Promising herself she wasn’t going to look like a country hick and stare, she struggled to retain her cool. Then promptly lost it when she stumbled at the top of the stairs.
There weren’t regular airplane seats inside. Instead, groupings of leather covered recliners filled the interior, along with a couch. Luxurious didn’t even come close.
Dax gave a grin and led her to two of the recliners in the back which faced each other.
“I like sitting in the back,” he said. “It’s more private.”
The pilot disappeared into the cockpit, leaving them alone. Dynamo sniffed at all the leather and cocked his head at Dax.
Dax patted a seat cushion. “Up here boy.”
Dynamo jumped into the overstuffed recliner and circled around until settling down. Dax didn’t seem concerned about Dynamo’s claws scuffing the expensive leather.
“This belongs to your family?”
He gave a sheepish nod. “Yeah.”
“Okay, let’s just say I was interested to know which of your family’s jet this was. Is this the big jet or the little jet?”
He laughed. “I thought we discussed that size didn’t matter?”
“Says the man with an impressively well-endowed cock.”
He pressed his hands to his cheeks in mock surprise. “Did you just use a filthy word? My sweet girl?” He lowered his hands and shook his head side to side. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do with you.”
There was no one else on the plane. She couldn’t help but tease Dax.
“Well, I can think of one or two things.” She made a show of licking her lips. “I have a confession to make.”
“You do?”
“And it may change everything.”
“Is that so?”
She stepped toward him and dragged her fingers down his chest. The fabric of his shirt bunched together at his waist. She lifted on tiptoe and whispered into his ear. “I’m not a member of the mile-high club. I don’t think I can fly with you. You’ll have to take me back.”
His deep laugh reverberated inside the cabin. “I’m certain we can do something about that.”
The pilot opened the door to the front cabin and looked over his shoulder. “We’re ready to go. Do all the sitting in the seat stuff, buckling up the seat belts, locking the trays in their full and upright position, and all that please.”
She glanced around. There wasn’t one tray in sight. Looked like their pilot had a sense of humor.
“That’s our cue.” Dax gestured to one of the chairs. “Buckle up babe.”
“As you wish.” She settled in the seat opposite him and strapped in. Even the belt buckles radiated luxury. She glanced around the cabin. “What, no flight attendants?”
“Yeah, this is the economy flight. No frills.”
“I was teasing.”
“I know, but I don’t think my mother was thinking about ancillary crew when she told Saul to fetch her son.”
His comment gave her pause because it reminded her why Dax needed to get home. She reached for his hand.
“I hope he’s all right.”
“Me too.” He gave her hand a squeeze then took his seat.
They spent the flight in relative silence. Despite her comment about the mile-high club, Dax grew more introspective as the minutes wore on. His brow furrowed when he thought she wasn’t looking, although he always put on a smile when their eyes met. Dynamo crawled out of his chair to sit on Dax’s feet, providing a kind of comfort she couldn’t.
There would be plenty of time for fooling around later, and it was probably for the best they didn’t force sex during the flight. He had a lot on his mind and spent the majority of his time texting on his phone. The plane must have wi-fi, not that she would know. She didn’t have her phone, which made her worry for her father.
He didn’t know where she was, what she was doing, only that Dax had yanked her out the front door and disappeared with her into the night. That had been several hours ago. By now, he father was probably beside himself with worry. It occurred to her to ask Dax to borrow his phone, but from the way he cupped it in his hands and the worry lines creasing his face, she could wait.
After a quick search, she found a book hidden in one of the compartments between the seats, a historical romance about cowboys. It kept her grinning with some of the outlandish situations the couple found themselves in, but more importantly, it passed the time.
Before long, the pilot announced they were landing. Smooth as silk, Saul brought them to the ground and taxied to their terminal. With a glance out the window, she wasn’t the least surprised by the black SUV waiting for them.
Dynamo perked up his ears, stretched, and wagged his tail. She agreed with him. She was ready to get off the plane too. Not really sure of Dax’s state of mind, she waited to take her lead from him. He unbuckled and drew her to him, tugging her tight against his broad chest. He took in a deep breath, burying his nose in the soft angle of her neck.
“Sorry I ignored you during the flight. I was talking with my mother.”
“How is she holding up?”
“She’s stressed. My father had a heart attack. That’s what I was talking with her about. He has near total occlusion of his LAD.”
As a veterinary student, she understood his concern. One of the main coronary arteries which supplied blood to the heart, the left anterior descending artery was often called a widow maker. If the blood through the artery became one hundred percent blocked, it was almost always fatal without emergency care.
She placed her hand on his arm, providing what comfort was possible. “How is your father?”
From the grief on Dax’s face, she couldn’t tell if his father was still alive or had passed during the flight. Dax could be incredibly stoic and she felt a little lost in how to comfort him.
“They took him to emergent surgery. The LAD is 99% occluded and he had some blockage in his other coronary arteries. They’re doing a quadruple bypass.”
“We need to get there, Dax.”
He took both her hands in his. “Yes, we do. If my father makes it through surgery, I want to introduce him to his future daughter-in-law. I know this isn’t exactly the best meet-the-parents scenario, but I’m really glad you’re here.”
She cupped his jaw. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” And in her heart, she knew that for the truth it was. He may not have knocked her socks off with a fancy proposal, but there was no doubt in her mind he was the one she wanted, forever and always, they were one.
Saul cracked open the outer hatch and lowered the stairs.
“You can exit now.”
Dax headed for the exit, Dynamo tugged tight to his heels. He stopped at the door and gave Saul a shake. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime.” As she exited, Saul tipped an imaginary hat at her. “Nice meeting you, Miss Studer.”
“Nice meeting you to.”
“Take care of him,” Saul said, “he’s a good man.”
She didn’t understand the relationship between Dax and Saul, but there seemed to be a friendship between them deeper than that of employer and employee.
“I will.” And with that said, she stepped out of the plane and into the unknown.
This was Dax’s world. It was much bigger than her tiny town of Bear Creek. Whatever happened, she vowed to remember the man who slept beneath the stars.
Chapter 23
Dax
Dax felt bad ignoring Dani during most of the flight, but his mother’s text kept him on edge. He spent most of his time trying to calm her down, knowing how lost she must feel by herself at the hospital.
His mother didn’t understand the nuances of medical terminology, and doctors often failed to explain in layman terms, not realizing the terror the unknown caused in loved ones who didn’t understand what was going on.
He tried to piece together what his mother knew, what she understood, and then tried to use his medical training to break everything down, using a language
she could understand.
When she said his father’s coronaries were completely blocked, he feared for the worst, but gentle questioning gave him the knowledge he needed to maintain hope and lend what strength he could from thirty-thousand feet in the air.
And he felt bad for worrying Dani about his father. She clung to his side, sticking closer than Dynamo, and kept secreting worried glances at him. He wanted to tell her not to worry, but her worry wasn’t for his father. It was for him, and he didn’t know how he felt about the whole situation.
She sat beside him and interlaced her fingers with his. Without a word, she leaned her head against his shoulder. It was late and she had to be tired. With his father’s condition, he hadn’t given enough consideration to what she’d been through.
“How are you holding up?” He bumped her chin softly with the backs of his knuckles.
A yawn escaped her. “A bit tired, but otherwise okay.”
“Do you want me to take you to the hotel?” He’d thought to head straight to the hospital. His mother needed him by her side, but Dani looked beat.
Dani traced the lines on his palm. “I want to be with you, at least if you want me there. Or, you can take me to the hotel and go by yourself?”
“I want you with me.” He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure out what to do about your father, Dani. I promise.”
“My father can wait…” She didn’t finish the sentence, but he felt the subtext like a stab to the gut.
He had no idea how much time his father had, or even if he would be alive when they arrived.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” He ran his fingers through her hair, loving the way the silken locks felt against his skin.
“You’re not too bad yourself.”
Dynamo whined beside them and he leaned forward to speak with the driver. “Do you mind stopping somewhere where I can walk my dog?”
They landed in Dallas Fort Worth, one of the busiest metropolitan areas in the country. Stopping to walk his dog would be difficult. Hell, what was he going to do with Dynamo? Hospitals didn’t allow dogs, unless they were service animals, and he’d never gotten around to filing the paperwork.
He sorted that out with a quick trip to a pet store and arrangements made with the driver. When the driver dropped them off at the hospital, he knew Dynamo would be in good hands. Already, the dog jumped into the front passenger seat, tongue out, and pressed his nose against the glass. Dax dismissed the driver until later and headed inside with his future bride by his side.
Finding the where to go wasn’t difficult. A quick stop for directions at the information counter, where he and Dani were provided visitor badges, and they were off to the elevators.
“Does your mother know I’m with you?” Dani shifted foot to foot and her grip on his hand tightened.
He could imagine the stress meeting his mother must put on her. It had been different for him. He met her father first.
“She doesn’t, but don’t worry. My mother is a saint, very open-hearted, and welcoming.”
“She may not want a stranger in the middle of a family emergency.”
“Once she sees you, you won’t be a stranger. Relax.”
“Easy for you to say,” she said with a grump, but he could tell she didn’t mean it.
The doors to the elevator opened, dumping them into the PACU waiting room. Dax’s mother automatically looked up, and it took half a second before it hit that her son had arrived. Ever the one for proper decorum, she put her book down first, took notice of Dani, then stood and smoothed out the wrinkles of her dress.
She didn’t rush, or scream, or make a scene. There was no other way to describe it other than to say Elizabeth Kingston glided across the room with a serene smile fixed on her beautiful face. Dani mentioned rancher royalty and had been closer to the mark than she realized. Elizabeth Kingston presided over local society. The Kingston name carried weight in Texas, with all the social obligations that brought with it.
“You made it.” His mother placed her hand on his arm. Not one for public displays of affection, she held herself with poise and class, but he could see the cracks in her façade. His mother was falling apart from the inside out.
He ignored her attempt at being discreet and pulled his mother in for a hug. He could see the pain in her eyes, the worry, the fear, and her stoic resolve to weather whatever came next. For a moment, he would hold his mother and give her the shoulder she needed to cry on.
The moment his arms wrapped around her slender form, the tension in her body melted away. She pressed her cheek to his chest and gave the tiniest sniffle. It would be the only public display of emotion she would give.
Dani stepped to the side, giving the two of them as much privacy as she could in the busy waiting room.
“How is he?” he asked.
His mother pulled away and forced a smile. Ever so discreetly, she wiped at her cheek.
“He’s in surgery. They couldn’t wait.”
“I wouldn’t have expected them to. Have you heard anything?”
She shook her head. Rather than discussing his father any further, his mother turned her attention to Dani.
“Who is your guest?” Her eyes flicked between them, taking note of the tiniest nuance of his and Dani’s body language.
He didn’t hesitate. “Mother, this is Dani Studer. Dani, this is my mother, Elizabeth Kingston.”
“It’s very nice to meet you.” His mother gave Dani a welcoming hug, kissing both her cheeks without actually pressing lips to skin. It was cordial, polite, and proper, yet cautiously distant.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kingston, but I wish it weren’t under these circumstances. I hope for a full recovery for your husband.”
“Thank you, dear, that is very kind.” His mother’s gaze flicked down to Dani’s empty ring finger and her brows drew together with confusion.
He rarely brought girl’s home, and never in the midst of a family crisis. Since she suspected, he wasn’t going to keep her in suspense.
“Dani has agreed to marry me.”
Dani stiffened beside him, but he didn’t blame her. He hadn’t discussed breaking the news to his parents. Not that she should be surprised.
“Is this true?” His mother’s sadness slipped away, replaced by joy. There was no hesitation either, no comments about how new their relationship must be. He loved how she didn’t ask him, but rather turned to Dani for the answer. Way to put my girl on the spot, mom. But Dani handled it like a champ.
“Your son likes to think so, but he’s yet to ask my father’s permission and doesn’t seem to know how to get on one knee.” She lifted her left hand and pointed to her ring finger. “And as you can see, there is something sorely lacking. Has he always been this impulsive? Making assumptions like this?”
His mother’s smile brightened with laughter. “As a matter of fact, he’s well known for leaping before he looks. Now, let’s sit and have a chat. I want to hear about how you two met.” She pulled Dani to where she’d been sitting, completely ignoring him. The two of them started talking like they’d known each other forever.
A sigh of relief escaped him, although he didn’t know why he’d been nervous. Dani was amazing, a breath of fresh air, and perfect in every way. Of course she would hit it off with his mother.
While the two of them talked, he headed to the nurse’s station to inquire about his father. The pretty receptionist said his father was still in surgery and to please have a seat. He wandered over to his mother and Dani.
“How are you doing?” He draped an arm around Dani’s shoulders.
Dani stiffened, shot a glance at his mother, then relaxed. “Learning all your secrets.”
Over the next hour, he sat there while his mother brought up every embarrassing memory of his life, most of them documented on the photo albums of her phone. Dani and his mother passed the time laughing over stories and pictures of his less than stellar life moments.
Finally,
a man and woman approached dressed in surgical gear.
“Mrs. Kingston?” The woman asked.
“Yes?” His mother stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress. Her voice shook and her hands trembled. He leapt to his feet, taking her hand in his. Whatever the doctors had to say, he would stand by his mother’s side.
“Your husband is out of surgery.” The female doctor smiled. “He’s stable and in recovery.”
His mother staggered against him, overcome. “Thank you.” She barely got the words out, before burying her face against his chest. A loud sob escaped her and he stepped up, asking the questions she couldn’t.
“When can we see him?”
“Once the anesthesia has worn off, he’ll be able to accept visitors.” The woman briefly explained they had to do a quadruple bypass, but was quick to reassure him that his father tolerated the procedure well. “He’s not out of the woods. The next 24-72 hours will be critical and he’ll need to stay in intensive care. After that, depending on how he does, we can move him to a monitored step-down unit.”
“Thank you.” He shook hands with both doctors and settled his mother back in her seat.
“How about I get coffee for everyone?” Dani stood and looked between the two of them. “Mrs. Kingston is there any special way you like your coffee?”
It was going to be a long night. He appreciated Dani’s gesture.
“Black with a little cream and sugar. Thank you, Dani, and please, call me Elizabeth.”
“I’ll be back in a bit.” Dani excused herself, maybe realizing Dax and his mother needed a moment alone, but then she gestured for him to join her.
“What’s up?”
“I don’t have my purse.” She bit at her lower lip. “Can I borrow some money?”
“You’ll soon realize what’s mine is yours. No need to ask.”
She lifted her finger. “I’ll ask until there’s a ring here.”
Dax: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 4) Page 18