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The door leading from the house to the garage opened, and Carter looked up from where he sat on a stool to see Ross descending the steps. Ross’s gorgeous silver Corvette Stingray, his white Porsche Cayenne, and his Dodge Power Wagon sat in a line surrounded by his toolboxes. Carter had peeked in the windows of the Corvette and Porsche, and he hoped someday he’d get a chance to drive them.
“Is everything okay in there?” Carter asked.
Ross nodded. “Yes, it’s fine. Josie and I were a little emotional, but we knew this day would come. We understand Darcy’s need to find her biological mother. It’s only natural.” He took a seat on a stool beside Carter. “Have you met Robyn yet?”
“No, not yet, but Darcy asked me to go with her when she does meet her and her family.”
“You’re a great help to her. She went through so much after...” Ross stopped. “I’m sorry. I’m probably saying too much.”
“She told me about how her fiancé passed away.”
“That was devastating. It was gut-wrenching to watch her suffer and blame herself.” Ross’s posture slumped. “Josie and I worried she’d never come out of it.” His expression brightened. “But she met you, and she changed. She’s living again. She’s happy again. And we have you to thank for that.”
Carter tried in vain to swallow back his shame. He hadn’t been honest with her, and every time he was about to, he was terrified he would lose her. “She’s made a huge difference in my life too.” He faced Ross’s classic Dodge truck along with the other vehicles. “I was just sitting here admiring your Porsche and Corvette. They’re stunning.”
“Thank you. Have you had a chance to work on your grandfather’s Road Runner?”
Carter’s gaze flitted to Ross’s. “No.” He paused. “I’m thinking about selling it.”
“Selling it?” Ross looked shocked. “Why?”
Carter pressed his lips together, and the urge to admit the truth seemed to grab him by the shoulders. “In order to start a life with Darcy.”
Ross’s salt-and-pepper eyebrows lifted. “What do you mean?”
Carter told the story of going through a hard time three years ago and having to move in with his sister, leaving out the details of his kidney failure and transplant. “I’m fine now, but I’m still crawling out of debt. And now my sister and her husband are expecting twins. I’m happy for them, of course. They’ve been hoping and praying for children for a long time.”
He rubbed his hands down his thighs. “I want to get my own place to get out of my sister’s hair before the babies come, and I also want to be able to start a life with Darcy. Right now I have nothing to offer her, but if I can sell the car, I might be able to pay off the loan early and finally get a bit ahead in life. I’ve been stuck in a holding pattern for so long, and I’m tired of being a burden on my family.”
Ross took a deep breath and rested his elbows on his lap. “I understand where you’re coming from. My wife and I struggled when we were first starting out with our practice. We felt like we were drowning in debt and never going to come out of it. Everyone goes through those tough times. Believe me when I say that Darcy has had her fair share too. She was in a dark place after Jace died.”
Carter nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“I can see how you’re frustrated. You’re ready to be on your own, and you’re looking forward to starting a new chapter with my daughter. But I would hate for you to sell your grandfather’s car. That’s not something you can undo. When you told me about the car and showed me photos, I could tell it means a lot to you. Am I right to say that when you look at that car, you think of your grandfather and the times you shared together?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I’ll give you my opinion. Don’t make a hasty decision you’ll possibly regret. I wish I had kept one of my father’s old trucks, but I sold them when I needed the money. I still think about those trucks and how I could’ve restored them.”
He paused for a moment. “If you see an end in sight for your money problems, then be patient. This too shall pass. I have a feeling my daughter wants a future with you as much as you want one with her, and you two can figure out the details together.”
The back door opened, and Darcy stood there smiling. “Who wants a piece of chocolate cake?”
“I do!” Ross held his arm up.
Darcy met Carter’s gaze, and he lifted his eyebrows to ask if she was okay. She nodded, and relief sluiced through him. “Come have some cake, Carter.”
He pushed aside his problems and went in the house.
Later he would talk to her. If Ross was right, maybe there was hope for him and Darcy after all.
***
Darcy entwined her fingers with Carter’s as he backed her car out of her parents’ driveway. “Thank you for coming with me today.”
He gave her a sideways glance and silently marveled at how beautiful she looked with her sunshine-colored hair flowing over one of her slight shoulders and her pink lips turned up in a smile. She looked relaxed for the first time in days, and she seemed to glow.
“That went well,” he said as they motored out of the neighborhood.
