Page 111 of Chasing the Dream

“GABE!”

“Ouch! That hurt my eardrum.”

“Sorry, but will you stop talking for one minute?”

“Okay, okay.”

She brought her hand up and cupped his cheek. She looked him right in the eyes and smiled. “I love you too, but I’m guessing you already knew that.”

His mouth split into a wide grin. “Keep talking.”

She laughed. “The thing is, I fell in love with you a long, long time ago back when you were a star football player and I was a skinny girl with pimples.”

“For the record, I never noticed your pimples.”

“Liar.”

“I didn’t. I was too busy noticing other things about you.”

“Such as?”

“Such as your pretty smile, your beautiful blue eyes, and your burgeoning breasts.”

She laughed and swatted him on the arm.

“But most of all, I was drawn to your spirit. Does that sound cheesy?”

She shook her head.

“You had an innocence and genuine kindness about you that was different from most of the girls I knew. You never put on airs, never pretended to be someone you weren’t, and I admired that about you. I respected you, and I still do.”

“That might be one of the sweetest things you’ve ever said to me, Gabe Matthews.”

“Well, prepare yourself. There’s a lot more where that came from.”

“I’m so happy right now I feel like I could burst, but…”

“Oh, no. I was hoping we eliminated the buts.”

“I was just going to say that I’m a bit overwhelmed. I’ve dreamt about this for so long, about us being together, but in my dreams, we lived in the same town, not on opposite sides of the country.”

“We’ll have to remedy that, won’t we?”

“But how?”

“We don’t have to figure out everything today, do we?”

“No. I guess not.”

“Good, because for the rest of the weekend, I just want to be with you without interruptions. Just you and me making up for lost time. What do you say?”

“I say that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

Chapter 30

Two Weeks Later

Sedona. Red rocks, deep canyons, and breathtaking views. It was the perfect place for a romantic getaway. When Gabe’s friend Caleb had offered up his condo for the weekend, Gabe had jumped on it. Morgan had never been to Sedona, and he was anxious to show her around, among other things.