Wayne Gray

Definitely, keep reading. Read the notes to chapter six when you get there. There are elements of the story I got wrong on purpose... and you'll see why.

Awesome! Thanks for the read and the comment. I hope you continue to enjoy the tale. 🙂

Thanks, Chris. I love it, warts and all. I've got work to do on it... and I will.

Well, thanks, Reader. I had no idea I could impact someone with my words. Not really. It's actually pretty scary. There's a responsibility now, where I didn't feel one before. I'm not sure that makes sense... And wait on reading it! It's a jumbled little tale right now. Chapter one is all right, as it's all from one perspective. But... the rest is a bit of a mess. I need to do some major clean-up before I can call it "good".

Thanks, molly. It's a special little story for me, in many ways. I'm gonna do right by it when it gets posted here.

I started rereading a story I wrote a while back. Camp Refuge is such a keystone for me. It has so many good things going for it, embedded in a package of terrible mechanics. I'm going to try and explain what I mean. I began it to help a reader who had written while I was in the process of releasing Guarded on another site. He was recently diagnosed with HIV, and he was wrecked. I'll never forget the last two lines he ever wrote to me - "Who could love me now? Who could possibly love me now?" I was a chapter away from finishing Guarded when I got that email, and I started Camp Refuge immediately after Guarded was done. I had to. I had to show him that he deserved love, acceptance, and peace. He never wrote again, and as I released chapters, I wondered if he even saw them. But, something started to happen around that story. Other's wrote. People who were HIV+, demisexuals, gray asexuals, trans folks, people suffering from depression, those who had been abused... they all reached out. I got some of them to explore getting treatment locally, even had our HIV nurse and a case manager reach out directly to a few who consented to such. I began to realize that it was bigger than the beginning. It made me understand something scary, and thrilling, all at once. It was the very first time I realized that my words have power. Rereading it now, I know I can't put it on GA. Not yet. I head-hop soooo much; it's almost laughable. But, the bones are there. It has a good skeleton. In the words of the esteemed Stitch, the story is "Broken but Good". I think it deserves to simply be "good". Another project... urgh.

Yep. It's all out there in the open now - the stuff between them, at least. The uncles are pretty rotten. Are they THAT rotten? Would they really do something terrible to their own brother, for not towing the line? My beta reader really liked this bit. 🙂 I'm glad you caught it. Caleb just confessed that he really does want more, in no uncertain terms. Wren accepted that as a possibility. Maybe they can finally move forward a bit?

Thanks for reading and commenting. Well, Rachel never had a clue if her husband was gay, or at least she appears to have not had one. Still, anything is possible. I shall neither confirm nor deny this theory!

Thanks, Jeffrey. I appreciate the nice words. I know the characters well enough now that I've internalized them. It's easy to know what is not in character for them, so even when I want the story to go a certain way, I've got to back up and make things jive with the person each of them is. I know that's sort of weird - explaining how I know what not to write. But, that's how it works for me. We'll see about those uncles. No doubt, we've not seen the last of them.

Thanks, Parker. And that's really Charles's thing. If it's not meant to be, thanks to some internal incompatibility, then so be it. But he sees that the two men he loves the most in the world are just missing the mark with each other. He can't let that go without trying to help line things up so that they at least have a chance. There are still a couple of mysteries circling out there. Where Wren's dad went - well, that's just one of them. I don't leave untied strings either, so, hang on. There's more to come.

Intellectually, Caleb understands the term. But, when Wren pushed back and tried to keep distance, that stung him more than he liked. They're both floundering a little, each with their own particular slice of issues. Torture? Me? Thanks for reading and commenting, Kitt. 🙂

Charles has a loooooong history with both guys. And he knows they both bear responsibility. He also knows how to push each of them. With Wren, it's a direct confrontation that works. With Caleb, it's something... gentler. Caleb might be a slab of a man, but he's at a fragile point in life. Charles is his brother, and he tries hard to protect him - even if he's protecting him from himself, and his own foibles. Charles has a way of getting Caleb to admit things to himself - if you remember at the kitchen table when Charles made Caleb say aloud that he wanted Wren to kiss him? That's just one example. In this chapter, he got Caleb to feel protective toward Wren, even while Caleb was upset with him. He's not just pushing Wren, but Caleb too. Does it look like he's more on Caleb's side? Yeah, it does. Because that's what will solve what Charles considers to be a problem. Charles's sin, really, is that he's meddling. Then again... the boys are now going on a date. So... 😏 You're right. The guys need more openness and understanding with one another - because there are more trials coming, for sure.

Thank you. I'm glad you stayed home, Fae. Mental health is health, period. Good for you. Do something you love.

Hi, molly. I am, thank you for asking! I should update that to say 18 hours of sleep... got up long enough to eat, say hello to my wary husband, then go back to bed.

Hehehe. Yep. Well, Charles is right. Caleb isn't built to just play around, no matter what he might think he can handle. Caleb rationally knew that Wren didn't owe him more than that, yet...

Charles had an idea. He wasn't totally sure, but he did know that Rachel would accept him. He also knew that you're right - Wren needed to hear it from his mom, that he was okay and worth loving. Charles isn't well-schooled, but he possesses an uncommon insight into those he loves. That's an inborn gift some have, and Charles has it. Dad didn't leave because his son was gay. Now Wren knows it. Boy, that's a good question. Where DO you go on a date when you're closeted, and you already picnic out in the sunshine with your beau? We'll have to see what Caleb comes up with, won't we? Thanks for reading and commenting. 🙂

Wren and feelings seem like a match and gasoline, don't they? At least up until now. Maybe things will settle down for him. And then you've got Caleb. He seems to know what he wants, at least. Uncles were very quiet this chapter, huh? Maybe the cameras have thwarted them? We'll have to see what Caleb comes up with for their date night. What's a country boy to do when he wants to impress a fella he has known his whole life?

Hey, I'm happy that it was engaging enough to grab ya, Mac. Out of order or not. Though, if you're doing things out of order, I'm a little surprised you didn't start with a certain, other chapter. 😋 Thanks for reading and commenting!

"What are you doing?" Caleb lay on the cot, propped on his elbow. "Why are you sleeping there?" Wren steadfastly refused to look at Caleb and he made up his little sleeping pad a couple of feet away. "Well, Charles is coming down early tomorrow. Do you really want him to catch us snuggled up together?" They had left Charles's house after a fantastic dinner and gotten back to the farm. Shortly after, it was time for bed. Caleb frowned at Wren. "We'll hear the truck." He patted the cot. "C

I had to stay home from work. Sick. Slept 14 hrs. Body needs more, apparently. And because I'm a man, and I feel bad, I have the need to whine about it. lol

Thankful for paid time off as I lay on my couch. A nap may be in store for me soon.

This is a good reminder to think before we react - even internally. It's a good piece. Thanks for sharing, Mac.

Thanks! And Wolfgang's lead has him feeling a little like he's chasing shadows (hence the chapter title). It may add up, it may not. We'll see. Ah, Jed. He's definitely struggling, though he's not sure exactly why the beast is so persistent at the moment.

It's still nice to hear it. Thanks, Thorn. 🙂

Thanks for reading/commenting! You could be right. Maybe the wolf already HAS claimed Wolfgang. But, what is a pack leader without a pack? That'd make a wolf very nervous if he had nothing to offer a strong mate, wouldn't it? Oh, Franklin. He has no idea how close he is to an extremely aggressive, physical and sex-fueled evening. Then, there are the additional concerns Jed has. He just doesn't know what would become of Franklin in the throes of the moment. We may find out! Stay intrigued... there's more to be revealed on the spirit front.