There was little to notice about the small airport besides the two cars waiting for us. As we descended the stairs, a town car sat idling at the bottom, but my focus was drawn behind it, where a beat-up truck roared.

"I thought you'd want to get the tour of the town out of the way," Lee noted as he clapped a hand down on Nathan's shoulder.

A wince graced Nathan's face before he could wipe it away.

"Is that yours?" I smiled.

"Yeah," Nathan and Lee said in unison.

"It's the beast," Lee added as he pounded his fist on the hood. "You two kids have fun," he said.

"When was the last time you were in it?" I asked as my eyes gleamed over the truck.

"Last Christmas," Nathan mumbled.

"You aren't happy?" I puzzled aloud.

"No, I'm happy. Jet lag," he murmured.

"You don't get jet lag between here and New York," I teased as Nathan helped me into his truck. "There's a CD player," I bubbled as he climbed into the driver's seat. "What was former Nathan listening to?" I smiled as I hit play, and Should I Stay or Should I Go filled the cabin.

"Please don't read too much into that. I just like The Clash," he murmured.

"The Clash, noted," I soothed as I slipped to his side. "Why are you so..." I didn't have the words.

"Sorry," he quickly shot before kissing the top of my head. "Being home has me a little off," he admitted.

"What can I do?" I offered.

"Nothing, you're good." His hand squeezed my knee before moving to the clutch.

"Fun fact about me, I didn't realize people still drove standard cars," I giggle.

"What? It's the only way to drive; much more fun than an automatic."

"Secondary fact, I also don't know how to drive an automatic," I winced.

"What? Wow, you are a city girl."

The mixture of the conversation and the driving calmed Nathan. His shoulder lowered from their tense height, and his hand intermittently snuck to my knee, spreading warmth through me.

"So," he began as we passed the town sign, "this is my hometown."

"It's cute," I smiled as snow-smattered fields passed outside the window.

"Don't blink, but we're hitting downtown," he teased.

Immediately I noticed a trend: Stewart's Feed and Supply passed, then the Walter J. Steward Memorial Library, then Stewart's Diner, Stewart's Sporting Goods, and Stewart's Grocer.

"Um, Nathan," I began without taking my eyes away from the passing Main Street.

"Yeah." I could hear the flinch in his voice.

"Remind me again your last name..."

"Stewart," he admitted.

"So... Stewart..."

"Yeah."

I moved my gaze to him just in time to see the passing of another cringe.

"Your family..."

"We have a few businesses. The town has been very kind to us through the years," he acknowledged.

"Very kind? You own the whole town," I argued.

"No, we don't own the entire town. The whole town is the people; my family owns a few businesses to support the town." His hand fell to my knee. "Can this not be a thing? I haven't been involved in any of the businesses since I bagged groceries in high school."

"You worked in the grocery store?" I smiled as I returned to his side. "I'd have pegged you for the sporting goods store."

"Nah, Lee worked there. My dad was afraid we'd get into too much trouble if he let us work together. It was a smart move," he admitted with a small smile that also tipped my lips.

"Can we stop?" I sighed.

"Stop what?"

"No, can we stop and visit one of the shops? I vote for Stewart's Diner."

"I'm sure Mrs. Smyth has food," Nathan shot.

"Doesn't a cup of diner coffee sound amazing right now? It's like zero degrees out!"

"It's twenty-eight degrees," Nathan corrected. "But we can stop."

Nathan veered into a slanted parking space that I had always seen in movie Main Street settings, but never actually experienced myself. He was at my door, helping me down before I could devise a plan. His hands clutched my hips, setting me on the ground, and pausing to gauge my stability before slamming the door was a loud bang.

"Come on, city girl," he teased as he held a hand to me.

"I love it here," I marveled as a bell rang above our heads in the doorway. "It actually smells like bacon and pie."

"That's because they sell a lot of bacon and pie," he joked.

A gray-haired woman behind the counter called out a hello without adjusting her gaze from the coffee maker she was working on refilling.

"Let's grab a booth." Nathan pulled me to a back corner before I could protest.

"I wanted to sit at the counter like in the movies," I whined as we settled in across from each other.

"Baby steps, you don't want to go full country in the first hour," he cautioned.

"What are you going to get?" I asked as I looked over the sticky plastic-covered menu.

"I thought we were just grabbing coffee?" His brow furrowed.

"We're in a country diner; you can't just get coffee!"

"Watch me, but you get whatever you want," he noted.

"What kind of pie is the best?" I pondered to myself.

"Pecan," he automatically answered before even realizing it popped out.

"Nathan," shot across the room like a bullet as Nathan wilted lower into the booth seat. "Don't slouch," the server commanded as she approached with a fresh pot of coffee and two mugs. "I heard you weren't making it back this year," she continued.

"Hey, Ms. O'Hare." He grimaced as he sat up straighter in his seat. "Yeah, some plans changed. Lee and I just got in," he continued.

Ms. O'Hare's face softened. "Well, we're all glad to have you back home, Nat. You're too thin. I'll get you some pie," she added before twisting on her heel and pacing away.

I looked at the two steaming cups of coffee before us. "When did she even pour these? She's magic!"

Nathan let out a laugh. "If anyone is magic, it's Ms. O'Hare," he agreed.

"She didn't ask what kind of pie," I continued.

"She'll bring pecan," Nathan nodded, and as if on cue, Ms. O'Hare slid two slices of pecan pie on the table.

"So, who is your friend?" Ms. O'Hare continued as though she had never left.

"This is Ana," Nathan answered as he poked his plate of pie away from him.

"Hi," I smiled up at Ms. O'Hare.

"Hello, dear," she smiled in a way that made me think nothing bad would ever happen to me.

"You two eat up; Cath has a house full of people waiting to see you," she nodded and was again gone.

"What?" Nathan called after her, but she ignored his question.

I took my first bite of pie and melted deeper into my seat, so the distance between me and the slice of heaven before me was minimal.

"Fuck," Nathan exhaled across from me.

I looked up to see him staring at his phone. "What?"

"There's a welcome home party," he groaned.

"Oh, fun," I smiled before taking another bite of pie. "Aren't you going to eat your pie?"

"No, I'm not hungry." He pushed it further away.

"I'm not either, but this pie is the most fantastic thing I have ever consumed."

"Mmhmm," Nathan distractedly answered.

"Fine, can we take it to go?" I asked.

"We can just come back and get you more pie," he grumbled as he threw a twenty down on the table, slid out, and held out a hand to me.

I grasped it and let him pull me to him. "Hi," I said, as our faces were only a few inches from each other.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's fine," I soothed before giving him a gentle kiss. As our lips met, his free hand slipped to the small of my back, gently caressing it.

"It's not fine. I'm happy that you're enjoying the town," he added as he pulled away, leaving the hand on the small of my back and surveying my face. "And the pecan pie is my mom's recipe."

I nodded at the admission. I let my hand slip to his cheek. We gazed at each other for a long moment before he lifted his hand to mine and pulled it from his face. Our hands dropped, knotted between us, as he led me to the door. We had barely stepped onto the sidewalk when someone walked right into Nathan.

"I'm so sorry," the woman scrambled to collect herself before lifting her eyes. "Nathan, you're here."

"Hey, Shelly," Nathan evenly responded as he grasped my hand tighter.

"I knew Lee was coming back. I was headed there now. I just didn't... I thought you weren't making it back this year," Shelly babbled.

"Yeah, change of plans." He attempted a smile, but it didn't rise beyond a grimace. "We're headed to the Smyth's as well."

"Oh." Shelly's eyes finally moved from Nathan to me.

"This is Ana." As he said my name, Nathan tugged at my hand, causing me to be pulled closer to him.

"Hi," I smiled.

"Hi," Shelly said as she curiously looked over me. "Well, I won't keep you," she added. "I guess I'll see you there."

"Ex?" I asked as Nathan joined me in the truck.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago," he murmured as he pulled out onto the street.

I didn't prod; instead, I focused on the window. The endless fields of the town were soothing. The waves of fallen yellowed grass with occasional clumps of snow reminded me of the white-capped waves of the ocean. Nathan turned onto a dirt road that ended up being in the driveway to the Smyth's house. Nathan had not undersold it. It was a sprawling farmhouse, complete with a porch dotted with rocking chairs.

"Wow," I noted as I looked over the house and surrounding structures.

"Yeah, I don't think Lee knows what to do with his money," Nathan shrugged.

"Has he ever heard of the stock market?" I teased.

I waited for Nathan to help me down again; I wanted to feel him close to me again. As if he could read my mind, he set me on the ground and immediately pulled me in for a hug. He melted around me with a bit more weight than he usually did.

"Are you okay?" I spoke into his chest.

"For the moment, yes," he sighed.

"What can I do?" There was a pleading in my voice that I didn't bother to hide.

"Stay close and stay you," he requested as he kissed my forehead and headed to the door.