Hello and welcome to My Sexy Saturday week 52. As this is a birthday (of sorts) I thought it might be nice to post an excerpt from a birthday party. This piece is from Sure Thing, the second book in my Sure Mastery trilogy. It is Ashley’s 21st birthday, and Tom has a very special gift for her.
“Well, while we’re on this emotional roller coaster ride, maybe now’s as good a time as any to hit you with our final present.” Tom stands, steps away to his wax jacket hanging on the back of the kitchen door. He pulls out his phone and taps a few buttons before looking back at me. “You ready for this last gift, love? I hope you like this one too. It’s from me and Nathan. A bit unconventional, but seems appropriate for today. I couldn’t work out a way of gift-wrapping it, though.”
Bemused, I stare back at him. “What is it? What do you mean?”
By way of answer he hands me his phone. I glance at the small screen and see it’s an email, dated yesterday, 31st December 2012. Puzzled, I start to scroll down. It’s a message to Nathan, from abroad, which Nathan has forwarded to Tom. The name of the original sender means nothing to me—Abi Karramin, Avukat. I recognise the name of the place he’s apparently sent the message from, Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. But what can it have to do with me? I look back at Tom, completely at a loss.
“What is it? I don’t understand.”
He takes the phone back from me, scrolls down a bit further. “This, sweetheart, is the address, email and mobile phone number for one Bajram Balci, hotelier and entrepreneur currently living in Manavgat, a small town in the Antalya region in south-west Turkey. Age forty-four, a widower with two daughters aged nineteen and fifteen. Sound like someone you might like to get to know?”
Nothing, nothing could have ever prepared me for this. Beyond words, I take the phone back and stare at the tiny writing on the screen. My father. My father—a real, living, breathing man. A man with a phone number, email and an address. And daughters. My sisters. A family. I have a family. Tom’s just handed me a family.
Speechless, at first I can only stare at the screen, then back at Tom, at Nathan, at all of them as they watch me. At last I find some words. Not especially erudite, but words nonetheless. “But, how did you…? I don’t understand. How did you find him?”
If you’d like to read more of Ashley and Tom’s story all three books in the Sure Mastery trilogy are available from the usual places – Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Totally Bound Barnes and Noble All Romance
And do please check out the excerpts from the rest of this weekend’s My Sexy Saturday authors. To find them
That’s some wonderful gift.
Christiane France
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Nice – definitely has me intrigued.
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