She closed her eyes, unable to keep the sorrow from welling up—sorrow that she’d stuffed down for so long that she hadn’t even known how much it all still hurt.
Tears squeezed out along with a shudder—or maybe a sob.
His arms tightened around her.
This was what she hadn’t known she needed—someone who would just hug her and let her cry. She’d been so alone and had to be so strong on her own for too long. Now, with Tyler’s comfort and silent support, she wanted what he was offering so keenly that she wasn’t sure how she’d gone so long without it.
More tears fell onto his already slick chest, sorrow for all she’d once had and all she’d lost—the happy childhood, the happy family, the happy future together. It was all gone. So was the ideal dream where she and Madison both had husbands and families of their own and came home to spend time with Mom and Dad, who loved each other and waited at the front door with their arms around each other and welcomed them back.
Kinsey wasn’t sure how long she stood in the pool in Tyler’s arms. But eventually the chill of the night breeze brushed against the upper half of her body, which was out of the water.
She sniffled, her cheek resting against Tyler’s chest. She released the stiffness of her body and relaxed against him. “Thank you, Tyler,” she whispered.
“Anytime,” he whispered back.
That same longing from before rushed in. What would it be like to have someone strong and steady to lean on like thisduring the troubles life brought? Because there would be more troubles. She’d been a nurse long enough and had seen enough tragedy to know that life on this earth was broken and not everything could be fixed. That wouldn’t happen until heaven, where a better place waited.
In the meantime, what if she’d been missing out on having someone to hold hands with during the difficult journey? Maybe that was the whole point of having that special someone—because together, they could navigate the troubles better and keep each other from falling when they stumbled.
Tyler was resting his chin on her head and had both arms locked around her back.
She knew she shouldn’t think about Tyler as a possibility for that special someone. Not when she’d been so adamant they were just friends. But in this moment, with his comfort so sweet and so freely given, a swirl of desire began to pulse through her.
She needed to pull back and put space between them, but she loved the closeness and loved being supported in a way that she couldn’t remember ever feeling before.
“If I were Christian,” Tyler murmured, “I wouldn’t have left you.”
“It was my fault—”
“It doesn’t matter. You needed him, and he walked out of your life.”
She pulled back a little, wanting to see Tyler’s face.
He released her and took a step away.
The warm water swirled around her, caressing her skin. But without him holding her, she felt cold and alone and wanted to be back in his arms.
He took a larger step backward, clearly putting himself squarely on his side of the pool and into the friend zone. He didn’t intend to take advantage of their proximity or hermoment of sorrow. Instead, he was respecting the boundaries she’d set.
A sweet pleasure cascaded through her as she watched him retreat to the stone wall, where he lowered himself and stretched his arms out along the wall. He was as darkly handsome wet as he was dry. The pool lights only added to his rugged, almost fierce appeal, showing every sinew and ripple of his muscles in his arms and chest.
This man was one of the kindest, most giving, and most thoughtful men she’d ever met. He truly cared enough about her that, even though he’d been fighting against an attraction to her that he’d openly admitted to having, he’d released her and wasn’t pursuing his own needs.
In fact, from the way he’d latched on to the edge of the pool tightly with both hands, he seemed to be holding himself back. He was also keeping his gaze trained on the water and avoiding checking her out.
Oh, honestly, how could she resist a man like him? And why was she so set against it? What harm could come from giving in to their attraction to each other and seeing where things might lead? Yes, it would probably be complicated with her traveling. But if they cared enough about each other, they could find a way to make a relationship work, couldn’t they?
No, he hadn’t exactly come right out and said he wanted a relationship. But he’d been hinting at it from time to time today.
She took a hesitant step toward him.
His gaze shot to her face, revealing stormy eyes.
She shivered and moved another step closer.
His jaw flexed as though he wanted to say something, but he held himself back.
Slowly, she glided through the water, until at last, she was standing in front of him.
