Page 38 of Recipe for Romance

Aiden stared at each picture, already knowing exactly where in his restaurant he wanted to hang each one. “These are amazing,” he breathed out. He was getting slightly choked up as he realized that they were in the final phase of his restaurant dream coming to fruition. Aiden swallowed the lump in his throat and looked over at the woman with her dark hair up in pin curls. “How much?”

Lottie looked at him like he was daft and waved off his question. “No charge.” She shrugged a shoulder and picked a piece of lint off her bright red sweater. “When I heard that you’d bought this place and were turning it into a restaurant, I spoke with some of the folks at the senior center and a few other key individuals around town, and we were able to put these together. Think of it as a welcome home present or a congratulations on your new venture present. Either way, they’re yours free and clear.”

Aiden nodded while he pushed back at the feeling of gratitude that threatened to overwhelm him. “Thank you,” he rasped before clearing his throat. “If you give me the names of everyone who contributed I’ll make sure to get them a table during our friends and family night, you included of course.”

Lottie smiled brightly. “They’ll be so excited. Thank you.” She nodded at Aiden before smiling at Nic. “Well, I’ll let the two of you get back to it. Have a good day.” She waved over her shoulder as she walked out the front doors.

A low whistle drew his attention to Nic who had sidled up to him. Her body was next to his, but her eyes were still firmly focused on Lottie’s retreating form. “She’s hot, and gathering the pictures was really sweet of her.” Nic turned to him, her expression dubious. “Doesn’t one of your brothers not like her? If so, I don’t get it because she seems lovely.”

Aiden agreed, but he didn’t care to look too closely into either of his brother’s personal lives, especially when his own was still in such a precarious position. “The phrase ‘the gentleman doth protest too much’ comes to mind, but that’s Nate’s business.” He turned to Nic and pulled her closer. “Are you ready to get back to ours? There’s a brand new kitchen back there just waiting for you to break it in.”

Nic chuckled as they walked into the kitchen. “Yes, Chef.”

Her voice was teasing, and he loved it. He would miss it when she was gone,ifshe was gone. Aiden went into the walk-in and grabbed the ingredients for his tarte tatin they would make together. Using her favorite dish to butter her up was just one of the reasons for his choice, but the other was because he genuinely wanted to make it for her.

Nicole gasped when she saw the package of thawed puff pastry. “Store-bought?” She tutted, shaking her head. “Your standards are slipping, Chef.”

Aiden smiled before giving her a swift kiss on the lips. “Just this once.” With a dark, lusty look, he handed her the bowl of Granny Smith apples and a peeler, brushing his fingers against hers as he did. “I could spend four hours making my own, or I could spend that time doing something else much more fun.”

Nicole shivered under his gaze. “Homemade is overrated,” she breathed out. They started their work in companionable silence, exchanging only instructions as they snuck looks when they thought the other wasn’t looking. By the time the apples were caramelizing and ready for the oven, the two of them were basically doing little more than undressing each other with their eyes.

Aiden unrolled the pastry as he watched Nic hover over the pan. “Let’s get this in the oven. Then we’ll have a whole twenty minutes to ourselves.” He brushed a strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid away from her shoulder, drawing his finger down the line of her neck, the action causing her to tremble once more. “Whatwillwe do with the time?”

“I have a few ideas.” Her voice was sultry and low, and he couldn’t wait to find the nearest clean surface to hold her against while he pounded into her. He would take all the time she needed later, but right now he just needed to be inside her. Aiden was so entranced by the thought and by her beauty that he didn’t realize until two seconds too late that she had turned the panhandle over another lit burner. Nic grabbed the scalding handle with her bare hand, pulling it back as her agonized cry filled the air. “Shit.”

The pained look on her face was enough to extinguish his desire and spur him into action, Aiden immediately leading her over to the sink where he placed her hand under cool water. “Keep it there. Can you do that for me?” She didn’t seem to hear him, so he gently cupped her face as spoke softly. “Angel?” She peered up at him, her eyes watery as she gritted her teeth, and nodded. Aiden tried to remain calm for her, but watching the skin on her hand redden made him uneasy. Smiling at Nic as reassuringly as possible, Aiden placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to get the first aid kit. I’ll be right back.”

Nic attempted a smile, but it was as shaky as the nod of her head. Aiden could tell she was trying to downplay her pain, and the need to offer her comfort above anything else took hold. Cradling the back of her hand as the water sluiced over the top, he pulled her into his side and held her closely. The slight trembling of her body subsided and her breathing slowed as he attempted to make the same soothing sounds his mother would for him or his brothers whenever they were injured.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Her head leaned against his chest, slotting against him so perfectly that he wondered if their bodies were made from two sides of one mold. Before he could get too lost in those fanciful thoughts, he remembered the first aid kit. After kissing her forehead, he strode over to the cabinet of emergency supplies and grabbed a packet of burn gel and some gauze. If it was a more serious burn, they’d have to go to the hospital, something he prayed was not the case.

When he was back at her side, Aiden gently pulled her hand from the water and patted it dry with a clean tea towel. Inspecting the burn, he tried to think of anything to make her feel better. “Did you know this old mill has always held special meaning for my family?” Nic shook her head. He proceeded to tell her about how his parents had snuck into the abandoned building as teens, shared their first kiss, and as his father claimed, fell in love that very night.

“That’s really sweet,” Nic said softly. Her face held traces of pain, but not nearly as much as it had. Aiden ripped open the burn gel with his teeth and spat out the plastic. Wanting to keep her distracted, Aiden applied the gel as he prepared to tell her one of the most embarrassing things about him.

“Thirteen-year-old Aiden would agree with you. Hearing the story had also gotten me more than a little curious about what kissing was like.” She looked at him with confusion, as he rubbed the gel lightly onto her palm. “I asked my dad what a kiss felt like, and he told me it was like biting into a sweet, juicy apple.” Satisfied that her burn was bad but not so much that she needed medical attention, Aiden loosely covered it with gauze and continued his story. “Dad wouldn’t give me any more details, saying I was too young, so I decided that the best way to find out was to practice on some.”

Nicole’s watery laugh was music to Aiden’s ears. “You practiced your kissing on apples?” Aiden smiled softly, happy she was no longer focusing on the pain.

“Absolutely. So many in fact that I got sick to my stomach from all the fructose and fiber. Though in my defense, those honey crisps are pretty juicy. Perfect for kissing practice.” He winked at Nicole and held up her hand. “We got lucky this time. It’s only a first degree burn and should heal in a few days.” She wouldn’t be able to cook with it until then either, something he knew would irk her but that was necessary in order for it to heal properly.

Nicole smiled sadly. “This time.” She groaned and cradled her burned hand against her chest. “What about next time? And look at the pan.”

Aiden did as she asked, smelling burned apple and sugar as he walked over and switched off the burners. Grabbing a pot holder, he placed the ruined dish in the sink. When he turned back to Nic, she looked absolutely miserable, a few tears streaking down her face. Aiden pulled her into his arms and gently rocked her back and forth.

“What am I even doing here?” she mumbled against his chest.

Deciding this was as good a time as any to have that talk, Aiden led her out into the dining room, pulling her into his lap as he sat at one of the tables. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.” Nic spun in his lap, looking at him expectantly. Her eyes were dimmed, and he hoped with everything he had that what he had to say wouldn’t extinguish their light entirely. “What happened in the kitchen was more my fault than yours. I’ve been distracted, and you deserve someone who can give you all their attention. That’s not me right now, and it won’t be when the restaurant opens, so I talked to a friend and he said that he could take you on as a student if you wanted. He’s in South Carolina, but he’s really good and I think he could be a good fit for you.”

Nicole reared back as if he’d slapped her. “You want to get rid of me?” She tried to stand, but Aiden held onto her tightly.

“No,” he protested. When Nic settled back onto his lap, he finally felt relaxed enough to continue. “I want you here with me all the time. It’s part of why I’m so distracted in the kitchen with you and it’s the other thing I was going to mention.” Aiden swallowed his nerves and took a deep breath, hoping that what he had to say wouldn’t cause her to try and bolt again. “I was actually hoping you would want to stay here and be the restaurant manager. You’ve been so good with all of the front of house decisions, so personable with the staff, and helped me so much, more than I can probably put into words, and I want you to stay.”

Nic stared at him, looking slightly saddened. “Is that the only reason you want me to stay? Because I would be a good manager?” Her eyes searched his, and while he was sure that she could see the love he had for her shining out of his baby blues, he needed to say it.

“No, Angel. It’s not.” He cupped her face and kissed her lips gently. “The job is something I think you would be really good at, but I want you to do whatever it is that makes you happy. If that means staying here and accepting the little bit of time I have to give to helping you learn to cook, or staying and taking some classes at the culinary school two towns over, or even just sitting on the couch in our house all day thinking of different dishes you can add potato chips to, I want that if it’s whatyouwant.” He took a fortifying breath before uttering the words he’d never told someone who wasn’t a blood relative. “The reason I want you to stay is because I love you, Nic. I love you and I want you here, but I also want your dreams to come true. If I have to fly to South Carolina or wherever else you want to go, I will do it. I will take as much or as little as you can give me. I just want you in my life.”

Nicole sniffled and pressed her lips to his. “I love you too,” she said quietly, leaning her head against him. Aiden’s heart took flight, the words releasing some of the tension in his body as he reveled in the knowledge that she cared for him, loved him. “I’ve been thinking about the future a lot, and I’m not sure what I want it to look like. I’m also sure that somewhere, deep down, I know that cooking won’t get my dad’s approval any more than anything else I chose to do would, but I’ve held onto the idea of that for a long time. I don’t know how to let it go, and I’m not even sure I can.” She took a shuddering breath and smiled sadly at him. “Can I have some time to think about it?”

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