Page 33 of Don't You Want Me, Baby?

Tyler ran his hands through his hair, leaving little stuck-up tufts in their wake. ‘Okay. Fine. I don’t want to fight either. I’m not exactly loving this side of me.’ He sighed, his chest heaving with the effort. ‘Can we talk about the other thing?’

She steeled herself for what was coming. ‘I haven’t changed my mind about that, either. I want a baby, Tyler. I haven’t cancelled the order.’

‘So that’s it?’ His voice was high pitched, disbelief on his face. He looked like she’d told him she was planning a one-way trip to Mars. She might even take that offer right about now, if it meant avoiding this. And the way Tyler looked at her. Their dynamic had changed so much recently, she wasn’t sure what she felt when she looked at him; being close to him wasn’t as clear cut as it used to be. It was all the possessive, protective stuff, she reasoned. It was kind of nice feeling like she had her own grizzly bear looking out for her, but the confessions, the way they seemed to irritate and gravitate to each other? It was confusing, trying to marry up what she felt with their differences. He was here, but they were friends. He didn’t do relationships, even though he looked at her sometimes like hewanted to either shake her or kiss the ever-loving crap out of her. Bradley’s comments had made her think too. He knew Tyler didn’t do girlfriends, but he’d still picked up on the way Tyler was with her. It was driving her crazy. Sometimes, she wished she could swap parts of each of them to make one man. If she could take the commitment of the Bradley she first met and shove it into Tyler, would that work?No. Look at his reaction to the baby idea. He was shocked to hell.She needed to forget about the last few weeks if she wanted to keep Tyler. She needed his friendship, needed him on side. The thought of them not speaking again churned her insides. If she could just stop thinking about him naked, it would be great. Especially when he was all alpha male in front of her like this. As much as it irritated her, it was also a turn on. Feminists still loved muscular protectors.So sue me.

She used to say to people who asked the nature of their relationship that they were besties, almost brother and sister. Thinking of him as some kind of adopted sibling now felt utterly wrong. At odds to how her body responded around him. She needed some distance. She was already reeling enough from the meeting with Bradley.

‘Amber?’ Tyler pulled her attention back from her thoughts. ‘I know you want a family. I get it, but it’s not that simple. You can’t just order spermsicles on the net and think that’s the way to go.’

‘Yes, actually, I can. I’ve made my mind up, and I really hope you can respect my decision. I need to see it through.’

‘See it through? Jesus, Amber – it’s not some puppy you picked from a shelter. It’s the next eighteen years of your life.’

‘That’s not fair, and I don’t need a lecture. Stop being all squeaky!’

‘Squeaky!’ he squealed before clearing his throat. ‘I’m not squeaky,’ his voice now a low rumble as he started to pace.

‘You were,’ Amber huffed from the sofa as she sagged into it.She suddenly felt like she could sleep for a week. ‘And now you’re wearing a hole in my rug.’

‘Yeah, well, wait ’til you have a baby running around. You’ll have a lot more to worry about than a worn rug. They puke, you know. You really think you’ll have the energy for a baby and a new business? Especially if the kid is from some guy who used to sit in the freezer next to your vodka?’

‘Don’t be mean, and I know kids puke. So do drunk people.’

He resumed his pacing. ‘And they poo everywhere.’

‘So do drunk people.’

‘And they cry, and never sleep.’

‘So do?—’

‘Stop it, you know what I mean. You don’t have drunk people in your flat, do you, and that’s another thing. How are you going to work the hours you do?’

‘The brewery has plenty of families as employees, Ty. The landlady at the Wine Lodge in town has three kids. And, if I have my own place, I will plan for it. Take maternity leave, I have a little saved up. I could get a slightly bigger business loan. I just got a wage rise from this place; I can make it work. I have to try at least.’

He huffed, and she knew he couldn’t argue with her logic. ‘Fine. That could work out. What about the school runs?’

‘Tyler, I don’t even have a baby yet. School runs are, like, five years away.’

‘Five years won’t take long to come, and there’s other things too. You work downstairs most nights.’

‘Yeah, and I also have staff, and baby monitors nowadays do just about everything but feed the baby for you. Why are you so mad about this? Do you think I’ll be a bad parent or something?’

‘I’m not mad. Of course you’d be a great mum. I just want you to wait, concentrate on the business plan. Get your life back first andthen think again. I’ll stay here, help you. I’ll stop looking for another job.’

Amber was still in her coat. The second she’d walked in the back door, Tyler had ambushed her. She was glad for it right now, found herself snuggling deeper into it as a shiver ran through her. Tyler’s tone had sent a cold jolt down her spine. She was messing everything up. Tyler was getting caught in the crossfire. Staying here with her was not an option. Tyler had his own dreams; head chef at the Slug was a waste of what he could do. She wouldn’t do that to him. Not a chance was she going to stop someone else going after what they wanted. She knew how it felt. If Tyler grew to resent her one day? She couldn’t bear it. She’d rather lose him altogether.

‘No, Tyler. Staying here is not what you want.’ She pulled off her coat. ‘I don’t want that for you either. You’re being such a good friend, but I want the best for you.’

‘Back at you. Which is why I am helping you now. I want you to just think about it some more, before you do something you can’t take back.’

Amber folded her coat over the arm of the sofa, settling herself down for what looked like a long talking to. The serene afternoon at the park felt like days ago now she was back in reality.

Her phone buzzed. Sharon had sent her a text.

Do you need an escape plan?

She laughed before she could stop it and Tyler, who was back to pacing and muttering to himself, stopped dead in front of her.

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