Falling in love with? Mac watched Parker leave through a fog as he digested his own reality. He was falling in love with Delilah. Sweet, wonderful Delilah.
“Mac, what’s wrong?” Delilah asked. Her blue eyes were full of worry.
“N-Nothing. I’m good. Just a bit overwhelmed by the picture of Callie and everything Parker has been doing for me.” What he’d explained to Delilah was the truth, even if he had left out the part about falling in love with her. That knowledge was hitting him like a ton of bricks.
“Are you in the mood to eat lunch?” she asked.
“Sure thing,” Mac said, not wanting to miss the chance to sit down for a meal with his lady. As the waitress came over and took their lunch order, Mac had to wonder if he would be able to eat a single bite of his food. His appetite had left him the moment he’d realized that his heart was no longer his own. Delilah Dalton had swept into his life like a summer storm, bowling him over with her charm, grace and beauty.
How in the world had this happened so quickly? And what in the world was he going to do about all these feelings that were now squarely planted in the middle of his chest?
**
Delilah wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Mac had been acting strangely at lunch. On several occasions it had seemed as if he wasn’t listening to her. She’d had to repeat herself several times. And a few times she’d caught him staring at her with a blank expression on his face. Earlier he had been upset about the age progressed photo of Callie, so perhaps he was simply feeling overwhelmed by reality. Callie was no longer a child. His baby sister was gone forever. Those missing years could never be recaptured. They had been cheated out of growing up with one another. And there was no way of knowing whether this search for Callie would ever result in a happy ending.
Mac was really stepping out on a limb of faith. And the reality of the situation was sobering. The search might take months. Years even. And even then...Callie might not be found.
She let out a sigh as she walked up to her sister’s door. Sarah had invited her over for dinner this evening. Blue was out of town doing a story, so it would just be the girls tonight. Delilah pushed open her sister’s front door and followed the sound of her niece’s tinkling laughter. Sarah was sitting on the living room floor playing with baby Faith as she lay on her back with her legs pumping in the air.
“Hey Delilah!” Sarah said as she waved her into the room. “Faith. Look who came to visit. It’s Auntie Lilah.”
Delilah smiled as she heard her nickname roll off her sister’s tongue. She loved the fact that Faith would grow up calling her Auntie Lilah. Not many people called her by that endearment, so it would be special to hear Faith use that nickname. Delilah immediately hunkered down on the floor and scooped up her niece into her arms.
“Who’s the prettiest baby in Cape Cod?” Delilah crooned. “Faith Donahue, that’s who.”
Sarah giggled. “Don’t let Blue hear you say that. He thinks Faith is the prettiest baby in the universe.”
Delilah smiled. Blue was the proudest Papa on the planet. And he was a fantastic father. Something told her Mac would be equally wonderful. After all, they’d had a terrific example in Alec Donahue. “He should feel that way,” Delilah said, kissing Faith’s temple. “Every Papa should think his child is the cream of the crop. Isn’t that right, Faith?”
Faith gurgled at her and made a funny face that caused Delilah to laugh out loud.
“I think she’s agreeing with you,” Sarah teased.
A sigh slipped past Delilah’s lips as she stared into her niece’s gorgeous eyes. Faith was the perfect combination of Sarah and Blue. Precious and stunning. She would love to give Faith a cousin or two to play with one of these days. It would be sheer heaven to sit next to her sister with each of them holding a baby in their arms.
Sarah frowned at her. “What was that sigh for? Is everything all right? You seem a little weary.”
Delilah laid Faith back down on the baby blanket. “I’m okay. It’s been an emotional day. Mac’s search for his sister is really revving up. It’s a very painful process.”
Sarah made a tutting sound. “Mac is such a sensitive guy. He’s a prime example of the strong, rugged guy with a heart of gold. He feels everything so acutely.”
“He does,” Delilah said with a nod. “Since we’ve been hanging out I have a whole new appreciation for him. He’s a lot sweeter than I ever imagined. He always seemed so gruff and quiet.”
“It’s strange that Blue hasn’t said a word about you and Mac dating,” Sarah said.