“I’m so happy to see you too,” Rhett said with a laugh. “It looks like you learned how to bear hug. Someone special must have taught you that.”
I grinned and stepped forward. “I got tired of his awkward, loose, one-armed hugs. Thought his learning the skill of hugging was necessary.”
“He did give the most standard man-hug, didn’t he?” Rhett teased with a twinkle in his eyes. “Glad to finally meet the man who set him straight.”
Igrinned back, liking Rhett already. He held out his hand for a handshake, but I pulled him into a hug instead. He laughed and returned the hug with hearty pats on my back. He was strong, and my back was stinging when I straightened.
Coal wore a black hoodie with the hood up, which he removed from his head when he entered the diner. We stared at each other for a second, Coal looking unsure and…nervous?
“Sorry, he’s not big on touch,” Rhett said apologetically.
“No need to apologize for that,” I reassured.
“It’s okay. I have it under control,” Coal murmured quietly to Rhett. A weird choice of words, but he did seem less nervous when he looked back up at us. He offered a hand to Hector, then to me. “It’s great to meet you both.”
His hand was hot—like, almost burning hot—so maybe he was more worried about this meeting than he was letting on. Rhett was beaming at the entire interaction. Pride filled his face as he looked at his boyfriend.
This was obviously significant to them, so Hector and I took a step back so they could have their moment. Rhett and Coal’s hands found each other. Their eyes met and were filled with meaning, as if they were conversing silently. They were lost in their own world, and it wasn’t until a minute later that Rhett seemed to shake out of it, almost suddenly, and turned back to us with an awkward laugh.
“Anyway, thanks for letting us meet here on your day off. We’re not a huge fan of crowds,” Rhett said.
“We’re not a huge fan of crowds either,” I replied. I tried to keep my voice light, but Rhett must have sensed something.
“Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah! Totally,” I said, almost automatically. I didn’t want to ruin the visit by bringing up the stalker. “We’re just being low-key these days.”
“Have the townsfolk said something about your relationship?” Rhett asked sympathetically.
“No, it’s not that. People have been super supportive.”
He gave me a look full of pity that said he didn’t believe my words. Hector quickly interjected. “It’s true. We have a lot of support here. Things have changed since you last visited.”
“Ithasbeen a while since I’ve been back. I heard there’s a whole new group of people who moved here because of some famous vlogger?”
“You mean Wren. Yeah, he’s really brought new life into town. I’d say things are better. Alothas changed around here,” Hector said.
“So it has,” Rhett said softly, and I wondered if he was wishing these changes had come while he still lived here.
Hector told me how Rhett hadn’t had the best life growing up here. Most of the town had given up on him and left him to fend for himself. Hector always claimedthat he wasn’t much, but just the fact that he took Rhett under his wing when nobody else did was testimony that he had the biggest heart in this entire town.
“Should we get to cooking?” Hector suggested.
Rhett beamed. “Yes! It’ll be nice to cook with you again, like old times.”
“Just like old times,” Hector repeated with a smile that had his entire face looking relaxed.
We followed them into the kitchen, and the two of them were quick to get to work. They washed up, donned aprons and hats, and moved around the kitchen like it was second nature. I’d always thought Hector looked sexy when working in the kitchen, but today, despite not being the one in charge, he positively glowed.
It was easy to tell he missed cooking with Rhett, and it probably helped that they worked well together. Their words were limited, but they were still in perfect sync with each other in a dance that belonged only to the two of them.
Even though I didn’t know much about cooking, I was mesmerized watching them. When I glanced at Coal, he was in a similar state to me. He looked like a serious man with little expression, much like Hector, but the stoniness washed off his face whenever his eyes landed on Rhett.
Life might not have treated Rhett well in the beginning, but it was clear he’d found a place he belonged, and a person who made it that much better.
The food didn’t take long—or at least it didn’t feel long with how entertaining it was watching them cook—and we soon found ourselves at a table enjoying the shrimp and sausage Creole they made over a bottle of wine.
It was mostly Rhett and Hector chatting and catching up about things they probably already chatted about over the phone, but it didn’t matter to them what they talked about. The important thing was that they were together.
