Page 158 of Stay Wild Darlin’

I scrolled, half laughing, half crying.

My phone pinged that I’d gotten another new response.

@DefinitelyNotDalton69: If she’s the one keeping me from going under, there’s no choice to make. It’s her. Every time.

My throat tightened. I didn’t even know what to say back. Not in the thread. Not in a text. Not in real life.

My phone buzzed in my hand. Another response.

@DefinitelyNotDalton69: I like the water when I’m sad too.

He knew.

Of course he did.

This lake—his lake—was where he’d brought me when we needed a quiet moment together. I’d come here without even thinking because even when I was sad and needing an escape . . . I still needed a little piece of him.

I stood and turned slowly, my feet brushing the soft grass beneath me as I scanned the edge of the tree line.

The trees rustled behind me before I saw him walking toward me like the ground wasn’t quite solid beneath him. His steps were slow, like he wasn’t sure how close he was allowed to get.

He was still wearing that absurd T-shirt from the party, the pink lettering stretched across his chest. His blonde hair was a mess, sticking up in the back like he’d been pulling on it for hours. A few days’ worth of stubble shadowed his jaw, softening his edges. His freckles glowed under the sun, scattered across his forearms like constellations I could trace by memory.

It was his eyes that undid me.

Those wild, beautiful green eyes.

He didn’t say anything at first, only took a small step, then another, until he was right in front of me, close enough that I could smell him. My chest clenched like I was about to cry but couldn’t find the breath.

“Hi, darlin’,” he crooned with that crooked smile that never quite played fair.

Everything inside me softened like melted butter.

“How did you know I was here?” I asked, even though my heart was already racing, already tying itself into knots waiting for what came next.

Dalton chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t. I drove all over Lindley looking for you. The Dive, the bakery, the grocery store. When I couldn’t find you, I got pissed at myself. I started driving out toward Dallas. Figured maybe you went to your parents’. For some reason, I stopped here because I couldn’t breathe, and this place always helps, and that’s when I saw your post.”

My mouth lifted into a fragile smile. “It was happenstance.”

“That it was.”

“Wanna sit with me?” I tried to sound normal, but inside I was unraveling because he could be here to say goodbye.

He could be here to tell me she changed her mind. That she said the right thing. That he owed it to her. That he was scared. That I was too much.

That this was all temporary, after all.

“I’d love to.”

We sat down in the tall grass, and I folded my legs beneath me. I was too afraid to look at him because I didn’t want to see pity in his eyes. Or guilt. Or worse—regret.

“Where’s Cora?”

“She’s back at the party.”

Shame clawed up my throat before I could stop it. I looked down, unable to meet his eyes.

“I-I’m so sorry. You’re missing her first birthday. You should be there. I shouldn’t have— I⁠—”