Stealing His Heart: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 2)

by Delaney Cameron

  “Nervous or excited – there’s not much difference.”

  Eric took a few steps toward the house and then turned around. “I’ll ask you that again after you talk to Sarah.”

  With a disgusted grunt, Matt climbed into the truck. As he drove the short distance home, he wasn’t thinking about the possibility that Eric was right. He was more concerned that he hadn’t thought of it himself. Shouldn’t he - the man who loved Sarah - have been the one to jump to that conclusion?

  Chapter Four

  Matt watched as Julie arranged plates of food on the island in his kitchen. When he’d asked her for ideas on what he should have to eat when Darcy came over, she offered to make chicken enchiladas. He should have known that her generosity would extend well beyond that.

  “Have I told Eric lately how lucky he is to have you?” he asked as he grabbed a stuffed mushroom.

  She laughed as she slapped at his hand. “Stop that. You’ve got to leave a few for Darcy.”

  “I didn’t mean for you to do all this.”

  “I know you didn’t, but it gave me an excuse to get back in the kitchen.”

  “Well, the food part of this afternoon will be a success. Let’s just hope I don’t ruin it by being my overly energetic self. You know how I get when I watch football.”

  “You’re like me. I can’t sit still when I watch a game.”

  “I guess I better leave to pick her up. It’s one-forty.” He looked at his cargo shorts and t-shirt. “Maybe I should change into jeans. Do you think it will bother her to have to look at this all afternoon?” He pointed to his prosthesis.

  Julie patted him on the arm. “She’s already seen it, Matt. No use hiding it now. It’s part of you.”

  “I wish I wasn’t so nervous. This isn’t even a date. I guess it’s because Darcy is coming here as opposed to meeting her somewhere else.”

  “That’s natural enough. You and Sarah more or less planned this house together. The important thing is don’t keep looking back. The past is the past.”

  Evidently Eric hadn’t told Julie that Matt’s ‘past’ was coming over tomorrow.

  * * * * *

  Darcy surveyed the discarded pile of clothes. She’d spent the last hour trying to decide what to wear. Nothing seemed right. What was her problem? They’d be watching football. It didn’t matter what she had on. There were far more important things for her to worry about.

  Turning away from the bed, she reached into the closet for her tennis shoes.

  It would be unusual for it to happen again so soon, but that was no guarantee. Her seizures followed no particular pattern. The worse part was she wouldn’t know until it was over. There was no warning, only that horrible moment when she came back from nothingness to find herself in an undignified position surrounded by people staring at her. No matter how many times it happened, it never got any easier.

  She needed to tell Matt before they left her house. That way if he changed his mind, he wouldn’t have the awkwardness of having to bring her back home. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

  With a sigh, she grabbed her purse and started down the stairs. Just as she reached the foyer, the doorbell rang. Since she hadn’t heard the truck pull into the driveway, she figured it wasn’t Matt. She opened the door - prepared to buy whatever the neighbor’s kid was selling this week - and there he stood. Shock kept her silent for a few seconds.

  “Oh, hey, Matt.”

  “You look surprised to see me. I did say two, didn’t I?”

  Wishing she didn’t feel and sound so breathless, she nodded. “Yes, you did, but I didn’t hear the truck.”

  He waved a hand toward the driveway. “I didn’t bring the truck.”

  Her glance strayed beyond him to the sports car sitting beside her mother’s van. “Is that a Corvette?” she asked, a note of admiration entering her voice.

  “A 1967 Stingray to be more precise.”

  “It’s beautiful. I’ve always wanted to ride in one.”

  “Let’s hope it lives up to your expectations.” His glance came back to rest on her. “I can honestly say that I never liked Clemson t-shirts until today.”

  She felt something tighten in her chest. He could say that with her looking like this? “Would you mind coming in for a minute?”

  “To meet your father?” he asked as he followed her inside.

  “No, not that. You’ve been granted a reprieve. The bake sale ended early. He and my mom went over to Cason’s house.”

  “That’s too bad. I was looking forward to talking football with him. You didn’t tell me he was a tight end. That’s the position I played in high school. I don’t like to brag, but Eric doesn’t have all the athletic talent in the family.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t, but I’m more impressed by what you did for your country.”

  He threw her a lopsided smile. “Keep that up, and I’ll forget I’ve only known you a few weeks.”

  The look in his eyes confused her. “I thought it would be easier if we had our talk here.”

  “Whatever you think is best.”

  She led the way to the living room. Once they were seated, Darcy drew a steadying breath and focused on Cason’s wedding picture hanging on the opposite wall. “Three years ago, I was in a car accident. In trying to avoid hitting another vehicle, I went over an embankment and landed in a ditch. The car I was driving was an older model that didn’t have an airbag. I experienced severe head trauma from being thrown into the windshield. The seizures started in the hospital. I had one on Thursday morning. That’s why I fell down the stairs.” She slowly returned her glance to his face, steeling herself for the inevitable shock and horror she would find there. What she did find took her breath. The same eyes she’d once heard described as melted chocolate reflected only concern and kindness.

  Matt reached over and pried one of her hands loose from where she’d knotted them together. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

  A myriad of sensations burst into life within her: an awareness of the latent strength in the hand holding hers, a tingling warmth spreading like wildfire from her fingers to her arm and to the rest of her body, and the realization that the first crack had appeared in the armor surrounding her heart.

  “If you’d like to change your mind about today, I completely understand. It won’t hurt my feelings at all.” This wasn’t true, but it was the polite thing to say.

  He looked at her in surprise. “I’ve had women use some creative excuses to get out of going somewhere with me, but this is a first.”

  “I’m not trying to get out of it,” she said in a rush. “I’m trying to let you get out of it. Do you want to spend time with someone who might have a seizure in the middle of a conversation?”

  “If that person is you, then the answer is yes. I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”

  Was he just being nice? Or did he not understand? Her eyes searched his, not sure whether to believe him. “Have you ever seen someone have a seizure?”

  “Not in person, but I survived a war in Iraq. I’m pretty sure I can handle this. Why don’t you fill me in on what I should do if something happens.”

  Darcy was for a moment speechless. She’d never had anyone ask her this before. They were usually too busy trying to figure out how quickly they could get away.

  Her eyes fell to the level of his chin. “I have what’s called absence seizures. That means I essentially ‘check out’ of whatever I’m doing at the time. For all intents and purposes, I’m unconscious. I won’t respond to you or anything else. If I’m standing or sitting when it happens, I’ll suddenly go limp and fall. I usually come back after a few minutes. If I don’t, then you need to call 911.”

  “That certainly sounds doable.”

  Her lips twisted sadly. “I’ve found it’s best to be upfront about things. It helps avoid any unpleasant surprises.”

  “I appreciate you telling me something so personal. I know what it’s like to be physically imperfect
in a world that demands perfection. You’re no less attractive because you have seizures.”

  “I haven’t found that to be the case.”

  Matt squeezed her hand gently. “Until now you hadn’t.”

  She heard the sincerity in his deep voice. These weren’t merely words, spoken to give comfort without any idea of their true meaning. His experiences had deepened the compassion and caring she’d recognized in him all those years ago. In both instances, he had glimpsed her vulnerability and not turned away. Was it any wonder that he was slowly piercing through her resolve to guard her heart?

  * * * * *

  As Matt escorted Darcy to the car, he felt like borrowing his brother’s the fog of confusion in my brain is beginning to clear comment because that’s exactly what was happening. Finding out Darcy had epilepsy explained many things about her that had puzzled him including her remarks about not dating.

  He couldn’t blame her for such an attitude. She lived in a constant state of uncertainty that altered the everyday experiences everyone else took for granted. Worse than that, she couldn’t do anything to delay or prevent the inevitable. Just going with him today was a huge act of faith on her part.

  Once they were on their way, he turned to her. “So, what do you think of my ride?”

  “I’m loving it. It’s strange to sit so close to the ground. I feel like I’m in an Indie race car.”

  “I got this one up to a hundred once, but that was on a deserted highway at two in the morning.”

  “A hundred miles an hour? I’d be scared to death to go that fast.”

  Matt sent her a quick glance. “I hope you won’t be offended by this question, but do you drive?”

  She smiled faintly. “I’m not offended. It’s a natural question, and the answer is no. I don’t have good enough seizure control. I’ve already been in one car accident. I couldn’t live with myself if I had a seizure while driving and ended up hurting someone.”

  He couldn’t imagine not driving. How many people would act so unselfishly? “That decision couldn’t have been easy.”

  “Driving was one of the hardest things for me to give up. When you can’t drive, you lose a good bit of your independence.”

  Her mature handling of a tough situation was impressive and only increased his respect and admiration for her. “Acknowledging your limitations is half the battle.” He drew up to an imposing black and gold entrance gate. After putting the window down, he punched in a code. “The other half is getting everyone else around you to do the same.”

  “People mean well, but they don’t understand the difference between helping and taking over.”

  “Exactly. Some battles just have to be fought alone.” Once inside the gate, he veered away from the main driveway. “Eric’s house is about a half mile down that way. He wouldn’t hear of me building anywhere else. I fought him on it for over a year because I didn’t feel right getting a parcel of land I didn’t work for. But as you’ll find out when you meet him, Eric is both generous and persuasive.”

  “You don’t want me to meet him today, do you? Because I’d rather not. It was hard enough letting you see me like this.”

  But she had let him see her. Surely that was a sign that she was comfortable with him. He felt an inordinate amount of satisfaction from that, something he’d have to figure out later. “I understand. We’ll do it another time.”

  Darcy’s attention was drawn to the house. He tried to see it through someone else’s eyes instead of what it had become for him: a reminder of the woman he lost. It was impossible to forget that it was Sarah who wanted the classic red brick and shutters. Their lively disagreements about an island in the kitchen and hardwood floors instead of ceramic tile had ended with her in his arms. He wasn’t sorry when Darcy finally spoke. This wasn’t what he wanted to think about right now.

  “It’s lovely and homey at the same time.”

  “Thank you.” As he helped her out of the car, she looked at him and smiled. His pulse leapt to life with enough vigor to make it obvious what was happening. The force of his reaction to a woman who wasn’t Sarah surprised him.

  “How far apart are the houses?” she asked. “I can’t see anything for all the trees.”

  Matt smiled faintly. It was obvious that little incident had been entirely one-sided. “Not too far. About a five minute walk. Basically, we live on opposite sides of a lake with lots of woods in between.” As they approached the front door, he could hear barking. “Julie must have put Delilah in the laundry room when she left.” He ushered Darcy into the foyer. “You can put your purse on that table. The kitchen is this way.”

  She followed him into the spacious room, her eyes widening at the food arranged on the granite countertops. “Is all of that for the two of us?”

  “Sure is. Let me put Delilah outside while we eat.” When Matt opened the door, the dog shot through the opening and without pause, ran to where Darcy stood. “Hey, now, I’m the one who’s been taking care of you.”

  * * * * *

  Darcy crouched down to let the dog sniff her hand. “She wants to check me out and make sure I’m safe to have around.”

  “She’s spoiled rotten, but I have to admit she’s good company.” Matt walked over to the door leading to the porch and whistled. Delilah looked at him and then back at Darcy. “She’ll still be here when you get done. It’s time to go outside.” The dog trotted over to sit by the door. “Good girl.” Matt reached into a jar on the counter, removed a dog biscuit and gave it to Delilah. “Try to resist the urge to bury that bone in my petunias.” Then he opened the door and let her go outside.

  Darcy stood up and leaned against the counter. “Is she a digger?”

  He nodded. “It’s like she knows when I’ve planted something new.”

  “Dogs are very intelligent. My doctor told me about a company that trains dogs to live with people who have epilepsy. Apparently, some dogs can sense in advance when someone is going to have a seizure. They alert their owners to help them avoid injury.”

  “I’ve heard about dogs for the blind, but this is incredible. Have you thought about getting one?”

  “I looked into it. As you can imagine, the dogs are very expensive.”

  “It would certainly be worth it, especially when you have to be alone.” He opened a cabinet and removed two glasses. “What can I get you to drink?”

  “I’ll take tea if you’ve got it.”

  “I wouldn’t normally, but Julie thought you might like it. Get a plate and dig in.”

  “It all looks good. I don’t know where to start.” Darcy picked up a plate and sent him a teasing glance. “I fully expected to be eating off Auburn plates.”

  Matt grinned as he reached into the refrigerator for the pitcher of tea. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”

  “Are those sausage balls? I love those.”

  He came around the island to stand next to her. “Me, too. This is what I like to see: a girl who’s got a good appetite. There’s nothing worse than trying to eat with someone who barely puts anything on their plate.”

  “Tell me about it. My roommate was always on a diet. Worse than that, she was always trying to get me on one. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to starve myself just so I can wear skinny jeans.”

  Matt’s eyes drifted over her from head to toe. “From where I’m standing, you have no worries in that area.”

  Darcy felt her face grow warm. “This guacamole is delicious.”

  His smile told her he’d noticed the blush. “I’m sure Julie would give you the recipe. Don’t forget the meatballs. They’re in the crockpot by the microwave.”

  She balanced a full plate in one hand and a glass of tea in the other. “There’s no more room. I’ll have to get them next trip.”

  He pointed over his shoulder. “The living room is through that archway behind me. If you can find the remote, turn on the game. If not, don’t worry about it. I have a bad habit of carrying it around with me.”

  “I
t must be a man thing. My dad does that, too.”

  The first thing Darcy noticed when she walked into the room was the billiard table sitting at the far end. Was it just for decoration or did he actually play? The sound of whistling in the kitchen recalled her to the task at hand: finding the remote. She sat down on a black leather couch that looked as if it had just come off the showroom floor. The same went for the mahogany entertainment center lining the opposite wall with its flat screen television and impressive looking stereo system.

  “No luck with the remote, huh?”

  Darcy glanced around guiltily. “I’m sorry; I haven’t looked for it yet. I was admiring your pool table.”

  “I got hooked on billards in the army.” He stuck his hand down in the space between the seat and the arm of a large recliner. “Here it is. We’ll watch Michigan beat up on some small school until our games start. If I get too rowdy, let me know.”

  “The same goes for you,” she assured him.

  To her surprise, he joined her on the couch.

  “Do you play?” he asked.

  “Play what? Football?”

  “No. I meant pool.”

  “I’m decent.”

  “Maybe we can fit in a game during halftime.”

  “All right, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m probably not on your level.”

  He reached for his glass. “Or I’m not on yours. We’ll have to find out. Either way, I won’t let you win just because you’re a girl.”

  “I expect no less.”

  His glance slid down her again. “That’s not to say I won’t get distracted by the fact that you’re a girl. I’m only human, after all.”

  She swiped at his leg with her hand. Instead of skin, her fingers met the smoothness of hard plastic. “I’m sorry. I forgot about your leg.”

  “That’s something I don’t hear very often,” he said, laughing. “Sometimes it seems like all people see when they look at me is the prosthesis.”

  “I know what you mean. Epilepsy can’t be hidden for long either. I’ve come to think of it as an actor waiting in the wings of my brain for his cue. When the signal is given, I don’t get to be in the audience. Someone else has to tell me how the performance went.”