Page 92 of The Scars We Heal

jake

Itore down the gravel road away from the Carson house. Away from Caitlin, and Whitley, and the future I’d envisioned in my mind for years. The future I was within a finger’s reach of until today.

I fucked up.

My knuckles still bled, dripping down the back of my hand onto my jeans. The cuts stung, but nothing hurt worse than the idea of losing Caitlin over an impulsive decision to punch Adam.

The sad truth was I’d do it over and over again.

I knew how men like Adam operated. This was just a scheme to get Caitlin to bend to his will and scare her into submission. He was just shameless enough to use his fucking daughter as a pawn in his games.

I also knew Caitlin, though. That woman would do anything for her daughter, and the prospect of Whitley being taken away was unthinkable. If I were in her shoes, I’d be terrified, too. All I could do was pray she’d come around and realize everything Adam threatened was a lie.

On the drive back to the house, my phone rang. Colter.

“Hey, man,” I answered carefully, a bit worried he was going to rip one into me.

But he didn’t. “How is she?”

I didn’t need to ask who he was talking about. “She’s shaken up. Understandably so.” One hand still on the wheel, I scraped the other through my hair. “Fuck, Colt, what did he do to her while they were together?”

I could tell he was pacing, footsteps repeatedly tapping against the floor before a scuff of shoes and clothing signaled a pivot.

“He wrecked her, Jake. He tore her down until there was nothing left to build back up.” He paused. “I don’t know what you did after she moved into the guest house, but I started to see the Cait I recognized again.”

“And now he’s here to destroy all the work she’s put in for herself,” I thought aloud, voice low and grumbling.

A quiet moment passed between us.

“Heard you punched him.”

Without hesitation, I snipped back, “And I’d do it again.”

Colter heaved a sigh, and based on the background noise, it sounded like he stopped pacing and sat down. “Ellison and I are going to do some damage control. I hate to say this because you’re my brother, and I truly think living on your property has been good for Cait, but I need you to lay low and give her some space. At least until we can figure out what the hell Adam is planning to do.”

“But—”

“As someone who thinks you deserve to be happy and knows Cait is that person for you, I’m asking you to please listen to me. We’ve all damn well known you’re the one for her, but she needs time, Jake. At least give her the rest of the day before you go into problem-solving mode.”

“I…” My words were trapped in my throat, so I cleared it. “I want what’s best for her, but I also don’t want to stand by while this all happens.”

“I know. Just trust me on this. You only risk pushing her away if you go to her now. Give her a few hours to calm down and collect herself. And you should take time to calm down, too. Nothing good comes out of reacting when your emotions are so high.”

“I know.”

“Good. Please. I’m asking as your friend.” He paused, as though waiting for me to agree.

“I promise.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning cracked across the sky, and rain poured down later that night. Despite my conversation with Colter, it had taken everything in me not to march over to the guest house and knock on the door until Caitlin answered. She’d come home sometime earlier in the day with Whitley, but I hadn’t seen much movement across the lawn.

I’d worked myself into knots thinking about her today. Thinking about the look on her face after I’d punched Adam, the way her voice had cracked when she told me she didn’t think a relationship was the best idea.

But Colter was right. Demanding that Caitlin talk to me after I’d messed up would make me no better than Adam. She was her own person, and Whitley was her priority. Not me.

I made a mistake, and I just hoped she wouldn’t push me away.

Before the storm started, I’d managed to eat something, forcing the food down despite the nerves churning in my gut. In an attempt to take my mind off things, I’d turned on an old recording of a Warden Wrangler’s baseball game and plopped down on the couch. However, not even my favorite team could take my mind off Caitlin.