Outside her work, she didn’t have time to do anything other than have a quick shower in the morning, then fall into bed exhausted at night. Dylan brought her coffee and fruit and sandwiches to keep her going during the day, but didn’t stay long enough to disturb her. He did insist on her taking a short break in the evening, though, to eat a proper dinner. She gave him a grateful smile. ‘Thank you, Dylan. You’ve been a real star.’
‘You’d do the same for me. How’s it going?’
‘I’m getting there.’
When she’d finished, she showed him the two collections.
‘This is beautiful. I know a lot of women who’d love something like this.’ He smiled at her. ‘You’re definitely going to get this.’
‘There are no guarantees,’ she reminded him.
Emmy delivered the jewellery to the magazine offices by hand, including the jet seahorse. She knew she was being paranoid, but she couldn’t trust them to anyone else. She’d put too much of her heart and soul into the project now for things to go wrong.
Then it was a matter of waiting.
Were they going to choose her?
And how long would they keep her waiting before they delivered the verdict?
Every second seemed to drag—even though she knew she was being ridiculous and she probably wouldn’t hear for at least a week. But by the time she got back to the house in Islington, she felt flat.
Dylan took one look at her. ‘Right. We’re going out.’
‘Where?’ she asked.
‘You need some fresh air, and Ty and I are going with you to keep you company—isn’t that right, sweetheart?’ he added to the baby. ‘I’ve got his bag organised. All I need to do is get a couple of bottles from the fridge, and we’re good to go.’
She gave in. ‘Thank you, Dylan.’
‘I know you like the sea,’ he said as he finished packing the baby’s bag. ‘And I think it’s what you need to blow the cobwebs out.’
‘But it’s nearly five hours from here to Whitby,’ she blurted out.
He laughed. ‘I know. I’m not taking you there. I thought we could go to Sussex.’
In the end he drove them to Brighton, where they crunched over the pebbles next to the sea. Part of Emmy was wistful for the fine, soft sand of the east coast she was used to, but she was seriously grateful that Dylan had thought of it. ‘You’re right. The sea’s just what I need. Thank you so much.’
‘My pleasure.’ He smiled at her, and her heart did a flip. Which was totally ridiculous.
They ate fish and chips on the pier. He fed little bits of fish to Tyler, who absolutely loved it and opened his mouth for more.
‘I think we’ve just found the next food for his list,’ Dylan said with a grin.
The woman sitting on the bench next to them looked over. ‘Oh, your baby’s just adorable.’
Emmy froze.
But Dylan simply smiled. ‘Thank you. We think so, too.’
For a moment Emmy wondered what it would be like if this were real—if Dylan were her partner and Tyler were their baby. Then she reminded herself that they were co-guardians. They’d agreed that kiss was a mistake. She’d be stupid to want more than she could have.
‘You’re quiet,’ Dylan remarked when they were wandering through the narrow streets of boutique shops, with Tyler fast asleep in his pushchair.
‘I’m just a bit tired,’ she prevaricated.
‘And worrying about whether they’re going to like your designs?’
She frowned. ‘How did you know?’
‘I’m the same whenever I bid for a project. I always know I’ve done my best, but I always worry whether the client will like what I’ve suggested.’
‘And I guess you have the added pressure, because you have people relying on you for work.’
He shrugged. ‘There is that.’
She grimaced. ‘Sorry, that was patronising and a stupid thing to say.’
‘It’s OK. You’ve done the equivalent of a week and a half’s normal office hours over four days. I’m not surprised your brain is a bit fried. Come on. Let’s get an ice cream.’
‘Good idea. And it’s my shout.’
* * *
Emmy fell asleep in the car on the way back. Dylan glanced at her.
Now he understood exactly what Nadine had meant. The idea of having a partner and a child to complete his life. He hadn’t understood it at the time. After his own experiences of growing up, he’d sworn never to have a child of his own. Even to the point where he’d split up from the woman he’d loved rather than have a child with her.
And yet here he was in exactly that position: a stand-in father to Tyler. Something he hadn’t wanted to do, but guilt and duty had pushed him into it. He wasn’t sure what surprised him more, the fact that he was actually capable of looking after the baby and giving him the love he needed, or the fact that he was actually enjoying it. Part of him felt guilty about that, too. He hadn’t given Nadine that chance. Maybe if she’d forced his hand, stopped taking the Pill without telling him and just confronted him with the news that he was going to be a dad, he would’ve got used to the idea. She’d played fair with him by giving him the chance to say no; and he’d been stubborn enough and selfish enough to say exactly that.
On paper, Nadine had been the perfect choice: focused, career-orientated, organised. Just as he was. Except it hadn’t worked, because she’d changed. She’d wanted something he’d always believed he hadn’t wanted.
On paper, Emmy was just about the worst choice he could make. OK, she was more organised and together than he’d thought she was, but they were still so different. How could it possibly work between them?
Besides, this was meant to be a three-month trial in co-guardianship. Any relationship between them could potentially wreak huge havoc on Tyler’s life. She’d said herself that her relationships always failed, and he’d made a mess of his marriage. He just couldn’t let himself think of Emmy in any other role than that of co-guardian. No matter how attractive he found her. No matter how much he wanted to kiss those soft, sweet lips until her eyes went all wide and dark with passion.
Not happening, he told himself. Stick to the limits you agreed.
THE FOLLOWING WEEK, Emmy had a phone call that left her shrieking and dancing round the house. She called her mother, and then Dylan.
‘Sorry to ring you at work,’ she said, ‘but I couldn’t wait to tell you—the magazine just rang. They loved my designs and they’re going to run the feature with me in it. Apparently what swayed them was the seahorse—which was your suggestion, so it’s all thanks to you.’
‘No worries,’ he said, sounding pleased for her. ‘But it was just a suggestion. You’re the one who did all the hard work.’
‘I’m going to stand you a