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“Bella!” Dylan ran over to Bella and plopped down on the grass. Bella squealed with delight when she saw him, reaching toward him with both hands. Dylan scooped up a little bit of ice cream to let her taste it. Bella’s eyes widened in amazement as soon as it hit her tongue.

I smiled and took a seat on the nearby park bench. Mia sat next to me and kicked her feet out with a happy sigh. “Nice little coincidence to run into you here. Bella’s always excited to see Dylan.”

I hummed as a little pang of sadness struck my heart. This was yet another part of Lakeview we’d have to leave behind.

Mia quirked an eyebrow. “You okay, Harley? Something going on?”

Why was everyone in this clan so freaking perceptive? I hadn’t experienced this many people care about my well-being in… Well, maybe ever. I tried not to think about that too hard.

It’d be easy to blow Mia off. I could say I was busy with work, or stressed from Dylan’s upcoming shift, or just plain old tired. Mia wouldn’t press, even if she didn’t believe my excuses.

Dylan and Bella finished up his ice cream, then he walked her over to the swings and looked over at Mia for confirmation. She threw him a thumbs up, and Dylan settled Bella into the baby swing and helped wiggle her little legs through the gaps in the swing.

If anyone knew what I was going through now, it was Mia.

“My best friend sent me a job posting today,” I said.

“Oh yeah? What kind of job?”

“Third grade teacher,” I said. “Here in Lakeview.”

“I didn’t know you had a teaching degree.”

I sighed and raked my fingers through my hair. “I haven’t taught in a long time. I needed a better paying job back in Atlanta.”

“You don’t sound too excited about the job.”

“It’s tough,” I admitted. “Part of me wants to apply. Get a job here in Lakeview. Go all-in. It might be easier for Dylan, right?”

Mia pressed her lips together.

“But I know I can’t move that quickly. There’s too much that could go wrong. Stephan told me the businesses aren’t all the way legit yet, and that means there’s still a risk that he could end up in prison again. I couldn’t do that to Dylan—uproot his life just to see it all pulled out from beneath him.”

I couldn’t do that to myself. I didn’t say it, but from the way Mia’s lips turned down at the corners, I knew she got the gist.

“So, I’m going to stick with my plan and head back to Atlanta at the end of the summer. It makes more sense. Dylan won’t have to change schools, and I won’t have to get a new job. We’ll come here for the summers, but for now, I think we need some separation between us.”

Bella shrieked with delight as Dylan pushed her gently on the swing.

“I think that’s really wise,” Mia said.

I jerked my head over to look at her. “What? Really?”

“Yeah. You just reconnected with Ace after a decade, girl. Take it slow.”

I exhaled a laugh through my nose. “Seems like the guys don’t want me to leave at all. Every time I mention going back to Atlanta in the fall, they all get pouty.”

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Mia said with a smile. “Dragons aren’t known for their understanding of nuance.”

“Dragons, or men?”

That made Mia laugh for real. I hadn’t realized how much tension I was carrying in my shoulders, but I did now as I relaxed.

“I’m glad you think it’s the right idea,” I continued. “I was worried I was being dramatic. Or… that I was afraid to let a good thing pass me by.”

“Ace waited ten years,” Mia said. “Going back to your life for a few months isn’t going to change his commitment. If anything, it’ll push him to get the clan businesses straightened out even faster. We’ll all benefit from that.”

“You sound really sure about that,” I said.