My heart cracked a bit more. I hadn’t meant to mess up his schedule or his meeting.
“I understand,” he said into the phone. “Of course. I appreciate it.” He hung up the phone, then pushed away from his desk, buttoning his suit jacket as he rounded it. “You’re two hours late,” he chided, and I was taken back by his sharp tone.
I took a few steps toward him, but stopped when he leaned against his desk, arms folded over his chest—a clear sign of his irritation.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Asher,” I said. “I’m so sorry. I was up at three to finish this book and hand it in to my editor. I just turned it in. I got caught up in the ending. I haven’t even eaten or showered, that’s how lost in the world I was.”
Asher pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Did the meeting go okay?” I asked. “I mean, you didn’t actually need me for it, right? You haven’t before and—”
“The meeting was for you,” he said, agitation coloring his tone as he looked at me.
I furrowed my brow. “What?” I shook my head. “What do you mean?”
“I pushed three potential deals to make this meeting happen.” He glanced toward the ceiling, sighing before he looked back down at me. “You know how embarrassing it is to call a meeting and then have everyone show up but the person it revolves around?”
My lips parted, and I took a small step back, feeling like he’d sucker-punched me. With that one word, he’d dug up every insecurity I’d adapted since officially becoming his girlfriend. The same insecurities that had tripled after meeting his mother.
“Embarrassing?” I whispered, but anger was boiling just beneath the surface.
Asher shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Sure you did,” I said, cutting over him.
“Daisy,” he said, a warning tone.
“Maybe you should’ve explained the importance of the meeting to me a little bit better,” I said.
“Would it have made a difference?”
I narrowed my gaze at him, anger sweeping into my veins. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I said I was sorry. You think I’d ever intentionally miss something that was important to you?”
“No,” he said. “But just because you can’t keep a schedule doesn’t excuse what happened.”
I gaped at him. “Excuse me?” I shook my head. “Asher, what the hell was so important about this meeting that has you speaking to me like I’m an elderly suit insulting your success? Huh? Because I can tell you right now, I’m not a fucking fan.”
His eyes widened on me, and he pushed off the desk. “I bought a publishing imprint at one of the Big Five. The team flew down from New York to meet you.”
“Wait, what?” The world froze around me. I wasn’t sure I was breathing. “You bought an imprint?”
“Yes,” he said, pacing the length of his desk. “I bought it for you.”
I swallowed hard. “Why?”
“Why?” He mimicked me. “Because I wanted you to always have a publishing avenue. Because this way, you wouldn’t have to shoulder all the work yourself. You wanted to expand your market, your brand, and this is how you do that.”
“I’m going to stop you right there, Asher,” I said, holding up a hand as if I could stop the oncoming crash slamming into my heart. “I told you I love self-publishing. I never asked for your help with going into traditional publishing.”
“I didn’t think you had to,” he said, stopping before me. “This way you could have your books in stores, and broaden your market. Reach more readers…”
“Have a shot at the New York Times Best Sellers list,” I said, full-on sarcasm.
“Yes, exactly.”
I folded my arms over my chest, my entire heart breaking. Tears gathered behind my eyes. “Stores, lists. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”
He tilted his head, that muscle in his jaw flexing. “This was about me trying to give you options.”
A broken laugh left my lips. “Nah.” I shook my head. “This is about turning me into someone I’m not. This is about shoving me into a world that’s just a little more publicly acceptable than where I live now. Because surely, if my books were in stores and airports and had a NYT bestseller sticker on them, then maybe everyone else in your world would accept me a little easier? Make me just a tad tastier to swallow?”
“That has nothing to do—”
“Don’t ever lie to me, Asher,” I snapped. “You can’t stand there and tell me buying a fucking imprint didn’t have anything to do with making me more appealing to the public, to your family.”
He opened and shut his mouth a few times, his eyes churning as if he hadn’t realized that motivator had been there the whole time. “Daisy…” He let my name hang there as the silence between us was enough to fill an entire ocean.