“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 might 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.