by L. A. Casey
I smiled. “He loves it.”
“His runners don’t.”
I walked over, smacked her ass, grabbed her face, and kissed her like I meant it. When I pulled away, my wife swayed into me just like she did when we were teenagers.
“What was that for?”
“Because I felt like kissing you.”
She opened her eyes and smiled up at me.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Speakin’ of beautiful.” She smiled. “Why were Beau and Georgie fightin’ earlier?”
“He took her phone; she retaliated.”
“That lad constantly tries to find ways to annoy ‘er.”
“He loves her … loves to piss her off, too.”
Bronagh chuckled as I kissed her cheek and left the room. I glanced over the stair rail and saw Alex and Joey descending the stairs with my daughter nowhere in sight. I made my way to her bedroom, and when I entered the room, I froze in the doorway.
“What the hell are you wearing, Georgie Slater?”
She spun to face me, and when I saw her bare stomach, my heart stopped.
“You were right ab-about it bein’ hot out,” she stammered. “I was just changin’ into somethin’ … cooler.”
“Cooler?” I blinked. “You’re naked.”
“Da, please.” She frowned. “I’m not naked. It’s a crop top and a skirt.”
Two things she had never worn before. Ever.
“Naked,” I repeated. “You aren’t leaving the house in that.”
I ran from her room to mine, grabbed a t-shirt that I made as a joke the year before, and rushed back to my daughter’s room. I pushed it at her and waited outside as she changed into it. When I heard her screech, I felt deeply satisfied with myself.
“Daddy!”
“Don’t ‘daddy’ me,” I warned as I re-entered the room. “If you won’t dress yourself correctly, then I’ll do it for you.”
My child almost snarled at me. “This will put me at the top of the loser list, Da! No lad will ever look in me direction if ye’ make me wear this!”
Fireworks went off in my mind at her words.
“You’re never taking it off.”
Georgie stomped her foot on the ground and turned her back to me. She opened her mouth and shouted, “Ma!”
I listened for Bronagh and smiled when I heard her walk towards our daughter’s room humming a song.
“What is it, Georgie?”
“Da is ruinin’ me entire life, and he’s happy about it.”
I was very happy about it.
Bronagh entered the room on a tired sigh, but when her gorgeous eyes fell to the t-shirt Georgie had on, she laughed with glee. Our less than impressed teenager screeched. “It’s not funny! I’ll be slagged to the high heavens if I have to wear this, Ma.”
Bronagh folded her arms over her chest. “I thought ye’ didn’t care what people thought of ye’?”
Georgie shifted her stance. “I don’t.”
My wife raised a brow. “Then what’s the problem?”
Georgie pointed at her shirt and read the words printed in black.
“This is my dad. He will do to you what you do to me. It’s even worse with the stupid picture of da without his shirt on under the writin’.”
“That’s a nice picture.” I frowned. “Don’t be mean.”
She refused to look at me. Instead, she focused on Bronagh. “I’d sooner walk around school in me bra in front of every lad in sixth year than wear this t-shirt, Ma.”
My child just described an actual nightmare of mine.
“Do you want me to have your cousins flank you all day at school on Monday?” I growled. “Because I’ll call them right now and arrange it.”
My stubborn child scoffed. “Go for it.”
She challenged me, and she was old enough to know never to do that.
“Fine,” I said and took out my phone.
“Fine,” Georgie quipped.
I dialled Jax’s number and placed my phone to my ear.
“What’s up, unc?” he answered on the third ring.
“I need a favour, kid.”
I heard a female giggle, then a pained groaned from my nephew. “I’m kind of busy, unc. Can this wait?”
I shook my head as a grin crept its way onto my face.
“It’s about Georgie.”
I heard Jax instantly hush who was giggling.
“Is she okay?” he asked, his focus fully on our conversation and not the girl he was with.
“She is,” I said then growled, “but she is threatening to wear just her bra to school.”
“She is threatenin’ to what?” Jax all but roared. “Is she there with ye’?”
“She is.”
“Put ‘er on the phone,” he demanded. “Now.”
He was Kane’s kid; there was no doubt about it. I tapped my phone on Georgie’s shoulder and held it out to her when she turned to me. She looked at the phone for a moment, and I saw her tough girl act begin to crack. She covered up her near slip, took the phone, and pressed it to her ear.
“What do ye’ want, Jax?” she asked, though her tone wasn’t as stern as before.
I looked at Bronagh when Jax’s voice bellowed through the receiver of my phone. She grinned, and I shook my head. She was enjoying this just as much as I was.
“No!” Georgie suddenly bellowed. “If ye’ do that, I’ll make sure Daisy Mars never looks at ye’ again.” She gasped at Jax’s response. “Ye’ wouldn’t dare.”
“I would,” I heard Jax threaten.
“Go ahead then,” Georgie angrily spat and hung up on Jax before turning and tossing my phone back to me.
“Can ye’ both leave, please?” she asked. “I want to be on me own.”
I opened my mouth to ignore her and continue our discussion, but when a soft hand touched my elbow, I turned my attention from my daughter to my wife.
“Come on,” Bronagh said. “Leave ‘er be.”
I had to be tugged out of the room and down the stairs.
“Georgie will be down in a few minutes,” Bronagh said to Alex and Joey who were in the sitting room with Axel and Beau keeping them company. Beau, whose focus was on Joey, didn’t even notice that his mother spoke. He was too focused on his sister’s friend, and it made me snort.
Twenty minutes after our argument, Georgie, who was correctly dressed, left with her friends and went to the community centre when Alannah pulled up outside to collect them. Bronagh took Axel with her when she went shopping, and Beau accompanied me to the boys’ soccer game. We didn’t get home until after four p.m. After soccer, I took the boys to lunch, then to see the new Marvel movie. When I stepped foot into my house, it sounded like World War III had erupted.
Jax was in the house, and he and Georgie were knee-deep in an argument in the kitchen. I pushed passed my kids and jogged into the room. My wife was leaned against the sink, pinching the bridge of her nose. I looked at my firstborn nephew and my firstborn child, who were glaring daggers at each other. When my nephew caught sight of me, a deadly grin spread across his face.
“Uncle Nico,” Jax said, turning his attention back to his cousin. “Georgie has a boyfriend … and he’s a Collins!”
Those were the words that I knew deep in my soul would finally be the reason I ended up in prison.
Annnnndddd another one bites the dust. I had so much fun writing ALANNAH, but was also freaked out when I came to the end of it because it means I’m one book closer to the Slater Brothers series ending … until the two spin off series that they’ll all feature in begin, of course. I have my team of helpers that made this novella a reality and without them, I’d just have a bunch of jumbled misspelled words.
Editing4Indies—Jenny, thank you for all the hard work you do on my manuscripts to make them reading ready.
Nicola Rhead—Thank you for always being on call to proofread.
JT Formatting—Jules, thank you for always making the interior of my books loo
k pretty.
Mark Gottlieb—Thank you for being a fantastic agent.
Mayhem Cover Creations—LJ, thank you so much for yet another beautiful cover.
Thank you to every single one of my readers for your ongoing support, I love your love for the Slater family <3
L.A. Casey is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who juggles her time between her mini-me and writing. She was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys chatting with her readers, who love her humour and Irish accent as much as her books.
Casey’s first book, DOMINIC, was independently published in 2014 and became an instant success on Amazon. She is both traditionally and independently published and is represented by Mark Gottlieb from Trident Media Group.
To read more about this author,
visit her website at www.lacaseyauthor.com
ALSO BY L.A. CASEY
Slater Brothers series:
DOMINIC
BRONAGH
ALEC
KEELA
KANE
AIDEEN
RYDER
BRANNA
DAMIEN
Maji series
OUT OF THE ASHES
Standalone novels
FROZEN
UNTIL HARRY