Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Lion in Tails
    A Lion in Tails
    A Lion in Tails
    Ebook92 pages1 hour

    A Lion in Tails

    By Andrew Grey

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Larry Kincaid isn't ready to be a parent, but when his sister dies in an accident, he takes his nephew, Angus, into his home. The change throws Larry’s life into limbo until he meets Joshua Langdon.

    To Joshua, Larry is a lion: growly and strong, but too proud to ask for help. Joshua gets past his defenses and finds a place in Larry and Angus’s family, but Larry's pride gets in the way. Can they turn their holiday romance into a relationship that lasts into the New Year?

    A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package "Heartwarming".

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamspinner Press
    Release dateDec 1, 2013
    ISBN9781627985840
    A Lion in Tails
    Author

    Andrew Grey

    Andrew Grey is the author of more than one hundred works of Contemporary Gay Romantic fiction. After twenty-seven years in corporate America, he has now settled down in Central Pennsylvania with his husband of more than twenty-five years, Dominic, and his laptop. An interesting ménage. Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He is a recipient of the RWA Centennial Award, has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and now writes full-time. Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing). He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Email: andrewgrey@comcast.net Website: www.andrewgreybooks.com

    Related authors

    Related to A Lion in Tails

    Related ebooks

    Contemporary Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Dustin Lance Black.

      Jun 4, 2019

      Dustin Lance Black.
      8 min read

    • Article

      Re-Imagining Masculinity

      Jun 10, 2019

      Re-Imagining Masculinity
      4 min read

    • Article

      MOVING On

      Apr 26, 2023

      MOVING On
      6 min read

    • Article

      EZRA’S Stories

      Apr 6, 2022

      EZRA’S Stories
      6 min read

    • Article

      Damson JAM

      Jan 17, 2024

      Damson JAM
      10 min read

    • Article

      The New Wilderness

      Aug 14, 2020

      The New Wilderness
      10 min read

    • Article

      What Prayer Can Do

      Sep 25, 2019

      My daughter, Sandy, and I decided to move in together. We wouldn’t have room for two households’ worth of stuff. A yard sale was the obvious solution. I’d sell my furniture, and we’d use hers. “We can donate the money we earn to the church,” Sandy sa

      1 min read

    • Article

      A new PAGE

      Mar 27, 2024

      A new PAGE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Joke

      Sep 1, 2020

      Although best known for his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury was also a prolific writer of short stories, having published his first while still a teenager. This previously unpublished story likely dates to 1950, the year The Martian Chronicle

      5 min read

    • Article

      An Unusual Christmas

      Dec 11, 2020

      An Unusual Christmas
      5 min read

    • Article

      Fabric of Life

      Jan 28, 2022

      Fabric of Life
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ghosts

      Nov 29, 2019

      Ghosts
      5 min read

    • Article

      THE BOY WHO KEPT Bees

      Oct 6, 2021

      All you could hear was rain, rain, rain. Rain drumming on the slate roof, streaming down the kitchen window, saturating the meadows and the dark woods beyond. Jess waited until her dad had turned away to check his phone, then dropped her half-eaten s

      8 min read

    • Article

      Wishing For Christmas

      Nov 1, 2020

      Wishing For Christmas
      5 min read

    • Article

      Christmas tree COUNTDOWN

      Oct 24, 2019

      Christmas tree COUNTDOWN
      4 min read

    • Article

      My flatmate WAS A GHOST

      Nov 2, 2022

      My flatmate WAS A GHOST
      2 min read

    • Article

      Long Lost

      Apr 22, 2020

      Long Lost
      9 min read

    • Article

      Counselor of Chippewa Cabin

      Jun 26, 2020

      Counselor of Chippewa Cabin
      5 min read

    • Article

      How To Declutter YOUR LIFE

      Mar 31, 2021

      How To Declutter YOUR LIFE
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Stonemason’s Wife

      Sep 1, 2020

      JOLINA HAS been hearing voices of men she’s never met. Voices like water, clear and cold, eddying at the back of her mind. They’re not real. She knows this. As in, she’s not crazy. They’re only the voices she’s heard on the phone, voices of men who b

      6 min read

    • Article

      Christmas tree COUNTDOWN

      Nov 11, 2019

      Christmas tree COUNTDOWN
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dark DEEDS

      Jan 13, 2021

      Dark DEEDS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Sunflowers in Skagway

      Jan 1, 2023

      Sunflowers in Skagway
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Bees Are Coming

      Aug 4, 2022

      The Bees Are Coming
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Recovery

      Nov 25, 2023

      The Recovery
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Lion in Tails

    4.5/5

    4 ratings1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      What a cute Christmas story! It has everything from a tough guy suddenly having to change his comfortable life so he can raise hos dead sister's nephew, to newly blossoming romance, to a love interest who doesn't allow himself to be walked over. Oh, and the kid in question? Totally adorable. This story is a great example of the holidays bringing out the best in people. Neither of the two heroes is perfect, they both make mistakes, but you know what? They learn from them and move on. Perfect!

      Larry used to have a great life - he is a financial adviser who pretty much writes his own ticket, wealthy, and well-regarded by his colleagues and clients. He is used to doing as he pleases, so when he suddenly adds five-year-old Angus to his life, he still reels from the impact a few months later. And with Christmas coming up and Angus wanting nothing from Santa other than his mommy back - yeah, Larry is overwhelmed. But being Larry, he soldiers on as best he can and nobody is going to get in he way. I smiled, because as soon as Joshua appears, I could see where that plan was going... exactly nowhere!

      Joshua isn't too badly off, but he has to work a second job at a clothing rental store if he wants any spending money. That's where he meets Larry and Angus looking for a tuxedo to rent for Angus to wear at Larry's big Christmas party. Joshua is clearly attracted to Larry, and Angus seems to like him at first sight, so he is invited to the big party and things develop from there. Joshua doesn't take no for an answer, and when he messes up, he fears the worst but still doesn't give up. A man after my own heart!

      If you like sweet stories about men who think they know what they want and have it all panned out - only to discover life doesn't always work that ay, if you enjoy reading about kids having to adjust to drastically changed circumstances, and if you're looking for a sweet, funny Christmas read, then you will probably like this novella.


      NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

    Book preview

    A Lion in Tails - Andrew Grey

    friends.

    Chapter 1

    UNCLE LARRY, can we get a real Christmas tree? Angus asked pitifully from the backseat.

    Of course, but it’s too early to get one, and I have a party in a few days, so I’m hoping you’ll be willing to help me put up the big tree in the living room. When it gets closer to Christmas, we’ll put up a real tree in the family room, Larry Kincaid promised.

    But Santa will come to the real tree, right? Angus asked. Does Santa know where I am? What if he comes to where me and Mommy used to live and I’m not there? He sounded so plaintive it broke Larry’s heart.

    Santa knows where you live; I promise. But tonight when we get home, you can write him a letter, and I’ll help you mail it, Larry said. He hoped Angus would ask more questions or talk about anything, but he simply sat in the backseat and stared out the window.

    Larry’s older sister, Melanie, had died in a car accident on her way home from work four months earlier, and his five-year-old nephew Angus, according to Melanie’s will, was to be raised by Larry. Granted, they were the only family either of them had since Melanie never married and Angus’s father had never been part of his life and seemed to want nothing to do with him, but Larry still wondered what his sister had been thinking. His life was so not kid-friendly, but he had been trying and would continue to try for as long as it took. What do you want for dinner? Larry asked.

    Angus said nothing. He did that a lot. Sometimes he asked questions, and Larry always answered them as truthfully as he could, but mostly he stayed quiet and withdrawn. So his questions about Christmas trees had caught Larry a little off guard. Angus mumbled something Larry couldn’t hear. Nuggets, he finally said a little louder.

    Larry should have known. There were times when he thought Angus was going to turn into a chicken nugget—either that or a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Okay. We’ll go through the drive-through and get you some. Then we can go home and you can eat. No answer. Will you help me put up the Christmas tree for the party?

    Uh-huh, Angus said. Will there be kids at the party? Mama had a birthday party for me with all my friends. Will it be like that only for Christmas?

    Not this party, buddy. It’s for grown-ups and the people I work with. But I promise there will be food you like, and you can watch a movie in the TV room.

    I wanna be with you, Angus said softly.

    Okay. You can be with me all night if you want. The women I work with are going to love you. Larry paused for a few seconds. His Christmas party was always a big deal. He decorated the house lavishly and invited his colleagues and clients. It was an evening of glitter, glitz, and bling, with men in tuxedos and women in eveningwear and sparkling jewelry. How his party had become one of the social events of the year, Larry wasn’t quite sure, but it was. And because of that, he got a lot of extra clients who wanted him to manage their money. Larry pulled into the drive-through and placed the order for the food. Once he’d paid and received the bag, he handed it to Angus, who held it on his lap for the rest of the ride home.

    When they pulled up and parked in front of the large Victorian painted lady he called home, Larry helped Angus out of his car seat and they walked inside. Angus knew he had to eat at the table, so Larry got a plate for him and poured a glass of milk. Angus climbed up into one of the chairs and began to pull out his dinner.

    Larry helped him and then got himself some leftover pasta with pesto sauce out of the refrigerator and heated it in the microwave. He sat with Angus, but they didn’t talk much. Angus ate silently, and when he was nearly done, he offered a nugget to Larry. He took it and chewed, smiling as Angus ate the last one.

    For the past four months, since Angus had come to live with him, Larry knew he’d only been existing. He hadn’t made any plans. Usually in the winter, he booked a cruise for a week of fun in the sun away from snow, ice, and wind. But not this year. Things felt too unsettled for him, like he expected everything to change at the drop of a hat, the way it had a few months earlier when he’d gotten a phone call that his sister was dead and he needed to drive from Carlisle to Pittsburgh to get his nephew. Now he expected everything to change just as rapidly.

    Finish your milk, Larry said gently. Angus nodded and emptied his glass. Then Larry took care of the dishes. I’m going to go up in the attic and start bringing things down for the tree. Do you want to help?

    Angus climbed down off the chair and followed Larry up the stairs and then to the third floor. When Larry opened the attic door, Angus peered inside and then stepped back. It’s scary, Angus said.

    I know, so I’ll get the things, and you can help me carry them downstairs, Larry said with a smile. He retrieved the tubs of ornaments as well as a few small boxes that he gave to Angus to bring along. The two of them carried down the decorations

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1