You Belong to Me - 3

 

 

By the time Christmas evening rolled around, Corey had had enough of family—at least all the family in one place at one time. He rested his head on the back of the sofa, eyes closed, listening to the babble of voices around him.

 

“Are you all right?”

 

Corey nodded, smiling slightly at Kerry when he sat down beside him. “Just feeling overwhelmed. Everyone talking at the same time.”

 

Kerry chuckled. “It’s always been like that, even when we were kids. Why’s it getting to you now?”

 

“I don’t know.” He looked around the room. Cathy and Jena were talking about Cathy’s upcoming wedding. Phil was explaining to Tom how the new electronic “toy” he’d given him for Christmas worked. Linda was bustling around, picking up stray bits of wrapping paper and empty cups and glasses, which she took to the kitchen. “I guess I was hoping to get away from constant noise and chatter for a couple of days. I should have known better, right?”

 

“With this family, you bet. Is what you do that bad?”

 

“Not really,” Corey admitted. “I love the job, and I think I’m pretty good at helping the men when they need it. But it can be stressful, especially with the teens. When I think of why they’re there…. Okay, I’m not going into that rant. I should consider myself lucky I have a family to spend the holidays with. I do, actually.”

 

“You two look awfully serious,” Jena said, settling down next to Kerry. “Discussing the fate of the world?”

 

Kerry snorted. “What’s to discuss? It’s doomed.”

 

“Cynic.”

 

“Realist.” He laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d have given up hope long ago.”

 

“Uh-huh.” She looked across him at Corey. “You have a pair of weird brothers. You know that, don’t you?”

 

Corey grinned. “The weirdest, but I still love them.”

 

“Well, you should, since you’re stuck with us,” Kerry told him.

 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, despite my grumbling to the contrary.”