Page 54 of Don't You Want Me, Baby?

‘I’ll leave, but, come on, Ben, you have an opinion. Just say it.’

His scrubbing paused. ‘Fine. How is protecting her lying to her, and not telling her that Bradley had been stepping out on her? I know you guys were getting close, but dude. He had a secret fiancée.’

‘I couldn’t just tell her! God, Ben. It’s not that easy. I told her that she deserved better. I didn’t know till well after they broke up, andwe’d had a fight. I went there to sort it out, and walked into the truth. If I’d known…’ He huffed deep in his chest, wishing Bradley’s nose was close by again so he could pummel it. ‘I didn’t know about the other woman. I knew he was distracted; he stopped trying with her long before this happened. She knew herself things were off. It’s not just about this. It’s a lot more. She’s using the Brad thing to push me away. I told him he had to come clean. I didn’t want to do his dirty work for him.’

Ben dipped the pan under the hot suds in the sink, grabbing a tea towel to dry off his hands before starting on the steel worktops.

‘Because by then, you were in love with Amber, and you didn’t want to hurt her.’

‘No,’ Tyler refuted, sagging against the stainless steel. Meeting Ben’s eyes, he shot him a rueful smile. ‘I’ve been in love with Amber since I set eyes on her.’ The shock on Ben’s face almost made him laugh out loud. ‘I didn’t realise at first. I thought it would pass, but it didn’t. I couldn’t do anything about it. She was my boss; I needed the job ’til I figured out what I wanted next. I didn’t want to leave. I believed in her ideas, the way she speaks to the customers. It was only supposed to be a stop gap ’til I got a better job, but I stayed. For her.’

Ben blew out a breath. ‘Fuck, mate, why didn’t you just tell her? Why did you let Bradley take her out in the first place?’

Tyler felt his jaw clench tight. ‘You really think I meant to do that? When I saw him talk to her, I knew I’d messed up, but he was a good bloke with her. Arrogant sure, but she liked him. She seemed happy, and I wanted that for her even if it made my guts wrench. She wanted things that I’d given up hoping for. By the time I realised I could give it all to her, it was too late. There was nothing I could do, and she was falling in love with him. So I just moved on, focused on helping her get her dreams, being her friend.’

‘’Til he stopped being a good boyfriend.’

‘I wanted to smash his stupid face in. I went to see him, you know. Before all this. At Sloane’s. After he stood her up for the comedy night. She was so sad that night, it made my blood boil. So I went there, confronted him. He said he was just busy. I told him he needed to prioritise her or end it. You know what he did? He pulled out a ring.’

Ben’s face dropped. ‘For Amber?’

‘Yep. He had it there, in his office. A ring he said he’d bought for Amber, all ready and waiting for when the new place opened. He told me he was planning to ask her at the restaurant opening. He was talking to the bank, had an investor all lined up.’

‘Fuck,’ Ben huffed.

‘Exactly. I believed him. He hadn’t been caught kissing any blondes at that point, and I realised that I was going to be working in the place with both of them living together upstairs. So, I started looking for a job. I knew I would have to or go crazy watching the two of them together. I was going to bow out, get a new job. I figured, once they were engaged, I’d leave.’

‘But then they broke up.’

‘Yeah. After the night we had, I couldn’t let myself walk away. This whole baby thing too. I got over my shit with Lauren.’

‘I still can’t believe you only just told me about that.’

Tyler rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, well – it was kind of my default, bud. Amber changed all that. Made me face it head on. Thinking about her having a baby that way, it changed things. I wanted her to have her dreams, but…’

‘You wanted to be the one to give it to her.’ Ben smirked at his words. ‘No pun intended.’

‘I would have been there either way,’ he said, not realising until that moment how true it was. Whether she went through with the insemination or not, he would have been there given the chance. Loved that baby as his own. ‘My guess is, after the comedy night,when the original investor fell through, he found another. One that wanted something in return. I think Bradley really did love Amber; when I saw that ring, I believed him. ’Til I saw it on the blonde’s finger that night.’

‘Jesus. He gave Amber’s ring to her?’

Tyler smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. ‘Bradley is not one to waste money, or an opportunity.’

‘So why not tell Amber all this?’

‘I tried. She won’t talk to me. She never answers my calls or texts. She fired me, Ben. She told me to take the job in London. When I saw her last, it’s like I’m a stranger to her. I handed in my notice on my flat.’

‘So that’s it? You’re leaving?’

Tyler nodded, turning to the sink full of dirty pots. ‘Yep. It’s time to stop dreaming, Ben. Go and get a real life. She doesn’t want me. I can’t stay here, like some protective arsehole. Not when she cut me out of her life. I have to let her go.’

Ben dropped his scrubber and came to give him a manly hug. ‘I’m sorry, mate. I really am. I thought you two were finally going to get it together.’

‘Me too,’ Tyler said, his voice gruff. ‘Do me a favour?’

‘Anything mate.’

‘Don’t mess up my kitchen. A head chef keeps his shit together.’

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