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I gathered myself. I was frazzled from hearing Dylan in so much pain this morning. Once I reset my nerves a little bit, I’d have a better handle on my emotions. The coffeemaker chirped. I poured a mug of coffee and added a splash of milk. Taking another steadying breath, I plastered a smile on my face and stepped into the living room.

“Coffee,” I said as I held out the mug.

Stephan accepted it with a smile. “Thanks.” He paused as he looked down at the coffee. His smile faltered with an emotion I couldn’t quite read. “Just the right amount of milk, too.”

Again, my heart thumped. I’d fixed it exactly the way he liked it—without even thinking about it. Those little habits came back easily, like muscle memory. Like I’d never wanted to forget in the first place. I cleared my throat. “So, what brought you over here? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you showed up, but…”

“I was hoping we could talk,” Stephan said.

“Talk,” I repeated.

“Just talk.”

I pressed my lips together, then leaned down and tousled Dylan’s hair. “Why don’t you head up to your room and get a little more sleep? I know this morning wore you out.”

“Huh?” Dylan started, even though he did look exhausted. “But Dad just got here!”

Hearing Dylan say that stole the breath from my lungs. I froze. What was I supposed to say to Dylan? ToStephan?We hadn’t talked about the role he would play in Dylan’s life beyond this shift.

“Don’t worry, kiddo, we’ll get lots of time to talk,” Stephan said easily. “I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

Dylan stared at Stephan for a long moment, then nodded curtly, as if agreeing to business terms. “I know you’re not lying, so it’s okay.”

Stephan cocked an eyebrow. “You know? You mean you can tell when people are lying?”

Dylan rubbed his chest. “My dragon can.”

“What the heck?” I asked. “How long has this been happening?”

Dylan shrugged. “I dunno. Not very long.”

Stephan chuckled, the sound more of a rumble in his chest. “That’s another thing you got from me. I can do that, too.”

“Seriously?” Dylan’s expression brightened. “You can?”

“I’ll tell you all about it. Get some sleep now, and we’ll talk more soon, all right?”

Appeased, Dylan clambered off the couch and went upstairs.

Then Stephan and I were alone. I sat on one end of the couch, and he sat on the other. He sat with his arm on the back of the couch, comfortable as anything, and I couldn’t help but imagining closing the distance between us and resting against the broad plane of his chest.

Instead, I tucked my feet under my body and took another sip of water. “So, what is it?” I asked again. “Something must’ve brought you here. Unless your dragon somehow knew…?”

Stephan laughed and shook his head slightly. “No, it really was coincidence. My dragon can sense a lot of things, but he’s not that good.”

“Then what is it?”

“I spoke to Blakely this morning.” Stephan took another sip of his coffee. “I banned her from the clubhouse. And the clan.”

My mouth went dry. What was I supposed to say to that? I was glad I wouldn’t be running into her, but her being gone didn’t fix anything between Stephan and me.

“I’m sorry,” Stephan said. “That’s what I came here to say. I know it’s… it’s not much, but I’m sorry for what she did, and I’m sorry it went on for this long.”

“It’s a lot for me to process,” I admitted. “So much of the past ten years was a lie. That’s a lot to absorb.”

Stephan nodded. “I understand. And I know it wouldn’t have changed much, even if I had been in Dylan’s life. I still would’ve been arrested that night. I still would’ve spent seven years in prison.”

“Right.”