Dex nodded and ushered Cael and Hudson out, then closed the door behind them. Sloane turned to the only two who could possibly keep this evening progressing without incident. As soon as Cael had sent out the invites to Dex's bachelor party, Sloane had contacted Seb and Ash and asked them to prepare.
"All right. What contingency plans have you two put in place should any Threat Level Fuchsia scenarios arise?"
Seb and Ash glanced at each other before turning their gazes back to Sloane. Their expressions didn't bode well. Seb spoke up first.
"When you said prepare for tonight, I thought you meant make sure your boyfriend doesn't get so drunk he strips down to his underwear and starts dancing on the bar, or try to keep him out of jail. I didn't realize you meant put together an emergency tactical strategy."
Sloane pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay." He looked up at Ash. "What about you?"
"Relax, bro. We got this."
Sloane narrowed his eyes and leaned into Ash, sniffing him. "Have you already started drinking?"
Seb snickered, his laugh turning into a cough when Ash arched an eyebrow at him.
"No, smartass. I can handle your dorky fiance."
Seb didn't even attempt not laughing this time. "You are so delusional, Keeler. We're toast."
"Speak for yourself. Cael might not be able to hold his booze, but your Brit is worse."
Seb frowned at Ash. "Which is why you're kidding yourself if you think you're going to be able to keep an eye on Dex the whole night. The second some guy tries to put the moves on Cael, you're going to lose your shit."
"First, Cael can take care of himself. Second, excuse me while I laugh my ass off at you telling me I'm going to lose my shit over some dude hitting on my boyfriend. Since you got back from your honeymoon, you've been even more of a sap over Hudson than ever. It hurts my teeth just looking at you."
Sloane sighed. "You two done arguing over who's more ridiculous?"
"You're right," Ash said, smiling sweetly. "Because the answer to that would be you."
How long had they known Dex? Had they not been present for the last three and a half years? The number of incident reports he'd filled out in the last year alone was staggering. Everything ranging from squirrel invasion to not-so-spontaneously combusting baked goods. How his boyfriend managed to get a scone to bring down a building was beyond him. Sloane didn't care how stale the thing was, it shouldn't have demolished an entire building. Thankfully the place had been condemned, and they'd received a minor scolding rather than getting their asses handed to them by Sparks.
"You think I'm overreacting?"
"Just a tad," Seb admitted.
Oh, Sloane was so going to enjoy throwing their words back at them. "Okay. Go on. Have fun. I'll notify my bank to have some bail money ready. If something blows up or comes crashing down, it's on you two."
Ash rolled his eyes. "And I thought Dex was the drama queen."
"Get out," Sloane grumbled, shoving them toward the door.
As soon as they were outside, Dex came over and kissed Sloane's cheek. "Oh,
I almost forgot. Dad's expecting you for dinner."
"Wait. What?" When did that happen?
"Dinner. Tony's house. Have fun. If he asks you to play air hockey, just say no. He's a wee bit competitive. I love you."
"I love you too," Sloane murmured absently. Dex headed back to Hudson and Cael as if he hadn't just told Sloane he'd be hanging out with Tony the rest of the evening. On his own.
Sloane had known Tony for years, and yes, the man had been like a father to him, but this was completely different. Tony wasn't just his sergeant and a father figure; he was Dex's dad, his fiance's dad. Sloane quickly shook himself out of it. He was being a drama queen. Like he couldn't handle Anthony Maddock. Whatever some believed, Tony wasn't so scary. He was a regular guy who worked his ass off and loved his boys. Sure, he could be intimidating, but that was on the job, or if Sloane did something to warrant being on the other end of his wrath, like when Dex was kidnapped and tortured. This was good. They could talk. No problem. But first....
Sloane shot Tony off a quick text. Before he headed over to dinner, he had somewhere to be. And he wouldn't miss it for the world.
Chapter 2
SEVERAL CABS pulled up, and Dex grinned wide, his heart swelling as all his friends poured out of the cars. The rest of his Destructive Delta family arrived dressed to the nines. Milena was on Rosa's arm, both women looking stunning. Dex was happy to see the former Dimples--now dubbed Captain Kirk--escorting a sexy-looking Letty. Bradley and Lou arrived together, making Dex smile. Things seemed to be going well for those two. Dex spotted Hobbs, a big dopey smile on his face. Dex winked at him, and then blew Calvin a kiss, laughing when Calvin rolled his eyes at him. Next were Nina and Rafe.