Chapter Twelve
The plane bumped down onto the runway. Dalisay released her hold on the armrests and peered out the window. Outside was pitch black, interspersed with brilliant beams of lights from the runway and miniscule airport. She scanned around, looking across the aisle and over the only other seat in the entire row of this—what had Aaron called it? Puddle-jumper?
A few large hangars were visible, and she’d caught sight of an office-type building as the plane swung around. The airport?
So not like Manila.
The same thought had echoed through her head when she’d landed in Seattle. The bustle of the people was familiar, and while she’d only ever been in Manila’s airport, it had still been an airport. The same with Minneapolis.
But the large aircrafts that had carried her overseas on her first flight ever, then to her next stop in Minnesota, hadn’t inspired the anxiety as the small craft had. Every bump and jerk of the plane was magnified as she’d flown from Minneapolis to Moore.
The plane will be nothing but a puddle-jumper, but it’ll fly you right into my town and you won’t have to face hours of driving. We never know how well the weather will behave this time of year.
She might’ve chanced it.
Fatigue seeped into every bone and muscle. The jangle of nerves brewing a storm in her belly had no resistance.
The plane rolled to a stop. She was here. She shivered, an action that had nothing to do with the shadows of large piles of snow outside the window. The swirl of anticipation in her stomach needed an outlet.
She drew in a ragged breath. The passengers around her passed her polite smiles, but the question in their eyes spoke a lot. Who are you? What are you doing in Moore?
Aaron had said that Moore was large enough to not know everybody, but small enough to know a lot of people. When she’d asked him how many people from the Philippines lived there, he’d gone quiet.
None that I know of. But I’m sure they do.
So what he was trying not to say was that she’d stand out. Eventually, they’d talked about it. The kind of reaction she might get around town. The questions that might be asked. How she thought she’d feel. He was worried.
To go from a city where she was less than a blip in the day to one where everyone would know her hadn’t been intimidating twenty-four hours ago. But if it was like this flight, where she received curious glances, then it shouldn’t be so bad.
The door opened and they all stood. She slung her backpack over her shoulder. The short line couldn’t move fast enough. A blast of cold air flowed down the aisle. She shivered and this time, it was definitely from the frigid air.
She’d worn the heaviest jacket she had, but it offered no more protection than her canvas shoes would from the snow.
This was so not Manila.
A gasp ripped from her as she stepped into the night. Her teeth clattered. Oh god. It was like the wind was eating her face off.
She tucked her head into her collar and scurried behind the other passengers into the building. Barely noticing the quaint room they piled through to gape at the tidy interior, she ran into a wall of chest.
Hard arms came around her and the previous two months of anxiety and excitement coalesced in her throat. She shoved hard, for the little good it did.
“Daisy, it’s me.”
That voice. Deep, easy, and familiar. Instantly, her body calmed and melted into Aaron. She slumped against him, not just out of relief. He was warm.
“Are you shivering?” He released her to shrug off the heavy tan coat he wore. Worn and faded in spots, she doubted its ability, but once he took her backpack and slung the coat around her shoulders she was encapsulated in a weighty comfort that smelled like Aaron and fresh air.
“Oh, that is much better.” She smiled and absorbed her fiancé standing in front of her with her bag now on his back. “Hi, Aaron.”
His lopsided grin flipped her heart. “Hey.” He bent and kissed her. Their lips clung together for a heartbeat before he pulled away. “Let’s get your bag and go home.”
He slung his arm around her. His knit long-sleeved shirt didn’t look like it’d stand up to the weather, but she couldn’t give up his jacket yet. Maybe he’d brought an extra?
The airport didn’t have a luggage belt. A door opened and the attendant wheeled in bags.
She hung back, still pasted to Aaron’s side while everyone got theirs. An older man from the flight nodded a greeting at Aaron, then looked at her. Stared was more like it.
She was too tired to try to smile or guess what an appropriate response would be. Her ring was on her finger, and that should answer enough questions.
Aaron grabbed her suitcase. “Just one?”
“Ina moved everything to her new place.”
He led her outside.
She tugged on his arm. “Wait. Do you want your coat back?”
“Absolutely not. The truck’s been running this whole time anyway. I wanted to keep it warm for you.”
She didn’t argue as they stepped back into the wind. It robbed her of breath. She screwed up her face against it and followed Aaron. The air even smelled cold, like a giant cube of ice around her, tinged with exhaust.
Looking around the parking lot, almost every car was running. Billowy clouds of exhaust filtered into the night. That was from the cold and not engine trouble?
They approached a truck that could rival any Jeepney for size. The cab had four doors and she’d need a ladder to get inside.
Aaron opened the door. “Here. Use the running boards and the ‘oh shit’ handle to climb in.”
“The what?” He gave her a boost and pointed to the frame.
“The ‘oh shit’ handle. You know, for when you have to hold on and say…”
She chuckled. “I get it.”
Aaron closed the door. The warmth of the cab seeped in and his coat swamped her. She tore her gaze off him to look around the cab.
Papers were piled between her and the driver’s seat. Magazines that looked like ads stacked amid envelopes and work gloves. His phone had slipped off the console and lay upside down in a drink holder.
Aaron got in on the other side. “Sorry about the mess. Would you believe I cleaned it up?”
“It’s not that bad.”
He smirked. “Then don’t look in the back seat.”
“You’re messy. It’s okay.” She didn’t care. They were together again.
“No, it’s not. I’m just busy.” He reached over to stretch the seatbelt around her, then clicked himself in.
The clock display said it was nine thirty. She was too tired to figure out what time it was at home.
Wait. She was home.
Resting her head on the seat, she alternated between watching Aaron drive because he was too good to be true and viewing her new home.
So few buildings. But lights stretched in front of them. They must be a few miles out of town.
She sat forward as they drove into Moore. Sprawling gas stations that took up an entire block each bordered both sides of the highway. And the highway! Only a few other vehicles heading in each direction were on the road. This was more like Solano. Except the stories-high street lamps and the multitude of fluorescent signs set it apart.
He drove past restaurants and banks, and all too soon they were heading back down a dark highway.
“On a scale of one to ten, how tired are you?” he asked. They hadn’t spoken all through Moore as if he’d known she’d only want to gawk.
“Eleven. I understand why you slept in the day you arrived in Manila. I think I could sleep for a week.” Part of it might have to do with the stress of moving and finding herself unemployed. No evening shift to stress over left her drained.
“You can sleep that long if you’d like. I’ll be around. February’s the month I try to catch up on any repair jobs that Brock couldn’t get to.”
The cousin who was their mechanic. She was going to meet these people she’d heard all about. Had Aaron been as intimidated when he’d met Peejong? He hadn’t shown it.
“I…um, we never talked about where you’d sleep when you got here.”
She quirked a brow at him. No, they hadn’t. It seemed odd now that they were each heading to his house to go to bed.
“There’s a spare room upstairs. You can have my room with the nice bed and I’ll sleep in the spare, until you know, we’re married.”
Was she interpreting this correctly? “We’re not sleeping together until we’re married?”
Disappointment trailed through her. The arrangement made perfect sense.
“I want to do whatever is comfortable for you. No pressure.” He shifted in his seat and stared into the darkness.
The snow mounded along the edge of the highway. The only thing she could see besides that were metal fence posts and thin wire strung between them. And some rows of trees here and there.
“I also haven’t been completely honest.”
She stilled. A shot of adrenaline flooded her veins. “About what?”
“How close my parents and brothers live. They’re in the basement.”
“Oh.” Four other people lived under the roof. Wasn’t that what she’d wanted to avoid with her uncle?
He turned off the highway onto a dirt road and pulled to a stop. “I understand if you hold it against me. But my parents moving back in with me has prevented any other relationship from getting serious. Then when I met you, I wanted you to get to know me before I told you.” His eyes were earnest in the glow of the dashboard lights. “Only when I got to know you, I was afraid it’d scare you off.”
His words rang with truth and apology. Tension radiated through his face. His jaw was tight, his shoulders rigid.
“Okay.” Her foggy mind couldn’t think of anything else to say. Was it okay? She didn’t know enough yet. Would it have scared her off if he’d told her? Probably not. Aaron inspired her to consider a lot of things she never thought she’d do. Like moving across the world to a place with over a hundred-degree temperature difference.
“Okay?” he asked. “Like okay, or you’re too tired to care and might care tomorrow?”
“Just okay. I don’t know your family to know if it’s a problem. I guess you met me when I lived with my mom.”
“But I didn’t move in with you.”
She giggled at the picture of him planted at the tiny square table she and Ina ate around. He’d make it look like it came from a playset.
“Take me home, Aaron.”
***
Aaron paced the kitchen. The floor creaked where the hardwood butted the carpet seam. He spun and stopped. Mom eyed him from the other entrance into the room. She’d dressed in something other than sweat pants today.
“Do we get to meet her yet?” she asked, looking over his shoulder.
“She’s still sleeping.” He’d strongly suggested his family park it downstairs until he got her in and settled. She’d passed out snuggled into his bed within seconds, and he’d watched her almost long enough to be classified as creepy, even if they were engaged.
But long black hair spread across his pillow hit him in the solar plexus. Her slight body wrapped in his freshly washed sheets. The woman he was going to marry.
He’d camped in the spare room on the rock-hard bed that would offer better comfort if it were used as kindling for a bonfire.
“It’s ten already. If she wants to switch her hours, she should get up now.” Mom poured herself some juice.
It was ten in the morning and Mom had just come upstairs. Yet he’d been up when his brothers had headed to school. “She’ll have plenty of time to adjust.”
“And you’re going to make the floor creak with your pacing for another three hours waiting for her to wake?”
He ducked his head. “If I have to.”
Mom cocked her head and scrutinized him the same way she used to before family pictures. “I’m sure you’re not surprised that I doubted this whole thing, but I see how much you’re invested. I hope she’s as sweet as you say.”
“I couldn’t do her justice.”
Mom drained her juice and left her cup by the sink. The dishwasher was right underneath, but he’d take care of it later.
She was turning toward the entrance to the stairs. “Well, I’m heading back down— Oh.”
Aaron twisted around. Emerging from the hallway was a timid Daisy. She was brushing her hand down the length of her hair as if self-conscious that she had bedhead, which looked adorable. The long-sleeved shirt she wore said “Seattle” and her black leggings were from the previous night.
She smiled, but her eyes screamed deer in the tractor’s spotlight. “Hello, Mrs. Walker.”
Mom didn’t cross to Daisy. She wasn’t a hugger. She wasn’t much of anything lately, but that was another problem. “Call me Lori, please. It’s nice to finally meet you. How was your trip?”
“It was great.” Daisy’s voice was hardly audible. “Very pleasant.”
He jumped in before things got any more awkward. “Hungry? I can’t cook eggs like your mom, but I’ll try.”
Daisy smiled at him. “I can cook them if you show me around. But first, where’s…?” Pink tinted her cheeks.
Mom saved him. “The bathroom is the second door to the right behind you.”
“Thank you.” Daisy disappeared back down the hall.
“So, that’s her.” Mom’s expression was guarded.
“Yep. Hey, do you have a winter coat she can borrow? I think we’ll have to go pick up some cold weather clothing for her.”
“Sure. I’ll set a few things at the top of the stairs.”
Aaron bit down on his tongue. There was no don’t worry about it, I’ll take her shopping. It’ll be a great way to get to know my future daughter-in-law. Nor let me make a list of what she’ll need. He didn’t even get a full trip up the stairs.
He’d take it personally, but that was the way Mom had been for years now.
“Where’s Dad?” he called as his mom went down the stairs.
“In the shop.”
Thankfully, someone was working if he was taking the week off. He worked on Daisy’s breakfast until she appeared without a sound, wearing a fresh pair of tight jeans that he’d never seen her in and her Seattle sweater. A good choice for this climate.
“Can I help?” she asked.
He gave her a smile. “Nah. It’s my turn to wow you with my cooking skills.”
She circled the kitchen and peeked into the living room. “This is what it looks like in the daylight.”
“Pretty simple.” And old. Trying to see it through her eyes, the outdated 90’s decor was glaring, along with the faded carpet and drapes. He’d planned to upgrade a little each year, but he’d gotten so busy, it’d fallen to the end of the priority list.
“It’s nice,” she said. “And there’s a lower level?”
He slid their breakfast, brunch for him, onto a couple of plates. Setting the pan back down, he frowned. Whenever he’d eaten with Daisy and Mari, they’d had an abundance of fresh produce. Well, his eggs were homegrown, but that was all on the plate.
He could get fruit and veggies at the grocery store, but the prices were obscene this time of year and the quality dipped. He had a fridge full of oranges and apples, though.
While he prepped those, he rambled. “My brothers are at school and everyone is working right now, but I thought we could go to town and get a coat and some sweaters for you. Boots, too. Gloves and hat. Do you have any of that?”
“Not really, no.” She looked so petite standing in the middle of his kitchen with no idea what to do.
He gestured to the table. “Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll bring our plates.”
Instead of sitting, she came to him and helped carry the food over. “This looks good.”
He wanted to use her answer. Not really, no. Scrambled eggs and orange slices weren’t the food he wanted to impress his fiancée with.
“We can run to the grocery store, too. To get any stuff you like.”
She paused with her fork over her plate. “Do you think your family would like my cooking?”
He chuckled. “My brothers and I split the cooking around here. Sometimes Dad makes his chili. But our first rule is there’s no complaining.”
The awkwardness lingered as they ate. She didn’t comment on his food. Was she following the rule, or did she really think it tasted like more than blah warm goo?
He snagged her plate when she was done. “Mind meeting my dad before we run to town?”
“It’s no problem.” She met him at the sink and prepared to wash.
“Oh, we have a dishwasher. Just leave them. One of us will load them later.”
Her tiny apartment hadn’t had one, and it’d only been her and Mari. His family probably used as many dishes in one day that those two had all week.
Before they got going, he had to make sure they were on the same page. “When we get to town, you might get introduced to others. If it ever gets overwhelming, just give me a nudge or something.”
She considered him. “Were you overwhelmed at Solano?”
He lifted a shoulder. “There was too much new stuff to take in, so, no. I enjoyed meeting your family. But it was also like a vacation for me. This is your new…”
She met his gaze. “My new life.”
“Weird, huh?”
“Surreal.” Her gaze drifted away before she looked back. “I missed you.”
He pulled her toward him until he could hook his hands behind her waist. “So much.” He dropped his head for a real kiss, not the quick peck he limited himself to the night before. As long as she reciprocated.
And she did. Her hands hugged his shoulders. His hands crept lower. He just wanted to touch her again. It’d been so long.
“Here’s the jacket and some other things I could find,” his mother called from the stairwell.
Daisy jerked back, her flush deepening. But Mom didn’t come all the way up. It would’ve been too much work.
“She’ll probably swim in them.” Mom’s voice faded. Daytime TV called to her.
Daisy sighed and buried her head in his shirt.
Note to self: she wasn’t comfortable with PDAs in front of his family yet.
He grinned and rubbed Daisy’s back. “You might want to throw another shirt under that sweater before I show you around. Then we’ll go to town.”
He led her toward the stairs. “The basement entrance and mudroom are over here. The backdoor is just around the corner.” Stooping to grab the clothing, he looked over the selection. None of it was Daisy’s simple style.
Hell, his mom even threw in an ugly Christmas sweater. At least there was a winter coat, the kind with the outer shell and fleece insert. Perfect.
When he turned, she was staring at the pictures on the wall that led past the kitchen to the hallway. Shoving the pile under one arm, he pointed out people.
“This one is from the day me and the guys signed for the business.” He touched on each guy as he said their names.
“It’s nicer than the tiny pictures on your phone.” She moved to the next photo.
He tapped on the glass. “This was the last official family photo we took, like ten years ago. Did I show you Jackson’s senior picture?”
“He looks a lot more like you.”
“Yeah, but he’s stockier and way more shy than I ever was.” He handed her the coat and dug out a hat and gloves from his mom’s stash. “Put these on. There’s a pair of boots by the door.”
“Are you sure she doesn’t mind?” She held the coat up and inspected all the zippers and pockets.
“She’s lived here her whole life. I bet she has at least five winter coats, eight light jackets, and probably a hundred sweaters.”
She eyed the dark pink and white jacket for another second before swinging it over her shoulders. “I can’t believe how cold it was last night.”
“It’ll be like that for a few more days, then warm up to single digits.” He showed her around the rest of the upstairs since it’d been too late for a tour when they’d gotten in. There wasn’t much to see, but he wanted her to feel…at home.
Before they went outside, he geared her up with the rest of her cold weather items. By the time he was done, she was the best snow bunny he could’ve ever dreamed of. She’d rolled the bottom of her wool knit hat and had matching gloves that her hands must swim in. Mom’s calf boots gave her enough protection to keep her feet and legs warm.
They wandered outside. She gasped as the air hit her face.
He glanced back and caught the end of her grimace. She was about to say something, but stopped and blew a lungful of air that puffed into a cloud. Then giggled.
He’d grown up in this weather and not once had he played with his breath. Maybe as a kid and he didn’t remember.
Imagining what is was like to experience it for the first time seemed impossible, but she was expressive enough that he understood.
“It’s so cold.” She tucked her face into the collar of her jacket. “I suppose you’re used to it.”
“I don’t think we’re ever used to it. These kinds of temps shock the system no matter what. We just adapt to dealing with it.”
A dusting of snow had fallen overnight. Their boots crunched on the surface like they were walking across a Styrofoam egg carton to the shop where his truck was parked. She waited by the door while he hopped in to start it and slid back out.
“It’ll warm up while I show you around.” He hated keeping her outside so long, but this was her new home.
He walked her through the shop, into the front of the barn, and past the large silver metal cylinder grain bins.
“Those are massive,” she breathed. The tip of her nose was red. Cute as hell. “Are they full of grain?”
“Depends on the time of year.”
She nodded and spun in a slow circle to get a panoramic view of the property. “All this is yours?”
“Everything the house and out-buildings are sitting on, yes. And twenty more acres. All the fields and pastures are Walker Five land, so I’m a co-owner of those. You’ll get a better view of all that when we head to town. Ready?”
His ego screamed its impatience. Months of keeping his fiancée a secret. And he could finally introduce her to people. They might wonder how he and Daisy met, but there was nothing wrong with meeting online. No one had to know it was a dating site meant to find a spouse. He sure wasn’t going to tell anyone.