Word Count: 90,007
Year to Date: 180,009
Summary of Events:
Georgiana was invited by Shelton to attend a family gathering his parents were hosting, where things went poorly because Shelton's grandparents had presumed Georgiana's father owned a construction company, and were not pleased to hear — from Shelton's younger sister — that her father was merely an employee. After taking Georgiana home early because of poor treatment all around from his relatives, Shelton went back and got into an argument with his father, seeking to know just why Georgiana wasn't good enough for him, an answer he still didn't receive . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
“I love Georgiana,” Shelton replied. “If I were to break off my engagement I would be as much devastated as she would be. My heart has already suffered enough because of you, I do not want to suffer the death-blow.”
“And how has your heart suffered because of me?” Father asked scoffingly.
“You don’t listen to me,” Shelton replied. “You don’t understand me. You don’t know me, and you don’t want to, because if you did we wouldn’t be arguing right now. It is obvious you don’t want me. You want a puppet, and I refuse to be one.”
“You are being excessively emotional Shelton,” Father said.
“Godfrey felt the same way,” Shelton said. “Trust me.”
“You know nothing of Godfrey,” Father scoffed. “If only he hadn’t died so I could have an obedient child.”
“See?” Shelton said. “You don’t even want me.”
“Shelton Roderick Lacy Keith, how idle your tongue is,” Father scolded. “If you want to feel like you’re wanted them maybe you should do what is right.”
“Fine,” Shelton replied tautly. “I will then.”
Turning, Shelton walked to the door — behind which he could hear Mother’s anguished sobs, which had started some time before — he unlocked it, opened it, and stalked past Mother, who blindly grabbed at him, obviously meaning to try and stop him from getting away.
Shelton managed to elude her efforts, however, and walked briskly from Father’s study to his bedroom.
Collecting up the two suitcases, Shelton took them out to where Wes was waiting; Wes saw him coming and had the trunk open and waiting for him before he got there.
“You need any help?” Wes asked.
“No,” Shelton replied, his tone a little more clipped than he’d honestly meant it to be.
He went back inside and up to his room, noting that the location of his mother’s wails had changed to be more toward the location of her and Father’s bedroom, and fetched the boxes, which he stacked atop each other and carried down to the car, where they were stacked in the trunk.
“That’s it?” Wes asked.
“That’s it,” Shelton replied, looking at his best friend resolutely.
Wes shut the trunk with some force and Shelton walked to his door, into which he got while Wes turned the crank to get his car going before getting inside. He looked at Shelton.
“What?” Shelton asked.
“You’re not even going to watch it fade away?” Wes asked.
“No,” Shelton replied calmly. “Father told me to do what is right, and I’m doing it.”
Wes nodded and shifted the car into gear before pulling away.
Shelton kept his gaze locked forward and refused to give into any temptations to look out his peripheral vision or glance in the rearview mirror at the fine house that had once been his home.
His resolution was to marry Georgiana Teagan, and he wasn’t even going to let his family stop him. She was the best woman for him as far as he could tell, and he wasn’t going to let himself be talked out of marrying her and into marrying someone else.
Next Post: March 2.
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