Lost & Found
Page 22
“What do you mean a family brought together by chance?”
She let him still hold her hands, and he found comfort in that. “I mean, the Kellers adopted three of their children. Most of us aren’t blood related, but that isn’t what makes a family.”
“No, it’s not.” She looked away as if to gather her thoughts. “Who’s adopted?”
“My dad.”
“You’re dad isn’t a blood Keller?”
He grinned. “Didn’t you notice he’s a little dark?”
She shrugged. It hadn’t really crossed her mind.
“He was adopted when he was seven. His parents had moved here from Puerto Rico, and the Kellers were friends of theirs through church. But my biological grandparents were killed in a car accident, and my father was the only survivor. My grandparents—the Kellers—took him in and became his parents.”
“So you’re not really a Keller?”
He lifted a brow, and she shook her head.
“You know what I mean,” she argued.
“I do.”
“Who else?”
“Regan and Arianna. They’re sisters, blood sisters, but they were adopted when Arianna was a toddler and Regan was an infant.”
Darcy dropped her shoulders. How amazing was it that she’d never known anyone who’d been adopted before, and now here was this whole family who knew what she was going through. Was that what connected Regan and Zach? Then it hit her—if Zach and Mary Ellen were her parents, had Zach known? Didn’t women who got in trouble give up babies all the time without the father knowing?
She felt the blood drain from her head, and Ed’s hands moved from hers to her arms.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I’ve never known anyone, ever, who was adopted.”
Ed laughed. “And I only know those who have been.”
She nodded. “I’m adopted.”
Ed laughed again. “You don’t say? Well, this must be fate, huh?”
It was a bold move, but he pulled her into his arms and she rested her head against his chest. This felt right. Maybe this could work.
Darcy absorbed his embrace. She wasn’t alone. Could this Keller family be the very thing she’d always needed and didn’t know it? Maybe it was a waste to go after finding her parents. She had parents, and they were good ones. And, even if Zach was her father and Mary Ellen was her mother, did it matter? Would it be worth tearing apart this family just so she could have some peace of mind?
If nothing else, as she got closer to the Kellers, maybe she could have someone to talk to about all this silly adoption stuff. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on her side who understood what she was thinking?
Suddenly, finding out who actually gave birth to her wasn’t so important.
Darcy pulled back. “So now what? What are we going to do about all of this? I mean, can you at least help me find a new job?”
Ed focused his eyes on her. “Let me get this straight because it’s been a long time since I’ve told a girl I like her.” The corner of his mouth turned up, and the dimple in his cheek deepened. “So I like you, and you like me?”
Darcy dropped her shoulders and laughed. “Yes. I like you. An awful lot, I think.”
Ed nodded and bit down on his lip. “So it would be safe to say that we’re both willing to feel this thing out? You know,” he said as he pulled her in closer, “I could call you my girlfriend?”
That made Darcy giggle. At this very moment in her life, she was glad he had a little bit of a childish side.
“Yes.” She raised her arms around his neck. “I would very much like to be your girlfriend.”
Ed rested his hands on her hips. “You’re dad isn’t going to come after me with a shot gun, is he? I’m a little older than you, and I’ve only known you a week.”
“What did you say a little bit ago? This was fate?” Ed nodded, and Darcy rose on her toes again. “Then I think he’ll be fine with it.”
She pressed her lips to his, and his arms came around her in a possessive hold as if he were pulling her as close as two people could possibly get.
Ed deepened the kiss, and Darcy could feel every muscle in her body become fluid. Dear Lord, if this man could kiss like this—what else could he do?
When their lips parted, Darcy lowered herself back off her toes. “I’m a lucky girlfriend. You’re a good kisser.”
“You’re not too bad yourself.”
She swallowed hard and looked into his dark eyes. “Now what do we do?”
Ed lifted his hand to her cheek again and brushed it with his thumb. “I’m going to kiss you one more time and then I’m going to leave.”
“Oh,” the word choked out of her throat.
“I’m a gentleman above anything else. I stood you up, and I came to apologize.”
“Yes, you did.”
“So now I’m going to take my overheated body home and jump into a cold shower. Then I’m going to meet you Monday morning at the office, and everything will be normal.”
Darcy was feeling the pang of rejection shoot through her. “Okay, but I have to wait until Monday to see you again?”
Ed shrugged. “I have this meeting in Memphis tomorrow. It’ll take most the day.”
“That’s right. I scheduled that.”
“Yes, you did.” He smiled. “Valerie will be glad to hear about us. She had way too many questions about you the other day.”
Darcy wasn’t sure how to take that, but she understood they were friends, and from what she’d learned about Valerie, she had no cause for worry.
Ed kissed her cheek. “I think I remember your coffee of choice. It’ll be on your desk.” He gave her nose a tweak with his finger.
She was feeling like a child herself now, and she wasn’t sure what had transpired.
Ed leaned in and kissed her softly again, just as he said he was going to do. “And about that job. You have a perfectly good job with me. In one week, you’ve done more than a hundred temps have ever done. And Mary Ellen is very fond of you. That means a lot in the company.”
Darcy hoped he didn’t see her jaw clench.
He turned for the door. “There isn’t any reason we can’t work together.”
She let him still hold her hands, and he found comfort in that. “I mean, the Kellers adopted three of their children. Most of us aren’t blood related, but that isn’t what makes a family.”
“No, it’s not.” She looked away as if to gather her thoughts. “Who’s adopted?”
“My dad.”
“You’re dad isn’t a blood Keller?”
He grinned. “Didn’t you notice he’s a little dark?”
She shrugged. It hadn’t really crossed her mind.
“He was adopted when he was seven. His parents had moved here from Puerto Rico, and the Kellers were friends of theirs through church. But my biological grandparents were killed in a car accident, and my father was the only survivor. My grandparents—the Kellers—took him in and became his parents.”
“So you’re not really a Keller?”
He lifted a brow, and she shook her head.
“You know what I mean,” she argued.
“I do.”
“Who else?”
“Regan and Arianna. They’re sisters, blood sisters, but they were adopted when Arianna was a toddler and Regan was an infant.”
Darcy dropped her shoulders. How amazing was it that she’d never known anyone who’d been adopted before, and now here was this whole family who knew what she was going through. Was that what connected Regan and Zach? Then it hit her—if Zach and Mary Ellen were her parents, had Zach known? Didn’t women who got in trouble give up babies all the time without the father knowing?
She felt the blood drain from her head, and Ed’s hands moved from hers to her arms.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I’ve never known anyone, ever, who was adopted.”
Ed laughed. “And I only know those who have been.”
She nodded. “I’m adopted.”
Ed laughed again. “You don’t say? Well, this must be fate, huh?”
It was a bold move, but he pulled her into his arms and she rested her head against his chest. This felt right. Maybe this could work.
Darcy absorbed his embrace. She wasn’t alone. Could this Keller family be the very thing she’d always needed and didn’t know it? Maybe it was a waste to go after finding her parents. She had parents, and they were good ones. And, even if Zach was her father and Mary Ellen was her mother, did it matter? Would it be worth tearing apart this family just so she could have some peace of mind?
If nothing else, as she got closer to the Kellers, maybe she could have someone to talk to about all this silly adoption stuff. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on her side who understood what she was thinking?
Suddenly, finding out who actually gave birth to her wasn’t so important.
Darcy pulled back. “So now what? What are we going to do about all of this? I mean, can you at least help me find a new job?”
Ed focused his eyes on her. “Let me get this straight because it’s been a long time since I’ve told a girl I like her.” The corner of his mouth turned up, and the dimple in his cheek deepened. “So I like you, and you like me?”
Darcy dropped her shoulders and laughed. “Yes. I like you. An awful lot, I think.”
Ed nodded and bit down on his lip. “So it would be safe to say that we’re both willing to feel this thing out? You know,” he said as he pulled her in closer, “I could call you my girlfriend?”
That made Darcy giggle. At this very moment in her life, she was glad he had a little bit of a childish side.
“Yes.” She raised her arms around his neck. “I would very much like to be your girlfriend.”
Ed rested his hands on her hips. “You’re dad isn’t going to come after me with a shot gun, is he? I’m a little older than you, and I’ve only known you a week.”
“What did you say a little bit ago? This was fate?” Ed nodded, and Darcy rose on her toes again. “Then I think he’ll be fine with it.”
She pressed her lips to his, and his arms came around her in a possessive hold as if he were pulling her as close as two people could possibly get.
Ed deepened the kiss, and Darcy could feel every muscle in her body become fluid. Dear Lord, if this man could kiss like this—what else could he do?
When their lips parted, Darcy lowered herself back off her toes. “I’m a lucky girlfriend. You’re a good kisser.”
“You’re not too bad yourself.”
She swallowed hard and looked into his dark eyes. “Now what do we do?”
Ed lifted his hand to her cheek again and brushed it with his thumb. “I’m going to kiss you one more time and then I’m going to leave.”
“Oh,” the word choked out of her throat.
“I’m a gentleman above anything else. I stood you up, and I came to apologize.”
“Yes, you did.”
“So now I’m going to take my overheated body home and jump into a cold shower. Then I’m going to meet you Monday morning at the office, and everything will be normal.”
Darcy was feeling the pang of rejection shoot through her. “Okay, but I have to wait until Monday to see you again?”
Ed shrugged. “I have this meeting in Memphis tomorrow. It’ll take most the day.”
“That’s right. I scheduled that.”
“Yes, you did.” He smiled. “Valerie will be glad to hear about us. She had way too many questions about you the other day.”
Darcy wasn’t sure how to take that, but she understood they were friends, and from what she’d learned about Valerie, she had no cause for worry.
Ed kissed her cheek. “I think I remember your coffee of choice. It’ll be on your desk.” He gave her nose a tweak with his finger.
She was feeling like a child herself now, and she wasn’t sure what had transpired.
Ed leaned in and kissed her softly again, just as he said he was going to do. “And about that job. You have a perfectly good job with me. In one week, you’ve done more than a hundred temps have ever done. And Mary Ellen is very fond of you. That means a lot in the company.”
Darcy hoped he didn’t see her jaw clench.
He turned for the door. “There isn’t any reason we can’t work together.”
