On Dry Land (Swimming Upstream #3)

by Rebecca Barber

  After she’d taken out the rubbish, she’d changed her sheets and replaced the damp towels. She’d vacuumed and picked up the dirty clothes, tossing them in the hamper. Opening the window, a cool breeze drifted in, catching the lace curtains and making them dance hypnotically. For a few long breaths, Ava just sat there watching.

  When Tyler’s message had come through, Ava hadn’t hesitated in replying with exactly what she wanted—something now she was deeply regretting. Never in her life had Ava been so forward. She’d never once asked for what she wanted, let alone demanded it. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but she couldn’t take it back despite the overwhelming humiliation she was now battling.

  Realising Tyler wasn’t far away, Ava didn’t want him to see her like this. Sure, he’d looked after her while she’d thrown up last night’s liquid dinner and he’d held her regardless, but right now she needed a shower. Desperately. If she could avoid him ever seeing her like that again, she’d give anything.

  Darting into the shower, Ava scrubbed and shaved until she felt human. Stepping from the shower, she massaged her favourite vanilla scented body lotion into her soft skin, suddenly feeling very feminine. She glanced in the mirror, surprised to see the woman staring back at her. She hadn’t seen her in a while. Her reflection was happy. Peaceful. Even a little bit naughty. Her once hollow eyes were alive again and the smile that shone back at her sent her heart soaring. Or maybe it was her soaring heart that caused the infectious grin. Either way, Ava didn’t care. As long as it didn’t leave anytime soon, she was happy.

  “Honey, I’m home!” Tyler’s deep voice echoed followed by the thump of the door closing.

  Realising she was standing in the bathroom, stark naked, wearing nothing but a grin, Ava grabbed the robe from behind the door and tied it tightly around her waist. “Won’t be a minute,” she called as she kicked shut the bathroom door.

  Tipping her head upside down, Ava bent at the waist and started drying her hair roughly, humming as she went. Some damn country song had weaselled its way under her skin and she hadn’t been able to shake it. Bopping along, Ava didn’t hear the door creak open.

  “Now that’s a sight any guy would want to come home to.”

  Startled by the hunger in Tyler’s voice, Ava flipped her hair back and stood up to see him standing there, leaning on the door frame with a devilish smirk across his face. “You shouldn’t be in here,” she scolded him as she twisted the towel and flicked at the exposed skin on his legs.

  “Bullshit! This is exactly where I should be!” he groaned as he stepped towards her, inching his fingers around her hips. When his chin came to rest on her shoulder, Ava shivered and looked up. Without saying a word, they both looked up into the mirror at the same time and their intense, hungry gazes locked.

  Breathlessly, Ava sighed, “Tyler!”

  “Ava.”

  With cautious fingers, he took hold of the neckline of the thick white robe and pulled it open a fraction, exposing Ava’s pale collarbone. With his eyes still fixed on Ava’s, Tyler rubbed his stubbled chin across the bare skin before soothing it with a swipe of his talented tongue. Ava’s legs buckled beneath her and her hands went flying for the sink in front of her. She needed to hold onto something or she was about to melt into a puddle on the floor.

  With a deep, hearty chuckle that started in his chest and vibrated through his body, Ava felt the laugh on her back before she heard it. “Come on, Short Stack. You need to get some clothes on or I can’t be held responsible.”

  Spinning around, Ava faced Tyler and rose up on her toes. “Don’t be silly, Tyler! No one would ever accuse you of being responsible.” Pressing a quick, innocent kiss to Tyler’s cheek, Ava darted past him and into her bedroom, but not before Tyler swatted her bum as she went by.

  “Get dressed, woman! Then I’m going to feed you!”

  “Great, I’m starving!” Ava called as she shut the door between them, leaving Tyler standing there with his hands on his hips and a wicked gleam in his eye.

  With her heart pounding and the blood rushing in her ears, Ava dressed quickly before having to strip off the t-shirt and try again. In her distracted state, she’d managed to put it on not only the wrong way around but inside out as well!

  “What are we eating?” Ava called out as she wandered down the hallway towards the kitchen.

  “You look better.”

  “I am. Wine and I don’t seem to have the best relationship at the moment.”

  “You sure that’s all it is?”

  A giggle bubbled up her throat and escaped as Ava reached the kitchen. Tyler stepped back and leaned against the sink, holding his arms open wide. Without hesitation, Ava stepped towards him and moulded her body tight against his solid chest. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re cute when you worry?”

  Kissing the tip of her nose, Tyler breathed in deeply before whispering in her ear, “Only about you, Short Stack!” Before their moment of passion was able to consume them both, Ava’s stomach gurgled loudly. “That sounds like a hint. Take a seat and I’ll grab plates.”

  “It’s my house!” Ava protested with a pout.

  “And you’re sick. I’m looking after you, so shut up and sit down!” With a wink, Tyler pulled open the pantry and grabbed some plates, silverware, and paper napkins before sinking into the seat beside her.

  As soon as he cracked open the Styrofoam box, the scent of meat, garlic, and tomatoes filled the room and Ava’s stomach lurched. With her hand over her mouth, Ava dashed for the kitchen sink, barely making it before the heaving began again. Coughing and spluttering as she purged, Ava felt a steadying warmth on her back and felt better instantly. With one hand, Tyler held her hair from her face, while the other rubbed her back gently. Eventually the gagging eased and Ava turned on the faucet, trying to wash away any trace. Sticking her hands underneath, she scooped handfuls of water and splashed her face, seemingly unaware that her shirt was also getting soaked in the process.

  Drinking straight from the faucet, Ava gulped greedily. She was so damn thirsty.

  “Whoa…slow down,” Tyler warned, pulling her back from the tap.

  Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Ava winced. She’d just done that. In front of Tyler. He’d just seen her toss her cookies in the kitchen sink then make a pig of herself drinking straight from the tap, resulting in a bout of hiccups.

  “Fan-fucking-tastic,” she groaned as she wobbled her way through the kitchen and over to the couch. Closing her eyes, Ava let her head fall back against the cushion. She pinched the bridge of her nose and wished away her troubles. She’d had hangovers in the past but this was a whole other level of pain.

  “Here.”

  Somehow Ava had completely forgotten Tyler was still there until his voice startled her. Pressing a glass into her hand filled with icy water and a slice of lemon, Tyler forced a tight smile in her direction. “I’m all right. I’ll be fine,” she tried to assure him but she had little luck. “Go eat! You must be starving after training.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yep. Eat! I’m just going to stay here for a bit.”

  Ava read the indecision in his face, but shooed him away with her hand before closing her eyes again. The room stopped spinning when she couldn’t see.

  When Ava opened her eyes again, the room was dark with a lamp flickering in the corner and Tyler was seated at her computer. Instantly on high alert, her first impulse was to leap off the lounge, dive across the room, and slam shut the laptop, but she just didn’t have the energy.

  “Whatcha reading?” she asked, her words coming out slightly slurred.

  “A new book by a brilliant author,” he replied, spinning in his seat until he faced her.

  Anxiety crippled her where she sat. Gripping the armrests, Ava held on for dear life. If he was reading what she thought he was, then why hasn’t he bolted out the door never to be seen or heard from again? Instead he had a smug smirk dancing on his kissable lips and mischief in
his eyes.

  “What exactly are you reading?”

  “It’s called Untitled Draft One.”

  Ava’s heart sank. If she had anything left in her stomach to come up, she was sure it would have. She’d written frankly, some terrible things. Things she hoped Tyler would never see. Things she thought he never would. She’d written them when they weren’t speaking, when she didn’t think he’d ever speak to her again. Now here he was, reading the words she’d written in anger and frustration and despair. The words that were born from heartbreak. The words that had gotten her through these last few tear-filled days.

  “Tyler…please—”

  Before Ava had a chance to say anything more, Tyler swept her into his arms and positioned her on his lap, holding her tight. “Don’t. Don’t you dare do that, Short Stack!”

  Ava tried to pull away but Tyler tightened his grip. She wriggled again, earning her a tense, tight frown. “What?”

  “Stop thinking whatever it is that has your head spinning. I can hear the wheels turning from here.”

  “You—you shouldn’t have read that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it wasn’t finished.”

  “Wasn’t finished or you hadn’t had time to change it yet?”

  “Neither. Both. Does it matter?”

  Ava felt Tyler tense beneath her. They’d come too far to shy away now from the rest of the conversation. “We need to talk about it sometime.”

  “I know.”

  “Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?”

  Chapter 37

  Tyler

  “Because there is. I don’t want to but I know we have to.”

  “It will be okay, Ava. Promise. I love you. Remember that. We can get through anything if we want to.”

  “Okay.”

  Tyler loosened his grip on Ava’s waist and again she tried to pull away but he held on. He had no intentions of letting her go, not even a little. If they were going to have this conversation, if he was about to break her heart, then he was going to be close enough to catch her when she fell.

  Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Tyler steadied himself. For hours he’d been giving himself a pep talk, trying to prepare for this exact moment. He’d believed what he said. They could overcome anything. They just had to get through this one conversation intact. “Okay then. So you know the risks of getting the mumps. Well, there’s a chance that I can’t give you the family you deserve. The family you want.”

  “We want,” she corrected quickly.

  With a kiss on her lips, Tyler smiled. “The family we want,” he confirmed. “How do you see this working? Because I don’t want you hating me in five years…”

  “Tyler! Shut up and listen to me very carefully for a minute. I love you. All of you. And we both know if it was me in this situation, if I was the one trying to pull away because I couldn’t have kids, would you let me?”

  “Never!”

  “Then why are you expecting me to?”

  The words hung heavily in the air. The truth was Tyler didn’t know why he expected Ava to run. He’d understand if she did. Hell, he thought she would. He thought she should. Part of him even wanted her to. Maybe if she left him, then she’d be okay. She’d go on. She might be sad for a while, but in the end it would be the best thing for her. For them. But she was still there. Not flinching. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. She didn’t look like she was going anywhere in a hurry, which only confirmed Tyler’s decisions.

  “When is your lease up?”

  “What?”

  “Your lease. On your apartment. When does it run out?”

  “Umm…it ran out months ago. I’m on a month to month thing. I’m a very good tenant, I’ll have you know,” Ava added defensively.

  “Move in with me?”

  Tyler watched as Ava’s eyes went wide and shock settled in. Again she tried to move away but she wasn’t running now. “Are-are y-you sure?” she stuttered.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Move in with me?” he asked again, his voice wavering slightly. Nerves settled in his stomach and he regretted eating earlier. As Ava’s wild eyes darted around the room, he felt her breath hitch and her pulse thumping in her wrist as it rested against his neck. Or maybe it was his pulse that was doing the hammering.

  The longer Ava took to give him her answer, the more worried he became. Tyler hadn’t planned on asking her to move in, but when it came out of his mouth, for some reason it just felt right. He knew his schedule was going to get crazy, even more crazy than normal, but he didn’t want to go days or even weeks without seeing her. Somewhere along the way, without realising it, Ava had become his grounding lifeline. Even if she didn’t know it. Tyler wanted to wake up with her in his arms at four in the morning every day and bring her cups of tea when she was caught up in her own world. He wanted to look after her when she was sick and make her smile when she was sad. More than anything, Tyler wanted to prove to her and himself that this was real and he was in it for the long haul.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay? Did you just say okay?” Tyler’s lip quivered. He hoped he’d heard her right, but he was trying not to get carried away. It had come out as a breathless sigh, so he wasn’t sure if he’d caught it correctly.

  As a cheeky grin broke out across Ava’s face, Tyler felt his heart crack open and all the butterflies in his stomach take flight. “Yes, Tyler. If you’re serious, I’ll move in with you.”

  Tyler leapt off the lounge with Ava still in his arms and spun her in a wide circle. This was it. This was step one of making all his dreams come true. Their dreams. For a moment a dark thought crossed Tyler’s mind, but he pushed it away as quickly as it had appeared. He wasn’t about to ruin this moment with deep thoughts. He’d deal with them later. Right now, his entire focus was on the woman in his arms.

  “Please…please…stop spinning me around,” Ava begged and Tyler immediately set her back on her feet. She was green. In his enthusiasm he’d forgotten about her being sick, now she looked like she was about to blow again.

  “Shit, Ava! I’m sorry. What do you need?”

  “The room to stop spinning,” she deadpanned as Tyler helped her back onto the couch and handed her the half empty glass of water. He watched as she took small sips.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t think—”

  “Tyler…it’s okay. It’ll pass,” Ava promised, squeezing his hand as he rested the back of his hand against her clammy forehead.

  “Shit, Ava! You’re burning up. Why didn’t you tell me you had a fever?”

  “I-I…I didn’t before. You should go, Tyler. You can’t get sick too. I don’t want you to catch whatever this is. I’ll be all right, I just need some sleep…”

  “I’m not going anywhere!” Tyler growled as he got up from the couch and bent down and scooped her into his arms.

  “Put me down!” Ava protested half-heartedly. Tyler saw the fight in her eyes but not in her body. He knew she was too drained to put up much resistance. Carrying her the short distance down the hall, he laid her down on her bed so softly like she was a porcelain doll that would shatter into a million pieces. “Tyler, you shouldn’t pick me up like that. I’m too heavy,” Ava whimpered as her eyes fell shut.

  “Short Stack, you’re not heavy, so stop thinking about that. I will carry you whenever and wherever I feel like it.”

  “Mm…kay,” Ava murmured as her breathing settled into slow, deep breaths.

  Tyler pulled the covers over her, closed the heavy curtains, and leaned against the door and watched her sleep. Something was wrong. This wasn’t just a hangover. Hangovers gave you a headache and made you vomit the morning away, but after some food, sleep, and a shower, you started to feel human again. This was almost twenty-four hours since she’d had a drop and if anything she was getting worse, not better. Tomorrow she was seeing a doctor. Even if he had to toss her over his shoulder and take
her kicking and screaming.

  Feeling like a creeper, Tyler snuck from the room and cleaned up the kitchen, making sure any offensive smelling food was long gone before settling back at Ava’s computer. He shouldn’t be reading it, he knew Ava wasn’t thrilled about it, but she hadn’t exactly forbid it either. She was trying to finish off the story which had turned his life on its head. The story that had brought them together in the first place. Tyler was dying to know what Ava had in store for her characters, James and Anna. Would they get the fairytale happy ending or would it end with a tragic death? Slightly afraid to find out, Tyler forced himself to keep reading. As he went, Ava’s words infiltrated his skin and made him uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because he was too close to the author these days that he read the emotions behind the words. Or maybe it was because he knew why she’d said them. Or maybe it was because he was afraid that he was the one who’d caused the sadness. It really didn’t matter though. He kept reading and re-reading line after line.

  The alarm went off early. Too early. Tyler rolled over and saw that Ava hadn’t even heard it. Sometime throughout the night, she’d kicked off her sweats and the blankets and was now lying there curled around a pillow wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of pale pink lace panties that peeked out, taunting him. Hissing through his clenched jaw, Tyler pulled the covers back over her and climbed from the bed, wondering for the first time if he’d done the right thing, asking her to move in. If Ava was in his bed every morning, how the hell was he going to leave it? As quietly as he could, Tyler dressed and headed for training. The sooner it was over, the sooner he could get back.

  Training was training. It was trying and his muscles burned, but it was a good burn. A burn that reminded him what he’d done. What he needed to do to win. The best part was for the first time in months he was starting to see the results he’d been chasing. Not only had he dropped a couple of kilos he was also starting to feel at ease in the water again.