You Belong to Me – 93

 

 

Corey and Scott survived the wedding, the reception, and the aftermath. Since the members of the Byrne family who had attended it consisted only of those people Scott had already met, they didn’t have to go through any more “revelations” about Corey’s sexuality. If any of Cathy’s family were bothered by it, they had enough sense not to say so, at least publicly.

 

Now as Corey and Scott sat in the airport gate area, waiting for their plane, Scott said, “I was right, wasn’t I?”

 

“Yes,” Corey replied, smiling. “As you have pointed out, just about every hour on the hour, you were. I had no reason to worry. Well…a reason, maybe, but I was dead wrong, thankfully.”

 

“They’re good people. Okay, Phil’s a bit of a space cadet but….”

 

Corey snickered. “I prefer to think of him as a free spirit.”

 

“That works.”

 

After studying Scott for a long moment, something he loved doing whether there was a reason behind it or not, Corey asked hesitantly, “Will I get to meet your family sometime?” He knew from what Scott had said a time or two that it was a large one, spread out across the country.

 

Scott nodded. “Maybe all at once actually. The folks are planning a huge family reunion in September.”

 

Eight months from now. Will we still be together then? Corey almost voiced his thought, then decided he could be jinxing things. Instead he said, joking, “Are they renting Yankee Stadium?”

 

“Maybe?” Scott laughed. “You’ll find out when it happens.” Smiling, he gave Corey a fast hug. “And you will be there, have no doubts about that. Because as far as I’m concerned, you’re in my life now and I have no intention of that changing if I can help it. Yeah, I know, we’re still in the early stages and it’ll take work, but I honestly think we’ll make it.” He looked questioningly at Corey. “Right?”

 

“Right,” Corey replied seriously. Then, after glancing around to be certain no one was interested in them, he kissed Scott—quickly. “We will.”

 

Scott laughed. “If you can do that, in front of God and everyone, I think we have more than a damned good chance of making it to the reunion together. And then Christmas with our families, staggered on alternate years, and—”

 

The announcement that their plane was boarding broke into Scott’s list of future events.

 

Grinning as he slung his carry-on bag over his shoulder, Corey said, “We’re going to rack up lots of frequent flyer miles for sure.”

 

“And that’s a problem, why?”

 

“It’s not. If we’re earning them together.”

 

“Exactly,” Scott agreed.

 

And with that, they boarded the plane and headed home.

 

The End

 

 

You Belong to Me – 92

 

 

“You shaved,” Corey said the moment he saw Phil. “And got a haircut.”

 

Phil laughed. “Yeah, I think the groom is supposed to look presentable, at least according to my soon-to-be bride.” He glanced at the others and then back to Corey. “I thought you were bringing your most recent girlfriend.”

 

“Well, about that… umm….”

 

Scott stepped forward, holding out his hand. “I’m Scott Reed, and I’m not a girl.”

 

“I can see that,” Phil said dryly. “Corey, is there something you’ve neglected to tell me?”

 

Feeling more comfortable now that he knew his parents had accepted he was gay, Corey replied, “There is. Scott’s my… well, ‘boyfriend’ sounds lame now that I think about it. He’s my lover and—”

 

“Maybe more in time,” Scott broke in. Then he asked sharply, “Does that bother you?”

 

Phil shrugged. “Hell, man, I live here and work in the movie industry. What do you think?”

 

“That your job does not necessarily define how you feel about accepting a gay couple. Especially when one half of the couple is your brother.”

 

“I’m cool with it, as long as you make him happy. If you screw him around, you’ll have me to deal with. Got that?”

 

“Yeah, got it.” Scott held out his hand again, and this time Phil shook it.

 

“Now that that’s settled,” Cathy said, smiling at the assembled group, “shall we eat? Oh, and Scott, it’s nice to meet you. Surprising—” She grinned. “—considering we were expecting him to bring a woman as a cover, but nice nonetheless.”

 

You Belong to Me – 91

 

 

The quartet, Kerry and Jena in the lead, walked down the hallway to a room at the far end. A moment after Kerry knocked, his mother opened the door. She stepped aside to let them in and immediately embraced Corey.

 

His father appeared seconds later, giving Corey a quick hug before acknowledging Scott’s presence, saying, “I’m Tom Byrne, and you are?”

 

Corey replied before Scott could. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Scott Reed, my”—he glanced at Scott momentarily, getting a quick hug in return—“my boyfriend.”

 

Linda looked up at her husband and smiled before turning her attention back to Corey—and Scott. “It’s about time.”

 

“What?” Corey asked in disbelief.

 

“Corey, sweetie, we figured out quite a while ago you were gay. All it took was watching you with the girls you went to high school with. You were friends, but that was it. You never seemed the least bit interested in dating any of them until—” She smiled. “—you figured out you’d better at least pretend, to keep anyone from knowing. I’ll admit, at first it was a shock. We debated what we should do about it, then realized there wasn’t anything we could do. So we kept quiet, waiting for you to tell us.”

 

Corey gulped. “I was so sure….”

 

“That we’d disown you or something?” Tom asked, shaking his head. “You’re our son, and a good person. The fact that you prefer men over women is just a small part of what you are. At least as far as we’re concerned.” Tom turned to Kerry, grinning a bit. “Can I presume this came as no surprise to you?”

 

“It did until he told me about the murder. Then I figured it out, but hey, at least he made a good choice when it came to Scott. You don’t know it, but he’s the one who dealt with Corey’s stalker.”

 

“In that case,” Linda said, “you’re doubly welcome here, Scott.”

 

“Thank you, Mrs. Byrne.”

 

“You will call me Linda, or else,” she replied with mock severity.

 

He smiled, giving a small bow. “Yes… Linda.”

 

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, we’d better get down to the restaurant. I’m sure Phil and Cathy are wondering what’s taking us so long,” Tom said.

 

You Belong to Me – 90

 

 

Forty-five minutes later Corey and Scott had settled in their room, waiting for Kerry to join them.

 

“Calm down,” Scott said as he watched Corey pace back and forth. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

 

“Says you. You don’t know my folks.”

 

“I know they raised a good man, which says they have to be good people themselves.”

 

“They are. The problem is—” He shook his head. “—they think they’re liberal, for Catholics, but when it comes to this, I’m just afraid their liberalism will go straight out the window.”

 

“Corey,” Scott said, stopping his pacing by embracing him tightly. “Don’t sell them short, and don’t go asking for trouble when there might not be any. All right?”

 

Corey nodded, resting his head on Scott’s shoulder. Seconds later he tensed when there was a knock on the door. It was Kerry, with Jena at his side.

 

She hugged Corey, then looked past him at Scott. “Wow, you done good,” she stage-whispered to Corey.

 

“I take it I pass inspection,” Scott said with a laugh.

 

“Oh yeah. If I didn’t love Kerry, and if you were straight….” She winked at him.

 

“Girl, behave,” Kerry grumbled, chuckling.

 

“Why?” She grinned up at him.

 

He shrugged, kissed her forehead, then said to Corey, “The folks are waiting for us. We’re meeting Phil and Cathy for lunch in the hotel’s restaurant. And stop frowning.” He gripped Corey’s shoulder. “You’re not facing a firing squad.”

 

“My words exactly,” Scott said.

 

“No, you said ‘don’t ask for trouble’,” Corey reminded him, earning a hug in response. “Okay, I’m ready—I guess.”

You Belong to Me – 89

 

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kerry,” Scott said as soon as Corey introduced him to his brother at the airport baggage claim area.

 

“The feeling’s mutual. Corey’s told me a lot about you.”

 

“Oh boy,” Scott muttered.

 

“All good. Honest,” Corey asserted.

 

“Definitely,” Kerry agreed. “You two ready?”

 

“We have our bags, so yeah, I guess.” Corey wasn’t certain he was, but it was too late now.

 

“Double-checking, Corey. Your reservations are at the Mumford?” Kerry said as they headed toward the exit leading to where he’d parked the car.

 

Corey nodded. Scott was a little more verbal, saying, “According to your brother, your whole family, and the bride’s, are staying there because it’s not too far from the church.”

 

“About a block and a half.”

 

“Damn,” Scott exclaimed as they stepped out of the terminal. “I’d forgotten how warm Southern California is, even at this time of year.”

 

“Tell me about it. Like you two, we arrived wearing our winter jackets. We shed them real fast.”

 

“We?” Scott asked, taking off his jacket and slinging it over his arm.

 

Kerry smiled. “Me and Jena, my partner. You’ll meet her when we get to the hotel.”

 

“She knows, doesn’t she?” Corey asked, his own jacket now lying over the top of his roll-along suitcase.

 

“You bet. She’s eager to meet Scott. Mom and Dad and Phil just know you’re bringing a friend.”

 

Scott chuckled. “They’re expecting some nubile young woman, I bet.”

 

Kerry grinned. “Probably.”

 

When Corey sighed, Scott put an arm around his waist. “We can always stop somewhere before we get to the hotel, so I can pick up a wig and a muumuu. I don’t think we’d find a dress that would fit me on such short order.”

 

“Stop,” Corey muttered, smacking his arm. But he did manage to smile. “I don’t think you’d pass inspection since you decided to grow a mustache.”

 

“Probably not.”

 

 

You Belong to Me – 88

 

 

Kerry laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. So even though the two of you aren’t in a committed relationship yet, I’d say, knowing you, it might be in the offing. Especially since he’s coming to the wedding with you.”

 

“Which is going to be… interesting, to say the least.”

 

“Yeah, maybe. I’m still betting the folks take it in stride. Especially since Detective Reed—”

 

“Damn, Kerry, call him Scott. Okay?”

 

“Okay. As I was saying, the folks will deal, especially since Scott saved you from the stalker.”

 

“They know someone did, just not who. God, I thought Mom was going to come flying out here to be certain I really was all right when I called to tell them what happened.”

 

Kerry laughed. “She might have, if she hadn’t called to tell me about it right after you talked to them. I played dumb, was suitably surprised, and reassured her I’d call Foster to make sure you’d survived unscathed.”

 

“Thank you,” Corey said sincerely. “I don’t think I could have handled her right then.”

 

“I’m sure. Okay, we’d better cut this short. I have a bachelor’s party to attend.”

 

“Don’t let Phil make a fool of himself.”

 

Kerry snorted. “I’ll need luck with that. Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?”

 

“Sure. We get in at eleven Friday morning, which gives me time to get ready for the wedding rehearsal.”

 

“And….”—Corey could almost see the wicked smile on his brother’s face—“introduce Scott to Mom and Dad and Phil.”

 

“That too. At which point he and I might be taking the next plane back here.”

 

“Corey, have faith. It’s going to be just fine.”

 

“Damn, I hope so.”

 

You Belong to Me – 87

 

Two days before he and Scott were to leave for Phil’s wedding, Corey called Kerry. He’d talked to him after the stalker had been arrested, to tell him what had happened. But he hadn’t mentioned anything about his and Scott’s budding relationship.

 

But I’d better. It will give us at least one person in our corner if the shit hits the fan.

 

With that, he punched in Kerry’s number and paced as he waited for him to answer.

 

“Hey, Corey. What’s up? And don’t you dare say you’re not coming to the wedding.”

 

“Wasn’t planning on it. I mean not coming. As a matter of fact, I’m bringing a friend.”

 

There was a second’s pause before Kerry said, “A male friend?”

 

“Yes. His name is Scott Reed.”

 

“The detective who went undercover to help stop the stalker,” Kerry stated. “Detective Foster told me about him.”

 

Puzzled, Corey asked, “Why?”

 

“After you called me to tell me about the murder, I wanted to find out what Foster was going to do about it. I reached him right after he’d decided to have Detective Reed go undercover as your ex. As a detective myself, and your brother, I wanted to be certain Reed knew what he was doing. Foster gave him a glowing recommendation.”

 

Corey chuckled. “Nice of him.”

 

“It did ease my mind a bit. Now, I’ll get to thank him in person. And vet him to see if he’s a suitable partner for you.”

 

“Don’t you dare! Besides which, we really haven’t gotten that far yet.”

 

“Have you slept with him?”

 

“That is none of your business.”

 

 

You Belong to Me – 86

 

“And that was the gist of it,” Corey told Scott an hour later when he called. “I hope I convinced him he was not to blame for what his brother did.”

 

“I’m sure you did. You can convince anyone about anything.”

 

“Meaning?” Corey asked a bit waspishly, unsure if that was a compliment or a criticism.

 

Scott laughed. “You persuaded me to take a chance on us.”

 

“Only because I didn’t want you walking out of my life.”

 

Corey could almost see Scott lifting an eyebrow when he replied, “Only?”

 

“Okay. I’d have been a broken shell of a man if you had.”

 

“Oh my God, Corey, could you be any more dramatic?”

 

Corey snickered. “Probably, if I tried.”

 

“You are feeling better. This is a side of you I haven’t seen before.”

 

“I’m happy, Scott. Happy to have my life back on some sort of even keel. Happy that—” He paused then spoke softly “—that you decided I’m worth taking a chance on.”

 

“That was an easy decision,” Scott replied just as softly.

 

“You say that now, but I know there was a time….”

 

“There was, but never doubt I was more than interested in you above and beyond keeping you safe, even then. I just wasn’t willing to cope with being—” He chuckled. “—undercover in your life. I get enough of that with my job.”

 

“Not happening now, and you know it. You were right. No one at work seems to give a damn that I’m gay. Now I can only pray my family will feel the same way.”

 

“That, we’ll find out in a couple of weeks. I got the lieutenant to give me two days off to go to the wedding.”

 

“Yes!” Corey pumped his fist in the air.

 

“Pumping your fist is so childish.”

 

“Is not. Wait, how did you know what I did?”

 

Scott laughed. “I would have done the same thing if the situation was reversed.”

 

“Making you childish too.”

 

“Well….”

 

They continued talking for a while before making a date to go out Saturday night. When they hung up, Corey smiled happily. He really does like me, as much as I like him. Now if only the family will accept that we’re together.

 

He looked up, praying. Please, God, make it so.

 

 

 

You Belong to Me – 85

 

Silas hesitated and then asked, “Would you hate me if I got him a good lawyer? One who could get him off on an insanity plea? He’d still be behind bars, so to speak, but maybe he’d get the help he needs.”

 

Corey hesitated, then nodded. “I think that wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

 

“Meaning not great, but….”

 

“But what he needs.”

 

“Thank you. Thank you for listening to me, and talking to me, and understanding.”

 

“You’re welcome. I only have one request of you. Do not blame yourself.”

 

“I’ll try not to.”

 

“Good. And if you need someone to talk to….”

 

Silas actually managed a smile. “I’ll call my local shrink.”

 

“I meant me,” Corey said, smiling back. “But yeah, that would probably be better in the long run.”

 

“Probably. For now though, I should let you go home. I’ve kept you way too long, and to be honest, I’m beginning to freeze to death.”

 

“Do you need a ride?”

 

Silas shook his head. “I’m parked over there, but thanks.”

 

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. And Silas, this conversation was just between the two of us, I promise.” And Scott, he added silently.

 

“Thank you… again.”

 

“No problem.”

 

 

You Belong to Me – 84

 

“Damn,” Silas whispered, looked distraught.

 

“Do you think I’m wrong?” Corey asked.

 

“No. I was just thinking. Whenever I found a girl I liked, he did his best to break it up. He’d point out how she wasn’t good enough for me. That he was older and wiser and he had to keep me from making a fool of myself over some female.”

 

“He wanted you all to himself.”

 

“Yes. Not… Not like that sounds. He just…. He had no one else in his life but me.”

 

“You told me he was egotistical, domineering.”

 

Silas nodded. “He thought he was the perfect brother. The one who knew what was right for me and God help me if I disagreed.”

 

“Then as you said—when you implied, at least to his way of thinking—that you wished you were me, everything got mixed up in his mind.”

 

“This is crazy,” Silas said forlornly. “He’s crazy.”

 

“Not to sound callous, but I think at this point, that’s a given.”

 

Silas looked at him, tears in his eyes. “Can you ever forgive me for… for what I caused?”

 

“It wasn’t your fault! Whether we’re right about the reasons behind what he did or not, you had no way of knowing he’d take a few drunken words from you and turn them into an obsession.”

 

“I… suppose not. Corey”—Silas looked down, wiping the back of his hand over his eyes—“I didn’t know. I swear it. I didn’t know it was him.”

 

“How could you have? You didn’t have any idea what was going on.”

 

“True… I guess.” Silas smiled weakly. “You did keep it to yourself very well.”

 

“Well, as I told the police after my friend was murdered, I had no proof I was even being stalked. Luckily they believed me and….”

 

“And stopped him before he killed someone else—or you.”

 

         “Yeah.”

 

 

You Belong to Me – 83

 

 

An hour later, Corey found out that was pretty much the case. Most of the people he worked with were more upset that he hadn’t told them that the murder in his building had taken place in his apartment than they were about why the stalker had targeted him. Not, as he had to explain more than once, that he knew why he'd been targeted. “After all,” he told Mr. Zimmer when he asked, “I never even met the man.”

 

Silas wasn’t due to work until Wednesday, much to Corey’s relief. He wasn’t certain how he’d be able to face him, all things considered, or what he’d say. But at least he’d have more time to figure that out. So when he got to the parking lot that evening and saw Silas leaning against his car, Corey stopped dead. His first thought was that the man had come to finish what his brother Travis had started.

 

Silas must have seen the fear in Corey’s expression, because he held his hands out from his sides as if to show he wasn’t armed. “I just want to talk to you,” he called out.

 

Cautiously Corey approached him. “I’m listening.”

 

“I feel awful about what my brother did to you.”

 

“It wasn’t your fault,” Corey protested, again feeling sorry for him.

 

“In a way, it was.” Silas began pacing. “He’s, well, crazy. He’s also very protective when it comes to me, because we’re the only two left in our family. Over Christmas, while you were gone, I said some things to him.” He stopped pacing, staring down at the ground. “It was Christmas Eve. We celebrated by going out to a club. One of the ones he liked. I got very drunk and started talking about how lucky you were to have parents and… and siblings to celebrate with and all I had was him.” He looked up at Corey. “I was jealous of you being able to sit down to dinner with people you loved, open gifts given to you by people who cared about you. And there we were in some damned bar getting plastered on cheap beer.”

 

“He took that to heart,” Corey said softly.

 

Silas nodded. “I didn’t know it. He never said a word. But he must have. Why else would he have gone after you like that? I think… I think he saw you as competition for my… affection, for lack of a better word. He’s the one who brought me up, and there I was saying—implying—that I wished I was you.”

 

“So he decided to make me as miserable as he felt.”

 

“Maybe. I don’t know. I wish I did.”

 

“He said I belonged to him.”

 

Silas frowned. “He did?”

 

         “Yeah. I wonder….” Corey leaned against the car and drummed his fingers on the fender in thought. “He was angry at what you’d said, but he couldn’t take it out on you because he loves you. You said he raised you and protected you. You ‘belong’ to him because of that. But he also couldn’t let his anger out on you—because of that. So he transferred it to me. He made me, in his mind, the ungrateful brother who deserved to be punished. Then, when he saw me with someone else, they had to be eliminated. I was his and no one else’s.”

You Belong to Me - 82

 

Corey and Scott were definitely compatible in bed. They proved that twice before falling into an exhausted sleep. So when the alarm went off much too soon on Tuesday morning, Corey smacked it so hard it fell off the nightstand. He told it to shut up when it kept beeping.

 

Scott laughed. “Easy there.”

 

It took Corey a moment to realize the voice didn’t come from next to him. He cracked open one eye enough to see that Scott was dressed already. “Up and at ’em,” Scott told him, coming over to ruffle Corey’s hair.

 

Corey grabbed his wrist, grumbling, “Don’t wanna.”

 

“Tough, little boy. If I have to go to work, so do you, so move it.”

 

With a sigh Corey sat up, muttering, “I’m not a little boy.”

 

Scott grinned. “Then quit acting like one. If you get your butt in gear, I might be persuaded to take you out to breakfast.”

 

“Now there’s an offer I won’t refuse.”

 

Twenty minutes later they were out the door after arranging to meet at a breakfast place close to the shelter, since they were both driving. They arrived virtually at the same time and walked together to the restaurant.

 

As they neared the door, Corey saw the headline of the paper in the news box. Swearing softly, he inserted a quarter in the slot and took one. “Well, I guess I’m getting my fifteen minutes of fame, like it or not.”

 

Folding the paper under his arm, he waited until they were inside and seated before reading the article. “Poor Silas,” he murmured when he finished the story about the capture of the stalker.

 

“Did they mention him by name?” Scott asked.

 

“No. Just Travis… and me.” Corey grimaced. “They even kept your name out of it.”

 

“Better have.”

 

“You’re called ‘Mr. Byrne’s friend, who was targeted by the stalker’ and other words to that effect. They did tie it in to Brad’s killing at my place.” Corey blew out a breath of frustration. “I don’t think I’ll have to tell anyone at the shelter I’m gay. They would just have to read this to know.”

 

Reaching across the booth table, Scott took his hand. “You’ll be fine. I’m betting other than some surprise, no one’s really going to give a damn.”

 

“Please, God, make that true.”

 

You Belong to Me – 81

 

“You have to make sure they don’t give you an assignment over the first weekend in February,” Corey told him.

 

 “Oh? Why’s that?”

 

“Because if I’m going to break things to my family, I need you there giving me courage. That weekend is when my brother Phil is getting married.”

 

Scott laughed. “So you think you’ll defuse your… revelation… by doing it when everyone is concentrating on that happy event?”

 

Corey nodded. “Is that crazy? Or asking to spoil it?”

 

“No. I think it’s probably the perfect time. I’ll talk to my lieutenant. After all, that’s only a couple of weeks from now. I still have time coming after my last assignment, so I should be able to wrangle a day or two off.”

 

“Thank you!”

 

“Hey, for you, anything.” Scott kissed him again.

 

Corey was so relieved, he said, impetuously, “Even letting me find out if we’re compatible in… all ways?”

 

Scott obviously got what he meant and his lips turning up in a grin, “Well, it’s pretty late and you do have to work in the morning.”

 

“Trust me, I’ve done that on only a few hours of sleep before. I think I’ll survive.”

 

“In that case….” Scott stood, waiting for Corey to join him. “I think your ‘compatibility’ test is in order. After all….”

 

“We do need to know,” Corey agreed as he headed to the bedroom, knowing Scott was right behind him.