Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

  Trent could feel Joey grinning up at him as they approached the desk. “What?” Trent all but snapped.

  “Nothing,” Joey said in a singsong voice.

  Trent was aware of his friend continuing to watch him as he checked in and gave the girl behind the desk his card. Trent ignored him until he had his and Ashby’s keycards in hand. Then he moved halfway between the desk and where Gabe and Ashby were standing.

  “Seriously, dude,” Trent growled. “Don’t make this weird. I know he likes me, but I’m not bi, am I? So don’t make him uncomfortable. He’s been a great friend to me.”

  Rather than look sheepish, Joey just narrowed his eyes at Trent. Being with Gabe had done wonders for his confidence. Ordinarily, Trent would argue that was a very good thing. But not when he was keenly aware he was about to get that grilling he’d been trying to avoid anyway.

  “He likes you,” Joey said. “And you’ve brought him to one of your best friends’ wedding as a plus one…and you’re telling me you don’t feel even a teeny tiny bit curious if there’s something there?”

  Trent glanced at Ashby who was happily talking to Gabe, fluttering his hands about. Trent bit his lip. Joey gasped.

  He grabbed Trent by the lapel of his leather jacket and yanked him closer. “You do like him,” he hissed as excitedly as he could while keeping his voice down.

  Trent glowered and batted Joey’s hands away. “Yes, he’s a nice guy,” he told him firmly. “Really nice. But I’m not into dudes. It’s nothing personal.”

  Joey gave him an infuriatingly smug smile. “I just think you shouldn’t shut yourself off to any possibilities, that’s all.” He patted Trent’s arm, then skipped back toward his husband.

  Trent tried not to grind his teeth. When Ashby glanced over to him as he approached, he forced himself to smile. “I’ve got our keys,” he said, holding them up. “Shall we go freshen up?”

  “Absolutely,” Ashby said. He wheeled Trent’s carryon over to him before taking the handle of his own. “Flying leaves you feeling so urgh, doesn’t it?” he said to Gabe and Joey who both frowned and nodded in complete agreement. “Gabe was saying they were planning on meeting for dinner with some of your other friends,” Ashby said, raising his eyes at Trent.

  “Levi and Raiden are here,” Gabe explained. “I think Levi and I were going to entertain Elion in his room while Joey met with Rai and Blake.” He nudged Joey affectionately. “Getting the band back together and all that.”

  “Why don’t you two join us?” Joey asked. “Respectively, I mean.”

  Trent paused, glancing at Ashby. He really wasn’t sure about leaving him at the mercy of his overenthusiastic friends. “We’ll let you know,” he said quickly, not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings. He’d see how Ashby felt first. “For now, we’ll make ourselves more human, then drop you a message.”

  “Good plan,” said Ashby, still smiling. He turned to Trent’s friends. “It was lovely to meet you,” he said, betraying his first small hint of being star-struck as he glanced at Joey. “See you soon.”

  His sweet and earnest nature managed to thaw out Trent’s irritability somewhat as they made their way up the stairs. It was hard to be pissed off when he was near such a joyous soul.

  “It looked like you and Gabe got along,” Trent commented.

  Ashby nodded. “He seems a very nice chap. I’d be happy to spend the evening with him and the other boyfriends if you wanted to meet with your band friends.” Ashby gave him a genuine smile. “It must be so nice for you to be back together after the rough time you’ve had.”

  Trent frowned slightly as they walked along the corridor to their room on the third floor. The wooden boards creaked beneath their feet. “I don’t want to abandon you,” he said.

  But Ashby shook his head. “You wouldn’t be. Besides, it’s a sort of stag do thing, isn’t it? Um, bachelor party, I mean. The grooms can’t see each other the night before, so it’s the friends’ job to entertain them.”

  Trent nibbled his lip as they approached their room at the end of the corridor. They must have taken the very last reservation. He was going to be spending the whole morning with Blake and the other groomsmen tomorrow. It would be good for Ashby to have already gotten to know some other people so he wouldn’t be lonely.

  He smiled at Ashby and swiped the key. “Yeah, that could be fun,” he admitted. “So long as you don’t mind?”

  Ashby laughed. “What’s the worst that could happen?” he asked as the door swung inwards.

  They both paused.

  There was only one bed.

  17

  Ashby

  It was fine. This was fine.

  At least, that was what Ashby kept telling himself.

  Trent had shrugged the whole ‘only one bed’ thing off and immediately said he was fine taking the sofa. Ashby protested that this was Trent’s friends’ wedding and Ashby should be the one put out. But Trent wouldn’t hear of it. Literally. He took himself into the shower, then said he was going to go meet Joey and the others as planned.

  Before he left though, he gave Ashby his phone and allowed him to copy not only Gabe’s but Levi’s and Elion’s numbers into his own phone so he could arrange where to meet. Trent was still obviously freaked out over the bed thing, but Ashby thought it was extremely kind and trusting of him to do that.

  Gordon would certainly have never handed over his unlocked phone, despite the number of times he had snooped through Ashby’s without permission. Ashby was happy that although Trent didn’t want to share a bed with him, he did at least trust him with whatever personal information was on his phone. Not that Ashby snooped. He gave it back as soon as he had Gabe and the others’ numbers.

  The boyfriends didn’t want to meet until another hour or so as Elion was still fretting over last minute wedding details. Gabe messaged Ashby privately and said they were crashing Elion’s room at seven o’clock regardless. At some point, Gabe argued, Elion would need to be saved from himself. Being included in these plans made Ashby feel included already despite hardly knowing these people. It gave him a warm feeling inside.

  Which was lucky, because he felt slightly sick every time he thought of Trent’s face upon seeing the bed they were supposed to share. He couldn’t have made it clearer that being anywhere near Ashby in a sexual way was repulsive to him. Ashby tried not to blame him. But he couldn’t help being hurt just a little.

  Trent was straight, though. Ashby had to be fair. If Ashby was more masculine, his gayness might be easier to ignore. He didn’t exactly make it easy on Trent. So he would do everything he could to make him comfortable during the wedding. Then they could go back to having separate rooms when they returned to Wyoming. He hoped they could still continue being friends, at least.

  It meant Ashby had to work very hard at suppressing any excitement he’d felt at sharing a room. It was tantalizing for him to be this close to Trent. Not because he was some age-old teenage crush of Ashby’s, but because he was a real-life interest. Ashby saw Trent for who he was now, not who he was to him then. But seeing as Trent was obviously finding the situation difficult, Ashby would be a proper dickhead to take advantage of it in any way, so he went for a walk around the grounds while Trent showered and changed.

  There were other people milling about the venue when he went outside, presumably also here for the wedding. Ashby didn’t recognize any of them, and they didn’t know him either, so he was left in peace to stroll across the veranda and amble down toward the recently decorated gazebo, ready for tomorrow’s ceremony.

  White chairs stood on the grass in neat rows facing the gazebo’s entrance. Pink and purple flowers had been arranged in an archway at the front opening as well as on the chairs standing alongside the walkway. Petals were strewn on the steps and either side of the aisle, and white gauze curtains were pulled and tied either side of the gazebo’s archways. Green trees swayed behind the structure, creating a picturesque image.

  Ashby sighed. He loved weddings.
Two people, committing to love and support one another, to spend the rest of their lives together, forsaking all others. It was beautiful. He always cried, regardless of how well he knew the couple in question.

  He had only been to one or two of his own friends’ weddings. Mostly he’d attended ceremonies or receptions for his parents’ acquaintances or even their own kids. This would be his first official same-sex wedding. He looked up at the gorgeous flowers curving over the top of the gazebo entrance and couldn’t help but be filled with hope. Even a decade ago, this wouldn’t have been possible for him. Not in the same way it was now. Love was love and having that now recognized by law made him swell with pride.

  Before he could get weepy, he shook himself and headed back inside. Trent would have had plenty of time to get himself together by now. Sure enough, Ashby returned to an empty room.

  He showered quickly and picked out a simple, conservative outfit of jeans and a T-shirt. He wasn’t sure how these other guys would receive him, so best to play it safe. He did put a little basic makeup on, however, just to even out his complexion.

  At five past seven he stood outside the door that was allegedly Elion’s and bit his lower lip. He had no reason to be nervous. He was very good at socializing, after all. These weren’t even the very famous members of Trent’s friendship group. But they were still part of Trent’s inner circle and Ashby was keen to have them like him.

  He smoothed down his T-shirt and took a steadying breath. Then he raised his hand and after a beat, knocked twice.

  “Come in!” a chorus of voices rang out.

  Ashby swallowed his nerves, mustered up a smile and opened the door that had evidently been left off the latch.

  He was greeted by three guys, two of whom he recognized and one he’d never seen before. Muscular Gabe with his dark brown hair was currently hugging a laptop to his chest by the double bed. An even bigger blond guy Ashby didn’t know was standing next to him, holding his hands out at a pouting Elion Rodriguez, who looked like he was trying to grab the laptop.

  Elion was even more gorgeous than he was on TV, Ashby realized with a jolt, with light brown skin and big brown eyes. The hot pink tips of his dark hair looked to have been freshly dyed. His frame was slender but still defined with muscle in a way Ashby never seemed to manage. As pretty as he was, it was hard to take him seriously while he was stamping his foot and waving his hands in front of him.

  “Gabe!” he whined, making the word last several seconds just like a child having a temper tantrum. “I need it back! I need to double-check the table plans and the music for the pre-drinks reception and make sure I transferred the money for the florist. Gabe! Levi, tell him!”

  The big guy, Levi, chuckled and pulled Elion into a hug. “It’s all done and you know it.” He let Elion go and squeezed his shoulder. “You and Joey are enough to put anyone off weddings, jeeze. Let’s have some fun already.”

  Gabe put the laptop under the pillows on the double bed occupying half the room and held up his finger in warning. “No more work, guys,” he said. “It’s time to party. On which note, I’d like you to meet someone.” He walked over to Ashby, smiling and extending out his arm. “This here’s Ashby Wilcott, Trent’s friend.”

  That got Elion’s attention, judging from the slack look that suddenly occupied his face. “But…” he said, “Ashby’s a girl. I’ve got…I thought…”

  He made to go get his laptop, but Levi caught his hip and steered him away to the dresser. “Nuh uh,” he said, handing him a Champagne flute. “Fun, now, remember?”

  Ashby nibbled on his lip as Gabe ushered him into the room. It was much like his and Trent’s, with cream walls, wooden floors with a large floral rug under the bed and a large bronze-gilded mirror on the wall. Ashby and Trent’s had an impressive writing desk that was missing from this room, though. Ashby had been admiring it before he came over. It looked like the kind of place you’d sit and write legal documents. Or love letters.

  It was a tiny bit crowded with the four of them standing between the bed and the couch, but Ashby soon also had a cold glass of bubbly pressed into his hand which soothed his nerves somewhat.

  “Cheers,” Levi said, holding up his drink and eyeballing Elion, who sighed and offered him a weak smile.

  “All right,” he grumbled. His shoulders relaxed a little and he clinked glasses with everyone. “Cheers. Thank you for looking after me.”

  “Aren’t your bridesmaids coming too?” Gabe asked, glancing at the door. “Sorry, groomsbitches.”

  Elion grinned and nodded. “Devon drove Jodi out to get more booze without Jodi and Blake’s mom finding out.” He shook his head. “In-laws, man.” But he smiled and sank down on the couch, taking a gulp of his drink. As much as he rolled his eyes discussing Blake’s mom, Ashby got the impression he was so hyper about the wedding he was willing to forgive his future mother-in-law’s ways. “So it’s just us husbands and fiancés and boyfriends for now – oh my!” he said bouncing up and down. “So, when does the stripper get here?”

  “No stripper,” Gabe said firmly from Elion’s side. “This is a mini-bachelor party. You still need to make it down the aisle tomorrow.”

  “Partner,” Levi corrected belatedly.

  The blond guy was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Ashby. He glanced Ashby’s way. Levi was quite scary when his face was in repose. Ashby got a vague military vibe from the way he held himself. But then he smiled and his blue eyes dazzled.

  “Not that there’s anything wrong with being boyfriends,” he said, addressing Ashby. “Raiden and I just aren’t keen on the term ourselves.”

  Ashby blinked and realized all three of them were looking at him. “Oh, no,” he said quickly, spluttering on his Champagne. Then he laughed before his panic could make him sweat. “Trent and I are just friends. We only met this week,” he added with a nervous giggle.

  Levi leaned back against the pillows as Elion crossed his feet underneath himself.

  “Really?” Gabe said with a frown. “Sorry, Joey and I just assumed.”

  He stood again, fetching the bottle of fizz to top them all up. The first glass of bubbly was going down a little too easily, but Ashby was nervous and needed the Dutch courage.

  Elion knocked back the rest of his drink, then held up his glass for a refresh. He too was frowning. “So,” he said while Gabe played waiter. “You’re not here as TJ’s date?” He didn’t sound convinced.

  Ashby waved his hand and smiled despite his apprehension. “Oh no,” he insisted. “We’re just friends. It’s a funny story, though.” He skipped over the slightly rocky start and explained how Trent had offered to teach him some snowboarding, then rescued him from that creep Kiefer. “Seeing as there’s going to be a bit of press coverage here, Trent and I thought it best to keep up the charade just in case Kiefer went prying. Besides, this way I don’t have to spend the weekend alone hiding in my room so I didn’t risk seeing him. I get to go to a lovely wedding instead!”

  He grinned and took another glug of bubbly. But the three curious faces looking at him told him that he was missing something.

  “Um,” Ashby began. “Doesn’t Trent normally make new friends?” It probably wasn’t the exact question he wanted to ask. But it was the easiest and safest.

  “It’s not that…” Elion said slowly.

  “Well, yeah,” said Gabe, bobbing his head. “He normally doesn’t make friends unless he, um…”

  “Unless he’s got his mind on fucking,” drawled Levi, looking at Ashby through his golden eyelashes.

  Ashby choked on his drink, slopping it down his T-shirt. “Oh, bugger,” he said as he coughed. He brushed at the liquid, embarrassed. “No, no, Trent is straight. I know that.”

  He could feel his eyes were wide as he looked around the room, imploring them to believe him. Elion had already jumped up to grab him some tissues and Gabe leaned forward to replace the Champagne he had lost. Levi shook his head and patted Ashby’s knee. His face was kind.

>   “I wasn’t being a prick,” he murmured. His manner was very intense. “I was simply stating a fact. Why? Aren’t you interested?”

  Ashby wasted a few seconds mopping up his T-shirt. It was already almost dried. “Trent’s straight,” he said again for emphasis.

  Elion waved his hands, risking spilling his own drink. “But what if he weren’t?” He regarded Ashby for a moment as he struggled for words. He desperately didn’t want to incriminate himself. But Elion hopped up and nestled himself between Ashby and Levi, putting his arm around Ashby’s shoulders. “I thought Blake was straight, too,” he said warmly. “Levi was so convinced Raiden was straight Rai had to practically jump him before he would take him seriously.”

  “Hey,” Levi growled, nudging Elion’s leg with his foot. But his smile showed he wasn’t really offended.

  “My point is,” Elion continued, “have you told him how you feel?”

  “What makes you think I feel something for him beyond friendship?” Ashby stammered. “Can’t we just be friends? I know he’s deliriously hot and talented and successful, but, well, I just got out of a long-term relationship, actually, and I’m quite happy being friends.”

  He was met with three sets of raised eyebrows.

  Ashby dropped his shoulders and let his head fall back as he cried out in frustration. Fine. If these almost-strangers wanted to play at being his therapist, so be it.

  “All right,” he conceded. “I’ve told him numerous times that I think he’s gorgeous and one night I actually invited him into my room. But he politely declined and I’m grateful we’re still friends after all that.”

  Elion bounced on the bed and squeezed his shoulder. “You hit on him and he still invited you to a wedding?”

  “Uhh,” Ashby said. “Look, please don’t read too much into it.” Please don’t get my hopes up.