avoid the same thing. Her parents hadn’t wanted a kid. Look how that had turned out.

‘Please, just go. I should never have done this.’

‘Sweetheart don’t do this.’ He looked stricken. ‘We can sort this out. Let’s finish breakfast, get dressed. I’ll help you set up the bar.’

She shook her head, dressed now. Pulling her hair back into a pony, she avoided looking at him. ‘Please, just go.’

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