Chapter 40

"What am I going to do?" I cry to El. I don't know how she knew to come over, but when she walked through my door, I was relieved to see a friendly face. So relieved I started sobbing.

It took another thirty minutes before I was able to calm down enough to tell her what had happened. I'm so embarrassed. I've never been fired in my life. I've always prided myself on doing a good job, on helping those girls to the best of my ability. And now, I have a big red mark against my name. I doubt any other clinic is going to hire me, while I have no doubt that Aleksandraa is letting everyone and anyone know that I was fired and why. I crossed a line. I know that, but I was helping Kiah and I'll never regret doing that.More people should go out of their way to help those who can't help themselves. And kids should never be expected to help themselves, to save themselves from abusive fucking assholes.

"You will get another job, Daisy. You are great at what you do," El says.

I shake my head. "No one will hire me now."

"Then go private. Start your own clinic," she suggests.

"That's easier said than done."

"Actually, it's really easy. I can help you. I can get you an office space and loan you the start-up you'll need."

"I'm not taking your money, El."

"Then take Gabe's." She shrugs. "You know he'll give you anything you ask for."

"I'm not taking his money either." I screw up my face. "I'm not that woman, El. I'm not asking him to bail me out of trouble and I'm certainly not asking him for money."

"You know it's okay to let people help you. It doesn't make your successes less than if you get help along the way."

"I know that, but I'm not taking money from my friends, or my boyfriend," I say. "I have enough savings to get me through exactly three months. I'm going to have to just find any job that will hire me in the meantime. I'll figure it out."

"I'm never going to let you be put out. I'll buy this apartment if I have to," El insists, and I can't stop myself from laughing.

"I think you're officially as insane as all those De Bellis men."

"I am?" She smiles proudly, like it's an achievement she's been aiming to reach.

"Yes, you are," I tell her.

"Huh, well, I don't care. I have the means to help you and I will," she says, then adds, "Whether you want it or not."

"I just can't believe I got fired. I work harder than anyone in that clinic." I sigh while leaning back on the sofa.

"I know you do, which is exactly why I know you're going to be okay."

The door opens and both of us look up to see Gabe rushing in. He stops and runs his gaze over my face. I must look like a hot mess right now. "What the fuck happened? Why have you been crying?" he asks as he squats in front of me. His fingers come up and swipe across my cheeks, probably wiping away my racoon eyes. "Daisy, what happened?"

I shake my head. "I can't tell you. It's too embarrassing."

Gabe looks to El for answers, and El looks back at me. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Daisy. You didn't do anything wrong," she says.

"Someone needs to tell me what the fuck happened." Gabe's voice rises, and I can tell he's hanging on by a thread.

"I got fired," I whisper the words I don't want to hear myself say.

"You got fired? On what grounds?" Gabe questions.

"My boss found out I went to Kiah's house on Friday. That I took her to the hospital and didn't report it."

"Your boss is a bitch," Gabe grinds out. "On a scale of one to ten, how mad would you be if I made her disappear?"

I laugh through the tears. I want to believe he's joking. But one look at him tells me he's bloody serious. "Gabe, ten. Do not do that."

"Okay, I won't," he says. "But just know that I want to."

"I'm gonna head out. Will you be okay?" El asks me.

"Yeah, thanks for coming over." I hug her.

"Always. Call me if you need anything," she says before turning to Gabe. "Don't do anything stupid."

When the door closes behind her, the tears start again. Gabe lowers himself onto the sofa and pulls me into his arms. "Baby, it's going to be okay."

"I got fired, Gabe. I don't have a job. I likely won't get hired in the industry again." I hiccup as he cups my face between his hands.

"Well, we were moving out of this apartment anyway. You don't need a job, Daisy."

"What do you mean we're moving out of this apartment? And I do need a job. I have bills. I need to eat," I remind him.

"I already told you I'm buying us a house, as soon as El actually gets around to finding me one. And you are moving into it with me. And you don't need a job. We're not exactly struggling for cash, babe."

"We? You mean you're not struggling. The rest of us live in the real world. And I'm not taking your money, Gabe. I'm not a charity case." I sit up straighter and scoot across the sofa.

"No, you're not. You're my fucking girlfriend. Whatever I have is yours."

"That sounds like marriage, not a relationship," I tell him. "I don't need handouts. I'll figure it out. I always do."

"It's not a fucking handout. And if it sounds like a marriage, then maybe we should be married."

I blink at him. This isn't the first time he's mentioned getting married, and I know he's not kidding about it either. I just don't think we're ready for that yet. "Gabe, I appreciate that you want to help me. I really do, but I can't be the kind of person who takes from you like that," I tell him. "And getting married to solve a problem is not a valid reason to get married."

"I don't want to marry you to solve a fucking problem, Daisy. I want to marry you because I love you, and I honestly do not want to spend a single day without you. I want to start on the rest of our lives. We are moving in together, and I know you don't want to take anything from me, but you've already stolen my soul. I live and breathe for you, babe. Money, materialistic shit doesn't mean anything. What we have? It's stronger than that."

I don't know why, but fresh tears begin to spring from my eyes. Except these ones aren't sad. His words hit me hard. "I love you too, Gabe, and I don't want to wake up without you next to me ever."

"Then marry me," he says.

"Marry you?" I ask.

Am I actually considering this? Holy shitballs, I am.

"Just say yes. I'll have the paperwork drawn up. We don't even have to tell anyone yet. We can make it official and do the big wedding party shit later."

"You're going to marry me and not tell people?" I attempt to clarify.

"Fuck no, I'll tell everyone and anyone who will listen that you're my wife, but if you're not ready for that, we can wait."

"I can't believe I'm saying this." I smile wide and realise I'm just as crazy as he is. "Yes. I'll marry you, Gabe."