it. Opened it again only to have a pathetic little croak come out. Morgan just stood there, watching me. I thought maybe her mouth might have twitched in a small smile but that was probably just wishful thinking on my part.
"Dylan?"
I nodded, no idea why. Then I realized she was waiting for an answer.
Could I give it to her? Even if I could, was it the answer she wanted to hear?
"Morgan, I—" I hesitated, probably too long because her shoulders slumped and she looked away. Instinct told me I had maybe three seconds to recover and even then, it would be long shot that the recovery would be successful.
"I don't want to lose you, Morgan. I'm not sure exactly what we have between us but I know there's something there and I don't want to lose that. I want to see where it goes and I think you maybe want the same thing, too. That's all I'm asking for, Morgan. A chance to see what we could really have together."
She was quiet for a long time. Too long. Disappointment swept over me and I braced myself against the counter before I did something totally stupid, like collapse.
Nothing I said had helped. If anything, I'd probably made it worse. And I knew, right then and there, what I needed to say. What I wanted to say. I'd known for a while how I felt but I'd pushed it away, telling myself it didn't make sense. Telling myself it was just my imagination. Telling myself it was too soon.
It was bullshit. All of it. When the hell had I become such a coward?
I caught Morgan's gaze and held it with the strength of my own, refusing to hide how I felt. Could she see? Maybe she could, but I wasn't going to take any chances.
"I love you, Morgan."
The words fell between us, harsh and real and honest. Silence followed for several long seconds, long enough to tell me that I'd screwed up, worse than I had when I'd hit Brandon.
I opened my mouth, ready to apologize—for all the good it would do. I never got the chance to get the words out because Morgan was suddenly in my arms, her body pressed against mine, her head nestled against my shoulder. I hesitated but only for a split second before I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her even closer.
We stayed that way for a long time. Hell, we could have stayed like that forever as far as I was concerned, but Morgan started to ease away from me. Not out of my arms, but just enough that she could tilt her head back and look at me.
"I love you, too. I thought it was too soon. That what I was feeling didn't make sense. I—I've never loved anyone before so I thought..." Her voice trailed off and she started to look away. I caught her chin with my hand and turned her face back to mine, then dipped my head and caught her mouth in a lingering kiss that was over too soon.
She settled against me with a small sigh that echoed everything I felt. Several minutes ticked by before she spoke, her voice soft and filled with amused wonder.
"Brandon said love doesn't necessarily follow a schedule."
"Brandon said that? Your ex-fiancé?"
"The one and only."
"Are you trying to make me jealous again?"
She stiffened and frowned up at me. "What? No, of course not—"
"I was only teasing."
"You have no reason to be jealous of Brandon."
"I know."
"No, I don't think you do. I mean, did you know he's married now?"
"Married? Was it a rebound thing?" I was teasing her, of course, but I don't think she realized it.
"No. He's married to the person he really loves." She hesitated for several seconds before coming to a decision she'd obviously been debating. "His, um, his husband's name is Brad."
"Brad? Seriously? Did they plan that on purpose?"
"Did you not hear me? I said his husband."
"Yeah, I heard you."
"You're not surprised?"
"No. I kind of thought that was the case when you told me you weren't his type."
"Oh. And, um, you're okay with that?"
"With what?"
"That he, you know, has a husband."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. I guess it might freak out some people."
"I'm not some people."
"Good. I mean, I didn't think you were but...I like Brandon. I was hoping you would, too. I mean, I have a feeling we might be seeing more of him, especially if, you know, I'm living here."
"Morgan?"
Something in my voice must have caught