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Wow! KC at the wedding? I never saw that coming. What a beautiful, gorgeous chapter and perfect wedding. I loved the bedroom scene with Daniel and Alex - so sweet and innocent. This final chapter also brought back some happy NYC memories for me. I also saw Wicked at the Gershwin back in the day; I agree about the theater, but the simple modernity does make the permanent scenery and props surrounding the stage really stand out. I hate to see this amazing story come to an end, and it stuns me that this was your first effort. Please never stop writing and publishing!

Mon dieu, that was hot! That has to be the sexiest bachelor party I’ve ever read. Nick’s backstory is way too common, and makes me sad/furious every time I read another one like it.

I agree with the others: I hate to see this story end. Great chapter; really looking forward to NY and the wedding.

I can see why this is your favorite chapter. That adoption proceeding had me weeping. Deeply moving and beautifully crafted.

Fabulous chapter! Touching, funny, sweet, and sexy all at once, this episode is a tonic during an increasingly disturbing time.

The pronunciation I most hate is Hanah-lula. Yeah, I’ve actually overheard that from older tourists.

Well, damn! You sure know how to give life to my fantasies. A hot, sexy, long-haired mixed Polynesian guy ranks at the top (or in Kai’s case, the hungry bottom). 😉 I was going to attempt a joke about Moan(a) Kai, but I think I’ll leave it. This was a fun chapter, even with the unavoidable background issues of cultural appropriation and misidentity, ugly US imperialism, and imprisonment of Hawaiian royalty that form the backdrop of Hawaii’s modern history. I share droughtquake’s outrage at the injustices and attempted cultural annihilation caucasian culture inflicted on the islands. I’ve always thought that every visitor to Hawaii should be required to first visit the Bishop Museum, Iolani Palace, and other historical sites to really understand what Sanford Dole and the ugly rest of them did to a noble people as they literally stole a kingdom for the U.S. I’m grateful that my mother insisted on that education for us kids on our first trip to the islands, before we ever attended a luau. On a happier topic, I can hardly wait for the surfing lessons. 😈

Daniel’s relationship with Casey was so sweet (and hot), and I give Casey great credit for holding back when he knew he was going to be leaving. What a magical moment, in a story filled with them! I can hardly wait to see Daniel’s and Alex‘s bond develop.

Oh, I don’t know. I like the idea of Tom daily! 😉

Fabulous! I admit that I know how Jason feels when he realized he sounded like his mother. 😉 I’m so excited for Daniel and Alex, and relieved as hell that both Jason and Johnny had already determined that Alex was off-limits. How awkward would that have been?! 😱

I’m not sure why, but the storyline involving sweet Daniel touches me the most. Beautiful chapter.

We may be in sugar shock, but at least it’s from natural sweetener - definitely not saccharine. 😏 I tease, but it was an excellent chapter and a nice respite from so much tragedy. That “stress reduction” scene was hot. Why don’t the pool boys I see ever look like Alex?! 😢 The new house sounds fabulous, but I choked at the price - but not for the reason you might think. In my area, $1.3 million will get you a small fixer around the corner from a 7-Eleven in a transitional neighborhood, IF you win the bidding war. Austin has a lot to recommend it, except for the sweltering weather, the hellacious traffic (in which I’ve been stuck too many times), and the fact that it’s in Texas. 😉 I love the plot line involving Daniel, and that there can be a happy ending for such a sweet kid who has suffered so much. His story is deeply moving.

Great chapter! It showed a side of Pastor Clay that was an unpleasant surprise, but it also displayed Maggie’s grit in putting her husband in his place. I admire her all the more, particularly for the way she handled Nate’s and Gleason’s coming out with such sensitivity. Moreover, she gave them very loving, sound advice - especially given their tender ages. I didn’t realize that they’re only 14! (Yikes... why did I think they were 16+?) Joe is disgusting. Is there anything worse than a pushy, arrogant pig who brazenly commits sexual assault?

Wow. That was emotionally wrenching, and so well done! I love drama, but I may have reached my limit. My heart hurts for Daniel and all the other kids like him. The fab four are the perfect family to care for him.

A dead attorney and confidant, an injured child, and a cliffhanger from hell?! Flatlining? It’s a really well written chapter, but damn. I need a drink before I lapse into inappropriate Portuguese.

Damn guns! Don’t get me started. Cade becomes more adorable with every chapter. You did a great job with the legal stuff; it was very credible.

Your baked potato recipe sounds yummy!! In the US, the equivalent potato would be a russet or Idaho potato. A bit of truffle butter melted into a finished split potato would be decadent, especially if paired with a Gevrey-Chambertin.

Cade cracks me up. First, the kid knows how to make chocolate mousse (which I also learned to do as a kid because Julia Child did it on PBS), and then when his dad asked him if he missed them during his overnight stay at JJs, he responded “Well not really. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy to be home.” 😂 He will constantly challenge and entertain them. This was a terrific chapter, from the touching experience at MCC Austin to the proposal, and everything in between. Excellent story. By the way, you have a great imagination and excellent taste; I love what JJ and Zach did to their house. Beats Ethan Allen crap any day, not that there’s anything wrong with Ethan Allen - if that’s what one likes. 🙄

Actually, Geoff AKA “Fly”, is correct. Julia Child’s chocolate mousse recipe, which is the one I learned to make as a kid, is an adaptation of The classic French formula. It contains beaten egg whites. Even a number of Brazilian chocolate mousse recipes contain egg whites.

They’re in North Carolina (16). It varies widely state by state, with 16 being the most common age of consent in over half the states. Other states split between 17 and 18. Interestingly, it’s also 16 in both Canada and the UK. Parenthetically, I only know that because of a case on which I worked a number of years ago, not because of any personal interest. 😱

I get that, and if readers our age were to derive sexual voyeuristic pleasure from it, it would seem awkward to me, as well. Instead, I look at it as the manifestation of a deepening relationship. Moreover, from a sexual age-of-consent standpoint, they are legal adults.

As long as it’s consensual, not crossgenerational, and with someone with whom there is mutual caring, it could be quite sweet. I would trust Geoff to handle it with sensitivity, as he has done with other stories involving High School teens. Keep in mind that the North Carolina age of consent is 16 years, which I would guesstimate to be Nate’s age.

I wish there were an emoji for “yeah, that’s exactly what I fear“. Just the thought of it makes me queasy - for a host of reasons.

What a terrific Valentine’s Day present! Nate’s and Gleason’s budding relationship warms my heart. You captured the emotional tension so well. Roh-roh....drama alert, huh? I’m secretly hoping (well, now it’s not a secret since I verbalized it) that the drama involves Eddie’s and Matty’s relationship, which just seems too perfect and automatic somehow. A few challenges thrown in would be interesting to your voyeuristic readership - or at least to this twisted reader. 😈 I’m just hoping it doesn’t involve a girl!

Um, this is very awkward. Even responding feels inappropriate. I’m certain - absolutely certain - that no one measured Cade! Pelo amor de Deus! Have you never visually or by tactile evaluation been able to estimate the dimensions of something?