Chapter 22
twenty-two
Rhett
Diamond’s kitchen at The Thirsty Cow is well-stocked.
No ricotta cheese, but I’ll compromise and use cream cheese just this once. He also doesn’t have a deep fryer, so I mix up a regular pastry dough and form cannoli-shaped tubes using a rolling pin and a toothpick to keep the space open.
It might not be traditional cannoli, but maybe it can be something the customers here come to love because it’s unique.
My grandfather would lecture me about not using ricotta if he were here, all with a smile on his face, and that’s what makes this mean a little more.
He wouldn’t even care that I’ve made the horns improperly.
The filling, though…I smile just thinking about it.
After I sold his building and officially put that kitchen behind me, it left a hole in my life. I can’t replace my grandfather, but I can get back into the kitchen again.
Dumping the ingredients for the filling in the mixer, I beat it until it’s light and fluffy. When the oven timer sounds, I inspect my attempt at cannoli tubes. They look like they might break when I stuff them, but I’ll let them cool while I consider how to deal with that part.
Diamond comes in with a tray of dirty cups and loads up the dishwasher while peeking at what I’ve got on the go.
“Rhett?” He leans closer to the pan of pastry tubes before turning to peer into my mixing bowl. “Is this what I think it is?”
I wiggle my hand back and forth. “Sort of. It’s what I could do with what you had in your pantry.”
Diamond gazes at me like I’m a superhero, and I’m really liking that about him. Not that I need undying adoration, but it’s nice to know I can impress him with something like this.
“I can’t wait.”
He kisses me quickly on the cheek and returns to the front.
“Now for the hard part,” I murmur as I stare at my delicate pastry horns and bowl of filling.
Twenty minutes later, when Diamond comes back to grab the mop and bucket, my creations wait on a tray. Definitely not that pretty, and while some of the pastry crushed when I filled them with a spoon, I found a piping bag and started filling them that way.
“Cowboy cannoli,” Diamond says as he inspects the tray. “Can I taste them?”
“You’re the boss, and you should probably do some quality control.”
He chooses the ugliest of the bunch, but before he bites into it, I hold up a finger. Taking it from him, I dip each end into the bowl of chocolate shavings and hand it back.
“Fancy.” He bites into it, and the pastry crumbles. He laughs and holds his hand to catch the fallout, and I have an idea.
“Why don’t you serve this like a pie? Place it on a plate, have a chocolate sauce bottle and drizzle it.
Maybe sprinkle the shavings like this.” Grabbing a plate from the shelf, I place a cannoli on the plate, sprinkle the shavings and grab a sauce bottle I saw in the fridge.
In a burst of creativity, I make a heart and a horseshoe with the chocolate sauce along the edge of the plate and slide it to him. “What do you think?”
A slow smile slides into place as he steps closer to me. “I think I just fell more in love with you.”
“Oh?”
“You came into my kitchen and made a version of cannoli for my coffee shop, Rhett. It’s not perfect, but you worked with what you found here.”
“You don’t have any ricotta. So technically, it just looks like cannoli and isn’t.”
Diamond kisses me softly. His nose rubs alongside mine.
“I needed you, and you stepped up more than once today,” he whispers. His breath hitches as he presses his forehead to mine. “I’m…so in love with you, cowboy. This means everything to me.”
“You mean everything to me. I’ll come whenever you need me. Every time, beautiful.”
And I would. It might have taken me longer than most to come to that conclusion, but I would. The certainty of that thought, in this moment, is like an extra shot of caffeine on a lazy Monday.
“I should finish the cleanup,” Diamond sighs as he steps back.
“You go lock up and finish the floors. I’ll deal with the kitchen. When we’re done, I’d like to take you home. With me.”
Diamond nods, and as he pushes the mop through the door to the seating area, he glances back at me. An uncharacteristic blush flushes his neck pink, and he quickly lets the door close behind him.
Diamond shuffles into my kitchen. His face still has a sleep line on one cheek, and for the first time since we’ve had mornings together, I notice how smooth his face still is.
“Mornin’, cowboy. You making coffee?”
Soft sleep pants hang on his hips, and they’re too long. They puddle over the top of his feet as he wraps his arms around my waist. After a sweet kiss, I brush my thumb over his cheek.
“You mentioned once about losing hair since your treatment. Did some just stop growing permanently? I just noticed you barely have morning scruff, and what you have is so fine.”
He leans on the kitchen island, bare chest and too-long pants, making my heart yearn for this forever.
“Yeah. It’s odd. I mean, I was lucky and still got some hair growing back.
I keep it short on my head since it grows so slowly.
My body hair lost its coarseness. My facial hair is the slowest, and honestly, I don’t miss shaving.
I looked terrible with any kind of facial hair.
” He laughs and rubs a hand over his head.
“I’ll always have a baby face, and while it sucked going through all that… I like this version of me.”
“So do I,” I add before turning to take the percolator off the stovetop. “I probably would’ve liked you before too, if I’m honest.”
After pouring us each a cup, I turn to find Diamond still at the kitchen island. His chest heaves, and his fingers grip the counter so hard I almost drop the cups in my hurry to reach for him and make sure he’s okay.
“Baby, what’s wrong? Are you sick? What do you need?”
He sucks in a deep breath, filling his lungs, and shakes his head. “I’m okay. More than okay. It’s just…you mean that, don’t you? That you’d have liked me before? You would have stayed through it too, wouldn’t you?”
Tears flow down his cheeks, and my heart fucking shatters into pieces so small I’ll never find all of them as my thumbs brush away his tears.
“I mean it with all my soul, Diamond. Meeting you changed my life, and sometimes I wish I’d found you sooner. I definitely wish I had been there to make your life easier and make you feel loved like you deserved to be.”
Never in my life would I wish my partner to go through what Diamond did, but I wish I could’ve been there. Even knowing that it means I’d see him in pain. But I would have carried it for him. Eased his journey even a little, and maybe he wouldn’t be so bruised.
“Because of you, I dream more. I let myself hope that this is it. That I’ve found my person. Then you say stuff like that, and I’m a fucking weeping mess.” He barks a short laugh. “I don’t know how to love small, Rhett. I can be a lot. This is…your final warning, I suppose.”
“Final warning, huh?” Pulling him into my arms, I kiss the top of his head. “You’re not a lot because I can’t get enough of you, beautiful. Maybe it’s too fast to ask you this, but I feel like it’s the right time.” Easing back from him, he swipes at his reddened eyes and sniffles.
“If you’re asking me if you can come work at The Thirsty Cow, it’s not too fast, and it’s always yes.” He grins, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Good to know I have something to fall back on if the current job doesn’t work out, but that’s not what I was going to ask.” The box the former owner left behind still sits on the edge of the counter. Walking over, I grab the note from the box and read aloud.
Dear Rhett,
I had many years with my wife and family in this house.
It was never quiet and always filled with love.
Even after she died and the kids were gone, I could still feel it in these walls.
As a man with an Italian heritage like me, I’m leaving you the coffee pot.
Many important conversations happen over coffee and maybe a bit of sambuca.
I hope you fill this house with love and laughter over the coffee from this pot.
You never said if you have a family, but if you do, tell them you love them every chance you get. Because one day you’ll want to, and they won’t be there to hear it.
You don’t need to stay in touch, but if you want to, I’ll leave my address and number here.
All the best, Rhett.
Kindest regards,
Josephi Spadina
My hand shakes as I lower the sheet and place it back in the box. Diamond watches silently as I exhale.
“I love you, and I want you to move in with me. I want to see this beautiful face every morning, and I want this to be our home. Together. You climbed my walls, Diamond. Even when I didn’t want anyone in, you kept coming.”
“It pays to be stubborn, right?”
“You’re my person, Diamond. You can think about it. It’s a lot to spring—”
Diamond throws himself at me. His arms wrap around my neck so tightly I can barely breathe. Then his lips pepper kisses all over my face.
“Yes. Nothing to think about, Rhett. It’s yes. So much, yes.”
“Yeah? I wasn’t sure because of your dad. If you need to talk to him, I understand.”
“How are you so good?” He presses one more kiss to my lips before sitting on the stool at the island. “We should drink this coffee before it’s cold.” He takes a sip with a hum as I settle next to him. “I’ll talk to my dad, though. It’ll be weird not living with him, but…he has a life, too.”
“I meant it when I said I understand. You’re close, and he was there for you.
If it’s too much for you, I’ll take you here whenever you can.
” Clearing my throat, I stand to pull breakfast items from the fridge.
“I never knew my dad, Diamond. I had a few pictures when I was a baby, but he bolted. You and your dad have something special. I don’t want to come between that. ”
I mean that. Yes, I had my grandfather, but Diamond and his dad go beyond what me and my grandpa had.
“Would you stop being so perfect for a minute?” Diamond grabs the eggs and a bowl and starts cracking the eggs. The sun peeks over the horizon now, and the kitchen floods with warm morning light. “You won’t come between us. My answer is still yes, but I’ll talk to him.”
“Okay.”
He smiles over at me. “Okay.”
The next thirty minutes pass with us enjoying breakfast together. Then Tater tears in from exploring outside with muddy paws, and I chase after her before she spreads it everywhere while Diamond cleans up after breakfast.
When I drop him off at work, he leans over and kisses me. Once. Then two more times before I laugh and nudge him towards the door.
“Get to work, beautiful. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Yeah, you will. Better get me a fancy house key to make it official.”
With one more kiss, he finally exits my truck and enters The Thirsty Cow.
My cheeks hurt, and it’s only as I pull away that I realize it’s from all the smiling.