Page 41 of A Secret Baby By the Alpha

“Fine. Then I get to be the banker,” I said.

“Oh no!” he protested, grabbing the box from me. “Jenny and I both know you’ll cheat. Isn’t that right, Jen?”

Jenny laughed, and I protested against their conspiracy.

“I see the battle lines have been drawn,” I said, narrowing my eyes across the table at them. “Alright, then. Game on.”

The game took about two hours and, as I had expected, Colson won.

“Yes!” he exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air. “Victory is mine!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I just had to make up for not getting any real territory today,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Just then, the house phone rang, and Jenny jumped up to answer it.

“The Dark Alphas took some territory today, but I gave up my share,” Colson explained. “I realized that having allies who will defend what I already have is more important than getting more.”

“That’s a big step for you,” I said, surprised by his revelation. “How did the others take it?”

“I only spoke with Axel about it, but he seemed pleased,” Colson said.

“Hey, Mom,” Jenny said from the kitchen. “Lizzie wants to know if I can come over for a sleepover.”

“Lizzie?” I asked.

“Lizzie Spencer. From down the street.”

I turned to look at Colson, looking for a more experienced opinion about whether the Spencer family home was a safe place for Jenny to spend time.

“The Spencers are loyal. I know Jenny has been going to play at the park with their daughter for a while. They’re the same age,” Colson said, reading my mind.

“That’s fine,” I told her.

“Great! Thanks, Mom!”

She told the good news to her new friend and ran off to pack her bag. It didn’t take long until she was back and started heading out the door.

“Hold on,” I ordered. “Just because I said you could go doesn’t mean you can go alone. I still need to meet her parents.”

“Mooom,” she whined.

“Complain all you want, but it’s my job to keep you safe,” I explained, putting my shoes on. Colson was right behind me, feeling the same protective urge that I was at the sight of our daughter going to a sleepover.

We walked a few houses down to the house where Lizzie Spencer lived. It was a well-kept home, with the porch light shining brightly. Inside, I could see a girl with wild, curly brown hair jumping up and down by the window.

“Lizzie!” Jenny exclaimed excitedly when the door opened.

“I’m so glad you could come!” her friend chattered back to her. “Come on! I set up a spa in my room, and then we can watch a movie, and….”

Their voices trailed off as the two girls bounced off the walls, down the hallway, and out of sight.

“We’re sorry for the late notice, Alpha,” Mrs. Spencer said. “Lizzie has been asking for a sleepover with Jenny for weeks. Tonight, the plans just seemed to fall into place.”

“It’s no trouble,” Colson said.

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