“Saying thank you doesn’t seem hardly enough, Delilah. I’m blown away.” He ran a hand over his face. “It’s almost too much to process.”
She reached over and touched his hand. “Take your time, Mac. You’ve been waiting twenty years for proof. Don’t rush yourself. You need to absorb this information.”
“I thought that was you sitting way over here, Mac.” Mac swung his gaze up at the sound of his mother’s cheery voice. She was standing in front of them with a huge smile plastered on her face. His father was next to her. They were wearing matching Bermuda shorts and brightly colored polo shirts.
Ma jumped to his feet and swept his mother up in a warm hug. She pressed a kiss against his cheek. “It’s so nice to see you and Sarah.”
“Delilah, Maggie. It’s Delilah,” Alec corrected. “Sarah’s sister.”
“I messed up again, didn’t I?” Maggie asked, looking over at Alec, her lips trembling. Mac’s stomach twisted at the fragile look on his mother’s face. Little by little dementia was chipping away at his brave, strong mother. These slip-ups were happening more often now, as well as more serious incidents they could no longer ignore.
“You’re fine, sweetheart,” Alec said in a tender voice. He reached out and entwined his fingers with hers. “Remember honey, Delilah is Sarah’s sister.”
“Yes, I remember,” she said with a firm shake of her head. She sent Delilah a sweet smile. “Good to see you again.”
Mac knew she didn’t remember Delilah and it scared him. A week ago at the barbecue she’d recognized Delilah, yet now, mere days later, things were fuzzy. He felt like reaching out and wrapping his mother up in his strong, protective arms where nothing could hurt her. And if he could stop time right now he would, if only to prevent the worsening of her disease and the sabotage of her memories.
Delilah got up and gave Maggie a hug. His mother looked slightly uncomfortable, which wasn’t at all like her. She was the best hugger on the planet. He imagined it was like hugging a stranger you didn’t know or recognize. Mac watched Delilah. She seemed to sense Maggie’s reticence and immediately backed off, choosing instead to compliment his mother on her colorful outfit. Maggie lit up like a Christmas tree as Delilah fussed over her attire.
Mac let out a relieved sigh. So many people were clueless to the journey his mother was on. There were so many cues given by individuals suffering from dementia. To be fair, a lot of people in Breeze Point weren’t aware of Maggie’s condition, although he knew Delilah was privy to it based on her being an extended member of the Donahue family. Thankfully, Delilah had picked up on Maggie’s distress. Her compassion and gentleness with his mother traveled straight to his heart at the speed of light.
If he hadn’t already sensed that Delilah Dalton was shaping up to be an important person in his life, the events of today cemented it. As Delilah glanced over him and sent him an encouraging smile, he felt his palms moistening and his pulse racing. For most of his adult life he’d heard people talk about that moment when you were in the presence of “the one.” The one who was unlike any other woman who entered your world. The one who made you feel things you had never felt before. The one who threw everything in your life into question.
How was this happening to him? He had always been the Donahue least likely to fall in love. And it wasn’t as if he loved Delilah…not yet anyway. But these feelings stirring inside him were one of a kind. Way beyond anything he’d ever felt before for a woman. And it was way more than gratitude for Delilah having uncovered a huge puzzle piece in the mystery surrounding Callie’s disappearance.
He swallowed past the huge lump sitting in his throat. He was unable to speak as the knowledge swept over him. Delilah could be the one. The one who might own his heart. On some level perhaps this was why he’d been resisting getting to know Delilah more and the matchmaking efforts of his family members. Deep down he’d been resisting the power of this connection. Love made people helpless didn’t it? And ever since he’d been an abused little boy stuck in a basement he had vowed never to be helpless again.
His father was staring at him with a strange expression on his face. Leave it to Alec Donahue to be attuned to the raw emotions of his sons.
Alec moved toward him as Delilah continued her conversation with his mother. His father stood face to face with him and looked straight into his eyes.
“Are you okay, son?” He reached out and patted Mac’s cheek. “That look on your face. If you’re worried about Mom not recognizing Delilah, it’s par for the course. Going forward, we all have to expect this to happen with more frequency.” A sigh slipped past his lips. “I know it’s not easy. But if we all support each other and Maggie, it’ll be better for all of us.”