Lisa

I do like Mason. She sounds like a tough cookie. lol Maybe one day Roman will mosey on over to Martin, although he doesn't seem that shy based on previous prompts...

Lol, Paul - it WAS last year! I really love the banter between Andy and Doc Walker, as you already know. And of course Andy and Matt are all about the sex. Pitching a tent in the park, lol, that was funny! Matt's dad isn't stupid; he knows what's going on and he knows they'll try anything to be able to hook up. Great welcome back chapter, Elias!

Matteo is always right. He's very insightful. I'm glad Jonah finally realized he still loves Ren. I'm glad he's finally going to hear Ren out, like he should have done from the beginning. Sandro will be heartbroken though. That I know. Not as heartbroken as Ren probably was watching Jonah and Sandro on the beach. That scene must have ripped his heart out and stomped on it. Great chapter, Addy. I'm all set for my tissues for the next one!

I don't know how I missed reviewing this chapter. So when Ren lied and said yes he did cheat on him b/c he knew how much it would hurt him, he did it to protect himself? He knew Jonah wouldn't believe him anyway, so he just lied b/c what's the saying? If I'm being accused of doing something I didn't do and no one believes me, I may as well go out and do it? Something like that. And now Jonah knows the truth, and although it redeems Ren in some ways, it really proves what an asshole Eric is. He set the whole damn thing up knowing what would happen when Jonah saw him and Ren together. And Jonah played right into Eric's hands, doing exactly what Eric told Ren he'd do: run. I'm glad Jonah was honest with Sandro. Although I'm feeling badly for Jonah, Ren, and Sandro, it's Sandro who's going to get hurt now. How can he ever be with Jonah, knowing how Jonah feels about Ren? Excellent chapter, Addy! On to the next one.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SACRED!!!!! I hope you have a fantastic day!!!

Hey Robert! Great interview! I haven't had a chance to check out your two stories, but they seem really interesting, and based on what everyone else is saying, they sound like a must-read.

Billy!!!! You're back!!!! I missed your writing! It's funny, I was going to ask if these kids know Andy, Joey, Roger, and the gang, when I read your response to Mikie's review. I'm thrilled that I'll be seeing them again. I miss them (HINT, HINT!!! ) I absolutely LOVED reading the description of the baseball game. It was so exciting, I felt like I was there. It really brought me back to my kids' baseball games, even though they didn't play at the high school level, it was really exciting to watch. I was rooting for Sammy when he made that awesome hit and sent him and the other two boys home. I just don't understand why Evan is such an asshole. Why do people pick on Sammy? Just b/c he's half-Indian? So what. Get over it. I hate bigots. And I bet he learned it at home. Anyway...can't wait for chapter two!

Oh my heart was breaking for Avery! I'm soooo glad his therapy is working and he realizes that he can have fun with the snow b/c that sperm donor isn't around anymore!!! And of course I love Matt, Erin, and their mom too!

What a heartbreaking chapter, Gary. You made me cry yet again. I could feel Michael's pain, his loneliness, his utter uncaring attitude for anything that doesn't concern Kendall, his jealousy over Kendall finding another friend (or more than a friend), his utter despair. His parents were his lifesavers. They knew things he would never have realized. They are absolutely wonderful parents. And his mom threw no punches - she just told him straight out (no pun intended ) what she and his dad thought. They made Michael see what he had buried for all the years he's known Kendall. I thought the scene in the dorm room was very well written. It showed Michael as his true self - even before Michael even knew how he felt. He pushed his feelings so far down and for so long it was like he had a Eureka! moment at his parents' house. Fantastic chapter, Gary!

I read this while I was at work this morning. Luckily no one was there to witness my breakdown. What an unbelievably sad chapter, Rusty. How old is Casey's sister? She couldn't take care of him since their mom is sick? And what's wrong with the mom, was it mentioned previously? And who was the 'him' the sister mentioned? Their mom couldn't bear to see Casey b/c then she remembered 'him', or something like that. Was she talking about their father? So the "father" is missing? Some father, right? Maybe if Casey's lucky he bled to death somewhere. Jesus, what's with all these sperm donors abusing their kids? Why did they even HAVE kids? I hope Casey goes back to James' house. At least he and his mom suspect something's not right with Casey. I hope they can help him. Great chapter, Rusty. Next time warn me so I can have tissues handy!

I just saw your A&M shorts posted and I'm like, wait, I didn't read the epilogue yet!! I don't know where I was that I totally missed this. It was a terrific ending, Mom. I am so happy A&M (there's another story with an Andy and Matt and I'm always writing A&M there too. lol) are still together and Matt, his mom, and Erin are helping Avery heal. It was very nice of Matt's mom to let Avery stay there. Even with therapy, it will still take time for Avery to feel 'normal' again, like he did when he was little, when his mom was still around. I'm glad those two pedos got life and I do hope that they both become Big Bubba's beyotches. And now onto their shorts. Hmm, that didn't sound too good.

I was pleasantly surprised that Nathan wasn't as rough as he was with Clem. I doubt Taylor would have put up with that shit. I can so easily see Taylor telling Nathan to fuck off. I really like Taylor. I think it's Taylor's confidence that scares Nathan. Clem wasn't confident in himself. That was obvious b/c he let Nathan rule him and control him. Nathan controlled the sex they had, when they had it, where, etc. Taylor would never let Nate take over like that; he's gonna want to be an equal partner in this, not his shadow. Now we can see where Nathan picked up his homophobia from. I don't understand though what his father thought when Nathan came out to him. Is it ok for his son to be gay just b/c he's this big, buff cowboy, but it's not ok for guys less physically structured? I don't get his reasoning. And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. At least know we know where Nathan learned it. This is a great song that inspired the title. Did you know that Cole Swindell is also a songwriter who wrote a lot for Luke Bryan and Thomas Rhett, among others? And he co-wrote "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" with the guys from FGL. Interesting, huh?

Very, very sad. And then reading the comments made me feel even worse.

Anything by GnR is great.

When he stops singing to let the people go and he nods to them and then goes right back to it, w/o missing a beat. And he knows all the words! And it's hysterical when he's doing all the facial movements and hand gestures when he gets to the talking part of the song. I'd like to see him outside of the car, dancing to this for real.

Chet is a great guy. He's funny, smart, very perceptive and intuitive (hmm, those are pretty similar, lol), and don't forget hot and hunky! I think he could be a great friend for Kendall. I never saw Kendall as the type to just jump into bed with anyone just to try to forget Michael. I could see him leading up to that point, but I think if it ever got that far with anyone, he would call it off. Since Chet really does like Kendall 'like that', the best thing he could do is just be there and be his friend. He seemed like he already knows this, so I'm wondering why he didn't mention what he noticed about K&M's interaction all these months. Did he just not want to get Kendall's hopes up about Michael? Or was it purely for selfish reasons? Terrific chapter, Gary. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite stories. I was so giddy with excitement when I saw you posted this latest chapter!!! lol

I must admit, I love Mickey D's coffee. And it's only a dollar!!!! Any size!!!! Gary, does Michael have a brother or cousin? Maybe you can clone him and send the clone to me. He is the best friend everyone should have. That girl, Rhoda or Rhonda, she's a BITCH, like Candy. Were all Michael's girlfriends bitches? A friend doesn't kick everyone out of a party and spend the night taking care of you and making sure you take meds, and cuddling with you to keep you warm unless they really, really care about you. Michael is a dream. Ok, I read this chapter while waiting for school to get out and I read part of the next chapter, so now I need to finish chapter four b/c I already know what I'm going to say in my review.

I think Jackie's having a pre-midlife crisis. I was trying to figure out what their father had on Mark or Brent or even Jackie that would make her act like this just to protect them. I couldn't come up with anything. Maybe Jackie has a dark side to her and maybe she agreed with their father about a lot of things and that's why their mom wouldn't let her back in the house. But something big must have happened for their mom to ban her own daughter from the house. And what kind of 'mother' willingly gives up her kid just like that? Just b/c some guy (who is NOT her HUSBAND), wants to marry her and doesn't want her son? I would tell him to take a hike. How can she even THINK of another guy when she has Brent, who is wonderful? Why is she trusting her father in the first place? Unless he's blackmailing her b/c he has something on her, which I mentioned above? And OMG, how could you NOT tell your brother (who you were sooooo close to), that their mom had a stroke????? Renee, you have me on the edge of my seat...I can't wait for the next chapter!! Maybe next Wednesday?????? =)

While we're checking out country songs, this one always brings me to tears: "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning" by Alan Jackson.

I'm so sad to see this story end, but I'm thrilled Clem and Ash got their HEAs. Again, I loved the flashback scenes of Ashlee's first lamb birth with Charlie, and the phone scene was so spot-on - just the feeling of being so lovesick b/c your other half wasn't there. I remember feeling quite pathetic a few times myself. I loved the Rileys and how they "adopted" first Clem and then Ashlee. C&A know they'll always have a place with them if they need it. I really wanted to read about the dinner scene when Ash introduces his family to Clem. You know, Ashlee reminds me a bit of Sparrow; they both have charisma and that type of personality where they can just make friends with anyone and everyone. I'm really going to miss this story; I think it may be one of my favorites. I'm looking forward to your next story. Hopefully I'll find out why Nathan became such a d-bag.

Good for Ashlee for getting a promotion! I'm assuming they're of course moving in together, but also closer to Ashlee's job. Are there ranches around Austin? That's probably a really stupid question! lol I can't see Clem doing anything besides working on a ranch. He couldn't have bought his own, right? I guess I'll find out b/c I noticed you posted the second epilogue. I love how all of Clem's friends are so taken with Ashlee. Ashlee has such charisma and you can put him at a White House function, talking to the president, and then the next day hanging at an auto body shop. He's comfortable talking to anyone. That's such a fantastic trait to have. I also love how you incorporated the past and the present in this chapter. Ok, on to the final chapter.

The chapter was definitely NOT too long, Mom! It could have been about 100 pages longer, imo. I was so relieved when the doctor started telling the sheriff and Matt about all the evidence of abuse they found on Avery. Thank God Avery told them everything (well, except for the 2 million, but you covered that in your review response ), and now he must feel relieved, like a huge weight is off his shoulders. He knows no one thinks what happened was his fault and they're not disgusted with him, just with his sperm donor and that pedo DeGasio. I am so glad those two bastards will be in jail for a long, long, long time. But actually, I think they should get the death penalty. Seriously. Why should the taxpayers pay for those two assholes to eat three meals a day, have an exercise room, be able to go shoot some hoops outside, read a bit in the library, make some license plates...I don't want to pay for assholes like them to sit pretty in jail (even though of course I know I do, unfortunately). They should just be tarred and feathered or stoned. Yeah, stoned, that'll really hurt. Excellent chapter, Mom! I'm so glad Avery will recover physically. It will take a long time for him to recover emotionally and I hope that he will seek out a therapist to help him with that. It was also heartbreaking to hear that his mother died in a car accident. A car accident that we know that prick Carl orchestrated. At least now Avery doesn't feel guilty for thinking his mother left b/c of him.

I got a laugh when James introduced his mom and her name was Jessie. I really like James. I think he'll be a good friend for Casey. Maybe Sam too (that was the kid's name from the first chapter, right?).

Timothy, I swear, you write the best reviews!!! This is a terrific review and if I wasn't already addicted to the story and anxiously awaiting the next chapter (JON!) (hint hint!), this review would definitely make me start the story right now. For anyone who hasn't read The English Year, read it; you won't be sorry. =)

Like everyone else said: thank GOD Matt was smart enough to think of calling the cops. I'm actually surprised Sheriff Nelson didn't recognize him - Matt was the guy the sheriff was so friendly to at the diner, right? I'm so happy they finally found Avery and put a bullet in that d-bag Carl. Even a shoulder bullet is painful - let him writhe on the dirty floor in agony. For hours. Or days. Maybe weeks...years...I could go on and on. lol I just hope Avery pulls through - he's not out of the woods by any means. I wonder what will happen with William. Will the sperm donor blab about him and how HE hurt Avery? Yeah, he'll definitely place the blame on someone else, he's the innocent one here. lol Great chapter, Mom!