Page 30 of Stay Wild Darlin’

I’d never had a friend before. I was always the outsider. Too quiet, too weird, too much of something, or not enough of everything else. Girls didn’t invite me to sleepovers or save me a seat at lunch. I was background noise, easy to ignore, easy to forget.

Sitting here, with two women I barely knew pulling up stools beside me like we’d done this a hundred times, I didn’t know what to do. What to say. What the right thing was. Part of me waited for the other shoe to drop, for them to laugh, or for me to say something awkward enough to ruin the moment.

I sipped my beer, nodded like I belonged, and let the moment breathe.

Harleigh filled the space with stories—about how she and Fable met, how Fable had a scary ex-fiancé she barely escaped, how Beau barged into her life. Harleigh talked about growing up here in Lindley, the way small towns held onto people like secrets. Fable added in details, laughing, nudging Harleigh, both of them making it look so effortless.

Fable told the story about how her ex came to Lindley to take her back. “I found out I had some . . . complications. That’s why I’m infertile.”

The air shifted, and Harleigh reached over and gave her a gentle look. “Fable, you’ve gotta tread lightly with that around people.”

I looked over at Fable, my chest tightening as my gaze dropped for a second, thinking of Cora. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

Fable shook her head, her expression softening. “It’s okay. We have an appointment with a surrogacy center soon. I have some eggs frozen, so we’re hoping to go the surrogate route.”

“That’s amazing.”

Harleigh slid an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “It is.”

Fable sniffed and waved the moment away with a half laugh. “Anyway, how was the weekend without us?”

“We went toward Dallas.” I took a swig of my beer. “I did some shopping for the house—um, Dalton’s house.”

Fable arched an eyebrow. “Still mad I lied to you?”

I gave her a playful nudge. “I mean, you tricked me into nannying, but honestly, I’m glad it’s Cora. She’s such a sweetheart.”

“How’s the boss?”

“He’s fine. Only saw him briefly since he’s been back.”

Harleigh teasingly smiled. “He’s a hottie though, huh?”

Fable let out a loud gagging noise, which made Harleigh and me laugh.

“He made a cute kid.” I pointed out.

The vibe shifted as an awkward pause settled over us.

Harleigh cleared her throat and tipped her head at the bar around us. “His baby’s mom worked here, you know,” she whispered.

My eyes widened. “She did? Wait—what happened?” Curiosity burned, but some part of me knew I should proceed carefully.

“She dropped the baby off a few months back and left,” Harleigh explained with a small shrug. “We don’t know the full story. He’s probably the only one who does.”

I nodded, feeling like I’d inched too close to a boundary. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” I murmured.

Fable pursed her lips, drawing my attention. “Dalton fucks up a lot,” she added, not unkindly, but definitely matter-of-fact. “He’s got a good heart . . . somewhere in there.”

“I think it’s pretty incredible what he’s doing. Jumping headfirst into being a dad can’t be easy.”

Fable flicked her gaze over to me, and Harleigh stilled with her glass halfway to her lips. I shrugged, emboldened by the warmth of the beer.

“He may not be perfect, but he’s so protective of Cora and seems to have jumped right into the role.” I sighed. “I don’t know, it doesn’t scream ‘screwup’ to me.”

They exchanged glances, and Harleigh gave a short nod. “He does love that kid.”

Fable exhaled. “He does. I take it back. You’re right. He’s not a fuckup.”