That left one person. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I called Stormy. It was barely nine o’clock, so I wouldn’t be waking her up.

She answered on the second ring, her voice as chipper as always. “Hello, dear, how’s it feel being home?”

“Oh, it’s great. I had the best day, Stormy,” I said, laying the sarcasm on thick.

“Shit,” Stormy muttered. “What happened?”

“Nothing much,” I said with a shrug. “Remember I said my water needed to be turned on?”

“Yeah. Oh, God, Avery, have they still not taken care of it? If you and Ash need to take a shower or something, you’re welcome to come over here.”

“No, it’s on. The technician was here when we got back from your place.” I took a deep breath, then blurted out the shocking news. “It was Cole, Stormy. He was here. I spoke to him.”

The line went quiet for a long time. So long that I wondered if she’d fainted, or if the call had disconnected. When she spoke, she sounded like she’d just seen a UFO.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Can’t be more serious.”

“Well, holy shit. What did the bastard have to say for himself?”

This time, when I relayed the story, I used quite a few more expletives than I had with Ashton. By the time I finished, I thought Stormy was going to murder someone.

“That bitch ,” she hissed. “If I see Farrah, I’m gonna beat the shit out of her, I swear to God.”

A laugh burst from my mouth, long and intense, to the point that I had a hard time catching my breath. It wasn’t that funny, but the vehemence of Stormy’s words and the sheer amount of stress I was under sent me off into cackles.

When I managed to get myself under control, I said, “Yeah, she’s a real piece of work.”

“I won’t get the chance to slug her ass, though. You’ll probably beat me to it.”

“I’m not a typically violent person,” I said. “You know that.”

“But?”

“ But , I may be itching to give her what’s coming to her.”

“What do you think Ashton is going to decide? I mean, I want you guys here. I’ve missed you, but do you think he’ll want to stay?”

“No clue.” I sighed. “My gut says he will. He’s desperate for the pack connection I couldn’t give him, and this is his best chance.

The problem is I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle being around Cole again.

I can tell he’s telling me the truth about not knowing about Ashton, but it’s hard to shove fifteen years of bitter anger out the window. ”

“Right. Well, whatever he decides, I’m with you. Say the word, and I’ll punch Cole in that pretty-boy face of his.”

“I may take you up on that if things go sideways. I’m sort of scared, Stormy.

I’m terrified of staying, but I’m also freaked out about leaving.

I have nowhere else to go. I can’t go back to Perry, not after what he did.

This is the only home I have now, unless Ashton and I turn into aimless wanderers. ”

“It’ll work out. I have complete faith in that. Now, go to bed, girl. You obviously need sleep.”

“Okay. I’ll probably see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

I tucked the phone back into my robe pocket.

Against my better judgment, and risking life and limb, I began to pump back and forth on the swing, rising higher and higher.

The wood creaked, and the chains squealed faintly, but it held fast. I didn’t go as high as I had as a girl, only enough to sway back and forth about three feet in the air.

I did my best not to look into the woods. Cole was there, I was positive about that. That ancient and almost-forgotten sensation I hadn’t felt since I was twenty told me that Cole was close and watching me.

He used to come around and wait at the edges of the forest until my grandmother went to sleep. I’d sneak out, and we’d run off into the woods together, using the darkness to hide what we did. I could still remember the feel of his arms around me, the heat that leached from his body into mine.

The memory was painful. The only person I’d ever loved as much as Cole was Ashton.

The years we were together had been some of the happiest in my life.

When he confided in me that I was his fated mate, it had been like a dream come true.

I’d thought we’d be together forever. But happy endings were only found in romance novels and fairy tales.

First, it had been his father’s infidelity, then his mother died.

After that, Lance Garrett became more and more unbearable.

All of it had built and built, until I woke up to a two-word text one morning.

Cole: I’m sorry .

From that moment on, I’d been on my own. I’d never, in a million years, thought I’d be living my life without Cole by my side.

A lump formed in my throat as I let the swing slow. Tears threatened to spill, the back of my eyes burning like mad, but I’d sworn never to shed another tear for Cole Garrett, and I’d be damned if I started now while he was watching me.

Once the swing came to a stop, I stood and turned back to the house.

I walked across the yard and up onto the patio, never once turning back to acknowledge Cole’s presence.

I hoped he knew how badly he’d hurt me all those years ago.

Regardless of whether or not it was based on a lie, heartbreak was heartbreak.

The deadbolt on the patio door gave a final snap as I locked it, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was the final door being closed between us.

Sleep came in fits and starts. All through the night, I kept waking up from nightmares.

Some were about Cole stealing my son from me, others were about me reliving the soul-crushing heartache of when he first left.

The worst one, the final nail in the coffin of my chances at sleep, was of Cole’s father, dead and rotting like some movie zombie, crawling from his grave.

He scratched and clawed with bony fingers, trying to drag Ashton from my arms and down into the grave with him.

After that, there was no way I’d get more sleep.

Rather than lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, I got up to make breakfast. The sun had only started to rise, painting the horizon a pale yellow.

Ashton wasn’t up yet, so I started making pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

My mind zoned out as I mixed the batter and peeled the strips of bacon apart.

It was a blessedly mindless half hour when I didn’t have to think about what was to come.

The bacon was nearly ready, and I was flipping the pancakes on the skillet when I heard Ashton’s door open. My stomach did a little flip at the sound. Swallowing hard and schooling my face into a calm mask, I looked up and smiled as he shuffled sleepily down the hall.

“Good morning. Sleep okay?”

He shrugged and took a seat. In his T-shirt and pajama bottoms, he looked much more like a child than a teenager who had to make a huge, life-altering decision.

“How do you want your eggs?”

“Scrambled is good,” he said.

Anxiety built inside me like a live wire spitting sparks as I scrambled the eggs. I had to wait for him to tell me in his own time. I hated when someone rushed me on any decisions, so I couldn’t push him.

I set our plates down and sat beside him to eat, though my hunger was minimal as I awaited his decision.

“No syrup?” Ashton asked, looking around.

“Crap,” I cursed. “It’s in the pantry.”

“I’ll get it,” he said.

When he handed me the bottle and sat back down, he turned to me. From the look in his eyes, I knew what was coming next. Doing my best not to hold my breath, I met his gaze.

“I want to stay,” he said. “I really want to get to know my dad.”

The air fled my lungs in a rush, but I managed to smile. “Okay. Okay, yeah. Sounds good,” I said, though I could hear in my own voice that it wasn’t entirely good. Of course, none of the decisions Ashton could have made would be good.

He frowned. “Are you going to be all right? I spent half the night worried about what you’d think.”

It touched me that he considered my feelings. It also sent a wave of shame through me. A parent’s job was to ensure their children grew up happy, healthy, and well cared for. It should have been me considering his feelings. This was more than any fourteen-year-old should have to shoulder.

Clearing my throat, I gave a more genuine smile. “I’ll be totally fine. I promise. I’m happy with your decision.”

“You say that, but you’ve had this sort of sad look on your face since we got here. I don’t want you to be unhappy. If it really makes you too uncomfortable, we can go. Today if you want. It’ll be fine.”

A hard knot formed in my throat, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling.

I didn’t deserve this kid. He was the best thing to ever happen to me, and somehow, I’d managed to raise him into a man already.

Even after all the shifter puberty issues he’d had, from angry outbursts to painful growth spurts, he was still a good person. The best person I’d ever known.

I put a hand on his thigh. “Baby, I’ll be okay. I promise. And I’ll be here the whole time.”

He chewed on his lip, then glanced away. “I promise I won’t let my father hurt you again. I’d like for you guys to be friends, but if I have to choose between him or you, I’ll… I’ll always choose you, Mom.”

That was it. It was over. The tears came then, hot and fast. My face twisted into the most unattractive sobbing mess ever, and I yanked him toward me by the collar of his shirt, hugging him hard.

He chuckled and patted my back lamely while I sobbed into his shoulder.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d cried or been on the verge of crying so much in my life.

Honestly, it was most likely fifteen years ago when Cole left.

“Don’t worry about your dad,” I said, wiping my hands down my face. “He and I will come to some sort of understanding. All I want you to worry about is getting settled. Let me and Cole figure out the parenting parts, all right?”

“Okay,” he said, then dug into his food.

My appetite returned, and I cleared my plate in no time. As Ashton got up to do the dishes, I said, “Can you promise me something else?”

He froze, looking up at me. “Sure.”

“When you start dating…” I paused, trying to think of the best way to put it, then went on.

“Be mindful. When two people fall in love, two hearts are involved. Yours, and the one placed in your care. Always remember the other heart, the one that’s been entrusted to you, and don’t do something dumb to break it. ”

He nodded, but I wasn’t sure he understood. As far as I knew, Ash hadn’t yet had a girlfriend. Hopefully, that little lesson would stick in his head, though. Years from now, he’d remember it and be kind to whoever he ended up with.

After the dishes were done, he went to take a shower, leaving me to give Cole the news.

Sitting there, I stared at my phone for several minutes, putting off the inevitable.

I wondered how long he’d sat outside my house last night, watching.

The only reason it wasn’t creepy was because he’d done it so much when we were young.

A force of habit that had come back now that he knew I was back.

Grunting in frustration, I picked up my phone and started texting. There was no way I could handle saying this out loud. Texting gave me an extra layer of separation, and I could be more clinical and detached when I told him.

Avery: Good morning. Ashton says he wants to stay and get to know you and the pack. What do we do from here?

I hit send before I could back out and released a shuddering breath, awaiting Cole’s response. The return text came less than a minute later.

Cole: That’s amazing, Aves. You don’t know how relieved that makes me. Why don’t you guys come over for dinner tonight? We can get to know each other a little better.

Dinner? That was a fairly low-drama affair. I supposed that could work. It would be awkward as hell for everyone involved, but it was probably the best way to start.

Though, I had one very specific request if he wanted us there.

Avery: What time? We’ll be there. But Farrah better not be anywhere near your house. Is that understood? This is the first promise I need from you, and it better happen, or everything else is off the table.

I couldn’t trust myself not to claw Farrah’s eyes out when I saw her again. At the moment, I didn’t even want Ashton seeing her, much less talking to the woman.

Cole: I promise she won’t be there. You have my word. What do you guys want me to make for dinner? Burgers? Spaghetti?

Breathing a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to see Farrah, I thought about his question. It was petty and a little childish, but he’d put me through enough over the last fifteen years. No reason to make this too easy on him.

Avery: Actually, Ashton’s favorite food is steak with baked potatoes. Filet mignon if you can. If you really want to get on his good side, have a cherry cheesecake for dessert as well.

I grinned. None of that was a lie—it was Ashton’s favorite dinner and dessert.

Again, childish, but I liked the idea of Cole having to run out to the store and spend a hundred bucks on dinner for three.

I could almost picture the panic on his face as he worried about overcooking the steak or not being able to find big enough potatoes to impress his son and ex-girlfriend.

Cole: You got it. I’ve got a grill out back. I’ll have it all set up and ready to go. See you guys at five?

Avery: We’ll be there.

Cole: Fantastic! I’ll see you then.

After the exchange, I put the phone down and stared at it.

All I could do was wonder how this would go.

Would Ashton and Cole hit it off? Or would they get on each other’s nerves?

Did Cole have any idea how to be a father?

This wasn’t the typical situation. I’d had no clue how to be a mom, but I figured it out before Ash was old enough to judge me.

This was Cole’s first and only chance to make a first impression.

Part of me worried that the two would get along too well.

They looked like mirror images of each other.

Maybe it would go so well, I’d be left out and forgotten.

Unlikely, but my inner voice kept telling me it was a possibility.

Either way, by the time I went to bed tonight, I’d have a better idea about the man Cole had become.