by Rick R. Reed
He’d begun casually. “How are things? You know, in the afterlife. Is it what you expected?”
“Pancakes every night for supper,” Corky said and winked. “It never gets cold. And the beds here? They’re real heavenly beds, honey.” Corky shrugged. “It’s as okay as it can be, without you.”
Milt nodded. “Do you watch me?”
“Like on TV? Or what was that movie we saw once? With that Jim Carrey?”
“The Truman Show.”
Corky nodded. “That’s it.” His gaze took on a faraway cast. “Maybe at first, I was involved with you. I needed to see what you were doing. But honestly, my sweetheart, the time I spent on you became less and less as I realized your earthly concerns weren’t mine. Not anymore. It’s not that you stop caring, man, it’s that you realize the important stuff—the love—never goes away, no matter the minutia going on down there or up there or wherever.” Corky laughed. “I’m not in a place, you know.”
“I think I do. It’s good to see you clear-headed, smart, like you used to be.”
“Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me when that ‘smart’ man you refer to was buried inside. I was always there, my sweet man. I knew everything you did. The hell of it was I could never let you know I knew.”
Milt’s breath caught. He squeezed his eyes shut to ebb the flow of sudden tears.
“Don’t cry.”
Milt shook his head. “I knew. I knew.” He laughed. “That’s why I put up with all of your shit. And we are not talking metaphorically here.”
They both had a good laugh over that. They were perhaps the only two people who could.
“But seriously, I had this sense, deep inside, that you were always there, even when you seemed most lost.”
“You were right.”
They said nothing for a while. The wind picked up, and it seemed that Corky’s image wavered a little with it, the edges fragmenting and then coming back together.
When the wind died down, Corky said, “I know.”
“You know what?” Milt asked, heat rising to his cheeks despite the arctic chill in the air. He knew.
“Let’s not play games. I left all that behind.”
“He’s a nice guy.”
“I know that too.” Corky smiled, and suddenly he felt much closer, although he stayed where he was. “You love him.”
“I think I do.”
“No, you do.”
“Is that okay?”
“Don’t be stupid, Milt.” And Milt felt a little slap to the back of his head. He rubbed it, smiling at Corky. “What do you think? There’s only so much love in the world? That you have to be careful how you portion it so you don’t run out?”
Milt wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.
“Love is what the whole world is made of. It’s all there is. And there’s no end to it. You’ll get to this on your own, very soon, but I’ll just tell you now—your love for him doesn’t diminish in the least your love for me. You have enough. You always have enough.”
Milt nodded, closing his eyes for just a moment to savor an image of Billy in his head. It was that first time he saw him, when he came to help him out when his trailer flooded. There was someone who cared. He knew too that savoring this image wasn’t wrong. Corky could see it, Milt believed, in his head and approved. Because it made Milt happy.
When he opened his eyes, all he saw was the black grave marker, the dried and yellow grass hidden here and there under patches of dirty snow and ice, and a sky that had turned threatening, with blackish clouds gathering.
The snow began coming down harder.
Milt took one more look at the tombstone and hurried to the car, where he smiled at the vision of Billy asleep in the passenger seat.
As he was reaching for the door handle, he swore he felt, very soft, a gentle kiss planted on the top of his head.
He paused to look up at the sky, and swear to God, the clouds parted for just one moment to reveal a spear of golden sunlight.
And a butterfly, its wings yellow and cobalt blue, fluttered past his vision to disappear into the snow.
He opened the door, and Billy roused, looking over at Milt and smiling. “Okay?”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Milt started the car and drove off, confidently, into the blizzard.
More from Rick R. Reed
Tate D’Angelo always thought he knew who his father was: beloved doctor, devoted husband and father…. Everyone at the funeral shared the same glowing stories of a kind soul. So when his father’s old college buddy, Randy, approaches him after the service, Tate expects to hear echoes of the same.
Instead, he gets a lifetime’s worth of letters that tell a different tale and cause him to view his father—and his family—in a whole new light.
The truth, about a secret romance kept buried for decades, astonishes him. Overwhelmed by grief and confusion, Tate is unsure if he can bear learning how the lives of two men entwined over the years, but he reads on anyway, discovering more to value, more to respect, and most importantly, more to love about the man who raised him.
When Aaron finds Mavis, an emaciated and shy Boston terrier, at a pet adoption fair, his heart goes out to her—completely.
When Christian, manning the adoption fair for the Humane Society that autumn Saturday, finds Aaron, his heart goes out to him—completely.
This is a story about embracing love, whether it’s for someone who walks on four legs or on two. Mavis’s journey back to wholeness and finding her forever home parallels the story of two men discovering each other at the perfect moment—a moment that defies logic, propriety, and common sense. But when did love ever follow a rational course?
Finding and keeping love can be a challenge in the modern world of blogging, social media, and online dating, as one man will learn in this trilogy.
VGL Male Seeks Same
Poor Ethan Schwartz. At forty-two, he’s alone, his bed is empty, and his HDTV is overworked. He’s tried bars and other places where gay men are supposed to find each other, but it never works out. Maybe he should get a cat?
But his life is about to change…
NEG UB2
Poor Ethan. He’s received the most shocking news a gay man can get—he’s HIV positive. Until today his life was perfect, with a job he loves and Brian, who could be “the one.” The one to complete him and fill his lonely life with laughter, hot sex, and romance.
But Ethan’s in for another shock. Could Brian have infected him?
STATUS UPDATES
Alone again, Ethan wonders if life is worth living, even with a cat. When an old nemesis sends a Facebook friend request, Ethan is suspicious but intrigued. It seems this old acquaintance has turned his life around, and the changes might hold the key to Ethan getting a new lease on life… and love.
Jimmy and Marc make an adorable couple. Jimmy’s kindness and clean-cut cuteness radiate out of him like light. Marc, although a bit older, complements Jimmy with his humor and his openness to love.
But between them, a dark secret lurks, one with the power to destroy.
See, when Marc believes he’s meeting Jimmy for the first time in the diner where he works, he’s wrong.
Marc has no recollection of their original encounter because the wholesome Jimmy of today couldn’t be more different than he was two years ago. Back then, Jimmy sported multiple piercings, long bleached dreadlocks, and facial hair. He was painfully skinny—and a meth addict. The drug transformed him into a different person—a lying, conniving thief who robbed Mark blind during their one-night stand.
Marc doesn’t associate the memory of a hookup gone horribly wrong with this fresh-faced, smiling twentysomething… but Jimmy knows. As they begin a dance of love and attraction, will Jimmy be brave enough to reveal the truth? And if he does, will Marc be able to forgive him? Can he see Jimmy for the man he is now and not the addict he was? The answers will depend on whether true love holds enough light to shine through the d
arkness of past mistakes.
What if your first love was abducted and presumed dead—but returned twenty years later?
That’s the dilemma Cole Weston faces. Now happily married to Tommy D’Amico, he’s suddenly thrown into a surreal world when his first love, Rory Schneidmiller, unexpectedly reappears.
Where has Rory been all this time? Has he time-traveled? What happened to him two decades ago, when a strange mass appeared in the night sky and lifted him into outer space? Rory has no memory of those years. For him, it’s as though only a day or two has passed.
Rory still loves Cole with the passion unique to young first love. Cole has never forgotten Rory, yet Tommy has been his rock, by his side since Rory disappeared.
Cole is forced to choose between an idealized and passionate first love and the comfort of a long-term marriage. How can he decide? Who faces this kind of quandary, anyway? The answers might lie among the stars….
Readers love Rick R. Reed
I Heart Boston Terriers
“…this is a great short story, full of promise for the future, and it’s sweet and light and a good mood-picker-upper.”
—Hearts on Fire Reviews
M4M
“As always, Reed combines story-telling with the human experience and I would highly recommend M4M.”
—Joyfully Jay
The Perils of Intimacy
“I was rooting for these guys every step of the way. Another fantastic story from Rick Reed!”
—The Novel Approach
This story was truly everything I was hoping it would be. I was already a fan of Rick R. Reed’s books, but this one might just be my favourite so far.”
—Love Bytes
Real Men. True Love.
RICK R. REED draws inspiration from the lives of gay men to craft stories that quicken the heartbeat, engage emotions, and keep the pages turning. Although he dabbles in horror, dark suspense, and comedy, his attention always returns to the power of love. He’s the award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction and is forever at work on yet another book. Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint….”
Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA with his beloved husband.
Website: www.rickrreed.com
Blog: www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com
By Rick R. Reed
Bashed
Big Love • Bigger Love
Blink
Blue Umbrella Sky
Caregiver
Chaser • Raining Men
The Couple Next Door
A Dangerous Game
Dinner at Fiorello’s
Dinner at Jack’s
Dinner at Home
Dinner at the Blue Moon Café
With Vivien Dean: Family Obligations
Homecoming
Hungry for Love
Husband Hunters
I Heart Boston Terriers
Legally Wed
Lost and Found
M4M
An Open Window
The Perils of Intimacy
Simmer
Sky Full of Mysteries
Tricks
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
With Vivien Dean: #15 – Stranded with Desire
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Blue Umbrella Sky
© 2019 Rick R. Reed.
Cover Art
© 2019 Reese Dante.
http://www.reesedante.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-876-8
Mass Market Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64108-069-9
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64080-877-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018944473
Digital published March 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
