Page 154

“Aunt Cassidy is a miracle worker.” I gave her a grateful smile when she handed me a steaming mug of coffee. “What are you two up to?”

“Just finishing up some prep for dinner,” Steph said. “You feeling okay?”

I nodded, but didn’t fully meet his eyes. “Dylan, want to get some fresh air with me?”

“Yes,” Dylan said immediately. “Can we walk down to the lake? Uncle Hawk showed me how to skip stones!”

“Lead the way,” I said.

Steph caught my eye and offered me a small smile. I returned it, then Dylan grabbed my free hand and dragged me to the back door. I gulped down some coffee, then set the mug down quicklyas my son tugged me along. As we walked down to the lake’s still surface, I tipped my head back and let the sun warm my face. I wrapped my arm around Dylan’s shoulders and hugged him to my side. “I’m really proud of you, kiddo.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Dylan mumbled.

“You did exactly what I said. You flew home, and you let everyone know what happened. You were so brave.”

Dylan’s cheerful expression dropped, and he fell silent. He poked around in the dirt along the lake’s bank for a few minutes, then returned to my side with a handful of oblong rocks.

“I didn’t feel brave,” he said as he stared at the rocks in his palm. “I was really scared, but I knew I had to get to Dad to save you.”

“And that’s why you’re brave. It’s not something you feel. It’s something youdo.You were scared, but you did what I asked anyway. That’s bravery.”

Dylan hummed like he was considering that. “Watch this.”

“Watching.”

He held one of the rocks between his thumb and forefinger, then sent it zinging over the surface. It got three good hops before it sank.

“Whoa. Hawk really did show you some tricks.”

“Uh-huh.” He skipped another one. “When I came back to the house and told Dad what had happened… He was really angry. I was angry too.” He swallowed hard. “But my dragon could feel more than that. Dad was really scared, too. Really scared and sad. That scared me even more. Because if Dad was scared, I knew it had to be really serious.”

He skipped his last rock, and before he could turn away to hunt for more, I pulled him in for a hug. He didn’t struggle, just sighed and leaned heavily against me.

“And you were right. I need to ask you something, bud.”

“What is it?” he asked, his voice muffled against my shirt.

“Do you want to be here or at home in Atlanta?”

Dylan pulled away and frowned. “Huh? I thought we had to go back to Atlanta.”

“Yeah, we did,” I said. “But this changed things. I know it scared you a lot. So I want to know whatyouwant to do, Dylan. What would makeyoufeel better after this mess?”

“I want to stay here. I don’t want to leave Dad. I think he’d be really sad if we left. What about you, Mom?”

My heart ached. Dylan wasn’t just thinking about what he wanted—he was thinking about me and Steph, too.

“I don’t know what I want, but your dad said we’ll be safer if we stick around Lakeview a little while longer. So if that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

“Really?” His eyes lit up. “We’re staying?”

“For now, yeah.”

Dylan shouted with excitement, and his dragon flashed gold behind his eyes. “We’re staying!” He bounced around, fist pumping, water splashing around his feet.

I laughed, glad to see my kid happy again. Admittedly, a small part of me was happy we were staying in Lakeview, too.

When we returned to the house, Cassidy was sprawled on the couch and scrolling on her phone, while Steph was still puttering around the kitchen.