Page 5 of The Alpha's Chosen Outcast

“Trey? Are you in there? Trey? I need you right now!”

Father nods and raises his eyebrows. I don’t know why he’s surprised. He made his little princess into exactly who she is today. I guarantee this is about her upcoming wedding.

She speaks of nothing else. But she still doesn’t know that our father isn’t going to be walking her down the aisle. I don’t want to ruin her planning and her happiness. Not until I have to.

I go to the door and crack it open just a bit, and she tries to push her way in.

“Violet, what do you want?” My annoyance is evident in my tone.

“Let me in, Trey!” She pushes harder, but I’m stronger. And older.

“No, father needs to rest. I’ll be right there.”

She huffs and stops fighting me. I look back at Father one more time and then leave the room. I can tell he’s about to fall asleep.

Violet is still waiting right outside the door, but I take my time closing it, careful not to disturb him. She has her arms crossed, foot tapping, always the drama queen. I try really hard not to roll my eyes, but I know she sees it.

“Can you take any longer closing a fucking door?”

“Shhhhh,” I put a finger to my lips, “I told you, Father needs his rest.”

Her face falls. “Is he really that bad?”

I step toward her, and she steps back. She was never one to show affection or accept comfort.

“You needn’t worry about that. Now, come tell me what’s so important that you’re tapping your foot like a child.”

“It’s about my dress.”

“I presume you mean your wedding dress.”

“Obviously.”

She follows me as I head toward the kitchen. No matter how much I tell her that Father needs his rest, I know she’s going to get loud. She doesn’t know how to be anything else.

She’s prattling on about this dress and all of its details, how perfect the design is, and how she has to have it. We reach the kitchen, and I put on a kettle of water for tea.

I start to pay attention to her again, “...and I absolutely need this designer, Trey. She has to be the one to do it. Can I call her?”

“How much is this going to cost me?”

I prepare the tea leaves in the pot while the kettle does its thing.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to pay for her accommodations and her food and all that. Probably for a few months so she can stay here and make my dress instead of going back and forth.”

“Okay, I think we can handle that. Get me the designer’s shop number, and I’ll call them and make it happen.”

She squeals at the same time the kettle whistles, and my superior ears can barely stand it. She jumps up and down and claps. Theperpetual child gets what she wants again. I love her despite that. Despite anything.

After we lost our mother just after Violet was born, I’ve basically been another parent to her. Father’s barely been around, even before he was sick.

“Thank you, Trey. Seriously, this is going to make my wedding so perfect. Now that I have my dress, I can plan everything else!”

I pour the water and let the tea steep. She stops jumping, and her face turns serious.

“Now tell me what’s really going on with Father.”

I can’t tell her everything. He made me promise not to let her in on the details, but if I don’t say something to deter her, she’ll never give up. Violet is stubborn like that.

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