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“I know.”

“I want you to believe me when I say there was nothing with Blakely. But I know that’s not enough.”

“It’s not,” I agreed, even though my heart was breaking.

“But I want you to know… I love you, Harley.”

From a break to a shatter. Pain lanced through me.

“I love you with everything I have,” he continued. “Everything I am. That’s not going to change, no matter what. You’re my fated mate. You always will be. Even if you never forgive me, even if I never get to hold you again, there’s never going to be another woman for me. Ever.”

I couldn’t hold his gaze. The intensity was too much. I felt it in my bones. He meant it. He meant every word.

How could he say words like those, make me feel likethis, and then get into bed with another woman?

It didn’t make sense. It was making me crazy. God, I wanted to believe him so badly.

“Mom? Dad?” Dylan stood on the stairs, in his pajamas with eyes wide and his hair a mess. “What’s happening? Where are we going?”

This wasn’t the way I wanted to break the news to him. But now I didn’t have a choice.

“We’re going back to Atlanta,” I said. “Tomorrow morning.”

“But the summer’s not even over.”

“I know, Dylan, but plans have changed.”

“What changed?” Dylan said in a raised voce. “What’s going on?”

“Dylan—”

He rushed downstairs and stood in the living room, looking between Stephan and me. “This isn’t fair! You promised it’d be the whole summer!”

“I’m sorry, Dylan, but I’m not budging on this,” I said.

“But I thought you were getting back together!” Dylan shouted. He balled his hands into fists at his sides. “We were gonna be a real family!”

My heart broke all over again. How was I supposed to tell my son that I’d thought the same thing? I’d thought we might have a real chance at being a family. I’d thought maybe Stephan could be more than a father to Dylan. I’d wanted him to be my partner.

Now that hope was extinguished.

“It’s not that simple, Dylan,” I said, my voice wavering.

“This is all your fault, Mom!” Dylan’s eyes flashed gold with anger, just like his father’s. “You ruined everything!”

“Dylan,” Stephan said firmly. He knelt to Dylan’s eye level and placed a hand on Dylan’s shoulder firmly. “You’re a Lakeview shifter now, son. You’re responsible for your dragon. And that means never, ever flashing your eyes at your mom.”

“But Dad?—”

“But nothing,” Stephan said. “I know you’re angry and sad, but that doesn’t mean you can lash out like that, okay?”

Dylan sniffed hard. Tears welled in his eyes. “We really have to leave?”

“You do,” Stephan said. “You need to go back to Atlanta. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still your dad. You can call me whenever you want to, okay? And I’ll come see you as much as I can.”

Dylan flung his arms around Stephan’s neck. “I don’t want to leave.”

“I know.” Stephan’s gaze met mine over the top of Dylan’s head. “I know, kiddo.”