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He laughed.
They were silent again for a moment, and he rubbed his ear. “I’m surprised I shared so much with you. It’s not easy for me.”
“I feel the same way. I’m surprised I told you about Jace.”
When they shared a smile, Darcy felt closer than ever to Carter. It was as if their relationship had become something deeper in the span of a conversation. Excitement zipped through her.
Darcy took a long drink from her bottle of water and turned toward him. “I owe you a big thank-you.”
“For what?” His light-brown eyebrows lifted.
“For inspiring me to take the plunge and look for my biological mother.” She pulled at the label on the bottle. “I registered on that website last night after I got home from the car show.”
He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Good for you.”
“Thanks.” She tore the label. “I uploaded all of the information I know—my birth date, where I was born, how old my parents were when they adopted me... That kind of thing.”
“And now they’ll look for her?”
“Well, the people who run it will try to find her. If they do, and if she wants to be found, then they’ll give me her information.” Adrenaline flooded her at the thought of finally meeting her birth mother. She looked down at her lap.
“Keep me posted, okay?”
“I will.” Darcy peered toward the swings, finding that the children had left. “The swings are empty,” she said, giving Carter a mischievous smile.
He stood and held out his hand to her. “Shall we?”
Chapter12
Carter sat on a swing beside Darcy and pumped his legs. He felt a strange sense of relief after sharing his feelings about his parents. He was stunned by how compassionate Darcy was when he talked about his mother. She was so different from Gabby, who had never seemed interested in hearing about Carter’s past at all. He was aware that Gabby just wanted to parade Carter around her friends—but only after she’d convinced him to work for her father and make more money. Darcy, on the other hand, had opened her heart to him, sharing her heartbreak of losing her fiancé. He was honored that she had revealed so much to him.
They continued to swing, hooting and giggling as they moved back and forth. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been on a playground.
Darcy looked up toward the sky as she swung back and forth. She was so lovely. And after their revealing conversations today, he was drawn to her more than ever. Could a real relationship between them work? What kind of future could he offer her?
He dragged his sneakers along the ground and brought the swing to a stop as the gravity of his situation pulled him back down to earth. She had called him brave, but he sure didn’t feel like he was.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Darcy’s gentle voice broke through his reflections.
Carter clutched the chains. As he stared into her beautiful green eyes, he wondered if he was selling her short. What if he did tell her everything? His history with kidney disease, the year he spent on dialysis, the story of his transplant, and his current financial situation. What if she was okay with all of it?
And what if she’s not?
“I was just thinking about how ice cream would be a great treat.” He pointed toward the ice cream truck parked at the other side of the park. “What do you think?”
“Let’s go, Donovan. Now,” she teased.
Carter grinned and shook his head. He knew one thing for sure: He would be blessed to call Darcy Larsen his girlfriend.
***
Carter walked Darcy to her front door later that evening. She looked up at the stars in the sky and wished the evening wouldn’t come to an end after such a wonderful day.
After enjoying the swings and an ice cream from the truck, they had loaded up the blanket and basket in his SUV and walked around Main Street. They perused the local stores and talked about their childhoods. Later, they ate a snack at Heather’s Books ’N’ Treats before returning to the park to sit and watch the sunset.
It had been such a fun day, but it was late. Darcy longed to invite Carter to sit on her deck and talk with her until the sun came up, but she assumed he wanted to get home.
“Thank you for today,” she told him.
