Page 101 of Chasing the Dream

She averted her eyes, but he put his index finger under her chin and lifted it.

“Talk to me.”

“I’m only here for a little while longer.”

“I know, and it’s bad enough that we have to hide from everyone in the office, but hiding from Maria too? It would be so much easier if she knew.”

“Easier for you, maybe.” She felt a tear prick the corner of her eye and willed it not to fall. But her tear ducts seemed unusually sensitive this evening, and a tear leaked out and dripped down her cheek.

“No, baby. Don’t cry.”

Baby? The way he’d said it and the sweet look in his eyes made her tears come even faster.

She leaned her head on his chest, and he gathered her close while she attempted to get her emotions under control. Finally, she pulled back and looked up at him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I thought telling you would make you happy, not sad.”

“It did make me happy. What I’m sad about is that soon I’ll have to leave and all this will go back to being a dream.”

He cupped her face and leaned his forehead against hers. “It doesn’t have to.”

She blinked a few times, thinking she might have misheard again.

“You don’t have to leave, Morgan.”

“But…”

“I know what you said about not having a job, but you can find a different one. Mine isn’t the only graphic design company around here. You could get a job anywhere.”

“Then we wouldn’t be working together anymore… Oh…I get it.”

“Right. No more sneaking around.”

“Where would I live? What about our families?”

“I suspect our families would be happy for us. As to where you’d live, you could always—”

“No, don’t say it,” she demanded, placing her index finger over his lips.

“You don’t even know what I was about to say.”

“You were going to say I could keep living at Maria’s or move in with you, and my answer is no to both.”

“Why?”

She pulled her finger away. “Because both of you have already done enough for me. If I stay here, I have to do it on my own.”

“Will you at least consider it? Staying here, I mean?”

She saw the hopefulness in his eyes and heard the affection in his voice, but she was still having a hard time believing it. Could this really be happening? He hadn’t made any declarations of love, but he wanted her to stay. That had to mean something, right?

“I’ll consider it,” she said.

He let out an exaggerated sigh, and she laughed.

“But…”