Busy with another wedding, Tara leaves Cory and CJ to spend the weekend together. This time, Cory takes CJ to RiverCreek to spend time with Lloyd at his request, "Hey Core, Little Dude, thanks for coming down this weekend. Please, make yourselves at home. How are things going, and how is the ever so lovely Tara doing?"

"She's great but working more wedding receptions. I'm freshening myself for the nursing exams, and CJ loves learning about cars here. I may have a future mechanical engineer on my hands," Cory says with pride.

"Seriously! I mean, I don't doubt the passion for cars, given how much you love them. Your dream car was a Mark IV Supra, and I remember that much and how obsessed you were with owning one. Speaking of which, do you still have plans for medical school?"

With the mention of continuing his education, Cory dips his head to avoid the hurt in his eyes, "No. I had that dream, but now I've shifted my focus to making a better life for CJ and Tara. I can make a good living as a nurse, and I may study on working to become a Physician Assistant after CJ gets a little older."

"I can respect that decision. But, on the subject of futures and life. I have some news and a question to ask," Lloyd begins while rubbing his hands over the other.

Cory has an idea of what's about to be revealed, but he doesn't want to ruin the moment for one of his best friends. It takes Lloyd a little time to blurt out what's on his mind.

"Simon and I are getting married, and I want you to be my best man. Will you be my best man at my wedding?"

Without missing a beat, Cory firmly puts his hand on Lloyd's shoulder, "It will be my honor to be right there beside you. Why me, though? Rick's just as worthy as I am."

Lloyd doesn't mince words or waste time with his response, "I thought about which one to ask, and you were the first person I came out to and accepted me for who I am. Being gay in this town was frowned upon, and it cost my mom and me a lot. But, you and Rick never left my side or let anyone bully me for coming out. That's something I can never repay," Lloyd says, nearly in tears.

"What matters is on the inside of a person. You could have bright pink hair and a cheesy porn mustache, and I'd still be proud to stand beside you. We were raised to see what's inside a person and not judge by the lives and choices we've made. You're one of my best friends, and you always will be; plus, I can call Simon my adoptive brother-in-law."

Lloyd's moved by the kind words. So much so that he pulls Cory in for a hug. CJ stands there feeling left out, "Unky Lloyd, can I be I your wedding too?"

The sound of CJ's voice is enough for Lloyd to break the hug from Cory and get down on one knee to look CJ in the eyes, "How would you like to be my ring bearer? That's an important job. You get to bring Uncle Simon and me our wedding rings."

"Are they big rings like the one my mom wears?"

"That is an excellent question, little Cory. While your mom has that beautiful ring your dad gave her, our rings are going to be smooth with our names etched into them. Your mom's ring is gold; ours are going to be silver."

CJ's face lights up, "That's one of our favorite colors!"

Not far off, a bystander who knows of Lloyd screams at him after seeing him drop down to CJ's level, "Hey! Yo! Homo, get away from that child, you rapist-looking son of a bitch."

Instantly boiling with rage, Cory runs and finds himself so close to the guy's face that he can smell the beer on his breath. Lloyd and CJ stand there, afraid of what will happen between Cory and the stranger with a crew-cut hairstyle and handlebar mustache.

"You want to say that bullshit again?" Cory demands.

"Sure will; you and your little homo friend best go pack your asses and leave that kid alone. The last thing this world needs is more faggots trashing it up. Now, boy, get out of my face before I bitchslap you like your momma should've."

Without hesitation, Cory shoves the guy back with a left hook. Lloyd takes CJ around the corner and calls Rick, "Hey! I need you at City Hall now! Cory's in a fight with a guy. I need you here now, please, Rick!"

"I'm on my way; call the cops. I'll call Lorraine."

Rick hangs up and calls Mrs. Dubois immediately, and she speeds to City Hall. When she pulls up, she sees Cory getting hit in the ribs as he returns the punch to the guy's face.

"Stop it!" Lorraine screams, running up to the combatant, pepper-spraying them.

As Cory and the stranger roll in agony, the sounds of sirens can be heard in the background. Lloyd keeps CJ around the corner and tries to keep him from being so upset.

"It's okay, CJ; daddy was doing what he's always done, protecting me. So don't worry, mamaws with him now, and the Sheriff is here to keep him from fighting," Lloyd says with CJ in his arms.

"Nicollet County Sheriff! I need to see your hands stretched out now! Both of you, do it!"

Lorraine stands with her hands up, "Former Sheriff Dubois, you're not in danger. You may lower your arms. What's your relationship to either of these men?"

"The one in the red shirt with the longer hair. He's my son, Cory."

"And why am I not surprised to see you again, Stephen Garnett. So what caused the ruckus this time? Someone take your beer too soon, or were you making more homophobic rants?" The Sheriff says, walking to Lorraine.

"I ain't done a damn thing, you worthless sack of shit. Those homo's over there trying to recruit that little boy into their sick cult is the problem. Why don't you get off your jelly donut-eating fat ass and arrest them for being indecent in public?" Stephen screams with his face inches from the pavement.

Not long after they were ordered to put their hands out, his deputies arrive to assist with the situation, "Sheriff, sir, we'll take them into custody. Is there anyone who saw what caused the altercation?"

"Once they're cuffed, give them both a breathalyzer test. Keep them apart, and book Mr. Garnett for public intoxication. As for Mr. Dubois, place him in a cell and get his statement." The Sheriff states with his arms crossed.

Rick arrives out of sight and stays with CJ. Lloyd steps out and approaches the officers.

"It started over me, gentlemen. The burly-looking guy made some rather unflattering remarks at me. My best friend, Cory, the one in the red shirt, took it upon himself to confront this gentleman. I didn't hear what was said between them," Lloyd explains to the Sheriff.

"We'll take them in and get their side of the story. Once again, I am sorry that you were subjected to ignorance Mayor Trippet. I'll do what I can, and if it's proven to be self-defense, I'll see to it that your friend is let go with only a fine."

"Please don't go hard on him. Cory is an injured veteran. It's not his first time fighting over me. Let him know I appreciate what he did standing up for me."

"I will, Mr. Mayor. He sounds like good people."

Cory is detained and put into the back of a police cruiser. Lorraine follows him to the station with Lloyd riding with her and Rick taking CJ to Olivia.

"Hey, Ricky Ticky, what are you doing with CJ?" When she sees them walk into her office at the grocery store, Olivia asks.

"Cory got into a fight with a guy badgering Lloyd. I have CJ with me because they took him to the Sheriff's station for questioning. Lloyd and Mrs. Dubois are there now. Don't say anything to Tara yet. She told me about being worried about Cory's mental state lately, and this is the last thing she needs. Sadly, it's not the first time Cory has been in trouble fighting to take up for Lloyd. I'm guilty of a couple of scraps when we were younger. I don't know what he said to make Cory throw a punch, but it had to be bad to push him to do it," Rick explains, standing there as CJ takes a seat in front of Olivia's desk.

Infuriated, Olivia stares at Rick, and her expression says it all, "I get it, we're too old to throwdown and all that. We've always done it because Lloyd was literally the only gay person to ever come out in this place before moving away. But, as the old saying goes, don't kill the messenger."

"Rick, go back to work. I'll get in touch with Lorraine to figure out what to do with CJ. If Tara calls me, I can't keep it from her. I won't lie to my daughter. The last time I kept something from her, she ran off, so I won't take that chance again," Olivia says.

Uncertain of what to say, Rick waves to Olivia, gets a high-five from CJ and returns to the garage. Meanwhile, it takes a couple of hours for Lorraine and Lloyd to wait for Cory to be released from the Sheriff's custody. After they get his side of the story, along with the bigoted comments from the guy Cory fought, he's detained until arraignment for instigating hate speech with disturbing the peace. Cory is given a fine and released to his mother's custody. Lloyd's statement and respect from the community as the Mayor trying to make RiverCreek better runs deep in the city. The Sheriff leads Cory out of the cell and to remain out of trouble on his way out.

"Is this going to be still a thing I have to do? I'm not the Sheriff anymore. That means I can't bail you out or cover up your fighting to take up for Lloyd. You're lucky this time, but you might not be so fortunate next time," Lorraine says with her arm around Cory's shoulders.

"I appreciate everything you've ever done for me, Cory, but your mom is correct. I can take care of things now, and I have more resources to use for assholes like that guy. Gay-bashing and lewd comments are always going to be a part of my life. Things around here have gotten better, but the amount of work it's taken can be undone with the wrong person. Don't let people like that son of a bitch who goated you into a brawl be a martyr for his anti-gay views."

The reality of how things have changed hits Cory hard. Left feeling ashamed for reacting in a rash manner, Cory nods as they walk out of the Sheriff's station and return to the spot where the fight occurred. Lorraine drops Lloyd and Cory off before driving over to Olivia's. Lloyd walks with Cory over to the Celica, "What you have always done taking up for me has always been appreciated, but we're not kids anymore. You have a son to think about and Tara to give your life to at some point. I can handle the simple-minded bigots in this place. But, later, come over to my place off Main Street and Pine Avenue. Dinner's on me tonight."

"Lloyd, I can't think of any excuse other than instinct. However, it still pisses me off that Frankie hid who he was and used you as a play toy. They'd make fun of you at practice, and Frankie was the worst at laying on thick, and now I know why, but it didn't make it right. As for dinner, we'll be there," Cory says, patting Lloyd on the back.

Before Cory pulls up to Olivia's, he receives a text from Tara.

YOU GOT ARRESTED! YOU LEFT OUR SON TO GET INTO A FIGHT? -Tara Rose

I wasn't arrested. In fact, I was let go. I took up for Lloyd - Hard Core

That doesn't matter! You are supposed to be w/ our son & ur not! - Tara Rose

Get off my back! He's safe, and I'm going to get him now - Hard Core

Ugh, whateves, when u get back here tomorrow, we're gonna talk 'bout this - Tara Rose

Annoyed, Cory kills the engine and walks inside, where he hears CJ playing a board game with his grandmother. The sounds of laughter help melt away Cory's anxiety, "Yay! I win again!" CJ cries out.

"Yup, you whooped us again; way to go, CJ," Olivia calls out.

Cory walks into the kitchen, where Lorraine notices him resting against the door frame, "Penny, for your thoughts, son."

"Nah. I was listening to you get your butts handed to you. It brings back the memories of when I beat you and dad all the time," he says with a wink and a smile.

Cory joins them and loses on purpose every time to give CJ a boost. Finally, after they finish the third game with Cory, Olivia gets up when her phone rings.

"Hey, my sweet girl, what's up?"

With a huff, Tara replies, "Is Cory there yet? I can't get myself to calm down. How could he be so stupid?"

Walking into the living room, Olivia sits in her seat before she continues the conversation, "Look, I didn't tell you to upset you. CJ was never in danger, and he took up for one of your best friends. He's here and has been playing games with us. Later Cory and CJ are going to Lloyd's for dinner, so maybe you should talk to him about what happened. I was told that Cory is in the right at what this asshole screamed at Lloyd."

"Mom -" Tara gets interrupted.

"Don't. Do not 'Mom' me right now. If you try to put me between you or him, I will take his side right now. Cory done right going after Stephen Garnett. Ever since he moved to town from Missouri, things have been miserable whenever anyone who's decent bumps into his racist ass. Cory did the right thing by beating his ass. I won't support you being angry with him. CJ was safe with Lloyd and then Rick, but if it had been Cory leaving him alone or something like that, then yes, I could understand."

Tara sits there in her office, thinking about what her mother is saying, "I mean, I see your point, but CJ could have gotten hurt. That moron could've had a gun on him! He's unstable, and Cory is so hotheaded that it drives me crazy."

Olivia makes a statement that spins Tara's world around, "He wasn't like that until you got your hands on him. I've sat and talked with Lorraine about the changes you two made to each other, and you brought out that side of him. Cory also brought out your hunger to do better. Yes, granted, you wanted more out of life. You weren't sure how to get there, but Cory, a level-headed kind of young man at the time, helped you find that focus to fuel that drive inside of you."

"I hate how you're almost always right on this shit. How can you calm me down like that? I was ready to leave work and come down there to kick his ass, but now I'm seeing your point, and I don't like it," Tara says while huffing and puffing.

"It's a gift a good momma has to have. What have I always told you makes a good mom? You need to be patient, unbiased, listen, and most importantly, love blindness. I know I grew up here, but I loved the South and how much I learned about the simple lifestyle I wanted. You're a good mother, but you still have a ways to go about learning to trust others."

Olivia's advice hits Tara deep. There's a long silence on the phone, but they're unaware that Cory has done his best to pick up the pieces of their conversation through Olivia's words and does his best to hold his tongue, "Wow, I must have screwed up royally. It looks like I'm going to have to find a way to make this up to Tara. Any ideas of what I can do, mom?"

"Take Tara roses or an arrangement of flowers and a card with writing about how you feel about her. Don't let your egos get the better of you because the most important thing is to discuss your decisions and issues. I'm not exactly proud of what you have done, but you are my son, and I have your back on it. You're lucky you got away with only a fine. However, you've grown to make rash decisions without thinking of the consequences. For example, you ran right to the Army when you got Tara pregnant. You didn't want to rely on any of us and ran to enlist. Your heart and intentions have always been in the right place, but your decisions not so much," Lorraine explains, oblivious to CJ paying attention to her.

"Mamaw, what's pregnant?"

The shocked look on her face says it all, and Cory sits back in the kitchen chair with his arms crossed, "You said it, so you explain it."

"Um, pregnant is when a mommy has to carry a baby in her tummy," Lorraine tries to explain as CJ looks confused.

"Mommy's tummy is so small. How can a mommy carry a baby in her tummy? She'd be fat, right? Is that why some women are fat? They're carrying babies?" CJ asks, with Lorraine having no answers.

Watching his mother struggle to find a way out of the explanation, Cory takes it upon himself to save his mom's ass, "No. Not all fat women carry babies, and calling them fat is mean. However, mommy's tummy stretches to carry a baby, and they're small when they're born."

"Oh," CJ coos trying to make sense of it all.

Lorraine mouths, "thank you" to Cory, and he nods to acknowledge the gesture. In contrast, Cory and Lorraine change the subject back to cars to keep CJ from asking more questions about pregnancy, and Olivia wraps up the call with Tara.

"So, do what I said and go out with your coworkers after work to relax. Don't worry about anyone else but yourself this weekend."

"I will, momma; I will go out and have some drinks and maybe hit a club or something. Keep an eye on my boys for me. I love you, bye."

"Bye, Tara."

The call ends, but when Olivia walks to the kitchen, she notices Cory getting CJ ready to leave, "Leaving so soon?"

"Yes, ma'am; we have dinner plans with Lloyd. I'll stop by tomorrow to visit," Cory says with CJ in front of him.

"It's fine, I understand. I'll come to visit tomorrow at your mom's house. We'll do lunch or something. Have fun but most importantly, stay safe."

Cory guides CJ out to the car, and they're on their way to Lloyd's house. Back at Olivia's, she and Lorraine sit and chat for a couple of hours.

When Cory calls Lloyd for the address, they arrive in about ten minutes, but Cory is blown away at the sight of the two-story beige Spanish-style house with traditional red clay tile roofing. Once they're inside, Cory is amazed by the vaulted ceilings in the foyer and the dark cherry hardwood flooring with cream-colored walls.

"Yo, Lloyd, we're here!" Cory calls out, and Lloyd appears from a set of double doors.

"My apologies. I was on a conference call in my office. Welcome to my home. Dinner is on the way; I ordered Greek for us, and CJ has a personal pizza. I have lemonade, tea, juice, and sodas in the refrigerator."

The three of them sit in the living room with CJ having cartoons turned on for him while Cory and Lloyd sit to catch up.

"Pretty big difference from my old trailer when we were growing up, isn't it?" Lloyd begins the conversation.

"This house is gorgeous, and if any of us deserves a beautiful home like this, it is you. Being Mayor definitely has its perks; I mean, wow, you have done well for yourself. Anyway, you're engaged now, and that's awesome! Where is the husband-to-be at today?"

Lloyd brings his hands together and smiles, "He went back to Canada to tell his family and book the chapel. I love that man more than you know. Simon has such a huge heart, and it was he who put a downpayment for us to get this place. It's nice to have a place to call home."

There's a pause as Lloyd looks around to appreciate what he's built with his fiancé, "Speaking of things about life, are things going well for you and Tara? I so want to be her bridesmaid," Lloyd pauses after seeing the scared look in Cory's eyes, "Sorry. Too soon to bring up marriage?"

"We've discussed it, but we're trying to go slow to bond to who we are now. I love her and all, but we can't rush it again. We're putting our son first and foremost in every decision now, with today being an exception."

"I can respect that decision. But, if anyone belongs together, it's you two. The love you have is something to write books about for others. There aren't many couples who can decide or be as mature as you've been about everything without it being settled in a courtroom. We're all proud of you, by the way. You're going to pass the nursing exam, just like I'm going to build this tiny suburb community into a mid-major city. I have companies ready to come here and build this place up, and maybe then I can draw you and Tara back here to be with us. One big happy family is what I want, but you know me; I've always wanted a bigger family, and all of you feel like that to me."

Cory reaches out, taking one of Lloyd's hands, "If it happens and the right company offers me a career I can't refuse, then we'll move back. Tara wants to have a restaurant here anyways. So if you make it possible, we'll come home."

Suddenly there's a knock at the door, and Lloyd takes the food into the kitchen. Cory and CJ enjoy their food and remain at Lloyd's until almost midnight. They carry on conversations about Lloyd's upcoming wedding and how Cory's medication should help with his mental issues. Lloyd understands how the mind can torture the soul suffering from anxiety as a teenager. He gives Cory his undying support and affection to overcome the demons that attack his dreams.

When Cory picks CJ up and carries him to the Celica, they make their way to Olivia's, where Cory crashes almost all night on the couch since CJ takes Cory's old bedroom. Before he passes out, Cory sends Tara a text and locks his phone.

Hey, I love you, and goodnight. I am sorry about today, but I want us to go the distance after talking to Lloyd. That's if you want to still be Mrs. Dubois - Hard Core

Out at the club, Tara sees the message and calls it a night. However, one of her coworkers notices the short hot pink dress she's wearing and plans to put a move on her the next time she and their coworkers head out for a night on the town.