Delay only on load

[Arcath]

Say I have a link setup like this:

<motion.a
  initial={{scale: 0.7}}
  animate={{
    scale: 1,
    transition: {delay: 2, type: 'spring', mass: 1}
  }}
  whileHover={{
    scale: 0.8,
    transition: {type: 'spring', mass: 1}
  }}
>Link</motion.a>

I'd expect the on load animation from a scale of 0.7 to 1 to be delayed by 2 seconds which it is. The problem is that when the hover ends the 2 second delay is applied again.

Is there a way to set the delay to 0 for a return to original state?