Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Milo
Milo could take no more. The thought of losing her, the thought of never seeing her again. No amount of money, time, or energy was too much if she was gone. Fear ran through his veins, struggling to find the words to express what ran so deep inside him.
He didn’t want her to stay just for him, but for them, together, what they could have. Life was short, they weren’t young anymore, and yet he felt so much. Songs played in his head, creations like that he’d been working on for the competition, all a product of her return to his life.
Milo knew it wasn’t just her, but the happiness and love he felt so deeply in his heart all these years. All that had stopped when she’d gone, now returned.
“What are you saying, Milo? I don’t…”
He kissed her before they both thought too deeply about it, and he found a reason not to kiss her. He wanted so much, the feel of her lips, the warmth of her pressed to him, everything else faded away.
When her arms slung around his neck, he knew there was no way he was letting her go. The kiss, a soft brush of temptation that addled his brain, he forgot himself for a time, sunk in the scent, taste, and touch of her.
Senses slowly returned as she melted every last thought and idea out of his head. It was Delaney who pulled back, her eyes rich with the emotions he’d had deep inside him.
She smiled, ran fingers down the side of his face, and looked at her fill. “What is it?”
“I could do this forever, look into your eyes and stare at your lovely face, Delaney. You know that, right?”
“Milo, I–” She bit her lip, that tempting trick most women used to charm men, and it hit him hard, a thump in the chest to stir the wild beat.
Tightness in his throat, he pulled back a bit more to turn and look at the waves, foamy and white. “A song of the sea, harsh and yet so gentle. You mesmerize me, Delaney. You’ve always done that. I know I’ve never said anything before, not this much, and I’ve taken you by…”
Shocked by his own forwardness, Milo knew it was too late for him to turn back. Too late was it for him to not speak the truth of his heart.
Her hands continued to cradle his face, run along the contours of it; forever would that be etched in his memory too if he didn’t find a way to convince her to stay and speak the truth of his soul.
One more kiss, he promised himself, just one more, as no one around them seemed aware or cared what went on under the other tents. Busy were they, making food, plotting their success, and celebrating the bounty of the oceans' gifts that delighted the senses.
Before she could continue, her curious eyes beaming with questions at him, Milo stole another kiss. This one, infused with the wickedness of longings so deep he feared his ability to stop.
Arms wrapped tight around her waist, he pressed her close, felt her shiver, determined to imprint himself on her soul in case she’d run. “Delaney.”
“Oh, Milo.”
Those words, his name rolling off her lips, a whisper, deep, entrenching in his soul, was all it took for him to unravel. He felt her tremble, the give of something deeper than a kiss, and he took, felt, more than she imagined.
Tenderness so profound it threatened to crumble him to the ground, he tasted her love on his lips, melted with it, infused in every thought and feeling he’d ever had.
Milo, too far gone to turn back, pulled back, staring into eyes that had forever haunted his every thought and dream for years.
“Delaney, I love you. You have to stay, please don’t go.
I love you too much to lose you again. I know this is strange, sudden, and surprising, but I love you.
I’ve always loved you, from the moment we first met, and losing you again will break me for certain this time. ”
He’d said it, spoken the truth of his heart for her and all to hear.
Her eyes welled with tears, she smiled, and laughed all at the same time.
“I love you too, Milo. I’ve loved you so long I thought I’d never see you again.
I let you go when we parted, moved on with my life, but I never forgot you.
I loved my husband, don’t get me wrong, but you never left me.
Now he’s gone, and I didn’t want to let him go.
I didn’t want to move forward with my life. ”
“You don’t have to let him go; he’s a part of you always. I’d never deny the love you felt for a man who took such good care of you and loved you as I have all these years. I love you, now and always. Please don’t go to Delaney.”
She sniffled, her hand sweeping across the tears that fell to her cheeks.
“I have Milo. I don’t know how I can stay.
My life is back there. I know there’s nothing left, but I have to finish it, close out that part of my life.
I love you and want to come back, but I have to do things on my own terms. I can’t just live off everyone else. ”
“You're the love of my life, Delaney. My heart stopped beating the day you were gone, and I lived all these years wondering. Whatever you have to do, do it. I’m with you. Just promise me you’ll come back.”
She nodded, another kiss, he lost all track of thought, searing their lips and futures together. She was his; that was all he needed to hear. She loved him as he loved her. Somehow, Milo knew they’d figure it out.
Delaney
Delaney’s mind was a blank slate of nothingness as the reality of what Milo said hit her hard. She loved him so deeply it hurt, and hearing that he felt the same broke her every resolve to go away forever.
She held on to him, feeling the love she never imagined he felt for her, or how deeply or long he’d loved. Guilt swamped her brain as another mindblowing kiss ended. She pulled back, tears wetting her face. “You’ve loved me all this time? Never once did you find love elsewhere?”
Her heart broke knowing the truth, seeing it in his eyes.
“No, it's only ever been you. I tried, believe me, I tried, but no one ever compared to you. I’d not torture them with a half love; they deserved better, and so did I. I waited, hoping one day to see you again, and that fate would grant me another chance. Now I have it, and I’m not letting you go.
Do you understand, I can’t let you go? If you won’t stay here, you have to go back and won’t return.
I’m prepared to begin again, wherever you are.
I love you so much I’ll throw all this away. ”
Delaney felt the truth of those words, saw it in his eyes, nodding.
“I do, I don’t want you to do that, Milo.
What am I to do? I have to go home to tidy things up, figure out how I’m going to make a living, and what I’m going to do.
I can’t live off you or Nova, anyone else. I need to do this myself.”
He smiled, that heart-stopping smile that Delaney knew had to have melted many a broken heart. “I've got a plan for that, you just need to go along with me and be patient.”
“Well, well, it looks like you two finally figured things out. I’m happy!” Nova’s voice startled her.
Delaney turned to see Nova standing in the sand, a bowl in her hands, a fork to her mouth. “Nova.”
“Yes, bestie, it's me, and I see you two are busy, so I’m going to just move along. There is so much food to taste here. I can’t imagine what they are going to have later.
I think they’re a band at the end over there, setting up.
You two, back to that kissing thing, be careful you don’t set fire to the tent, though, I think Milo and Maveryk need that. ”
Delaney’s heart warmed, a different kind of love for the woman in front of her swelling in her heart. One look at Milo, she knew by the way he grinned. “I was…”
“Go, go, love. We can continue this conversation later. If you are leaving it's late, you might have to postpone till morning. Let's talk later.”
Delaney stole one more kiss, not wanting to let go of him, admitting her deepest feelings, letting go, both humbling and exciting. She did, her hand falling away as she moved, feeling the void right away.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Nova walked beside her, tossing the bowl in a nearby trash can as they walked.
“You were, but weren’t he told me he loved me. He’s loved me forever, since college. I had no idea; if I’d have known, I don’t know.”
Delaney let that swamp her brain as they walked, shaking inside with the knowledge of what that would have meant for her and her late husband. It wasn’t until she felt a hand on her arm that Nova brought her back to reality.
“Don’t do that. You’ll only ruin the moment. He loves you, he always has, and now you are free to love him back. Did you tell him?”
“I did. I didn’t want to, speaking it hit harder than keeping it to myself. I’m scared. I don’t know what comes next, where life will take us, and knowing I could hurt him, it's frightening.”
“Welcome to my world. Somehow, I think you and Milo already have it figured out. Now all you have to do is enjoy it, but how’s that going to work with you going home?”
Delaney wasn’t ready to answer all those questions. She needed some quality time alone to figure it out. Instead, she shrugged as they stopped at a nearby stand.
“Fresh corn to go with your seafood. Here, try the cajun parmesan.”
Delaney laughed, and Nova reached for a small sampling. “You know, kind sir, this is going to add five pounds to my growing waistline. By the time I’m done here today, I will have gained twenty pounds and look like a donut.”
The man, much younger than both she and Nova, grinned. “And you will look just as lovely as you do now. Enjoy.”
“Flirt.” Nova laughed, grabbing one for Delaney. “Here, eat so I don’t feel so miserable doing so.”
Delaney’s mouth watered before she tasted. Walking along with not a care in the world, the sparks of creativity took hold, and she stopped. “Give me a second, don’t go too far or eat too much. I need to go grab some supplies.”
“Oh boy, tell the news, Delaney’s about to paint a picture that’s going to capture me gaining five pounds.” Nova laughed. “Fine, I’ll not move; the food will hold me in place. Go grab your stuff, I should sit down while you create and I eat.”
Delaney rushed to gather her supplies, stopping only to say hi to Maveryk before rushing off back to her side. “Okay, where should we sit. You know we’ve got a lot of tents to go through. The judging table is over there.” She pointed with her corn cob, laughing as Nova did the same.
“Yup, I think I should sign up. I would be a good judge for this event.”
Facing the scene of tents, a backdrop on either side of houses and businesses, and the ocean, Delaney swept her supplies out and began creating with the speed and accuracy of lightning. “This is so…my goodness, the colors, the setting, I don’t know where it all came from, it just–”
“Go with it, and I’m right here, eating. So tell me about you and Milo. That kiss was pretty steamy.”
Delaney kept quiet, a rush of creative energy pushing her forth.
For the time being, Nova would have to wait for an answer.
Hands moving across the paper, eyes darting this way and that, she created, mastered the colors, and swept them into a final masterpiece that took no more than five minutes, and her brain had already created.
“Whew, that was quick. I've not had a creative flow like that in years. Wow, what do you think?”
She already knew what she thought and felt; rather than waste her breath, she turned the creation to her best friend.
“I think I’m jealous, I’ve always been jealous of you and this little thing you’ve got going on. It's gorgeous, of course, and now I’m going to buy it for my new Inn.”
Heart swelling with love, Delaney handed it over to her.
“Here, on the house, no charge, consider it my gift to you. Don’t touch it, it needs to dry.
In fact, let's just sit here and wait. And for your information, I don’t know what comes next between Milo and me.
He admitted he loves me, and I told him I love him too.
He begged me to stay, or at least come back. I can’t believe…”
Her chest tight, the truth of his next words swamped her system so hard, painfully, his truth she had to push out. “I can’t believe he told me he’s going to follow me. If I don’t come back, he’s prepared to leave this town and come be with me. I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“What! And then it’s just going to be Maveryk and me, here alone at this beach.”
She knew it was wrong, but Delaney nodded anyway. “Yes, but I think that’s a good thing for you two. So maybe this will turn out all right. I don’t know yet.”
“Oh for the love of heaven above!” Nova's voice broke her reverie.
“What?” Delaney followed the line of her stare down the sandy path to somewhere or someone.
“They’ve got some kind of lobster, I can smell it. Heaven help me, this is going to ruin my diet forever. Come on, let’s go.”
Happy for the diversion as she had so much on her mind, Delaney followed along as Nova made haste to locate her heart's desired food. “There it is, right there under that tent. I don’t know Del; he might not beat out lobster.”
Small disposable bowls of goodness were offered up by a woman wearing a red apron. “Eat up, there’s plenty more. Don’t forget to vote for us for the people’s choice award at the judging table.”