When A Man Loves A Woman(6)

It made him feel awful to think that he might have really hurt Delilah’s feelings. She seemed like a warm, down to earth person. He’d just gotten so irritated with his brother for trying to play matchmaker. Now that he was the only single Donahue, everyone in the family acted as if they couldn’t rest until he found his other half. And not a single one of them ever asked his opinion on the matter. If they had he would have told them that he didn’t believe in happily ever after. Not for himself anyway.

His mother walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Mac, no one thinks you meant to hurt Delilah’s feelings, but you have to make things right with her.” Maggie scrunched up her face. “After all, that’s Sarah’s sister. She’s family.”

Family. He let out a sigh. He was living in a Donahue world where family ties meant everything. Without a doubt he knew his mother was right. Sarah was his sister-in law and he loved her very much. He cared deeply about what she thought of him. Sooner, rather than later, he needed to apologize to Delilah.

**

Delilah Dalton threw her keys down on the kitchen counter and heaved a tremendous sigh of relief. She was happy to be home in her small, bungalow style home. She hadn’t stopped for a moment in her quest to get as far away from the Donahue household as possible. Being embarrassed by Mac Donahue wasn’t even that surprising if she was being honest with herself. Humiliating yes. Surprising no. She was used to humiliation. She had known, or suspected for a while now, that her sister, Sarah, and brother-in-law, Blue, were trying to play matchmaker between her and Mac. It made sense. After all, Mac was the last of the single Donahues of Breeze Point, Cape Cod. The last of the good guys, she thought cynically. And, much to her chagrin, she was painfully single.

Most women in town acted as if the Donahue men were God’s gift to women. And due to Mac’s strong, silent vibe, there were many ladies who wanted to tear down his impenetrable wall. They acted like he was a big prize at the fair. Something they wanted to conquer.

He was good looking, she had to admit. Tall and rugged with a broad, muscular body that gave him the look of someone who might be a professional bodyguard, football player or a TSA guard. She could easily imagine him doing all of those things. With his gray eyes, brown hair and chiseled features, he was nice to look at. But his quiet nature threw her off a little bit. He seemed slightly anti-social, which didn’t fit the Donahue mold. There was something hiding behind those eyes of his that spoke of secrets.

A few times Sarah had hinted of Mac’s sad past, but she hadn’t elaborated on the subject. Delilah knew better than to put her sister on the spot and ask probing questions. Now that she was part of the Donahue clan, Sarah was fiercely protective of all of them. Delilah understood. Her sister’s relationship with Blue was precious and sacred. They were wildly, madly in love. And they had worked hard for the life they had built for themselves. The path of their road to romance hadn’t been smooth.

Secretly, she craved the idea of being in love with someone. And to have that someone love her back would be amazing. No one—except maybe Sarah—knew how badly she craved a happily ever after. But as far as romantic possibilities were concerned, she was a big, fat failure. For some reason, she had the worst luck with men. Dumped. Cheated on. Lied to. One ex-boyfriend had even stolen her credit card information and charged thousands of dollars in her name. That had been the final straw. Facing him in a courtroom had been the last humiliation she was going to allow herself to go through in the pursuit of love. If God wanted her to be with a loving, honest man he would have steered her in the right direction. He would have pointed her toward someone who would uplift her, not tear her down. She wanted to be a mother and a wife. She yearned to care for a family and a husband. Why had God created these feelings inside her if she was never destined to love or be loved?

Hot tears splashed onto her cheeks. She let out a tortured groan. Loneliness ate at her every day of her life. Most times it came out of nowhere and seized her by the throat. And it wasn’t as if she didn’t have a full life filled with family, friends and her faith. Not to mention a very satisfying career in social services. But with everyone pairing up around her—Layla and Nick, Sarah and Blue—she was more convinced than ever that her destiny was to be alone.

And that knowledge felt like a kick in the gut. It burned. Her soul ached. She was tired of hoping and praying and waiting. When would it be her turn to find love? Was she destined to walk through this world alone?

Her phone had been buzzing like crazy ever since she’d left the barbecue. Humph. Left sounded way more dignified than scurried, which is how she had actually made her exit. She knew instinctively that it was her sister who kept calling her. Knowing Sarah and Blue would do a drive by unless she picked up her phone, she reached for her cell phone and slid her finger over the screen to answer it.