Page 59 of The Rebel

‘You’ve already seen the final product so all I need is your electronic signature here, and on the printed copy.’

He stares at the document on the laptop screen, expressionless. ‘What if I don’t sign?’

I rein in another impulse to strangle him, closely followed by confusion. If he doesn’t sign, the campaign won’t go live…is that what he wants? Does he want to keep me alongside working with him?

I hate second-guessing myself and I hate him for making me feel this discombobulated.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Nothing.’ He touches my arm. It doesn’t reassure me. ‘I’ll sign.’

I swipe my brow in mock exaggeration. ‘Phew. For a minute there I thought I’d resigned for nothing.’

He rears back. ‘What the—?’

‘I quit my job yesterday.’

I shrug like it means little when in fact I’m terrified I did the wrong thing on a whim to follow my heart.

‘But that means you won’t get credit for this campaign and can’t advertise the fact you were brilliant on it with your new business—’

‘Some things are more important.’

I eyeball him, daring him to articulate what we both know.

I did this for him.

He capitulates first, tearing his eyes away to stare at the screen, muttering, ‘Fuck.’

I suck in a breath, mustering my courage to lay it all on the line, well aware he could break my heart again but needing to do this regardless.

‘I did this for us, in case you were wondering. I had no idea how long it would take me to find you if you didn’t answer my calls, so I quit, allowing me to follow you for as long as it takes to—’

‘This is crazy. You’re crazy.’ He glares at me, wild-eyed and frantic. ‘How could you do this? Your dream is to have your own PR company—’

‘My dream is to be happy.’

It always has been. I just didn’t know what could make me truly happy until I fell for this infuriating man.

‘And you think I can make you happy?’ He swipes his hand over his face, but not before I glimpse the sheer horror. ‘Fuck, Daisy, I can’t be responsible for your happiness, not when I’m so screwed up.’

‘Who says?’

‘I do!’ His voice rises and several passengers nearby glance across at us, sporting matching expressions of concern.

I don’t care. All I focus on is Hart and making him understand we can work if he faces his fears and gives us a chance.

‘Listen, we can—’

‘No, you listen. I can’t be the man you want me to be. You deserve the best.’ His voice breaks a little. ‘And that’s not me.’

Tears well in my eyes but I can’t show weakness. I have to be strong enough for the both of us.

‘I won’t leave you,’ I say, so softly he has to lean towards me to hear it. ‘I’m not a quitter. You know that. It’s been ingrained in me since birth. I don’t give up easily.’

‘Yeah? You quit your engagement to that dickhead and you just quit your job, so what’s to say you won’t do the same to me?’

‘I can’t give you a guarantee. You know life doesn’t work like that. But I’m willing to take a chance because I believe in us. Can you?’

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