Page 63 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

And then, like a beacon in the storm, he saw her.

“Kinsley!” he beamed, excitement radiating from his voice as he spotted her. She was about to get her ticket scanned.

She looked back at him for only a moment. Her hair was in a messy bun, while her face told the story of sleepless nights.But his glimpse of her restless face was quickly broken. She turned back to the gate agent. “Thanks,” he heard her say as she grabbed her carry-on and started toward the bridge.

His heart sank, panic setting in. It was now or never. “Kinsley, wait! I need to talk to you.”

She stopped and turned around as he ran up as close as he could get. But she didn’t say a word. Her eyes looked past him, not at him.

“I’m sorry.” His breath caught in his throat. “I should have told you before. I love you, Kinsley.” His heart was pounding so hard that he wasn’t sure how his chest could contain it.

“Sir, do you have a ticket?” the gate agent asked, though Daegan couldn’t be bothered right now.

“How could you love me? You couldn’t even tell me you were leaving to go to the Miami office.” Her face was distraught.

“I didn’t know until late last night when Roger called me. But I did try to tell you. I texted, I called—God, Kinsley, I didn’t just leave without telling you. I needed you to know. I tried, Kinsley.” There was a crack in his voice—a struggle to compose himself.

Kinsley came a little closer. “Then why didn’t I receive the messages?”

His eyes widened. “Your work phone. Did you ever take it to IT to have them get you a different one?”

Kinsley’s mouth opened, though nothing came out for a moment. “No, I never did,” she admitted, looking down toward the worn flooring.

“Kins, I thought you were sick. I wouldn’t just leave you without telling you. I don’t want to leave you at all. I don’t want tolose you.” Daegan didn’t care about the desperation in his voice or the people staring. He was shaking at the thought of losing the one person that he was willing to let in.

“I thought you were going to leave me, anyway.” Her voice remained strong, though she shifted her stance.

“No, that isn’t what I wanted to do at all.”

“What about my house? You can buy it now.” She was being a tough nut to crack. “I listened to the meeting.” Her voice quivered slightly. “I heard you say that you were still working on getting my house. You can’t deny that, Daegan.”

“I don’t want it anymore,” he admitted. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say in the meeting. I couldn’t let them know about the conflict I was having. I don’t care about that project; I’ll figure out something else for the town. I only care about having you. It took me too long to realize that none of it matters without you, Kinsley. I don’t need the house. I need you. I need us.” His voice, typically strong, felt weakened.

“…And if I say yes to us?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the background noise of the airport.

“Then we go forward as a couple. With you as my girlfriend. No more working for me. We renovate your family home and tackle everything. Together.” A heat bloomed inside him.

“What about all the other homes you’re buying? And the ones you already bought? All the acreage behind my house?”

“I’ll think that through. But none of that is important now. I don’t want that if it means losing you—losing us.”

A look of contemplation crossed her face, lips pressing into a thin line.

“What do you say? Stay? Stay and tackle saving Trueport with me?”

A small, bashful smirk tugged at her cheeks as her cheeks blushed. “An entire town? That’s a lot to ask, Daegan,” she teased.

“Don’t worry, we can start with your house first.” He reached out for her with both hands, all-in, win or lose.

Kinsley dropped her carry-on as the last call for boarding rang out on the intercom, and let him sweep her into his arms.When he kissed her here, where everyone could see, he was so grateful she wasn’t his employee anymore.

Her eyes looked brighter when he pulled back to kiss the top of her head, before he squeezed her tight. “You were right, Daegan,” she whispered against his neck, “what we were doing was wrong—for the CEO and his personal assistant.” She placed her delicate hand in his, sending an electric pulse up his arm. “But for us? We’re just right.”

As they left the airport that day, Daegan realized he didn’t need a personal assistant at all. All he needed was Kinsley at his side; she would make sure he always did the right thing.

She’d give him hell if he did anything less.

“So, I have some great news!”Kinsley exclaimed, running into Daegan’s office.

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