Krista

Franny and Lisa Benton sipping tea together would be a rather scary combination of bitter and judgmental minds. It would be interesting to see how quickly they turned on one another about their parenting styles... totally missing the point that they're both flawed, of course. Colt being a songwriter, I needed something worthwhile for him. He seems rather secretive about it, but he's let Davin, likely Gavin, and now Sierra, Faith, and Joel in on his plans. So it is something he's felt passionate about. I do wonder if he's any good... and how much depth his thinking goes. He's shown hints of it throughout the story, or at least I've thought he has. Maybe he won't be one of these country artists that sing solely about tight holey jeans, dirt roads, drinking, and trucks...

Are you trying to sell them on the idea? If so, keep at it.

I'll let a more filthy author take on this scenario. lol. But it has legs, not going to lie.

Yeah, the distance is very dependent on Cody's lack of freedoms due to his age. But they don't stay young forever. It sucks that there is such a separation between them. I felt throughout the writing that Joel and Cody have always been rather close. His parents worked long hours and Westley older than Joel didn't want anything to do with either of them for the most part. So they kind of bonded as brothers in the absence of the rest of the family. They developed friendships with classmates to a point, Cody more so than Joel it seems. But yeah, severing that bond and keeping them at a distance is a cruelty. Francine didn't see it coming from Joel either, mind you... lol. I don't think she is the type that gets told where to go and how to feel about it very often. She got three good doses of it during her stay though. I doubt it does anything, Celia has seemingly dealt with a cold parent type her entire life. I wonder if Celia's father is the warmer one, someone had to show Celia how to love and be loving. Celia may have just wanted to break the cycle too though and taught herself. It kind of makes her story a bit sad, if that's the case... we don't know much about that dynamic. Jaxton crashing a birthday party for an 11 year old boy, mostly it was for him... and partially Lacey really since she helped plan it. That would have been rather rude and ballsy... and stupid. Trace probably would have grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and pants and tossed him. Or at least that's how I would've written it. Of course Lorianne or someone would have recorded and and we have volume two of the series of unfortunate fails by Jaxton the would be bully. He wouldn't come back from failing to crash an eleven year old's birthday party...

Yeah, he got to see Cody, got more affirmation that Trace and Celia are behind him. Got told he was loved by Davin... found some accepting friends that he was somewhat afraid of. Overall it was a good party for him to build the rest of his life on... a bit bittersweet that it still likely feels like a large part of his life was stolen from him, but he can see himself building it back again.

Thank you! It was a lot. I tried to close some things, leave things nuanced, and my usual open-ended pointing towards positive sort of ending I lean heavily on.

Aww.

Yeah the poor dear waited too long to spill the tea about already knowing... now he has to come to terms with mostly everyone knowing, but still having to keep it a secret from some people just because Joel doesn't want them to know yet. He's guarded Davin's secret though, I'm sure he can manage.

The Connleys would need to put another addition onto their house. I suck at blueprints, if you saw the panic in the middle portions of the writing when I realized that I've created the Weasley house... that only magic can keep standing... don't put that on me. I refuse. But I think they'd cling to Cody, he's younger and there's a lot more legal action to be taken as far as his custody would be concerned, they dodged a bullet with Joel only because Joel decided he didn't want to cause them that damage of abandonment.

Hmm there seems to be theories floating around... about that. 😮

oh gosh.. a ballet with banjo music, male tights that resemble jeans and button-up shirts... all male cast. I think we have a hit.

Yeah, well can't say that this year can we? With the SEC or football country all folding like limp soggy toast. And I am sad that you didn't edit this to rub being first on page two in @Jason Rimbaud's face. Do consider fixing that error.

Damn, got the posting glitch.. sighs.. hold on. There was a lot to close in this chapter, a lot of it came about rather rapid fire despite the chapter being a bit massive. I probably could have trimmed out the trip to Tempton and then the Birthday BJ, but where's the fun in at least the second one. Maybe it being sort of rapid fire kind of suited the story a bit, Joel rose to the occasion, something he wouldn't have been able to do less than a month ago. Which realistically a month may not have been enough time for what he's been through. Trace and Celia cultivating a safe, accepting, and welcoming space for him though might have helped him grow a bit quicker. I don't really like Aerosmith, but I do like 'Dream On.' But we do remember how uncultured I am when it comes to music. That plot continues. You know shit is about to get real bad if the G-ma's are feisty. There must be something, apparently you have on in Encrypted, and the Grandma character in the back-burner story Ellis is also feisty, despite me having a mostly clean slate now... that story is still back burner for me.

Oh goodness, the scandal! 😮 But yeah, there was a lot of small reactions to that whole conversation.

A chaotic and a wee bit filthy book at that. The comments that is, my story is mostly wholesome with a lot of F-bombs.

Lol, that is probably Roy's major disappointment too... bless him.

I don't blame you, 24k is a lot for 6am. I am not functioning at 6am.

Joel believing in himself is a good ending to a story that's beginning for him, I think.

Wow thank you, it gives more weight to his decision. Something he probably needs to hint about when it comes to spilling his plans and dreams to his parents. They may respect/accept it more if it involves a more formal plan than just up and running off to Nashville. But I honestly don't see them hindering him if it is something he's had his heart set on for a bit. They don't seem like the types anyway.

You're just trying not to let yourself think Colt is sexy again. It's okay. Groan if you must, but a tight pair of jeans, a guitar, some angry/angst and a wet butt makes him the total package. Other than that straight thing he has going on. It was another crappy "after party" wasn't it... Fletcher sucks, Tempton definitely throws better parties. I wish I was a songwriter. I dabble at poetry and mostly suck at it.

I did... I did know that. And we already know Davin will eat both kinds of cake with enthusiasm.

Theory No. 2 has some movement in it, I hope you can deliver on it. It sounds fun. Theory No. 1 may not be far off, but it was early in the writing... lol. Joel/Joey. I find it cute when toddlers just learning to speak butcher a lot of words. I've kept the names of our dogs as their butchered attempted at saying them. My oldest named them as puppies, but the younger ones really did with their flawed pronunciation of them. So that was the birth of that idea, despite Cody being older, the habit might be something from when he was much younger and carried over. He'll probably grow out of it in a year or so, he's just turning eleven. When it does, Joel may miss ever being called Joey. I'm tearing up thinking about the casual and silent shift that often happens when something is outgrown. And oh yes, all the wet butts were for you my dear, every single one. I'm glad the brats weren't too annoying. I think Gavin really would bust some kneecaps for Davin, Joel better behave himself. I see a running joke abut Lorianne seeing Davin naked first developing whenever it crossed Gavin's mind... it obviously hasn't yet or it already would be a thing.

lol! Can't say that I have, as I've yet to read Encrypted. I'll have to slot it into my reading schedule now that I'm more or less clean slate. Feisty judgmental mothers are a thing, I'm seeing. I'm glad Trace put her in her place, she may be family, but she is also a guest. She needed to show a little bit more respect.