“Mac and Delilah sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage.” Wyatt’s off-key singing drew stares and elicited a few chuckles from his brothers.
Mac shook his head. “Are you serious? You sound like a first grader. What’s wrong with you?”
Brandon shook his head at Wyatt. “Yeah, man. That’s something I would expect to hear from AJ’s mouth, not a grown man.” AJ, Brandon’s son, had been officially adopted by his brother after he married Rose. Brandon was crazy about AJ. He couldn’t have loved him any more if he’d been his biological son.
“We can’t take you anywhere, can we?” Ryder asked, giving Wyatt a poke in the side with his elbow.
“I’m the funny Donahue. You guys need to lighten up,” Wyatt responded. “You take yourselves way too seriously,” he grumbled.
“Spoken by the guy who was in a perpetual bad mood until he met Kaitlyn,” Mac said.
After Wyatt suffered a knee injury last year he’d been blindsided a few months later by another injury he sustained in a car crash. His career as a professional baseball player for the Bay State Bombers had come to a grinding halt. His fiancée Kaitlyn had been hired to help him recover. In the process of getting Wyatt healthy again, the two had fallen head over heels in love. And now Wyatt was working toward returning to baseball full-time. Meeting Kaitlyn had inspired Wyatt to shed his fears and give his recovery a fighting chance. As soon as Wyatt got the medical clearance he was moving back to Boston for part of the year to continue his pro career. He and Kaitlyn were determined to get married before the big move. Neither one wanted to live together until they exchanged their sacred vows. It simply wasn’t an option for them.
Mac looked around the table. “So guys, is there any way I can persuade you to keep this under wraps for a while? I’m calling Donahue code of silence.”
Donahue code of silence. It was something that was rarely brought to the table by any of the Donahue brothers. Each of them knew that it was sacred. They didn’t have a choice. It couldn’t go past this table.
Remy let out a whistle. “Wow. You must really like Delilah.”
Nick leaned his elbows on the table. “So? Do you?”
Mac heaved a huge sigh. He put his head down, then slowly lifted it up. “I like her. More than I’ve ever liked a woman before. And if you repeat this to your wives I’m never speaking to any of you again.” He stroked his jaw. “I feel a little shaken up about this. It came out of nowhere, just the way they always say it happens.”
“Tell me about it,” Remy said with a shake of his head. “It still stuns me that I fell for Gabrielle so quickly. It was a whirlwind.”
“Kaitlyn wrapped me around her finger so tightly it made my head spin. Matter of fact, it still does,” Wyatt said with a chuckle. “It happens to the best of us.”
“If we’re lucky,” Ryder said with a shake of his head. “I’m still wondering how I got the girl of my dreams and my best friend all rolled up into one.”
Mac marveled at all his brothers. Each and every one had a unique love story that had unfolded before his very eyes. They were all so very blessed to have found wonderful, God-fearing women. Love and fidelity were part of the fabric of their lives. Truth. Beauty. Joy. Friendship. They had it all with their partners. He could only hope and pray that he too would find a love to last a lifetime. Although he’d always been skeptical about finding the other half of his heart, he was suddenly full of something that he hadn’t always had a whole lot of in his life. Hope.
**
Delilah couldn’t stop her mind from straying toward Mac. She had spent the evening at home watching an old black and white movie starring one of her favorite actresses of yesteryear. The movie was one she’d seen countless times and had always enjoyed. Tonight, Mac Donahue was the main attraction. Last night had been truly amazing. Just the thought of Mac going to so much trouble on her behalf made her feel wonderful inside.
She let out a sigh as she turned off the television and gathered up her popcorn bowl and glass of lemonade. Did Mac like old movies? Was he a fan of popcorn? Something told he might be a fan of action movies. She didn’t care what movie they might watch together in the future. As long as they were together, Delilah wouldn’t mind.
The ringing of her cell phone cut through her reverie. Mac’s number flashed on her screen. She quickly picked up the phone, not wanting to miss the call.
“Hey there, Mac. How are you?” she said, trying desperately to ignore the thrumming of her heart.