Page 52 of The Scars We Heal

I looked over my shoulder, and he was saying something to Reid. He gave him a mock salute then ran after me, grabbing my hand and spinning me into a dip in the middle of the dance floor.

“That wasn’t what we agreed to,” I whispered to him as we walked to the head table.

He grinned. “Yeah, but we couldn’t let Isa and Reid completely show us up.”

When they entered the ballroom, Isa was on Reid’s back and he was pretending to throw her off like she was riding a bull.

A smile pulled at my cheeks at the couple. They weren’t together, but everyone could see the attraction between them.

My chest twisted with emotion. I missed that feeling. Of being wanted by someone, even if I was oblivious to it all. Seven years of marriage, and the spark had all but fizzled out, the only thing remaining a sad ribbon of smoke. Like the end of a snuffed-out cigarette.

“They look good together, don’t they?” He sat next to me as Colter spun Ellison on the dance floor.

Dinner and toasts had gone by in a blur, and the moment we were able to get up from the head table, I moved to sit with Adam and Whitley. However, Jake somehow always seemed to find me.

We were a few hours into the reception, so Adam had taken Whitley back to the room for a bit. Maybe Jake knew, and that was why he came over.

Warmth flowed through my body, a lightness I hadn’t felt for a while. “They do. They look really happy together.” I turned my head toward him then reached out to straighten his cowboy hat. “You look good, too.”

“Thanks, I try to clean up every now and then,” he joked with a wink.

“Same.” I snorted. “This is probably the best I’ve looked in months.”

Jake shook his head, his lips jutted into a pout. “Nah. You always look good.”

I lifted one eyebrow. “You haven’t seen me in sweatpants and three-day unwashed hair pulled up into a messy bun, Jake.”

“Don’t need to. You can pull off anything.”

Rolling my eyes, I playfully nudged his shoulder. “Whatever you say.”

“Where’d your husband go?”

I didn’t turn my head to look at him, but my eyes flicked over anyway. “I think he took Whitley up to the room. He’s not big on this kind of thing.”

Jake let out what sounded like a small grunt.

“He’s probably just tired.” I shook my head, needing to fill the silence with something, even if it was just excuses. “He’s been working long hours and going on business trips, so coming to Montana was just another thing on his plate.”

“Does he make you happy?” Jake blurted, catching me off guard.

“What?”

“Does he make you happy?” he repeated. “Treat you well?”

My mouth opened and closed. I willed my brain to come up with an answer, a resounding yes, but I couldn’t.

The absence of an answer appeared to be enough of one for Jake. “You deserve someone who treats you like you’re their entire world,” he murmured, gaze focused on something in the distance. “Someone who would literally walk on hot coals for you.”

“Jake—”

“You deserve better, Cait. We both know it.” Pain flashed in his expression, but it was gone in an instant. “If you ever want to leave him and need someone to support you or a listening ear, I’ll be here.”

My mind flashed back to my last year of college.

I was studying for yet another exam for a class that was taking over my life. All I had to do was get through this last semester, and then I’d be free.

Adam, however, wasn’t helping my stress levels. He’d wanted me to go out to the bar with him and his friends, but when I told him I had to stay in and study, he slammed the door on his way out and turned off his location again.