Chapter 21
A week later in Flowering Grove, Darcy sat on a camping chair in Vet’s Field. She scanned the clusters of people sitting on
chairs and blankets awaiting the July4 fireworks. Although Darcy’s parents had invited her to join them at the beach house,
she had thanked them and instead chosen to enjoy a small-town July4 holiday with friends.
In the morning she had sat in the Barton Automotive parking lot with Carter, Haven, Derek, Shauna, Gage, Glenda, and Ernie
for the traditional parade. She had loved every moment of it, especially the Flowering Grove High School marching band. Local
children had also decorated their bikes and ridden along the parade path. Afterward, they all went to Shauna’s house for a
barbecue and spent the afternoon eating and laughing together.
Now they waited with the rest of the town for the fireworks to begin. The appetizing smells from the food trucks selling baked
pretzels, nachos, popcorn, and funnel cakes filled the air while a buzz of conversations rumbled through the crowd. Children
with glow sticks danced around as darkness began to take over the sky.
“I can’t believe it’s July already,” Haven said as she popped open a can of Diet Coke. “Our wedding will be here before we
know it.”
Darcy looked up at the stars beginning to dot the sky. The air was humid and still. The fireworks would start any minute now,
and anticipation seemed to crackle in the air.
“My parents and I booked a caterer and a DJ this past week, and we signed the contract for the Flowering Grove Country Club,” Haven continued. “It’s all coming together.”
“That’s amazing, Haven.” She glanced over at Carter, and her senses fluttered. She hadn’t told him yet, but she knew for sure
that she loved him.
“Your brother is going to be my groomsman, right, Havey?” Derek took his fiancée’s hand in his. “He hasn’t gotten back to
me.”
“Of course he will be. We’ll have to get the family together for dinner to work out the details.”
“Hey.” Carter’s voice was right next to Darcy’s ear, sending waves of goose bumps down her arms. “You look beautiful tonight.”
Leaning over, she kissed him. “Thank you.”
Just then a whoosh sounded, followed by a boom. Darcy jumped, then laughed as fireworks exploded in the sky. Carter positioned his chair closer,
and Darcy rested her head against his shoulder.
They oohed and aahed as the show continued to color the night sky. She lost herself in thoughts of what their future could
look like—together.
***
Carter glanced over at Darcy in the passenger seat while he drove her home later that night. He found himself smiling as she
continued to talk about Haven’s wedding plans.
“Kaylen and I bought our bridesmaid dresses earlier this week. Haven finally found the ones she wanted us to wear. Did I show
you the photo I have?” she asked.
“No.” He stopped at a red light a couple of blocks from her neighborhood.
She leaned over and held the phone toward him and revealed a photo of her in a greenish-colored short-sleeved dress. “The color is called peacock. What do you think?”
“The dress is stunning, and you look beautiful as always.”
“You’re sweet.” She set her phone on her lap. “Kaylen and I are still working out the bridal shower. We have so much to do.
I told you we’re Haven’s only attendants, right? Derek is having his brother, Liam, as his best man and then Haven’s brother,
Vince, as his groomsman, so I’ll walk with Liam.”
Carter nodded before motoring through the intersection.
Silence fell between them, and he stole a glance at her. She was now staring down at her lap. “Do you want to talk about whatever
is on your mind?” he asked.
When she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears.
Alarm raced through him. “Babe, are you okay? Do I need to pull over?”
She sniffed and then gave him a sad smile. “No, no, I’m okay. I was just thinking about Jace and my wedding.”
He swallowed, not sure what to say.
“Haven was supposed to be my maid of honor, and Derek was going to be Jace’s best man.” Her voice was quiet, almost reverent.
“We were going to be married in November, right around Thanksgiving, but he died in September.”
Carter nodded, his lungs constricting with grief for her. He longed to take away her pain.
“My gown is stored in the back of one of my closets. I didn’t know what to do with it after he... after he died.”
Reaching over, Carter took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping to give her the strength to continue. He lifted
her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.
She sniffed again and wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand. “Anyway, I need to plan this bridal shower. My mom thinks we should have it at a fancy restaurant, but I’m not sure if Haven would care for a place like that. She’s not a super-fancy person, you know?” She pulled a tissue from her purse and blotted her eyes and nose.
He remained silent.
“Does it bother you when I talk about Jace?” Her voice sounded unsure, almost worried.
He shook his head. “Jace was an important part of your life, and I want you to feel comfortable sharing anything with me.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
When he found a safe place, he pulled over and parked the truck. Then he placed his hands to her cheeks, and leaning down,
he swept his lips over hers. His body relaxed. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he savored the thrill of her mouth
against his.
When they gently pulled apart, she rested her head on his sternum. “I’m so glad my car didn’t start that day.”
He grinned and rubbed his hands up and down her back. “I am too, babe. I am too.”
***
Darcy sat down at her desk in her office after a team meeting on a Friday afternoon. She glanced out her window toward the
Uptown Charlotte skyline and smiled as she reflected on the past month and a half. She and Carter had gotten even closer as
they spent more time together. They had enjoyed going to ball games, playing cards and mini golf, attending more car shows,
and talking late into the night over the phone.
She was certain she loved him, but she still hadn’t found the courage to tell him. She supposed she was waiting for him to say it first, but perhaps he was just as hesitant as she was. She knew he cared deeply for her. She could see it in his eyes when they talked, and she felt it in his kiss. She sighed at the thought of his lips and how they made her melt.
Darcy leaned back in her chair and mulled over why she was afraid to tell Carter how she felt. Perhaps she wasn’t sure how
he’d react when he found out the truth about her past. Would he want a woman who’d received a transplant and had to take medications
for the rest of her life? But more than that, what if she found her birth mother and learned her kidney disease was hereditary?
Would he want to plan a future with a woman who could possibly pass that disease on to their children?
Releasing a deep breath, she tried to turn her attention to her work emails. But when she found nothing pressing in her inbox,
she pulled her phone from the pocket of her blazer and scrolled through a few photos of Carter. In one recent favorite, he
stood next to a light metallic green 1968 Plymouth Fury during a car show the previous weekend.
She’d begun to cherish their car show dates in particular. As they walked around looking at the cars, they talked about everything
from their favorite makes and models at the show to their childhoods to their workweeks. She still hadn’t found the courage
to tell him about her kidney transplant, but she had shared a little more about Jace. She promised herself she would tell
Carter everything someday soon.
When Darcy returned to her email app, she found a message from the Lost and Found website. Her hands began to tremble as she
opened the message and read it.
Dear Ms.Larsen,
We have information regarding your biological mother. Please call us for more details.
As Darcy read the email over and over again, her entire body began to quake. Maybe they found my biological mother! Her mouth dried as she debated what to do. She needed encouragement. She needed to talk to Carter.
Darcy: Can you talk?
Her phone began to ring almost immediately, and Carter’s name and photo filled her screen. “Hey.”
“What’s going on?” he asked. The sounds of tools and automotive noise faded into the background, and she imagined him walking
out to the parking lot.
“You’re not going to believe this.”
“What? Is something wrong?”
“I... I got an email from Lost and Found.” She swiveled in her chair as she read the email to him.
“That’s good news, Darce.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Is it?” Her voice creaked. “What if it’s not good news? What if she’s no longer living? Or what if she doesn’t want to talk to me? What if she never wanted me? Was looking
for her a mistake?”
“You won’t know until you call. I understand that you’re scared. It’s your decision if you reach out or not, but you’ve come
this far.” He paused. “Do you want to call them and find out?”
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I... I don’t know. I’m scared, Carter. I’m not as brave as I thought I was.”
“Hey, babe. It’s okay. If you’re not ready, then don’t reach out. That doesn’t mean you’re a coward. You don’t have to do
anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
Darcy plucked a tissue from the box on her desk and dabbed her eyes. “I’m a wreck.” A nervous laugh escaped her throat.
“Tell me how I can help you.” His voice was warm, smooth, and exactly what she needed. “Do you want me to come over tonight? I can sit with you while you make the call.”
She smiled. How had she managed to find such a wonderful and supportive boyfriend? “That’s sweet, but I need to do this alone.
Thanks for listening.”
“Anytime. Call me if you need me.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I find out the news.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he promised before they disconnected the call.
Darcy stared at the email for a few moments, then picked up her phone again and dialed the number.
***
Later that evening, Darcy sat on her sofa and stared down at the name and phone number the woman at Lost and Found had given
her. The woman’s name was Robyn, and her phone number was local—meaning this woman who might be her biological mother might
also be living in the Charlotte area.
Darcy had stared at the phone number for the past thirty minutes. She had paced her family room, nibbled on her fingernails,
made herself a snack, and then paced some more. At one point, she considered taking Carter up on his offer of sitting with
her while she called the woman. But then she talked herself out of it.
You’ve waited your entire life for this moment, Darcy. Just dial the number!
“Okay, okay,” she whispered. Then she laughed. “I’m actually talking to myself and answering myself. I’m truly losing it!”
She took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and slipped her earbuds in her ears before dialing the number. Her heart pounded
against her ribcage as the phone rang.
“Hello?” a woman’s voice asked.
“Um, hi. My name is Darcy Larsen, and I’m looking for Robyn.” She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.
“Hi, Darcy.” The woman paused. “I know who you are.” Her voice was warm and thick. “I’m Robyn.”
“Oh.” Darcy hesitated, and suddenly all of the emotion—longing, hope, worry, loneliness—she’d carried for so long welled up
and poured out of her, stealing her words for a moment. “I’ve... I’ve... Well, um...”
An awkward pause stretched between them as Darcy wondered what to say. She’d always imagined this moment, but now she was
tongue-tied. What if this woman wasn’t really her birth mother? What if the folks at the website sent her the wrong information?
“So?” Robyn said. “How... uh, how was your day?”
Darcy nodded as if Robyn could see her face through the phone. “It was good.” She bit her lower lip. “Yours?”
“Good.”
They were silent again, and then they both laughed.
“I’ve dreamed of this for so long, and now I don’t know what to say,” Darcy said.
Robyn sniffed. “I know what you mean.” She cleared her throat. “I dreamed of hearing your voice.” She paused. “And now, well,
now it doesn’t seem real.”
“Exactly.” Darcy pulled on the hem of her shirt.
“But here we are.”
“Right.”
More silence hovered between them, and Darcy kneaded her temples. She was going to take the plunge and tell Robyn how she
felt. She just hoped Robyn was truly her birth mother and wanted to know her too.
“I’ve always wondered what you sounded like. What you looked like.” Her eyes filled, and she wiped them. Keep it together, Darce!
“I have some photos I was going to send to you. When Lost and Found told me you were looking for me, I started getting some
things together. Can I text them to you?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay. Coming now. Here are a few photos of me in my twenties and then a couple more recent ones.”
Darcy chewed her nails, trying to imagine what the woman looked like. Did Darcy have her eyes? Her nose? Her facial structure?
She closed her eyes and tried to settle her frayed nerves.
After a few moments, Darcy’s phone chimed with a text. She opened the message and scrolled through the photos. She gasped
as she opened photos of a woman who looked just like Darcy—blonde hair, bright-green eyes, petite stature.
Darcy started to cry. An overwhelming feeling doused her when she realized she had, for the first time, found someone who
looked like her, someone who was a part of her, someone who knew where Darcy came from.
Her biological mother.
Finally.
“Darcy?” Robyn asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I am. I’m better than okay.” She swallowed as more tears streamed down her warm cheeks. “I finally found you.”
Robyn sniffed.
“I’ll send you some of me.” She chose a few photos of her and Carter and then one of her alone standing on the deck at her
parents’ beach house.
Silence filled the space between them for a few moments, and she imagined the photos appearing on Robyn’s screen.
“Oh, Darcy,” Robyn gushed. “You’re beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
“Is the handsome man your husband or boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend.”
“He looks nice,” Robyn said. “Tell me about your life.”
“Well, I live in Matthews, and I work in Charlotte. How about you?”
“I live in Concord.”
Darcy folded her legs under herself. “You’re that close?”
“I never wanted to leave here in case you looked for me.” She paused. “Darcy, I never forgot you.” Darcy could hear her take
a trembling breath. “I’ve always wondered about you. You’ve been on my mind and in my heart since the moment I found out I
was going to have you.” She sniffed. “I’ve always hoped you were okay.”
Darcy stared at her front door.
“I worried that you had enough to eat, that you were warm, that you were happy, that you were healthy, and that you were loved—because,
honey, I’ve always loved you.”
Darcy bit her lower lip as her tears began to fall again. These words were music to her ears. “Thank you.” She rubbed her
fingers over her eyes. “Do you have a family?”
“Yes, I’m married and have two sons.”
“I have brothers?” Darcy whispered.
“Yes, you have two half-brothers,” Robyn said. “Hang on and I’ll send you photos.”
Once again Darcy tried to imagine what the photos would reveal. Would her brothers look like her? Would she feel a connection
when she saw their faces? She wiped her eyes and tried to stop her body from trembling.
When the photos came through, Darcy took in the faces of her two half-brothers. Like her, they had blond hair, and she was certain of a resemblance in their smiles.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “I’ve always been an only child. I thought I’d never have siblings.” Darcy started to
cry again.
“Did I upset you?” Robyn asked.
“No,” Darcy managed to say. “I’m crying because it’s really you.”
Robyn chuckled. “Yes, and it’s really you.” She paused for a beat. “Now what else can I tell you?”
Darcy snuggled under a blanket and listened as her biological mother began to answer questions she’d carried around in her
heart for as long as she could remember.