Page 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The car was silent as Cameron drove me to my apartment.

There was a lot that I wanted to say, but it didn’t feel right to blurt it all out while he was driving. He would only be halfway focused on my words, and I wanted his full attention.

Whether they were together or apart.

“Thank you for taking me home,” I said as my apartment building loomed ahead down the street.

“Of course,” Cameron replied as he parked along the side of the street. “I’m glad you’re taking some time off work.”

“Me too.”

Cameron’s expression softened a degree. He almost looked… proud. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

I smiled. I didn’t know what was going on in his head, but I hoped to find out soon .

We walked across the street and into my building.

“If you need anything during your week off, just let me know,” Cameron told me as we wandered down the hallway to my apartment.

“You can take the week off too,” I replied, seeing his eyebrows lift in surprise. I stopped in front of my door and turned to him. “You helped me so much. You deserve a much-needed rest too.”

“Thank you,” Cameron said, holding my gaze. “That’s very generous, but I’m happy to work. I want to keep things running smoothly while you’re away.”

I nodded. “Okay. I know you’ll do a great job.”

He gave me a small smile. “I’ll let you rest,” he said, taking a step back.

My chest tightened as I tried to figure out what to say first. What if I said the wrong thing and offended him again? The last thing that I wanted was for him to think that I didn’t respect him.

Without thinking, I reached out for his hand, stopping him from leaving. “Stay. Please.”

He looked down at where I held his hand. “Stay?”

“I need to talk to you,” I said.

He hesitated, but then nodded. “Okay, let’s talk.”

Relief rushed through me for a second as I unlocked the door, but it was soon replaced by another bout of nervousness. I had to get this right. I led him to the living room and gestured to the couch .

Cameron sat down, looking up at me as I remained standing. He tilted his head at me. “What’s wrong?”

What was wrong was the fact that we weren’t together. When we were secretly dating, things were right, even if they were risky. Despite having our differences, we fit together like puzzle pieces.

I just wished that I listened to him when he expressed his concerns over me. If I had taken him seriously, we wouldn’t have broken up. I wouldn’t have freaked out. And I wouldn’t have landed myself in the hospital.

“First off, I just want to apologize again for the terrible things I said to you. I can’t stop playing them over and over again in my head,” I admitted, feeling my stomach churn just at the thought. “I never should’ve spoken to you like that. I shouldn’t have blamed you for the emergency. It wasn’t your fault.”

Cameron nodded slowly. “I appreciate that.”

“I should’ve listened to you when you said that you were worried about me,” I continued, feeling a lump form in my throat. He expressed so much care for me, and I essentially spat in his face. I was an asshole.

“I wasn’t trying to hold you back, but I know that the company means the world to you,” Cameron replied with a slight nod. “I can understand why it rubbed you the wrong way.”

Because I was conditioned to think that taking breaks meant that I wasn’t working hard enough .

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You just wanted the best for me. I shouldn’t have been so awful to you, not when I care so much about you.”

I walked over to him and sat on the couch next to him. I took a deep breath, readying myself for my next words. “The truth is…I want a relationship with you. A real one.”

“A real one?” he echoed.

“One where we don’t have to hide. One where work doesn’t get in the way. One where I’m not your boss.”

His beautiful blue eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

“I can give you the best reference that I can so that you can work at another company. I don’t want to let you go — you’re incredible at your job. But you can be hired as something better than an executive assistant.”

“I never minded being an assistant,” he said.

“I know,” I said. “But if you moved to another company, we wouldn’t be boss and employee anymore. We could take another shot at this relationship as real equals this time.”

Cameron looked away from me, furrowing his brow as he weighed the option. It would mean him losing his job, but he might find an even better one where he could be in a higher position. He deserved it.

Of course, I would be devastated to see him go. He helped me and the company thrive so well because he was so damn good at his job, but I wouldn’t want him to be my assistant forever. He had too much potential.

“Well, you are well respected around here. I’m sure that reference will take me far,” Cameron finally said.

“It’s only an idea,” I said, trying to hide my nervousness. “We don’t have to. It’s only…only if you want to try this again.”

He was silent so long that I started to panic. Oh god. Had I insulted him again? Was he going to say no?

Suddenly, he nodded, taking a deep breath. “I do,” he said. “I’ve missed you, Alison.”

My heart skipped a beat. “You did?”

Cameron nodded. “That night in the office, I wanted to tell you, but I chickened out. But then, as I was heading out, I told myself to take a chance and tell you the truth. So I came back to the office, but then I saw you on the floor.” He shook his head. “I’d never felt so scared. I thought I was going to lose you.”

I took his hand. “You won’t lose me.”

“Riding in the ambulance with you…waiting by your bedside…I was terrified,” he admitted.

“My friends told me you stayed by my side all night, until they kicked you out.” I squeezed his hand. “That means so much to me.”

“Did they tell you I pretended to be your husband?”

I chuckled, and some of the tension in my body loosened. “They did.”

He squeezed my hand back. “I do want you. I want to give this relationship another shot,” he said. “I have been looking at other jobs because I had the same idea as you. I love working at Firth Marketing, but…” he trailed off.

“I’ll write that reference,” I promised. “Besides, over the years, you’ve built a good network, haven’t you?”

Cameron had charmed every client who walked through the office doors. He was friendly with everyone at business events. I had no doubt his connections would help him find an excellent job.

“I have,” he agreed.

“I’m sure you’ll be snatched up quickly,” I said. Whoever picked him up would be incredibly lucky. They would get to have one of the kindest, sharpest people in the city working for them. “I’ll support you however I can,” I promised.

Cameron smiled at me, but it quickly wilted. He glanced away, and it was one of the few moments he looked uncertain. “But am I the kind of guy that you want to be with? I don’t have a fancy apartment. I don’t drive an expensive sports car. I know Russell MacArthur’s a dick, but…isn’t he more on your level?”

My heart ached as I heard the vulnerability in his voice. How could he think he wasn’t good enough for me?

I placed my hand on his cheek, making sure that he was looking me in the eye. “I don’t care about apartments or cars or expensive things. I know that’s easy to say when I have them all, but it’s true. Someone like Russell would only see me as an accessory. He doesn’t see how much I care about my company. He doesn’t respect my career, the way you do. I love how down to earth you are,” I continued. “You never brag, and you don’t need to impress me. You have everything I want — you’re sweet and gorgeous and you have my back. You listen to what I say and you make me laugh, and sometimes you know me better than I know myself.”

His face softened. “You’re the most incredible woman I know, Alison. You’re beautiful and successful and smart. I know you don’t need anyone to look after you, but I want to. I want to take care of you. I want to cook dinner with you, and watch TV together, and go on holidays.”

I wanted all of those things too. “You helped me realise what I should’ve learned a long time ago. There’s more to life than work, and I don’t want to miss out on this.”

“Me neither.”

I felt like with happiness. “So that’s a yes? We’re doing this —”

My words were cut off as Cameron leaned forward and kissed me. Immediately, I melted into him, relishing the familiar feel and taste of his lips. I clutched his arms, feeling the strong body I hadn’t touched for weeks.

“I’ve missed this,” Cameron murmured against my lips, one hand cupping the back of my neck.

“Me too. So badly,” I told him.

He lowered his hands, placing one on either side of my hips, and pulled me onto his lap. “When you were in the hospital, I realized how deeply I care about you.” His voice was tight, and I could only imagine how he had felt. If it had been Cameron in the hospital bed, I would’ve been wrecked.

“It won’t happen again,” I promised. “The doctor gave me a stern talking to, and I’m going to take care of myself.”

Cameron tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I’m glad you’re okay now.”

I flattened his hand so that I could press it against my cheek. I’d never felt so happy before. It’s like my body wanted to explode with love, relief, and joy.