Page 176 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“Hey, kiddo. What’s up?”

“Hey, Dad. I’m good. Can you put me on speakerphone? I want to talk to both of you.”

“You’re scaring us, Violet,” Mom said.

“It’s good, I promise. I think so, anyway,” I said, stopping myself before I started word vomiting from nerves.

I needed to explain things calmly, and ease into it so it wasn’t a shock to their system.

“Alright, we're listening,” Dad replied.

“So, you know how I mentioned that I feel like I’m making a lot of progress, and I finally think I might be able to get back to something close to normal?” I started with the stuff I knew they’d be happy with.

“Yeah? And we’re so proud of you, Vi.” Mom paused for a moment. “You haven’t been lying to us to make us feel better have you?”

“What? No. I wouldn’t do that to you. I—okay so I have been lying about something, but it’s not that,” I rambled, Mom's question throwing me for a loop.

“What have you been lying about?” Dad’s voice took a serious tone.

“Well, it’s not really lying. It’s more like... lying by omission,” I laughed nervously, making Mom giggle with me.

“Violet, mija, just tell us before your dad has a heart attack.”

“I’m dating Chris,” I blurted out, then slapped a hand to my mouth. So much for easing into it. There was silence on the otherend of the phone. I gave them a minute, but then I got impatient. “Can you say something?”

“You said you were dating Chris,” Mom repeated my words.

“Yes.”

“We need a minute,” Dad replied. “Does Dr. Campbell know?”

“Yes.”

There was more silence that was making my stomach sink. What if Chris was right, and I was going to have to fight to keep him in my life?

“How long?” Dad asked, his tone cold and shuttered.

“About a month after we got here,” I answered meekly.

“Put Chris on the phone,” Dad demanded without further preamble.

“He’s not with me right now,” I answered, looking over at the closed bathroom door.

“Then, find him and put him on the phone.”

“Bu—”

“Now, Violet,” Dad's tone said if I didn’t obey he would come here today to make it happen, so I didn’t argue.

‘Dad wants to talk to you.’

Chris didn’t answer my mind-link, instead, he walked inside the room a moment later. He looked a little bit pale as he sat down beside me.

“Alpha,” Chris answered the phone when I put it on speakerphone.

“I’d like to speak with you alone, please,” Dad answered.

“Dad—”

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