Headstall

I thought I was the ultimate romantic? Love the company, lovely lady. I admit I had great fun turning August loose in this chapter. Albert has no idea just how 'bright' his younger son is. Virginia is an unknown, but she's served a huge purpose as far as August is concerned. Sounds like he'll be long gone by the time she arrives. Will there be chaos? Off the cuff brilliance! I love that that came through. He even left me in awe. Thanks so much, my dear friend. We have only just begun. Cheers! G

Mine too, but don't tell him. He's got quite the ego.

Did we break something? It wasn't me... I'm as innocent as Chris.

Safe travels. Make sure your air conditioning is working well.

@Jason Rimbaud I can't quote your post for some reason. I meant WHERE are the adults in here. Thanks for the directions, though. It gives me a new place to stalk. 🥷

No ones buys it, Chris. Well, maybe Jason does....

Where? And Chris can't behave anywhere. He makes me spit up my tea damn near every day.

Chris! Ewwww....

Actually, I was referring to your mind. I'm very hygienic too... though I do enjoy getting dirty. Yeah, I try to keep the cussing down... decorum and all that for a man of a certain age. Hey, I'm looking forward to Monday too. Good things happen on Mondays.

Nope, just a dementor.

Is it though? And as far as jacking... er... hijacking, this comment section belongs to the unwashed masses, of which you are one (you said you were filthy), so comment to your hard's... er... heart's content.

Do we really want one?

Fair enough, buddy. Silliness will win out for both of us.

Dobie!

First of all, I have no obligation to your pants or lack thereof. Ain't my 'fault', but it is my design. I know you're trying to get my goat. You secretly NEED romance, buddy. It's clear as your lack of pants. Puritan? *huffs* Fletcher is a kid, a newbie, in a world where sex isn't talked about, in a time where his only role models were the married folk around him(there ain't no porn laying around). You want me to have him ripping August's clothes off after only just admitting how he feels to the man? Wait... don't answer that. Both men are very new at this, and that doesn't make them puritans. They'll figure it out, but they have a lot to fear from Albert, and that needs sorting first. What's that saying... absence makes the dick grow harder? Something like that. Patience is a virtue (I'm full of them today) . Monday, like Winter, is coming and so will...

Gotcha! So... you're easy in a few ways.

When I first started reading this I thought your (w)hormoned brain had a drop in testosterone... or estrogen or whatever, but then I read the 'banging peens into sand' thing and knew you were just fine. Okay... so serious... the thing I hate most as a reader is a character acting the opposite of what was initially presented without any real explanation or reason for it... at least one I can't figure out. It ruins the story for me. I might do a slow reveal a lot of the time, and we see characters grow an change for sure, but each character is crafted carefully, and there is always intent. *gets off soapbox before it collapses*

Well you little 💩 disturber. Have you ever been put in shackles? I must go on record that there are no deleted scenes, and certainly not ones sent your way, those only exist in your horny little head. And no one was misled... love and romance rule the world... just admit it! And yeah, I wondered what readers would think, but I stayed true to my character. He ain't a horndog... yet... What's the significance of Monday?

I think we all want Albert to have a comeuppance. Will it happen? Hmmmm...

Fortunate indeed, Chris. It would have been a whole different story if Rob had see the entire thing. Luckily, Fletcher showed patience, wanting nothing to shade their first time as lovers. Thanks, buddy!

Just when I'm at home doing nothing.

I liked that phrase too. We all want that person who does that for us... sanctuary... you said it perfectly. Fletcher is torn, but as you say, he has that solid background to rely on. It shows the stark difference between the two fathers. Fletcher immediately wants to talk to his father, while August really only wants to avoid his. I did worry about how it would look to readers that Fletcher wanted to wait, but it is what I saw him doing. He wants what he sees and his parents and in his betrothed sister. He wants there coming together be about hope and love and not marred by fear of a dangerous, vindictive man. Why can't he want that... not something hurried and touched by anything other than the love they feel. I think you make a great point about Albert. I find it hard to believe he loved Lorraine, not if shortly after he found a real love with August's mother. I suspect it was more of a power move to win Lorraine from Roland. he lost, and that is something he can't handle. Too f'ing bad. August's conniving inspired me. He learned a lot about manipulation from his father over the years... he's clearly paid attention. It worked in his favor too that Albert doesn't see him as bright. I truly don't understand a father who doesn't know his children, but I remember seeing those kind of fathers all the time in my youth. And yeah, the existence of a new wife helped too, though to what degree I'm not sure. I think his hate for the Crawleys trumps everything. Still, now that it's settled, fingers crossed, he has a powerful distraction to keep him busy. He already puts her above Rob, and Rob should be concerned. Maybe Virginia is a witch, or maybe she truly loves Albert. Who knows... his first wife loved him... so stranger things have happened. Thank you, my lovely friend. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with all of us. Cheers! Gary.

Greetings, muggles.

We all can see why August has come to hate his father. The man has issues... like that he couldn't see a reason for his sons to be at this wedding. WTF? And that he will throw one of his sons out if his new wife wants it. Where is his loyalty? He expects it from his sons, but he gives none in return. He found it satisfying that his own brother had failures in business? Imagine being that hateful and bitter. You're right that August was epic in this chapter. The pressure he was under was incredible, yet he weaved a story out of thin air and had his father eating out of his hand by the end. Yes, he was desperate, but he didn't show it. He was methodical and determined... love was at stake. We know little about Virginia... she could be calculating and evil, or she could really love Albert. Like you, I certainly wouldn't mind if she was the former. The one surprising thing was how agreeable Albert was about the team, wagon, and harness... I mean, as far as Albert knows they are all worthless to him, but still, it was out of character for the man. Did bringing up August's mother have an effect on him? Thanks for this, my friend. Your support and enthusiasm is appreciated. Any chance you could leave a Story Like and Story Recommendation on the front story page? They bring readers in and that makes me happy. Here is the link to the front page...

That someone was probably a smartass.