“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.”