Page 120 of Reckless King

Roman cuts in. “Dad’s actions are his own. Don’t let his actions define you.”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

“Complicated because you’re making it so. You’re a King. You can make things as easy or as complicated as you want them to be.”

“Am I though? A King, I mean.” It comes out more challenging than I meant it to.

Roman sits up, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. “Ah. So this is about your place here. I wondered if you were ever going to broach the subject.”

Annoyance sparks in my chest, and I sit straighter as well. “And you had no plan to, did you? I’ve lived with this knowledge hanging over my head for almost all my life. And no one has ever brought it up with me.”

His brows pull together. “You closed yourself off to us, Tate. Stopped sharing the real you. Became this playboy who didn’t care?—”

“Easier to be the playboy than to risk being unwanted.”

“You’ve never been unwanted. Not by Cole and not by me. To us, you’ve always been our brother.”

I lean back, swallowing against the tightness in my chest his words trigger. “I’ve spent my life feeling like I was on the outside looking in. Trying to live up to a name that I’m not even sure is mine to claim.”

“It’s not the name that defines us. It’s what we do with it. You’re more than just a title, more than Mom’s secrets and Dad’s resentment.”

I scrub my hands over my face. “But what if I’ve made that who I am? The playboy, the flirt, the charmer, the one who always walks away.”

“You have the power to redefine yourself. You need to see yourself through your own eyes. Not Dad’s, not the tabloids’, not even Cole’s or mine.”

I nod slowly, my heart lodging itself in my throat. “You’re right.” I’ve spent my whole life letting my uncertainty over whoI am and where I fit in my family define me. Seeking validation from those women who only cared about my name, while never letting anyone close enough to see the real me. In case the real me wasn’t someone worth knowing—or loving.

But I let Violet see. Letting her in was as effortless as breathing. She saw who I really am, and she still wanted to make this relationship real. And that’s worth something. It’s worth everything.She’sworth everything. And I won’t take this choice away from her because of my own issues.

“Deal with the past, in whatever way helps,” Roman says. “But don’t let your history dictate your future. Not who you want to be or what you want to do with your life. And definitely not who you share it with.”

I sit in silence, letting his words sink in. This is more than just making sure I’m what Violet needs. It’s about confronting the demons that have haunted me since that boy first sneered the word bastard at me when I was seven.

“I need to resolve this once and for all.” With a nod, I stand and tug at my cuffs. Before I go to Violet, I need to talk to someone else. Someone I should have confronted a long time ago.

Roman stands too, a glimpse of understanding crossing his face. “Do what you have to do. Talk to who you have to talk to. But remember, you’re not defined by anyone else’s actions. You never were.”

The small smile I give him is genuine. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

He cocks his head. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not bad at this big brother stuff when you put your mind to it.”

I expect him to brush me off, but instead, a faint smile softens the harshness of his usual expression. “Maybe I should put my mind to it more often, then.”

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

VIOLET

“Another glass?” Anna waves the almost-empty bottle of champagne at me.

I swallow the last of my first glass, the bubbles tickling the back of my nose, and hold it out for a refill.

She fills it halfway and drains the dregs into her own glass, then holds it up to me. “Cheers to you, Vi. For turning True Brew around and making your family and friends proud.”

I give her a smile, though it’s not as big as it should be.

She quirks a brow and brings her champagne to her lips as she waits.

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