“I will try.”  I agree.

“That kiss wasn’t just to help you keep your mind of the ride.  I mean it was but I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t want to.”  He grabs both my hands with his putting them in his lap.  “This is so much harder than I thought it would be…Let me ask you something?”

“I thought you wanted me to shut up?” I raise my eyebrows in question.

“I did until now.”  He doesn’t laugh or smile.

“Ok ask away.”  I become concerned inching closer to him.

“Do you feel this?”  He motions between the two of us.

I look at him questioning.  “Gabe, I felt that kiss everywhere if that is what you are asking.”

“Yes…no.”  He pulls his hands away brushing them through his hair.  “What I am trying to say is…I love you.  I know it’s complicated as hell for us and all the people that won’t understand it but I have loved you for so many years.  I thought I could get over you when I moved to Florida but every girl I tried to date never kept my interest, they never compared to you.  There were so many times I wanted to tell you but one thing after the next held me back.  I am sick of waiting for the time to be right or people to come to grips.  I want you to be mine.”  He divulges not looking up at me.

“Oh Gabe!”  I don’t know what to say.  I know I love him too but I can’t stop thinking about Trent or his family not liking me.  The trouble it would cause if we got together.

“Shit!”  He yells and the family a couple rows up turn their heads towards us.

“Sorry” I apologize to them.

“I thought for sure you felt the same way.”  He whispers staring at his feet.

“Gabe, look at me.”  I place my hand on his knee.

He slowly turns his face up to mine his eyes filled with regret and despair.

“Who said I didn’t?”  I smile over at him.

“God, you scared the shit out of me.”  He confesses.

“Gabe just because I feel the same doesn’t mean I think it’s a good idea to be together.”  His smile falters and he shakes his head.

“Maddy, it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks.  If we love each other we should be together.”

“Your mom hates me, Trent is your brother, and we live in different parts of the country.  Nothing about this is right”

“All that matters is this” he kisses me again but this time more urgent and persistent.  Our lips and tongue can’t seem to get enough.   His arms are warm around me, fingers gingerly running through my hair.  My hands rest on his firm chest.  That feeling is there again.  The electricity I only feel with him.  As though everything is right in the world when I am with him.

When he pushes back from me resting his forehead on mine.  “I guess I can’t argue with that.”  I relinquish.

“I promise you Maddy, I will protect us. We are worth fighting all this crap for.”

“Okay, but can I ask one thing?”   I bring my pointer finger up.

“Anything.”  His hand rests on my hips rubbing up and down.

“You have to kiss me every hour.”  I laugh.

“I think I can do better than that.”  His lips crash down on mine again.

I can’t tell you how long Gabe and I rode the train.  He held me in his arms kissing my neck and ears when his lips weren’t on mine.  We didn’t talk about all the important topics that would soon be in our face once we told everyone.  We only relish being together as a couple.  Touching each other, stealing kisses and talking about our feelings toward one another.

It feels so good to be with Gabe but it scares me at the same time.  How were we going to be together?  Which one of us would tell Trent?  Would I lose him as my friend?  What about his mom?  The questions just keep running through my mind, I can’t escape them.  Gabe is so sure it is going to work out telling me our love would prevail.  When we get off that train everything comes crashing down.  I don’t think I can make everyone else upset just to make myself happy.   There is no way I can do it this weekend, my brother’s wedding has to come first.

“Gabe, hold on a second.”  I stop him right before we are getting to the water fountain.

“What’s up Mad?”  He pins me against the brick wall of a building.

“I don’t think we should tell anyone…yet.”  I see the disappointment on his face so I look down.

“It doesn’t matter what they think.”  He kisses my neck.

“I can’t ruin my brother’s wedding.  We don’t know how your mom or Trent will take this.”  I shake my head back and forth.

“Promise me this has nothing to do with Trent?”  He pulls away a little.

“No, it’s not that.  After the wedding we can scream it on the ten o’clock news.  Please say you understand.”  I grab his shirt pulling him back to me.

“Alright, but after that reception I am announcing you are mine and I don’t care what anyone says.”  He kisses me so thoroughly my knees almost give out but he holds me up.

“Deal” I say.

When we get closer to the wedding group, I release Gabe’s hand and he releases a long breath of frustration.  I wish it didn’t have to be like this but I can already feel his mom’s eyes on us along with everyone else’s disapproving looks.  Jack has always been there for me and I won’t ruin his wedding.

After we rejoin everyone, it is a little after four.  All of a sudden I don’t see Gabe anywhere but notice my mom with that man from the restaurant.  From my moms conversation I assume he is a family member of the Bassos but in all my years at family holidays and gatherings I couldn’t place him. She smiles up at him and he reaches his arm around her pulling her closer.  Regardless of who he is you would be blind not to see the love between them.  Just as I am about to look away my mom catches me staring and starts walking over with the mystery man in tow.

Although I am happy it isn’t Gabe she is bringing over to meet me, I am still nervous.  In the years after my parents’ divorce my mom never dated anyone who would want to get to know me.  She usually entertained the men at night after I went to bed or wasn’t home.  By the time I got up in the morning she would sneak them out the backdoor like a teenager.  I knew this was a huge step for my mother and I didn’t want to make it awkward for her.

“Maddy, where did you and Gabe go?  You have been missing the whole afternoon.”  Looking at the smile on her face I am abruptly aware of what is going on.  She wants me with Gabe and is ecstatic that we went off by ourselves.

“She rode the Eagle Barb, you should have seen her.”  Gabe comes up from behind me laughing.  He doesn’t place his hand on my back or lace it with mine, just stands there next to me. The heat radiating between us is fierce and I wonder how long I can pretend I don’t want to jump into his arms kissing him all over.

“Someone kind of tricked me into it” I smirk over Gabe’s way but he just winks at me.

“Come on, you barely knew you were riding it” he licks his lips and I never wanted my mouth on someone else’s so bad.

“I think its great Maddy, good for you.”  My mom nods her head with confusion in her eyes.  “I want to introduce you to someone Maddy.”  My mom brings the mystery man forward with her hand entwined with his.

“Hey Uncle Mitch. How is it going?”  Gabe reaches out shaking his hand.

“Hi Gabe, got here a little late but luckily I made it in time to take this one on some roller coasters.  You know how the women cuddle close to you when they get scared.”  He laughs making my mom playfully slap his shoulder but leaning into him.  She resembles a teenage girl crushing on the captain of the football team.

“Yeah, I know a little something about that.”  Gabe murmurs staring down at me.  Luckily my mom doesn’t notice my face getting redder by the minute since she is too enthralled with Uncle Mitch.

“Maddy, this is Mitch.  Mitch this is my daughter Madeline.”  My mom points back and forth to us.

“Hi Madeline, Mitch Basso.”  He shakes my hand.  His handshake is firm and soft at the same time.  I can see the hesitation in his eyes.  He is worried I won’t like him.  Little does he know it never matters to my mom if I like the men in her life, he has nothing to worry about.