Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
amadeo
This is weird. Good, but weird.
Standing behind Balt while he pays for mine and Brogan’s shoes—he insisted on it to thank Brogan for driving us around—is a new experience.
Outside of a few guys buying me dinner and drinks in the hopes of getting me in their beds later, I’ve never had anyone dish out serious cash on my behalf for no other reason than kindness.
He already knows he’ll be in my bed tonight.
The man stirs my curiosity. I guess on some level I know being an accountant is a lucrative career, but he carries himself more like a billionaire boss than a number cruncher. What could be so stressful in his life that he wanted to run away from it for a while?
I’m usually an “at face value” kind of guy.
I’ll assume the best unless you give me reason not to, but something about Balt makes me want to dig under his surface and learn more.
He’s so fascinating. Or maybe it’s mysterious.
That could be. He seems open, but there’s an air about him that he’s not revealing all there is to the story.
“I’m starving,” Brogan says. “Lunch?”
“I could eat,” Balt says, glancing over at me with an eyebrow raised.
“Definitely.”
“What is this town known for food-wise?”
“Brats,” Brogan says. “It’s a Wisconsin thing. Also German food.”
I point at a Japanese restaurant we’re passing. “We have a lot more choices than we used to. Mostly everything you’re used to. Maybe not a ton of celebrity owned or super posh restaurants, but we have a good variety.”
“Anything you’re in the mood for?” Brogan asks.
“You’re the experts,” Balt says. “You decide.”
Brogan pauses on the sidewalk, tapping their chin. “There’s a really good Mexican joint about two blocks from here. Excellent tacos.”
“Balt?”
He nods, smiling at me. “I like tacos.”
We walk along the sidewalk while Brogan plays tour guide, pointing out various points of interest for Balt. He’s gazing ahead at the capitol building with a pleasant expression on his face.
“A little different, huh?”
Balt smiles, nodding at me. “In a nice way.”
“Here it is,” Brogan announces as we stop in front of a tiny storefront with zero tables inside. “We can eat in the square.”
The menu choices are decently priced, so I insist on buying lunch for the three of us, which Balt accepts reluctantly and Brogan does joyfully. We walk back out to the square, but the closer we get, the more I realize sitting outside is a ridiculous idea.
“It’s too cold for this, Brogan. Let’s head back to the car.”
Brogan tilts their head back, gazing up at the sky, then their shoulders sink. “You’re right. The sun is hiding behind the clouds again and that breeze is getting colder.”
“Thank fuck,” Balt mumbles. “I was starting to think you Wisconsin people have cold deflecting superpowers.”
Brogan cackles. “We’re pretty hardy, but we have our limits too. I think the temperature has dropped since we started shopping.”
“I agree.” A shiver moves through me. “I need a warm drink.”
“Ooh, there’s a great coffee place on—”
“At home, Brogan. I’m freezing.”
Brogan looks at me, shaking their head with pity. “I thought that big city would toughen you up, not make you delicate.”
“Now you’re calling me delicate too,” Balt says with a hint of amusement in his voice. “I can’t win with you.”
Brogan grins. “You’re kind of funny. You didn’t seem like you’d be funny.”
“You shouldn’t always judge a book by the cover, right?”
“Preach.”
Brogan saunters ahead of us, taking their burrito out of a bag and peeling back the foil to dig in.
I decide to wait until I’m back in the car and can feel my fingers again.
Once we get there, the three of us sit in silence, wolfing down our food, and as I finish my burrito, the earlier promise I made pops into my head.
“Oh, shoot. I told my mom we’d go to the grocery store for her.”
“No problem,” Brogan declares. “We’ll hit Woodman’s on the way back.”
Two hours later we arrive back at the house, carrying our bags of groceries and clothes. Mom greets us like she’s surprised we’re here, which is really cute and heartwarming. I guess I was worried about nothing. So far, the family seems truly happy I’m home.
“I’m making alfredo tonight,” Mom says, unpacking groceries on the kitchen island. “You like alfredo sauce, Balt?”
He nods. “I like pretty much anything Italian.”
“Good boy.” She smiles at him like he’s an obedient dog. “Other than the occasional cookout, which we won’t be doing in February, it’s pretty much all we eat around here.”
“I do hope to try a brat before I leave.”
Mom stops unpacking and turns to face him. “When are you leaving?”
“No plans as of now. I meant it generally speaking.”
“Oh.” She smiles, setting the container of milk down. “Good. We’ll make some brats. Your dad’s recipe, Brogan.”
Brogan pats their belly. “Yum.”
“Do you boys need a snack?”
“We got lunch before we went to the store, Mom,” I say.
“How was shopping?” she asks.
“Excellent,” Brogan gushes. “I found the cutest stuff at this vintage place.”
“Vintage,” she repeats, laughing softly. “I probably still have clothes in my closet older than you.”
“We could find out if you’d finally let me raid it.”
Mom pats my cousin’s arm. “Someday.”
Balt stands nearby, leaning on the island and watching my family interact with an interesting expression on his face. I’m not quite sure how to read it, but it seems almost nostalgic. Oh dang. He must miss his family.
“Do you need any help, Mom, before we head to the cottage?”
“No, this is more than enough. Saved me a trip to town.”
“See you at dinner then.”
She waves, turning to put vegetables in the fridge. Before we leave, Nonna comes ambling into the room, a smile spreading over her face when she sees us.
“My boys. Did you have a fun outing?”
Brogan leans in and kisses her cheek. “We sure did. How’s your day been so far?”
“Good. I’m almost done with a crossword that’s taken me a damn week to solve. It’s good for the brain.” She taps her temple. “Annoys the hell out of me but keeps me sharp.”
“You are that, Nonna,” Brogan says.
“Don’t you forget it.”
“I’m gonna make alfredo for dinner,” Mom announces for Nonna’s benefit. “Would you like to make the gnocchi with me?”
“Oooh, gnocchi?” Balt says. “Sounds delicious.”
Nonna smiles at Balt. “We make it good too. Little puffs of clouds in your mouth. I’d love to make them with you, Jan.”
Brogan rubs their hands together. “Still full from lunch but already looking forward to dinner.”
“Me too,” I say.
“And the limoncello bars,” Mom adds. “For your birthday. Belated, of course.”
“We just missed it, didn’t we?” Brogan says.
“I’m home now. We can still celebrate.”
Balt smiles warmly at me and winks. We say our goodbyes to my family, bundle back up, then begin the walk back to the cottage. It’s definitely getting colder as the day goes on, and now I’m looking forward to a little cuddling on the couch.
Once we’re inside, Balt carries our groceries to the kitchen while I dump our other bags in the tiny living room. This feels so unexpectedly domestic. Balt is comfortable to hang out with even when I’m not climbing all over him.
“Want some cocoa?” he calls out from the kitchen.
“Yes, please.” I kick off my sneakers and join him in the kitchen, where he’s opening up cupboards until he finds a pot. I get to unpacking groceries and putting them away while he focuses on our warm beverages.
“This is nice,” he says, almost under his breath. “Better than I expected when I decided to get out of town.”
“You’re pretty brave, buying a ticket with no plans.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know if brave is the right word.
” Balt takes a couple of bags of chips from me and puts them in the pantry.
“I’ve learned that even the most particular plans don’t always go the way we hope.
I’m not known for spur-of-the-moment decisions, but maybe it was time I tried something new. ”
I nod while my mind entertains new, and very filthy, things we could try.
“What’s on your mind, Deo?”
“Nothing. Why?”
“Your cheeks are turning pink.”
I clear my throat. “Oh. I was thinking about what you said. About trying new things. I can relate to being in a rut in a few areas of life. I guess that’s what led me back here.”
“And so far so good?”
“Yeah. It feels better than I expected. I don’t think I realized how much I missed home.”
He nods, placing a bunch of bananas by the coffee machine. “A long time ago my grandfather told me that you had to pay attention to your life, because if you didn’t, one day you’d wake up and not recognize yourself. I took it to heart, but still, at some point, I looked away.”
“It’s never too late to check back in as long as you’re breathing.”
“Back at ya.”
I smile, putting some cheese and lunchmeat in the fridge.
“You’re right. In my case, I think my attention was in the wrong place.
I convinced myself of a false truth out of ego and stubbornness.
I don’t regret it though. Every experience builds on the one before, and eventually, we end up on the same delayed flight. ”
“That’s right. Nothing good comes from regret. Only action. Reconcile the past and move forward.”
“I agree.”
Balt turns to find mugs as the water boils, and I fold up the paper bags and stack them on the counter.
I watch him work, his elegant movements and confident stance, and my cock actually twitches with interest. The man is sexy—sue me.
But he’s more than that. Underneath all that gorgeousness is something softer that he’s built a hard shell around.
I wonder what it would take to get him to show it to me.
“I always loved these weird little dried marshmallows,” Balt says, handing me a steaming mug of cocoa.
“Me too.” I blow on mine, cupping my mug. “Want to watch a movie and relax before dinner?”
“I’d like that very much.”