Page 7 of The Scars We Heal

The four of us migrated to the couch while Whitley made herself at home on the floor, carrying her stuffed cat with her.

Colter spoke up again once we were settled. “So, you never answered my question. I didn’t know you were planning to visit.”

“Funny you say that.” A huff of breath released from my lungs. “I’m actually not visiting?” I paused as a wave of embarrassment flooded over me, and Colter, Ellison, and Jake all gave me questioning looks. “Adam canceled my credit cards, so living out of a hotel isn’t financially possible, and it’s not like I have any friends in Washington anymore.”

Adam won basically all of them in the divorce. The spare few I did have lived in small apartments or had roommates, so they weren’t viable options.

“I’m going to kill that guy,” Colter cursed under his breath. “Have you found a place?”

I shook my head. “I thought we could stay at the ranch, but Mom turned my bedroom into a craft room. But, honestly, that wouldn’t have worked anyway since I have Whitley. She needs her own space. She said I could sleep on the couch or she could get an air mattress, too, but I don’t want to take up extra space if I don’t have to. An air mattress would just get in the way and I don’t want her to worry about me if I sleep on her couch.” I ran my fingers through the ends of my hair, twirling the strands in a nervous habit I’d never been able to kick.

“Have you talked to Clay about staying in Bozeman?” Colter asked.

“They already have a full house of kids. I don’t want to impose.” While I was sure our older brother wouldn’t have minded—their property was a six-bedroom farmhouse on a sprawling ranch outside of city limits and no doubt cost them a couple million—the idea of essentially inviting myself into their space made me ill, so I never asked.

Ellison pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, her hand resting on her very round, very pregnant stomach. “If the baby wasn’t coming so soon, I’d let you two move in without hesitation.”

I offered her a soft smile, though I wasn’t even going to ask, knowing they were expanding their family and needed the quiet. “I appreciate that. I just don’t know what we’re going to do. I guess I could try⁠—”

“You can stay with me,” Jake blurted.

Our heads snapped toward him, three pairs of eyes I imagined all reflected varying levels of confusion.

A moment of silence hung in the air, and I was sure if he strained his ears enough, Jake could hear the gears turning in my head.

“What?” I stammered, breaking it. “You want me to move in with you?”

“I mean, you can live in the guest house,” he clarified. “It’s basically brand new, and no one has stayed there yet. It has a couple bedrooms, so Whitley will be able to have her own.”

I hesitated, a hum of doubt slipping through my lips. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, why not?” Colter parroted.

I shot my brother a glare, silently pleading for him to take my side, because he was my brother for God’s sake. Unfortunately, I only got a shrug of a shoulder in response.

“It’s really not a problem,” Jake insisted.

“Well, there you have it.” Colter clasped his hands together like that was it. “Problem solved.”

I pursed my lips. “Hold on, what about rent?”

His shoulders lifted in a subtle movement. “We can figure it out, Cait. I’m not too worried about it right now.”

“I—”

“Just accept his offer already, woman!” Colter interrupted with an exasperated laugh. His fingers raked through his hair as he added, “Seriously, Cait. You need a place to live, somewhere you and Whitley will feel safe. Jake can give you that, even if it’s just for a short time. You don’t have to stay there forever, but will you please just do it for now?”

Forcing out a deep breath, I set aside my pride. “Fine. But it’s just temporary, okay?”

Jake nodded, and even though he tried to hide it, I was sure a tiny smile crept onto his face. “You can stay as long or as little as you want.”

The guest house on Jake’s property wasn’t what I expected. For whatever reason, I thought it would be more…manly. But I was pleasantly surprised. It had a cozy, homey appearance from the outside. The house wasn’t large by any means—a small cottage with white siding, black shutters around the windows, and a small front porch—but I could already tell it was going to be perfect for me and Whitley.

“Make yourselves at home. Mi casa es tu casa, er, well, the guest house is at least.” Jake scrubbed his hand through his hair, the blond locks falling messily over his forehead.

“Thank you. I really appreciate this. You have no idea how grateful I am.” I stumbled over my words, but Jake waved me off. “And please let me know about rent. I have money set aside in savings. When I get back on my feet and settled, I’ll pay you back for letting us stay here.”