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“Hi.” Steph smiled. God, his smile was so handsome. He wasn’t even a little perturbed by my closed-off body language. He looked as relaxed as ever as he closed the lid on the pot on the stove. “Making collard greens to go with the steaks for dinner tonight. That sound good to you?”

“Collard greens?”

“Thought you might be missing the South a little. You know, since you were trying to go back. What changed your mind?”

“Dylan wants to stay.”

“What about you?” he asked. “Do you want to stay?”

“I don’t know, Steph.” I unfolded my arms and raked both hands through my hair. “How am I supposed to trust you after all this?”

“After what happened with Sean?” Steph asked. “Or with Blakely?”

I was surprised he brought it up so casually. “Both, but Blakely was before all of this. Things were good, and then you… And she…” I sucked in a frustrated breath. “I just don’t understand. ”

“Can I explain?”

“I’m really tired of explanations, Steph.”

“I know. Come taste these, will you?”

Against my better judgment, I stepped away from the couch and padded into the kitchen.

It smelled amazing, like rising dough and sizzling meat.

When he lifted the lid off the pot, the collard greens were already perfectly steamed with bacon mixed in and everything.

I took a small bite, and the rich flavor spread across my tongue.

Ugh, he was right. It did taste like home.

He slid his hand over my waist and let it rest on my hip. My mind told me to pull away, but the touch felt so good. So grounding.

“I was set up,” Steph said bluntly. “I’m not totally without blame. I shouldn’t have gotten that drunk. I knew the Night Shift stuff was strong, but getting that hammered was way out of line. That won’t happen again.”

“Good,” I mumbled.

“You remember Tori was there, at the party?”

I nodded. Tori was Blakely’s best friend and still came around the clubhouse occasionally. “What’s she got to do with it?”

“Blakely asked Tori to attend the party and tell her how I was doing. Then I got hammered, and Tori told Blakely, and Blakely got a bright idea.” Steph’s lip curled back in disgust. “She told Tori to let her in to the clubhouse once everyone had passed out, and she’d sneak into my room—into my bed —and make it look like I’d asked her to come over. ”

A tentative flame of hope sparked in my heart. Could it seriously all be another one of Blakely’s schemes?

“I don’t doubt Blakely would do something that insane, but you have to understand that sounds insane. It’s a little hard to believe.”

“I know,” Steph said. “It’s ridiculous. I didn’t think it was physically possible for me to get so drunk that my dragon would let her get close to me ever again, let alone let her in my bed .” He shook his head. “I know it hurt you. That’s the worst part of all of this.”

“I want to believe you,” I said in a small voice. “But, Steph, after everything, it’s so difficult.”

“I won’t ask you to take me on my word, but I have proof.

Look.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, then opened a text chain with Tori.

He held it within my line of sight as he scrolled through the short thread in which he asked her to send him the screenshots.

Tori had obliged, and Steph tapped the first one. then handed the phone to me.

The screenshots were of a text exchange between Blakely and Tori. Just as Steph had said, Blakely had planned it. Well, Tori was at fault, too—she’d told Blakely Steph was hammered and agreed to let Blakely into the clubhouse even though she was banned.

Blakely: This is perfect. This should finally get rid of that bitch for good.

“Holy shit,” I said.

“I know,” he agreed.

I was stunned. Flattened. “Blakely’s a psychotic bitch.”

He really hadn’t cheated on me. My heart, in all its foolish unwillingness to pull away, had been right .

“I’m sorry, Harley.” Steph set his phone aside, then put both hands on my hips and turned me so I was facing him. “I’m truly sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten that drunk, and I shouldn’t have let Tori into the clubhouse after I banned Blakely. It was a recipe for disaster. I should’ve known.”

“Yeah, you should’ve,” I said, and my voice sounded pouty even to my own ears.

I was furious at Blakely but simultaneously awash with relief.

I wanted to find that girl and beat her ass.

She was a never-ending problem, an ongoing thorn in my side, and this was proof that she was never going to give up.

It was like having a bee buzzing around my head all day.

Sean was a real problem. Blakely was an annoyance, but she might start escalating.

Hell, she’d already run me off the road once.

If I wanted her to stop, I had to do something about it.

Sean was Steph’s fight. Blakely was mine.

Steph’s grip tightened on my hips. “I need you to know that I would never betray you like that, Harley. Not ever. You’re my mate, and I’d never hurt you like that. No matter what.”

His eyes flashed gold as if his dragon wanted me to know it was the truth. I wound my arms around his neck, and he pulled me closer so our bodies were nearly flush together.

“That’s why it hurt me so much to think you had betrayed me,” I admitted. “My heart only belongs to you.”

“Harley…” His gaze flicked down to my neck, then back up to my eyes.

I was human, but I knew about claiming bites. Was Steph thinking about that now? Marking my skin and tying us together forever?

The thought made me warm all over. It was scary—intense, really—but the idea still fascinated me.

“I didn’t really want to leave Lakeview,” I said. “I didn’t want to leave you. I don’t. But if that’s what it takes to keep Dylan safe, I will. Even if it hurts.”

Again, that flash of gold. “I know that,” he said. “I’m going to make Lakeview a safe place for the both of you, Harley. No matter what it takes.”

“I missed you, Steph,” I whispered. “Don’t let this happen again.”

“I won’t.” He cupped my cheek with one hand, and his other arm wrapped snugly around my waist. “I love you, Harley. I have since the moment I first saw you. I’ll do anything for you.”

He leaned down to close the distance between us. This time, I didn’t pull away. His lips were soft against mine, his hold secure. I sighed into the kiss, losing myself in the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms. After everything we’d been through, I knew this was where I belonged.

His kiss felt like coming home.