Ruff Around the Edges

by Roxanne St Claire

  “This is my year,” he exclaimed, giving a friendly grin to Aidan. “With all due respect, young Kilcannon, no one whose last name doesn’t end in a vowel has a shot.”

  Aidan laughed easily at the friendly trash talk. “But Night Stalkers don’t quit, Ricky-boy. Not until we win.”

  The other man held up his perfectly round circle. “Look at this windowpane.”

  “It’s too thin!”

  At the exclamation, every single person in the kitchen turned toward the door from the dining room, a soft gasp rolling through the group.

  “Michael Leone, you handsome paisano!” Ricardo dropped his pie to greet his guest, and Aidan damn near did the same. Mike was here?

  And behind him, Sarah. And…and…Oh yes.

  When Beck stepped into the room, it was like a grenade exploded in Aidan’s heart. Nothing had changed for him. If anything, his feelings had deepened and grown, strong enough to strangle him when he woke in a cold sweat in the middle of every night.

  Instantly, their gazes met, and her brown eyes widened in surprise and flashed with…oh, that had to be joy. He knew that look. He recognized the smile, the angle of her head, the flush in her cheeks. He’d put that expression on her pretty face so many times in the past.

  “But your rep is already here!” Ricardo said, patting Mike on the back and turning him to see Aidan.

  “Wasn’t sure you’d make it, big guy,” Aidan said, already reaching to untie his apron.

  Before Mike answered, a bark below pulled his attention. Ruff stood right in front of him, at attention like a soldier under inspection, tongue out, lips back, teeth displayed in a rare smile.

  “Ruff!” The older man bent over, his left arm still not at a hundred percent, but he managed to get both hands on the dog’s head to love him. After a second, Mike looked up at Aidan, his eyes damp with emotion. “You keep that apron on, Son. I want you to win.”

  “Not a chance.” He pulled the strap over his head and walked closer to Mike to slip it over Mike’s head with a flourish. “I bow to the master.”

  “Uh, I don’t know,” Ricardo said, a not-too-serious frown pulling his dark brows into a V. “This could be a game changer.”

  “You bet it is,” Mike replied, then leaned closer to Aidan. “We got the secret.”

  “Get out.”

  Mike grinned. “Why? I just got here.”

  “And you’re here to win.” The two of them shared a quick embrace, with Mike adding a cheek-to-cheek brush on each side. “What is it?” Aidan whispered when their heads were close.

  “I was right. It was Sarah.”

  Aidan drew back, scowling, then glanced across the kitchen to where Sarah and Beck stood with their arms around each other.

  Ricardo moved in closer and added his own warm hug. “It’s such an honor to have you here in my kitchen, Michael. You’re a blessing to this whole town.”

  A cheer went up with applause and hoots, making Mike blink in shock. Had he not realized that this community was aching with him over the loss of his restaurant? That he was an institution, even for these employees of the only real competition around?

  “Then let’s make pizza,” Mike said, looking around. “Where’s my Sarah? She’s my secret ingredient.”

  More applause for Sarah as she sidled her way between the counters and planted a kiss on her husband’s lips. “Let’s get twenty-five, honey.”

  Aidan relinquished his spot and slid over to where Beck stood, snapping pictures with her cell phone.

  “Whoa,” he whispered, resisting the urge to kiss her. “This is a surprise.”

  She lowered the phone and smiled up at him, the topaz flecks in her dark eyes sparking. “She literally found the secret recipe in a pile of Call of Duty cheat codes.”

  Aidan choked. “Why didn’t I think of that? So, what is it? Mike is still claiming it’s Sarah.”

  “Because Sarah discovered it by accident twenty-five years ago, but had no idea.” She leaned close to his ear, her breath tickling as she whispered, “I miss you.”

  He almost fell over, but stayed perfectly still, almost afraid to break the magic of the moment by saying a word. Instead, he let the confession fall all over him like rain on a thirsty man.

  As she eased back to her heels, they looked at each other. The raucous kitchen faded into nothing but his thumping heart. The smells of tomatoes and basil evaporated, leaving the floral scent of Beck’s hair. And the world around him blurred as only one thing and one person stayed in focus.

  “You do.”

  “So much.” She didn’t look away, not for one second. But her lips quivered a bit as she took an unsteady breath. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  He couldn’t believe…anything. “I couldn’t let him lose, Beck.”

  “Plus, Night Stalkers…” She let the rest go unfinished.

  “Never,” he said. “Unless they don’t have a choice.”

  Her eyes flickered as his words hit home. “What if you had a choice?”

  He lowered his face a millimeter closer. “Then I’d never quit you, Beck Spencer.”

  Just as he leaned in for a kiss, Ruff barked and pulled their attention. He circled Mike, literally blocking him from moving away from the counter. Mike tried to take a few steps to get some ingredients, but Ruff was like an eighty-pound wall, refusing to allow him to inch away from the counter.

  “Ruff’s protecting him,” Aidan said, sliding his arm around Beck to pull her closer.

  “He probably remembers the trauma up in the apartment,” Beck said, some pain in her voice. “Poor thing can’t let go of the past.”

  Aidan looked down at her, lifting a brow. “The past can be a crippling thing.”

  “He thinks because something awful happened once, it could happen again.”

  He started to smile. “Nobody ever accused that dog of being a genius.”

  She smiled, too. “But we are human, and we know better.”

  “Do you, Beck?”

  Inching up on her toes again, she put the softest kiss on his lips. “I do.”

  The admission, simple, whispered, and powerful, rocked Aidan he put his hands on her cheeks. “Someday, somehow, somewhere, you’re going to say those two words again to me. In front of a church full of family and friends.”

  Her eyes filled. “Aidan, I—”

  “Nope, nope. Don’t argue. I’m not going to quit.”

  “But, Aidan, I—”

  “I’m not going to stalk you or hound you or pressure you to do or say anything, Beck, but I will not give up on this. On us.”

  “Aidan, I—”

  “Just accept it, Beck. This is it. For me and you and—”

  She tapped her hand over his lips, silencing him. “I’m trying to tell you that I love you.”

  The rest of his argument lodged in his throat as everything ground to a halt. “You love me.”

  “Yes, I do. And I will say those two words somewhere, somehow, sometime again. For now, I’ll say these three: I love you. I don’t know where that’s taking us, but I love you.”

  All around them, a cheer erupted, deafening and happy. For a moment, Aidan thought it was for him—the winner of everything he’d ever wanted—but it was for the two pizzas as they came out of the oven.

  “Now, my friend.” Ricardo put his hand on Mike’s back. “Let’s go see what the judges say.”

  As the whole lot of them poured into the dining room to march over to Bushrod Square, Beck and Aidan stayed behind to steal one more kiss in the pizza kitchen.

  * * *

  Beck clung to Aidan’s hand all the way to Bushrod Square, stopping at various booths and displays to drink in the event that showcased just about every talent in town. In addition to the food section, where they were heading, competitions were taking place all over the square and spilling onto the surrounding streets.

  They were vying for best in art from local painters and sculptors; best in dance, featuring several of the girls from
the local high school; best in acting, with the Bitter Bark players reading monologues; and best in music, with a large contingent of locals singing and playing instruments. Dotted in between the big “shows” were the best in craft beer and cocktails, storefront décor, baked goods, and flower arranging.

  “But what about the dogs?” Beck asked as they cruised by a juggler and a street mime competing for best of performance art.

  “Oh, that’s at the end,” Aidan told her. “Darcy is hell-bent on Kookie winning, but she has so many dogs she’s groomed for the competition, she’ll win no matter who comes in best in show.”

  “We should enter Ruff,” she said.

  “Best in sad face?”

  “Oh.” A whimper escaped her throat. “He’s not happy, Aidan?”

  He slowed his step and studied her for a moment, looking at her like he simply couldn’t possibly look anywhere else. Which was fine with Beck. She didn’t want him to.

  “I thought he was channeling my inner misery since you’ve been gone,” Aidan said. “But you know, after seeing him in the kitchen? I think he misses Mike.”

  “That’s who should have him,” she said. “Mike’s his job.”

  “And Charlie would know it if he saw them together,” Aidan agreed. “But, I honestly don’t think I could bear to have him go to Florida. Day gigs for service are one thing, but that dog is not leaving us forever.”

  “Well, the fact is, Mike doesn’t even want to go to Florida.”

  “I thought it was a done deal.”

  “When we found the secret ingredient, he said he’d stay and rebuild if he won today.”

  “Are you ser—”

  “Look, Aidan. There’s the Food Network people.” She pointed to a group gathered around the small stage set up for food judging.

  “He’ll really stay if he wins?” he asked, clearly more impressed with that than the VIP guests.

  “Guess there’s only one way to find out,” she said. “Win.”

  As they reached the grandstand, the huge contingent of Kilcannons descended with hugs, kisses, and a buzz of excitement. Beck cooed over the newborn Fiona all tucked under a shady umbrella, and hugged Gramma Finnie, remembering the scrapbook.

  “I have something I want to show you,” Beck whispered to the old woman.

  Gramma leaned back and searched her face. “That smile, lass? Is that what you want to show me? Because it’s mighty pretty.”

  A line from the scrapbook flashed in her mind. When a girl is in love, you see it in her smile. When a boy is in love, it’s in his eyes. “That, and something else.”

  “You look happy,” Daniel Kilcannon said as he gave her a warm, fatherly embrace.

  “I am,” she told him, beaming up at him, unable to think of anything but…Aidan’s going to be that silver and handsome in thirty years.

  And she wanted to be around to see that.

  The family essentially took over the viewing stands, almost all of them with dogs in tow. Only Chloe and Shane were missing, currently running around directing the day’s many contests and working with the surprising amount of media covering what had been, in Beck’s memory, a tiny event many years ago.

  She settled in next to Aidan, drinking in the color and pageantry of her little town and…

  “My little town,” she murmured.

  “What was that?” Aidan asked.

  “It’s home,” she said softly. “I think this place is finally home.”

  He smiled at her, his eyes as blue as the afternoon sky behind him. In that second, she remembered looking up at him for the first time right here in Bushrod Square. The first time the full impact of Aidan Kilcannon hit her…and never stopped.

  “Pizza!” The announcer broke in over a crackly speaker, making them both laugh.

  As the crowd hushed, Beck’s gaze found Uncle Mike standing to the side. Sarah was a few feet away, holding Ruff by the leash, which was a sight Beck had never actually thought she’d see.

  Next to Uncle Mike and Ricardo Mancini were a woman she didn’t recognize and a young man who used to frequent Slice of Heaven a lot when she first started.

  “That guy launched a new catering business in town,” Aidan said under his breath. “The other woman is a local who loves to make pizza. But the kid could be a dark horse.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I ordered his stuff one night when I was particularly miserable and missed you. The pizza was damn good.”

  “But did it have baking soda?”

  He drew back, jaw loose. “That’s the secret ingredient?”

  “Remember the chef—”

  “—you found on YouTube. Damn. I should listen to you.”

  She snuggled closer as each contestant was brought up, and the judging panel tasted their pizzas. Uncle Mike was last, and when they called his name, the entire square went nuts. The applause went on and on and on. Long enough for Beck’s heart to fill with gratitude at how much they cared about the tragedy that had struck one of their own.

  Not far away, one of the fire trucks parked for the kids to climb and explore sounded a long blast of a horn, making most of the dogs bark in response. While that little bit of madness was going on, the Food Network producer walked closer to Sarah and Mike, and reached out a hand in greeting.

  Beck and Aidan shared a look, both silent. Everyone was quiet, though, as if they didn’t want to disturb the quiet discussion among the judges.

  Then Uncle Mike waved at Beck, gesturing for her to come down.

  “Come with me,” she said to Aidan, sliding off the little bleacher, still holding his hand as they walked to join her aunt and uncle.

  “Beckie, this is Tom Marshall with the Food Network,” Mike said as they reached the small group. “My niece, Rebecca, and the man who saved my life, Aidan Kilcannon.”

  The producer lifted two dark brows at Aidan. “Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said. “Nice work, soldier.”

  Aidan nodded, but gestured to Mike. “This man is the star today.”

  “And maybe for a lot longer,” the man said, looking questioningly at Mike and Sarah.

  “Beckie,” Mike said, “Mr. Marshall thinks they could produce a documentary about the rebuilding of Slice of Heaven. They’d have a camera crew for the whole thing.”

  “That’s amazing!” She looked from her aunt to her uncle, not surprised at how her chest tightened with happiness. She wanted them to stay here so much.

  “I understand there was an apartment upstairs,” the producer said. “I’m thinking we could rebuild that, too, and maybe coordinate with a sister show on another network, one that specializes in building and design. That way, we could hit some real viewer hot buttons with food and home décor.”

  “Would you like that apartment rebuilt, Rebecca?” Aunt Sarah asked, unable to hide the longing in her voice.

  Beck let out a breath and tightened her grip on Aidan’s hand. “Actually…” She glanced at him and winked. “I’d really rather turn that space into a photography studio. Do you think the design people would be interested in that?”

  “Absolutely,” the man said. “Another local business would be terrific.”

  Sarah made a soft hooting sound and reached to hug her, and so did Mike, making the producer laugh at the moment he’d brought about.

  “Then we can have Slice of Heaven downstairs,” Beck said. “And Angel Face upstairs.”

  “Angel Face?” Aidan asked. “Not Baby Face?”

  She gave a shrug. “Think I’ll branch out. Babies and dogs.”

  “We have a winner!” The announcement drew them all apart again, turning toward the stage where one of the judges stood with a microphone. “By unanimous decision, our judging panel awards the Best of Bitter Bark—”

  “Better Bark!” someone in the crowd called out.

  “Better Bark,” the judge conceded. “The best pizza in town is made by Slice of Heaven! Congratulations, Michael Leone!”

  Beck barely heard the insan
e response that got, because Aidan pulled her right into his arms for a kiss that felt like New Year’s Eve met Christmas morning and threw in a little of her birthday. Celebration. Joy. Success. And so much love.

  Beck couldn’t even remember what it was like to fear losing someone, not with these arms and this man and all the hope in her heart.

  The party didn’t stop until everyone had hugged everyone and Uncle Mike tearfully accepted his medallion and announced he and Sarah would be rebuilding Slice of Heaven. More cheering, clapping, and hugging.

  A few minutes after that, Gramma Finnie sidled up to Beck. “What did you have for me, lass? Liam and Andi are driving me home now. Old women and newborns are done in today.”

  The scrapbook! “It’s in my car parked across the square. Can you wait while Aidan and I run to get it?”

  She nodded. “As long as you don’t stop and kiss each other’s face off for an hour.”

  “No promises, Gramma,” Aidan said, pulling Beck away.

  They were halfway across the grass when Aidan stopped. “We left Ruff back there.”

  “With Sarah and Mike. He’s fine.”

  “He’s where he belongs,” Aidan agreed.

  For a long moment, they both looked at each other, silent, but saying so much.

  “Mike is like Charlie to him,” Beck whispered. “Mike is his purpose.”

  Aidan nodded. “We should give him to Sarah and Mike. Charlie would approve. I feel it in my bones.”

  “I think you’re right, but we have to have a dog.”

  “A boxer?” he suggested. “I’m sure I could find us one.”

  She shook her head. “I have a better idea. Any of those Fabulous Fifteen left?”

  “Most of them are adopted or spoken for, but not that little Yorkie, Bonnie Blue. She’s still a scared little mess.”

  Beck smiled. “I know what to do with scared little messes. I was one once. Can we take her?”

  Aidan kissed her on the forehead. “You had me at ‘we.’ I think that’s a great idea, although Charlie would laugh his ass off if he found out I had a four pound dog named Bonnie. And what are we on our way to get again?”