05/12/2020 06:29 PM  GAME NIGHT Game Night Parenting a teenager was more of a challenge than either Ethan or Holden had expected it to be. It wasn’t a surprise given that Evie very clearly took after Ethan. But it was still an ever changing back and forth that they hadn’t expected. Today, much like yesterday and the day before, music poured from under the doorway of the now 14 year old’s bedroom. There was the sound of shuffling across carpet and drawers being opened and shut before more shuffling was heard. He waited a second longer to knock finally. “Evie, we’re playing games in the lounge if you want to join. Aunty Elaina is over too.” The teen grinned. “Cards Against Humanity?” Ethan chuckled in response. “I think dad was hoping for Tokaido.” He watched her pout and shrug. “Finnne.” She grabbed her phone and followed him down the hallway. They came across Holden standing in front of the shelves that held their board and card games. He was moving things around in an effort to find the one thing he was searching for. Evie snuck behind him and poked his shoulder. “Dad!” Holden jumped and started laughing when he realised who it was. “Blimey! I wasn’t expecting anyone there.” She hugged him suddenly and he gave her a squeeze. “Can we play Cards Against Humanity instead of a board game tonight?” Her face shifted into the best pout and Ethan knew before Holden reacted that he was going to give in easy. It was rare that Holden had ever told her no. “That sounds good.” He finally responded. “I just saw it,” he turned to examine the shelf again. “Here it is.”  He held the box out towards Ethan and Ethan took it to carry towards the table. Elaina came in with a tray full of snacks and cans of soda. “I bring junk food!” She set everything on the table and snacks were passed around while Ethan shuffled the deck of cards to try and mix things up. Once everyone was settled in he passed out the cards to each player. A black card was placed on the table. “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take ____!” He would be the judge for the first round. Quiet laughter was heard as the other three looked over the white cards in their hands. Finally when all the white cards were set in the middle Ethan picked them up. “A man named Edward Cocaine.” He read from the first card. “The shy kid in the corner.” Read the second. “Nicolas Cage.” Read the last one. He figured that one was probably from Holden. Finally deciding on his answer he laughed and put the winning card down. “A man named Edward Cocaine.” It wasn’t that he didn’t like the other cards but that one made the least amount of sense. Evie did a little wiggle in her seat. “Yes! I got it!” She gathered the remaining cards and set them aside. “Who had the others?” She asked. “I was the shy kid.” Holden said. Everyone looked over at him. “I thought you had Nicolas Cage.” Ethan laughed. “Nope! It was me Han.” Elaina waved her card in his direction so he could see it. A phone buzzed and the whole ground looked at their phones to see if it was them before realising the alert was coming from Evie’s phone. She was grinning at the phone like someone had just told the best joke ever created. “Who’s that?? Your boyfriend??” Elaina nudged her niece’s shoulder. The teenager looked like she wanted to hide now. “No...” “Girlfriend???” Elaina asked again. “Just a friend!” Evie declared. “Just a friend. It’s nothing. No one... Anyway. My turn!” She put a new black card down in an attempt at changing the subject. “In the early days, many people compared Muse to ___.” She spoke loud enough that she had everyone’s attention but no one was moving. Ethan and Holden exchanged glances from across the table and Elaina made an effort to sneak the phone from Evie. Finally the teenager groaned. “It’s just a friend!!!” There was no further attempts to pry for more information for the remainder of the game but Ethan made a mental note to bring it up to Holden when they went to bed later.   Table of Contents     0 Comments

12/14/2019 09:28 PM  Lockhart-Jims - Speeches Lockhart-Jims Wedding Cosmia Winters - Groomsmaid Best boys, I love you both, so proud of you both and wishing you all the love and the happiness for the future. You inspire me and you are the most amazing couple in the world thank you for allowing me to be part of your day Elaina Boyd- Groomsman Doing her best to keep the tears at bay, Elaina took a deep breath and looked over at her best friends. Happy, smiling and making goofy faces at each other; just how she loved them. Clearing her throat, she stood up and grabbed her champagne flute, tossing one last nervous and goofy face at Nell before tapping her knife ever so gently against it. Once the noise had died down, she started to speak. "I could be one of those cliche idiots and say that I knew this was going to happen. That would be a lie though. All I ever wanted was the two of you to be happy and you are. As the years went on, it became more and more apparent how well you two compliment each other. Only you, my dear Denny, can calm Ethan's ass down. And only you, my precious Han, can bring Holden out of his shell. You've turned into one of those fricken couples that I would normally hate but because its you, I can't help but love and gush over. I love you both, so very, very much. I'll always be here for you, no matter what. But of course, you already know all of that."she chuckles, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes. Holding her glass up to them, she grins widely. "To the handsome grooms, congratulations and here's to many, many more years, videos, and shenanigans!" Malakai Sparks- Guest Mack cleared his throat once then twice as he stood up, a bright grin on his face thanks to the infectious energy in the room. His heart lit up with joy once again for the duo - now a pair of husbands - while he picked up a notecard with notes for a speech that he'd recited word for word. The noise slowly died down bit by bit and he took one final deep breath with the hopes his voice wouldn't waver. "This was originally going to be much longer and much sappier, but think we've all done enough crying for one day, even if they were tears of joy. So, won't be needing this." He tossed the notecard over his shoulder as a few chuckles escaped from other guests. "Ethan and Holden, you incredible sons of guns. You two are great on your own for so many reasons and trust me, those praises would take hours to sing. But then when you're together? I believe that I can safely speak for everyone here when I say that we've all learned over the years to expect epic things from you guys. Ideas that practically defy gravity. For you both to hit the ground running whenever a challenge comes up. And last, but most importantly, a love that sneaks up on you and fills you with the power to take over the world. So when you finally do, promise to be benevolent leaders? Also, if you ever want a captain of the guard, give me a call." Another few chuckles while Mack's megawatt grin softened into a warm smile and he lifted his glass. "Thank you for extending an invite to this incredible event. Congratulations to the start of something legendary and that is your life as husbands. To Ethan and Holden, the living definition of a power couple."   Table of Contents 0 Comments

12/14/2019 07:01 AM  Wedding Wedding video for mobile Table of Contents 0 Comments

12/13/2019 04:37 PM  Pre-Wedding FaceTime Table of Contents 0 Comments

12/05/2019 08:44 PM  Christmas w/ Ethan & Holden - 2012 Christmas Decorations  - 2012 Table of Contents 0 Comments

12/04/2019 01:48 PM  End of the year party 2010 PARTY LIKE THE WORLD'S ENDING Featuring: Ethan, Holden, Cosmia, Elaina, Liliya, and guests. Music by: Stix n Stones and Noah Jims. Table of Contents 0 Comments

11/14/2019 08:34 PM  Matilda Gentry Ross   Writing Louisville vs Manchester         Table of Contents       0 Comments

10/28/2019 02:18 PM  Even in Death Even in death “Miss Vivian requests I inform you she would like for Evelyn to join us this Friday for a family event. She would be required to stay the weekend and travel home on Monday morning. I’m sure you’ve heard the news of our Kellen’s demise by this point.” Mortimer, the McCartney butler. “And Vivian thought I would be satisfied with just letting her go off without much other explanation beyond a family event. It’s a funeral Mort. Don’t bullsh*t me.” Ethan was angry but not with Mortimer. “I know sir. She asked me not to mention the funeral but I felt it wasn’t fair.“ Ethan remembered Kellen telling stories about Mortimer from when he was younger. The butler had been more of a father figure to him than his own father had been. He knew that he was likely not taking the news any better than anyone else. But because of his professionalism you would never had guessed. “Thank you Mortimer. I appreciate it.” There was silence for a brief moment as Ethan sucked in a breath and let it out. “Let Vivian know that Evie will be there — of course she will be — but I will be with her.” “But sir... you know that...” Ethan cut him off. “And she knows that Kellen signed new custody arrangements before he died. Vivian is no longer Evie’s guardian and neither is my mother...” the word mother was spoken through closed teeth. “I will be there or she can have fun explaining to her granddaughter why she wasn’t allowed to say goodbye to her father.” “Yes sir, I will let her know. There will be a dinner following services. Correspondence will be sent by email from Miss Piper.” “Thanks Mort.” A pause. “And Mort?” “Hmm?” The older gentleman inquired. “I’m sorry for your loss. I know how much Kellen meant to you. He loved you too.” The sound of a sharp inhale could be heard on the other end of the phone. “Thank you Ethan. Your words are kind. I look forward to seeing you Friday. Although I wish it were under better circumstances.” “You as well Mortimer.” Click. Ethan tossed his new phone onto the bed and ran his hands across his face. ‘F*** Kell, even in death you’re a pain in my ass.’   Table of Contents 0 Comments

10/20/2019 02:59 PM  Louisville VS Manchester Louisville VS Manchester “No fair! You’re cheating. I swear. There’s no way you could possibly beat me 4 times in a row!” Matilda protested as she huffed in Ethan’s direction. Ethan laughed and flexed his nonexistent muscles. “What can I say? I’m just that good I guess.” Matilda stuck her tongue out at him. “Yeah yeah.” A buzzing phone interrupted. “Ugh. Is it dumbf*** again?” The American girl made another face at him but this time in regards to the person in question. “Yeah... he won’t leave me alone.” Ethan’s eyes were locked on the phone. His finger traced the reply button  and he fought the urge to hit it. Almost as if reading his mind Matilda nudged him, breaking his connection with the phone. “You don’t need him Ethie. He is stupid if he can’t see how amazing you are.” He grumbled before speaking again. “Yeah but...” “No buts!” She was grinning at him. He found it... puzzling. The way she was watching. “I’m just trying to figure all this out, you know?” He took a deep breath. “I don’t even know if I like girls. I don’t think so but who knows at this point? Does that make me gay? I don’t know. How does this work? All I know is I’m not a girl. That’s it. That’s the only answer I...” His rambling was cut off by a set of lips on his. Her lips. He didn’t fight it. His hands were there in her hair now and he let the kiss grow until her hands started traveling. “Woah... no...” He protested as he pulled away. “Ah sorry.... I don’t know what got into me...” She looked at the floor and wiped her face with the back of her shirt sleeve. “I...” She didn’t finish. “No it’s okay. Just not.. that... the hands... I don’t mind the kiss though...” It wasn’t a lie. He didn’t hate the kiss. It was just different than he was used to. He watched her bite her lip. Was he attracted to Matty? She was one of his friends and he cared for her. But did they have anything else there? Ethan wasn’t sure the answers but he watched her lean in to plant a soft kiss on the tip of his nose. “You’re a dork.” She was grinning. “We can go slow. Yeah? See if you even like girls.”   He was glad she seemed to understand. “How’s it going on those dating sites by the way? Which one did you join? Tinder?” He was surprised by the abrupt change of subject. One minute she’s talking like she fancied him and the next she’s asking if he’s talking to anyone. “Uhh I mean I made a tinder profile but haven’t tried talking to anyone. It’s just sitting there.” Matty’s face shifted into a mischievous grin and she reached for the phone sitting in his lap. “300187” She smirked as she entered the numbers and the phone unlocked. “Really Ethan? His birthday... Never-mind...” “What? He’s my best friend.” Ethan protested. “Mhm. And so is Elaina and me but I don’t see our birthdays as your lock code.”   He wanted to grab the phone from her in objection but she was nursing it in a way that made it impossible for him to grab. “Ah here we go. Grindr.” She held up the phone to his face. “Smile!” A click was heard and watched her tap away at the screen. “Matilda ! I’m not going on Grindr! Holy sh*t!” A wave of nerves washed over him but he managed to steel himself enough to reach for the phone and take it back. He tapped at the screen until he was sure the profile was deleted. As he was deleting the app he noticed several new messages from Kellen. ‘Just hear me out’ one read. ‘What if you’re wrong? You weren’t a guy when we...’ Matty grabbed the phone before he could read the end of the sentence but he knew what it said. “Enough of that. How about I take you on another round in Halo and you try not to get yourself killed.” He rolled his eyes playfully and gave her a smirk. “You’re on Louisville. Watch and learn.” Ethan flexed his fingers. “As if Manchester.” She tossed the controller at him again and moved so they were sitting shoulder to shoulder in front of the couch in the living room. Table of Contents       0 Comments

10/08/2019 10:40 PM  Crashing Down Around Me Crashing Down Around Me “I’ll be back before you have time to miss me…” “Breaking news tonight outside of Paris as we go live to the scene of a plane crash. No word yet on injuries but authorities suspect the plane belonged to the McCartney family. International billionaires and owners of the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.” Ethan hadn’t any intentions on watching the news. The fact it was on was pure coincidence. He had been flipping the channels when he spotted the familiar McCartney logo... in flames... “Oh my god...” it felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs as he fumbled for his phone. Kellen was on his way back to London after a meeting with his father. “No. No. No.” he repeated. ‘Are you okay?’ He sent the text but then decided he needed to call as well. The phone rang but went straight to voicemail. “F***!” He threw the phone against the wall with such force it split in two. Panic was setting in. “F***. Kellen. F***...” Holden was there now. Holding Evie. He didn’t remember them coming in. His mind was clouded. That was Kellen’s plane. He was sure of it. “Daddy!” Evie’s eyes were wide and he watched Holden pull her away as if to shield her from Ethan in case he went off. “Sweetheart...” Ethan’s voice was shaking and his knees felt like jello but he managed to steady himself with the edge of a bookshelf. “We’ve just got word that Kellen McCartney and Sir Archibald McCartney were both present on the plane. A search is still underway for the pair.” “Holy sh*t.” Holden spoke this time. “What’s wrong?” The 8 year old’s face was full of uncertainty as she looked between her dad and uncle. Holden moved quicker than Ethan and managed to shut the TV off before anything else was said. They exchanged glances. “Elaina!” They shouted in unison for their best friend. While they waited for her to appear Ethan reached for Evie from Holden’s arms and held her close. “Why did the lady say papa’s name? When will papa be here?” Questions that Ethan had no answers to. He was learning the news at the same rate as everyone else in the world. “I don’t know sweetheart. I’m not sure. Let’s find Titi and get you ready for bed. You’ve got school in the morning.” He planted a soft kiss on the child’s forehead and gave her another comforting squeeze. “Okay...” the tiny voice spoke with reluctance. It didn’t take long for the news to break that both Kellen and Sir McCartney were both dead. Their bodies found crushed beneath the debris. The reports said engine failure was the cause — it didn’t make sense to Ethan. The McCartney family were always good about maintaining their planes. He stared at Holden’s phone in his hands as the headline jumped from the screen and smacked him in the face. He heard shuffling and saw a half asleep Evie and messy headed Holden come into the bedroom. “Daddy can I wear my rainbow headband to school today?” She yawned as Holden helped her onto the bed they shared. “How about we skip school today unicorn?” Ethan looked at Holden and knew the other could tell the news was bad. Without saying a word he turned the screen where Evie wouldn’t be the picture of her father and grandpa. “Yeah Evie, how about we have a movie day. We will get you lots of sweeties. How is that?” Holden offered without missing a beat. The 8 year old was oblivious to anything and at that moment the only thing Ethan wanted was to protect her from the news for as long as possible. Table of Contents       0 Comments

Previous1234Next

View All Posts