Patchworked Hearts {SAMPLE}

Chapter 20

"You layer it?"

Pat's words snagged Helen's attention, and she turned to find him scratching his bearded chin (he'd been letting his facial grow out) as he gazed at the ancient recipe that was settled on her kitchen counter.

"That's right," she confirmed, stepping up beside him. "Have you never done it that way before?"

"Honestly, no," but the excited glint in his eyes told her he would be trying it on his own later, and the thought was confirmed when he asked, "Can I have this recipe?"

Helen chuckled, shaking her head with amusement. "It's a family secret," one her dad had passed down as soon as Helen was old enough to cook. "Promise not to post it on Facebook?"

Pat grinned crookedly, swooping down to peck a kiss against her forehead before pulling back and keeping her gaze. "Promise. Now, what's the order of the layers? Pasta first?"

"Actually, no," she pointed to a pan of white sauce that they'd finished preparing only a few minutes ago. "Sauce first, to keep the bottom layer of macaroni from burning. Then the layers are: macaroni, sauce, cheese, and repeat. It should take three layers to fill that pan."

Her boyfriend hummed in acknowledgement, turning away from her and quickly becoming engrossed in the process. Helen couldn't help but find the furrow between his eyebrows adorable, and the care with which he carried out his assigned task only caused her heart to melt further.

How did I get so lucky?

And really, she was.

Pat had picked her up from work, kissed her gently, and then asked how her day had gone; upon hearing that she planned to have Isaiah and Addy over for a last-minute dinner, he'd offered his services as a "willing and handsome sous chef." He hadn't even tried to nose his way into the affair, seeming to realize that Helen wanted to be alone with her two oldest friends. All he'd asked for in exchange had been "a kiss from my beautiful girlfriend, of course."

Normally, Helen would have let him stay for dinner (she did, after all, want him to meet Addy and Isaiah), but this dinner wouldn't be the time for such introductions. No, this dinner was more about getting information than anything, though it would also serve to distract Helena from panicking further about the whole 'Dahlia disaster.'

Helen shook herself from her thoughts, and then left Pat to his work and returned to her truffles, rolling each one carefully and ensuring they were evenly spread out over the pan. Once she was satisfied, she plopped them into the freezer and began to clear her work space.

"Are you making vegetables, sweetheart?"

Her hands stilling over the bowl she was washing, Helen couldn't stop a laugh from bubbling out of her mouth. "Vegetables?" she repeated between her giggles. "Seriously, Patterson?"

She was expecting a snarky response from her boyfriend, which was perhaps why her breath left her in a single, stuttering gasp when his large frame suddenly engulfed her from behind, his hands landing on either side of her and caging her in.

"What?" His voice was a husky rumble that she felt through his chest. "I thought you were part of a wellness magazine; surely vegetables aren't frowned upon?"

Helen couldn't focus well enough to respond—not when one of his hands had moved to her waist and his thumb was rubbing soothing circles against the skin that was left exposed between her leggings and T-shirt.

"I, uh, it depends," she choked, her brain completely malfunctioning when he bent his head and settled his lips to the junction between her neck and shoulder.