Page 109 of Chasing the Dream

“More?”

“Not about Bryan. About us, Morgan and I.”

Maria sat up straighter and stared at him expectantly.

“Morgan and I, we sort of…ah, what the hell!” He threw his hands in the air. “I love her, okay? I fell in love with her. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

Morgan’s eyes bugged out, and when she glanced at Maria, they bugged out even more. Maria was smiling—no, beaming was more accurate. Then she clapped her hands together and bounced up and down. “Yay! Finally!”

Morgan wasn’t sure who to address first, but she went with Gabe. “Wait a minute! You love me?”

“That’s what he said!” Maria said.

“And you’re okay with this?” Morgan asked, incredulous.

“Yes, I’m okay with it. After all, I’ve had some time to get used to the idea!”

Morgan was flabbergasted. “You knew about us?”

Maria nodded, her face all aglow. “I suspected in Flagstaff, but there were a lot more clues after that.”

“Such as?” Gabe asked, looking amused.

“Well, let’s see. It started when I said I was leaving Flagstaff early. You should have seen the looks on your faces. It reminded me of when our parents said we could throw a party back when we were teens.”

So much for thinking we fooled everyone.

“Then I saw Morgan sleeping in your sweatshirt.”

“Hold up. You sleep in my sweatshirt?”

Morgan swore his chest puffed out, and now his smile rivaled Maria’s.

“Were you spying on me?”

“One night, I heard you moaning in your sleep. I thought you were having a nightmare, so I went into your room to check on you. There you were, looking all warm and cozy in Gabe’s sweatshirt. By the way, I discovered you weren’t moaning because of a nightmare, if you get my drift.”

“Ohmigod,” Morgan said, feeling her face go up in flames.

Gabe laughed. “This is too good. Keep going.”

“No, don’t,” Morgan said, holding up her hand. But since when did either of the Matthews siblings listen?

“Next was the chocolate bouquet and the sweet card that Gabe wrote.”

“Wait a minute. I hid the card in my lingerie drawer. Were you rifling through my drawers?”

Gabe tipped his head back and laughed uproariously.

“I would never go through your drawers!” Maria said, acting hurt. “I saw the card lying on the floor by your bed when I went in there to deliver fresh sheets. There was no name on the envelope, so I opened it to see what it was. When I saw that he had signed the card Love, Gabe, I knew. He doesn’t even sign my cards that way.”

Morgan looked around Maria at Gabe, who was holding his hand over his heart. He was milking this thing for all it was worth, and she had to smile even though she was somewhat embarrassed by Maria’s discoveries.

“Anything else?” Gabe asked, clearly enjoying this.

“The other night when we double-dated. You refused to call it that, but that’s exactly what it was. Anyway, Matt and I were playing footsie under the table and I suspected you two were too. Then when I said we were leaving, Gabe looked like I’d given him an early Christmas present. And if that wasn’t enough, the bright red hickey on Maria’s neck sealed the deal.”

“I told you!” Morgan scowled at Gabe even though she was no longer mad at him. “And here we thought we were being so secretive.”