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She snuggled up to him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
“I just can’t believe I found her, Carter. It’s like a dream come true.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.
He kissed the top of her head.
Darcy covered her mouth to shield a yawn. “I think I’ve worn myself out.” She drooped against the sofa cushions.
“You should go to bed.”
She stood and picked up the cup of tea. “I can make up the guest room for you.”
“No need. This sofa looks comfortable.”
She eyed him with suspicion. “My guest room has an actual bed in it, Carter.”
“I’ll be fine here.”
“Let me get you a pillow.” She strode toward the kitchen, then he heard footsteps climbing a staircase.
He glanced around the family room and noticed a shelf packed with books and framed photos. He stepped over to it and found photos of Darcy with her parents posing on the beach and a few of Darcy and Haven dressed up at what looked like parties.
Questions about Jace filled his mind. He perused the shelf for snapshots of Darcy posing with a man, but he didn’t find any. Perhaps seeing them every day had been too painful, so she had packed them up. He wouldn’t blame her for that at all.
Footfalls sounded on the stairs, and he met her at the doorway leading to the kitchen.
“Here’s a pillow and a blanket.” She held them up. “I know it’s the middle of August, but I still use a heavy blanket to keep warm in the air-conditioning.”
He took the pillow and blanket from her. “Thanks.”
They stared at each other for a moment, then she reached for his free hand. Carter set the pillow and blanket on the counter beside him.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Carter.” Her eyes filled again. “It means so much to me that you jumped out of bed and drove out here after midnight.”
“Darcy, you should know by now that I would do anything for you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I couldn’t get through this without you.”
Carter pulled her against him before placing a finger under her chin and angling it toward him. Longing tore through every cell of his body as he placed his palms on her cheeks, leaned down, and pressed his lips against hers. He closed his eyes while his lips massaged hers, and a quiver of wanting vibrated through him.
When he broke the kiss, she stared up at him. “See you in the morning,” he said. Then he grinned. “Actually, later today.”
“That’s true. Sleep well, Carter.”
She retreated up the stairs, and he turned off the lights in the kitchen and hallway before returning to the family room. He settled on the sofa and tried to get comfortable. Then he lost himself in thoughts of Darcy and waited for sleep to find him.
***
Darcy awoke to the delicious smells of coffee, sausage, and toast later that morning. For a moment she was confused, wondering where the smells came from. Then the events of the night before came back to her in a rush. She had found her birth mother! And Carter had come over to hold her while she cried.
Carter!
She jumped out of bed and dashed into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and chose a pleated green sundress with white flowers trailing the bottom of the skirt. After styling her hair in a loose French braid and applying minimal makeup, she pulled on strappy sandals and raced down to the kitchen.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” Carter stood at the stove, scrambling eggs in a skillet. Sausage sizzled in the pan beside him, and toast popped up from the toaster.
He looked gorgeous dressed in his khaki shorts and a black t-shirt advertising a performance shop. His chiseled jaw sported a few days of scruff, and his light-brown hair looked as if he had wet it before running a brush through it.
