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He pulled out his phone, opened his text conversation with Darcy, and poised his thumbs over the keys. Then he shook his head. He was wasting his time. He had so many strikes against him—his terrible financial situation, his dependence on his family. Most of all, his precarious health. While his numbers were good now, they might take a nosedive in the future. What woman would want to be saddled with that? Gabrielle sure hadn’t.
Chapter4
Darcy pushed the start button on her dishwasher and leaned against the counter while scanning the kitchen of her three-level townhouse. Darcy’s parents had bought the home for her and Jace as an early wedding gift. It was supposed to be their home to share after the wedding, and she and Jace had appreciated her parents’ generosity.
They loved the house’s large kitchen and family room, three bathrooms, three bedrooms, two-car garage, balcony, deck, and small backyard. It was the perfect starter home for them since Jace was an architect by trade and dreamed of designing his own house once he was established in his job.
But now the spacious townhome was just a large reminder of everything Darcy had lost the day a man in a pickup truck had run a red light and stolen her bright future.
It was also a reminder that Jace never got a chance to fulfill his dream of designing a home for them. The guilt of that continued to weigh heavily on her.
After Jace died, Darcy had contemplated selling the home and starting over somewhere new. But then she realized that if she sold the home, she’d be letting go of Jace—the man whom she’d loved for five years, the man who had risked his life donating a kidney for her as her paired donor, the man who had loved her unconditionally, the man whom she could never repay for all he’d done for her.
Tears filled her eyes, and her body felt heavy with grief. She missed his warm smile, his radiant sky-blue eyes, his warm hugs, his contagious laugh, his sweet kisses, his easy sense of humor, his kind and generous heart, and his quiet support.
How could she move on when he had given so much of himself for her?
Her phone began to sing with an incoming call, and when she swiped it from her pocket, she found her mother’s smiling photo on her screen. She dabbed her eyes with a paper towel and sniffed before answering the call.
“Hi, Mom. How’s the beach?” Darcy hoped she sounded more chipper than she felt.
“It’s cool out, but we’re enjoying it,” Mom said. “But that’s not important. I’ve been impatiently waiting to hear from you all day. Tell me all about your appointment. Oh, and how was your big presentation today? I’m sure you knocked it out of the park.”
Darcy couldn’t stop her smile. Her parents were her biggest emotional support—always cheering her on and telling her that she could do anything she set her mind to. She couldn’t imagine life without them.
“Both went great.” She meandered into the family room and sank down onto her sofa while sharing the details of her appointment. “My kidney numbers are perfect, and Dr.Reyes doesn’t need to see me for a while.”
“Oh, Darcy. I’m so relieved to hear that. And how was the presentation?”
“It went well, but I was almost late because my car wouldn’t start when I walked out of the doctor’s appointment.”
“Your car broke down?”
Then she heard her father’s voice in the background.
“Hold on, honey! Your dad wants to talk. Okay, now you’re on speaker.”
“Hi, Darcy,” Dad’s warm voice sounded through the phone. “What happened with the car?”
“I needed to have the starter replaced.” She shared how Carter called for a tow and rescued her. “Haven drove me to Flowering Grove to pick up my car.”
Her father clucked his tongue. “I’m sorry that happened, but I’m relieved someone was there to help you.”
“I forgot to tell you last week that I’d had a hard time starting it. I also forgot to take it to the auto parts store to have the battery tested.”
“All that matters is that it’s fixed now,” Mom said.
Darcy rested her feet on her coffee table. “Tell me about the beach.” She reclined while her mother described the cool and overcast weather and the restaurant where they enjoyed lunch earlier in the day. She covered her mouth with her hand to shield a yawn.
“Sounds like you need to get to bed,” Mom said.
Darcy peered over at the clock on the mantel. “I didn’t realize it was almost ten. It’s been a long day.”
“We’ll let you go,” Dad said. “Call me if you have any more trouble with the car.”
Or I can call Carter.
Darcy tried to push that thought out of her head, but Carter’s smile filled her mind. She rested her arm on her forehead and slammed her eyes shut. She’d probably never see him again.
