wintreargo77

Oh shit. We knew it was coming yet it still feels like the vertigo of unending falling. Got to rely on @mastershakeme to protect Ben and Julian and keep them safe ‘cause I don’t see a way out of this.

Lesson: Always work within the network environment or at least back up your work to a secure server before shutting down or logging off. Will has been careless and sloppy. Will should be written up, especially because his sole machine contained the critical information for his company’s future. What if there had been a fire at his townhouse and his laptop had been incinerated or the machine stolen? However, it made for exciting reading and we saw a new hero emerge, Guillaume.

You and me

But he understood this: Ben Coleman did not know how to say no to his family. And no one in his family had ever given him a reason to learn. That, Julian thought, was going to need to change. Julian - Companion and Life Counselor. Ben’s mother, brother, and sister are going to be unhappy. Looking forward to it.

Ben is achingly lonely. He had what sounds like a boyfriend who was good for him but repeatedly being put last after Ben’s family was accumulatively wearing and grating and after two years of it he left. Ben’s new companion will help break that relationship cycle of always putting his family first. Ben works remotely and it would have behooved him to live anyplace far from his family so he could have a fuller, richer life with meaning and substance. But that’s for another story, not this one. I’m looking forward to watching Ben’s new relationship develop and hope Ben wins in the end. I’m sappy and love a positive ending and it’s easy to be that way when @mastershakeme creates vivid characters that I care a great deal about.

Love love love this story. Each chapter was a gift and I was always eager for the next one. Once the reveal of Eric and the Fleming Ranch then I started thinking of the story as Oklahoma’s Sons and appreciated when all 3 sons - James, Eric, & Taggert - were together in the same scene. Nasser turned out to be a safe landing for a motley yet lovable crew and their diversity and support were crucial for the entire ranch’s success. A beautiful story you’ve gifted us @Wayne Gray with a satisfying conclusion. Thank you.

Ben deserves a better and fuller life. Already loving Sophie. I’m here for the ride.

I want to kiss Blanchard or give him a beer. Maybe both.

Not everyone knows how to meet someone in the dark without trying to drag them into the light before they’re ready. Said by Beth in regards to Ellie and Owen yet the one who needs to hear and understand this is Ryder.

No he doesn’t but how about Owen’s first male friend, gay or not.

I would have requested Silent Lucidity as its slow pacing is ripe for variations on its runs. Looking forward as the story starts opening up.

Everyone has beaten me to much of what I was thinking while reading this chapter so I’ll leave those be and add this: ”Martin noticed that Justin wasn't home and disabled the insurance premium reducing alarm.” That didn’t need to be there but it’s part of @Paladin’s writing style and gives flavor to his stories. I have felt strongly about objects that are unnecessarily necessary, oh maybe once or even twice, and smiled seeing it here.

Went to story 1 to read it first so I would understand the characters and plots when you returned from hiatus to finish this story. Loved the characters you created and their loving and mutual support during their early years and how that grew as they matured and added more folks to their extended family. Truly beautiful stories even during their hardships and unthinkable horrors. Thank you @FrankD for deciding to return to writing and completing these stories as they have been a pure pleasure to read.

A beautiful story, @Tony S.. I loved how you used the song’s lyrics as a thread running through your story, even up to its last lines. Will be looking forward to whatever you publish next and whenever you decide to share it.

Hey @Tony S., I want to thank you for your story. I am relishing the internal dialogs of your characters and also the general plot lines. I know you are British yet you’ve captured small town America, their high schools, the general dialog, and even American football accurately as if you were native born and lived it. The background work you’ve done is noticed and appreciated. I’m also greatly fond of your characters and glad you decided to round out Stephen from his initial stiff and callous self in the early chapters. Kitt and Matt and also Tom and Mateo have been wonderful characters and I’ll be sad when this story ends although parts of them I will take with me in the future.