Chapter Nine
The solid warmth of Aaron’s body intoxicated her. The boat cruise was almost over, and she was burrowed into his side. The longer they were together, the more they touched and cuddled. The sun had gone down; only lingering rays of oranges and reds were left in the sky. The boat had gone far enough out that Manila’s air pollution didn’t hinder the view.
After their conversation in the restaurant, he’d set a time to go pick out engagement rings.
Wearing an engagement ring wasn’t necessary, but it would be a solid symbol to show around the province. And something from Aaron to hold onto when he went back home.
Her heart hung heavy. She’d seen him every day since he arrived. He was her first thought when she woke and her last before she closed her eyes. Financial struggles and the loss of her dad had dominated her thoughts for so long, it was a refreshing change. But he’d be a bittersweet thought while he was gone.
The announcement was made that they’d be pulling in to disembark soon.
She sat up to stretch her back. Aaron’s arm curled around her waist and tugged her closer.
“We should do this again before we go,” he murmured into her ear, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine.
She turned her face up to tell him that she’d love to. He lowered his head and paused a breath above her lips.
Her breath suspended in her lungs. Their first kiss. She was starting to think this day wouldn’t come. He’d been shy in front of Ina, and she hadn’t blamed him.
Heat infused his eyes, deepening the blue. Her breath hitched. Was he going to kiss her, or was this far as they were going to get? It was a merciless tease.
Her heart rate kicked up, and her gaze dipped to his mouth. Those lips she had wondered about for days. Was he a soft kisser? Demanding? Would he be hesitant, leaving the kiss at barely more than a peck?
There was a lot of expectation of the first kiss for a couple who’d already talked about marriage.
Finally, his warm lips pressed to hers. She swayed farther into him, her hand clutching at his shirt.
This was the best first kiss ever. Firm, but gentle, he held her in his embrace the same way he kissed. They were their own island on the boat, the din of conversation fading until there was nothing but learning the taste and feel of Aaron.
He tightened his arms until she was as smashed into him as she could be. This thing could work between them. Her crazy idea of looking for an American man to marry didn’t seem so impulsive and reckless when she was in the arms of a man like Aaron.
Every inch of his body that she was pressed against was hard. He was a fit man and probably looked as good without clothes as he did with them on.
Oh…her mind was going there. Aaron and her naked. But as he claimed her, their tongues twining, thinking about them going farther physically wasn’t a stretch. She wanted to marry a man she had chemistry with, a man she could fall in love with. And this kiss made it seem like that was within her grasp.
His groan rumbled into her, and he deepened the kiss.
Yes, please.
Her heart thudded, warmth pooling in her belly until it was all she could do not to climb into his lap and straddle him in the middle of the crowd. Heat ignited a demanding ache between her thighs. When was the last time she’d felt like this?
The gin pom pi they’d had on the cruise flavored his kiss. It’d go down as her most favorite drink in the world.
She was engaged. Getting the air kissed out of her by a man she could be crazy about. Probably safe to say was crazy about. But she could fall in love with him. Desperately easy, was probably halfway there when her sensible side wasn’t whispering in her ear that she still had to move across the world and meet the real Aaron Walker.
Her ex had taught her not to be foolish again. Both she and Ina had gone into this matchmaking affair carefully, fully aware, and it’d be a letdown to herself and her mother if she naively handed her heart to Aaron.
But she’d enjoy the rest of his visit.
His embrace softened, a signal this was coming to end. She didn’t want it to, but she also didn’t want to be a spectacle, and if it continued any longer, they would be.
The smolder in his gaze wasn’t concealed as he glanced around. A brow arched at someone over her shoulder. The heat in his gaze dimmed to a stare of warning.
“Someone watching us?” she whispered. Hard muscle tensed under the hand she rested on his chest, and it was all she could do not to stroke him in public. Her body pled for more, but she had to cool her physical reaction before she made a scene.
Aaron was staring at someone, and he held his warning glare a moment longer before he spoke low in her ear. “A kid was going to take a picture of us. I think I busted him in time before he put us up on InstaChat or Snapgram or whatever they’re called.”
She laid her head on his chest as the boat bumped and swayed against the dock. The trip was ending and she’d almost forgotten, but Aaron must’ve been aware enough or they would’ve been making out as the passengers departed.
A grin tickled her lips. Look at her. The last few years, she’d been feeling a good couple of decades older than she was, had felt like her dreams for a career in nursing and a man to spend her life with were gone. But here she was, not caring if a hundred photos were snapped of her and Aaron, or if they’d have to be pried apart once the tour was done.
Her dream to finish school had crept back into her mind. The last few evenings after work, she’d jumped on and checked out the requirements for nursing school. If her basics transferred, she wouldn’t need many more credits before she could apply. Aaron had said Moore had a small hospital and a few nursing homes. She could get her foot in the door at one as an aide to gain some experience to help her get accepted.
Excitement built the more she thought about it. All aspirations, thoughts, and fantasies had been wiped from her mind when she’d had to withdraw from university. If she didn’t allow herself to think about it, then it couldn’t depress her, or make Ina feel responsible in any way.
Their night had come to an end. Aaron rose, bringing her with him. They wrapped their arms around each other as they wound through the dock and back to the spot where they would wait for their taxi.
“I’ve been spoiled driving everywhere,” he mused.
“Do you miss it?”
“Yeah, actually. To come and go as I please. My truck is like a second office, but more than that, it’s a necessity, a way of life. I live too far out of town to walk. Once I’m in town, I doubt the bus…” His face screwed up. “I don’t even know if Moore has a bus other than the senior center transport bus. Anyway, businesses are spread out. You don’t have a grocery store on one end of the block and the hardware store on the other. They’re at opposite ends of town. Downtown, businesses are close together, but then half the year isn’t amenable to walking.”
“The weather is that bad? Or people just aren’t used to it?”
He smiled, shadows playing over his face. The ridges of his jaw and cheekbones stood out, and she pressed a hand to her fluttering belly. Aaron was a good-looking man. And she was going to marry him.
“Both, I guess. I don’t know that anyone could get used to walking in twenty-below zero weather, but I’m sure it can be done.”
“Do you have taxis?”
He blinked. “Maybe? I’ve never needed one.”
A curl of unease rolled through her. Little choice for public transportation. No walking. How would she get from his house—their house—to school? Or work? How would she leave to do…anything?
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked.
She smothered her dismay but had to inquire further. Be sensible. “I’m wondering how I’d get around.”
“We’d get you a car. And your license once you get settled.”
The way he said it made it sound easy. She hadn’t known him long, but she trusted him about this. A good sign.
Their ride arrived, and he made sure she was buckled before him. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the seat on the trip to her apartment.
He caught her looking. “I swear I’ll never get used to this kind of driving. I feel like we’re on the Indy 500.” At her questioning look. “Car racing.”
Would he feel better if he were the one driving? He struggled each time they caught a cab, though he tried not to show it, and he’d mentioned how hard it was being away from his work. Was he the kind who needed control?
Did it matter? As long as he wasn’t dictating what she could and couldn’t do, well… She grabbed his hand. No, she was being paranoid. He’d shown none of those signs, nor the nearly unperceivable tendency to dictate her life like her uncle. Even if he did, again, did it matter? It was either Peejong or Aaron, and she had hopes for a life of her own choosing with Aaron, as ironic as it seemed—meeting a man to marry online.
On the way back, she and Aaron held hands but remained quiet. Ina had moved so soon after her father’s death, and Dalisay had understood, having lived around Peejong and Sally all her life. But now it was crystal clear. The relationship her parents had was what she wanted. A relationship full of love and respect, both parties working hard to please the other and build a good life together.
No wonder Ina hadn’t been interested in finding her own love connection online. I’m not what those men are looking for, she’d scoff. She’d had her dream once. Why risk tarnishing it with a false marriage?
The car slammed to a stop in front of her building. She asked the driver to wait as she clambered out with Aaron. He towered over her. Not in an intimidating way, but in a way she welcomed. His presence, the heat of his body, the smell of his soap, and the open water scent of their cruise clung to him.
“Tomorrow then?” His gaze simmered with desire. Hers must be identical. “We’ll pick out rings.”
“Tomorrow.” A few more days and they’d be together for the trip to visit her relatives. She wouldn’t have him alone, but they’d be together.
Heat infused his eyes, deepening the blue. He dipped his head and caught her mouth. She curved into him, the reaction natural. His lips were soft but firm, and she responded like she’d been made for him.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tugged him closer. There was no hesitancy this time, no cautious testing of the waters. They both wanted more than a kiss, but this was all they’d be allowed, at least until they returned from visiting family. After that, they’d have a couple more nights like this before he had to return home.
The ache in her belly returned full force until she ground against him to seek relief. He tightened his grip until she rocked against him to assuage the sweet throb between her legs. Oh god, she never acted like this. But this man was hers.
They were getting married. And she was losing her mind over his kisses. Just imagining what else there was left her body feeling heavy and needy.
He answered her desire by cupping her butt and clutching her to him. She could climb him and wrap her legs around him so easily. The idea sounded better and better. The hard length of him hardening between them would be centered just right and—
The cab honked, but Aaron didn’t break apart. He lingered over her mouth, caressing her tongue with his. Her hands were buried in his hair and she was on her tiptoes.
At the second honk, she pulled away, missing the press of his body immediately. “Tomorrow,” was all she could say.
He nodded and stiffly bent into the back of the cab. A smile played over her lips. This was officially the best date ever.
When the taillights of the taxi faded, she jogged upstairs. She burst into her apartment with a giant grin. Ina was at the table. Dalisay had asked her not to wait up for her, but they both had known she would.
Ina lifted her gaze from the book she read. Her face was a mask of calm, but Dalisay sensed the burn of the ultimate question.
She quenched Ina’s curiosity. “I need to message Richard and tell him that I’m no longer available.”
Ina closed her eyes briefly. It wasn’t the jubilant whoop Dalisay had hoped for, more like the look of a mother whose worry was never over. But when she opened her eyes, she grinned in return.
***
For the hundredth time, Aaron’s gaze strayed to Dalisay’s left finger, decorated with the engagement ring they’d picked out.
He was an engaged man.
The bus cruised along. He, Daisy, and Mari had arranged for a ride to the provincial town she was from. The city was out of view behind him, swallowed up by lush green land. The longer they traveled, the more rugged and rural the land grew. Palm trees and fronds sprouted from the land. The swell of mountains lined the horizon.
His arm was slung around Daisy, and her mom sat on the other side of the aisle.
Daisy and her mom explained everything he was passing. The city was fascinating, but as a country kid, the rural land was far more intriguing to him. He made out farmland, the familiar outline of a field as recognizable as an emergency flare. According to Daisy, they grew corn and rice and a variety of smaller crops around Solano.
They’d stopped in small towns for a rest and to exchange passengers. So not like Manila. So not like Moore, either, but he could pick out similarities. Local businesses, residents who knew each other’s personal stories. He doubted a small town anywhere in the world lacked a gossip mill.
Each stop, he’d get out and stretch, walk around, and mainly, check his phone.
Right before Daisy rang him to say she and Mari had arrived at the hotel, he’d called to tell his family the news that he was officially engaged. They both had chosen their rings, and he’d kept it until after they ate when he proposed properly. Different from his expectations, but so was Daisy.
After Dad’s “hey, that’s great,” Aaron had asked about the farm. The cold spell after the winter storm had knocked out Mom’s car battery. The temperatures rose enough today to turn the rain to ice, and the power was flickering. Dillon had called Dad and said his house was out of power. Topping off the gas to the generators hadn’t been on his to-do list before Aaron left, so Dad planned to brave the roads in the morning to grab supplies—of all fuel types…because Jackson had missed the grocery run and Mom hadn’t left the house all week. So they were out of food.
Motherfucker.
He pulled out his phone again. By the time Dad got up and crawled his way to town on the black ice that no doubt lined the highway, Aaron would be hit and miss with cell coverage. Daisy said her hometown had decent service, but he had no idea if it was the same he used.
No messages. No missed calls.
Daisy patted his leg. “Still no word?”
“Nope.” Why’d it have to storm while he was gone? Some Novembers passed with mild weather and barely any precipitation. Other Novembers gave a whopping preview to what it was like to suffer winter in the Midwest.
His skin crawled to get home. His mind clicked through the list of things to take care of. Shit. He could’ve reminded Dad or messaged his brothers to check with Travis for extra fuel. Maybe only one side of the road that stretched through his and his cousins’ property was out of power and they could spare fuel—and food. Brock probably had an extra battery on hand. Would Dad think of checking with him? To Dad, Brock was still the quiet kid that was hard to talk to.
He tucked his phone away and scrubbed his face. Having Daisy next to him whisked some of his angst away, but if he could fly home tomorrow, he would.
“We’ll be at Solano in two more hours and you can try to call before we leave for Peejong’s.” She sounded as optimistic as he felt. They’d get a taxi to her uncle’s and spend two nights at her uncle’s and head back on the third day. He’d call as soon as Manila was in sight.
He’d been away from home too long.
The rest of the trip passed with Daisy dozing on him and a thousand items he wanted to tend to at home running through his head. Mari chatted to the woman next to her.
She’d been friendlier with him since the engagement. The spring in her step was like a giant weight had been shoved off her shoulders. Daisy would miss her terribly.
They’d have to come visit.
He sighed. More time away. He could prepare better. Buy in bulk so his parents wouldn’t have to worry about stocking for bad weather. Dammit, did Dad have a winter survival kit in his truck? He’d probably gotten rid of it when he’d moved to town.
They approached a smattering of buildings. Without the haze of the city, the view all around him was crisper than any picture online he’d scanned through. Would it be like this for Daisy when she came to Minnesota? She’d said she’d combed through pictures, but when it came to nature’s beauty, pictures didn’t always do it justice.
Solano was bigger than Moore but had the feel of a small town. Like his hometown, buildings weren’t built tall, but flat. The architecture was unlike anything found in Moore. Ornate, but not in an overly audacious way. They passed churches, schools, grocery stores, and shops.
“You grew up here?”
“Yes.” Her wistful tone matched her expression. “I really did like it here. But I got into a good university in Manila and hoped the city would have more job opportunities.”
She’d been in a nursing program, but she never talked about it other than mentioning she’d like to look at finishing her degree.
“Why didn’t you stay in the healthcare field after you left school? Couldn’t you have been an aide or something?”
Her smile was sad. “Probably, but I wanted a clean break. If I couldn’t finish, then I didn’t want any part of it.” She nudged him. “And I don’t get tips in the hospital.”
He chuckled. “Probably a good thing. I get it, though. If I had to move off the farm, I don’t think I’d want anything to do with it. It’d be hard to get away from farming in Moore. If I sold cars, I’d have farmers and ranchers asking about trucks up for the job. If I sold insurance, there’d be crop insurance. I’d see people I know from the industry all over town.”
Frowning, his dad came to mind. Was that Dad’s problem? He missed it? But then why’d he retire? No, there had to be another reason Dad had grappled with town life. And a reason why Mom wrestled with town and country life.
Daisy squeezed his hand. “I can get away from medical life easier. We toured the hospital in town when I was in high school and I was hooked. As a kid, I was always the one asking Ina how everything with our body worked and running to get bandages for my friends.” She shot him a sly grin. “I may have over-bandaged them.”
He dropped a kiss on her head. “I bet they had the best care.”
Her expression grew solemn the farther into town they got. “It’s weird being back here.”
“Haven’t been back since your dad died?”
She shook her head, sorrow in her eyes. “When Ina moved in with me, she took care of everything and left.”
He lowered his voice. “She was that determined not to move in with her brother?”
Daisy snorted and muttered, “Ina would’ve walked to Manila before that happened.”
“Can’t wait to meet him.” He gave her a wink.
He was as prepared as he could be for facing her overbearing relatives. The parents of his previous dates had been congenial enough, but always with the undercurrent of overprotectiveness. Daisy’s family wouldn’t be hostile. Shouldn’t be hostile. He could handle it.
They reached the bus stop. He shuttled Daisy and Mari off and grabbed their luggage. They both packed lighter than he had and shared a suitcase. He looked high maintenance compared to them.
Bustling out of the way of the small crowd, he retrieved his phone. “Mind if I call home while you arrange a ride?”
Daisy nodded and went in search of a taxi, Mari following her.
He checked the time. It’d be in the middle of the night, but he had to try. Peejong lived outside of Solano and might have a signal booster, but Aaron didn’t want the anxiety of his family without power to overshadow the visit.
“Aaron?” Dad answered groggily. “Everything okay?”
“That’s what I called to ask you. Our last conversation had me worried.”
Dad groaned like he was stretching. “I got the generator going just in time for the power to turn back on.”
“But you made it to town and back fine?”
“Yep. At least it wasn’t a wasted trip. They’re forecasting a bigger storm late next week. Hope it doesn’t affect your flight.”
“What?”
Dad chuckled. “It’ll be a Thanksgiving to remember, that’s for sure.”
“How much snow?” His flight might be delayed. Dammit. He was chomping to get back and jump in to pick up the slack he left behind.
“They’re saying a foot, but you know how it goes. We won’t know until closer to the time. So have you met the family yet?”
“We’re on our way.” I couldn’t relax until I knew you all were alive and not freezing fingers and toes off.
“Then go and have fun. Don’t worry about us. We know the drill.”
Then why were you so unprepared? “Did Mom make it to conferences?”
The silence on the other end said it all. “She wasn’t feeling well, you know…”
Aaron hung his head. She had one job. “Yeah. I know.” He lifted his head and forced a sigh down. Daisy waved at him from a kiosk. “Hey, I’ll call again as soon as I can.”
He disconnected, but the conversation plowed through his mind. Another storm when he was supposed to return home. What if he got stranded in Minneapolis because Moore’s tiny airport couldn’t get a plane in during bad weather? A night or two in the cities wouldn’t hurt, but he’d be gone to help during another whopper of a storm.
Stuffing his phone away, he adjusted his shoulders and rotated his neck to relax. Daisy didn’t need to see him upset. He crossed to them.
“Got us a ride?” he asked when he reached them.
She nodded. “We asked for it right away. Peejong will have a feast ready for us when we get there.”
“I bet he’s excited to see you both.”
“Oh yes,” Mari said. Her jaw was tight, and she was scanning the street like Peejong was going to jump out of the bushes.
She and her sister-in-law must really be on the outs.
Daisy laid a hand on her mom’s arm. “Peejong will at least. Sally maybe not.”
Mari harrumphed, but inclined her head.
Daisy glanced at him. “She assured me they’re always civil, but she hates feeling the judgment.”
“Yeah, I can get that.” He wasn’t in the same boat as Mari when he walked around Moore. No one person gave him a hard time. It slipped into conversations and he heard about it from his friends and relatives.
Maybe it wouldn’t burn so badly if half the gossip weren’t true.
The Jeepney pulled up. He and the driver loaded the bags and they all hopped in. For two short days, he would cast his frustrations aside and marinate in getting to know Daisy through her family. Once they were heading back to Manila, he’d plan his trip back to Moore.