Aiden had never in his life requested the day off the same day he wanted it. Hell, since Cynthia died, he always asked for more time to work. He needed to keep his life busy, away from the moments where his mind could drift away.
Why was he doing this? Why was he pretending something good could happen between him and Theresa?
As the door swung open to a petite little girl with pigtails in her hair, he knew. Maybe he didn’t deserve happiness, but he craved it. He yearned for a family of his own. A wife, a woman to love with all of his heart. A partner. Not someone who would control and decide his every move.
Theresa just might be that person. He didn’t know if he didn’t give her the chance. So that’s what he was doing.
“Hey, pipsqueak. Is the chief home?”
Laura smiled brightly, her cheeks blooming a soft shade of red. “Yep. Him and Grandpa are arguing about what Christmas movie we’re going to watch. Come on in.”
He stepped inside Chief Duncan’s home, not straying from the foyer because he wanted to make this quick. Laura paused in her steps when she noticed he wasn’t following her. “I’ll just wait here.”
“You know Dad won’t mind if you stay for a cup of hot chocolate. Grandpa makes the best, and we’re having that with some cookies while we watch a movie.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had in a while, but I can’t stay, pipsqueak. Maybe another time.”
Her cheeks tinged an even darker shade of red. “That’d be awesome. Be right back.”
He shook his head at her retreating back and chuckled. Laura was a sweet little girl. Since the moment he met her, he called her pipsqueak. Every time he did, she blushed a different shade of red.
Nerves, a very uncommon occurrence, attacked him as soon as Chief Duncan strolled into the foyer.
“Everything okay, Aiden? Not sure the last time you visited me here.”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine. I…” A breath left his mouth slowly. “I was wondering if I could have the day off. I already talked to O’Connor, and he said he’d cover my shift. I wanted to make sure it was okay with you.”
Chief Duncan puckered his brows briefly, then nodded. “Don’t think I mean this offensively, but you never ask for time off. What’s going on?”
Should he admit the real reason, or make something up? Theresa probably didn’t even think it was a big deal. Not a date like he did. Maybe she’d back out when he tried to pick her up. Maybe she wouldn’t even stay that long.
What the hell was he doing?
The chief placed a hand on his shoulder. “Aiden? Are you okay?”
“I…I don’t know what I’m doing, Chief.”
His hand fell away. “About what?”
Talk about awkward. It had to be for the chief as well, yet he didn’t appear as if he found the conversation strange.
“I asked Theresa to come with me to get a Christmas tree.” He shrugged. The simple statement said it all. Confirmed when Chief Duncan smiled a little too brightly. What was with the smile?
“Enjoy your day off, Aiden. You deserve it.”
Well, why did it feel like he didn’t?
“You’re sure? Because I—”
“If anyone deserves—and needs—a day off, it’s you. You work too hard.” Chief Duncan let loose a small sigh. “Sometimes you worry me. Trust me when I say I know how hard it is to lose someone you love dearly.”
The chief was obviously talking about his mom, because besides that, he didn’t suffer the loss of someone special in his life. If only the chief knew why he struggled with her death. Nobody knew the real reason. He wasn’t about to start explaining now. The chief could believe what he wanted.
“I’m fine, Chief. I promise. I appreciate you letting me have off on such a short notice.”
He said his goodbyes quickly and headed for his vehicle before the chief could twist any more emotions out of him. In the span of just a few minutes, he went from joy to sorrow to dread to happiness. It was like riding a damn roller coaster.
He made a quick call to O’Connor as he drove back home to let him know what the chief said. As soon as he walked back into his house, he went on a crazy cleaning frenzy. His house wasn’t that messy, but he wanted it to look spotless before Theresa arrived. His life may be a complete cluster inside, but on the outside, he always made sure it looked in order. It took him less than thirty minutes to organize his house, considering it was already pretty spotless.
Glancing at the clock on the wall in the living room, he realized he only had twenty minutes before it was time to pick her up. He didn’t even eat lunch. Did she? Should’ve he made something to eat for them? Would she expect food?
A tired hand ran down his face as another slew of torrential emotions flooded him. What the hell was he doing? Nothing would ever work out between them.
❄
Theresa dabbed a little more concealer to her cheek, blending it in as best as she could. After another five minutes of trying to hide the bruise gracing her face, she sighed. He didn’t notice the bruise last night, although it would’ve been difficult since she had all the lights off. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice it today either.
She couldn’t figure out why he wanted her help with getting a Christmas tree. This was the second time he asked her for help. Did she appear that pathetic to him? Did he think she loved the holiday so much she’d do whatever when it came to Christmas festivities?
What did he really think? That’s what she wanted to know.
He was up and down with her all the time. One minute acting like she was the rarest gem on earth. The next, like a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe. Well, okay, maybe he wasn’t that bad, but he could be such a grouch with her.
She poured herself a glass of water, hoping to soothe her rattled nerves some. Sleeping in this morning hadn’t helped to reduce the hangover she had. The medicine she downed helped somewhat. The hot shower was what did the trick. She stood under the warm spray for the longest time, just letting the heat calm her down. It also gave her time to think.
What crazy things did she say to him last night? She remembered most of it. It was the parts she couldn’t quite recall that concerned her. By the time he stopped by, she drank about half of the wine box. She hoped she didn’t say anything too embarrassing, like, “Hey, do you like me? Because I have the hugest crush on you.”
Drinking the glass of water, she then refilled her glass.
Wait? Maybe she misinterpreted his words. Here she was, patiently waiting for him to come pick her up, and he didn’t intend to.
Setting the glass down gently on the counter, she smacked her forehead. “Idiot. He didn’t ask you out. Your drunk-induced mind created that.”
No big deal. How many times did she fantasize about him asking her out? Too many to count. She’d just chalk this in the too-bad-you-have-an-overactive-imagination category and move on. Maybe she’d take a bath. She had no other plans for the day and her head still pounded with a dull ache. A bath sounded soothing.
Swiping the glass of water from the counter, she drank it in one long swallow, then set the glass in the sink. As she headed for her bedroom to change, a loud knock sounded on her door.
With slow, hesitant steps, she walked to the door and jerked in surprise when she saw it was Officer Crowl standing on her doorstep. No. Aiden. She was somewhat positive he asked her to stop calling him Officer Crowl. That it bothered him. Why?
Well, she wasn’t going to ask.
He knocked again.
Oh, right. She should probably answer the door. Of course, in the light of day with no alcohol dulling her shyness, she was a little afraid to open the door. What should she say?
Gripping the handle a little too hard, she opened the door with what she hoped was a simple smile. Nothing that said, “I’m so glad you’re here. You make me so happy any time I see you.”
“Hi. You ready?”
She nodded, afraid to even respond with a hi back.
He snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot. Grab some boots, a hat, gloves, and scarf. I don’t want you to get cold getting the tree.”
“Where are we going?”
His lip curled up slightly, almost resembling a smile. It made her weak in the knees, and so desperate to see a real smile on his face. What would it take to elicit a genuine one from him?
“It’s a surprise. Grab your stuff and I’ll you meet in the car.”
A surprise? Interesting. A strange giddiness flooded her. Maybe this wasn’t a simple friend helping a friend. Could he see this as a date? She quickly grabbed her winter gear, exchanging her light knit mittens for a more heavy duty pair of gloves. Locking her door, she tried not to skip merrily to his car, or show her excitement at spending the day with him.
As she shut the car door, her mood dipped. Spend the day with him? He worked on Sundays. Was that pathetic she knew his work schedule and they weren’t even close friends?
“I guess we’ll have to find a tree quickly. There won’t be time to decorate it.” Her face flamed with heat. “Not that I expected to help you decorate it. I wasn’t implying that. I’m sure you don’t want my help with that.” She started to twist her hands fiercely. “You have to work later, and—”
His hand covered hers that were coiled together in a tight ball. “I asked for the day off. I’d love your help decorating it.”
“Oh.”
Another small curling of his lip. “I could even show you how to string popcorn.”
“Okay.”
“Are you okay, Theresa? I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
She wouldn’t say she was uncomfortable, even with his hand covering hers. She wished she would’ve waited to put on the gloves. She wanted to feel him skin to skin.
“Theresa?”
How did she explain how she felt right now? She couldn’t even explain it to herself. He asked for the day off. To spend it with her.
Just. Wow.
“Office—Aiden…” She let out a slow breath as his features tightened into a scowl and just as quickly relaxed. So she remembered correctly. He didn’t like it when she called him Officer Crowl. Good thing she caught herself. “What’s going on here?”
He squeezed her hands. “I don’t know. But I’d like to find out. I’m going to try hard not to act like a jackass. I’m sorry about that, by the way. What do you say?”
Wowza again. Was he admitting he wanted to start a relationship? Try to, anyway? Her mother never called her dumb. Might’ve said irresponsible a time or two, but never dumb.
“I think that’s a great idea.”
The sweetest, smallest smile punctured his face. She almost melted into her seat at the sight of that glorious smile. It lit up his features so brightly, the striking lines of his jaw more prominent, the sparkle in his eyes more glittering. It just made him that much more handsome. He needed to smile more often.
“I think so, too.” He cleared his throat as he backed out of her driveway. “Did you eat?”
“Umm…” Sadly, the thought of food earlier made her stomach cringe with a terrible urge to throw up. “Not really.”
A low chuckle escaped. “Do you feel like eating before we hunt down a tree?”
Food was the furthest thing on her mind. Him, on the other hand, she’d devour in a second. “I can wait.”
He nodded. “I’ll whip something up after we find a tree.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Another tiny smile appeared. “It sure does.”
The trip to his house didn’t take as long as the time she drove there. Of course, that could’ve been because she drove as slow as a snail, dreading and anticipating seeing him that day. When she stepped out of the vehicle and followed him to the front door with her stuff, she wondered why they were stopping at his house.
“Change into your boots and we’ll go.” He unlocked the front door and stepped to the side to let her in first.
“I don’t think I need boots for Jeff’s Tree Lot.”
He closed the door and placed a hand on her back, pushing her forward lightly. “We’re not getting a tree from there.”
“Oh. Where are going?”
He guided her to the dining room where her eyes followed his finger that pointed to the sliding glass door that showed the beautiful view of his backyard. A light layer of snow covered the deck and the yard. A tiny shed stood to the left of the house. Beyond that was the woods. Everything looked so perfect and peaceful.
“We’re going to walk through the woods until we find the perfect tree and then we’re going to chop it down.”
“Seriously?”
His hand dropped from her back. He pulled out a chair for her to sit down and put her boots on. “Seriously. It’ll be fun.”
Yes, it will. She had no doubt about that. She had never walked through the woods to find a Christmas tree. The excitement to do it now was almost so overwhelming that she had to tie and re-tie her boots three times before she did it correctly. Thankfully, Aiden had walked out of the room. When he walked back in, he had boots on his feet, a hat on his head, and large gloves covering his hands.
“Ready?”
She nodded and stood up, placing her hat, gloves, and scarf on. She followed him outside via the sliding door. He headed to the shed, pulling open the door without having to unlock it first. Not surprising. She knew some of her neighbors didn’t even lock their doors when they left the house. It was a small town. Not much crime occurred. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, she imagined Aiden had no problems.
He grabbed an ax from the wall and closed the door. Then, without asking or warning, he grabbed her hand and started to walk. It was a funny grip, especially with both of them wearing such big gloves, but she almost wanted to squeal like a little girl whose crush just asked her to go steady. She couldn’t help the sappy smile that touched her lips.
“So…how are the orders coming along?”
Orders? What orders? She had no clue what he was talking about, and honestly, she still couldn’t get over the fact he asked her to come over, that he asked for the day off to spend time with her, and that he was holding her hand as they strolled through the woods looking for the perfect tree. To her, the day couldn’t get any better. Unless, he kissed her, of course.
“Is it too cold out? Do you want to head back?” His steps slowed as his hand fell away from hers.
She glanced at his hand, wondering why he disengaged. “No. I’m fine. I…uh…was trying to think of how the orders are coming along.” That sounded so stupid. She didn’t even know what the hell she just said.
His lips pressed together, as if he were trying not to laugh. “Yeah, and what’d you come up with?”
“That…they’re coming along fine.” She couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping. Neither could he.
“Theresa. You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”
“That obvious, uh?” Turning her eyes to the snowy white ground, she could feel her cheeks turning red, and definitely not from the cold. “I’m a little nervous.”
A roughened finger tilted her chin up. His eyes glimmered with laughter. “I was talking about your jewelry.” He stepped closer as his finger fell away. “I’m a little nervous myself.” He tossed the ax to the side. His gloved hands grasped her cheeks. “Maybe we should get the awkwardness out of the way.”
“How are we going to do that?”
The biggest smile of the day brightened his face. “With a kiss, of course.”
Then his lips were on hers, soothing her, calming her rushing nerves. They were soft, tender. He took his time learning her lips before dipping his tongue in. That’s when the flood of emotions tore down her anxiety. All her misgivings and worries fell away and all that remained was Aiden. Sweet, sometimes grumpy, Aiden.
She never wanted the kiss to end.