#TirgearrTuesday

Excerpt from A Fairy Godmother's Redemption:

“Faye hooked us up with a limo ride to the concert.” 

Madison gasped. “Wow!” 

Mackenzie assessed Drew critically. “If we’re going in a limo, you’re gonna need fancier digs.”

“Already covered. Faye included a suit rental.”

Madison sighed. “It’s just like in Cinderella.”

“What?”

“You know when Cinderella goes to the ball… Her fairy godmother gives her a new dress and turns a pumpkin into a fancy carriage…” She smiled dreamily. “You know what that means? Faye is your Fairy Godmother.”

He paused at Madison’s words, thinking about everything Faye did this week. With a new job, new apartment, and now a suit and a limo… It did seem like a fairy tale, but he didn’t want the girls getting any unrealistic ideas. “Don’t be silly, Madison. Fairy tales aren’t real.”

Mackenzie’s chin jutted out stubbornly. “Says who?”

Too tired from working all day, he didn’t have the energy for this argument. “Fine, fairy tales can be real. Now get ready for bed.” He caught Madison and Mackenzie sharing a smug smile.

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An Excerpt from A Fairy Godmother's Redemption for #TirgearrTuesday

Madison bit her bottom lip, looking guilty. “We notice lots of stuff when people don’t notice us.”

An invisible force tugged on his heartstrings. Shit. I’m complete shit at this parenting thing. “I’m an adult. It’s my job—” Right now anyway. “—to worry about you. Not the other way around.”

Madison’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “It’s all our fault.” She turned on her heels, escaping into her bedroom.

Mackenzie, looking tough as always, glared at him. “Now, you’ve done it.”

Resisting the urge to smack himself in the face, Drew pushed down the frustration of feeling like a constant failure. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s bothering Madison?”

“We really liked Jana.” Mackenzie’s bottom lip quivered. “Madison was afraid she broke up with you because she didn’t like us.”

“Oh, half-pint. Jana did like you. She’s mad at me for something I did. Grown-up relationships are complicated, but—” He grasped for a way to explain that they’d understand. “Children are never to be blamed for adult problems.” His mother’s bitter scowls whenever she looked at him—whenever she bothered to be around—flashed in his memory. Not if I can help it.

Mackenzie plopped onto the couch, resting her head in her hands. “Daddy was going away.”

She spoke so softly Drew had to strain to hear her whispered words. It took him another moment to let their meaning sink in. Their father—his father—had been about to abandon another family. “What makes you think that?”

“We heard him yelling at Mommy.” She blinked away her tears. “Mommy told us she and Daddy were going for a drive. Our neighbor came over to watch us. And—”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence. He knew that had been the last time the girls had seen their parents alive. He clenched his hands into fists. That damn bastard. If he was still alive, I’d kill him.

Seemingly unaware of Drew’s brewing anger, Mackenzie continued speaking. “—our fault.”

“No, half-pint. Your dad was a selfish ass—jerk who only thought about himself.”

“Is it bad— that I still miss him?” Conflict flickered openly in her eyes.

“No, not at all. I’m sure you have plenty of good memories.”

“We do.” Mackenzie opened her mouth but closed it again without saying anything.

“What else is on your mind, half-pint?”

“Sera seems nice.” She squirmed in her seat. “Is she gonna be your new girlfriend?”

Drew stifled a chuckle. “It’s too soon to tell. Going on a date or two doesn’t mean you’re in a relationship.”

“What happens when she goes away? She’ll go on tour and forget all about us—you.”

“There are no guarantees in life, Mackenzie. Sometimes, you have to go for it and, you know, if it doesn’t work out, then you live with it.”

“Drew?” 

At the sound of Madison’s plaintive voice, he looked up and spied her leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom. 

“Are you going to go for it? With Sera?” Hope warred with fear in her eyes.

***

In November, I plan to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)... #TirgearrTuesday will return in December... depending on how NaNoWriMo goes.

An Excerpt from A Fairy's Quest for #TirgearrTuesday

Rylan polished off the tart and wistfully eyed the second one.

She held back a smile, watching him practically salivate over the sweet. “Go ahead.”

He didn’t even hesitate. Just popped the tart in his mouth, offering her an endearing smile with his cheeks puffed full. His long bangs flopped in front of his eyes, making him appear much younger, boyish even. She could picture him as a child. Even imagine what his son would look like. The thought caught her by surprise. She’d just met him, for goodness sake. Although—her cheeks reddened—I know him a lot better now.

As if he knew where her thoughts were headed, he scooted behind her and drew her into his arms. She rested the back of her head against his chest, close enough to feel the vibrations of his steady heartbeat. “What about you?”

“What about me?” He reflected her question nonchalantly, but she sensed an undercurrent of unease beneath his casual veneer.

“What’s your deal? You’ve listened to me babble out my whole life story—practically—and I know so little about you. Other than—” She made a point of counting on her fingers. “You’re from Paris, you love to travel, and you have three older sisters.”

“Oh, ma chérie—” He raised her fingers to his lips and placed gentle kisses on her fingertips. “You have seen into the deepest recess of my soul. You know everything that matters.”

“Somehow—”

The rest of her words were lost as he captured her lips in a bruising kiss. She opened her mouth to accept his probing tongue, and the rest of her questions flew out of her mind. He tasted intoxicating—an enticing combination of the sweet strawberry tart he’d just eaten and a spicy flavor completely unique to him. His artful command over her body sought her surrender and promised more pleasure in exchange. She wanted to lose herself again. And why not? This was her night to truly be free.

An Excerpt from A Vampire's Tale for #TirgearrTuesday

“How about you?”

“Not much to say about me.” She shrugged in the dark then realized Corgan was watching the road, not her. “I'm twenty-three. I studied business in college before I dropped out. My parents didn’t support my decision. They thought they could change my mind. When I stuck to my guns, they, well, they disowned me. I worked for a newspaper, but I hated it there, so I quit my job and started writing novels.” 

“Your parents hurt you.”

Marisa stared out the window. “Yes.”

“Despite what they said, they are still proud of you.”

“I don’t think so, Corgan.”

Trust me. “Leaving your job was out of character for you.”

“Definitely. My friends didn't understand. They thought I’d completely lost it. In their minds, I left a decent paying job to chase a pipe dream.”

“You needed to find your own way.”

“You get it.” Marisa bit her lip, thoughtfully. Corgan understood her. She didn’t know how, but it seemed like he’d known her longer than a few days.

“Sometimes your own way isn't the easy way.”

“Damn straight! The term 'starving artist' comes to mind.” 

“Do you go without, love?” The alarm was evident in his voice.