by Angel Devlin
Kaylie is visibly shaking in front of me. I take her by the hand and picking up our sleeping son, I make her follow me out of the building. As we approach the communal garden she gasps, as Jenson steps forward to take hold of Josh.
Our family and friends are gathered in the garden, which is decorated in bunting with the words WILL YOU MARRY ME? draped between the trees.
Taking the ring out of my pocket, I drop to my knees.
“So, Kaylie Hale. Will you be my wife?”
“Yes.” Tears are rolling down her cheeks as I place the ring, the one exactly as she described, on her finger. “Oh my god, yes.”
Everyone cheers as I kiss my new fiancée. “You can arrange whatever wedding you want. Just tell me what I need to do, what you want, and it’s yours. I love you, Kaylie.”
She scrunches up the note and puts it in her pocket. “I have everything I need. As long as I become Mrs Kaylie Thomson, I don’t care how we do it.”
We kiss to more whoops and cheers as she whispers in my ear.
“And yes, that underwear is for in a few week’s time.”
My fiancée stokes a fire in me that I don’t want rescuing from.
THE END
Until… BRANDON is back in THE DADDY DILEMMA.
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Read on for a sneak peek…
Sneak Peek
The Daddy Dilemma
Brandon
December
“This is an intervention, mate.”
The voice of my best mate, Jack, booms from about a foot away from me. Am I still asleep? Is this a dream Jack or a real Jack?
I realise it’s a real Jack as I roll onto my back, a corner of something digging in my thigh painfully as I do so. Rubbing at my eyes, I sit up and squint. The bastard’s opened the curtains and winter sunshine lasers through my vision. I bet I have empty sockets now. Eyeballs disintegrated. What the fuck is digging in my leg? I reach down and unearth a pizza box from underneath me. I’m still wearing my uniform from LoCost, the bargain warehouse I work nights at as a manager. I feel hot and sweaty despite it being winter. Oh, that might be because I turned the thermostat up on my way in last night. I don’t think I’ll want to open my heating bill.
“You awake yet?”
I nod though I’m not sure it’s the truth. I watch as Aiden, my ex-housemate walks into the room. Ah, now I see how Jack got in.
“Wassgoinnonn?” I mumble.
“What’s going on, my friend, is that we’re taking you in hand. Enough is enough. You’ve been slobbing around for long enough and since Aiden left you’ve got a whole lot worse. I get married in a week’s time. A week. You will not spoil my bride’s Christmas Eve wedding by turning up looking like a hobo. We’re Queer Eye-ing you.
That wakes me up. What the hell is that?
I stare at him wide-eyed. “What does that mean? It sounds sexual. Anything weird should be happening to you at your stag do.” I startle as a thought comes to me. “Oh shit, is that tonight?”
“Yes, it’s tonight. It’s in… let me see.” Jack looks at his watch. “Five hours time. Five hours to do something with you. Now Queer Eye, you muppet, is a Netflix show where five gay guys make people over. Clothes, hair, cooking skills, house, and life.”
Now I’m starting to feel very worried about where this is headed. I think my head is where it’s headed.
Aiden pipes up. “You’re needing someone to share with to pay half the rent when my notice period is paid up. I paid you until the end of January because moving out at Christmas sucks, I know, but you need to get yourself and this house in order.” He looks around the place taking in discarded beer cans, takeaway cartons, and is that an actual pair of my briefs? “No one is going to move in here.” He says the word like most people say the word Brexit, i.e. with high disdain and as if it’s the worst subject in the whole world.
He hands me a coffee, one I thought he’d made for himself. Mmmm, he’s made it just as I like it. I miss Aiden making me coffee and it’s only been a couple of weeks since he moved out. He fell in love. Can’t blame him. Kaylie is lovely. I knew he wanted her before he did, the idiot. “How’s Kaylie?” I ask, taking a sip of the hot beverage.
“We’re not here to talk about Kaylie. We are here for you and the clock is ticking. Get that down your neck, go get the quickest shower in history, and then we’re off to the centre of London, my friend, where you are booked to have your hair restyled, and we doing some clothes shopping. Oh and I saw your bank statement, so I know you’ve been saving your earnings since the end of time and have more than enough for some new threads. We’re buying you a whole new wardrobe including clothes for tonight. And I’ve also organised someone to come around later in the week to help you sort through this mess of a house. When New Year is out of the way, you get this place advertised, you hear? And you keep it tidy. We’ll be watching you.”
Aiden points two fingers at his eyes, then at me and then back at himself.
My mouth has fallen open. In all the time I house-shared with Aiden he moaned at me plenty but then usually had a mad tidy up himself and just threw my shit in my room. But now he seems so… fierce.
“But I like my hair,” I protest, holding onto my shoulder-length locks.
“Nope. Goodbye to lanky locks, goodbye to the bird’s nest you have going on around your chin.” Jack has his hands folded across his chest in a ‘brook no argument’ stance. “Do what you like after the wedding, but you’re looking shipshape for my big day.”
“I fully intended to shower for it.”
“Nope, Reese is right. You need a tidy up.”
I might have known she’d be behind all this. I’ve not seen her since the engagement party. I’ll tolerate her at the wedding and then at the reception I’ll make sure I’m at the opposite end of the room. If she comes over passing judgement on me, I might just be tempted to stick the bride’s bouquet where the sun doesn’t shine. God, what is it about her? I’m the most easy-going person I know but she brings out my inner twat.
My drink is taken out of my hand and I’m dragged off the sofa and pushed in the direction of the shower. My God, what is actually happening in my life right now? And do I have any clean towels?
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Also by Angel & Tracy
Hot Daddy Series
Hot Daddy Sauce
Baby Daddy Rescue
The Baby Dilemma
About Angel Devlin
Angel Devlin is the sexy alter-ego of paranormal, rom com, and suspense writer, Andie M. Long. Check out Angel for stories of heart and heat.
She lives in Sheffield with her partner, son, and a gorgeous whippet called Bella.
Sign up to Angel’s newsletter here:
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About Tracy Lorraine
Tracy Lorraine is new adult and contemporary romance author. Tracy is in her thirties and lives in a cute Cotswold village in England with her husband, baby girl and lovable but slightly crazy springer spaniel. Having always been a bookaholic with her head stuck in her Kindle, Tracy decided to try her hand at a story idea she dreamt up and hasn’t looked back since.
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Keep up to date with Tracy’s books at
www.tracylorraine.com
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