Page 34 of Recipe for Romance (Applewood #2)

~A iden~

The last week of Aiden’s life had been a mixed bag.

He’d thought he was through the worst of his dealings with contractors, the constant renegotiating of costs and timetables until he was blue in the face, but the day before Thanksgiving he’d gotten another call about the staircase leading up to the second floor.

It seemed that he had to approve each individual step before the contractor would consider that part of the project complete and move on, but once he had at least Aiden had a nearly finished restaurant on his hands.

The difference between when he’d first stepped foot in the place and now was like night and day.

Gone were the charred walls and the smoky smell that permeated every inch of the restaurant, and in their place was the scent of fresh paint, beautiful hardwood floors, ivory walls, and a marble bar in the center of it all.

The moment Nic had made the suggestion months ago, Aiden knew he was going to do it.

It was a fantastic idea, though seeing it come to fruition without her being present felt wrong.

She should have been there too, running her hand along the cool bar top, stepping behind it to get the best view of the entire restaurant.

Instead, she was in LA and he was in a terrible mood.

It wasn’t Nic’s fault that he’d just assumed she would spend Thanksgiving with him and his family, telling her father where he could stick his invitation to come home.

But no, she packed her bag, eager to show her father all the progress she’d made in the kitchen, and left.

At least she’d allowed Aiden to drive her to the private airfield, kissing her goodbye with enough force and meaning that she would remember what she was leaving behind.

Aiden had smiled when she’d wobbled her way onto the plane, a dazed smile on her face before she waved him off.

The moment the aircraft took off, a hollow ache formed in his heart and had only grown in the days that followed.

At least he’d had his family to distract him from his missing her.

Thanksgiving in the Kemp household was always a big affair.

Harvest time was over and everyone could relax and enjoy the start of the holiday season.

Of course, Aiden hadn’t done much relaxing.

His day was spent alongside his mother in the kitchen.

It had been wonderful to cook with her again, though she still got frustrated with him when he tried to take over the meal.

It was difficult taking a backseat when it came to meal prep, but if anyone could get him to do it, it was his mom.

While he was busy in the kitchen, his brothers were doing anything but volunteering to be his sous chef.

Beckett snuggled on the couch with Willa, watching her more than he watched the football game his dad had put on the television.

Travis and Felix played poker at the little table near the window.

Nate joined in as well, though he spent more time complaining about the town newsletter than he did paying attention to his hand.

Aiden wondered if losing a few hundred dollars would get him to shut up, but he doubted it.

Once dinner was served, the boys descended upon the table like a pack of wild dogs, Willa and his dad bringing up the rear and shaking their heads at the display.

Conversation centered on the upcoming Christmas season and what that might look like for everyone.

Aiden spoke with Felix about offering his cider at the restaurant as well as possibly using it in a dish or two, and his little brother had looked so blown away by the idea of Aiden supporting his business that he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

Nic had mentioned that saying “thank you” seemed out of character for him, and apparently telling his brother’s he was proud of them was too.

Wanting to do better, Aiden had pulled each of them aside and told them what a great job they’d been doing as a firefighter, taking care of the farm, being mayor of their small town, and running a business.

Each and every one of them had looked at him bug-eyed before pulling him into a tight hug, eliciting a smile from him and jackass comments from them about not remembering he had any teeth.

It was a great day, but it would have been even better with Nic there.

Luckily, she was due back sometime today.

He wanted to pick her up at the airport, but she insisted on surprising him.

Aiden didn’t love surprises, but they were growing on him as long as she was the perpetrator.

In the meantime, he was doing everything he could to keep himself busy while he waited for her to arrive.

Currently, he walked the inside of his restaurant.

Now that the space was mostly finished, it was time for him to make choices about furniture, table settings, and a million other tiny details he didn’t want to deal with.

Piles of fabric books and supply magazines lay out across the bar, staring at Aiden and daring him to make some decisions, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Somewhere along the journey to getting the restaurant put together, he started to think of it not as his so much as he did theirs.

What linens would Nic think were best, which silverware would she think went with the dishes he’d chosen to showcase his menu?

There was so much to consider, but all he could think about at the moment was her and how wonderful it would feel to have her in his arms again, in his life again.

It felt like Aiden had hit pause while she was gone, and while he knew he was more than capable of functioning without her, he didn’t want to.

He wanted her there for everything, for the simple things like brushing their teeth next to each other in the morning and for the more complicated, like finally having a talk about what exactly they were doing.

As if by some silent agreement, they had avoided the subject, choosing to live in the moment instead.

It was something Nic was used to doing, but not him.

There was something freeing about not having to define every little aspect of their relationship, but there was also a big problem that Aiden knew they would have to face eventually.

Through all the building of his restaurant, he’d continued to teach Nic how to cook, or attempted to anyway.

Unfortunately, it seemed that for every two steps she took forward, she took another five back.

Her skills weren’t as tragic as they had been in the beginning, but they were still nowhere near what Aiden would call restaurant ready.

The biggest problem of all was that she just didn’t seem passionate about the food.

About learning to cook? Yes, she had more desire than half the chefs he’d known, but when it came to the food, she was only interested in the outcome, not the process.

Ironically, Aiden had been accused and found guilty of doing the exact same thing.

Creating food with no soul wasn’t a foreign concept to him, and he likely had at times when it wasn’t his own menu he was producing, but most days, he felt keenly aware of just how much love he poured into the dishes.

Every tool was an extension of himself, each ingredient carefully selected to provide the ideal experience for the diner.

Food was a love language, and he might not love the strangers who would dine in his restaurants, but he loved the idea of giving them something special, something that could fill an empty space in their heart even if only for a brief moment.

Food was how Aiden presented himself to the world, how he felt a part of something larger and more profound.

It was also how he found enjoyment in life, even more now that Nic was doing it with him, but it wasn’t the same for her.

Aiden wanted to prove himself, but food was more than that to him.

For Nic, cooking seemed to only be about proving herself to her father, and he knew that was the reason why she continued to struggle.

A noise coming from the front door drew his attention there, and despite the turmoil in his head, a wide smile came across his face. “You’re back.”

Aiden was stating the obvious for Nic stood in the entry of the restaurant looking as beautiful as ever in her soft yellow sweater and black leggings.

Her eyes were bright, though the closer she got, Aiden could see the shadows beneath them as well as the slight downturn of her mouth.

She looked tired and a little sad. Before she had a chance to say anything, he drew her into his arms, clutching her to his chest.

Her springtime scent comforted and settled him for the first time since her plane took flight. “I missed you.”

Nic’s petite frame pressed further into him, the movement shrinking the hollow ache in his chest. “I missed you too. So much,” she whispered. Her hands teased at the hair at the back of his head before she drew him down for a kiss.

Aiden nearly sobbed with relief at getting to feel and taste her again.

His hands roamed her body while their mouths came together.

Her lips were soft, pillowy and sweet, like beignets fresh from the fryer and dusted with powdered sugar.

Everything about the kiss, about the feel of her body against his was like coming home, to no home he’d ever known before but wanted to remain at permanently.

It was comforting and familiar, new and exciting, and above all else, something he knew he could no longer live without.

Reluctantly, he pulled back, smiling internally at the dazed look in her eyes that likely matched his own. Aiden smoothed his thumbs over her cheeks, tracing under the faint purple shadows under her brown eyes. “How was your trip?”