Amy joined the guys at the rear of the boat; Ken passed by, giving her a smile and a friendly squeeze on the arm when he made his way back to the pilot’s chair. Ken was followed by Tyler’s dad, who made passing remarks about a spiffy-looking powerboat that zoomed past. She sat down on the almost water level metal bench, hanging on to the nearby access ladder, and then made the critical error of dipping her foot into the water.
She promptly pulled free, shocked laughter bubbling up from her chest. “Cold! Ice cold! I am not swimming! No way!”
“Way.” Tyler sidled through the narrow space behind her and sat down. “If I’m goin’ in, you’re goin’ in.” He gave her a goading look. “And I’m definitely goin’ in.” They were side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Amy stole a glance his way and found him already tilted toward her, his eyes focused on her face, his lips turned upward just slightly. “Count of three. Then we jump.”
Amy’s eyes went wide with horror. “You’re insane!”
“One.”
“Tyler! No!”
“Two.”
Her nerve endings sparkled, alive and anticipating. Amy found her fingers suddenly and firmly entwined with his. “It’s way too cold!”
“Three!”
Next thing she knew, she was pulled into the water as Tyler dove in. A mighty splash bubbled through the water. Cold surrounded her, but quickly went to temperate against her skin as she absorbed the shock.
A strong, warm arm slid around her waist, lifted her up then drew her in. Sputtering, shaking her hair back, Amy dragged her arm along the surface of the water, blanketing Tyler with a drenching arc. “You rat!”
But he wasn’t finished yet. His hold tightened and before she could even scream, he lifted her up like a catapult, launching Amy through the water and above its surface before she crashed into the water once more, feeling like she had taken a brief, explosive ride through paradise.
But she refused Tyler the leverage of knowing how much she enjoyed his antics. Laughing on the inside, she emerged from the water and gave him a fierce glare. Tyler laughed at her and arched a brow in temptation. “Wanna go again?”
She found no way to refuse the smile that burst across her features. Moving through the water, she swam toward him. “Oh, yeah!”
For a few abandoned moments, they romped like kids. Sunlight sprinkled diamond dust along the rippling surface of the lake. The air around them warmed just as perfectly as the water cooled. Before long, Amy noticed Pyper approach the back of the pontoon. Pyper watched after them and Amy gave Tyler a quick look before swimming toward her daughter.
“Hey, Pyp.” At the boat’s access ladder, Amy dipped her head beneath the surface and quickly slicked back her hair.
After Kiara stepped up briefly to release the door lock, Pyper scrabbled to a sitting position on the rear deck, swinging her legs and stretching them downward until her pink-painted toenails brushed against the surface of the water. She kept her balance by holding on to the ladder rail while she studied Amy and Tyler. “That looks like fun.”
Amy giggled. “It is. You want to come in and swim with us?”
Pyper regardedTyler for a long, intent moment. Slowly she nodded. “Mmm-hmm. Annie’s gonna come in, too, though. With her mommy and daddy. But not for a few minutes.”
The response was extremely tentative, but it was a “yes.” Amy hoped to build on that; she wanted to make this confection of a day a joy for her daughter. The water surged and rippled next to Amy as Tyler approached.
He floated next to Amy, but smiled at Pyper. “Come on in and I’ll give you a toss too, if you want, and if your mama says it’s OK.”
Pyper looked down, and then back up again. “It’d be OK. I got my vest on an’ everything.”
“It’s cold when you first get in. After that, it’s fantastic!” Amy backed away just far enough from the boat to give Pyper some room to jump. Then she held her arms open wide, waiting.
Pyper squiggled to a stand. She crouched, scrunching up her face as she launched forward. The splash drenched Amy, and left glittering drops to pour down Tyler’s neck, shoulders and chest. Amy couldn’t look away. Despite the chilly water, her body went warm; longing grew into a desire that sparked and sizzled against her senses.
When Pyper bobbed back up into Amy’s arms, she squealed with shock and glee. “It’s cold, it’s cold, it’s cold!”
“Wanna get out?” Tyler asked with a laugh.
“Nuh-uh!” Pyper started to paddle, suspended in place by her life jacket. She kicked, and sprayed even more water. She laughed. “I’m not even cold anymore. Wait ’til Annie jumps in. She’ll be so scared! But I did it! She will too. I’ll make sure. I’ll make sure she knows it’s OK.” She kept paddling and kicking. “I wanna fly. Throw me, Mommy, throw me! Like Mr. Tyler did with you!”
Amy took a deep breath, and sent up a fast prayer. “You know, Tyler does throws a lot better than me. He’s stronger.”
“OK.” Pyper’s hesitance took the back seat—for a second, anyway. She turned back, looking at Tyler with wide, questioning eyes. “You won’t scare me real bad, right?”
“Nope. I won’t.”
Her lips rolled inward. She nipped at them. Amy recognized how hard Pyper struggled to reach out in trust toward a man. Help her, Lord. Please. Not every man is like Mark. Please. Help her to see that…
“You really sure?”
Tyler’s eyes went intent as he swam in, and took hold of Pyper at the waist, just below the chunky line of her day-glow float vest. “Sugar beet, I guarantee you this: I’ll sink to the bottom before I let anything bad happen t’ya. Deal?”
Amy’s lips trembled. Tears sprang to life, blurring the sight of Pyper relaxing completely and giving Tyler an expectant nod, a tenuous smile. Then, up she flew. A mighty splash blanketed them with water. Tyler swam toward Pyper. When she broke the surface, she howled with laughter. She scrubbed a hand over her dripping face and rubbed her nose. Then, Pyper speared Tyler with a teasing look. “That’s silly, you know.”
“What?” Tyler asked.
“Sayin’ you’ll sink to the bottom of the lake.” Her features split into a wide smile, and her giggles danced across the air, carrying straight through to Amy’s heart. “That’s just silly, Mr. Tyler!” She doggie paddled and kicked across the distance between them. Not shy at all now, she grabbed on to Tyler’s shoulders. “Again!”
Annie evidently had caught wind of the action in the water, and would not be denied her share of the fun. She fussed urgently with the rail latch of the pontoon. “Mommy, Mommy, my vest is on and everything! I wanna jump in! Le' me get throwed, too!”
Kiara barely made it to the back end of the pontoon before Annie freed the latch and made fast tracks to the boat’s edge. She didn’t look left or right. She didn’t even flinch. Instead, she dived straight in.
Kiara chuckled, starting to remove her t-shirt and shorts. “I’ll be right there! You may need some reinforcement.”
Tyler’s eyes tagged Amy’s in a form of panic. “Kiara’s not kiddin’. What have I unleashed?”
Amy didn’t respond to the playful rejoinder. She was too choked up. He must have caught sight of the look on her face, the residue of her reaction to his interplay with Pyper. Tyler’s puzzled gaze touched on hers, but then Annie paddled close, and the moment passed. Amy watched while he threw the girls and splashed through the water with them.
Kiara slipped into the water, issuing a brief exclamation of ice-water shock. Then, a pair of bright orange noodle-shaped floats splashed into place right next to Tyler and Amy. In unison they looked back toward the boat where Ken stood, watching them with somewhat of a knowing smile. “I thought those might come in handy if you want to just float, and catch your breath for a bit. Imagine the news flash if I allowed Christian music’s hottest rising star to drown.”
Tyler just groaned at that, but Amy’s heart went full. Ken was right. Tyler had accomplished so much, and still seemed to remain true to himself. She
was incredibly proud of him. They horsed around with the girls for a while longer, and then floated about in a boisterous game of Marco Polo.
Tyler swam up behind Amy and circled. He moved in close and looked into her eyes. Water, like silk, slid against her skin in a supple caress. Beneath the surface, their legs bumped from time to time as they dog-paddled, lost to one another.
“Guys,” Kiara said over her shoulder, swimming for the access ladder, “I’m headed back to the boat to get lunch going.”
“Wanna take a break?” Tyler asked Amy. “We could lay out and soak in some sun.”
Amy nodded; after last night’s marathon session and today’s activities, she was pleasantly extended, both physically and emotionally. Her gaze tracked to the two fish-like five year olds who romped nearby. “You may have some trouble convincing Nemo-I and Nemo-II over there to leave the water behind.”
“Yeah? Watch me.” Following a sassy wink, he faced the girls. “What’s that, Amy? Kiara busted into the cheese curls and gummi bears? I say we better grab some before they’re all gone.”
Amy grinned, enjoying the way the two girls began a furious paddle to the boat. She gave Tyler a firm nod of respect. “Oh, man. You are good.”
The girls climbed out first, with guiding support from Amy and Tyler. Tyler followed, but once Amy started up the ladder, he reached down, offering his hand to assist. She paused for an instant, already knowing his touch, the secure feel of his fingertips locked around her hand, would stir an electric echo through her insides. Looking at him now, she could barely recall his shy demeanor, his quiet ways. Those traits had evaporated; confidence and charisma now claimed their place. Some things, however, remind solid—his openheartedness, his faith, and a penetrating honesty in the way he engaged people.
Giving herself an internal shake, she accepted the gesture and absorbed the warmth that spread through her body. She stepped onto the rear of the pontoon and thanked him quietly. After they toweled off, Amy moved to join the others who occupied benches along the sides of the boat. She shook out her towel and prepared to lay it on an open space of the boat’s floor.
Tyler took her by surprise when he claimed her towel and draped it over his shoulder. He had a smooth, supple chest. His shoulders and arms were well muscled and traced by lines of sinew that flexed as he moved.
Amy realized she ached; her longing built from the chest on out, radiating a slow, steady pulse of need.
“Let’s go over here; it’s a little quieter.”
More private, remained unspoken. He retraced their steps to the rear of the boat. Everyone else began exploring food offerings, and Ken turned on the radio. Melodic, contemporary Christian selections filled the air. For Amy, everything faded to indistinguishable background noise. Her entire being zeroed in on Tyler Brock and stayed put. He laid out their beach towels. He stretched out promptly and sighed with delight. That was more than enough of an incentive for her to do the same.
Warmth seeped through the cotton towel from the metal flooring below, soothing her water-chilled body. She heaved a happy sigh, too. Ken had retracted the overhead canopy, so a clear sky, dotted by the spin and dip of birds stretched to the horizon. In a drowse, she closed her eyes.
“Delicious,” Amy murmured unintentionally.
Tyler chuckled, the sound low and rumbling. She smiled in response, simply because it was such an appealing reaction to her verdict. They rested on their backs, side-by-side.
“Absolutely.”
Waves lapped against the sides of the pontoon, a gentle punctuation mark of noise. The sound of nearby boats and muffled conversations, music and commercials, surrounded them for a moment.
“Can I make an observation?” Tyler asked.
“Sure.”
“Well…” Their hands rested just a hairsbreadth apart. Tyler closed that distance and Amy nearly started when his fingertips slid softly, lightly against hers. Her eyes remained closed, but her body tingled. “You’ve always been beautiful. No question. But this. Who you are now? You’ve grown into a truly breathtaking woman, Amy. And you’ve raised a spectacular little girl.”
His subtle caress came to an end, but his touch continued when he covered her hand with his and let the connection linger. For the second time in less than a half hour, Amy was overwhelmed, instantly overcome by being treated so lovingly.
“Thanks.” She spoke against a tight throat.
“So beyond that, here’s what else I know.”
Amy smiled to herself, drifting, relaxing. That new, subtle flavor of the south that now laced his words did something molten and liquid to her insides. “I know you work for a construction company and a school.”
“Yep.” She cleared her throat, deflecting her reactions as best she could. “I wish you could get to know JB. You two would really hit it off. He’s a gem. And his wife, Monica, who you also met last night, is the one who owns the school where I work. She has a state-certified kindergarten program at her daycare center, Sunny Horizons. Annie and Pyper both go there.”
“Sounds like an ideal setup.”
Amy nodded, absorbing once more the absolute beauty of God’s grace. “I couldn’t possibly be more grateful. When I—” Crashed, she wanted to say, when I made a fallen daughter’s return to Woodland, JB, Monica, Ken and Kiara stepped forward with support that was both emotional and intrinsic. Tyler, she realized at a quick, hand-shaded glance to her left, waited for more. “When I needed work, Ken gave me a referral to Jeremy’s company. It was the start of summer, and Edwards Construction had a lot of work to handle. Plus, his office manager resigned when she had a baby. Thing is, the job was only full-time work for half the year.”
Tyler nodded, turning toward her now, leaning on his elbow so he could look down at her—and block the sun from her eyes. Amy unshielded her eyes and blinked, realizing the openness she longed to give him, the trust.
Much like Pyper, in a way.
“That’s when Monica stepped in and offered me an assistant position at her daycare center. I work with the toddlers during the school year, fall to early spring. So it works out great. I get to be with Pyper more often that way.”
Tyler’s smile grew. “I think that’s completely awesome.”
Amy laughed, easing up the internal tension levels a bit. “Yeah. Me too.”
Ken had tuned the radio to WMUZ, the Christian station in Detroit. A Britt Nicole song, Hanging On, drifted through the air. “And what else I know—” his voice was a slow and gentle leading. Amy knew at once this conversation was headed places. Big places. “—is that you ended up marrying Mark Samuels.”
She had no excuse to hide her eyes. Tyler’s position next to her blocked the blinding orb of the sun. Still, she reached for her sunglasses, and cleared her throat again as she did so. Tyler took hold of her wrist to still the motion before she could follow through. In emphasis, he slipped his thumb against her skittering pulse point in a light, but deliberate stroke.
“Don’t put up a guard, Amy. Relax.” The stroke continued, lulling. Assuring somehow. “Just talk to me.”
She watched him, Tyler Brock, shadowed and framed against a pure blue sky. She refused to go tense and bitter with memory; she refused her past that kind of subtle victory.
And so, she confessed to the worst of it. “I divorced him, too. Best to get that out in the open, I suppose.”
“My folks told me as much. I’m so sorry, Amy. I don’t care how many years have passed, I know who you are, and I know for certain that kind of decision did not come easily to you. What happened, honey?”
The earnest question, the naturally delivered endearment, coasted into her blood stream and stirred up an emotional flood. Instantly she was carried away, her heart delivered to a place where she could reveal herself, and not fear for the consequences.
Patient and steady, he waited, watching her. She lay prone, oddly relaxed in contradiction to the increased tempo of her blood. She needed to see how close Pyper might be, and determine if sh
e was within hearing distance. Amy lifted just far enough to see that her daughter was happily occupied by the companionship of the Brocks, who were presently being charmed out of a sandwich and some grapes.
Assured, Amy laid back down, tilting her gaze toward Tyler. “He…” Amy took in a breath. Like ripping off a sticky bandage, she came clean all at once, in a quiet, defeated voice. “He abused me, Tyler. Physically and mentally. And he took out a lot of his anger on Pyper, too. He’d startle her with unexpected, unwarranted spankings, he’d scream at her to be quiet whenever she cried, and he’d yell at the both of us for no good reason. Everything he did just seemed to scare her all the more. He couldn’t hold a job, so his frustration grew by the day—and so did his use of alcohol as a way of escaping it all. When he started hitting me, I left.” She shook her head. “And when I say I left, I mean there’s absolutely nothing left of my old life. He saw to that quickly and efficiently.”
She was so carried away by the admission, so wrapped up in the pain of a past she fought to move past every day of her life, she didn’t realize until then that Tyler regarded her with steel-like eyes and a clenched jaw. Automatically Amy reached up, wanting to apologize for upsetting him. She stroked his chin and shook her head, whispering, “Hey…hey…I’m sorry…”
Tyler flinched. “Stop.” He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. “You mean to say he physically hurt you? Physically harmed you and Pyper?”
All Amy could summon was silence, and a nod.
“Gimme a sec.”
Tyler seemed to lose his battle with control. He growled out a sound and sat up abruptly. A startling beam of sunlight crossed against Amy’s face. She shaded her eyes. Tense seconds swirled past, so she reached for her sunglasses and slid them on. Moving into a sitting position, she slowly drew up her legs then encircled them with her arms. She rested her chin on her knees, watching him. Waiting, protectively sinking in upon herself.
“I can’t even find it within myself to pray for him right now,” Tyler whispered tightly, looking out across the water. In the face of his desolate, troubled admission, Amy ignored a round of laughter that came from their cruise mates, the song switched from Britt Nicole to a Point of Grace classic.
Hearts Key Page 7
