Trent wasn’t usually the kind to get anxious over things. What was the sense of worrying about what might happen? If it was out of his control, he let it go and went with the flow. That applied to filming, singing, parties, dates. Chilled out was his response to almost everything.

But pulling up to the large colonial manor house turned hotel on the outskirts of Cincinnati where Blake and Elion were tying the knot, Trent suddenly felt a rush of apprehension.

Was this the dumbest idea he’d ever had? If he’d thought buying a puppy for his dad was madness, then pretending to be bi with his new gay best friend who Trent knew was into him had to be insanity. Was he seriously ready to deal with the ramifications of this? Was he risking ruining his and Ashby’s friendship before it had even really got a chance to thrive?

Trent knew he’d been quiet during the drive over and he could feel Ashby looking at him as they got out of the cab in front of the hotel. He was aware he needed to say something and break the tension that was growing between them, but he couldn’t seem to find anything to say.

Luckily, Ashby was ready to chatter away and soothe both their nerves.

“Oh goodness, isn’t this charming?” he remarked.

They stood in front of the three-story building, admiring its yellowy-cream wooden façade, slate-gray roof and pristine white windows, shutters and columns out front. The American flag hung above the front door, fluttering gently in the breezy afternoon sunshine. A short concrete path led up through a white picket fence that surrounded the property. Lush green grass stretched out around the fencing and towering oak trees stood either side of the approaches. Gleaming white verandas were nestled beside the house, under the trees, and out back beyond those, Trent could just see where the staff were setting up the white gazebo for the wedding tomorrow.

“I’ve never been to an outdoor wedding,” Ashby continued as they made their way up the steps in between the fence, heading for the door. “It would be more than a little ambitious to predict the weather anywhere in the UK with that kind of confidence. You’ll almost certainly get rained on or freeze your arse off or even get sunburned if it was summer. Generally, on the whole, we regard the weather as a sort of enemy to be treated with complete mistrust.” He laughed as Trent opened the big, heavy front door for him. “Oh, thank you,” he said and hopped up the last step into the cool interior of the house. “Ahh, this is so pretty.”

They were greeted by gleaming oak floors and large floral rugs. The walls were sage green with white trim and adorned with bronze-gilded mirrors and paintings. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and there were potted ferns in every corner that Trent could see in the small lobby as well as the two rooms either side through the open archways. The room to the left had rows of dark wood chairs, presumably for a conference or maybe the wedding reception if the weather turned on them. A large fireplace stood in the room to the right with packed floor-to-ceiling bookcases.

“I can see why your friends would pick this place,” Ashby said quietly as they stood and took everything in. There were people already at the front desk, so they had a moment to appreciate the decor. “Grand, but still intimate.”

Trent had noticed that Ashby kept referring to Blake and Elion as ‘his friends’ despite knowing who they were from TV and being a fan of the band. He was probably trying to normalize them. Trent didn’t blame him. He was so used to being famous, meeting celebrities didn’t faze him anymore. But it was sweet to see Ashby so conscientious of being polite and not freaking out. Despite his nerves at inviting him for his own personal ramifications, he trusted that Ashby wouldn’t embarrass him when he met the guys.

Which was a good thing because at that moment they were greeted with a cry of delight.

“TJ!”

Trent and Ashby both looked up to see Joey Robinson running down the central staircase, his blond curls bouncing as he sprinted toward them. Ashby would know him by his previous name, Joey Sullivan, as that was still his stage name. Joey’s husband, Gabe Robinson, came down the steps at a slower pace, smiling at Joey’s enthusiasm.

For someone so petit, Joey still packed quite a punch, barreling into Trent at top speed. “It’s so great to see you!” he cried. He squeezed him tight, then turned to Ashby.

And paused.

Trent shifted on his feet as Gabe joined them. Tall, dark, handsome, and always the more sensible of the two, he didn’t hesitate to stick his hand out for Trent and then Ashby to shake. “Good to see you again,” he said convivially. It was easy to see he was the firefighter working with the community and that Joey was the excitable actor.

But Trent knew full well he had only given Blake and Elion Ashby’s name. He hadn’t explained Ashby was a guy.

“Hi,” Joey said, evidently finding his voice. “Are you…here with Trent?”

Ashby had obviously picked up on the slight atmosphere, but unsurprisingly to Trent, he just gave them one of his big, gorgeous smiles. “I am,” he said as Joey finally got his wits back and shook his hand too. “Ashby Wilcott. I’m just thrilled to be here.”

“Sorry,” Gabe said, shaking his head. “I think we were just assuming you were a girl. I’ve not met an Ashby before. We didn’t mean to be rude.”

“Oh,” said Ashby with a wave of his hand. “Girl, boy, what’s the difference?” He chuckled.

“And you’re…” said Joey. “TJ’s date?”

“We’re just friends,” Ashby said quickly. For some reason, that made Trent feel bad. Probably because he knew that Ashby would have quite liked to be here as his actual boyfriend. “It’s a bit of a complicated story, but I owed Trent a favor and making sure he wasn’t at a wedding alone seemed like a great opportunity to pay him back.”

“You’re from England?” Gabe asked, slipping his arm around Joey’s waist. Joey was still looking between Trent and Ashby with a slightly open mouth and wide eyes. He was definitely putting two and two together and getting five.

“I am,” said Ashby proudly. “Well, lately. I spent my childhood in Singapore, but lately, I hale from London, specifically. I’m on holiday at Trent’s dad’s resort and we made friends. He’s been teaching me to snowboard.”

That got Gabe off on a snow sports tangent. He and Joey had been skiing over Christmas and being the natural athlete he was, he’d loved it. But Joey’s attention was still on Ashby, alight with curiosity.

Trent caught Ashby’s eye. “I’m just going to go check us in,” he said.

He hoped Ashby wouldn’t mind talking to his friends for a minute, but the front desk was now clear. Trent didn’t want to stand here getting grilled for hours, even if it was by his best friends. He’d rather they escaped to their room for a bit and minimized awkward questions. Because, yes, they were here as friends. But Joey was absolutely going to want to get to the bottom of why Trent had pretended to be Ashby’s boyfriend in the first place, and Trent didn’t have a good enough answer.

Which was probably exactly why Joey peeled off and joined Trent as he walked toward the desk. Trent glanced back at Ashby standing with Gabe and all their luggage. “I’m just getting the room key, little man,” he said to Joey, using his old nickname for Below Zero’s youngest member.

“So, you’re sharing a room,” Joey prompted, his eyes twinkling.

Trent sighed. “There are only so many rooms in this place,” he said, trying not to get irritable. It wasn’t a usual hotel, after all. Even though it was a big manor house, there still weren’t enough rooms for them to go side by side. “We had to share, but it’s a double. It’s fine.”

The truth was, even with two beds in the room, Trent was slightly nervous. It was a lot to share a space with someone for one night, let alone two. But he was sure he and Ashby would survive.

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.