“Why are you so easy-going about things?” Star couldn’t understand Dent’s way of thinking. He was the same way when they met in prison. Not with who he loved but with the fact that nothing seemed to bother him, even when he was serving a life sentence.
“Why fight the inevitable?” Dent shrugged and looked out the window. “We can’t predict the future. We simply need to hold on for the ride.”
But what if we can change it?Star wanted to ask. Just as Star was about to add more to the conversation, Jerrica returned with their drinks, and Star took a moment to glance at her slender and perfectly manicured fingers, noticing that she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. He shrugged and thought nothing of it. Maybe she was one of those women he didn’t wear hers, or it could be they were in a common-law marriage. Either way, he believed Dent when he said she was married. A few minutes after dropping off their drinks, she returned with a cold platter of charcuterie, leaving him and Dent to talk. Conversation flowed easily between the two of them, and by the time they landed, Star had completely forgotten he was on a plane or his earlier freakout.
When they got off the plane, Star shivered as a wave of dizziness hit him, and his stomach rolled over as if he was about to vomit. His skin prickled with heat and then quickly cooled, as if it had been his imagination. He was unsure what was happening; besides the charcuterie, they had a healthy and delicious meal. And because of past mistakes, Star had stuck to one glass of wine and drank water the rest of the way.
C…could I have been drugged?No, he thought, shaking his head.Dent wouldn’t do that to me.He bit the inside of his cheek, shaking the thought that came to him. But that was the Dent of another lifetime.What if he’s not the same person you once trusted?At his crazy jumbled thoughts, Star stumbled back, falling on the steps.
Dent came over to help him, but the second he went to touch him, Star subconsciously retreated into a corner.
“Are you okay?” Dent asked, taking a step back.
“I…” he began but couldn’t give a coherent answer. He looked up at Dent, who was worriedly gazing down at him.
It brought back memories of when he had gotten beaten up, and Dent felt guilty for not being by his side. Oddly, that calmed him. Dent would never hurt him, whether it was the past or the present. With that in mind, Star took in a gulp of air and then stood, brushing off his clothes.
“I tripped and got a bit freaked out. I’m sorry about that.”
“What’s there to apologize for?” Dent smiled but didn’t step close or try to touch him. “We all have a clumsy side. Come on, the car is waiting.”
He walked ahead, not looking back to see if Star was following him, but he hurried after Dent, catching up to the man. Since they were on a private plane, they didn’t have to worry about their bags and headed straight for the exit.
Dent walked over to a black SUV when they left the airport, and two men got out. One from the driver's side and the other from the passenger’s. They were muscular but of different heights. Dent smiled when he saw them.
“What are you guys doing here?” Dent questioned.
“Third boss told us to pick you up,” answered the one who got out of the passenger side.
Third boss! Is he a part of the mafia?Hearing that, Star’s mind started thinking about the wrong things once again. But before it could go into overdrive, the driver spoke up.
“Plus, once Tanner heard you were coming with his friend…”
Star didn’t let him finish and interjected himself into the conversation. “Tanner…you know him?”
Both men smiled, as if saying Tanner’s name was a pleasant breeze.
“You must be Star,” the driver said. “I’m Reinhold, and this is Shepard.” He pointed to himself and the other guy. “We’re Tanner’s mates.”
“Mates,” Star said in shock. Star looked at both men; they were handsome, and one was an inch shorter than the other.
“Yeah, it’s new,” Shepard, who was the shorter of the two, said.
“You two bears finally pinned him down,” Dent laughed.
“It took us a while. He had to get over his crush on Azazel first,” Reinhold grumbled.
“Ah, don’t sweat it, babe, he’s ours now, and think about our cub,” Shepard added, grinning from ear to ear.
Dent gasped. “You don’t mean—”
“Yup,” the two men said together, and Dent pulled them into a hug, congratulating them both on what Star wasn’t sure about. He stood beside the three men, completely and utterly confused by the whole conversation, but he didn’t say anything.
Wait, didn’t Dent say mate was a lover and husband? Does that mean Tanner has two husbands? What in the world is going on? Isn’t polygamy illegal?
“I can’t believe you two rascals are going to be fathers,” Dent said, pulling back from their embrace.
“He’s not showing yet,” Shepard said. “But his cravings have started.”
