The Alphabet Game the Complete Alpha Series a to X, Y, Z (37 page)

‘I’m taking it slow. She needs to learn to be independent. I’m hoping she makes some new friendships on this course. It’s not healthy jumping straight into just being with me, after spending all her time with you.’

‘Finding her a bit full on?’

‘Oh that’s just Ronnie, isn’t it? I wouldn’t want her any other way, but she does need to learn to take a breather. I’m amazed she’s sticking to this gardening course.’

‘You and me both.’ I get out my phone. ‘Seeing as you look like being a large part of Ronnie’s life, can we swap numbers?’

‘Sure.’

‘Okay,’ I start to type into my phone, ‘so what’s your surname? All this time and I’ve only ever known you as Col, terrible really.’

‘Don’t sweat it. I’m Col Fernsby.’

I look up from my phone. ‘That’s the man who built the apartments surname. What a coincidence, it’s not like its a common name is it?’

‘No actually the name is dying out, not many of us Fernsby’s left.’

I see him looking at me and then I understand what he’s getting at. ‘Col, are you related to the Fernbsy who built the apartments?’

‘Hhmmmmmm.’

‘Are you or aren’t you?’

‘I am the person who had the apartments built.’

‘No, the man who sold to my stepfather wasn’t called Col.’

‘Thomas. Thomas Colin Fernsby Jr to be exact.’

My jaw drops. ‘Oh my God.’

‘I also own this coffee shop, which I am hoping to expand into a chain. If gardening doesn’t work out, I reckon Ronnie could easily manage a coffee shop.’

‘When are you planning on telling her that you are actually stinking rich?’

‘When she fully accepts that she wants me when I’m poor.’

Ronnie comes back with the coffee. ‘I had a job finding that. I hope you’re going to increase my wage for adding in Detective work.’

‘I’ll pay you later.’

‘Ooh, much more preferable,’ she squeals.

‘I think you’re not far off,’ I say to Col. ‘She just picked you over money.’

‘Yes well, I’m going to leave it a little longer, try to encourage her to learn about the business. I’m not looking for a trophy wife, and I don’t think Ronnie would be happy being one.’

‘Right how does one get a coffee around here?’ I shout at her. ‘I’ve been here ten minutes now and I’ve not been served yet.’

‘I’m on it, stop complaining.’

‘If it’s not here in the next minute I’m off to Starbucks. I quite like the clientele there.’ I laugh.

The house sells. Ronnie collects her award and becomes a minor celebrity. In a surprising twist this delights her parents who can’t praise her enough, telling her they knew she could be responsible if she tried and that she was a credit to them.

On our last night in the apartment I throw a package at Gabe. We’ve been so busy we’d let the Alphabet Game slide and I’ve decided that just won’t do.

He opens it, ‘You have got to be kidding?’

‘Nope, it’s connected to Z, so get it on.’

‘The things I do for you woman. This is a one time only deal, okay?’

‘Fine.’

‘What happened to X and Y? Have I been so tired lately I didn’t realise I’d done them?’

‘Patience my friend.’ I slap his butt, ‘get on with it.’

He salutes me and walks upstairs. After a couple of minutes he shouts down. ‘Come and get me wench.’

I go upstairs, walk into the bedroom and immediately start laughing.

‘Giving me this then laughing is very cruel Miss Mulroney.’

‘I didn’t say you had to display it through your fly but actually that’s quite handy. I’ve kind of cheated with these last ones. In the sex-dictionary I found X,Y,Z. It stands for Examine Your Zipper and means this.’ I walk over and stick my hand through his open fly, stroking the elephant trunk hanging out of it.

‘Totally cheating. We need one act for each letter, so that I’m completely satisfied.’ Gabe pouts, showing me that full top lip.

‘I thought you’d say that, so X is for Xassafrassed. The term for ‘knocked-up.’ I point to my stomach. Then Y is for Yelper, slang for a woman who moans and cries out during orgasm, so you’ve some work to do.’

‘And this?’ he points to the elephant g-string he is currently sporting beneath his trousers.

‘Zoolagnia, sexual pleasure from contact with animals.’ I wink.

‘Brings a whole new meaning to having junk in your trunk. Well, you’d normally say let the games begin, but in this case, may they end well and with yelping.’

He points to the bed. ‘Doggy position I think then Miss Mulroney.’

Epilogue

December 2013

I can hear the sounds of screaming and rhythmic thumping noises. I sigh. This is my life now and I couldn’t be happier.

I slide myself from beneath the covers, Gabe stirring at the side of me.

I pad into the nursery to be met by the huge smiles of our eight month old daughter who is smacking her favourite teddy against the bars. She starts to babble her head off.

‘Hey chatterbox, couldn’t wait to celebrate Christmas huh?’

I lift her out of the cot, her body deliciously warm against mine.

‘Let’s get you ready and then we can see what Santa brought you once daddy’s awake.’

‘Daddy is up, though not in the way he’d like to be,’ moans Gabe from our bedroom. I walk in and hand him our daughter. His smile is as wide as hers as he sits up in bed.

‘Hey Athena sweetie.’ He turns to his bedside table. ‘Christ, five am.’

‘Merry Christmas,’ I state leaning across Athena to give him a firm kiss on the lips, ‘You can have your present later.’

‘I shall look forward to it, but you’ll have a job beating the present you gave me in April.’ He strokes her hair.

Gabe’s strong silvery grey eyes didn’t win the genetic battle against my brown ones. Our daughter is the image of me, brown hair and brown eyed.

‘I think I fancy making another for next year.’

I laugh, ‘It’s not an annual event you know.’

‘How can you not want more of this? Though I have everything I want right now.’ He kisses the top of her head.

‘Well as long as you’re aware that any future child is not having a name beginning with either B or Z. I’m not working my way through the alphabet with kids.’

‘Spoilsport,’ he smiles. ‘The alphabet games we play from now on might be innocent spelling ones with our daughter, but just so you know, I’m not done with you yet.’ He winks.

‘Oh yeah, what are you going to dream up next?’

‘Well I was thinking, Sexy Sundays, Moaning Mondays, Titillating Tuesdays …’

‘Ooooh, I look forward to it.’

Gabe passes me Athena, gets out of bed and returns with a set of wooden A, B, C blocks. ‘Right, just play this with her for a minute and I’ll get us a drink.’

He disappears and I pick up the first block and pass it to Athena. She tries to bite it.

‘A is for apple,’ I state and place it on the bed. ‘Now the next one look, B is for banana.’

I pick up the last one and hear something jangle inside. I look at the bottom and see that a hole has been cut out of it and then covered with a small piece of Christmas wrapping paper.

‘What is that Daddy up to?’

I can sense Gabe is in the doorway as I take off the paper.

I rattle the cube and a ring falls out. I gasp and look up at him.

‘Oh my God. Gabe.’

‘C is for commitment,’ he says.

He carries in a plate and places it on my bedside table, then drops to his knees at my feet.

Then he passes me the plate.

Spelt out in alphabet spaghetti are the words ‘Will you marry me?’

I have to hold in the tears that threaten to fall. ‘Oh my God. I just didn’t think you wanted this. You never mentioned it.’

‘Of course I want this, I just didn’t want to rush you, you’ve been busy having our baby. I love you.’

He picks up the ring from the bed. ‘Are you going to be my wife?’

‘Yes.’ I grin.

He slips the ring onto my finger. An oval yellow diamond is encircled by a single row of bead set white diamonds, which lie against a diamond band.

‘The yellow made me think of the fire in you that I loved from the moment we met.’ He rises up on his knees and touches his lips to mine. ‘I’m wondering how soon Miss Athena Isabel Gregory will go down for a nap today so we can celebrate in bed.’

‘Me too,’ I say, ‘In the meantime is there any of that spaghetti left? I’m starving.’

Whilst Gabe goes and cooks me up the rest of the letters, I admire both my daughter and my ring.

‘Aren’t we lucky?’ I say to Athena, handing her a block, ‘Who knew that the Alphabet could be so much fun?’

GAME OVER.

Coming Soon

UNDERNEATH.

Release Date approximately September 2014.

Synopsis

LAUREN LAWLER’s life is visually perfect. However husband Niall seems to have forgotten she exists. Running a Vintage shop on Ebay and meeting her best friend Monique for coffee and shopping, Lauren feels settled but bored. Collecting her nine year old son Joe from school one day, she discovers that the new mum at the gates is her old school foe Bettina.

Lauren is initially wary, but encouraged by Niall, attempts to be friendly, getting involved with the school’s summer fair so that Bettina can meet other parents. This throws Lauren into working with Seb, an outwardly nerdy looking teacher who turns out to be a hidden attraction. As Niall continues to be distant, Seb’s attentions become ever more tempting.

Bettina says she is back escaping a violent husband, but best friend Monique doesn’t buy it and warns Lauren to be careful.

As a vendetta threatens everything Lauren has taken for granted, she has to discover who she can trust. But how much does anyone ever really know about those around them, what’s underneath?

Review

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Contact the author at:

www.facebook.com/andiemlongwriter

Twitter: @andiemichelle

Via her blog at http://princessperfectionist.wordpress.com

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www.andiemlong.com currently under construction

Acknowledgements

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With thanks:

To my partner Den and son Adam for understanding when I need to disappear into the book world.

To my sister Maz, No 1 pimp; and the rest of my gorgeous family.

For all my work colleagues on E-floor.

To Annmarie Bradley, words are insufficient, you rock!

To Ruth Loizides, awesome beta-reader. Your ‘where’s the next chapter’ comments made me keep writing.

To the readers, both friends and people who’ve picked up this newbies books. I heart you.

To all the bloggers who work for nothing to promote books such as mine. Thank you for taking a chance on a newbie.

To my fellow authors at The Indie Erogenous Zone. Your support is invaluable.

Last, but in no ways least, to Andie’s Army, my street team, for all that you do. I salute you.

Biography

Andie M. Long is a zany mother of one, who spends most of her time when not working as a Research Administrator/Medical Secretary, reading; writing; on Facebook; drinking coffee; baking cakes; and letting her son wind her around his eleven year old finger. She has a long suffering partner.

She has had several published short stories and poems, and as a freelance interviewer has interviewed authors such as Carrie Jones, Freya North, Jane Green, Jill Mansell and Matt Haig. This is her first self-published novella. She is currently editing two full length novels for future release.