“Loving Mac is the best feeling in the world. It makes me feel like I can soar and do almost anything, if only to make him proud of me. But the thought of losing him terrified me. So much so that I shut down before I could get hurt. Or rejected. The way I’ve always been hurt. But without Mac my world is pretty empty. It’s like a big black void is staring me in the face. Mac can fill that void with his amazing heart and his strength and courage. And his quiet dignity and love. But I blew it. He won’t even look at me now I imagine.” Delilah began to sob and she lifted her hands over her face. She stood up from the table. Her shoulders began to shake violently and she felt her sister’s gentle arms embracing her.
“Don’t cry, Lilah. We’ve all made mistakes in love. None of us are perfect where our hearts are concerned.” Sarah’s voice soothed and comforted her. “And I know how badly your heart has been bruised in the past.”
Layla was on her other side, patting her gently on the back. “We love you, Delilah. And we love Mac too. We just want to see you happy.”
“We’re rooting for you,” Rose said. “All of us.”
Delilah lifting her head. Through a haze of tears she realized she was being surrounded and supported by all of the ladies. A circle of love and friendship and support. They were lifting her up in her time of need. And she desperately needed their support and friendship. Sisterhood!
“What can I do to show him that I am madly, deeply, fervently in love with him?” Delilah asked. “If ever there was a time for a grand gesture, it’s now.”
“Grand gesture? Oh, we know a little something about that,” Tess said with a knowing look around the circle. “Let’s put our heads together and figure something out. Operation Mac is underway.”
Everyone started clapping and letting out hoots of excitement. Delilah’s pulse began to quicken as excitement throbbed in the air. For the first time in days she began to hope as she’d never dared to hope before. It was time to take a gigantic leap toward her future.
Please, Lord. Grant me the courage to make things right with Mac. I love him more than I ever realized it was possible to love a man. Please let him still be in love with me. Don’t let him have given up on me.
“Love didn’t just fall into our laps. We had to work at it from day one. And we still work at it today. Don’t ever forget that! Love is like a fragile flower that needs watering and nurturing and protecting.”
Alec Donahue
Chapter Eleven
Evening came, bringing with it a reminder that his work day was officially done. His mind had been all over the place today. It was no small wonder he’d even gotten out of bed this morning. A quick look out of his shop window showcased the orange cast of the sky and the myriad of colors that complemented it—purples, grays and blues. He could appreciate God’s masterpiece even though a part of him felt dead inside. Technically, he could have closed up shop earlier, but working was the only thing that allowed him a few moments of forgetfulness. For a brief time he could erase the fact from his mind that Delilah was no longer in his life. She didn’t want him.
He was just going through the motions. Callie had called earlier, and although they had talked for half an hour he couldn’t bring himself to tell her about his break-up with Delilah. It still felt too raw, too brutal. Knowing Callie, she would have hopped on a plane from Savannah so she could console him. That would have been amazing, but he also knew that Callie had a lot of things to figure out for herself. Her father’s betrayal had caused her an incredible amount of pain. Those wounds needed to heal or they would fester and torment her till she drew her last breath. He didn’t want that for Callie. As her big brother, he wanted to wrap up the world, put a big red ribbon on it and give it to her.
He let out a ragged sigh. For the life of him he didn’t know how a person could get over loving someone who didn’t love them. Would it sear his insides for a lifetime? Change the course of his life? Probably. He couldn’t imagine ever loving a woman the way he loved Delilah. Loving her was a victory of sorts. It showed him that despite the actions of his birth mother and stepfather, they hadn’t ruined his ability to love a woman. He could still trust. Hope still lived and breathed inside him. His heart was still intact. Or at least it had been until Delilah had broken it.
The sound of a bell jingling alerted him to a customer. It was past the shop’s hours but he had forgotten to put the closed sign on the front door and lock up. The words “We’re closed” froze on his lips as his gaze landed on Delilah. She had just crossed over the threshold and the sight of her standing there felt like a sucker punch to the gut. Dear Lord give me strength! Big guys like himself were supposed to be like Oak trees, or at least that’s what everyone seemed to think. At the moment he felt like he didn’t have an ounce of strength to muster a single word or guard himself against her.
“Mac.” His name seemed to rush out of her mouth.
“What do you want?” he asked gruffly. He couldn’t be sweet to her. Didn’t want to be. She’d chopped up his heart and served it to him on a silver platter. And even though she’d broken him, he still felt like begging her for a second chance. So much for his pride! He wanted to get down on his knees and pour his feelings out even though he knew it wouldn’t change a thing.
Her sky blue eyes went wide. Her creamy skin flushed. She stood as still as a deer caught in the headlights, then haltingly began to swallow up the space between them.
“I am my beloved and my beloved is mine.” Delilah spoke in a low voice but the Bible verse resounded in his heart. It had, and always would be, one of his favorites. But he was too wounded to believe that it meant what he wanted it to mean.
“Did you come here to quote Bible verses?” Mac asked in a curt voice. He had no defenses against Delilah. All he could do was try and stay strong. He didn’t have the energy to hope.
“Yes,” Delilah said. “No,” she corrected herself with a shake of her head. She was standing close enough to him so that he could easily reach out and touch her. It was tempting. She was so beautiful. A stray, titian tendril curled by her cheek. Her eyes were blinking rapidly. Color flushed her cheeks.
“Is it yes or is it no?” he pressed. “You don’t seem to know your own mind lately, not to mention your heart.”
“There’s only one reason that I’m here. I-I love you. That’s why I’m came over here. That’s why I’m spouting Bible verses.” She spit the words out of her mouth as if she was about to explode.
Her words seized him by the throat. Love? Delilah loved him?
He shook his head. Was she playing games with him? I love you. I love you not. This was confusing. He took a step backward and looked away from her. She reached out and touched him. He pulled away from her, not wanting to give in to how good it felt to be touched by Delilah. “No! I poured out my heart to you. I stepped out of my comfort zone. And what did you do? You threw it back in my face and ran away. You shut down on me. You broke my heart. What kind of love is that? It’s nothing I need or want.” His voice was uneven and ragged with emotion. It was no small wonder that he’d even managed to get the words out. There was a huge lump sitting in his throat that wouldn’t budge.
Delilah made a wounded sound that reached into his chest cavity and pulled at his heart. Tears ran down her face and he stifled the urge to bridge the gap between them so he could wipe them away. Seeing Delilah so torn up inside wounded him deeply. It made him rethink everything he’d decided about Delilah. Maybe, just maybe, she did care for him.
“I was afraid, Mac. I’ve never had…this. I’ve never known what it’s like to be loved by a man. A man, Mac. That’s what you are. Strong. Brave. Loyal. And compassionate. And I love all of those qualities, but I also love the man who can dig in his heels and be stubborn. A man who would have walked through fire to find his sister. A brother who took beatings so his sister wouldn’t be hurt. A man who bid on my picnic basket because he was afraid no one else would. A man who owns me...heart and soul.”
“I realize I migh
t have blown it.” She let out a strangled cry. “And if that’s true I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting that I allowed fear to stamp out love. When you and I started dating I was a little bit broken. I was wounded by life and past relationships and my own low self-esteem. You built me up, Mac, with your warmth and kindness and with all the many ways you have loved me. But I had a moment—one terrible moment—where I didn’t believe I could ever be what you need. And I was afraid to tell you how I felt about you. I didn’t believe in myself, Mac. I need you to know that I love you, Mac Donahue, and I’m going to keep on loving you, even if I cannot.”
Mac stood completely still. He didn’t think he could move from the spot he was standing in if someone paid him a small fortune. She loved him! Delilah was the woman of his dreams. If he searched the whole world over he would never find anything close to what he’d found in her loving arms.
She’d been afraid. He had recognized that emotion in her when he had professed his love to her. But he hadn’t read it right. He’d taken it as a rejection. It had wounded his pride. But now, in the clear light of day, it was time to reject pride and toss fear out the window. It was time to grab hold of his future with both hands.
Mac took a step toward her. “I am my beloved. And my beloved is mine.” He reached out a hand to her. Delilah smiled through her tears and grabbed hold of his hand.
“There is no one I love more than I love you,” he said through a haze of tears.
“Oh Mac. Thank you for loving me. And for giving me a second chance to love you,” Delilah said as she threw herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. “In your arms is the only place I want to be.”
“Wish granted,” Mac said as he tilted Delilah’s face upward and placed a searing kiss on her lips. The kiss spoke of happily ever afters and knights in blue jeans and love everlasting. It spoke of two people who had put the past to rest and were ready to embrace their future. Finally, after all the storms, Mac and Delilah had found their soft place to fall. With each other.
“Never waste a moment. Always live in love.”
Donahue family motto
Epilogue
It was a beautiful day to carve out your future, Mac decided as he put the finishing touches on his secret project. For weeks now he’d been working on this piece and fine tuning all the intricate details. It was, in his humble opinion, the single most beautiful thing he’d ever put together with his hands. His chest swelled with pride. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined that he would be settled in so nicely with a beautiful, devoted wife who was the other half of his heart.
Although he had hoped it would happen, he had never fully believed that he would be reunited with Callie. Yet it had come to pass. In two weeks she would be coming to Cape Cod for another visit.
The work on the cottage was coming together nicely, and fairly soon, it would be complete. Until then they were making do with one portion of the house and ordering a lot of take-out. Not to mention Sunday dinners at his parents’ house and invitations from his brothers to break bread with them at their homes.
Life was about as perfect as a man could ever want or need.
“Sweetheart, it’s time for us to head over to see your folks.” Delilah’s soothing voice washed over him. He hadn’t even heard her come up the stairs to the second floor of their house. He turned around to see her standing in the doorway, her beautiful features set off by the blush colored tank top she was wearing, paired with her favorite pair of faded jeans. The very sight of his wife set his pulse racing. He imagined it would be like this for the rest of their days.
Thank you, Lord. For bringing my heart to life again. For allowing me to believe in love. For sending me my sweet Delilah and showing me that I was worthy of a happy ending.
“What do you think?” He stood up and brushed off his pants, then stepped out of the way so that Delilah could get a good look at his masterpiece.
Delilah let out a huff of air and raised her hands to her mouth. Mac waited nervously as his wife surveyed his work. This was the most important project he had ever created. Bar none. He prayed she would be overjoyed. And happy.
“Mac! It’s beautiful,” she cried, tears pooling in her eyes. “I think it’s the most stunning thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
Mac took a few steps toward her and pressed a kiss on her lips. She raised her hands to the back of his neck and fervently kissed him back. As the kiss ended Mac murmured, “You’re the most stunning thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. Without a doubt.”
Delilah shook her head and let out a giggle. The sound of her happiness floated on the air and filled up the nursery. A harbinger, Mac predicted, of all the joy that would be present in this room when they welcomed the life they had created into the world.
“I know the baby isn’t due for six months, but I wanted to get a head start on things.”
“It’s magnificent. I’m overwhelmed. I’m so lucky. And so is this little baby,” she said, rubbing her small baby bump. “A child couldn’t ask for a better father than you, Mac Donahue.”
Mac grinned. “If I can be half as great as my Dad our child will be blessed.”
Delilah moved toward Mac and wrapped her arms around his middle. She leaned in and pressed her head against his chest. Mac looked down at his wife, then dipped his head down and planted a kiss on her temple. “And I couldn’t ask for a better wife,” he whispered. “The woman of my dreams. My other half.”
“Oh, Mac. We are so very blessed. Sometimes I’m so happy I could burst. A year ago all of this seemed so far away.”
“I know, sweetheart. I don’t ever want to take any of this for granted. For a long time I walked alone without even the hope of finding my soul mate. Finding you...I don’t ever want to forget what a wonderful gift God gave us.”
“We won’t Mac. And we’re going to raise our children to appreciate the blessings bestowed on them.” She giggled. “I can’t wait to have a house full of little Donahue kids running around.”
Mac grinned. “If the kids are the spitting image of you, Delilah, we can have a hundred.”
“Oh Donahue. You are quite the charmer,” she crooned. “If we have one or one hundred, they are going to be the most loved kids in the world. Mostly because I love their father like nobody’s business.”
Delilah stood on her tippy toes and pressed a romantic kiss against Mac’s lips. Mac ran his hand down the length of Delilah’s hair. As they broke apart from one another Mac rained kisses all along his wife’s cheeks, forehead and nose. Delilah let out a contented sigh. Their love story was just beginning.
**
An hour later the Donahue living room was packed with the entire family. Good news flowed like a rushing river.
Seth had just gotten the news that he was being offered a full academic scholarship at Emmanuel College in Boston. Through shouts of congratulations, Tess managed to keep a stiff upper lip, even though everyone knew she had mixed feelings about her baby brother moving away for four years. Seth vowed to return to Breeze Point for all of his school breaks. He had no interest in straying far from the only real home he had ever known.
Layla and Nick had decided to adopt after being unable to conceive for more than a year. They were waiting for word from the other side of the world where a baby was within weeks of being born. As soon as they got the official word they would be traveling to Jakarta to pick up their precious bundle. The Cove Restaurant was more popular than ever. Layla’s Dance Studio was doing very well and she had just signed a deal to lend her name to a line of dance-related products. Nick joked about her becoming a superstar.
Rose’s baby bump was on full display. Brandon couldn’t resist patting her belly every five minutes. AJ couldn’t stop raving about his soon to be baby brother. He’d already picked out a name. Malec. A combination of his grandparents’ names—Maggie and Alec. His parents knew there couldn’t be a finer name for their new addition. Rose still hadn’t decided if she was giving up her full-ti
me job as Brandon’s secretary to be a stay at home mom.
Tess was giving Rose a run for her money in the baby bump department. They were due mere weeks apart. Ryder and Tess had decided to keep the baby’s gender a secret until the delivery. And they hadn’t told a soul that they were expecting twins.
Kaitlyn and Wyatt had tied the knot in a romantic beach wedding and were anticipating a seasonal move to Boston. Wyatt’s hard work was paying off and he’d been given the go ahead to return to the Bay State Bombers. Kaitlyn would be working in Boston with athletes who had suffered sports injuries. During the off season they would return to their home by the sea in Breeze Point and enjoy being in the Donahue fold.
Gabrielle was working on getting her college degree and traveling the world with Remy from time to time as he continued to earn rave reviews for his art pieces. Maggie and Alec had made Gabrielle an equal partner at Sweet Treats. They trusted that someday she would be the one to continue their bakery’s legacy. Remy and Gabi had decided to build a beachfront home not too far from Wyatt and Kaitlyn’s house. The sea was a constant inspiration for both of them.
Blue and Sarah were enjoying life with their precious one year old, Faith. Although Sarah and Blue wanted to grow their family, Sarah had suffered a miscarriage a few months ago. Inspired by Maggie and Alec, they had brought home a newborn baby who would be part of their family through the foster care system. They were hoping that baby Dahlia would one day be their very own through adoption.
Maggie’s dementia continued to decline at the same time as Alec’s health continued to steadily improve. There were days when Maggie couldn’t remember where she lived or how many children she and Alec had raised. Her driving days were over. Leaving her alone was far too dangerous. She had her good days and her bad ones, but with Alec and her family by her side and being constantly vigilant, they were dealing head-on with the situation.
When A Man Loves A Woman (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 7) Page 16
