Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

I t took three days for Cassie to pluck up the courage to face Del. The conversation she had with Charlie echoed in her head, refusing to leave her alone. Her best friend's insistence that her brother still loved Cassie gave her hope that she hadn't screwed things up beyond repair. Still, she had some things to sort out before she went crawling on her knees to the man she loved.

Okay, maybe not crawling.

She put on her favorite forest green sundress that made her eyes pop. She didn't want to scuff her knees up and ruin the make-his-mind-go-fuzzy sex appeal she had going on. Touching her hand to her hair, she smiled as she patted the smooth strands. After setting everything in motion, she'd scheduled an appointment at Deep Reflections. If she was going to convince Del to give her another shot, a real shot, she wanted to use every weapon in her arsenal.

Shandra booked her the full treatment. From the tips of her straight-ironed, shiny hair to the bottom of her freshly-painted pale pink manicured toes. Knights went into battle with swords and armor. Women in love fought with their hearts, but it didn't hurt to look your best, too. Cassie's outfit was her armor, and her heart, her sword. She would fight for Del, for them, with everything she had in her, because the man had been right.

Possessions didn't matter. People did.

And Delta Jackson mattered more than anyone in the entire world.

Approaching the door to Jack's, she placed a hand on the warm silver handle and paused. What if Charlie was wrong? What if Del had decided she wasn't worth all this drama? What if he'd changed his mind and didn't love her anymore?

A sharp pain jabbed in her chest. The confidence she'd received from the primping at the spa and her inner pep talk on the way over faltered.

Letting out a shuddering breath, she rubbed at the ache in her chest. Her vision blurred slightly, but she blinked back the tears. No. She didn't have time for doubts, and no way in hell was she ruining her very expensive makeover before she'd said her peace. Knock Del's socks off first, then she could cry.

But would they be tears of joy or sadness?

Pushing open the door, she squinted as the bright light of late afternoon disappeared, replaced by soft interior lighting. The tasting room opened about an hour ago, so they weren't overly crowded. Half a dozen customers sat spread around, drinking Jack's finest. Two women laughed together at a table in back, one man stared at the jukebox as if his song selection were the secret to life, and three men sat at the bar, engaged in friendly banter.

And there, behind the bar, mixing up the drinks with a smile, stood the man she loved.

Del laughed at something the men said, pouring a mix of something fizzy and most-likely delicious into three tall glasses full of ice. He garnished each with a slice of lemon and pushed them toward the men. "Three Tom Collins made with Kismet's finest gin. Enjoy, gentlemen."

The men—tourists, judging by their out-of-town sports jerseys—clinked their glasses and tipped them back. Each praised Del on his mixing skills and the gin. Del smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. His spark was missing, and she had a sinking feeling she knew why.

But she came here to fix that.

Oh, please let her be able to fix it.

Stepping further into the room, she opened her mouth, but only a squeak came out, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "Del?"

His head snapped up at her voice, smile vanishing, brow furrowing. "Cassie, what are you doing here?"

Not a great start. Guess her makeover didn't work as well as she thought.

"I came to talk to you. Do you have a second?"

She should have been here two hours ago, before the tasting room opened, but her hair had taken longer than she planned—as it always did. She counted on the early time and Kelley—the part-time bartender who was nowhere in sight—to give her a chance to talk to Del alone. No way could she put this off until Jack's closed after midnight.

"Um, yeah. I guess, but I can't leave. Kelley won't be here for another half an hour."

Great, just what she wanted for her grovel, an audience.

"Excuse me, guys," Del said to the men at the bar before coming around to her.

"Hey, man. We're good," the guy with sandy blond hair spoke.

"Yeah, we got what we need." The man in the middle with dark hair lifted his drink to his lips but didn't take a sip. "And it looks like you're gonna get what you need."

The guy on the right, the biggest of all of them, elbowed middle-man. "Stop being an immature prick, Jon."

"Ow! That hurt."

Ignoring the three stooges, Cassie breathed deeply through her nose, letting it out as Del came to a stop in front of her.

"Hi." Wow, winning him over with words already.

He gazed at her with concern, and his hand reached out to brush her cheek. "Have you been crying?"

Dammit! Had one of her tears escaped? She didn't want to go into this apology seeming weak. She wanted to be strong and sure and…oh my, the way he caressed her.

Sparks flew from his fingertips, igniting a storm of need and craving within. The fact that he cared about her emotional well-being when she'd practically destroyed him the other day let her know, deep in her heart, that she was right. She really did love this man. He's the one. And she wasn't leaving until he knew it.

"I was wrong," she blurted.

Del stopped stroking her cheek, his hand falling to his side as his brow rose. "Come again?"

"I was wrong, and I'm sorry." Her body quaked as she breathed fast and hard, trying to stem the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Gathering all the courage she had, she tilted up her chin to stare directly into Delta's eyes. "I don't need Gran's house to be happy. You were right, Del, it's just a thing. A thing can't hold you in its arms. It can't commiserate with you over a crappy day or celebrate with you over good news. A thing can't drive away the loneliness in the dark of the night."

When he continued to stare at her, she started to reach for a curl, but then dropped her hand when she remembered she'd ironed them out today.

"I know my words were cruel, and if I could take them back, I would. God, Del I would a thousand times. I'm so sorry I hurt you. I never meant for that to happen. I never meant for any of this to happen—"

Suddenly R.E.M.'s ‘Everybody Hurts' came blasting from the jukebox.

Jaw dropping open, Cassie turned her head to stare at the man there with utter shock. "Seriously?"

"What?" He shrugged as if he hadn't just given her apology a soundtrack. "It's a good song."

Shaking her head, she turned back to see Del fighting a smile. At least one of them found this funny.

"As I was saying," she continued to the morose tones of Michael Stipe. "I'm sorry. We started this thing as pretend, but you were right. It stopped being pretend a long time ago. I like spending time with you Del. You're funny and kind and much smarter than anyone gives you credit for."

His jaw worked at that, and if she wasn't mistaken, he had his own eye-sheen going on.

"I don't know when it exactly happened, but somewhere along the way I…I came to care very deeply for you. I never meant for it to happen, but it did. And it scared the shit out of me."

He chuckled, giving her that classic Del wink she'd come to love so much. "Me too, Sassy. Me too. But I'm not afraid anymore."

"Me either."

"Really?"

"Really, and I'm going to move out of the house."

His smile turned into a frown at her words. "I said I'd marry you. You don't have to give up your dream."

"If he won't marry you, I will!" Middle-man called from the bar.

"Jon, I swear to God do not make me regret inviting you on this trip," Big Guy said with a growl.

Aware of their audience, Cassie stepped closer, lowering her voice. "The house isn't my dream, Delta. You are. I don't want our relationship to be built on a lie, but I'll still give you the start-up cash for your restaurant. I really do believe it's a great idea."

His smile returned, and he took her hands in his, pulling her even closer, until their bodies touched. "Thanks, but I don't need the money. I have it."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I sold Beatrice."

She stared in shock. "But you love that car."

"I love you more," he said, dipping his head to gaze directly into her eyes. "I'm not taking your money. This is something I have to do on my own."

She understood. Boy, did she.

"I'm sorry, too," he went on. "I never should have said that about your grandmother's house. It's important to you. You shouldn't give it up."

"Too late. I called Gran's attorney and told him to give the house to Mandy."

"What? But she's just going to sell it."

She shrugged. "Then we'll have new neighbors in Kismet, and I bet they'll be wonderful. Besides, you were right. My parents are gone. Keeping the house doesn't keep their memory alive. I have them in here." She placed their joined hands over her heart, warming when Del squeezed tightly in agreement. "Things shouldn't be more important than the people you love."

His hand slipped from hers, sliding down her hips to wrap around her waist and pull her entire body flush to his. She could feel the rapid thump of his heartbeat. Or maybe that was hers.

"Are you saying you love me?" His voice pitched deep and sexy.

She gave him the only words she could. "Yes. I love you."

"'Bout damn time."

With a smile, his lips descended on hers, and she met him with equal fervor, relishing the one thing she'd been denying herself since their awful fight days ago—Del.

Her heart soared as his touch sent her body on a rocket blast to the sky, never indicating a fall. Because Del would never let her fall, and if she did, she knew he'd always be there to catch her.