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I huffed a small laugh. “Yeah. Even so. I can’t drop everything and move here. What if something happens to you? With Sean, or with the police? What if something happens tome?”

His hand slid to my waist and squeezed. “Nothing will happen to you, Harley.”

“Blakely ran me off the road, Steph.”

I could practically feel his anger radiating off him. “And nothing like that will happen again.”

“I know, I know.” I turned and caught the corner of his mouth in a brief kiss to calm him down. “I need more time. I need things to calm down in Lakeview. I need to talk to Dylan about what he wants once he’s gone through his first shift. I need to know I won’t get hurt again.”

Those familiar gold flecks appeared in Stephan’s eyes. It was always intoxicating to have his gaze on mine when his eyes burned gold. It wasn’t only his desire I felt—it was his dragon’s, too.

“You know I want you to stay,” he said. “Whenever you want to come to Lakeview, you and Dylan will always have a place here. Doesn’t only have to be summers. Anytime. However long you want. You’re always welcome.”

“Thank you.”

“I know it’s hard to believe in our future together.” A muscle in his jaw jumped, like saying the words hurt. “I’ll give you all the time you need, Harley. I’m not going anywhere.”

Relief rolled through me. It was more than I’d felt with Mia. It was like sliding into a hot bath after a long day. I’d needed to hear him say he’d wait. Even if I knew it in my heart, I’d needed to hear himsayit.

“Thanks for understanding.” I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“You don’t need to thank me. It shouldn’t have taken me this long to find you again.” He leaned down and pressed his face into the crook of my neck and inhaled, then brushed his lips against my skin. “I love you, Harley. I’ll prove that to you. And I’ll prove you and Dylan have a place here. No matter how long it takes.”

I hugged him closer, pulling our bodies flush together. My heart pounded as the low resonance of his voice rolled through me.

I couldn’t say it back. I did love him. I’d loved him since I first met him, ten years ago, when he was a rowdy bad boy with big dreams for his clan. But saying it felt like a promise I didn’t know I’d be able to keep.

Stephan pulled back enough to catch my eyes again. There was a small smile on his face, like my thoughts were broadcasting at full volume. With him, I sometimes thought they were. He tipped his forehead against mine. “We’ll be okay, Harley. I’m not worried about anything.”

I kissed him. I desperately wanted to believe he was right.

22

ACE

“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” I asked Harley.

She threw me a smile that nearly knocked me off my feet. She always looked so damn beautiful in the mornings, with her hair piled up in a messy bun and her curvy legs bare save for her tiny sleep shorts. I especially liked mornings like this, when she’d nabbed one of my old T-shirts to sleep in. My dragon preened at the sight of our fated mate wearing an old Cole’s Garage shirt.

“You’ve asked me this three times in the past two days,” she said. “I’m okay with it. It’ll be good for Dylan.”

I caught her lips in a quick kiss. “Thank you. Everyone’s excited for tonight.”

She smiled, but I could sense her slight nerves, too. I knew this was a big step—and it was a step Harley probably wouldn’t have taken if we hadn’t talked on the deck a few nights ago. This agreement felt like an olive branch between us. She was ready to start building a life with me, but not all at once.

We were taking baby steps. But this was more like a leap of faith.

Tonight, Dylan was going to meet the entire clan. Or most of them, at least. He’d met the inner circle—the club members—but now the extended members of the clan were invited to the clubhouse for a big-ass cookout and the introduction of their next alpha.

There would be a lot of shifters around. It’d be good for Dylan to meet most of the clan’s shifters before his first shift. I wanted his dragon to recognize its family, and I hoped it might encourage the shift to happen. We’d been going out more together, practicing more with teeth, tail, and claws, but his dragon had yet to show itself fully. Even when I spent time in my dragon form, letting Dylan climb all over me and taking him on short flights, his dragon refused to come out. It was getting painful for Dylan, and I wanted to encourage the process to speed up a little.

Tonight would be good. Food, fun, and family. Hell, we even had a few of the younger clan members ready to play some live music. I had no work on my plate for the day. All I had to do was make sure we had all the drinks, groceries, and everything else ready for tonight.

It had to be perfect. Not just for Dylan, but for Harley, too. Because I hoped that one day she’d be part of the clan, too.

“I’m going to get a head start on work,” she said.

“I’ll clean up here,” I said. “You go on.”