43. Caitlin
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
caitlin
Whitley and I were making yet another batch of chocolate chip cookies while Jake was meeting his dad and half-brother in town.
“More chocolate!” Whitley squealed as she reached for another bag of chocolate chips.
“We already put a whole bag and a half in there, bug.” I laughed, moving them out of her reach.
She pouted her lips and crossed her arms.
“If you stop pouting, I’ll let you have two cookies after dinner, yeah?” I bartered.
“Three.”
I shook my head. “Two.”
“Four,” she argued.
My brows furrowed. “I don’t think that’s how that works, kid, but nice try.”
The oven beeped a couple times, letting us know it was done preheating. I pulled out a baking sheet and the cookie dough scoop.
“Do you want to help me?” I asked Whitley, but she was standing on her stool looking out the window.
A split second later, the crunch of tires on gravel caught my attention, and I approached the window to get a look at who it was. I wasn’t expecting Jake to be back already.
I forced out an exhale at the sight of Adam’s vehicle—his stupidly expensive electric vehicle that was probably so impractical in a state like Montana where you could drive hundreds of miles before getting to another big city.
“Whit, go to your room for a minute, okay?”
She nodded, clutching Cheeto to her chest like he was a precious gemstone, before running to her room and slamming the door shut.
I sighed. The door slamming was something we were still working on.
Throwing open the front door, I stepped out onto the porch and crossed my arms.
Adam took his time getting out of his vehicle, a smug expression settling on his face.
“Caity.” His eyes raked up and down my body as though sizing me up. “I was hoping you wouldn’t still be living here, but I can see that’s not the case. What a shame.”
“What are you doing here, Adam? What do you want?”
“Wow, no hello, how are you?” He laughed, but it wasn’t warm like Jake’s.
I rolled my eyes. “You forfeited that privilege when you showed up and threatened to take my daughter away.”
“That’s actually what I came to talk to you about.
I was hoping we could have a civil conversation about our daughter and her future.
You can’t possibly think she’s better off here in the middle of nowhere Montana.
Hopefully that…cowboy”—he wrinkled his nose—“won’t be here to interrupt this time so we can actually discuss this. ”
“There’s nothing to talk about. Whitley is staying with me.”
He scoffed. “Not if I can help it. She’d be so much better off in Washington with me and my family.”
I shook my head in disbelief, a hollow laugh escaping my lips.
“That’s such a crock of shit, Adam, and we both know it.
Let’s put the delusion of thinking she’s better off with you aside for a second.
What gives you the impression you’d have any legitimate reason to take over custody of Whitley in the first place? ”
A garbled noise rose from his throat, but I didn’t stop.
“When was the last time you made an effort to be in her life? When was the last time you talked to her on the phone? What’s her favorite color?
Or her favorite TV show? Do you even know what food she likes to eat?
No. You don’t. Because up until this point, up until you found out I was happy and moving on with my life, you didn’t give two shits about our daughter.
And that’s why I know you won’t even try to file for change of custody.
Because it’s too much work and requires you to put in an ounce of effort for her.
This has never been about Whitley. It’s always been about you and your fragile ego. ”
“Oh, fuck you, Caitlin.” He threw his arms in the air. “I’ll see you in court, bitch.”
I shrugged, shaking my head as I crossed my arms. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”
A tiny sliver of panic flashed across his face, like he was expecting me to argue with him.
I raised my brows at him as though to say, Are you done?
His mouth flattened into a scowl, and he stalked off the front porch. With the slam of a car door, he disappeared down the driveway in a cloud of dust. I raised my middle finger to his taillights, but a wave of pride washed over me all the same for sticking up for myself and for my daughter.
Deep down, I knew he wouldn’t try to take me to court. He wasn’t that kind of man, the kind to take responsibility and care for another human being the way I cared for Whitley.
The old me from six months ago, hell even from two weeks ago, would have balked at his threats, but somewhere between making homemade pizzas and finding notes on the dashboard of my car, a little bit of my confidence had come back.
And, I thought, if Jake could be brave and meet the family members he didn’t know existed until a month ago, then I could be brave, too.
An hour later, when an engine rumbled in the driveway, I knew it was Jake this time. I rushed out the front door, waiting on the porch for him to hop out of his pickup.
“How did it go?” I called out to him.
The bright grin he did his best to hide was answer enough.
“It was exactly what I needed,” he admitted.
“I was nervous at first, but fuck, Cait. They’re really cool.
Nolan is in college. He’s studying engineering.
And my dad…” He paused, and I waited, giving him the space to gather his thoughts.
“My dad is exactly the man I hoped he’d be.
He told me about how he met my mom and that he tried to find her.
He had no idea she was pregnant, and then he met Nolan’s mom and the rest was history, but he said he wants to get to know me better.
They live in South Dakota, but they want to come to some rodeos next year and spend time together. ”
His eyes lit up, like a kid’s on Christmas morning. I could tell meeting them was good for him and gave him the closure he needed.
Jake climbed the steps, meeting me on the front porch, and I pulled him into a tight embrace.
“I’m so proud of you, Jake.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head. “I’m proud of myself, too.”
Pulling back from the hug, I released a deep breath. “Adam came by the house while you were gone.”
Alarm flashed in Jake’s eyes, and his expression turned to stone. “What? Why didn’t you text me or call? I would have come back.”
I shook my head, placing my hands on his shoulders to ground him.
“It’s okay, Jake.” I smiled. “I called him on his bluff. You were right all those weeks ago, you know? Adam doesn’t care about anyone but himself, and we both know it.
I don’t think he could even tell me what Whitley’s favorite color is. ”
“It used to be yellow, but now I’m sure it’s orange,” Jake murmured on a breath.
“I don’t think he’ll be bothering us anymore. He knows it’s over, and he knows I’m not going to let him walk all over me ever again. And if he actually does try to take me to court, he’s going to fucking lose.” I bit out the last part with a laugh. “But I don’t think he will.”
Tugging me into his arms, Jake leaned in and whispered against my mouth, “You’re the best mom there is.”
“I know that now.” My lips curved up before I pressed a gentle kiss to his. “You helped me see that. You helped me get there. To know I’m enough, that I’ve always been enough.”