Page 45 of The Scars We Heal

I looked down at the ground, shoulders shaking. “I may have told Whitley she could keep the cat until Caitlin got home. In my defense, I said, ‘You can keep it for now.’”

“Well, brother, I fear that’s where you went wrong. Even I know better than to reason with a four-year-old,” Mikey teased.

“You would have done the same thing if she turned on the waterworks for you,” I argued.

“This is how you wind up with a whole petting zoo,” Hayden pointed out. “Soon enough, Whitley’s gonna come home with a chicken and a goat or something.”

“Is that supposed to be a dig at me?” Sierra scoffed. “I’ve only brought home two goats.”

“You just about brought home a baby raccoon that one time.”

At the mention of the animal, I watched Sierra melt on the spot. “It was so cute. The little hands.”

“As long as the kitten is Caitlin’s hard limit on animals, it’s my hard limit,” I said. “She’s the boss around there.”

“The women always are.” Mikey shook his head, amusement shining in his eyes for a split second before he was back to his goofy self and pretending to crack a whip. “They sure whip us into shape.”

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.” Colter grinned. “God forbid a man love his wife.”

“Amen.” Hayden pressed a kiss to Sierra’s forehead.

Keenan groaned, pretending to pout. “Fuck, I’m so single.”

You and me, both.

When I pulled back into the driveway that night, my gaze drifted across the lawn. Caitlin was sitting on the front porch with a sleeping Whitley in her lap and a blanket draped over both of them.

“Hey, stranger,” she whispered when I crossed the lawn to the guest house. “How was the rodeo?”

“Good. Real good.” I climbed the steps, taking a seat in the chair next to hers. “Colter and Reid won, of course, but the rest of us did well, too. How was your day? Must have been busy if she’s already sound asleep like that.” I pointed to Whitley, her soft snores rising into the night air.

“Bec, the friend I met at the cycling class, brought her little boy over for a playdate.” With a chuckle, she added, “Whit wasn’t too sure about him at first. She thought he was going to steal Cheeto if she let him play with him. She warmed up to him, though, and they played for hours.”

“I’m glad they reached a mutual agreement with Cheeto.” I laughed.

“I hate to say it, but I’m glad she found the kitten. He keeps her busy and, for the most part, out of trouble. Although, I did catch her feeding him chicken nuggets this morning.”

“Chicken nuggets for breakfast.” I tilted my head to the side. “I guess that’s not too weird, considering chicken and waffles is a thing.”

“Yeah, but the waffles were conveniently missing.” Caitlin let out a sigh of contentment, staring down at a sleepy Whit. “As long as she’s happy, I’m okay with it.”

“What about you?”

She tilted her head up. “What about me?”

“Are you happy?”

After a little bit of hesitation, she rolled her lips between her teeth, eyes glimmering in the low porch light.

“Yeah.” She nodded, running her fingers through Whitley’s messy hair. “I think I’m the happiest I’ve been in a while.”

I think I am, too, now that you’re here, I thought, the words catching in my throat. What I did manage to say was, “Good. You deserve that.”

“I think I want to try to paint her room soon. Now that she’s started Pre-K, I don’t have to worry about my mom taking her all the time. She might have to sleep in my room with me for one night, but that’s fine.” She ran her fingers through Whitley’s blonde locks. “She’s so independent, she never wants to sleep with me. I should probably be grateful for that, but I worry about the day she won’t need me anymore.”

“She’ll always need you, Cait,” I murmured. “It may not be in the same way she does now, but you’re her mom.”

Caitlin shrugged. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I just hope she knows that one day when she’s grown, she can always come back home. That she doesn’t need to carry her burdens all on her own.”