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“What does she want?” he asked.

“She didn’t say. Just asked if I was still in town. She wants to see me today.”

Stephan sighed. “Are you going to answer?”

My frown deepened. “Probably. I don’t really want to. But…”

“Then don’t. It sounds like you’ve given her a lot of chances.”

I set my phone aside. “It’s not that simple.”

Stephan, now dressed in his usual uniform of jeans and a black T-shirt, stepped forward and tugged the robe a little tighter around me. I was basically swimming in it, since it was made for a dragon more than a head taller than me. “I know. She’s your mother and Dylan’s grandmother before she’s the Liz Founty I know from around town.”

I cringed. I hated to think of the reputation Mom had in town—an unreliable drunk and a sloppy maneater. “I don’t know how to handle her right now.”

He nodded. “If you want her to stay in your life, I won’t interfere,” he said. “But if she talks to you and Dylan like she did that night, I won’t keep my mouth shut, either.”

My heart clenched hard. For ten years, I’d been alone.

Not completely, of course. I had Dylan, my pride and joy. Cassidy was always supporting me. Even Suri had helped out, when he wasn’t too busy being my boss. Dad had been there for me, until he’d passed away.

But I didn’t have a partner. No solid, sturdy foundation. No one who would have my back, no matter what, no matter when.

Could Stephan be that for me?

I was almost too afraid to imagine it. If I had him like this and had to let him go… I didn’t know how I’d recover. Losing him once had been hard enough.

I swallowed hard. Instead of thinking about that, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down for another one of those addictive kisses. “Thank you,” I whispered against his lips. “For having my back.”

Stephan pulled back, and his hazel eyes held mine for a long moment. “I’ve always got your back, Harley. No matter what.”

God, I wanted to believe that. I really did.

I kissed him again, then slipped out of his bedroom and into my own. It sounded like Dylan was awake behind his closed door, and I sighed in relief that I’d snuck back to my room without Dylan seeing. I wasn’t quite ready to explain this yet, not when I had no idea how to explain it to myself.

It sure as hell didn’t feel like “going slow”.

By the time I’d dressed and dried my hair—always an endeavor—Dylan and Stephan were having breakfast. I’d had some time to think and some time to read and re-read Mom’s texts.

Better to get this over with.

“Morning, kiddo,” I said. “You sleep all right?”

“Uh-huh,” Dylan said around a mouthful of bacon. “I dreamed about flying.”

“It’ll happen sooner than you think,” Stephan said. He patted

Dylan’s hair, then handed me a mug of hot coffee.

“Thanks. Do you have time to hang out with Dylan this morning?”

Dylan craned around in his chair at the table to look at me. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got a little errand to run,” I said. “Shouldn’t take too long.”

Stephan nodded. The small furrow in his brow told me he knew I was going to meet my mother. “Let me call one of the guys and get you an escort.”

“I’m not going far,” I said. “And it’s barely midday. I just want to get this over with, Steph.”