Tag: Will Montgomery

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Kingsport #51

In the days following the non-wedding of Will Montgomery and Dr. Connor Windsor, everyone in Kingsport wondered what had actually happened to make Connor run off into the abyss. Were things as bad as the leaked story in the Kingsport Press intoned? Was it true that Will was a spoiled, over privileged monster? Could it be that Connor had been kidnapped by an organized crime syndicate? No one knew for sure, but everyone had theory. The Montgomery family wasn’t speaking to the press while the Windsors were hounded day and night for comment. It was in this moment that Raquel Windsor decided that she had to speak to Alison and Charles in order to clear the air. Although Alistair Windsor advised his wife against her impulsive decision, he accompanied her to the Montgomery Estate as a throng of photographers chased them through the quiet lanes of Kingsport.

“I have nothing to say to either of you,” snapped Alison Farrell Montgomery. She stood near the window of the Smoking Room as Charles Montgomery, IV surveyed their errant guests over a glass of whisky. “I always knew your son was an egomaniac, but for him to abandon my son at the altar on their wedding day…! It’s exceedingly cruel!”

Raquel could feel sweating pouring down her body. “We didn’t know Connor wasn’t going to show up, Alison! You have to believe us!”

“I don’t have to believe anything you say, Raquel!” roared Alison.

“Alistair, we’ve been trying to console Billy for days, but it’s impossible. We both know you and Raquel are not wholly responsible for Connor’s actions, yet I don’t think it’s best for us to meet in this manner when emotions are so raw,” intoned Charles. He scanned Alistair and Raquel before adding, “What’s done is done. We’ll have to find a way to move on.”

“And to think we gave Connor a second chance after everything he did to India,” growled Alison.

“Hold on, Alison,” interrupted Alistair. “Nothing was ever proven. We all know your daughter lives in a reality of her own.”

“I won’t…” began Alison.

Alistair took Raquel by the arm and led her towards the door of the Smoking Room. “We’ll never know what really happened between Will and Connor. Something made Connor decide that he couldn’t go through with the wedding. I’m sorry for the shame it’s brought to your family and the scandal it’s brought to mine.”

Charles watched Alistair and Raquel leave the Smoking Room as he released a heavy sigh. “You needn’t’ve been so forcefully with Alistair and Raquel.”

Alison rolled her eyes. “The Windsors are not my concern; Billy is my concern, Charles.” She collapsed into an overstuffed chair and buried her head in her hands. “I can’t believe we let this happen to our little boy.”

“He’s not a little boy anymore, Alison. Billy will recover. Actually, Alistair had a point: Neither of us know what happened in Billy and Connor’s relationship which caused Connor to run off.”

“I can’t believe you’re taking their side!”

“Alison, I’m not. However, you and I both know that relationships are complicated. Connor may have had a very good reason to leave Billy at the altar. We’ll never know for sure. In the meantime, we have to be there for our son. We can’t abandon him now.”

“Go away. I don’t want to see anybody.”

India Montgomery closed the door to Will’s bedroom before she said, “I told you Connor is a very bad man. You should have believed me.”

Will wiped his eyes as he turned to his sister with stunned irritation. “Not everything is about you, India! God! I don’t even know why you’re here. Just go away.”

“You need to listen to me, Billy!”

“Get out of my room,” hissed Will.

“Billy, Connor is a bad man. What he did to you is…unforgiveable…but, you will forgive him because that’s who you are, Billy. You forgive bad people all the time.”

“I’ve never forgiven you for making my entire life a living hell.”

“I only tried to love you,” simpered India. “When you took Connor from me, I didn’t hurt you. I…I didn’t hurt Connor, either. I let you have him…now it looks like karma has done the rest for me.”

“How can you say that to me?”

“Because your feelings don’t matter to me. Billy, you need to wake up! Connor never loved you. He’s said he’s loved me for years…”

“Get out of my room, India!!!!”

“And no matter how much Connor says he loves you, it will never be true! He humiliated you! If I were you, I wouldn’t be sitting in my room crying over that man. I’d thank my lucky stars I avoided a lifetime of misery with that man.”

Will’s eyes narrowed on his sister. His sister. How he hated this woman. His first conscious memory of India was of her trying to push him down the grand staircase. It only got worse from there. And now, at his lowest moment, his sister was trying to insist that he move on from Connor when she was the one who was obsessed with him. “India, I know exactly what you’re doing. You are one of the most selfish people I know!”

“I’m not selfish,” gasped India. “Billy…”

“Enough! God, I hate you. You’ve been obsessed with Connor for years. He’s never returned your sick obsession with him and now you’re trying to get me out of the picture so you can – what? – get him to love you all over again? You are twisted, India! Quite frankly, if I never spoke to you again, I’d be the happiest man alive. Now get out of my room before I do something I won’t regret!”

India stood in stunned silence that her usually meek mannered and easy to manipulate brother had bared his claws. She quietly left her brother’s bedroom suite, started down the corridor, and stopped. Maybe, just maybe, she could use this situation to her advantage. Connor was gone, but it didn’t mean he didn’t love her; it meant he didn’t love Will. And, in that moment of clarity, India knew that one day she would have the man she loved because he had shown her that Will wasn’t the Montgomery he wanted; it was her.

 

In our next installment, Alison places the blame on Nicholas…

 

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Kingsport #50

“All of Kingsport, Manhattan, London, Paris, and Hong Kong are a twitter with the news of today’s wedding of Montgomery scion, William Harrison Montgomery to Dr. Connor Lorenzo Windsor, both of Kingsport, Connecticut. The wedding ceremony will take place at a private chapel on the Montgomery Estate for close family and invited guests before the reception which is rumored to be hosted in the grand ballroom on the estate for three hundred and fifty people,” explained the Kingsport Press in breathless detail. “William Montgomery, the youngest child of Charles Montgomery, IV and Alison Farrell Montgomery, is the owner of the Kingsport Polo Club as well as the captain for the King’s Polo team. Dr. Connor Windsor, the eldest child of Alistair and Raquel Windsor, is a surgeon at Fairfield County Hospital…”

Jill Stanhope Montgomery tossed the newspaper aside as she took a deep, cleansing breath. Although she tried to block out the events of the other from her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking about her moment of passion with Connor. Her body ached for him. He still knew everything that made her quiver, cry, moan, and melt. Warren hadn’t had sex with her in three months. To have a man inside of her…on top of her…and ravaging her made Jill want nothing more than to run off with the man who was due to marry her brother-in-law at eleven o’clock this morning.

“Are you ready?” Warren Montgomery walked into his wife’s dressing room as he fastened his nineteenth century cuff links.

“DeShawn will be here to do my hair in a few minutes. We won’t be late.”

Warren eyed Jill carefully. “We can’t be late for my brother’s wedding,” stressed Warren. “I’m his best man.”

Jill fastened an emerald and sapphire bracelet around her wrist. “We’ll be early,” smiled Jill, lightly.

“We should’ve stayed at the estate last night,” muttered Warren. “With all of the out of town guests coming in today, there may be traffic.”

“We’ll be fine,” sighed Jill. “Warren, I want to apologize.”

“For what?”

“Everything. I know I haven’t been myself recently and I am sorry. I should have put my personal beliefs and feelings aside when it came to Will’s wedding.”

Touched by his wife’s sudden about face, Warren kissed her forehead. “That means a lot. Thank you, Jill.”

Just then, the doorbell rang as Jill’s phone bleated to life. “That’s DeShawn. Showtime,” tittered Jill.

            “I don’t think we should be talking right now,” Nicholas said into his cell phone as he waited to climb into an idling black town car. “What we did the other night…”
“We didn’t do anything wrong. It was just a kiss,” whispered Will.

“You’re getting married today. I knew it was a bad idea letting myself get sucked into your orbit again,” snapped Nicholas.

“Please don’t be mad at me, Nicholas. I… I was in a weak state and I should’ve known better,” stammered Will. “I just… Help me make sense of what to do, Nicholas.”

“I can’t, Monty. You’re on your own.”

“Nicholas…”

“Monty, I can’t be your talk-to. If you want to marry Connor, marry him. If you don’t, call it off. Either way, the decision is yours. I can’t… No, I won’t be your consolation prize or back-up plan. Whatever you do next, you have to do it on your own.”

The chapel on the Montgomery Estate was last used on the occasion of Warren’s wedding to Jill. Outside of that, the chapel sat dormant except of weekly cleanings and the off times when the Montgomery family would use it to repent for sins of the past, present, and future. Sheila Davenport, Dylan Davenport, Lisa Davenport Collins, Jackson Collins, Oliver Collins, Elijah Davenport, Faren Davenport, and Nicholas Davenport made

their way into the chapel past the assembled press dressed in their finest wedding couture. Eli led Faren towards the holding area where she joined her cousins, Hannah and Kate Montgomery, the other flower girls in the wedding party.

“How tastefully done,” Sheila said to Dylan, who walked by her side.

“I suppose,” muttered Dylan. “I’m surprised Charles allowed the press to attend.”

Sheila pursed her lips. “Raquel Windsor begged for press coverage. People like Raquel think the Montgomerys are a royal family.”

“Aren’t they?” mused Dylan.

“Royalty doesn’t have this much money,” tutted Sheila.

“I didn’t think you’d come to your ex-boyfriend’s wedding,” Lisa whispered to Nicholas as they made their way to their pew.

Nicholas lowered his eyes before saying, “If I didn’t come, people would talk. I’m happy for them.”

Lisa gave Nicholas a curious stare. “All right. If that’s the story you want to tell…”

“Drop it,” Nicholas ordered his sister. “Let’s enjoy the wedding.”

In a small sun drenched waiting room, Will waited calmly as Warren finished tying his bow tie. “Is everyone here?” worried Will.

“Yes,” said Warren, calmly. “Uncle Walton and his brood just showed up.”

“How do you know for sure?”

“Jill texted me. Everything is going to be fine, Billy.”

Will forced a smile onto his face. Despite everything that had happened, he could feel the clouds lift. He was getting married today to the man he loved! Will couldn’t think of anything more wonderful. A second later, the clock stuck eleven. Without a word, Will drew a deep breath before leaving the room and walking towards the altar.

It had been agreed that Will would begin the processional with Alison and Charles followed by Connor and his parents. After what seemed like years of stress and worry, Will cast a confidant eye over the his wedding guests. They were dressed in their finest morning clothes just for the occasion. Even his sister, India, and his sister-in-law, Jill, looked good. Will smiled confidently at Nicholas Davenport because he knew his future was with Connor. As Will took his place at the altar with Warren by his side, they faced up the aisle to await Connor’s entrance. The music swelled and…

Nothing.

Silence.

Three seconds (which felt like six years) ticked by.

More silence.

Someone coughed.

Silence.

People looked at each other with mounting concern coupled with polite society smiles.

More people coughed.

Will turned to Warren with pensive dread in his eyes.

Alison grabbed Charles’ hand with a heavy squeeze. Their eyes locked ever so briefly before they both cast them to the stone floor.

Suddenly, the door to the chapel opened.

Everyone turned around with eager anticipation.

Alistair Windsor stepped into the chapel with a worn look on his face. “We… He’s gone. We don’t know where he is. Will…I’m so sorry.”

Will let out a scream so deafening, it sounded primal. His blood ran cold before he collapsed into Warren’s arms in front of the entire congregation. A second later, everything went black.

 

In our next installment, questions abound in Kingsport…

 

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Kingsport #49

“Lisa, I have to talk to you!” Jill Stanhope Montgomery grabbed her best friend by the hand as they marched across the overly manicured lawns of the Kingsport Country Club towards a secluded gazebo. “Oh, Lisa, I’ve done…the worst thing possible.”

Lisa Davenport Collins straightened the cuff on her end of summer pant suit while balancing a glass of wine in the other hand. She always loved the annual Labor Day at the Kingsport Country Club because it signaled the end of summer and the winding down of the year at hand. “Jill, what on earth…?”

“I… I went to see Connor the other day…”

Lisa heaved a heavy sigh. “Jill! You have to stay away from him. Connor is bad news.”

“I couldn’t help myself. I went to his house to ask him to cancel his wedding to Will.”

“I can’t believe you thought that was a good idea. If Warren finds out…”

“He won’t!”

“He’s good friends with Connor! What’s to stop Connor from telling Warren what you did? Jill, with all of the problems you’ve told me about your marriage, it’s really insipid of you to try to interfere with your brother-in-law’s marriage.”

Jill took a deep breath as she added, “It’s…”

Lisa raised a deft hand. “Stop. Jill, I don’t care what happened with Connor because you shouldn’t’ve gone to see him. We’ve been friends since college, but when it comes to Connor, you lose all sense of yourself. That man has brought nothing but misery to your door.”

“Lisa…”

“No. Forget whatever happened with Connor. Forget that you tried to ruin Will’s wedding day. Focus on Warren, Hannah, and Kate. Everything else doesn’t matter… Not in the least…”

“Billy, Connor. I have a little surprise for you.” Alison Farrell Montgomery waved her son and future son-in-law to her table at the Kingsport Country Club. While she loathed dining in public, Alison always liked the club’s annual Labor Day extravaganza. No expense was spared, which made the ridiculously high price of annual admission somewhat justifiable. “I’ve found the perfect house as my wedding present to you.”

Connor turned his gaze to Will, who did everything in his power to hide behind his aviator sunglasses. “Alison, that’s sweet…”

“It’s the old Havermeyer Estate,” interjected Alison with great excitement. “It turns out Bitsy and Joanie have finally decided to unload it after letting it sit empty for almost a quarter of a century!”

“Alison, that’s…” Connor cleared his throat before saying, “Will and I would like to graciously decline your gift.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Alison glared at Connor before turning to Will. “Billy, what’s this all about?”

“We think,” began Connor.

“I was speaking to my son,” snapped Alison, briskly. “William Harrison Montgomery, what is the meaning of all of this?”

Will shifted uneasily in his deck shoes as he said, “Connor…we…think we’re going to live at Connor’s house.”

“It’s far too small,” exclaimed Alison. “It’s practically a guest house on his parents’ estate! No gardens, a shared pool…there isn’t even a chef’s kitchen!”

“I’ve lived there for years and it’s served me just fine,” sniffed Connor.

Alison narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the smug doctor. “I’m sure it has, Connor. However, you’re marrying my son. He’s been raised in a very specific way that he’s grown accustomed to despite what he may tell you when you’re having sex.”

“Mom!”

“Billy, please. The Havermeyer Estate is the right home for you and Connor. If you want to live at Connor’s while the house is being renovated, then that should be fine. Have your honeymoon period. I’ll pay for all of the renovations and upgrades, so the matter is settled. I won’t hear another word about it!”

“This isn’t your decision to make,” Connor said through clenched teeth. “You don’t even live in America. Don’t you have a broom or something to whisk you back to Paris.”

Without a word, Alison stood up, gave Connor a contemptuous scowl, and disappeared into the country club.

“She’s a bit much today,” sniffed Connor.

“Don’t you ever speak to my mother like that ever again.”

“Will, I…”

Without a word, Will pushed past Connor and into the throng of revelers. He didn’t know what to do or where to go when he looked up to see Nicholas Davenport eating a hamburger at a table with their old friends, Eileen Owens, Journey Adams-Woole, and Ryan Mansky. A surge of nostalgia washed over Will as he surveyed the happy scene. He and Nicholas had been happy together. They were the same people from the same world who both sneered at microwave meals and loved Russian caviar on Ritz crackers. In that moment, Will wondered what his life would have been like had he and Nicholas worked through their issues as young men in their twenties rather than breaking up in search of something better. Will thought Connor was his something better, but they kept fighting. He and Connor were very different people who couldn’t agree on where to live, let alone on how to approach the differences between them. With Nicholas, Will knew they would have moved into the Havermeyer Estate without a question. Alison and Sheila would’ve paid for it and put it in trust for them without a second thought. No guilt. No arguments…just a thank you. In that moment, Will made himself stop thinking such ludicrous thoughts because he and Nicholas were no more…and he was going to marry Dr. Connor Windsor the day after tomorrow.

“Don’t just stand there! Come and join us,” Nicholas shouted to Will. When Will remained frozen in the grass, Nicholas put down his burger to check on his old friend and ex-boyfriend. “Are you all right, Monty?”

“I… I don’t know, Nicholas.”

Before Will could say another word, Nicholas led him into the country club where they found the Red Parlor to be empty. Nicholas sat Will in a chair as he closed the door and surveyed him. “Talk.”

“I… Nicholas, I don’t think I can go through with this wedding.”

“Monty, you… You told me you love Connor.”

“I do! It’s… God, Nicholas, it’s everything else. The way he talked to my mother… Whatever his past is with India… Nicholas, I…I can’t do it. I…just can’t.”

“Then call it off. Get out of town.”

Will looked up at Nicholas and gazed into his soft brown eyes. “I’m being stupid. Everything will be fine once we’re married. I’m just…in my feels… That’s all.”

Nicholas sat next to Will with grave concern. “Monty, don’t deflect because you’re trying to make everyone else happy.”

“I don’t…”

“You do. You do it all the time. Whether it’s your father, your brother, your mother, and now, Connor, you’re always trying to make someone else happy. If marrying Connor won’t make you happy, then don’t do it! For God’s sake, Monty, put your happiness first for once.”

And in that moment, Will put his happiness first as his lips met Nicholas’ and the first kiss they shared in over fifteen years seemed to last an eternity…

 

In our next installment, it’s Will and Connor’s wedding day…

 

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Kingsport #48

“Jill… What a pleasant surprise.”

Jill Stanhope Montgomery pushed her way into Dr. Connor Windsor’s house with her black alligator purse clutched tight to her body. “You can’t marry Will.”

“Why? You’re jealous, aren’t you, Jill?”

“Me?!? I have Warren. I’m not jealous of Will!”

Connor sidled up to her, his eyes colored with raw passion. “Don’t lie, Jill.” He ran his hand across her soft arms. “You’ve always had a thing for me. I gave you a few wild nights of passion before you met Warren and…well, it looks like you haven’t been able to forget them.”

Jill held her breath until she almost passed out. She turned to Connor just enough that he couldn’t read the torn expression on her face. “I love Warren.”

“And yet… You deny nothing, yet admit everything.”

“Connor, if you marry Billy… I’ll tell him about our past.”

“Okay. Do it.”

“What???” stammered Jill.

“Tell Will. I don’t care. He loves me. He’ll forgive me for something I did…multiple times…before I started seeing him.” Connor deftly rubbed Jill’s inner right thigh as she tried to suppress a moan of utter delight. “You’ll never say anything… You don’t want the Montgomerys to know about our…little past…”

“They would if they knew what you were really like,” shot back Jill.

Connor let out a humored grunt. “Oh, yeah? What am I really like, Jill? Go on. Tell me.”

“You use people. You used me for sex and then tossed me aside.”

“Wow. Okay. So, that’s what it’s like when someone re-writes history. The minute Warren Montgomery showed the slightest interest in you, you dropped me, Jill. You wanted to lock down the local billionaire’s son and you did it! You’re nothing but a common gold digger with some pedigree behind her name.”

“You’re doing the same thing with Will!”

Connor nearly slammed his hand into the wall as he screamed, “Don’t you ever say that again!”

“It’s true, Connor! We both know it! You couldn’t get India, so you went after her brother! We both know you’re not even gay!”

“I’m warning you, Jill…!”

“Warn me all you want, Connor, but I have nothing left to lose. My husband can’t stand me. His family merely tolerates me. And you… You can’t stand that I can see right through you. You pretend to be upright, moral, and loveable, but you’re just as deplorable as the rest of us!”

Connor raised his hand to strike Jill when something inside of him forced him to step back. “Get out of my house,” he roared.

“Not until you call of this wedding.”

“Get out of my house, Jill!!!”

“No!” She grabbed Connor by the shoulder and turned him towards her. Jill looked into his wild eyes when something came over her. In that moment, their lips met, her hands found his penis, and his hands removed her panties. Before they knew it, they were having raw, passionate, unbridled sex in the foyer of Connor’s house. Because, they both knew, it was exactly what they needed, wanted, and desired.

“Thank you for not throwing me a bachelor party, Warren.” Will polished off his steak as he and his brother clinked their wine glasses together in the dining room of the Kingsport Country Club. “Dinner was nice.”

“It’s nice to spend some time with you, Billy. I know I haven’t been very present…”

“I don’t mind…”

“I know, but you’re my baby brother and you’re getting married. I’m sorry if I’ve been a bad brother.”

“You haven’t,” insisted Will. “I’m kind of glad the family office and the wedding planners handled everything. It’s been nice to sit back…for the most part.”

“Then you’re happy?”

Will chewed on this for a moment before saying, “Yes. I am. For the first time in a long time, I am happy. I was having doubts, but Nicholas…”

“Wait,” interjected Warren. “Back up. Nicholas Davenport?”

Will nodded innocently. “I ran into him a few days ago. He’s thinking about moving back to town.”

Warren listened dutifully. He knew all too well how much Will and Nicholas meant to each other when they first started dating the summer they graduated from high school. They were lovestruck, moonstruck, and thunderstruck in such a way that everyone assumed they would marry after college and unite the Montgomery and Davenport families. However, fate intervened and their happily ever after ended due to events Warren still didn’t know were true. “Billy, do you think it’s such a good idea to talk about Connor to Nicholas? You two have a lot of history.”

Will shifted in his seat uncomfortable. He knew his brother was looking out for him, but sometimes his concern bordered on oppressive. “Warren, I’m not nineteen anymore. Nicholas and I, well, we haven’t stayed in touch. There’s no animus between us. I mean, he’s invited to my wedding for crying out loud. Nicholas is happy for me.”

“As long as you two are strictly friends…”

“Yes. Warren, I’m getting married in a few days! I never thought this day would come! After all of the men over so many years, I’m marring the man I love without nary a worry in the world. I must be the luckiest man in the world, Warren. Seriously. Come September 8th, my life will be perfect with my husband by my side…and no one will be able to stop us. No one, Warren.”

 

In our next installment, it’s Labor Day at the country club…

 

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Kingsport #45

“Barbara, ya got a minute?”

Barbara Wilkes spun around in the staff room in the bowels of the Montgomery Estate to find Ada Burke glaring at her. She forced a tight smile onto her face as she said, “Sure. How are you, Ada?”

Ada hated it when Barbara put on that fake-nice voice. Ever since Barbara had gone upstairs to work for Mrs. Montgomery, she’d become a little faker. “Oh, I’m just fine. Ya know, things are still the same down here. Washin’, foldin’, runnin’ meals and whatnot…”

“I remember. Well, if you don’t mind, I should get back to sorting Mrs. Montgomery’s mail. My break is almost over.”

“Before you do,” said Ada, quickly. “Mind if I ask you somethin’?”

“Of course not,” replied Barbara, carefully.

Ada sat across from Barbara, her mind racing a thousand miles a minute. “Seems that a friend of mine lives in your building.”

“So?”

“Said there’s some man stayin’ with you.”

Barbara could feel her throat tighten as her stomach began to churn. She knew she’d been careful about keeping her private life to herself, so how in the world did the likes of Ada Burke know that someone was living with her. Thinking as quickly as she could, Barbara replied, “Ada, I really don’t like to discuss my private life…”

“Just thought we were friends…at least friendly, ya know? Didn’t you know had a fella.”

“Ada, I think…this conversation is really inappropriate. If you’ll excuse me…”

“It’s all right. Just thought I’d ask. Makin’ sure you’re all right and all that.”

Barbara forced a half-hearted smile on her face which hid the frantic fury inside of her. “Well, I don’t make inquiries into your home life and I would appreciate it if you didn’t into mine!”

Before Barbara knew it, she was out of the staff room and into the corridors beneath the Montgomery Estate. She couldn’t believe that someone in Kingsport knew about Kenny. Barbara had given him crushed enough pills in his food to keep him lethargic until she figured out how to get rid of him. And now, that nosey busybody, Ada Burke, knew about that man. She wanted nothing more than to scream, but Barbara gathered her composure. No, she thought, quietly, she had to keep playing the long game. In time, Barbara knew she would move upstairs forever. Once that happened, she would get rid of all of the people who knew anything about her past…and that included one Ada Burke.

“Yes, Steven. That’ll be fine. Call every single white shoe law firm in Connecticut, New York, Paris, and London. I want cut Charles off at the knees should he decide to divorce me,” said Alison Farrell Montgomery in a hushed voice. “Thank you. Set up the calls and we’ll take it from there.” Alison placed the phone on the receiver just as her youngest child, Will, wandered into her private sitting room. “Please tell me that you and Connor have made up, Billy.”

He let out a soft sigh before saying, “We have. The wedding will go ahead as planned.”

“Thank goodness,” said Alison, lightly. “After the story in the Kingsport Press…”

“Mom, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“If India was behind it…”

“India is always behind everything bad that happens in my life. She’s hated me since the minute I was born.”

Alison kept quiet because she, of all people, knew that her son was right. “Then onto brighter news: My fittings for my wedding outfits went off without a hitch. Oh, I meant to tell you that I’m re-opening my homes in Paris and Cannes once I return to Europe after your wedding.”

“You’re leaving?” asked Will, his voice quivering with sadness.

“Yes,” replied, Alison flippantly. “Billy, my life is in France. I can’t sit around Kingsport for months on end. I’ll lose my mind.”

Will sullenly bit his bottom lip. “I’ve enjoyed having you in town. I wish you would stay.”

“You have access to the Montgomery jets. If you ever feel lonely, book one and come see me. It’s not as if we don’t have the time and the resources to see each other on a whim!”

“I know, but… Mom, I do think Connor has a problem with our lifestyle…our money.”

“He’ll get used to it,” sniffed Alison. “Besides, he should be happy that he doesn’t have to support you on a surgeon’s salary. Sorry, Billy. I didn’t mean it the way it sounds.” Alison walked over to her son and touched his face. “Billy, Connor will adapt. If he loves you for who you are, then the rest of it doesn’t matter.”

“But what if the rest of it does matter…to him…?”

“That’s what divorce lawyers are for,” said Alison, honestly. “If this marriage doesn’t work out, it doesn’t mean the next one won’t.”

“I love Connor,” said Will, plainly.

“Oh, Billy, you’ve loved a lot of men.”

“Mom!”

“There was Lord Sam Duncaster, Brian Hepworth-Walton, and, let’s not forget the very first one, Nicholas Davenport. Actually,” said Alison in a low, private tone, “I thought you got together with Connor to get back at India.”

Will met his mother’s eye with shock and contempt. “That’s something she would do to me! I’d never do that to India…or anyone else!”

“I know that now, Billy.” Alison’s checked her phone which emitted an alert before saying, “I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay married to Connor, especially if it doesn’t work. There are other men out there who will love you for who you are, not for who they want you to be. A cliché, yes, but it’s true. Now, off with you. I have to change for lunch at the country club.”

As Will left his mother’s suite and considered her words, he knew then and there he was going to marry Connor and they would stay married forever. He couldn’t prove his mother right. He just couldn’t…

In our next installment, the Montgomery family celebrates Alison’s birthday…

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Kingsport #44

“Nicholas?”

Nicholas Davenport turned around to see Will Montgomery standing behind him at Tiffany & Jo, Kingsport’s favorite coffee shop for those who could afford to sit in a café all day, every day and order ten nine-dollar cappuccinos. “Hey, stranger,” smiled Nicholas as he gave Will a tight hug. It had been years since they’d seen each other, despite the fact that they shared a niece in Faren. “Your big day is coming up, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Will in a low, voice. “Happiest day of my life.”

Nicholas gave Will a curious look because Will’s tone as one he knew all too well. “I have a few minutes…if you want to talk.”

“No. Nicholas, I can’t…” Will jammed his hands into his bespoke jeans. “You’re my ex-boyfriend…”

Nicholas gave Will a playful punch on his arm. “That’s why you can talk to me. I know your bullshit better than most people.”

Will placed their order with a passing waiter as they sequestered themselves into the back booth of Tiffany & Jo. “I guess you haven’t heard.”

“Heard what? I got back to town this morning. I’m staying with Dylan.”

“Are you moving back to Kingsport?”

Nicholas shrugged. “I’m not sure. We’ll see. Anyway, what should I have heard about, Will?”

“India leaked a story to the Kingsport Press about the issues and fights Connor and I have been having about the wedding. It was an absolute mess. My parents are livid, Connor is furious, and the whole thing is just one big minefield.” Will clamed up as the waiter dropped off their oat milk cappuccinos and two croissants with extra butter on the side. “Everything was going fine until India came back from Paris and now my life feels like it’s going to implode if I go through with my wedding to Connor.”

“You love Connor, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you letting India goad you, Will? She’s always been this way. No matter what you have, she wants it. I don’t think doubting your love for Connor is the wisest thing to do.”

“But he’s changed so much, Nicholas. With India back in town, Connor has been morose, sullen, quick to temper, and just…prickly… I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

“Well, India has done her best to ruin his life, too. Maybe you two should close ranks where India is concerned and forget she exists.”

Will mulled over Nicholas’ words for a long while. He knew his ex-boyfriend had a point. Will also knew that Nicholas only wanted what was best for him without the veil of a hidden agenda lurking in the shadows. “You don’t have to be so nice to me,” teased Will.

“You’re not that bad, Monty.” Nicholas gave Will a wink as he said the nickname he’d bestowed on Will so many years ago. “Look, for what it’s worth, I want you to be happy. From what I’ve heard about you and Connor, you guys are pretty solid. Letting India ruin your happily ever after won’t solve anything. We both know if it’s not Connor, it’ll be someone else who’s the object of India’s obsession. You can’t let her win, Will.”

“I’m not,” protested Will.

“You are,” insisted Nicholas. “If you call off your wedding to Connor, India has won. I promise you that, Monty.”

“Then what should I do?”

“I can’t tell you that,” said Nicholas, carefully. While he loved Will for more years than he could count, he knew better than to give too much of himself to this man. “I think you know what to do.”

Will nodded in agreement. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, his ex-boyfriend, the first man he’d ever loved, was now the only person who made him face the reality of the situation. Despite what India said or did, Will loved Connor and he was determined to make him his husband, no matter what.

“Jill, we need to talk.”

Jill Stanhope Montgomery rolled her eyes as she smoothed the invisible wrinkles from her sun dress in the expansive master suite in the mansion she shared with Warren and their daughters. “I’m meeting Lisa for a late breakfast at the country club. We can talk later.”

“No, we’re going to talk now,” Warren said in a firm, unyielding voice.

Jill turned to her husband with a curious look in her eye. “Don’t take that tone with me, Warren. I don’t work for you.”

“I spoke with India the other day. She told me something very intriguing.”

“God. I don’t know why you bother listening to her. We all know what she’s like.”

“You see, that’s the curious thing. I know exactly what she’s like, Jill. I also know when she’s lying to me.” Warren walked behind his wife and placed his strong hands on her trembling waist. “I know you told India about Billy and Connor’s fight,” Warren whispered into her ear.

Jill did everything in her power to stop from screaming out of sheer astonishment. “That’s a lie,” stammered Jill. “I never…”

“You were at the estate that day. My mother confirmed you were there. I also know that you were in the vicinity of the English garden where my mother and Sheila were having a private conversation.” Warren’s eyes flashed with heated fury. “I want the truth out of you, Jill, and I want it now.”

Jill turned to her husband with fear in her heart. She couldn’t believe that Warren would trust anything India told him, but she had to correct this situation before she lost everything she’d worked so hard to keep. “It…India threatened me. I…only told her about the fight because she was going on and on about the wedding,” lied Jill. “I thought she might want to know that Will and Connor weren’t very in love that day.”

“Do you understand what you’ve done?!? Billy and India have always had a horrible relationship. She’s been after Connor for years and she’s the one who leaked the story to the press because of you! My family has been humiliated! Billy’s been in bits! People are gossiping about my family like we’re some common reality TV trash!”

“Warren, I didn’t know…”

“You knew exactly what you were doing, Jill! Do not insult my intelligence by stating otherwise. You know how unstable India can be and yet you weaponized her mental health because you disapprove of Billy’s marriage to Connor!”

“That’s not true,” cried Jill. “Warren, please! You have to believe me!” She fell into his arms with heavy sobs before he pushed her away from him. “You disgust me. What you’ve done… It’s vile, Jill. I can’t stand to look at you right now,” spat Warren.

“What are you going to do?” asked Jill in a small, pensive voice.

Warren glared at her with vicious contempt. “You don’t deserve my mercy, but you will do two things in return for me not telling my family that you told India about Billy’s private life.”

Jill looked up at Warren, her red eyes on display. “What?”

“You will attend Billy and Connor’s wedding. Hannah and Kate will be flower girls in the wedding, too. End of. We will not have this conversation again.” Warren grabbed his car keys from the dressing table before turning to his wife, who sat motionless on their handcrafted bed. “Oh, and Jill, if you keep playing games with my family, you will lose. I will see to it.”

Jill waited for the sound of her husband’s car to disappear before she rose from the bed, dried her eyes, and began to reapply her make-up. Yes, she knew exactly what she had done when she gossiped to India. And, for a brief while, her plan had worked. However, one thing Jill knew for sure was that anything could happen between now and that infernal wedding. In that moment, Jill resolved to do whatever she could to ensure Will’s wedding never happened…even if her history with Connor proved to be the final salvo in this deadly game.

 

In our next installment, Ada confronts Barbara as Alison prepares for the future…

 

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