Chapter 34
Fable
“I cannot believe we’re going to the event this weekend in Milwaukee at the last minute.”
I nodded as Harleigh drove us toward the Dallas airport. “Me either.”
The week had gone by in a blur, and on Thursday afternoon, Kline had pulled us aside and told us that we had to go to the event this weekend and get content for one of the bulls that he was trucking up to Wisconsin.
The bull was Kline’s top performer, and his genetics were being auctioned soon, so he wanted content from us.
It was an all-expense paid trip to the Midwest, where I got to hang out with my best friend and—
“You’ll get to see your boo ride.”
Harleigh’s teasing lilt cut through my thoughts, and when I turned, she flashed me a knowing grin.
I groaned, reaching over to squeeze her thigh in protest. She laughed.
“I regret telling you what happened.”
I hadn’t wanted to tell her. What happened between Beau and me still felt so fragile, like a secret I was afraid to expose to the world in case it shattered.
I hadn’t seen much of him all week—just passing glances, a brief moment where our eyes caught before we both looked away.
He was busy. I was busy. Things felt . .
. different. Off. A boundary had been crossed, and I didn’t know where that left us.
So I had kept it to myself, locking it away like something precious. As the miles stretched between Lindley and us, my resolve cracked. The farther we got, the heavier the weight became, pressing against my ribs until the words spilled out.
“I think he’s nervous,” Harleigh said as she pulled into the economy lot.
“Nervous?” I scoffed. “What does he have to be nervous about?”
If anyone should be spiraling, it was me.
“You.” Harleigh smirked, but stayed silent as she shoved her card into the machine and grabbed the parking ticket.
“It’s not that. He said he wanted me in any capacity, right? Even joked about marriage—”
She snorted as she pulled into a spot. “That part killed me, by the way.”
I ignored her. “And then he ghosted. Didn’t even come by once all week. It’s like he said all those things and then freaked out. And I kept thinking . . . if he wanted this, if he really wanted me, wouldn’t he have—”
“Showed up?” Harleigh finished for me.
I nodded, pressing my lips together. “But then . . . maybe it’s not that simple.”
We got out of the car and grabbed our suitcases from the back, rolling them toward the airport entrance.
“What do you mean?”
“Beau never dates, Harleigh. Ever. And it’s not because of the lifestyle—Dalton’s out here running through buckle bunnies left and right, and Kline’s been married for years. Beau could have a relationship if he wanted to.”
She nodded. “Okay, so?”
“So . . . maybe it’s not that he doesn’t want to. Maybe it’s that he’s scared to.”
Her eyes flickered with understanding, but she let me keep going.
“He lost his mom. He watched his dad lose the person he loved most. If he lets someone in, if he really falls for someone, and something happens to him—or worse, to them . . .”
My stomach twisted.
Harleigh nodded slowly. “Yeah. That would explain a lot. We know that feeling.”
My chest ached. The three of us had lost a parent, or in my case both, and we could all relate to what it felt like to have someone you loved ripped away from you. I’d lived in that fear for years, and I’d let it dictate every part of my life. I was finally trying to let myself live again.
I exhaled sharply. “But he doesn’t love me.”
Harleigh tilted her head, lips twitching into something that looked suspiciously like a knowing smile. “Maybe not yet, but I think you’re right. You might be exactly what scares him.”
She was wrong. I didn’t scare him. He didn’t scare me. What was bubbling beneath the surface between us—that was terrifying. The what-ifs, the possibility of something real, something that could be good . . . that was what truly scared me.
“You’re the best.” I nudged her as we made our way through the airport.
Once we checked in for our flight, we found seats near the gate, settling in while we waited to board. I popped an M&M’s into my mouth and turned to Harleigh.
“How are you?” I asked, glancing at her. “I know I tend to dominate the conversation . . .”
She scoffed, reaching into the bag and grabbing a piece of candy. “Psh. You’re fine. Besides, nothing exciting is happening on my end.”
I raised a brow. “What about Gatlin? I’ve seen the way he looks at you—”
“Nope.” She shut me down instantly, shaking her head. “There’s nothing there. He’s never around, always with the rodeo, always on the road. Even more than the boys.”
I nodded, chewing on my candy. “I know that’s hard.”
She exhaled, her shoulders sagging slightly. “I grew up with him, Fabs. It’s . . . Gatlin.”
The way she said it sounded final, like she was convincing herself more than me.
“I’m excited we’re going together.” She leaned over, resting the side of her head against mine. “You make a pretty great partner, Fabs. I’m glad creepy John fired us.”
I chuckled softly, the memory of that awful job a distant, almost laughable past. “Me too, Harls.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the warmth that had been flooding my life lately sink in. The love, the light—I had it all, or at least, almost all of it.
I needed the last piece of the puzzle to finally fit.
“Me too,” I whispered.