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I wished I had never fallen for a guy like Stephan. I’d known he was bad for me the moment I’d met him. But there was something so irresistible about him. It wasn’t just his looks—though he was ridiculously hot. It was that soft side, the side only I got to see. To everyone else, he was cold, even scary. Buthe had been protective of me, and that summer, I’d felt safe with him.

At least for a little while.

But I didn’t regret it. Despite all the heartbreak Stephan had caused me, he’d given me the best part of my life. My son.

“What else?” Dylan asked. “Does he have any family? Do I have an uncle or aunt or something?”

I’d worked so hard to shield Dylan from this part of his life, and now it would all be exposed to him. God, I had no idea what I was walking into.

As we drove, I answered his questions as best I could. The highway wove through the mountains of upstate New York until we finally reached the town of Lakeview. It wasn’t big, but wasn’t small. Thick woods and tall mountains surrounded the town, and of course, the namesake lake in the valley. It was a perfect place for dragon shifters to build their clan. Since it was a tourist destination, most of the people who lived there full-time knew Stephan’s clan well enough to keep their distance.

Mom lived in a lovely A-frame cabin on the east side of Lakeview. It was a small house on a big plot of land, but it was a little dilapidated. The roof and wraparound porch needed some repairs.

I parked on the gravel driveway, then took a deep breath. Mom knew I was coming, but that didn’t make me any more excited to see her. We didn’t have a bad relationship, but it had been tough growing up. It’d been a few years since I’d seen her. When I was a kid, I’d needed a parent, but my mother had always wanted to be more of a friend. She wasn’t really the nurturing type and had willingly given up custody of me to my dad.

She’d never wanted to be a mother, nor had she been keen on being a grandmother, either. But we were making it work as best as we could.

Dylan clambered out of the car and rushed up the driveway to the porch. “Mama Liz!”

The front door swung open, and Dylan barreled into my mom like he was already a full-grown dragon.

“Oof!” Mom said as Dylan nearly knocked her off her feet and back across the threshold into the house. Laughing, she regained her balance, then stepped onto the porch. Mom wore her graying hair to her shoulders, and she was dressed in tight jeans and a flannel shirt. She didn’t like being called a grandmother, and she didn’t like looking like one, either.

“Dylan! Let me take a look at you!” She stepped back with her hands on Dylan’s shoulders to give him a once-over. “Jesus, you got tall!”

“He shot up like a weed the past two years.” I shut the car doors and joined them on the porch. “All legs.”

Like his Dad.ButI didn’t say that. I’d never really told Mom about Dylan’s father, and I wasn’t looking forward to breaking the news.

“Come on, you must be tired from all that travel,” Mom said. She hugged Dylan again, then turned to me. She pulled me into a brief hug, then waved me toward the door. “We’ll get the bags later.”

The cabin was cozy, all hardwood floors and exposed wooden beams. The bottom level was a big open den and kitchen, with old, overstuffed furniture in front of a big fireplace that looked like it hadn’t been used since the last time I was here. “I’ll show you your room, Dylan,” Mom said. “You look exhausted. Do you want to take a nap?”

Dylan nodded, and the two of them went upstairs.

Sighing, I slumped onto the overstuffed couch. Same old mystery novel paperbacks on the bookshelves. Same old photos of her friends on the mantle, with a single baby picture of Dylan. God, it was weird being here again.

Mom came back down. “He conked out immediately. That travel must’ve worn him out.”

“Travel and puberty,” I said. “He’d sleep fifteen hours a night if he could.”

“You want anything to drink?” Mom asked as she puttered into the kitchen. “Glass of wine?”

“No, I’m good,” I said with a wave of my hand.

Mom poured a glass for herself—of course—then joined me on the couch. She took a sip of the wine and then raised her eyebrows at me expectantly.

“What?” I asked.

“You gonna tell me why you’re really here? I know you didn’t come all the way up to Lakeview for a last-minute vacation.”

I sighed and tipped my head back against the back of the couch. Even though we didn’t always get along, Mom still had a good read on me. “It’s… it’s Dylan.”

She paused. “Is he okay? Is something wrong?”

“No, no. Nothing’s wrong, it’s just his shifter puberty.”

“Okay…”