Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run 6)

“Why?”

“Because . . . I have a hard time finding anything I like about her, and she reminds me of me.”

Ty sat up to look at him. He had his eyes closed, jaw clenched. Ty grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him up to sit, then took Zane’s chin in his hand and forced Zane to look at him. “Zane . . . you cannot possibly tell me that there is another one of you anywhere.”

Zane gave a weak laugh and wrapped his arms around Ty. Ty turned his face into Zane’s and held him close.

“I love you, Zane. Even if you are obnoxious.”

“You’re an ass.”

Ty smirked and turned his head for a kiss. A knock at the door interrupted them, and Ty sighed. “Yeah?” he called. Zane let his arms drop so he wasn’t holding Ty, but he didn’t scoot away.

The door opened with a creak, and Deuce poked his head in. “Just wanted to see how you were doing. You okay?”

Ty nodded.

“I slipped some . . . surprises in the tea after y’all left. Ma and Dad should both sleep ’til noon. I might have killed Grandpa, we’ll see in the morning.”

Ty laughed. “Thank you, Deacon.”

“Least I can do for my big brother.”

“How were they after we left?” Zane asked. He and Ty had gone to the ER to get Ty’s hand taken care of and hadn’t seen anyone when they’d gotten back.

Deuce pursed his lips. “Ma’s been crying. She kept saying if she’d only known, she’d have stopped you from leaving.” He shrugged. “Dad, I can’t read.”

“I’m thinking Dad will be easier to handle in the long run,” Ty said to Deuce, who nodded in agreement. Zane gave Ty a look that said he didn’t believe it, but he didn’t voice an opinion.

“Well.” Deuce smiled as he moved into the room. Ty stood when he got closer. “I’m proud of you. Both of you. Even if it wasn’t your doing to begin with, you did it nonetheless.”

Ty nodded jerkily, surprised by his reaction to his brother’s words. Emotions welled in him that he didn’t think he was ready for.

Deuce wrapped him up in a hug, his eyes squeezed shut, and when he spoke to Ty in a low whisper, his voice wavered. “You’ll always be my hero, Beaumont.”

Ty gave a choked laugh and patted the back of Deuce’s head. Deuce pulled away and cleared his throat, his eyes misting. He stepped over to give Zane a hug as well, and Ty had to turn away to wipe at his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

“How the hell did Chester come up with that?” Zane asked.

Deuce laughed and Ty just shook his head, scanning all the photos lining the walls of his old room as he wiped his eyes.

“You’ll have to ask Grandpa that,” Deuce told Zane. “Lord only knows what he sees when people forget he’s there.”

“I still think he uses that hearing aid as a listening device,” Ty muttered.

Deuce laughed and smiled at them both. “You guys okay? Feels kind of heavy in here.”

Ty nodded and glanced at Zane, who shrugged.

“Something happen I need to know about?” Deuce asked.

“Zane has mommy issues.”

Zane reached out and thumped Ty on the arm, hard.

“Interesting,” Deuce said, cocking his head at Zane. He looked like a bird of prey preparing to swoop in.

“No, it’s not. I’m just coming to the realization that my mother is a bitch.”

Deuce raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”

“Don’t start,” Zane growled.

Deuce glanced between them. “Well, I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Thanks, Deuce.”

“And if you need it, I’ve got more goodies in my doctor bag.”

Ty smirked. “Deacon, go away.”

“All right, Uptight. Night, you two. Sleep well,” he added, then turned and shut the door behind him.

Ty sat on the edge of the bed again, his chest still tight. He’d always been the role model in his generation of Grady kids, and ever since he’d been old enough to understand what responsibility was, his greatest fear was that he’d let one of them down. To see the sincerity in his brother’s eyes when he’d told him he was proud of him soothed Ty’s soul in a way not many other things could.

“Your brother’s a latent stoner, isn’t he?” Zane asked fondly.

“I don’t think there’s anything latent about it.”

Zane laughed and scooted down in the bed, pulling on Ty’s arm as he went. “Come here.”

Ty lay down with him, curling around him and settling his head on Zane’s shoulder. He’d grown comfortable with the opportunities he had to do this, to lean on Zane both physically and emotionally. It had taken him a long time to come to terms with the fact that it didn’t make him weak. When Zane wrapped his arms around him, it felt right.

“I’m proud of you too, Beaumont.”

The next morning was a little tense, to say the least, but better than Ty had expected under the circumstances. Breakfast started out stilted and awkward, but Deuce kept a conversation going with Zane about motorcycles, and Ty eventually got Mara to start rambling about the plans for the Bluefield Fourth of July parade. Then they all moved to the living room with coffee and homemade sweet rolls. It was the general consensus that, with Earl’s impressive black eye and Ty’s broken hand, they could skip church.

Deuce took the seat next to Zane on the couch, so Ty sat down on the floor between their feet as the conversation strengthened on the current baseball standings. Earl and Chester both were die-hard Braves fans just like Ty, but Deuce had jumped ship and started pulling for his hometown Phillies several years back. It made for a lively discussion when Deuce started gloating.

Finally the idle talk came around to one of the many subjects Ty had been dreading.

“I do have one question for you two,” Earl said.

“Just one?” Ty asked, though his heart had started racing. He glanced furtively over his shoulder at Zane. His lover seemed relaxed, but Ty knew that Zane was a lit fuse beneath the surface. Zane shrugged.

“When you were here last, Zane, you were wearing a wedding band,” Earl said, frowning at him.

“That’s right.”

Earl looked from Zane to Ty, raising an eyebrow.

“My wife died in a car accident five years before I met Ty.”

Earl nodded, watching Zane with what might have passed for sympathy.

“And you still wore your ring? Our condolences, Zane dear, that must have been hard on you,” Mara offered.