This was a short story told in Derek's POV which was nice since the rest of the books were told in Elliot's POV. This was Derek's last trip to Seattle as a single man. When he left Seattle for good, he'd be married to the love of his life who was moving to Maui with him so they didn't have to continue the long distance relationship and only seeing each other a handful of times a year.When Derek and Elliot arrive at Derek's parents' house for pre-wedding dinner, his entire family drops a bomb on him... they don't support his marriage to Elliot and won't be attending the wedding.This cuts Derek up more than he lets on to Elliot, but it's hurting him pretty bad. The fact that it's bothering him tells you a lot since nothing seems to get Derek tense and uptight. He's always wanted the approval of his family even if they've never really been supportive of anything he's chosen to do with his life, but now, he's finally really, truly happy for the first time ever and he just wants a little support.He's not sure he can go through with the wedding knowing it'll effectively cut him off from his family for good, he loves Elliot more than himself and wants nothing more than to make him happy and wouldn't dare leave him at the altar like Ben did to him nearly two years ago. After a long heartfelt talk with his brother at the wedding rehearsal dinner and some time alone on the beach, Derek comes to a major decision that was reached due to the help of his fiance who knew something was wrong and came to find Derek.Elliot is one of the nicest, kindest, most loving men in the world and after Derek finds out everything Elliot is willing to give up for him, it makes his decision easy.I really loved this book, it was nice to see the unshakeable Derek show some really heartfelt emotions and it was beautiful to watch these boys get their happily ever after :) Things continue (with a great shout-out to Jenre) and Elliott and Derek have decided to get married in Seattle where their families are before Derek moves to Hawaii permanently. They have to do the usual family get-togethers before the wedding and when they get to Derek's family the reception is chilly to say the least. He's surprised since they had met Elliott and knew about the wedding, but they declare that they don't support him and won't be attending. Derek is left reeling by his family's rejection and starts to question the whole concept, however he doesn't want to disappoint Elliott who got stood up once. After a sniffle inducing conversation with his brother on the eve of the wedding, he decides they don't need his family and proceed. This story is told from Derek's first person point of view since most of the story revolves around him coming to terms with his family's feelings about not just his relationship with Elliott, but his whole life. Word of warning. I read these one after the other, like "finish page 153, start page 1" and it took me a very long time to wrap my brain around the fact that it was Derek speaking. I kept thinking "Why would he say that?" Oh wait. It's Derek. Right. Makes sense now. This had nothing to do with the writing, because it was out of character for Elliott so it was not a case of both characters being "the same", it was my brain. So maybe take a day between unless you are able to switch gears faster than I am. :-)Loved this series and how Derek was a calming and relaxing influence on Elliott. He still had his lists, but he was also able to go with the flow more often and not get so freaked out. Also you find out Derek isn't quite the slacker he comes across as. When he needs to suck it up and do his job, he does and does it well.
What do You think about On The List (2011)?
4 stars, nice, sweet conclusion to Derek and Elliot's story.
—jcer29
