Chapter 1

“Will you stand still?” Kari reprimanded her father. “I’m trying to get the boutonniere pinned on and if you keep fidgeting you’re gonna get impaled by the stupidly long pin.” She had the flower in one hand and was attempting to attach it to his lapel.

Scott Hedrich looked down at his nineteen-year-old daughter. She had her mother’s light brown hair but his blue eyes. Today she wore a cocktail length lavender gown for the wedding. “I guess it wouldn’t do to bleed all over my suit. Mark would have a cow.”

“Yes, he would. Where did he go? This thing is supposed to happen in less than half an hour.”

“Chances are he’s pacing outside in the garden wishing he had a cigarette.” Scott glanced toward the window of the historic bed and breakfast where they’d agreed to hold the ceremony.

“He does have a tendency to get wound up about things. There, it’s done.” Kari patted the lapel of Scott’s navy blue suit as she finished putting the flower on. “I really wish you two were wearing tuxedos.”

“You’re a romantic, punkin. This is the second time around for me and the third time for Mark. Be glad we didn’t just walk into the courthouse and sign the documents in front of some clerk.”

“This time is for real, Dad.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean I know your mother and I have been divorced for six years now, but this time…” Scott hesitated.

“He’s been Uncle Mark to me my whole life, even though he’s not actually related to us. Now he’ll be family for real. He’ll be my stepfather.”

Scott rubbed his eyes. “You know how weird that sounds.”

“You’re the one who proposed.”

“I know. There are moments when…God no, I know exactly why I did it. I love him and I was tired of living a half truth.” Scott stared at the ceiling, twenty three years of memories washing through him.

* * * *

Scott: 1993

The first week of the police academy included an introduction to the obstacle course. Scott found himself running behind another candidate. The man had dark hair and a taut muscular body. Scott was more interested in watching the candidate’s tight round ass than worrying about being first. It wasn’t like Scott was ever going to do anything about it, but it certainly was a nice view. Women had different shaped hips, which Scott admired mightily, but every now and then it was a guy’s butt that caught his attention.

Halfway over a wooden wall, the guy lost his grip and tumbled backward and fell to the ground in an ungraceful sprawl. Scott paused long enough to offer the guy a hand up. The name stenciled on the t-shirt said “Stenner.” It was the embarrassed, frustrated blush that drew Scott’s attention. Stenner took the offered hand and scrambled back to his feet.

“Thanks,” Stenner muttered and made a second more successful attempt.

At dinner in the mess hall that night, Scott was already eating when Stenner sat down beside him.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Stenner asked.

“Nope, it’s fine.”

“Thanks for this afternoon. You didn’t have to stop.”

Scott studied Stenner’s face. “The rules didn’t say I couldn’t offer a colleague a hand. We just had to finish the course in under twenty-five minutes.” Stenner looked like he might be a couple of years younger than Scott’s twenty-four. “I’m Scott Hedrich.” He held out a hand.

“Mark Stenner.”

* * * *

In the garden outside the bed and breakfast, Mark Stenner paced the length of a flower bed and back. He was getting married in less than thirty minutes. He’d done it twice before. Practice ought to make perfect, shouldn’t it? The difference was this time he was marrying a man. He made himself stop and take a deep breath. Be calm. You don’t need another heart attack.This time he would get it right. This time he would marry the person he had loved for more than twenty years. Hopefully he would get to spend the next twenty, thirty or forty years with Scott.

Today they would declare their love for each other in public, in front of thirty other people. Over the last year they had finally stopped hiding their relationship. That had been a big change. A couple of decades of playing best friends when others were around and keeping the fact their relationship was deep and intense and also physical had been their secret for so long. It still made Mark flinch in anxiety now and then when Scott kissed him and somebody else was present.

There had been too many damn weddings in their pasts, all to women that they thought they had loved at the time. This would be the last. Scott and he had sworn to each other that this time would be forever. A memory of Scott and Lynn’s wedding surged up in Mark’s thoughts.