Page 23 of Don't You Want Me, Baby?

‘Nothing. I suppose you’re right really, and tonight was great. Everyone I love under the same roof, getting on and having fun.’

‘You did have that; all of your friends left gifts and cards. When you disappeared, they were all concerned. I had to strong arm half of them out the door.’

‘They are pretty great, aren’t they. Thanks for tonight, Ty.’ He shrugged, but she covered his hand with hers. ‘I mean it. It’s nice knowing I have you looking out for me.’

‘Always.’ He grinned. ‘And, for the record, I’m glad that you’re not with Bradley any more.’

Amber swallowed.Not as glad as I am right now.‘We were too different. I should have seen it a long time ago, but, when you want something to work out, it’s easy to ignore the alarm bells.’

His jaw clenched. ‘He never saw what he had, Amb. You need a partner in life, not someone who only makes time for you when he feels like it. He should have been there. Done more to show you how special you are.’

‘I don’t think a guy like that exists in real life.’Yes, he does, and he makes a damn fine pastry.

‘Of course he does,’ Tyler refuted before she’d even finished her sentence. ‘Trust me, there’s a guy out there who would worship the fucking ground you walk on. Who would move heaven and earth to give you what you want. What you need. A guy who wouldn’t have you sitting alone at your own damned birthday party. He would make sure you knew exactly what you were worth to him, and everyone you love. No man would ever hurt you again once he knew you were his. No-one would get near you, Amb. A guy like that would make it his one fucking mission in life to make you smile every single day. A man who would never stop making sure your body and mind both knew how beautiful you are, inside and out.’

Wow.She didn’t want him to stop talking. She wanted to hear more about this guy Tyler knew so much about, but the air was already thick with his declaration. And that’s what it had sounded like. It wasn’t some casual conversation. What he had just told her felt like a solemn vow from someone who’d thought a whole lot about the subject. Someone who sounded like the perfect person to have in your corner. The longer she sat in stunned silence, the tenser she felt his body become around her. ‘Well,’ she said, clearing her throat when the word came out as a raspy croak. ‘Maybe I should hold out for him, then.’ She was still in the nook of his arm, his muscled bicep enveloping her.

‘Yeah, maybe you should. Maybe he was an idiot for not speaking up sooner.’ He paused and Amber couldn’t breathe. As if all the air had been sucked out of the room. ‘I never thought Bradley was good enough for you.’

It was her turn to stiffen. ‘I still remember him in the beginning,’ she confessed. ‘He was kinda that guy you’re describing.’

‘He’s nothing like the guy I’m describing,’ Tyler spat back, hiswhole chest rumbling with the conviction of his retort. He sat up, pulling her with him. Grasping her gently by the chin to turn her to him. ‘Don’t you get it, Amber? You’re the fucking prize. Nothing else comes close.’

With her eyes locked onto his like this, seeing the want and need swirling in those irises was unavoidable. This was another moment between them, she knew. Another step that blurred the lines between friendship and… whatever this was. Lust? Want?More?

She’d thought about him naked before, but the curiosity was freed by the alcohol. Zipping to the surface. She wondered what his tattoos would taste like under her tongue. What he was packing under his drawstring chequered chef’s trousers. They’d been swimming together before. She still dined out on the memory of that bulge in his swim shorts as they’d mucked about splashing each other in the water. The way he’d said he’d be out after another couple of lengths. She’d wondered at the time if he was really waiting for his own length to cool down, but then in the car on the way home, it was business as usual. Mates hitting the burger drive thru and talking about the merits of burger relish over ketchup. There was so much in her head, so much to say to him. To ask. She wanted to comb through the last few years and ask him everything she’d wondered about over their friendship. The times he’d said little things, done little things for her. She wanted to know what made Tyler Williams’ heart beat in his chest. What came out was something she never expected.

‘I want a baby.’

He was so still at first, she started to doubt she’d said it aloud. His eyes crinkled in the corners, his determined stare turning to a bemused grin, before it fell away to nothing but confusion.

‘What?’

She licked at her lips, trying to get some moisture back in her mouth.

‘I… I’ve been thinking about it a lot. Years, actually. With the break-up and everything, I’ve been thinking about how much time I’ve wasted.’

She watched as he looked to the ceiling, saw the column of his throat work as he swallowed. ‘I didn’t know you and Bradley were at that point.’

‘We weren’t, not really. We talked about it in the beginning, but that was all it was. Talk, I mean. Now I’m single, I don’t want to wait any more.’

‘I… don’t think I understand. You’re thirty. You have plenty of time.’

‘That’s the point, though.’ She smiled ruefully. ‘I don’t want to wait. It’s 2024. I realised I don’t have to. I could just do it, and once the idea was in my head, I can’t get it out. I could do it. The Arms, have a baby. I don’t want to look back later and have regrets.’ His brown eyes were searching her face, but it was one of those rare times that she couldn’t read him. ‘Haven’t you ever thought about it? Having a family?’

‘No.’ No hesitation there. ‘Not for a long time.’

‘What changed?’ she asked, feeling her heart break.I mean, what were you expecting? Him to offer up his bloody sperm?She felt stupid. Her Champagne-loose tongue had scared the shit out of him. They hadn’t even kissed, for God’s sake. They hadn’t even laid their cards on the table about what they were to each other. Still, the biological ticking clock wasn’t something she could hit the snooze button on. Even for the man in front of her. He knew now. It was out there. ‘Was it because of your ex?’

‘That was a lifetime ago,’ he muttered. She felt something shift between them, fall away. His jaw clenched tight, fingers sliding away from her chin. He turned away, hands dropping to rest on hislap as he hung his head. She mourned the loss of his heat as he pulled away from her, and the moment. ‘It’s late. I should go. I’ll be in early for the clean-up.’

‘Ty, I?—’

The feeling of helplessness grew with each step he took away from her. Even in their close proximity, she’d never felt as far from him as she did right now. The space between them was an ache, tangible in her chest. He paused in the doorway, his fists clenching at his sides. ‘You know, sometimes I really regret being your friend. I regret a lot of things I can’t seem to take back.’ His eyes flashed with something she’d not seen before. Resignation? Pain. Then it was gone. ‘Drink some water, please.’

‘Tyler.’

He shook his head, a small smile not quite hitting his lips. ‘I’m good, Amber. Don’t worry about me. I just want you to be happy. To get what you want in life. Drink that water.’ He went to leave but turned back at the last minute. ‘Happy birthday, Cherry. You really did look beautiful tonight. You always do to me. Sleep tight.’

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